Binder1 04 december, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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SATURDAY

Sanctity Of Truth

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

Vol. 1 No. 289

Thursday, December 4, 2014

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

Nigeria sitting on keg of gunpowder, says David-West

NATCOM Consortium wins $252.25m NITEL/M-TEL bid Kenneth Tohembeth

fter s e ve r a l failed attempts, t h e N at i o n a l

Council on Privatisation (NPC) has finally succeeded in selling the moribund Nigeria Telecommunications

Limited (NITEL) and its mobile arm, M-TEL for $252.251 million. NATCOM Consortium was yesterday an-

nounced as winner of the bid. The firm, which had initially offered $221milCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

NEW TELE

GRAPH

Interview

THURSDAY , DecembeR

N150

4, 2014

Okorodas : enough Emergency rule panacea not for insu rgency

Jurist

22&25

Solanke: Lawyers not petit must explo ions to re appe resolve grievance als,

Law

Akintola APC, PD , Adekoya, oth e P for Ek iti imbr rs blame oglio

Akintola

Barely two Adekoya weeks afte the Ekit r seven i Sta memb their Spe te House of Assembly ers of aker, Dr. were yes remove Ade d terday una wale omirin , lawyer the spe nimous s ake assembly r by the minorit that the sack of y in a 26am oun must be ted to illeg me challen ality. the mber ged APPOLO y say it S CHRIS in court. AKE EM NAFIU TIAN rep ort and

Shittu

ity and abus in a dem e of the rule of law Nigeria. ocratic nati Fayo on calle d Pete se and Diep “We saw reye r Alam all thes ing but e thin ieyeseig Solomon imp we many peopare all com gs com- speceached in ha 2006 and were placent tively. le who are not as 2005 reshould “So, it did speak start todaspeaking. not som It and beca y, it started did not ties ething that start today. It is sanction use there has long ago fromcould abso none of the parlve them . ment of s against the been no selves continuethe constitut infringe- be “The political ion, it d’’, one held has responsi class shou of them “These infraction The poli ld ble for are said court tical clas all this whether s without needs matters that . exceptio s to quickly the all should PDP or n as poss determine as have be held APC said. ible’’, Nationaltheir members. They respons another Although ible for Asse at the they do mbly, all the of the this infr round on the issue? what do Ekiti Stat new Spea comes What goes ker sembly e Hou roun without actions why we , scribed Mr. Dele Olug se of As- if keep telli d and that is whethe exception of his the Novemb bemi de- theyou condone ng them that predesso er r PDP or infraction at work r as dem17 sack you Constitution APC s of Nigeria,, a Senior Adv ocracy knoware not affec today because ocate of what will ted, you don’ tola blamChief Adeniyi row. ing their ed politician Akin- ing Just like whahappen tomo t Ekiti sagaparties, desc s includ- it now, it is Tamt the IGP is rdoribin buwal the Con as an infringem g the or may be the stitu any othe turn of thetoday, ent of Akintola tion. r CJN pers Tha on tomo t is said eyes in ing Nigewhy every righ rrow. this coun : “In our very ernors’ try, at condemnrian should t thinkrise up said to forum election,the Govit’’. to Another nothingbe greater than 16 was Nige Seni the way happened. We 19 and said ria, Mrs or Advocate of all saw the answFunke Ade impeachand manner koya self. Nya er and noth ed in Adamaw ko was the “These are speaks for , matters itthe way ing happened a State quiccourt need . Look and man kly as posss to determinthat ner Ayo at e as ible’ ’, she said dele . CoNt

Page 21

five pages of Law

Lagos APC aspirants battle for Fashola's seat A

midst tight secu seven rity, of movie bers of the 26 mem on Nov the Ekit Omirin’s ember 17. i Stat sacked House of sack their Spea Assembl e from spea wale Omi y to kership and removal ker, elicit ner akin rin in a biza Dr. Adecontrovehas continue tion d to a scen rre man - sinc s and counter-arsy, accusae in a e Novemb ccusation war s However er 17. , the ques the lips lawyers of Nigerians, tion on including form a is: Can seven quorum members house to imp in a 26-memb each a officer? er principa l Lawyers FOLUSO disa a clear gree. Alth OGUNMO ough DEDE JUDICIARY ‘7’ grea example of the Ekit EDItoR in Oyo ter than ‘19’ foluso.ogun i , newtelegrap modede@ States Plateau and occurred honline.com Houses Anambr © Daily ing the of Asse Telegraph Olus mbly dur-a Publishing ure, lawy egun Oba Company Limited sanjo teners yest that it erda was what they time to put y agreed a stop describe d as illeg to al-

INUE D

oN PAGE

Governor Fashola

lAmbode, Shasore, Ikuforiji, Hamzat, Kasali in hot contest }5

Telegraph

Travel Advisory

Your guide to local and international flights 4

Quick Read R-L: Investor, Natcom Consortium, Captain Hosa Okunbo; Chairman, Mr. Olatunde Ayeni, Director-General, Bureau of Public Entreprise (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki; Minister of Telecommunication, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; Liquidator, Nigerian Telecommunications Plc, Chief Olutola Senbore and Vice-Chairman, National Council on Privatisation (NCP), Alhaji Haruna Sambo, as NATCOM Consortium put in $251.252 million to win the financial bids for NITEL/MTEL sales by the NCP in Abuja...yesterday.

Robbers snatch gov's official car Dahiru Suleiman DUTSE

rmed robbers have snatched one of the official cars of Jiga-

wa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido. The police said yesterday in Dutse, the state capital, that the car, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was being

driven by its driver, Auwalu Mohammed, when the gunmen forcibly took it away from him at 9pm on Tuesday. The state Police Pub-

lic Relations Officer, Mr. Abdu Jinjiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said manhunt had been launched for the robCONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Editorial

Repositioning information technology for development}19

Death toll in Damaturu }5 attack hits 150

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Travel Advisory

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 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

British Airways flights from Nigeria (Mon - Sun) Flight path

Departure

Arrival

Lagos (LOS) to London Heathrow (LHR)

23.30hrs

05.30hrs

Abuja (ABV) to London Heathrow (LHR)

08.00hrs

14.00hrs

Flight path

Departure

Arrival

London Heathrow (LHR) to Lagos (LOS)

11.00hrs

17.30hrs

London Heathrow (LHR) to Abuja (ABV)

00.00hrs

06.00hrs

British Airways flights to Nigeria

Daily flights from Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja) (Mon - Sun) Airliner

Airports

Departure

Arrival

Arik Air

London to Lagos

21:30hrs

03.30hrs

Arik Air

Lagos (LOS) to New York (JFK)

23:35hrs

05:30hrs (NY time)

Arik Air

New York (JFK) to Lagos

12:00hrs (NY time)

06:00hrs (Nig. time)

Delta Airlines

Atlanta to Lagos

23:00hrs

16:00hrs

Delta Airlines

Lagos to Atlanta

22:20hrs

05:30hrs

Emirates Airlines

Lagos to Dubai

14:30hrs;

12:50hrs

KLM

Lagos to Amsterdam

23:10hrs

05:10hrs

KLM

Amsterdam to Lagos

11:30hrs

05:30hrs

Virgin Atlantic

Lagos to London

11:00hrs

17:00hrs

Lufthansa

Abuja to Frankfurt

23.10hrs

05.10hrs

Lufthansa

Lagos to Frankfurt

21.00hrs

03.00hrs

South Africa Airways

Lagos to Johannesburg

22.15hrs

03.15hrs (SA time)

United Airlines

Lagos to Housten, Texas

22:10hrs

Air France

Abuja to Paris

23:55hrs

05:55hrs

Air France

Lagos to Paris

21:20hrs

03:21hrs

Ethiopia Airways

Abuja to Addis Ababa

20.10hrs (Nig Time)

00.10hrs (Addis time)

Ethiopia Airways

Lagos to Addis Ababa

14:00hrs (Nig Time)

18:00hrs (Addis time)

Qatar Airways

Lagos to Doha

14.23hrs

Air Maroc

Lagos to Casablanca

06:25 hrs

12:45 hrs

Etihad

Lagos to Abu Dhabi

09:50hrs

Air Ivoire

Lagos to Abidjan

10:15hrs (Sun and Mon)

Cam Air

Lagos to Yaounde

15:25hrs (Mon, Tues and Wed)

South African Airways international travel tips South African Airways Check-in Internet check-in is available between 24 hours and 3 hours before departure. Self check-in via kiosks at the airport is available up to 90 minutes before the flight. Check-in counters are also offered by the airline. Mobile check-in is also available for flights out of Johannesburg.

South African Airways baggage allowance Hand luggage: Economy Class passengers are allowed one piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of 8kg (18lbs) and maximum size (height, width and depth added together) of 115cm (45in). Business Class passengers are allowed two items of hand luggage, each of the same maximum weight and size. Hand luggage must be able to fit under the seat in front or in the overhead lockers. Checked: allowances vary according to route, however on many flights Economy Class passengers are allowed up to 23kg (50lb) of checked luggage, Business Class passengers are allowed up to 30kg (66lb) and First Class passengers are allowed up to 40kg (99lb). Excess: fees vary according to route, according to either the weight or piece concepts. On most routes, excess baggage is charged at a rate of 1.5 per cent per kg of the highest normal direct one-way adult Economy Class fare. Any one item of baggage that is more than 32kg (70lb) will be classed as cargo and charged at the corresponding rates, and if total excess baggage is more than 100kg (218lb) this will need to be organised at the time the reservation is made or at least 24 hours in advance of departure.

South African Airways legroom In Economy Class, passengers can expect a seat pitch of 81cm to 86cm (32-34in). In Business Class there is a seat pitch of 198cm (78in), and in First Class there is a seat pitch of 210cm (83in). Pre-arranged seating Seats are assigned during the booking process and may be changed during check-in if available. Passenger change details Reservations can be changed or cancelled online or by calling Reservations.

Child fares Infants under two years of age are subject to infant fares, which are around 10 per cent of an adult fare. Children from 2 to 11 years of age, meanwhile, will travel via child fares available at around 75 per cent of an adult fare. Baby meals may be requested at the time of reservation, and cabin crew can heat up milk and food brought onboard for your child. Infants are allowed 10kg (22lbs) of checked baggage as well as one fully collapsible buggy. In terms of hand luggage, infants are allowed one carry-on bag of less than 8kg (17lb) free of charge.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Lagos APC aspirants battle for Fashola's seat Temitope Ogunbanke

welve aspirants will today file out in a battle royale for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as they seek to fly the party's flag for the coveted office of governor of Lagos State. They are Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Senate Minority Leader, Ganiyu

Olanrewaju Solomon; Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; former Accountant General of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olasupo Shasore, Olanrewaju Ope, Tayo Ayinde, Dr. Leke Pitan, Dr Tola Kasali, Adekunle Disu, Adetokunbo Tobun-Agbesanwa and Ad-

etokunbo Wahab. Virtually all the aspirants are proteges of the APC National Leader and former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Of the lot, only five are considered strong aspirants: Solomon, Ambode, Ikuforiji, Hamzat, and Shasore. The aspirants are relying on the support of outgoing Governor Baba-

tunde Fashola and Tinubu to have the scale tilted in their favour. There are fears that the outcome of today’s election will, to a large extent, determine the future of the party in Lagos, especially its fortunes in the 2015 elections. Eleven of the governorship aspirants have sent a protest letter to the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and

other members of the party National Working Committee (NWC), complaining about the process leading to today’s primaries. The aspirants expressed concern over the adoption of delegates from 57 councils as against 20 local governments. They noted that “our current party constitution states that the local governments shall be defined as

L-R: Presidential aspirants of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah; Chief Rochas Okorocha; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, displaying their certificates, after screening by the APC Presidential Screening Committee, in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

listed in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which for Lagos State is listed as 20 LGAs.” They also kicked against the method of electing the candidate, preferring direct primaries as against indirect primaries. “We considered the concern that the conceived indirect primaries (as presently constituted) could lead to agitation, tension and litigation and may even ultimately deprive the party from presenting a valid candidate for the general election in February 2015,” the aspirants stated. But the state leadership of the party insists that there is no going back on today’s primaries. Chairman APC Lagos State, Chief Henry Ajomale, said the primaries will take place at the Onikan Stadium Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, Engr. Joe Igbokwe, also told New Telegraph in a telephone interview that there is no going back on the party’s primaries. “We are going to Onikan tomorrow (today). There is no going back on the primary. Some of the aspirants only wrote to advise that the primary should be postponed but that may not be possible because time is of essence to us. The aspirants should come there and test their strength and popularity,” he said.

Tambuwal's move to jail IG stalled Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he suit instituted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, seeking an order of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to jail the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, was stalled yesterday. The matter could not go ahead as listed because the people of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State filed an appeal challenging the judgement of the court which on Monday stopped them from joining as codefendants in the initial suit. The constituents brought an application for joinder which was refused by the court. At the resumed hearing yesterday, the constituents through their counsel told the court that they had filed two separate applications for stay

of proceedings in the suit. Their applications for stay of proceedings were premised on the grounds that they had filed notices of appeal against the ruling of the court which on Monday disallowed them to be joined as defendants in the suit. One of the two applications seeking to be joined as parties in the suit was jointly filed on behalf of the people of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency by the Chairman of Kebbe Local Government Area, Bala Konkani, and Chairman of Tambuwal Local Government Area, Sambo Modo. The other application was filed in the name of the constituents by three members of the Sokoto State House of Assembly – Abdussamad Dasuki, Suleiman Hantsi, and Shuaibu Umar – representing Tambuwal East, Tambuwal West and Kebbe constituencies respectively. The constituents are

opposed to Tambuwal’s removal as Speaker and declaration of his seat vacant, arguing that removing him would deprive them of representation in the House of Representatives. Counsel to the local government chairmen, Israel Olorundare (SAN) and that of the Sokoto State legislators, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), informed the court that they had filed separate applications seeking leave to appeal against the court ruling based on mixed law and facts. They added that they had filed notices of appeal against the court's ruling in addition to applications for stay of proceedings. Counsel to Tambuwal, J. S Okutepa (SAN) however asked the court to adjourn the matter to enable him to respond to the applications for stay of proceedings filed by the parties seeking to be joined.

But the counsel for the PDP and its National Chairman, Yunus Ustaz (SAN) along with counsel of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the IG, Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN) opposed to request for adjournment. They insisted that it was more appropriate to hear the contempt application which was scheduled as the court's business for the day. Ruling on the request for adjournment, Justice A.R. Mohammed held it would amount to denying parties seeking to be joined their rights to fair hearing and to appeal against the decision of the court if the court proceedings were allowed to go on without first hearing them. The court further held that it would be tantamount to denying Tambuwal fair hearing too if the court adopted the suggestion by PDP and AGF that responses to the applications for stay of pro-

ceedings should be done orally at the Wednesday's proceedings. The court later adjourned the matter till December 9 for hearing of applications seeking leave to appeal, stay of proceedings and the one seeking an order compelling the IGP to appear in

court. New Telegraph recalls that Tambuwal had filed a suit before the court seeking to stop the declaration of his seat vacant on the account of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Death toll in Damaturu attack hits 150

ver 150 people, including 38 police, died in a Boko Haram raid on Damaturu this week, police, a rescue official and a health worker told AFP yesterday. A senior rescue official and a medical source at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu, said 115 bodies were brought to the morgue after Monday’s attack, although it was not clear whether they were insurgents or civilians.

All 115 were in civilian clothing, but it was not certain whether they were all non-combatants, the sources said. Among the dead were two medical doctors, a staff member of the federal polytechnic in the Yobe state capital, and his two children. Six soldiers were also killed, the sources added. Emmanuel Ojukwu, spokesman for Nigeria’s federal police, said: “Out of the police, we have 38 deaths.”

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

PDP to Buhari: Stop playing politics with insurgency lChad denies funding Boko Haram

Onyekachi Eze and Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, to stop playing politics with insurgency in the North-East. Buhari, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had accused the government of not doing enough to halt insurgency in Nigeria. But PDP in a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, described as unfortunate the politicisation of the security challenges by Buhari. The party observed that: "General Buhari, who was once a military governor of the North-East, which encompassed Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, has failed to use his connections there to assist and bring peace to the nation, which he desires to rule once more. "Instead, he chooses to accuse the Federal Government and the military

of a hidden agenda to destroy the North, thereby hampering the efforts of the military to build relationships and trust in communities affected by the insurgency. A prominent Nigerian in the mould of General Buhari should not be playing politics with the destiny of a nation and the security of Nigerians." Metuh further accused the former head of state of always trying to use the pains of the people to score cheap political points at a time all patriotic Nigerians are joining hands with government to look for solution. "Rather than show patriotism by collaborating with the Federal Government, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presiden-

tial aspirant prefers that the nation has no solution until the time he is able to step in as president with his “magic wand” to end the insurgency. "This not only exposes a height of insensitivity but also a clear absence of genuine love and concern for the people," the statement said. PDP noted that assuming that Buhari has the solution to the problem, he should, as a prominent citizen put the country first before any other political agenda and personal aggrandizement. The party added that the Federal Government has shown incontrovertible commitment to ending the insurgency by deploying troops and equipping the military, and called on

the opposition leaders including Buhari not to sabotage the efforts by making statements that could encourage insurgency which also are capable of demoralising and dividing the security agencies. in a related development, the Chadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Isah Braimah, yesterday, exonerated his country of funding or arming the Boko Haram sect in its insurgency in the North East. Braimah stated this when members of the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) advocacy group protested to Chadian embassy in Abuja, with banners, asking the Chadian government to explain its roles in the insurgency in the North-East. The group also de-

manded a response to a media report that a close ally of the Chadian President had been arrested by Cameroonian gendarmes with lethal arms meant for Boko Haram. He also asked the BBOG members who visited his mission to meet the Nigerian government for answers over the whereabouts of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. The envoy said his country had no inkling of the whereabouts of the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram sect in April 2014, stressing that it was only the Nigerian government that should be held responsible for the rescue of the school girls. The leader of the BBOG members, Aisha Yesufu,

who led five representatives of the movement to a meeting with the ambassador, said the envoy accused the Nigeria Police Force of dragging the name of his country in the mud by alleging that it arrested a Chadian with arms. The BBOG leader, who briefed other coalition members after the meeting outside the Chadian embassy gate, stated that: "The ambassador said the way they practice Islam in his country is different from Nigeria because Muslims co-exist peacefully with others.” He said we should meet our government for answers on the Chibok girls and denied that his country was supporting or sponsoring Boko Haram," she said.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

30oC

25oC

Partially Cloudy

ABUJA

35oC

22oC

Sunny

PORT HARCOURT

24o C 18oC Storms

KANO

33oC

13oC

Sunny

ENUGU

34oC

23oC

Sunny

IBADAN

34oC

22oC

Partially Cloudy

CALABAR

29o C 23oC Thunder Storms

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

35oC 16oC Sunny

34oC

23oC

Partially Cloudy

L-R: Chief Security Officer, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. C.U Omalo; Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Services, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko and Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Alhaji Suleiman Yahyah, at the reopening of the cargo warehouse at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

NATCOM Consortium wins $252.25m NITEL/ M-TEL bid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

lion for the company , an amount Chairman of the NPC Technical Committee, Mr. Atedo Peterside, described as unreasonable, jacked up its bid to $252.25 million. The second bidder, NATTAG Consortium, was disqualified for failure to enclose a $10 million bid bond as clearly stipulated in the Request for Proposals (RoP)." "I am happy to announce that the bid has met the reserve price. Unfortunately, of the two pre-qualified bidders, NATTAG Consortium,

was disqualified for failure to enclose a $10million bid bond as clearly stipulated in the Request for Proposals (RoP)," Atedo, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Haruna Sambo, said. He explained that Section 10.3.1 of the RFP requires that "Each bidder shall furnish, as part of its proposal, a bid bond in the form of a bank guarantee or a letter of credit in the sum of $10 million. The bid bond must be enclosed with the technical proposal. "The bank guarantee or letter of credit shall

be from a reputable bank acceptable to BPE and the liquidator and be valid for 120 days from the deadline for submission of proposals. Provision must be made for extension of the term of the bid bond if the validity period is extended." According to him, following the disqualification of NETTANG Consortium as a result of its failure to submit a bid bond together with its technical proposal, only the financial bid of NATCOM Consortium qualified for opening having scored an average of 92

per cent in its technical proposal which was above the minimum pass mark of 75 per cent and satisfying the requirements of a valid bid bond. Atedo said as stipulated in the RFP, 30 per cent of the bid price should be paid within 15 days of notification and the balance to be paid within 90 days . He added that as part of the reform of the telecommunications sector, a new National Telecommunications Policy was adopted in August 2000 and a new Nigerian Com-

munications Act was passed into law in 2003. According to him, the new legal framework provided the basis upon which the process for privatising NITEL commenced in 2001 and since then, there been four different unsuccessful attempts to privatised the company and one failed management contract. Atedo said the previous unsuccessful privatisation of NITEL included the strategic core investor sale of 51 per cent shareholding in the company to Investors InCONTINUED ON PAGE 8

News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Nigeria sitting on keg of gunpowder, says David-West Emeka Obasi

ormer Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam DavidWest, yesterday warned against unrest in Nigeria in view of the deleterious effects of the volatility in oil price in the global market on the nation's economy. David-West, in an interview with New Telegraph, said the effect of the falling oil prices, for which the Federal Government is considering austerity measures to protect the economy, might be more serious than is being presented. According to him, if the situation is not well managed, it can lead to a revolution in the country. Oil prices have been in a free fall in the last two months, with the price of Brent crude, the Nigerian variant, hitting a five-year low at $67.53 on Monday. The Federal Government has already reviewed the oil benchmark for the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) from $78 per barrel to $73. David-West, who also described last week's election of Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, as president, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as no big deal, said those not taking the impact of the oil price crisis serious were enemies of the country.

"We are in serious trouble. Oil price will go down the more. And what we heard initially was there was no cause for panic. Now, the same government wants to adopt austerity measures. You want the poor man to bear the burden of the big man's irresponsibility. This nation will experience a revolution and it will be suicidal if we do not change the system," he stated. He urged the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to publish a contingency plan on how to cushion the effects of the economic downturn. "I do not believe Dr. Okonjo-Iweala. Let her publish the contingency plan. They said they diversified the economy. They diversified by mouth, not action. A country that grows on injustice will collapse," he added. David- West advised government to go back to agriculture in order to stay afloat as there seems to be no end in sight to the free fall in oil price. "Nigeria is a monoeconomy; we have to diversify. Let us go back to agriculture, mechanised agriculture. Government should encourage entrepreneurship," he added. He also expressed doubt over the ability of the Jonathan administration to grow the economy. "This government has lost control. We need a man like Gen. Muham-

madu Buhari to take us beyond this mess. You know he was an oil minister and is not corrupt. They are afraid of him because when voted in, all the corrupt politicians will run away from the country. None of them will be spared whether APC (All Progressives Congress) or not. They will languish in jail. "Buhari can do it; he is capable. He understands the economy. Don't forget that when he took over in 1983, he inherited six-month salary arrears from the previous government which he promptly cleared," DavidWest said. On the election of Alison-Madueke as first OPEC female president, David-West wondered why the jubilation in the country. According to him, her emergence will confer no special advantage on the country. He said: "I congratulate Nigeria (on her election), but it is no big deal. I also want to stress that she was not elected, she was selected. The honour is for the country, not necessarily the individual. We should not blow it out of proportion. "The power house of OPEC is the secretarygeneral. Saudi Arabia, the most important member, never showed interest. They once had an oil minister, Sheikh Yamani, who stayed for 24 years and never showed interest in the position of president."

Robbers snatch gov's official car CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

bers with a view to retrieving the car. According to him, policemen had been placed on the alert across the state to track the vehicle while Mohammed has been arrested and is being interrogated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

It was learnt that despite the setting up of a special anti-crime squad, cases of vehicles robbery have been on the rise in the state. Jinjiri also dismissed report of an alleged arrest of a serving police officer for rape. "Such claims has not come to the notice of the

command, and by law, what we expect the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to do was to write officially for clarification of the authenticity of the officer in question whether he is with the command as its staff member or otherwise for prosecution, if found wanting," he said.

Presidency cautions Senate against Jonathan's impeachment Anule Emmanuel

he Presidency has urged members senators to focus on development issues that will engender speedy economic growth rather than contemplating impeaching President Goodluck Jonathan. Senior Special Assis-

tant on Public Affairs to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement yesterday in Abuja said there were at present, serious fundamental issues of national importance such as winning the war against terrorism and stabilising the economy in the face of dwindling oil revenue, which requires

the full attention, commitment and swift action of lawmakers. Commending the Senate for its role in stabilising the polity in the last four years, he said within the period, the Senate had employed political maturity required to guide and protect the nation's nascent democracy.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC clears Buhari, Atiku, three others for presidential race lOdigie-Oyegun warns of anarchy Johnchuks Onuanyim and Muhammad Kabir

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar and three others to vie for its presidential ticket. About 8,000 delegates will on Wednesday in Lagos, decide who among

Buhari, Atiku, Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; his Imo State counterpart, Chief Rochas Okorocha and Publisher, Leadership Newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, will emerge the party's presidential candidate in the February 2015 election. Chairman of the party's Screening Committee, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, presented clearance certificates to the aspirants after their screening in Abuja on Tuesday. According to Onu, the

five presidential aspirants scored high marks ranging from 62 per cent to 78 per cent. Onu, yesterday in Abuja, called on Nigerians to give APC a chance at the national level, since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been tried for the last 16 years without positive results. He said: "This committee would want to appeal to Nigerians that the time has come for our country to take a stand. There is a choice before us. Are we

going to continue the way we have been going in the past 16 years? "Are we going to allow a situation where the rule of law is violated and there is no orderliness whatsoever? This is a choice for Nigerians." Buhari, who responded on behalf of the presidential aspirants, pledged their cooperation to ensure a hitch-free convention. "It is a very trying time for the five of us, but we are grateful that they

have been very generous in their award of marks and that we all made it. The rest of the decision now goes to the public and the delegates. In a week time, we will come together and whoever gets the ticket to run on behalf of the party will emerge. The secretary has read the letter which we were made to sign yesterday so that the loyalty to the party will be supreme," he said. The Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated that the committee had agreed that the convention would hold in Lagos State. He stated that some concerns were raised, especially by the aspirants, but that the committee was able to convince them on the choice of Lagos as venue for the convention. Asked how many delegates would be at the convention, he said: "Well, we are expecting over 8, 000 delegates all over the country. Both elected and statutory delegates". Atiku has accepted Lagos State as the venue for the convention.

Atiku in statement by his Media Office, welcomed the choice of Lagos as the venue for the APC presidential primaries and congratulated the government and the people of Lagos State for the opportunity to host the party. Meanwhile, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said with the series of bomb attacks and incessant killings in the country the nation is drifting toward anarchy. He warned that if the situation continues, it might affect the conduct of the 2015 polls. Odigie-Oyegun who led party leaders to Kano sympathise with the people and government over last Friday's attack on the Kano Central Mosque by Boko Haram, decried the spate terror attacks in the country. Earlier Deputy Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had said despite the poor funding of the Federal Government for the Joint Military Task Force, the state government was taking care of them.

NATCOM Consortium wins $252.25m NITEL/ M-TEL bid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

L-R: Discussant, Chief Folake Sholanke, SAN; Chairman, Sterling Bank Plc, Asue Ighodalo and Chairman, Bi-Courtney Nigeria Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin, during a seminar to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the NBA Ibadan, Oyo Stateâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday

Corruption: TI ranks Nigeria 39th most corrupt country T

ransparency International (TI) yesterday ranked Nigeria as the 39th most corrupt country in the world in its 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Nigeria is 136th on the list. This is the best ranking in four years. In its 2013 survey, Nigeria was ranked 144th. In 2011, Nigeria was 143rd and 139th in 2012 on the CPI list. The group ranked 175 countries and territories based on how corrupt their administrative and political institutions are perceived to be on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). It said that four Scandi-

navian nations and New Zealand are the world's least corrupt countries while North Korea and Somalia are the most corrupt. The four least corrupt countries are Denmark (92), New Zealand (91), Finland (89), and Sweden (87), while the US came in 17th along with Barbados, Hong Kong, and Ireland, with a rating of 74. Compiled from a combination of surveys and assessments of the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, the CPI is the most widely used indicator of corruption worldwide. The lowest ranked countries are perceived as "plagued by poor gover-

nance, and untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like police or media." Top performers are found to have "high levels of press freedom, open budget processes, and strong accountability mechanisms." It was learnt that more than two-thirds of the 175 countries in the 2014 index score below 50. Denmark (92 points), which topped the list, has occupied the No. 1 position since 2012. New Zealand (91 points), which was No. 1 both last year and in 2012, was No. 2 this year. Finland (89), No. 3 in the index, was unchanged from last year. Sweden (87) fell one place

to No. 4. Norway (86) was unchanged at No. 5. The average country score this year is 43/100 and they are listed as including: Seychelles, Malta, Latvia, and South Korea are listed at 43. Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian-backed separatist rebellion, came in 142nd with a score of 26. Russia's score is 27. Also, the group noted that Turkey dropped five points to 45 after a corruption scandal rocked the ruling AKP party last December. China's rating fell by four points to 36, even amid an anti-corruption drive that has purged dozens of officials, it added.

ternational London Limited (IILL) in 2001. He added that the idea of the transaction as aimed at the repositioning of the company to play a significant role in the economy. Another failed management contract was recorded in 2005 with Pentascope in 2005; and the aborted Orascom Telecoms bid in 2005 and another strategic core investor sale through negotiated sale strategy to Transcorp, which was cancelled in 2009. Also in 2011, another strategic core investor sale involving New Generation Communications Limited and Omen International with the two companies emerging as preferred and reserved bidders respectively. Earlier, Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who was also present at the event, said the privatisation of government-owned telecom communication companies was the

last segment in the well though-out reform of the nation's telecommunication sector. She assured investors that government will continue to review and fine-tune policies that will continue to provide an enabling environment for the growth and development of private sector driven Nigeria telecommunications industry. Also, Director General, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said there were numerous challenges facing NITEL which included liquidating unpaid terminal benefits of ex-staff of the telecoms companies, arrears of salaries of the retained staff and outsourced security and huge accumulated unpaid licenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual operating level (AOL), amongst other issues. He, however, said the country was able to overcome the challenges due to the support received from the government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014

Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

overnor of Imo State and presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Rochas Okorocha, has promised to stop the Boko Haram insurgency that has been ravaging the North East zone in the last five years if elected president in 2015. Okorocha, who made this known in Kaduna, when he paid a courtesy call on the Pan Northern socio- cultural group, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday, also said the Boko

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NATIONAL

Okorocha: I will end Boko Haram if elected president Haram insurgency will continue if President Goodluck Jonathan is re-elected in 2015. The APC presidential aspirant promised to tackle the underlining factors that are responsible for the insecurity in most parts of the country, which include lack of education and unemployment by overhauling the education sector and embarking on youth empowerment schemes. According to Okoro-

cha, his track records on how he has developed Imo State in the last three years by providing free education from primary to University and other developmental projects, speak for themselves and they can guarantee his reelection as Imo state governor but he has decided to gun for the presidency. “I have a burning fire to change Nigeria for good. My intention to become president of the country

is for the benefit of the masses and not for personal gain because God has blessed me,’’ he added. Justifying why he visited ACF, Okorocha said that “my coming to ACF is to reaffirm my relationship with the North because they gave me the platform to be educated.’’ He said that he also came to the Northern group ‘’to relate and make my intention known to the North that I will be

running for the post of President in the country come 2015. Though, ACF is apolitical, but I want you to see me as a son. Responding, Chairman of ACF’s National Executive Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, urged him to go and get support of his people, saying ACF is apolitical and would only support any candidate that emerges after the primaries.

146,386

The number of refugees in Turkey at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

21%

The percentage of pregnant women tested for HIV in low and middle-income countries in 2008. Source: Who.int

104

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

£1.46m

The average yearly salary of Germany’s Bundesliga players in 2013-2014 season. Source: Soccernet.com Daily Editor, New Telegraph, Mr. Yemi Ajayi (right), presenting a copy of the paper to the General Overseer, Bethel Wonder City Ministries Incorportaed, Revd. Roselyn Oduyemi, during her courtesy visit to launch 1-1-1 prayer movement for the survival of one Nigeria in Lagos… yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Coroner hears TB Joshua’s application to halt proceedings tomorrow Akeem Nafiu, Cynthia Johnson and Badamus Adedoyin

he inquest into the building collapse on the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), yesterday fixed tomorrow for hearing an application by church’s founder and Prophet, Temitope Joshua otherwise known as TB Joshua, to stop his appear-

ance and further proceedings at the inquest. Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, who is presiding over the inquest during yesterday’s proceedings directed T.B. Joshua’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, to serve the application on other interested parties in the matter. He, however, urged parties to file necessary papers on the application before the next ad-

journed date. Joshua was scheduled to appear before the Coroner yesterday, to give evidence on the incident but has declined to show up. He and SCOAN have also filed an application before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court to stop his appearance at the inquest. The Judge’s absence, however, stalled the hearing of the matter

yesterday. In a suit marked, ID/188MJR/2014, the applicants (T. B. Joshua and SCOAN) are seeking for the following declarations: A declaration that the decision of the coroner to summon the applicants to give evidence at a time when no materials were placed before the coroner against the applicants is a breach of the applicants’ right to fair hearing.

Mark tells Nigerians to turn to God Chukwu David Abuja

he President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, yesterday urged Nigerians to turn to God as the only sure way out of the nation’s

security, political and economic problems. Mark was optimistic that God will heal the land “only if we turn to Him to salvage the myriads of crisis facing the nation.” Addressing members of the Youth Prayer Network of Nigeria, (YPNN)

during the flag-off of national prayers to heal the nation in his Apo, Abuja official residence, Mark said: “What the country is passing through at the moment is a test of our faith. We must be steadfast in our prayers that God will save Nigeria.

“What we need now as a nation is sincerity of purpose. Sincerity on the part of everybody; the government and the people. With prayers, our country will see the end of this insurgency and God will totally heal our land.”

CJN commends media over judiciary reportage Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday commended the media over the reportage of happenings in the judiciary. He further stated that media reportage of pending cases in court are no longer seen as satanic or demonic invasion. The CJN, who stated this while declaring open a two-day workshop with the theme, “Promoting Understanding between the Judiciary” and the Press”, organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI) for members of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondent (NAJUC), Abuja chapter, described the relationship between the judiciary and the media as cordial. “The role the press has played and is still playing in enthroning integrity, probity and transparency in the judiciary can neither be underestimated nor over emphasized. Gone are the days of acrimonious relationship between the Judiciary and the Press. The relationship between the Judiciary and the Press was not clearly delineated. What judiciary had on the ground were only restrictive prescriptions for giving out information from the Judiciary or the Courts.

Police minister blasts APC over invasion of National Assembly Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

inister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Abdul Jelili Adesiyan, yesterday blasted the All Progressives Congress (APC) for condemning the recent invasion of National Assembly by police and other security personnel after its members forcefully gained entrance into the premises. The police minister, who described police invasion as in order, in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo by his Chief Press Secretary, Wale Akinola, condemned the hard line posture of the party on the incident. “What transpired at the complex was completely an effort by security agencies to nip in the bud an action that could have thrown the whole of the FCT into chaos and smear the image of the country.”

“The timely action taken by the police saved a lot of lives and even the complex from the impending attack based on the available report. If the police had shied away from their responsibilities, the same members of the opposition would have still come out condemning inaction of the security agencies. “If you meet your personal house under locks and keys and you don’t have the key with you and you don’t even know who locked your house, would you instantly break it or find out why it was locked, before you take the next actions? “There is the need to clear the air as the Minister of Police Affairs in Nigeria about the activities of police and other security personnel during the recent drama that happened at the National Assembly.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro I killed my husband over N70, wife tells court

Okegwo Kenechukwu

housewife, Mrs Tina Okoh, yesterday told Atani Magistrates’ Court

2, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State that she killed her husband because of disagreement over N70. Tina, who was arraigned

before Chief Magistrate G. C. Nwabachili, said she stabbed her husband, Maduabuchi Okoh, with a knife while fighting because he gave her only N70 to feed herself and

her two children for two days. Tina, who hails from Awgwu in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, said that fight ensued between her and her late husband when she went to him to ask for more money. According to her, while they were fighting, he held her under his armpit and as she was struggling to free herself, she stumbled on a knife in the kitchen and used it to stab him. Tina’s counsel, Tony Ede, told the court that the case of his client was pathetic. He said that her husband ought not to have given his family N70 to feed for two days, considering the high cost of living in the country. Adjourning the matter, Nwabachili blamed Mrs Okoh on one part and on the other, her Catholic Church and the residents of No. 1, Madueke Street, Iyiowa Odekpe where the incident

Assailants kill mother of three at home Taiwo Jimoh

olice in Lagos are still battling to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of a housewife in her house at Oke-Afa, Isolo area of the metropolis. The mother of three, identified as Mrs Martha Ifewulu, was murdered by some unknown assailants at No 45, Salau Aliu Street, Isolo, about midday on Monday. Nobody knew the woman had been murdered until her children returned from school to find her body on the staircase. Her throat had been slit. Some residents said they saw Ifewule that morning, while she was taking her children to school. Her husband was said to have left home around 10:30am for a business meeting in Mile 2 area of the metropolis.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

The victim’s house

It was gathered that the deceased told her husband she would like to relax at home for a while before heading to the Trade Fair Complex to stock her shop with Christmas wares. It was also learnt that Ifewulu was resting upstairs when the suspected assailants sneaked into the two-storey building and murdered her. A resident said: “Unfortunately, when the three children who had gone to school in the morning came back, they rushed upstairs, eager to meet their mother. The elder among them, Ada, saw blood stains on

the staircase, followed the trail and discovered her mother’s body.” It was also learnt that immediately Ada saw the body, she raised the alarm, which attracted the attention of the residents who rushed to the house. Another witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he was inside his house when he heard noise outside. He said: “I saw people gather outside, shouting. Most of them were women and they were crying. That was how I came down upstairs. I went

straight into the compound and saw a pool of blood on the ground. “Immediately, some youths and I took the children away from the house. We kept them with some residents in the area, until their father was called on the phone. He was briefed about the development.” The witness also said that when the husband came; he said that he had been trying to reach his wife on phone. It was also learnt that policemen from Ejigbo, who came to take the body away, also quizzed the woman’s husband. Another resident, who also craved anonymity, said Ifewulu’s death was painful and strange. She said: “I was in my shop, close to their house when I saw her while she was taking her children to school in the morning. I did not even know when she returned from the school. “I later saw her daughter shouting blood; that was how everybody went with the little girl into their house. “The people who killed must have been on the trail of the woman for long. When you look at our street here in the afternoon, you will think you are in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), where everybody minded his business.”

occurred for allowing the fight to degenerate to the level that it claimed somebody’s life. He, therefore, reminded her in the prison custody while transferring the matter to the office of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. The magistrate adjourned the case till March 3, 2015 for further hearing. A middle-aged woman was also arraigned allegedly murdering one Monday Godwin. She was accused of killing her neighbour during a fight at Idemili area of the state. The accused told the court that the diseased was drunk and invaded her house, itching to beat her up. According to her, when she pushed the man back he fell on his back and hit his head on a big stone. Nwabachili also remanded her in prison custody.

Family buries victim of domestic violence Camillus Nnaji

n alleged victim of domestic violence, Mrs Dupe Ikharia, has been buried in Ogun State. The deceased died days after her police corporal husband, Lucky Ikharia, allegedly crushed her legs with commercial bus. The incident occurred on October 30 after a marital squabble. The man was also accused of stabbing to death their 14-month-old son, David. On Tuesday, Dupe’s grieving mother, Mrs Christiana Akhiode, watched helplessly as her daughter’s body was being taken away from Mainland Hospital Yaba for burial at her family home in Ijoko, Ogun State. But feeling that the police were taking too long in coming out with the result of the autopsy conducted on Dupe’s body, the family has taken the issue to the Public Complaints Commission. Dupe’s brother, Segun Akhiode, said the family had waited in vain for the police to arrest Ikharia. He said: “We have therefore reported the matter to the Public Complaints Commission. They asked us to send the name and rank of Lucky. We have also asked them to assist us with their lawyers because we will take the matter to court.”

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Edo PDP senatorial aspirant’s cousin, police orderly killed Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

unmen suspected to be armed robbers yesterday shot and killed a 31-year-old cousin of a senatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo South, Mr Ehioge West-Idahosa and his police orderly. The incident, which occurred in the afternoon, raised questions about the safety of hapless citizens and politicians jostling for electoral offices ahead of the 2015 elections. It came a few days to the PDP senatorial primaries scheduled for this weekend. The deceased, identified as Henry, was the only son of his mother. It was gathered that

the young man had just returned from the United Kingdom after concluding his Master’s degree programme. Besides the PDP aspirant’s cousin, the police orderly was until his death attached to the Special Protection Unit. Investigations showed that the robbers trailed the two men from one of the commercial banks in Benin. They were said to have gone to the bank to withdraw an unspecified sum of money about 2pm and were returning to the politician’s residence at the Government Reservation Area (GRA) when they met their untimely death. It was learnt that the victims were a few metres to the aspirant’s house on Ogiugo Street in the GRA when the robbers swooped on them.

IG, Abba

The gunmen also went away with the money. It was learnt that the two men died before help could reach them. The Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, later visited the scene of the incident. Adebanjo said the po-

lice would spread their dragnet to apprehend the perpetrators. The police boss pointed out that the incident was a robbery attack, adding that a team of detectives had been detailed to investigate the matter.

OPC members, others held for hijacking oil vessel Taiwo Jimoh and Flora Onwudiwe

he Nigerian Navy, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lagos, has arrested three members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and 14 others for allegedly hijacking a vessel conveying crude oil from Ondo to Lagos. The OPC members, Peter Abayomi, Olabameru Owolemi and Segun Ikudenbu, who were hired from Igbokoda, Ondo State to carry out the operation, allegedly led the hijackers. The other 14 suspects are crew members of the vessel. According to the naval authorities, two pump-action rifles with ammunition were recovered from the suspects. The suspects were apprehended about 6am on Tuesday with the vessel, LONG ISLAND, near the Lagos Anchorage Point, Apapa. Abayomi, 23, said he was promised N50,000

The suspects

by an oil dealer in Ondo State if he and others could successfully secure the stolen vessel and take it to the agreed destination in Rivers State. Abayomi gave the name of the dealer as Ogo Obebe. The 55-year-old Captain of the vessel, Daniel Lebile, said he and his crew members were ordered by the security men at gunpoint to pilot the ship. He added that they had no option than to obey.

Juliana Francis

he rites of passage for The Nation crime reporter, Mr. Jude Isiguzo, begin with a Wake keep on December 11 at his residence, 311 Road, A Close, Block 3, Flat 8, Festac Town, Lagos. This would be followed by another Wake keep on December 20 while his remains would be committed to mother earth the following day at his home town in Abia

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, said the naval authorities had sent the recovered product to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for examination, adding that investigations were still on-going on the matter. He said: “Going by efforts to make the Nigerian waters safe for only legitimate businesses, we received intelligence

report that an offshore service was conveying products suspected to be stolen crude oil with armed hijackers. “The vessel was successfully intercepted and the suspects on board all arrested. When investigations are concluded, they will be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agencies. “We want the public to always feed us with information, so that we can arrest more criminally minded people.”

Jude Isiguzo for burial Dec 21 State. Meanwhile, members of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) have commiserated with the widow and family members of Isiguzo. The CRAN Chairman, Christopher Oji, said that the association received with shock the news of the death of Isiguzo, who was a former general secretary of the

association. Isiguzo died during a brief illness on November 29. “Isiguzo, during his life time, was an active member of the association who contributed immensely to the growth of journalism, especially in crime reporting. “He was a prolific writer and trained investigative journalist per excellence,” Oji said.

Relatives of APC primaries’ victims demand justice Camillus Nnaji

rieving family members of the four persons reportedly killed on Tuesday during the All Progressives Party (APC) primaries at Ebute-Metta, yesterday besieged the party’s secretariat on ACME Road, Ogba, Lagos to demand justice. This was as some of them threatened not bury the deceased until the election which was allegedly won Mr Oladele Adekanye, was cancelled. A source, who craved anonymity, said that they had been pleading with the families to wait for the party’s decision. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said nobody died in the Ebute Meta incident. He said: “There was a congress at the place. When they finished and announced the result, some persons attempted to cause commotion. We were able to protect the materials and the officials, who were escorted out of the scene without any harm. “One person was shot and he was taken to the hospital. There is no record of death. The election in the Ogudu area was peaceful and there was no shooting.” But crisis, which erupted during the primaries, led to the vandalism of 29 vehicles on Kano, Ondo, Odunfa and Ibadan streets, while many people were injured. It was gathered that confusion started during the primary election conducted between two candidates, Adekanye and Bashorun Oloto. The primary went in favour of Adekanye. The two men were aspiring to get the APC ticket to represent the Lagos Mainland Constituency in the 2015 elections. Immediately the results were announced, more than 100 hoodlums from Apapa Road, wielding guns, among other weapons, trooped to the streets to cause mayhem. “People were shot on Simpson, Kano, and Ibadan streets. Even businessmen were not left out as the thugs looted their shops and made away with their money. At the Kano junction, handsets and other products on display were carted away by the rampaging hoodlums,” a witness said, Our correspondent, who visited Ibadan and Kano streets yesterday, observed that the roads were deserted. A mechanic in the area, Musbau Agbogun, said that security agencies could not stop the attack.

Police on the trail of Anyiam-Osigwe’s killers Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

olice in Edo State said yesterday they were working round the clock to identify and arrest the killers of Michael AnyiamOsigwe, one of the sons of the late Igbo billionaire, Chief Anyiam Osigwe. Michael, the elder brother of African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) founder, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, was shot by armed robbers on Saturday on Benin-Ore Expressway. He was reportedly rescued alive from the scene of the robbery attack but died later at an undisclosed hospital in Edo State. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, told our correspondent on the phone yesterday that the command was working on strategies to get to the root of the incident. Until his death, Michael was the coordinator of the Anyiam-Osigwe Group and secretary to the Supervisory Board. He had a first degree in Economics and Master’s in Social Anthropology and Ethnomusicology from the Goldsmiths College, University of London.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATION’S CAPITAL

FCTA to re-introduce park-and-pay scheme Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he Federal Capital Territory administration yesterday said it would soon conclude the review of the laws that established its park and pay policy and re-introduce the policy otherwise known as on the street parking. FCT Secretary for Transportation, Engi-

N13.9m

neer Jonathan Ivoke Achara, who disclosed this in Abuja at a media briefing, noted that the park and pay policy has been on course despite the court ruling. According to him, the annulment of the ‘Park and Pay’ service by the court has increased the level of indiscriminate parking within the city. “Immediately after the approval of the amended road enforcement regu-

The total capital importation value of the Drilling sector in 2008. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

lation 2014, we are going to relaunch the on street parking.” He said. The Transport Secretary stated that the usage of unpainted taxis called ‘Kabu Kabu’in the nation’s capital remained an illegal act, noting that the presence of such unpainted commercial cabs have increased rate of crime in the city. He stressed that the FCT task force put in place is out enforcing arrest of

2.28%

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

violators of the ban. Achara stated that unpainted taxi would be reduced drastically in 2015 as enforcement would be taken to highest level, adding that the Secretariat would ensure that rickety vehicles within the city would be replaced with new ones. He revealed that the pedestrian bridges constructed by the FCTA and financed by the World bank was at the cost of

The percentage of the population of women above 60 years in Bahrain in 2012. Source: Un.org

$10 million noting that each cost N130 million. Meanwhile, the Director of VIO, Mr. Wadata Bodinga, said the agency Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the year 2014 was N2.2 billion, noting that a total of 3,590 motorcycles were impounded, and 1,500 tricycles impounded too. He stressed that the total number of conviction by traffic offenders this year was 692.

18,270

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

L-R: Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Mr Mike Omeri; Coordinator, Youth Prayer Network Of Nigeria (YPNN), Rev. Fr. Charles Ndubisi; Senate President, David Mark; Zonal Coordinator, Onyeka Ofurum; Chaplain St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Rev. Fr. Innocent Jooji; Rev. Vincent Asuquo and Chief John Eyimonye, at the start of National Prayer for the Nation in Abuja…yesterday

Focus more on SMEs, NASSI urges FG Amadi Nnamdi, Abuja

n reaction to the austerity measures announced by the Federal Government in the wake of falling oil price, the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) has made a call for a shift of our economic base to the micro, small and medium enterprises. Speaking with New Telegraph, the National President of the association, Chuku Wachukwu, urged the Federal Government to focus on growing the SME sector so as to trigger demand and supply, which will in turn trigger employment and wealth creation in the country. “I have always said that the government cannot create employment alone. Creation of employment and wealth must necessarily depend on small and micro enterprises, industry and the informal sector, so we have to grow the economy through the SMEs. “The problem with Nigeria is that we are all dependent on oil, I am glad about what is happening now. We will now have to do a rethink on how to grow our economy,” he said.

Police arraign 20-year-old for N6.5m fraud

‘Hoodlums using subsidy to loot Nigeria’

Caleb Onwe

he Chairman and member of the governing board of the Federal Polytechnic, Afikpo, Emmanuel Osita, has called on the Federal Government to remove the subsidy on petroleum products just as he argued that people are using the existing subsidy to loot the treasury. Osita, who was reacting to rumours about government increasing the pump price of Premium

Abuja

or hacking into and transferring N6.5 million from someone’s account, a 20-year-old man, Chukwu Ebuka Promise Nwafor, was yesterday arraigned at the Gudu District Upper Area Court, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The police prosecutor told the court that the accused committed criminal conspiracy and cheating, which is contrary to sections 97 and 322 of the Penal Code Law. The charge was brought in first infor mation report with reference number CR/774/2014. The prosecutor further informed the court that the complainant, Ramadar Padhi, of No. 31 Patrick Obokko Street, Jabi, Abuja, forwarded a petition to the FCT commissioner of

police to the effect that the accused on September 9, 2014 fraudulently transferred from his Keystone Bank account the sum of N6.5 million. Following the petition, investigations were conducted, leading to the arrest of the accused, while his accomplices are still at large. According to the complainant, he got to know about the fraudulent transaction, when he received a mail alerting him of the unauthorised fund transfer. He told the court that the accused used a fraudulent on-line platform device, which enabled him to hack into his e-mail with spam message to commit the alleged crime. He also alleged that the accused transferred the money into Ecobank and First Bank accounts respectively of his accomplices. Further investigations are still ongoing to

track down the accomplices of the accused through the information in the bank accounts where the money was transferred to. The accused allegedly confessed to the crime during police investigation and also admitted that he used what he described as an ‘extractor’ to get the complainant’s e-mail details, which enabled him to send every necessary information required for the online transactions in the name of the owner of the account without the bankers suspecting any fraud. However, the accused, who appeared not disturbed by the weight of allegation against him, pleaded not guilty after the offence was read to him. The presiding judge granted the accused bail in the sum N7million and reasonable sureties, who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

Yusuf Shuaib Abuja

Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol in two weeks’ time, said a lot of hoodlums are managing illegal oil wells, which the government does not know anything about. “Government is not ready to increase the pump price of fuel now, “even though subsidy has to go, it shouldn’t be now; because Nigerians don’t need it now,” he said. “Oil is all we have in Nigeria, we have more than enough crude oil than many countries in the world and Nigeria does not

even know the number of oil wells and the quantity it has at the moment. “The problem we have in Nigeria is that a lot of hoodlums are managing illegal oil wells, which the government does not know anything about. “I can tell you that my trip to Rivers State last month, where I visited a village called Rumuokpe in Ekwere, adjoining Bayelsa State; I discovered that one company was having about 168 oil wells and Agip was having about 26 oil wells.”

Stakeholders brainstorm on housing delivery Yusuf Shuaib Abuja

ey stakeholders and partners in the building and construction industry in Nigeria have held a housing stakeholders consultative workshop. The programme titled “enabling land, finance and concessions for affordable housing delivery” is the pre-summit for the proposed Nigerian housing and construction

summit/expo planned for January 2015. Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyankenyi, said the objective of the pre-summit was to present a platform for key players and stakeholders in the private and public sectors of the economy in the housing sector delivery chain to discuss the challenges and issues militating against the provision of affordable housing in Nigeria

According to her, building a house in Nigeria is a very expensive task due to the high cost of building materials and unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks and high cost of provision of enabling infrastructure. Hence the reason for the workshop to discuss on affordable housing and ways for a drastic reduction in the cost of housing construction and other associated cost, which invariably determines the selling price.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

2015

Power tussle

Tambuwal

14, 15

Enugu guber: Eze, others no match for Ugwuanyi

Moro: Jonathan’s re-election more important than my guber ambition

Obahiagbon: IG can’t interpret constitution

Politics

‘APC’ll not impose a presidential candidate’ The North-West zone of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has convened two meetings in less than a month in Kaduna. What did you discuss in those meetings? The meetings we had were statutory meetings as provided by the constitution of the party. We have to hold meetings from time to time in order to ensure that due process is being followed. This is part of what the All Progressives Congress (APC) intends to institutionalise in order to effect a change in the system. You are very much aware that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others don’t follow due process in the conduct of their affairs. We are not a party that will foist our opinion on others because we are leaders of the party. We make sure that at every level, the opinion of the members of the party is required in taking decisions. Basically, what we did was to appraise and evaluate the ongoing distribution of permanent voters card by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which is very crucial in the participation of the 2015 elections. We resolved that the party should sensitise not just APC members but the generality of Nigerians at various levels on the importance of their voters’ cards. So, this was essentially what we discussed in the last meeting. We also discussed the state of affairs in the seven states that comprise the North West zone. We received encouraging reports in all the states; on daily basis there are new entrants into the party. But from the fillers I got, the first meeting which held about three weeks ago, dwelt on how the presidential aspirants will chose a consensus candidate amongst themselves. And that this last meeting was to review how far they have gone. How true is that? The position of the party on the issue of presidential aspirants or candidate is that, consensus is being encouraged amongst party

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Former Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa AbdulKadir, is the Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with IBRAHEEM MUSA, the APC chieftain explains why the NorthWest zone has been meeting in Kaduna in the last one month. Excerpts:

AbdulKadir

members. But that consensus should be voluntary; nobody should be compelled to concede to another, nobody will impose any candidate on the party. If consensus is achieved, fine and good. The party’s constitution is very clear about consensus; even if there is a consensus, it has to be affirmed at a convention. Contrary to the perception that people have that the issue of presidential aspirants is causing cracks in the party, as you can see very clearly, the chemistry of the aspirants, through their actions, is that whoever gets the ticket, they will work for him for the victory of the party at the polls. You can see that some of them have been attending the public declaration

Nobody will impose any candidate on the party. If consensus is achieved... it has to be affirmed at a convention

of the others. That’s the spirit of democracy and its shows the capacity of APC to provide a level playing ground for every aspirant. We are very democratic, we are progressive and I have no doubt in my mind that at the end of the day, all the aspirants will either concede to one, or delegates will go to the polls to select one. At the end of the day, it will be smooth and rancour-free and it will make the party wax stronger. At the end of the contest, APC will be one family because the first agenda of the party is to win the presidential election in 2015. And we are all working towards that. From the reports that we are hearing, it is alleged that some young

elements within the party are supporting House Speaker Aminu Tambawal for the presidential ticket. They argue that he represents generational change and that he is more accepted nationwide. Is this information correct? That is an opinion that is being expressed across the board. Speaker Aminu Tambawal is seen as a leader who has conducted the House of Representatives very well. So, he is being supported not just by the young elements like you said, but other people as well. You know that people do express opinions based on what suits them. APC has alot of presidential materials that can rule this country. So, we have several options, we don’t need to go shopping for presidential aspirants. We don’t need to adopt only one candidate like PDP did because we have so many materials. We have so many options in terms of producing leadership at all levels. So, there is that consideration but this is not an official party position. Members of the party, at the end of the day, will decide who their presidential candidate would be. And all those who have indicated interest are very capable. So, if the party decides that the Speaker should be, so be it. However, the resolution of the party and the spirit of the membership of APC is that the country deserves a better leadership than what we have today which is taking Nigeria backward instead of forward. But there is also a clamour for the speaker to be governor of Sokoto state and recently, the APC had zoned the position to his zone, which is Sokoto South. Will you say that Tambawal is in a dilemma? Well, I think the question is about the opinion of people. Some want him to be governor of Sokoto sate and they are entitled to that opinion. Others want him to be president like you said and they are also entitled to their opinions. So, I don’t see it as any dilemma. The speaker should thank God that people see him as a leadership material. If the people of Sokoto want him to be their governor, the delegates should express this at the primaries. There is a reported battle between APC governors and the leadership of the party. APC governors are said to be insisting that one of their own should be the party’s presidential flag bearer and this has polarised the CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics | Interview

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Moro: Jonathan’s re-election more important than my guber ambition Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Morro in this interview with ANULE EMMANUEL, speaks on why President Goodluck Jonathan needs to be given a second term in office, why he dropped his ambition to govern Benue State in 2015 and government efforts to improve internal security, among other issues. Excerpts: What would you say are the giant strides of your ministry since your appointment as interior minister? My first major task since appointment was to reposition the Ministry of Interior and its parastatals for seamless service delivery. Against the backdrop of some misgivings about the role of the ministry, in ensuring the internal security of the country, the first task was to actually ensure that we are properly positioned to deliver on the mandates of the ministry. I have started the process and so far, I can say that even though we are not there, we have made some efforts and the results are tumbling in. I can say with some level of exactitude that the various services in the ministry are very aware of their mandates and also mobilised to deliver. The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is gradually assuming its role of the first point of contact between Nigeria and the international community. Against the backdrop of insurgency in the country, we have been able to establish an armed border patrol corps, the first of its kind in the country. We have also been able to introduce a new visa regime that will complement the efforts of the Ministry of Trade and Investment to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country. A visa regime that has very novel ideal component of visa on arrival which of course ensures that we are no longer the pariah country that people would want to think of. Now, you can at short notice acquire visa on arrival which is the normal practice of most countries so that the possession of travel documents does not become a hindrance towards people getting into the country. To compliment that is the introduction of the new 64 paged e-passport which means that unlike the cumbersome past where people have to carry a number of Nigerian 36-paged e-passport booklets with an enhanced validity period, enhanced number of pages, a business man and frequent traveller can conveniently hold only one passport believing that the pages are more and the security fittings enhanced. And that creates some level of credibility and integrity in the travel documents of users of Nigeria’s passport. Again, the immigration service is actually mobilised to ensure that too many illegal immigrants do not come to Nigeria and where they exist, they are sufficiently directed to ensure that people who illegally enter this country especially criminally minded people are eased out as quickly as possible.

I will be doing this country a lot of good if I support Mr. President to win his election... is more critical to Nigeria than my own ambition to govern my state

You will also recall that under my leadership of the ministry, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has been properly positioned to deliver on its mandates of securing the critical assets of Nigeria with their core mandates being the defence of oil pipelines and electricity cables. Unlike in the past where this responsibility was discharged by the service with bare hands, there is a component of the NSCDC that bears arms and that enhances their capacity to confront vandals of critical assets. The service has also introduced the anti-terrorism and anti-chemical weapons outfit whose responsibility it is to contribute very seriously in containing the insurgency particularly in the North East and they are participating very actively in the service. Today, we can say proudly that nothing happens around us in terms of security breaches that the NSCDC does not have the intelligence that they also share with other security agencies because of the synergy that has been advanced in conjunction with them. Generally, I think we are doing the very best in the ministry to reposition, restructure and properly equip the various agencies towards the delivery of seamless services to the Nigerian people. The porous nature of the nation’s borders remain a concern to Nigerians. Why has your reforms not improved the situation? There is no doubt that within the services that we have, in this instance now, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), we have some bad eggs in the service, people who have become so used to the old practice of doing things. People whose major expectation is how much they can make from the system have aided and abetted crimes and compromises in the service that we have witnessed so far. That is part of the task before all of us, the task that we can achieve only with principled stand on some of the basic issues. I can tell you today that whether you are talking about the prisons, the NIS, the NSCDC or in the Fire Service, we have had cause to dismiss officers who were adjudged to have been found wanting after due diligence and following our procedures of discipline out of the service. This is a continuous exercise, yes, we are not there, at the perfect stage we would want to be, where we can stop completely illegal entry into the country but, we have evolved a series of border patrol solutions in the recent past to ensure that we contain the situation.

As I’m talking to you now, some of those solutions are there. I did mention before that one of the critical requirements of effective border patrol is to create some obstacles that would prevent people from entering the country illegally. We have a very vast expanse of borders with neighbouring countries like Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Republic of Benin and sundry others. With these vast expanse of land and without the required patrol obstacles whether in terms of concrete walls or parameter fencing which is a common practice across the world including the United States, without such gadgets and installation of electronic gadgets at our borders as

Moro

well as border aircraft and then our border patrol custom fleets, it is actually extremely difficult if not impossible to keep an eye on our vast borders. This is the situation that we inherited from past administrations as a result of neglect of the past and these are issues that have come to the fore now as a result of the insurgency especially in the North East. So, we are addressing the issues and are taking the factors that can be responsible for effective border patrol one after the other. I can assure that if our policy initiatives are carried through, our porous borders especially the entry of illegal goods and persons will be a thing of the past.

Politics | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Why are there still issues of prisons congestion in the country? One of the serious problems that we have when it comes to congestions in our prisons is the problem of our law. Our judiciary system has been responsible for the congestion that we have in our prisons. For instance, we are still operating the 1963 Act of the Nigerian Prisons, an Act that has become obsolete in terms of the dynamics of organised crimes in the country. So, until we have a legal system that hastens and enhances the capacity of the judiciary to quickly and timely address issues of criminals, it will be difficult to avoid congestions in our prisons. I have been to some of our prisons and have listened to the story of some people who have been incarcerated in our prisons and have come to discover that there are people who have overstayed in the prisons because they have not been able to have access to justice. People who commit what we can regard as common crimes,

The 2015 elections would come and go like any other elections in Nigeria... which is a very cardinal desire of the present administration

who if they had access to justice would have been either out of the prisons or would have been convicted, have not been able to do so because of the sluggish nature of our legal system. So, I have been working with the Federal Ministry of Justice, I have also been to states and had conversations with Chief Judges of states and have also talked to some governors to use their constitutional powers to also assist in decongesting our prisons. Until the obsolete 1963 prison Act is amended to reflect the realities of our times and until the judiciary wakes up to its responsibility of allowing inmates to access justice on time, we may have to live with the prison congestion situation in the country for some time. But let me say that like any other problem, this is not insurmountable. We have discovered in the course of visitations and observations that some of the prisoners that are there have even overstayed the terms stipulated in law even if they had been convicted. It is in realisation of this that we approached Mr. President for approval of an inter-ministerial committee to address the issue of prison congestion. I have received the report and the recommendations are fantastic. Are you in any way worried when Nigerians have rough deals with issues of migration out of the shores of the country? Of course, like every Nigerian, I get worried when I hear of Nigerians that, are incarcerated and sometimes being kept under very inhuman conditions. I have taken it upon myself to approach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene in that situation. The Nigerian government has been intervening in situations like that, especially with friendly countries with whom we have cordial relationships. As much as possible and without prejudice to the laws of this country, we have secured better treatment for our Nigerian prisoners in these countries. We also have in place with one or two countries, prisoner exchange agreements, especially the United Kingdom which makes it possible for Nigeria to receive Nigerians that are incarcerated in these countries. We have similar arrangements with Thailand, Norway and we have been receiving Nigerian prisoners who have agreed to come and serve out their prison terms in the country. We will continue to take steps to protect Nigerians either at home or in the Diaspora. I think so far, we have had wonderful cooperation from some of these countries where Nigerians are incarcerated. The 2015 election is by the corner. Are you not worried that the security situation in the country is not improving? I have said before that contrary to the proponents of Armageddon, and prophets of doom, the 2015 elections would come and go like any other elections in Nigeria and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been sufficiently encouraged to deliver on free and fair elections which is a very cardinal desire of the present administration under the watch of President Goodluck

Jonathan. Contrary to selfish politicians who paint a picture of gloom over the country, the security agencies have been up and doing, ensuring that peace prevails in this country. In the wake of the insurgency, our initial hiccups had been that Nigeria least expected the level and intensity of insurgency and terrorism that have been unleashed on the country. Because it has become a new phenomenon in Nigeria and because the elements of terrorism differ, it became initially difficult for the Nigerian government to contain the situation. But as days go by, you will agree with me that deliberate efforts were made to equip the Nigerian security system sufficiently to tackle the problem. And Nigeria has also in terms of international norms been able to enlist the support of the international community to look at Boko Haram and its insurgency in the class of Al Qaeda and other terrorist organisations across the globe such as the Al Shabaab of Somalia. I think we must be realistic to ascribe to the government of the day, the relative peace that we have in the country now. In the beginning, bomb blasts and suicide bombings were going on virtually simultaneously in all towns of Nigeria. It will be happening in Kano, Maidugari, Damaturu, Kaduna, Abuja and sundry others. But today, we must be responsible enough to accept that the insurgency has been driven to particular sections of the country. Even though the intensity may have abated until recently, the fact still remains that the activity of the insurgents have been restricted to specific areas and states. So, I think that is a plus for the Nigerian security agencies and the military to have driven this insecurity to a particular level. I’m not in the class of people who believe that the activity of the terrorist is on the ascendancy. Let me stress here again that desperate politicians have found it very difficult to separate politics from governance, to separate partisan politics from security and that is why a section of the media continues to paint a picture of hopelessness in the current fight against insurgency. But the reality on ground is that things are improving by the day. We may have not been able to solve the problem completely but definitely things are improving notwithstanding the activities of politicians, especially the opposition politicians who are finding it difficult to come to terms with the reality that they are not sufficiently grounded and equipped to confront the machinery of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the forthcoming elections. But I can assure you that 2015 definitely is going to be better than 2011 in terms of addressing the security situation in the country. You were reported to having interest in contesting the governorship election in Benue State. Why did you drop the idea? Well, politics is dynamic, life is dynamic. In spite of our desires, a principled politician always advises himself on the feasibility of his intention and ambitions. I have always desired to be a governor in Benue State, no doubt about it. I always think that I have something to offer Benue State. Coming

from my background of relative poverty, my background of a minority, I have always thought I am sufficiently grounded in the act of politics and governance to make a difference in the governance of Benue State. But as a realist, I looked at factors on ground, the sentiments and much more importantly the fact that I am a Minister of the Federal Republic. So, I weighed my ambition against the backdrop of the reality on ground and the unfinished business that I have as a minister and the fact that my principal is going to run for office for a second term. I believe that I don’t have to necessarily be a governor to make my effective contribution to the development of this country. With due respect, I concluded that for Nigeria who I have been privileged to serve as a minister, I will be doing this country a lot of good if I support Mr. President to win his election; to continue to contribute to the development of this country, to take to a logical conclusion his transformation agenda which to my mind is more critical to Nigeria than my own ambition to govern my state. These factors actually informed my decision to shelve my ambition to govern Benue State. Because, I think that there is more that we contribute to the development of Benue from the centre than going to preside over Benue if I even win the election at all. Do you agree with some people who attribute your political success to your alliance with Senate President David Mark? There is no doubt about that. I don’t know if I would have become a minister if I didn’t align with the Senate President. He has been a leader of the people. People look up to him as a messiah, somebody who went on voluntary exile to save his neck from the draconian tactics of the military regime in place then because he spoke against a system that didn’t have regard for humanity and was targeted. He came back after a while undaunted by the harshness of the system to provide a platform for his people to rise again, to reposition themselves again and become relevant in the political equation of Nigeria. Mark is somebody who because of his due diligence, shared dexterity and some level of political sagacity, he has been able to create a niche for himself and position himself in a way that he has become handy when Nigeria needs a critical decision to be made, and created some level of stability not just in the National Assembly but in the polity. So, I find in David Mark, a role model, mentor, a man who is available to show the direction to doing the right thing. It comports with my general idea of venturing into public service, providing for the effectiveness of the system, the welfare of the people, trying to fashion a framework that would lead to an egalitarian society. When it became necessary to nominate somebody to become a minister, he nominated me and Mr. President readily accepted his nomination and I was screened, confirmed and deployed to the ministry of interior. So, there is no doubt that wherever I am today, outside my own personal hardwork, certainly the rest belongs to David Mark.

16 Politics | Interview Igwe Spencer Ugwuoke is the traditional ruler of Obimo in Nsukka Local Council Area. Having spent 35 years on the throne, Spencer believes that the people of Enugu State are comfortable with Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as Governor Sullivan Chime’s successor in 2015. He spoke with UWAKWE ABUGU How would you assess the crisis in the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? I can tell you things are going on well in spite of what you would see as crisis in the polity. It is a game. And like the game of football, we are enjoying it, only that we are not matured enough in this country for the system of government we are running, that is, the presidential system. If it were during the time of Chimaroke Nnamani, all these things wouldn’t have come up. You couldn’t stand up to oppose him. But Chime has a different philosophy. During Nnamani’s regime, there was no opposition but this young man came in and allowed everybody freedom of association as contained in the constitution of Nigeria. And we are practicing it. On the other hand, if you run your mind to the calibre of persons who have been senators in the South East, even those who have been senate presidents, none of them has been as active as Ekweremadu as a deputy senate president. And in the South East, our governor is the best so far in the zone in terms of development programmes. And he has done that very quietly without advertising his achievements. You can assess that when you visit Abia or Imo states. It is only in Anambra that you can see a semblance of the revolution going on in Enugu state. Chime has done well in Enugu State. Let us face the facts. And you know the state is totally controlled by the PDP such that you can easily say there is no other party in the state. For that reason, most politicians want to get into the party and that is why there seems to be much crisis but you have seen that it is not the kind of trouble they cannot surmount as a party. It is the reason you saw harmony between the two warring factions last Saturday.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Enugu guber: Eze, others no match for Ugwuanyi upon to win elections. We know the followers and the leaders very well. We even know those people who would rig elections and we know those people who are certainly going to vote. So, if the president is serious about the elections, he should rely on those who are at the grassroots. The governor has done much for us. Ugwuanyi has been accepted. All these people vying for governorship seat are our sons but we have chosen one because there would never be two governors at the same time. We have produced one since the position is rotated to us. It is not Governor Chime that produced him for us, but we did and he is supporting our choice. And this decision was made in the presence of all these people going on to make noise in the name of running for the governorship seat.

Ugwuoke

What is your advice to the warring factions that seem to have resolved their differences? Well, you know that we have already gone ahead to give them a guide. You see, we traditional rulers would always predict correctly how these things should be done. For instance, in the case of the governorship race, we the people of Nsukka are noted for being loyal; it has been our watchword from time immemorial. And it seems that other people are learning from us. We had early enough unanimously chosen our own candidate for governor since the position is rotating to our zone. And you know the person chosen is Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to be governor. And he is acceptable to everybody, and as traditional rulers, we published this decision in the newspapers. This decision was taken by the whole traditional rulers in the six local government areas that make up Enugu North senatorial zone, and the people of Enugu East senatorial zone clapped for us and the people of the West senatorial zone followed accordingly and also accepted our candidate. The whole state accepted our candidate. Anybody who is in any of the zones telling you he is contesting for that

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

party. What is the true situation? There is nothing like that. If there is, I should know and I know that there is nothing like this that is tearing the party apart. The party has a principle, it has an objective and has a constitution that guides its affairs. And I am a member of all the organs of the party. And by virtue of being a national vice-chairman, I should know what you are talking about if it exists. All what I know, the party, like all other parties, has called for nominations and some people have signified their interests in the various positions that will be contested for in the 2015 elections. The party has issued its guidelines

post is just doing that for formality sake. There is no other candidate known to the people other than the one already accepted by us and the rest of the people.

Those people are not candidates, otherwise let us go to their respective places and stand them against Ugwuanyi and see who our people would vote for

But there are other governorship aspirants like Sam Maduka Onyishi, Senator Ayogu Eze, Hon. Eugene Odo, among others. The constitution has given everybody the right to talk and to aspire to any position. It has also given you the right to make your statement even in this matter in which a decision has been taken by the people of the state. But where is that lone statement taking you to? Those people are not candidates, otherwise let us go to their respective places and stand them against Ugwuanyi and see who our people would vote for. You know this decision is firm and it is backed by obvious reasons. Senator Ayogu Eze is only hoping on Abuja where he thinks he could get strength from. And all those people backing them there don’t know Enugu State and how its people feel about this matter. And I would advise President Goodluck Jonathan to listen to those of us who are in the states. We know the people who matter. We know the people to be relied

But why would you think this consensus candidate would be the best out of those vying for the Enugu governorship seat? Humanitarianism! He is very humanitarian. We have tested him right from the time he first went to the House of Representatives. He knows the ordinary man. He knows the common people. There are certain things people do and they think these don’t matter, but they matter a lot to us. Somebody is bereaved, you see him there. Somebody is delivered of a baby, you see him there. He shows clear concern for the ordinary people, and when the time comes to reciprocate, we the common people would pay him back with this overwhelming endorsement. We have never seen this kind of approval before in this state. There is no single opposition against him. Even those now pasting posters to run for the same post have never spoken against Ugwuanyi. And I dare say that the senator is not a march to our consensus candidate. What is your advice to politicians ahead of the 2015 elections? Let them do it as a game. Let them show utmost maturity. There are so many aspirants angling to grab the posts available but there are many too who know they cannot make it but would continue to vie so that when the party would share appointive positions, they would be remembered. Majority of them are in the race just for that purpose.

‘APC’ll not impose a presidential candidate’

for that and people are buying forms, expressing their interests and some have even bought the nomination forms. And we are set for the primaries, state congresses and national convention where flag bearers will be produced. At the end of the day, it will be delegates that will decide who should get the party’s tickets at all levels. Of course, there are governors that are presidential aspirants, so it is the delegates who will decide their fate. We are not a party that imposes candidates and APC will not even attempt to impose any governor as presidential candidate. We are very clear about that

and even the leadership of the party has tried as much as possible to insulate itself from any inclination towards any aspirant. That is why no aspirant is being favoured. The party will not just sit down and decide candidates for any of the elections. You were a member of the Federal Executive Council as Minister of Youth Development. Why were you removed? Was it because your state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, defected to APC? At the time of my removal, my gov-

ernor was still in PDP. So, reasons for my removal has been in the news, both official and unofficial news outlets. Is it true that you belonged to the faction of PDP that was not with the president that was why you were removed? The crack in the PDP came about after my removal. For the records, why were you removed? I think the president should be in a better position to explain because he was the one that removed me. But it’s a story for another day.

Politics | Interview 17

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon is the Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole. He had, before his appointment, represented Oredo federal constituency in the House of Representatives. In this interview with FELIX NWANERI, he speaks on the crisis in the National Assembly. Excerpts: You are seeking the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to contest for the Edo South senatorial election in 2015. Is the governor aware of your ambition and what is his response? Yes, I am in the race for the Senate, and the governor is aware of my ambition. Of course, you know that the Comrade Governor is committed to democracy and popular participation in the electoral process. My being his chief of staff, notwithstanding, he has ensured a level playing field to all those interested in any position and has thrown them open for the people to decide. Running against an opponent, who many say is very popular, what are your chances of picking your party’s ticket? I am quick to say and admit that my brother, Hon. Samson Osagie has discharged his parliamentary onus propandi effectively; no doubt about that. But in admitting that, let me equally say that my parliamentary pedigree is cornucopiously in the public domain for people to appreciate. The people will bear eloquent testimony of my 12 years in the parliament; that I used parliament as an instrument of social engineering. So, I have no doubt at all that the people will give me their mandate because I am a global candidate. You faced a fierce legal battle between 2007 and 2011 while you were in the House of Representatives over your eligibility to be in the parliament. If you say that you are global candidate, why did you face this eligibility test? The fact that I see myself as a global player by my contributions is not attenuated by the case I had in court. Let us not forget that in a political race, the various political parties have their interest. My major political opponent at that time said rightly or wrongly that my election did not meet the integrity test and it was his legal right and liberty to do that and he went to court. He got victory at the elections petitions tribunal but I got victory at the Court of Appeal. Those are normal political contestations. How close are you to the people at the grassroots in Edo South, who you are seeking to represent in the National Assembly? That I won election as a councillor in my ward; that I won election to the state assembly for two consecutive times say it all. I didn’t barge into politics like a political zoomer from the north. After eight years in the state assembly, I went ahead to win election to the National Assembly as a member of the House of Representatives and had the privilege to be appointed as a chief of staff to a governor, who has a romantic marriage with the people. These speak volume of the fact that I am connected to my people. You were formerly a parliamentarian before your appointment as Chief of Staff. What is the experience like;

from the legislative arm of government to the executive? The experiences are quite different, especially for someone like me who is coming from a parliamentary background. Before going to the House of Representatives, I was in the state assembly for eight years. It was 12 years of life in parliament before I had the rare privilege to be appointed by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to come and serve as his chief of staff. In parliament, you have a latitudinal canvass to titillate and titivate the solar plexus on national questions. You have the freedom to express your views. But as chief of staff to the governor; one of your major responsibilities is to assist in building bridges for the governor and not to burn bridges because as chief of staff, people are likely to mistake my views for that of the governor. In fact, my views may not necessarily be the governor’s views on national and other issues. So, to be able to prevent that scenario where my views are mistaken to be that of the governor, I have learnt and decided to maintain taciturn, to maintain reticent and maintain an Olympian aloofness on national issues that I would otherwise fulminate against. Another difference in the experience is that as a parliamentarian, you have the lassitude to do whatever you want to do at your own time. Little wonder that most parliamentarians choose when to come for sitting and when not to come. If you are not cut out for parliamentary duties, you may decide to stay off parliament for as long as three months like most of my colleagues did and some are still doing. But when you work in the executive arm of government as chief of staff to a governor, particularly to a governor who has pattern discipline like the Comrade Governor, who has carved a niche for himself as a political tomahawk for revolutionary change; especially to a governor who comes to work as early as 8a.m. and doesn’t leave till 11p.m., then if you are reckless with your freedom, you will device means to forgo such freedom. It wasn’t difficult for me to adjust, but I have fears for some parliamentarians who would have the privilege of 12 years freedom coming to work as chief of staff to a governor and in this circumstance, a very hardworking governor because they will find it difficult to adjust. When you talk about building bridges for the governor, how have you been able to reconcile the factions in the state House of Assembly? The desire to build bridges for the governor does not translate to building grave bridges. The desire to build bridges for the governor is not tantamount to being an avangrad for encouragment to the point of apotheosizing egregious breaches of the rule of law. The schism in the Edo State House Assembly is quite clear. It is a case of certain lawmakers who have de-

Obahiagbon: IG can’t interpret constitution

Obahiagbon

cided to run foul of the rule of law, and some other lawmakers who have made themselves exemplegetia of the quintessential quiddity of respect for the rule of law. So, there are two different things here within the contest of the schism in the state assembly. Have you in any way reached out to the “rebelling” faction, leveraging on your background as a former member of the Assembly? The crisis is a political issue. When people elect for sheer political calculations to deploy political instruments of Machiavellianism, Faustianism and Mephistophelianism to upset the apple cart, you can’t set them away from their predetermined agenda. The important thing for us as a government is that a preponderant number of legislators in the Edo State House of Assembly have decided to be reasonable; they have decided to be democratic; they have decided to be progressives; they have decided to constitute themselves as a legislative armada to be protective of the transformational tsunami that has been unleashed in the socio-political and economic topography of the state. What do you make of the defection of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal to the APC and the call in some political quarters for his resignation? The issue is very clear; strip of vulgar politicking. The constitution is so diaphanously clear on the matter. A member of the state House of Assembly or National Assembly shall not move from his party to another party; if he does that he loses his seat, but if he pleads division of the party in his state, that becomes an excep-

Tambuwal decided to leave the PDP for the APC; it does not lie on the mouth of the PDP to say that he should step down as speaker. They are showcasing their ignorance of the clear workings of the law and, at best, playing crude politics

tional circumstance. I understand that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, pleaded the division of the party in his state as a political alibi why he had to defect from the PDP to the APC, and for that reason, a lot of political homo sapiens have had to equally engage in such political voyage. Not too long before Tambuwal adjusted from the PDP to the APC, the speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly and other members of the House equally adjusted from Labour Party to the PDP. That did not cause any political furore, the security apparatchik did not crumble. There has been this kind of defection on the floor of the National Assembly. It does not lie on the mouth of the Inspector General of Police to interpret the provisions of the constitution; it does not lie in the hands of power players in the Presidential Villa to interpret the provisions of the constitution. If they think, and strongly so that Tambuwal breached the constitution; what Section 1 of the constitution urges them to do is to approach the court of law. And let me say too where they got it wrong; the constitution did not say that a speaker shall emerge from the majority political party. The rules of the House say that we shall elect from among ourselves a speaker to preside over us. That Tambuwal decided to leave the PDP for the APC; it does not lie on the mouth of the PDP to say that he should step down as speaker. They are showcasing their ignorance of the clear workings of the law, and at best, playing crude politics.

Obasanjo’s omnibus offensives on page 20

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion

Osundare: A paragon of excellence

Wole Olanipekun

anto Nomini Nullum Par Elogium - Of this great man, no praise is adequate. The headstone of Niccolò Machiavelli’s tomb, in Florence, Italy, had this alluring epitaph etched into it only years after his demise. Niccolò is not alone in the tribe of beings marked for distinction only after their death. It took the shrewd sagacity of the Ikemba of Nnewi to aptly label Chief Obafemi Awolowo as ‘the best president Nigeria never had’. What was meant to be a mere entry in a condolence register has become an axiomatic posthumus endorsement of what should have been but never was. For the patriarch of astronomy, Galileo, who observed the farthest shore of stars and meteors, planets and comets from the antediluvian coast of the 15th century, long before man conceived it probable to explore the galaxies and celestial bodies; recognition, reception and respect were not bequeathed to him until he transited to the world beyond. Not until the late 1920s, did Thoreau, the foremost American polymath, philosopher and poet, reputed to be the protagonist of the American renaissance era, get the recognition he deserves. Ostensibly, it is the unsavoury propensity of man to brush-off the accomplishment of achievers and luminaries till they shuffle off this mortal coil. Then, we engage the services of professional mourners and garner obligatory dirge composers, who lament profusely and sing the praises of the deceased to high heavens. Perhaps, this was what made Jorge Luis Borges to reckon that “a writer should have another lifetime to see if he’s appreciated.” Borges’ declaration is, however, of very limited application to the nub of this piece, Professor Oluwaniyi Osundare, whose assorted and polygonal literary odysseys have been overwhelmingly greeted by the adulations, adorations and exaltations of every stratum of the society. For Professor Osundare, another life is unnecessary, reincarnation is uncalled for and re-embodiment is unwarranted for him to have a shufti to clearly see how much the world appreciates his colossal and monumental contributions to literature and society. While it is biblically noted and

contemporarily evidenced that ‘a prophet has no honour amongst his own people’, the Nigerian State has obtained exoneration from this fell-swoop indictment by slating the 4th of December, 2014, as the day to further amplify the thunderous encomiums which have thus far been deservedly showered on this master of artistic imagery, don of efficacious satire, doyen of English Literature and patriot extraordinaire, by the conferment of the National Merit Award on him. Dennis Brutus, the South African poet of renown, must have had Professor Osundare in mind when he stringed these lines; ‘A troubadour, I traverse all my land; exploring all her wide-flung parts with zest; probing in motion sweeter far than rest; her secret thickets with amorous hand.’ Born under the cascading shadow of the Olosunta Hills in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, in the 40s, sparkling like a flawless effervescent diamond at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti in the 60s; transcending records and expectations at University of Ibadan in the early 70s; shinning like a thousand stars at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, again in the 70s and scaling the Doctorate Degree huddle at York University, Canada with regal ease in 1979, he is indeed a troubadour who has traversed the globe, manifesting unparalleled quality and excellence in his enthralling exhibition of matchless intellectual assiduity. His calling is to write, his profession is to teach, his passion is to lit societal darkness with the piercing beam of his tongue, and his vocation is to smoke out talents untapped and strap up potentialities unharnessed. Of smouldering embers fanned to blazing light, I am one. Straddling between the options of Geography, English Language and Law in various Universities across the nation, as a young man in dire need of bearing, Professor Osundare came in like a seasoned sailor, and gently steered me towards the cape of legal practice. Before then, he had initiated and inducted me into the writing ‘club’, right from our school days. He knows the way I write, and can even sniff the fragrance of my compositions. Behind me, he would deny what does not emanate from my tabloid, even if same has been widely credited to me. To mark his 60th Birthday in 2007, he insisted that I should deliver the epoch-making on an otherwise alien (to me) topic, to wit, “The Role of Literature in the Cultural and Socio-Political Development of

Nigeria: Niyi Osundare as a Case Study.” With laurels, including the prestigious commonwealth poetry prize, the Fonlon/Nichols Award for “excellence in literary creativity combined with significant contributions to Human Rights in Africa”, and the ANA award for poetry adorning his treasure chest, Egbon is indisputably a leading light in the world of arts and literature. His over ten published volumes of poetry, two books of selected poems, four plays, a book of essays, and numerous articles on contemporary socio-political issues, make him one of the most fecund writers in this generation. To Professor Osundare, ‘to utter is to alter’; and he has been resiliently consistent in his lofty quest to positively alter the skewed dynamics of our national construct from the regime of the saber wielders to the dispensation of the ‘agbada’ wearers. He haunted the military regimes with his timely and fearless censures. As a result, government agents conscripted his students to spy on him whilst he was lecturing at the University of Ibadan. It took five open letters to the Obasanjo regime, to steer the hornet’s nest of the then quasi-democratic regime. Osundare’s diligence in candour, obsession for truth, and fixation for probity is better captured in the words of Barry Cornwall in his essay titled the Genius of Shakespeare, where he enthused; “Governments and systems change; codes of law, theories philosophical, arts in war, demonstrations in physics. Everything perishes except truth, and the worship of truth, and poetry which is its enduring language.” From the ‘Songs of the market place’ to ‘the eye of the earth’ transcending into ‘Not my business’etc., Professor Osundare has conscientiously and creatively enforced the truth content that must be the immutable nucleus of poetic orchestrations. His capacity for intellectualism is unassailable, his logic is impeccable, his scholarly depth is undeniable, and his unrepentant commitment to an egalitarian qua free society is non-negotiable. His words are a confluence of Native speech and syntax; and a phenomenal capacity to evoke images in the minds of even the most unperceptive. The siamese nature of this literary colossus’ professionalism and patriotism cannot be described more aptly than he has done. • Olanipekun is a former President of NBA

Ogidigben EPZ: Between Ijaw and Itsekiri Mike Arayuwa Wilkie

he “Ogidigben Export Processing Zone (EPZ), better known as the Gas Revolution Industrial Park Project”, is located on a land mass of about 2,560 Hectares situated between Ogidigben and Ajudaibo communities. It was acquired by the Delta State Government for and on behalf of the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA). The said acquisition was re-emphasised by the Delta State Government through the notices of Revocation of the Rights of occupancy as published in the Pointer Newspaper of Thursday, November 22, 2012, at page 21 and the Vanguard Newspaper of Thursday, December 6, 2012 at page 6. There is the need to add that the entire project’s landmass belongs to Ugborodo community, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State. It is essential to stress that the Ijaws of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South West Local Government Area also of Delta State and that of Sokebolou/ Yokiri communities in the Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State raised objections against the ground breaking ceremony of the $16 billion dollars project. Their objections were anchored on: (1) That the land acquired for the project in Ogidigben, by the Delta State Government, also extended to their area. How-

ever, these Ijaws could not ascertain the extent of the land which they have so claimed. (2) That the name of the project should reflect Gbaramatu and Ogidigben and (3) That a separate EPZ project committee should be constituted for them to enable them participate in the project. In the light of the above, the Gbaramatu and Sokebolous/Yokiri Ijaws threatened President Jonathan never to attempt to embark on the ground breaking ceremony of the EPZ project, else, so much blood will flow and that will be the beginning of another round of crisis in Riverine areas of Delta State. On two previous occasions, the ground breaking ceremony of the EPZ was postponed by Mr. President as a result of the Ijaw threats. The final resolve of the President to embark on this obligatory duty was slated for Thursday, November 14, 2014. President Jonathan, in a proclamation, announced that he would proceed to Delta State to perform the ground breaking ceremony. In less than 36 hours to the moment of action, Mr. President back-pedalled, coupled with an announcement that the occasion will no longer hold until further notice. Obviously, the President yielded to the serial threats of his fellow Ijaws. Reacting to the failed ground breaking ceremony, the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILT). Ugborodo community and the Itsekiri youth organs, National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, individual persons, groups

and other stakeholders told the President that his deliberate refusal to perform this ceremony was an act of presidential cowardice. The Itsekiri in various statements, advertorials and in the social media refused to accept the requests of the Ijaws on the solid ground that even the land which they claim to own belong to the Itsekiri of Ugborodo and Omadino. To buttress these facts, the Itsekiri cited past court cases which were delivered in favour of the two Itsekiri communities. A fundamental instance was the change of name of Okerenghigho to Okerenkoko by the Ijaw, when, in fact, there was a judgement of the Supreme Court which re-affirmed Okerenghigho as the proper name and owned by Omadino people of Itsekiri. A Federal High Court in Benin City held the same view this year. From the totality of these circumstances, the Itsekiri concluded that the Ijaw of the entire Gbaramatu are customary tenants to the Itsekiri of the Ugborodo and Omadino. All the allegations leveled against Mr. President by the Itsekiri leadership that he was executing an Ijaw agenda over the EPZ project, have been debunked by the President, through Dr. Reuben Abati, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. He said that Mr. President, as the political leader of Nigerians, is not and cannot be on the side of any party to the avoidable dispute over the EPZ project site and execution. Abati further added that the project itself was conceived for the Itsekiri, Ijaw,

Urhobo and immediate catchment areas including other Nigerians. Immediately after the press briefing by the President’s spokesman, some elements kidnapped a press crew and some Ugborodo youths who had gone to Ogidigben to cover the Itsekiri protest over the inability of President Jonathan to perform the ground breaking ceremony of the project. They impounded the crew’s cameras, phones, bags and other journalistic materials until the Army stormed the hideout to rescue all of them. The aforementioned are the quintessential issues at stake. On the basis of these facts, I am of the impression that the President, who doubles as the CommanderIn-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, took a wrong decision to have cancelled the ceremony as a result of threats from the Gbaramatu and Sokebolou/Yokiri Ijaw. As Commander-In-Chief, President Jonathan ought to have called off the Ijaw bluff and do what was right. After all, he controls all the security apparatus of the Nigerian State and could not have been threatened by ex-militants of Gbaramatu. On the part of the Ijaw, I stand to stress that all they have done so far, including the serial threats, were unnecessary and very absurd. From all intents and purposes, they were expected to have lobbied the authorities of the project. • Wilkie can be reached at pmikky1950@yahoo.com (08023097251)

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

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Repositioning information technology for development

nformation technology as it is known today is the application of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. For billions of people around the world, the internet has become an essential part of their everyday social and business lives; although almost taken for granted, technology has helped organisations, corporations, and individuals steer through daily life with less hitches and headaches as was the case some decades back. It is instructive to observe that, technology has become an imperative tool for economic and business growth, helping to access, produce and apply information to managing business and developing human capacities. Undoubtedly, the explosion in mobile phone usage in Nigeria has placed the country as the fastest growing market in Africa, giving the nation a prospect to enjoy the benefits of technology, on a different level. Top on the list of the significance of IT to the people is that it saves time, accelerating the process of finding, sending and receiving relevant information, it raises awareness, creates

transparency, solves problem, and is also a means of relaxation and entertainment. In many ways IT, is a tool of nation building and national development. With information technology, individual mangers can now make decisions by combining information developed within their companies with outside database, including economic and industrial statistics. This allows them to assemble studies of market competition, pricing and forecasts in hours rather than months; electronic mail, a major constituent of information technology, allows reports, memos, and other correspondence to be transmitted simultaneously to many people within the company as well as outside of it; by the use of information technology, new systems can turn reams of numbers into charts and colourful graphs. Information can thus be more quickly digested for faster action; voice store-andforward telephone system enables users send phone messages digitally by computer to any number of recipients within the company; computerized scheduling systems make it possible to set dates for large meetings without consulting executives individually and teleconferencing cuts travel time and expense by enabling managers in distant spots to talk “face-to-face” over television link ups. It is necessary to point out that, the Nigerian Information Technology sector or Information and

Communication Technology sector in these days of convergence has made giant strides since 2001 when the Nigerian Telecommunications Policy was articulated and implemented. IT is the other component of the ICT sector. NITDA, the agency that was established by government to drive this sector has a history that started with a unit in the Ministry of Science and Technology. This was about the year 2000, in 2001, the national IT policy was articulated. The truth is that the government can create an enabling environment for information technology to play a central role in the economy. IT can positively and progressively impact various sectors of the economy such as health sector, the agricultural sector; developing e-Health policy, e-Education policy and so on. Going forward, information technology also has the capacity to drive growth across all facets of the national political economy. As can be seen, IT has played a pivotal role in what countries like South Korea, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, and a host of them have become. Therefore, Nigeria can be the forerunner of IT in Africa with the potential to grow the economy to be among the 20 largest economies in the world in accordance with the Transformation Agenda. Worthy of note is that, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector will be the highest revenue earner for Nigeria

by year 2020, according to the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson. In the words of the minister, she reasoned that, “We believe that ICT has the greatest potential to eclipse oil and gas as the core source of national income if not the most reliable, contributing the maximum possible percentage of income to the country. So, by 2020, the year that we dream to be a top 20 economy, we believe that ICT will not only be contributing the maximum share to the national income, we believe that in terms of productivity, growth, and performance across all sectors, ICT will be a catalyst.“ The minister regretted the “wastage, duplication of efforts and lack of coordination in doing things in the ICT sector” but said it would soon be a thing of the past. It is on record that, Data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveal that in the first quarter of 2012, the ICT sector made a 5.83 per cent contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By implication, the ICT sector is the fourth largest contributor to the country’s GDP and the sector has been identified as the fastest growing sector in the Nigerian economy. The sector has a 30-per-cent growth rate and it is employing more than two million people. Therefore, the enabling environment and regulatory framework for sustainable IT in the country must be swiftly provided.

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20 Politics | Interview Femi Ayelabowo

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo is on the warpath and he has launched an omnibus offensive. Virtually all Nigerians with a national profile are targets in his crosshairs. His latest salvo aims at diminishing members of the National Assembly and President Goodluck Jonathan. But others, including his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, and former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari, have taken fire from Obasanjo at

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Obasanjo’s omnibus offensive some point in time. To understand what is at the heart of this war that Obasanjo is fighting with everyone, we must look beyond his anger at the Nigerian people for denying him a third fouryear term at the expiration of his second presidential term in 2007. It is properly rooted in what has come to be identified as his messianic complex. In a nutshell, no matter what good things may be happening in Nigeria, if it is not credited to Obasanjo, then, as far as the former president is con-

cerned, it is either false or of no consequence. Concerning the National Assembly, Obasanjo’s grouse with that institution began on Tuesday, August 13, 2002, when the House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion calling on then President Obasanjo to resign from office or face impeachment. The crucial part of the motion reads: “That by reason of the monumental inadequacies, persistent disrespect for the rule of law and the obvious corruption being perpetrated

in the presidency which exposes Mr. President’s inability to steer the ship of state as its President, Mr. President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is hereby advised to resign honourably as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within two weeks from the date of this motion or face impeachment.” Do many Nigerians readily recall today that Obasanjo was once accused of “persistent disrespect for the rule of law” and “obvious corruption”

during his first term as president? It is debatable. In any case, although Obasanjo managed to wriggle out of being impeached at the expiration of that ultimatum, he never forgave the members of the House of Representatives. As such, it should not surprise anyone that today, anybody in the House Representatives is automatically a crook in Obasanjo’s book. Still on the National Assembly, on Thursday, March 30, 2006, the Senate dealt then President Obasanjo’s carefully-or-

chestrated and heavilyfunded Third Term Agenda a death blow when 42 senators spoke against the idea, thereby surpassing the 37 votes required to defeat the bid. After the failure of the Third Term Agenda, Obasanjo went to great lengths to distance himself from the ill-fated plot. But there are too many Nigerians who are still alive, who knew first hand that Obasanjo was personally behind the plot. One such Nigerian is Senator Ken Nnamani, former President of the Senate. Nnamani is on record that Obasanjo told him about the agenda soon after he became the Senate President. According to a report published on April 8, 2012, Nnamani said: “Immediately, I became Senate President, he told me of his intentions and told me how he wanted to achieve it. I initially did not take him seriously until the events began to unfold.” This revelation by Nnamani was a confirmation of information that was already in the public domain. So, if today Obasanjo says senators are corrupt, it may be likened to a case of birds that used to fly together but have now decided to fly different routes. As for Obasanjo’s swipes at President Jonathan, what can be inferred from them is that the former president has become increasingly uncomfortable with the verifiable achievements recorded by Jonathan in less time than Obasanjo’s eight years in office. For instance, whereas Obasanjo spent eight years as president and could not fix the busy Benin–Sagamu road, Jonathan fixed the road in less than three years. In even less time than that, Jonathan administration also successfully completed the dredging of the lower River Niger from Baro in Niger State to Warri in Delta State, allowing over 6.7 million passengers and over 1.6 million tonnes of cargo to move through the channel in less than three years. This is something Obasanjo could not do. It also significant that President Jonathan took only 60 days to end 40 years of fraud in Nigeria’s fertiliser distribution system, something that Obasanjo, with all his braggadocio, could not do in eight years. Indeed, the list of such comparisons is long and requires an article of its own. So, when Obasanjo in his bitterness launches verbal attacks on everyone, Nigerians should understand what informs his omnibus offensive. •Ayelabowo writes from Ibadan.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, december 4, 2014

Interview

Jurist

Okorodas: Emergency rule not enough panacea for insurgency

Solanke: Lawyers must explore appeals, not petitions to resolve grievance

22&25

Law

Akintola, Adekoya, others blame APC, PDP for Ekiti imbroglio

Akintola

Adekoya

Shittu

Barely two weeks after seven members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly removed their Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, lawyers were yesterday unanimous that the sack of the speaker by the minority in a 26-member assembly amounted to illegality. They say it must be challenged in court. AKEEM NAFIU and APPOLOS CHRISTIAN report

midst tight security, seven of the 26 members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly sacked their Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin in a bizarre manner akin to a scene in a war

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

foluso.ogunmodede@ newtelegraphonline.com

movie on November 17. Omirin’s sack and removal from speakership has continued to elicit controversy, accusations and counter-accusations since November 17. However, the question on the lips of Nigerians, including lawyers is: Can seven members form a quorum in a 26-member house to impeach a principal officer? Lawyers disagree. Although a clear example of the Ekiti ‘7’ greater than ‘19’ occurred in Oyo, Plateau and Anambra States Houses of Assembly during the Olusegun Obasanjo tenure, lawyers yesterday agreed that it was time to put a stop to what they described as illegal-

The political class should be held responsible for all this infractions without exception whether PDP or APC

ity and abuse of the rule of law in a democratic nation called Nigeria. “We saw all these things coming but we are all complacent as many people who should speak are not speaking. It did not start today, it started long ago and because there has been no sanctions against the infringement of the constitution, it has continued’’, one of them said. “These are matters that the court needs to determine as quickly as possible’’, another said. Although the new Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Dele Olugbemi described the November 17 sack of his predessor as democracy at work, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adeniyi Akintola blamed politicians including their parties, describing the Ekiti saga as an infringement of the Constitution. Akintola said: “In our very eyes in this country, at the Governors’ forum election, 16 was said to be greater than 19 and nothing happened. We all saw the way and manner Nyako was impeached in Adamawa State and nothing happened. Look at the way and manner Ayodele

Fayose and Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha were impeached in 2006 and 2005 respectively. “So, it did not start today. It is something that none of the parties could absolve themselves from. “The political class should be held responsible for all this infractions without exception whether PDP or APC. They all have their members at the National Assembly, what do they do on the issue? What goes round comes round and that is why we keep telling them that if you condone infractions of the Constitution today because you are not affected, you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Just like what the IGP is doing now, it is Tambuwal today, it may be the turn of the CJN or any other person tomorrow. That is why every right thinking Nigerian should rise up to condemn it’’. Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Funke Adekoya, said the answer speaks for itself. “These are matters that the court needs to determine as quickly as possible’’, she said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Law | Interview

THURSDAY, december 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Okorodas: Emergency rule not enough panacea for insurgency He holds a PhD in law. Anthony Ezonfade Okorodas is the chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa branch. Okorodas speaks on next year’s general elections, the unending Boko Haram insurgency war, Federal Government’s planned extension of emergency rule in the troubled Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States and sundry issues. APPOLOS CHRISTIAN met him. 2015 itches closer and many Nigerians don’t have confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducting the general elections. Any fears? To predict the future, you must analyse the past. Since the arrival of Professor Jega as the INEC chairman, Nigeria has seen steady improvements of our electoral process. If the trend continues, 2015 is likely to be better than 2011. There is a big room for more improvements, no doubt. But we must note that while INEC is saddled with the responsibility of conducting credible elections, the success of the process depends to a large extent on the conduct of politicians and their political parties. It is a pity that an average Nigerian politician thrives on illegalities. There are campaign budgets for bribery, vote-buying and all sorts of illegal activities aimed at gaining undue advantage over political opponents. All these must stop if we hope to achieve free and fair elections in this country. With the senseless killings of innocent Nigerians in the north-east by the Islamic fundamentalists, what option would you push before the Federal Government in order to bring an end to the insurgency? Some people say there should be no negotiations with Boko Haram because of the senseless killings they have been carrying out. I would agree with that stand if we have the capacity to crush them and be done with the insurgency. But I cannot stand at a safe distance; hundreds of kilometres away from the killing fields and insist that the Federal Government should not negotiate when people are being killed on a daily basis. While I support negotiations, I do not think the government is taking the right approach to it. The success of any potential negotiation with Boko Haram will be relative to the ability of the Federal Government to weaken Boko Haram’s capacity to continue to operate effectively. If we cannot totally wipe out Boko Haram, let us at least be able to weaken the organisation substantially. A weakened Boko Haram will be a catalyst for a negotiated settlement of the insurgency. The question is: how do we proceed to achieve that? The Boko Haram insurgency has exposed the weakness of our

armed forces. Our men and women in uniform have been known over the years for their bravery and efficiency in international operations – in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, etc. During those operations, we never had any reported cases of Nigerian soldiers running away from the enemy. To tell you the truth, the problem at hand is one of lack of investment in the armed forces. Logistical support is crucial to the men fighting at the front. If you want me to do the job, give me the equipment I need, set out clear objectives for me and allow me do the job. This appears not to be the case. If there has been a systematic investment in the armed forces, we wouldn’t need to carry cash in search of arms and ammunition in the heat of Okorodas battle. You prepare for war in times of peace. How would you look at President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for further extension of emergency rule in the troubled north-east? I do not know what you mean by “total emergency.” If by that you mean that civil government in those States should be suspended, I would disagree without hesitation. There is no evidence that the government of those states are obstructive in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency. In fact, those governments appear to be spending millions of state funds in support of the fight against Boko Haram. In fact, maintaining some level of normalcy in terms of governance is essential to the fight against Boko Haram. A proclamation of a state of emergency is not a magical instrument that would automatically solve the problem. We must have soldiers who are highly motivated; we must have the necessary equipment; we must have the political will to counter the insurgents; we do not appear to act like we are in such a state. Right now, we are at war, albeit internally. I do not care if the entire armed forces of Nigeria is totally mobilised to the north-east to do the job as quickly as possible and get done with it. It’s an emergency and the situation requires extraordinary measures. I fear for the day Boko Haram would attract fighters from all over the world as it appears to be happening with ISIS in Iraq and Syria. When that happens, even those of us

The success of any potential negotiation with Boko Haram will be relative to the ability of the Federal Government to weaken Boko Haram’s capacity to continue to operate effectively

in the South would not be safe! An Islamic cleric says Nigerians should prevail on President Jonathan and General Buhari to drop their presidential ambition to avoid post-election war, do you share his view? He is entitled to his opinion. However, there is no basis for that statement. These are two great Nigerians who both have the interests of Nigeria at heart. The political space is large enough to accommodate every Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity, religion or class. It should be a matter of concern to Nigerians that prominent persons would be making such unguarded statements. It is capable of laying the foundation for some sort of absurd justification for troublemakers to let loose their hunger for blood. Politics is, and should remain a game of numbers. If the majority of Nigerians re-elect President Jonathan, so be it and if they decide to elect General Buhari, fine. The authorities must act decisively to protect Nigeria and Nigerians from evil forces bent to destroy Nigeria. Some states governors have faulted the autonomy granted to the nation’s 774 councils by the National Assembly, describing it as bizarre. Where do you think the lawmakers went wrong? Well, I support some degree of autonomy for local governments. Total autonomy would be an anomaly. We cannot confer on local governments the same degree of autonomy that States

have in relation to the Federal Government. That would be chaotic. Local Government Administration should remain with the States. However, the present system where the Local Government Laws of the various states empower the State Houses of Assembly and the Governors to remove elected Chairmen of Local Government Areas is bad and should be prevented by constitution amendment. Why should that be when there is an elected Legislative Council at the Local Government level? Why should a lawmaker has a say in the removal of the Chairman of a Local Government Area he does not come from and has no relationship with? Secondly, if autonomy means that local governments should have their full revenue allocation from the Federation Account without interference from the States, I would support that. The Local Government Joint Account should be abolished. Allocations should go directly to the Local Government Councils, with all lawful deductions made at source and paid to the relevant agencies. That way, the reported abuse of the Joint Account system by some State Governments would be eliminated. Nigeria has its 15th Chief Justice following the retirement of Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar on November 20. What is your appraisal of the 14th CJN? Her tenure was relatively short. Obviously, her most visible performance was in the area of discipline of judges and her insistence on high productivity in the dispensation of justice in our courts. The process of appointment of judges was also quite commendable during her tenure. As far as I am aware, it was substantially merit-based. I praise her for her exemplary leadership. Her tenure was scandal-free and that is highly commendable in the kind of society we live in. However, I think she should have reviewed the criteria for the performance evaluation of judges. The present system lays too much emphasis on the need for judges to deliver loads of final judgments. It appears that rulings even on very important interlocutory applications do not count in performance evaluations. The judge’s efforts at encouraging successful disposal of cases through Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms also appear not to count. This can be counter-productive as judges may not be disposed to encourage amicable settlement of cases. One area in which I wished she did more was modernisation of the court system. The use of ICT in our court system is still abysmally low. At this time of our development, there is no reason why Supreme Court Justices still record submissions in long hand! There is no reason why I should travel all the way to Abuja to file an application in the Registry of the Supreme Court when I could easily do that online if the facilities were available. Justice Mukhtar did her best CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

Law | Jurist

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, december 4, 2014

Solanke: Lawyers must explore appeals, not petitions to resolve grievance She is the first female lawyer to be elevated into the Inner Bar as Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Chief Olufolake Solanke, former president, Zonta International speaks on the role of judiciary in the electioneering year. TUNDE OYESINA met her.

hief Olufolanke Solanke made history on May 3, 1981 when she became the first female to be awarded with the prestigious title of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). She donned the silk wig thirty-three years ago, alongside the late Chiefs Bayo Kehinde and M.O. Akpofure. Others are Chief Sobo Sobowale and Dr. Arthur Nylander. Solanke, an alumnus of the famous Gray’s Inn London was called to the Bar in 1962, 30 years after her birth. She was born on March 29, 1932 in Abeokuta to the founder and proprietor, Alabukun medicine store, Pa J.S. Odulate and Madam Sekunmade Abiodun Odulate. Solanke lost her mother in 1934, two years after she was born. Undaunted by her mother’s death, Solanke soared higher in her educational pursuit as it is on record that she was the first student of the Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos to obtain a Grade one in the 1949 West Africa School Certificate Examinations. In 1994 she became the first non-Caucasian to be elected as the 42nd president of Zonta International. Although she has spent over five decades in practice, Solanke is not too happy at some of the ways the executive has treated the judiciary over the years. For instance, she bemoaned underfunding of the third-arm of government, saying the executive had ignored Section 167 of the Constitution which prescribes that its funds should be channeled straight and direct to the judiciary from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Solanke said: “The supremacy of the law is manifested in the fact that in the courtroom, every one stands and bows before the Bench. That is why I am always distressed and embarrassed when I see pictures of Chief Judges in the print media bowing before governors. A Judge should stand ram-rod straight, chest out, look the Governor in the eye with a smile and engage in robust handshakes. May be, the Governor should bow before the Chief Judge. This situation touches on the independence of the Judiciary which funding should be channeled, straight

and direct to the judiciary from the Consolidated Revenue Fund under Section 167 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Also, she canvassed complete independence of the judiciary, saying if this must be secured, judges themselves must refrain from being subservient to the executive. She said: “It is our hope that our Nigerian Judiciary will soon achieve total independence. The judges must not be subservient to government or to any authority on earth but to God and the law. On corruption, Solanke said “fifty-one years ago in 1963, when I joyfully entered the one and only learned profession, there was no whisper or even a rumour of judiciary corruption. Alas, how things have changed. Most regrettably, allegations of corruption had become so ripe that people talk and write about it anywhere, anyhow. Even in the hallowed chamber of the Supreme Court, accusations of wrong doing were thrown at the judiciary in open court ‘in curie facie’. In that context, I dare say that judges have to live up to the meaning of the appellation: “honourable” in order to stop such scandalous allegations. It is a monumental shame that some erring judges smear the good judges with the tag of corruption. I always remind my audience everywhere that not all judges are corrupt. Most regrettably, the public do not make that distinction, and erroneously accuse the entire judiciary of corruption. In recent years, there has been an astronomical rise in the number of indiscriminate petitions against judges. The CJN has diligently dealt with these petitions and thrown many out of the window for being bogus. With all due respect to my learned friends, let me remind the professional petitioners that neither the reputation of the judiciary nor that of the legal profession is enhanced by bogus petitions. There ought to be more appeals than petitions. We all have a stake in the good name of the judiciary. If aggrieved, please go to the appellate courts. However, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria cautioned the judiciary highest

Solanke

It is a monumental shame that some erring judges smear the good judges with the tag of corruption

organ, the National Judicial Council (NJC) to ensure that tide of Information Communication Technology did not further erode the dignity and the already damaged reputation of the judiciary. Solanke said: “No doubt, this is the age of Information Communication Technology (ICT). It was recently reported in the print media that the NJC is to start the evaluation of judges with ICT techniques. It is reassuring that the justice system is moving with the times. It is hoped, however, that everything will be done to ensure that the process does not further damage the dignity and integrity of the judiciary. It is extremely important that the disciplinary process of dealing with wrongdoing of some erring judges should not taint the collective image of the entire judiciary. On 2015 general elections, she said “the 2015 elections are looming large. Learned counsel should always remember that the collective reputation of the legal profession has been severely damaged by the unprofessional shenanegans attending election petitions and appeals of the past. There is a crying need for us to serve the cause of justice first, in all legal proceedings, before our own interest. That must be our first duty to the rule of law and our sacred role as ministers in the temple of justice. Also, Solanke has a word for judges on dissenting judgement. She said: “In this day and age, dissenting judgments are rare. The immediate past CJN was bold enough, as a Justice

of the Supreme Court, to write a dissenting judgment in the Yar’Adua v Buhari election political appeal. With all due respect, Judges are hereby encouraged to follow her example and write a dissenting judgment when they have a cause to differ from the lead judgment. Every judge has the liberty to express his or her own individual opinion in a dissenting judgment. A judge does not necessarily have to follow the leader. Each judge has to follow the law and his or her own conscience. It is of no consequence whether the appeal is on election petition or any other’’ (cause of litigation or action). It is extremely crucial that there should be consistency in the judgments of the courts, particularly the Supreme Court which is the final court of the land and the doctrine of precedents. Whenever a panel of the Supreme Court renders a judgment, sit is the legitimate assumption of the lawyers and litigants that the entire judgment is that of the entire Supreme Court. Indeed, with all due respect, it is assumed that all the justices of the Supreme Court, whether or not they were on the panel that rendered particular judgment, are very much aware of the decision to be followed by the lower courts. As the justices are in the same building inter-communication and conferences on all appeals should be attainable. The problem of inconsistency is quite acute in the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court. The Court of Appeal has divisions in sixteen different locations. Thus, inter communication and conferences on appeals among the Divisions on decisions to be rendered are virtually impossible. The same goes for the Federal High Court in different locations. With profound respect, the judiciary has to attend to the huge problem of judicial inconsistency in order to preserve the reliability of the courts on the doctrine of precedents, id est: “stare decisis Besides, Solanke believes judges’ security is key to optimal discharge of their duty. She however described as obscene the alleged assault carried out on a judge in Ekiti State as the worst in recent times. She said: “Another huge problem for the judiciary is the issue of security. I will forever remember my shock and consternation when I read from the dailies that a High Court Judge in Ekiti State, Justice John Adeyeye was physically attacked and his robe torn. The paper also reported that the record book of the Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola was also torn into pieces by the thugs who also disrupted proceedings at the State Election Petition Tribunal. An assault on judges is an assault on the rule of law. That kind of bedlam can only lead to chaos and anarchy. Such outrageous affront on the judiciary must not go unpunished because it would make judges extremely vulnerable, if wouldbe attackers feel they can get away with any kind of mayhem. A breakdown of law and order must be avoided.

Law | Jurist

THURSDAY, december 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ex-Supreme Court Justice, Obaseki, honoured award

Ex-Supreme Court Justice wins oustanding award Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

t was honours and eulogies for retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Andrews Otutu Obaseki in Benin Edo state capital on Saturday for his outstanding qualities and contributions to the nation’s legal system and humanity. The event witnessed the assemblage of who-is- who including retired justices and serving judges in the various courts in Nigeria and eminent citizens led by Hallmarks of Labour Foundation (HLF), a nongovernmental organization. Stakeholders at the event harped on the importance for the younger generation to uphold the nation’s value system. They expressed the fear the country’s values were being eroded by the day, insisting that such step would help take the country out of the woods. However, the Foundation has Emerutus Prof. Umaru Shehu as Chairman BOT; Dr. Christopher Kolade, Vice-Chairman; Prof. Grace Alele-Williams, member; Senator Oluremi Tinubu, member; Prof. Itse Sagay and Patricia Otuedon-Arawore (Secretary)

among others. Other recipients in the past included Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (SCJ); Ambassador Matthew Mbu (CFR), Justice Kayode Edo (SCJ) and Chief Rotimi Williams, all of blessed memory. In his speech entitled “Role Model Award” on Obaseki, the first female Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Alele-Williams, said Justice Obaseki was selected for the award because of his courage throughout his career in both the Bar and the Bench. Prof. Alele-Williams tasked the young Nigerians to always emulate the qualities of Justice Obaseki as a role model. She noted that while others were in the habit of using their positions to make quick money, the award recipient, “was busy establishing a good reputation for himself”. She said: “I am extremely happy that we are honouring a Justice that has done wonderfully well for our part of the world, our part of the country and of whom we are very proud. I want the younger generation to work hard, play hard and keep straight, don’t lie, don’t steal, say what is correct and do that all the time because our younger people today expect free gifts for not working hard, we expect to be praised when you haven’t done anything

good, you expect to cheat at exams and pass”. The executive Secretary of the Foundation, Mrs. Patricia Otuedon-Arawore said the body came to be because of the increasing decay in the moral fabrics of Nigeria, dishonest practices and inefficient management of public affairs by successive governments. Otuedon-Arawore said: “HLF believes that something has to be done to salvage the image of our country; and convinced that our society still boasts of exemplary men and women who against all odds have embraced integrity; that they are great Nigerians who can match and excel their contemporaries elsewhere. “In the 1990s, Nigeria experienced one of its darkest periods where the country’s reputation among the league of nations was at its lowest ebb. To the outside world, the average Nigerian was a criminal of sorts. At international airports of entry, we were subjected to the worst indignities. Nigeria became a pariah in the comity of nations even as treasury looters bestrode our landscape. With unwholesome lifestyle, thus, this people with no possible means of income rode the best cars, lived in mansions and spent money with careless abandon. A wave of negative role models emerged”.

CISLAC seeks probe of military in Kano bomb blast Foluso Ogunmodede

arely one week after scores of innocent Nigerians were killed in a Kano mosque blast, a group, the , Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has demanded a probe of the Defence Ministry with a view to determining its culpability in the raging war against Nigeria by the Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalists. Particularly, CISLAC is asking the National Assembly to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security operatives for the ‘unresolved massacre of innocent citizens and mismanagement of national security sector vote’. According to CISLAC, such probe of the security operatives became necessary in view of the unending insurgency, claiming hundreds of deaths despite billions of naira being appropriated to the defence ministry.

No fewer than 100 Muslim faithful were killed in Kano at the weekend when three bomb blasts exploded shortly after the Chief Imam of the state’s Central Mosque, Professor Sani Zahradeen said ‘Allahu Akbar’, signaling the start of the prayers. CISLAC however condemned the killing, blaming the military and the Federal Government for the unending insurgency. In a release, signed by CISLAC’s executive director, Malam Auwal Musa, said “following the most recent bombardments leading to the death of innocent Nigerians in Kano, Adamawa and Borno States, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) seriously condemns the lackadaisical, selfish and nonchalant attitudes of Nigerian ruling class towards resolving the ongoing heightening insecurity in the country arising from attacks, kidnapping and bombardments. “It is worrisome that

despite the intensity of attacks in various parts of the country, the ruling class has refused to engage in constructive dialogue to bring end to insurgency as their family members and relatives are excluded from the attacks. Instead of making sincere effort towards constructive dialogue, they are caught in various conspiracies to make live unbearable for innocent citizens. This among other things validates the reports that the attacks are reinforced by political battle triggered by continuous bloody struggles toward sustaining their miserable positions in 2015 and beyond”. Besides, it took a swipe at the President Goodluck Jonathan’s led-government for its refusal to investigate the alleged role by a former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff and a former Army Chief, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika for their alleged indictment in the unending insurgency.

Police may truncate democracy, say lawyers CO N TI N U ED FROM PAGE 21

To Olu Awolowo, the seven lawmakers’ act was nothing but an illegality which did not need any court’s pronouncement. Awolowo said: “It is very unconstitutional because it is obviously a breach of the Constitution. The Constitution is very specific about the procedure involved in the removal of a Speaker of a House of Assembly and if it is not complied with, then, in the eyes of the law, nothing really has happened. “The court in my view does not even need to declare it illegal because nothing has happened in the sense that right from the onset, the procedures have not been complied with. The procedure is that two-third majority of the House is required to remove the Speaker and seven members does not constitute two-third majority. “The whole exercise is unconstitutional because it is fraudulent to use an executive position to perpetrate illegality. The court has said it in the case of Ojukwu vs Lagos State Government that executive lawlessness will not be tolerated and it will be declared illegal and unconstitutional’’. To Mr. Monday Ubani, the immediate past chairman of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), “the Constitution has even given a specific provision as to the forming of a quorum. I think it says one-third forms a quorum for any sitting of the State House of Assembly. But, if you must impeach the Speaker of any House of Assembly, you must muster the numerical strength of two-third of the entire membership of the House and I think in Ekiti, there are twentysix members of the house. There is no way seven members can be two-third of twenty-six no matter the way you bend the mathematical logic. So, it is totally impossible. It is pure illegality. “They are just wasting their time and they know they are taking the advantage of the judicial system, which is always very slow. Despite that, the judicial system is very steady and at the end of the day, the illegality that took place in that house will be nullified. There are no two ways about it. I don’t know who is backing them but they should be warned that our First Republic collapsed as a result of the intransigents and conducts of the politicians and we don’t want this dispensation to be derailed by politicians. So, they should be very careful and mindful of what they are doing’’. To the Co-ordinator, Centre for Human Rights, University of Lagos, Mr. Wahab Kunle Shittu, “what is happening in Ekiti is probably a product of a collective blame to be shared by the political elite and it will be very difficult except you witness what has happened to be able to place the blame at the doorstep of any political party because all of them are in the contest and contestation of power. “I think the best way to be able to appraise the situation is to stay focus on the fundamentals of the democratic traditions and anal-

Abba

What is happening in Ekiti, is probably a product of a collective blame to be shared by the political elite

yse what has happened against the respect or lack of respect for the fundamentals. What are these fundamentals? In a democracy, there must be respect for the Constitution which is the bedrock of democratic tradition. “There are clear cut provisions of the Constitution about how to deal with specific issues and when those provisions are subverted, no matter who is involved, we should apply the law as was spelt out in the constitution. Again, respect for the rule of law and due process is very key while transparency and accountability in government and free, fair and credible electoral process are also desirable. Zero tolerance for corruption respect for fundamental rights of the people, separation of powers and good governance are also very key. “In a democracy, there are two clear choices to make. That is, either we want to be guided by the rule of law or the culture of impunity. So, if you look at those fundamentals, they you can now use them to interrogate what is going on in Ekiti and then make your analysis on the extent to which what is going on in the state conforms with the Constitution, the rule of law, due process and other parameters. “Yes, the Constitution allows the Speaker to be removed but there are clear cut procedures that must be complied with before such impeachment can be effective.

Law

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, december 4, 2014

Gains of 2014 IBA Confab to Nigeria

‘Insurgency has exposed military’s weaknesses’

Gbolahan Gbadamosi

in the short period she was in office. I wish her a happy retirement.

his year International Bar Association(IBA) conference in Tokyo, Japan between Sunday, October 19- Friday October 24 2014, was unusual one for the Nigerian delegates in the sense that unlike other previous confab in which the President of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) was the delegates’ leader, the current president, Augustine Alegeh(SAN) could not be in Tokyo. His absence was due to the unfortunate incident when his immediate predecessor in office, Okey Wali(SAN) was abducted by unknown persons few days to the conference. As a mark of good leadership, he stayed back in the country and that sacrifice was not in vain as Wali regained his freedom 24 hours before the conference ended. The IBA President Michael J. Reynolds in his Introduction of the conference noted that, the confab ‘’will provide you with a wealth of knowledge on the most important issues in international legal practice today. I am sure many of you have come here to meet and do business with colleagues across Japan and the Asia Pacific region and if you have not visited the city before , I guarantee you will leave Tokyo with wonderful memories of its vibrant culture, food, and a fantastic insight into the traditions of Japan’’. Opening Ceremony To confirm that the gathering of legal practitioners globally was not only for intellectual sessions, the opening ceremony started with a Welcome Party, held “in the iconic Glass Building of the imposing Tokyo International Forum(TIF), designed by the architect Rafael Vinoy , located in the heart of Tokyo. The building represents the very modern side of Japan and is rated 3* by the Michelin Green Guide to Japan. The building reflects Japan’s mix of modern and traditional, for you to experience an energetic festival with traditional food, drink and entertainment.” Before the relaxation evening, the conference was officially declared opened by His Majesty The Emperor Akihito accompanied by Her Majesty The Empress Michiko when the Keynote Speaker, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe traced the tradition of the Rule of Law in his country, adding that, “ My hometown is in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a region that was home to many of the patriots of the Meiji era who guided Japan on its path to modernity.” He concluded by saying that, “ Over 70 years of the post-war period Japan has continued to strive for the stability and posterity of the international community, as a country that values democracy and basic human rights and as a peaceful nation that respects the “the rule of law”. Looking back at the first half of the 20th century we can see that it was an era of almost endless revolution, war and struggle for colonial independence. “ The abiding lesson we can draw from the experiences of the 20th century is surely the importance

CO N TI N U ED F ROM PAGE 22

What are your expectations for the new CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed? Simple: I expect that he would continue the good work of his predecessor and surpass her achievements. Importantly, he should consider the issues I have just raised.

Alegeh

of the “rule of law”, which represents the rules of democracy, basic human rights and peaceful conflict resolution. Together with members of the IBA and together with your respective governments, let us exercise our leadership as we seek to establish universal “rule of law” on this earth, ”he said to the global lawyers in the conference hall. In his Opening Speech, Reynolds, said he was delighted to announce that “a total of 6000 delegates from 130 countries are attending the conference..I think this is the largest assembly of lawyers in the East, South-East Asia regions. IBA ‘s relationship with Japan goes back 64 years, almost as long as the Association has existed. The IBA was established in 1947 and the JFBA became a member in 1950. Today the Japan Bar Association, The Tokyo Bar, the Daini Tokyo Bar and many individual bengoshi are IBA members. In 1970, we held one of our early multinational conferences in Tokyo, and our specialist committees have since organized many events here.” Referring to rule of law challenges in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar and Cuba ,he paid tribute to IBA’s Executive Director, Mark Ellis and his staff for their dedication which made the work of the association possible, adding that, ”The IBA is committed to upholding the rule of law worldwide. We take proactive stance in working with many of the most gifted, internationally minded lawyers to improve legal systems and work with legislative bodies to improve standards of practice, it is a fact that since 2008 we have committed over $8milion from IBA reserves to this work. The Annual Conference highlights this commitment, both through our “Showcase” sessions and through committee sessions that focus on projects undertaken by our specialist committees”.

Can we have an insight into your background? I was born at the General Hospital, Makurdi, northern Nigeria, on Wednesday 25th November 1970. My father was in the Marine Division of the Nigeria Police. My mother was a trader. I grew up in a very large family. My father had several wives and children. We all lived happily together. Due to the nature of the job of my father, the family moved from city to city on regular transfers. As a result, I attended four primary schools – in Lagos, Brass in the present Bayelsa State, Port Harcourt and Degema in Rivers State. I also attended three secondary schools – in Degema, Rivers State, and in Sagbama and Yenagoa, now in Bayelsa State, but then in Rivers State. I was the only child of my mother for the first eight years of my life. Expectedly, I was pampered. However, one thing my mother would not compromise was my education. She ensured that I went to school every day. You know, I never liked school in my early years. I always wanted to be with my mother. I got admission to study Law at Obafemi Awolowo University in 1988. That was the first time I had to leave home. It was quite an experience. I was never a Boarder in my secondary school days. I recall this event, which was at the time shocking to me. A student I didn’t know at all rushed into my room with a plate in his hand. He asked if I had garri. I remained speechless for a second as I couldn’t imagine a complete stranger doing this. One second was too long for the guy to wait. So, he rushed out and into the next room in search of garri. My sojourn in Ife taught me many lessons. You think you have not been blessed enough and then discover millions would give anything to be in your position. Be happy with what you’ve got while you strive for

Sports Law Session One of the stimulating sessions at the just conference was organized by the Criminal Law Session and the Sports Law Sub committee . The topic is Corruption in Sports . Co- Chair, Anti-Corruption Committee, Nick Benwell and Senior ViceChair, Business Crime Committee, Jan Handzlik were in attendance. TO BE CONTINUED

Okorodas

greener pastures. I had my LL.B Degree from Ife in 1992. I attended the 1992/1993 Session of the Nigerian Law School for my professional qualification. For some reasons, I wasn’t called to Bar with my mates in December 1993. I didn’t fail o! I have never failed. I had a 2/1 at the Law School. I was eventually called in June 1994. I went back to Ife for my LL.M., and later to the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, United Kingdom for my PhD in Constitutional Law. I was a fairly good footballer in my younger days. I still play football for leisure. I am a member of All Star International Football Club of Yenagoa. We are a group of “retired” (but not tired) footballers. We travel all over Nigeria to play matches against our counterparts in other states. We’ve also been to Ghana to play with the retired stars of Ghanaian Football. We are due to travel to Tanzania later this month to play a match. Our football activities keep us healthy physically and emotionally. Any challenges as chairman of the Yenagoa NBA? The Yenagoa branch of the NBA is doing very well. As you know, we are a professional association. Our primary focus is two-fold. First, we pursue the welfare of our members, particularly the young lawyers amongst us. Secondly, we have a duty to lend a voice to the public and the Judiciary, particularly in the Justice Delivery Sector. We have fared well in both. One very positive thing under my leadership of the Bar in Yenagoa is the high visibility of the NBA. People listen when the NBA speaks. Our major challenge at the moment is lack of funds to undertake the main capital project that has been on the drawing board for years. That is, the construction of a modern Bar Centre complete with an events hall, offices, a library, restaurant and a couple of guestrooms. Our local Bar does not have multimillionaire members who could donate substantial amounts of money towards the project. We appeal to the Governor of Bayelsa State, who is our past branch officer, to assist us in this regard. We believe that a modern Bar Centre would benefit not just lawyers, but the overall justice delivery system in the state.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014

Health News

Healthy Living

Health News

Nature Power

‘Promote contraception for better family planning’

Severe attention deficient disorder seen in accidents, drug abuse

Nigeria set to have more children with the sickle cell disease –Expert

Welcome to nature power (2)

Health Obinna Odoh ABUJA

he Minister of State for Health and the Supervising Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan has observed that among many other factors that increase the rate of death of people living with HIV/AIDS are discrimination and stigma. This was Alhassan’s position on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of 2014 World AIDS Day with the theme “Closing the Gap: No More Stigma and No more Discrimination”. According to the supervising minister of health, the choice of the theme was to deliberately call the attention of Nigerians to the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS and to call on all including the infected or the affected to embrace one another in love and in one voice to say ‘No’ and loud shame to stigma and discrimination. “The society of our dreams is one in which all Nigerians are guaranteed equality of rights and privileges and let me therefore use this occasion of the 2014 World AIDS Day to appeal to all Nigerians to embrace our courageous brothers and sisters who are living with HIV/AIDS and show them love and care. We should be concerned about the wellbeing of others whether we are infected or not by the virus and so we must lend a helping hand to each other as well as ensure that no single person is left with the virus nor made to feel abandoned or betrayed. “We are now talking about stigma and discrimination not just because it is unacceptable in decent society to treat fellow citizens badly but largely because stigma and discrimination is a major driver of the HIV epidemic as people are no longer willing to have access to available HIV/ AIDS services because of fear of

Appolonia Adeyemi appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline.com

Stigma major driver of HIV epidemic, says minister discrimination and stigma. We must therefore stop discrimination of people living with HIV/ AIDS in order to root out the virus itself,” stated Alhassan. The President of Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Mr. Edward Ogenyi regrettably said that if indeed Nigeria wants to stop discrimination and stigma we should look at the proven strategy adopted globally which is providing treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. He observed that for one to fight stigma you must provide treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. Mr. Ogenyi said that out of 3.4 million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS only 1.8 are eligible for treatment out of which only 649,000 people currently access drugs. “In this part of the country we know that we have 3.4 million Nigerians living with HiV/ AIDS. We also know that we 1,8 million Nigerians that are eligible for treatment and we also know that out of this number it is only 649,000 that are currently on treatment. That gives us a treatment gap access of about 1.2 million people that are eligible but have no access to treatment. “We are appealing to federal government and to President Goodluck Jonathan to fight stigma and discrimination by putting infected people on treatment. This is the time that federal government of Nigeria should move from wishes to action. “We have heard that federal government does not want anybody to die of HIV/AIDS or be discriminated against as a result of his/her HIV status. However, we want to move from wishes to action and it is for this reason that we are calling on the federal government of Nigeria to draw attention to the document which the country developed. “The document that represents life; the document that represents hope for people living with HIV/AIDS. And I am referring to the President’s Comprehensive Response Plan (PCRP) prepared to intervene

Antiretroviral drugs is used to treat HIV

People are no longer willing to have access to available HIV/ AIDS services for fear of discrimination and stigma

and salvage the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS. That plan must be funded. That plan must be implemented if at all we are to achieve zero discrimination and zero HIV infection. “We have said it time without number that it is not HIV that kills us but action towards us. And it is in this regard we are calling on the Minister of Finance and coordinating Minister of Economy to fund the PCRP so that people living will HIV/AIDS in Nigeria can have access to treatment. “In a country where we have an average 20,000 people dying of HIV/AIDS on monthly basis, is not acceptable. “We are at the Villa where statistics were presented to the president that about 30 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria are supposed to be placed on drugs but he said no “if you put 30 percent on treatment what happens to the other 70 percent?” He said that 100 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS must be put on treatment but since that promise, nothing has changed. We are saying that wishes should be translated into action.”

PHOTO www.nextbiotechnologynews.com

In a related development the Chairman, HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Joseph Haruna observed that legal framework is key to victory over HIV/AIDS. As part its commitment to end the war against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and indeed the ECOWAS sub region that the parliament has enacted Anti Discrimination Act 2014. His word, “We cannot not eliminate HIV/AIDS if we do not have legal framework in Nigeria. We have been working in the ECOWAS sub region. Similarly, Haruna said, “the drive has been to have the legal framework to ensure that we fight discrimination to zero. Today I am delighted to inform Nigerians that the Parliament has enacted Anti Discrimination Act 2014. “Basically the Anti Discrimination Bill has four parts and of course 31 clauses. The objective as it was is to protect the right and indeed the dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS and give them equal opportunity with other Nigerians.”

Health News

THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Promote contraception for better family planning’ ObinnaOdoh Abuja

he Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) has called on government at all levels to be committed in promoting the uptake of modern contraceptives in Nigeria to help improve the economy and reduce maternal deaths. The group said this is to achieve at least 4.2 percent modern contraceptives (mCPR) annually in order to achieve the 36 percent CPR by 2018 goal set in the Nigeria Family Planning Blueprint. The Association disclosed this last weekend in

Abuja at the conclusion of 3rd Nigeria Family Planning Conference organised by AAFP in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health. The Conference Communique Committee Chairman, Mr. Bola Kusemiju in a speech said that it is regrettable that there is poor compliance to family planning. According to him the 3rd Nigeria Family Planning Conference was necessitated by the result of 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). He said that the NDHS results/findings 2013 indicate that the knowledge of Family Planning in Nigeria is about 85 per

cent while actual use is only 10 per cent. Mr.Kusemiju said that such results in this global era is not acceptable and should be fought with all with seriousness and high level of commitment. “The NDHS also showed that almost twice the number of women who currently use modern contraceptives are in need of limiting or spacing of their births but are not using any means of contraception. “Addressing this unmet FP need will prevent close to 1.6 million unintended births and reduce maternal deaths by 40 percent,” stated Kusemiju.

L-R: Director, Education & Youth, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, S.K. Ikata; Federal Commissioner at the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Uzor Festus; Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Ben Akabueze; Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ratidzai Ndhlovu; and Dr. Segun Osinyimika at the launch the SWOP report in Lagos recently.

UNFPA: Galvanise adolescent’s energy for development Appolonia Adeyemi

he United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on the three tiers of government to do more to galvanise the energies of adolescents and youths in the country for sustainable development. To this end, apart from calling for increased momentum towards the realisation of vision 20:2020, the UNFPA advocated for the prioritisation of investment in health, education and rights including reproductive rights of young people as strategic quick win-win areas in the human capital development so as to achieve the desirable result in the post 2015 era. In her message at the launch of the State of the World Population (SWOP) 2014, Resident Representative of the UNFPA in Nigeria, Ratidzai Ndhlovu who made the call also noted that although, in Nigeria efforts of the

government to integrate young people’s issues in development are clearly spelt out in the National Youth Policy as revised, the indices show that a lot needs to be done. With about 60 percent of the population of Nigeria below 35 years, she said, “the need for more focus on the physical, mental and psychosocial development of young people cannot be overemphasised. Ndhlovu therefore urged everyone to take a close look at the SWOP report, domesticate its findings and redouble efforts, not only to sustain gains made so far, but improve on the drive towards equal opportunities for all, including adolescent girls and young women. The SWOP 2014 report is titled “the Power of 1.8 Billion: Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future”. The SWOP is UNFPA flagship report published annually to analyse population and

development information and draw attention to those issues that are critical to human development. According to Ndhlovu, there is high unmet need for adolescent sexual and Reproductive Health and Family Planning information and services in Nigeria. The reported unmet need for family planning is 19 percent and the early childbearing rate is 29 percent. Similarly, adolescent mothers below 20 years of age are twice more likely to die in childbirth than those over 20 years, while their infants are 35 perc ent more likely to die than those of mothers over 20 years. Highlighting risk factors to adolescents, she said there are also vulnerabilities to gender inequality and its consequences, including gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, rape and trafficking in person.

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

Severe attention deficient disorder seen in accidents, drug abuse IMPEDIMENT A health condition sets back the growth of children

s it hard for your child to sit still? Does your child act without thinking first? Does your child start but not finish things? If so,he/or she might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). Nearly everyone shows some of the these behaviors at times but ADHD lasts more than six months and causes problems at home and in social situations especially in school. ADHD is a disorder that is characterised by persistent developmentally inappropriate inattention and impulsivity. No one knows exactly what causes it. However, it runs in families. So, genetics may be a factor and first degree relative with ADHD increases the risk. A complete evaluation by a trained professional is the only way to know for sure if your child has ADHD. The condition is more common in boys than girls. Although, girls are more often of the inattentive type, ADHD affects three to five percent of children and can persist into adult hood. Similarly, it has associated problems with academic problems, social problems and emotional problems and can be found in forms of: 1) inattention; 2) distractibility; 3) impulsivity; and 4) hyperactivity. Symptoms Inattention and distractibility Greatest task requiring vigilance, poor persistence in tasks without appeal, poor organisation to follow through, often failure to give close attention to details or making careless mistakes in school work, or other activities, and often showing difficulty in sustaining attention in tasks or play activities. Other signs are when one dose not seem to

Children with ADHD

listen when spoken to directly, not following through on instructions and failure to finish schoolwork, chores or duties in the work place, avoids/ dislikes or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as school work or homework). Parents report concerning children with ADHD: child does not listen, can’t concentrate and easily distracted, can’t work without supervision, fails to finish tasks, daydreams, confused and loses things necessary for tasks or activities and often forgetful in daily activities. Hyperactivity: Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat, leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected, runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate, has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly, is often on the go or often acts as if driven by the motor, talks excessively such as speech-over activity, interrupting, associated with school failure, poor planning in organisation and task performance, speech and language problems, enuresis (urinating on oneself), and showing low frustration tolerance. Impulsivity: Blurts out answers before questions have been completed, has difficulty awaiting his/her turn, interrupts or intrudes on others, has to be first in everything especially in lines, constantly interrupts, won’t

PHOTO atlantablackstar.com

share, can’t wait and won’t settle down. Six or more of the above symptoms must have persisted for more than six months: ADHD is a lifelong problem but hyperactivity decreases with age, most continue into adulthood in 50 percent of the time resulting in academic difficulty, social problems behavior, conduct problems and accident and risk taking. Some of the most complications are seen in school dropout, motor vehicle accidents and substance abuse. Treatment: The main stay is pharmocotherapy but medications are only a part of the treatment plan. In adjunctive roles medications help in calming the child down. Behavioral management can be used in establishing treatment goals. Examples include: 1) Finishing/accomplishing school written work in reasonable time period. 2) Recalling recently read materials. 3) Completing one project at a time.

Although, girls are more often of the inattentive type, ADHD affects three to five percent of children and can persist into adult hood

Health News 29

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014

Nigeria set to have more children with the sickle cell disease –Expert TunjiAjibade

Over 4,000 treated mosquito nets were distributed at the outreach which held in Plateau south recently.

Over 4,500 sick people access Ochekpe’s free medical outreach in Plateau south

he 4th edition of support GoodluckEbele Jonathan (GEJ) Free Medical Outreach sponsored by the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe has ended at Zamko, Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State where over 4,500 sick people from six local government areas in Plateau State accessed free medical care. This is contained in a statement from Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), MrsBoadeAkinola. At the end of the five- day exercise at the Zamko Comprehensive Health Centre recently, available record showed that over 4,560 people

with various health challenges were attended to and treated. Out of these numbers 126 people had eye surgeries, 348 reading glasses were given out, and over 4,000 treated mosquito nets were distributed to nursing mothers and children. Also, a total number of 118 major and minor surgeries were carried out successfully. The surgeries include hernia, fibroid and appendicitis. A total of 3,833 HTC (HIV testing & counseling ) were conducted. In related development, about 33 snake bite patients were rushed to the centre and administered with anti-snake venom-EchiTAbG 10ml. According to the nurses on

duty, one of such anti-snake venom costs between N20, 000 to N25,000 and one or two doses were given depending on the level of complication. A 60 years old woman, HanatuDashe and eleven years old little girl, SatyaVentnom both victims of snake bite were full of thanks to Mrs. Ochekpe who made it possible for them to get treatment quickly. This would have been impossible for them as treatment costs about N90,000 per patient. Commenting on the entire exercise, Pastor Sonnie Reng, the General Administrator of the Outreach, disclosed that over 4,500 people were treated during the outreach in Langtang North.

professor of pediatrics has warned that going by the large size of Nigeria’s population, the nation will yet experience higher incidence of sickle cell anemia (SCA) among its infants in the near future. Prof. OlufemiOgunrinde of the Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, said with the rising standards of living and control of malaria, sickle cell anaemia will become an immense medical, social and economic problem throughout the continent.” Placing this assertion in the Nigerian context, Ogunrinde noted that “with a trait carrier rate of about 25 percent and estimated population size of 170 million people there would be approximately 42.5 million mostly healthy Nigerians having a copy of the of the sickle cell gene. He made this assertion in an inaugural lecture titled “Newborns, Infants and Grown-up Children (Adolescent) Embers of Researches, Ideas and Advancement” at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, recently. This number of carriers far exceeds the population of every other African country and indeed of several of them put together.

Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. People with this disorder have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape. There is a significant proportion of mortality in children with SCA.” Quoting other authorities such as Fleming Molineaux, Ogunrinde pointed out that “there is no other known inherited disorder present at such high frequency in a large population and of comparable severity as sickle cell anemia in Africa. He recommended that the treatment of SCA “should start as early as possible in life to effectively reduce morbidity and mortality.” According to him, “it was shown that early treatment with penicillin coupled with parental education resulted in significant reduction in adverse events in sickle cell disease. This has led to the introduction of neonatal screening and diagnosis of sickle cell anaemia, a concept that has not caught on in Nigeria probably due to lack of facilities and awareness of such rather than unwillingness to embrace it on the part of the parents.

Welcome to nature power (2) CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

he world is in crisis because it is populated by over six billion greedy individuals: you and I. We who are adults know that we have lost our childhood innocence, and we know that somehow, our happiness depends on regaining it. Somehow, we know that we have lost touch with nature, and somewhere deep in our hearts we know that we need to get in touch with nature. We human beings are the youngest occupants of this planet. Before we came, the plants were here; before we came, the animals were here; before we came, the oceans, the forests, and the mountains were here. To survive, we must learn from her. In addition, to learn from her, we must respect her. It is for that reason that I named this column ‘NATURE POWER’ which is inviting the world to come down to the earth to regain our health. We are people of the earth. The earth is the primary source of our creativity, intelligence and

Nature Power Fr. Anselm Adodo, OSB

naturepower@paxherbals.net; twitter: @anselmadodo human-ness. Before we set out to calculate, to create, to invent, to fabricate, the earth already was. Science does not and cannot create. Science only tries to explain nature, to interpret it, manage it, mimic it, control it, exploit it and do all kinds of things with it. People go to school to learn about nature, to understand it and to explain it. They acquire degrees, become experts, professionals and professors in various fields of human Knowledge: medicine, physics, chemistry, pharmacy, botany, biology, astronomy, geography, psychology, engineering, architecture, etc. Call it what you wish, describe it as you like, explain it as you want, mystify it as you please, it still boils down to the same thing: We must remain close to the earth, so that we do not lose

contact with our roots, our origin. Today, faced with globalisation, high-technology and a fast-paced modern lifestyle, we are often tempted to forget our link with the earth, and therefore become DIS-EASED. In the past, we used to hear about physicians who provide health care to the sick; physicians who genuinely care for the sick. Today, it seems what we have are more of health specialists or professionals, who help us fix our bodies when broken down so that we can keep on moving. Yes, they may have cured us, but do they really care? Is health care in the modern world becoming more of a business venture rather than a care profession? And what about the botanist and taxonomist who, while gaining a technical knowledge

of trees and plants, have lost knowledge of the forest? Or the astronaut who, while becoming an expert in the study of the moon and the stars, has lost knowledge of the sky? Before our very eyes, we observe experts and professionals taking over our lives, controlling it, and forming a powerful clique with a claim to a monopoly of knowledge, and restricting our access to the open book, which is nature. I invite all men and women of goodwill to show some concern about the quality of advice given to government by our so-called experts and ask some vital questions. Is government getting the right advice concerning health care and how to improve it? Has importation of sophisticated machines into our hospitals in Nigeria translated into more efficient health care and treatment? Does bigger spending really translate into better health services? In villages where there are no roads, no electricity, no hospitals, what form of health care should government put in place? Since the current health system in

operation in Nigeria and many African countries has not fully met the health needs of the people, what alternative do we have? Is government ready and willing to explore and embrace the alternative? Do we honestly believe that the health care model of the developed and industrialised countries of Europe and America is suitable to, or is practicable in Africa? It seems the time is ripe to go back to the Traditional African approach to health in which the health of an individual could not be separated from the health of a community. Instead of pursuing a ‘healthy lifestyle’ characteristic of modern, individualistic culture, the world needs to return to the older wisdom traditions that corporately valued community-based wellbeing and human flourishing. In this column, I will be sharing with you different ideas on natural health, alternative remedies and traditional health belief systems based on over twenty years of study, research and practice. Feel free to send your comments and questions. Welcome on board.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

ICT

Industry

Brands

Pay Tv: ACTV challenges DSTV, GoTV, StarTimes, others

Curbing N600m annual losses to foreign domain names

NEXIM Bank makes case for nonoil exports

Business What's news

Property buyers to pay more as surveyors raise fees If the words of the Chairman, Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, Mr. Williams Odudu, were anything to go by, Nigerians would pay more for services of estate surveyors and valuers as from next year.

p.32

Policymakers, researchers fret over Africa’s $35bn food import Policymakers and researchers in Africa have lamented the continent’s rising food import bill estimated at $35 billion annually.

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

FURTHER DEVALUATION

Foreign investors insist the naira should be further devalued

Ayodele Aminu

he nation’s external reserves have fallen to $36.68 billion, the latest report from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has shown. The report, posted on the apex bank’s website, showed that the reserves depleted by $12 million within three days, casting doubts about the ability of the banking watchdog to continue defending the naira, which has lost over 12.3 per cent of its value this year. Specifically, the foreign reserves, which were $44.6 billion a year ago, depleted from $36.8 billion as of November 28 to $36.68 billion on December 1. The reserves fell by $2 billion within one month, from $39.1 billion as of October 21 to $37.1 billion on November 21, 2014. The external reserves have been falling fast again, no thanks to the falling oil price and high demand for dollars from portfolio investors. It had fallen by $1.6 billion within three weeks, dropping from $39.5 billion on October 14 to $37.9 billion as of November 7, 2014. The CBN has been selling huge amount of dollars to prop up the value of the naira. Although the naira rose sharply against the dollar last Tuesday after the CBN intervened three times to lift it from yet another record intraday low at N181 against the dollar, up 3.6 per cent from its early session low of N187.55, dealers doubted the ability of the regulator to continue defending the currency with its reserves.

Nigeria’s foreign reserves drop to $36.6bn

As oil prices stay persistently weak around five-year lows, the apex bank which devalued the currency by eight per cent last week, has been struggling to keep it trading within its new band of N160-176 to the dollar.

The CBN failed to meet dollar demand at its twice-weekly auction last Monday when it sold about $169 million dollars at N168 versus last week’s rate of N165, dealers said. The banking watchdog has typically sold between about $200

million and $300 million at previous auctions. It devalued the naira last week Tuesday to try to halt a decline in the foreign reserves CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

L-R: Risk Advisory Leader, Deloitte Nigeria, Anthony Olukoju; Chief Compliance Officer, Access Bank, Pattisson Boleigha; Head, Information Security Management, First Bank, Lara Nwokedi and Cyber Risk Services Leader, Deloitte Nigeria, Tope Aladenusi, at the Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) roundtable in Lagos.

Kunle Azeez

he $190 million (about $ 32.3 billion) projected to be contributed by the Information and Communication Technology sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) may have been threatened by the postponement of the planned auction of the 2.6 gigahertz spectrum by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). New Telegraph gathered that the ICT sector, which cur-

32.3bn ICT contribution to GDP threatened rently contributes about nine per cent value to the country’s GDP, would add more if adequate spectrum resources are made available to the operators to deploy services across the country. At the same time, the ICT’s monetary contribution to the economy is estimated to reach

$190 million by 2015. However, this target is being threatened, as there appears to be scarcity of spectrum resources to support the target coupled with the indefinite postponement of the 2.6-gigahertz spectrum auction. 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 October 2014............................8.1% September 2014.....................8.3% August 2014............................8.5%

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

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at Nov. 28)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N182.50 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N286 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N226

l Foreign Reserves – $36.85bn as at 27/11/2014

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Official As at Nov. 28)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N168 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N262.80 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N209.54

Business | News

HUMAN CAPITAL

Members should update themselves with relevant skills and trainings to be able to compete globally Dayo Ayeyemi

f the words of the Chairman, Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, Mr. Williams Odudu, were anything to go by, Nigerians would pay more for services of

Property buyers to pay more as surveyors raise fees estate surveyors and valuers as from next year. This is due to the planned upward review of the professional scale of fee of the practitioners. Odudu, who spoke in Lagos, said that the new scale of fee would be determined this month. Specifically, he said a minimum of N100,000

ICT’s contribution to GDP threatened CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 3 1

Last February, the NCC had auctioned the 30 megahertz slot of the 2.3 gigahertz frequency band to Bitflux Consortium, but the spectrum, which is supposed to accelerate broadband infrastructure accessibility, is yet to be operational, raising questions from stakeholders. When contacted on why the 2.3 gigahertz spectrum valued at $23.2 million has not been put to use, the Chief Executive Officer, VDT Communications Limited, Mr. Biodun Omoniyi, said though the licence was yet to be put into use, the consortium is still within regulatory rollout obligations. He, however, promised that the company would begin commercial operations with the licence by January, 2015. VDT is the promoter of the 2.3 gigahertz licence won Bitflux Consortium in an auction conducted by the regulator in February this year and also a member of the consortium. Other members of the consortium are BitCom and

Superflex. Omoniyi, who is also a director at the consortium, disclosed that VDTBitflux will begin operations fully next year with ongoing plans to deploy Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, starting from next January. He said: “Bitflux will be rolling out in three major states in the first instance and these include Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt in January, 2015. Already, our vendors are deploying equipment for us and necessary installation will follow. We know that people are looking at us with excitement to champion broadband services provisioning. We are fully aware of this and our plans are moving as planned,” he said. However, while the 2.3-gigahertz spectrum has yet to go live, another impasse has set in on the planned auction of the 2.6-gigahertz spectrum, which the NCC had earlier slated for auction this month. Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, had cited “administrative” constraints as reasons for the postponement.

Nigeria’s foreign reserves drop CO NTINUED FROM PAG E 3 1

as oil prices slump. But doubts remain about whether the devaluation went far enough given the likelihood of continuing low oil prices and the bank’s inability to maintain the new band. Foreign investors still believe that the CBN has not done enough. The Central Bank’s moves won’t be enough to entice many foreign investors to buy naira bonds, according to Phillip Blackwood, a Londonbased money manager at EM Quest Capital LLP. Local-currency bonds lost 12.3 per cent, the worst

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

on a dollar basis among 31 emerging markets tracked by Bloomberg indexes. “The pressure on the naira will continue,” said Blackwood, who advises Sydbank A/S, a Danish bank, on $3.3 billion of fixed income assets in developing countries. Sydbank sold its naira bonds in October and early November because lower oil prices were weakening the currency, said Blackwood. “The best thing to do would be to depreciate more than they’ve done. You have to start looking at levels of 190 or 200 in the interbank market before it makes sense.”

would be charged on any job executed by a professional estate surveyor. To ensure that members do not undercut one another; he said that the board would apply its rules and regulations to ensure strict compliance. Odudu also tasked professionals to ensure they are up to date in the payment of their annual fees to the board, warning that by March 2015, anyone that fails to fulfill its financial obli-

gation would not be allowed to practice. He added that the board would publish all names of professional members that are up-todate in their financial duties to the board. The chairman implored members to update themselves with relevant skills and trainings to be able to compete globally. An estate surveyor and valuer is one who, by his training and experience, is a corporate

member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV). He should also be registered and empowered by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVRBON) to practice estate surveying and valuation in Nigeria. The Board issues any registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer official stamp and seal, which carries his registration number. The valuer is

expected to validate his ascent to his official report of valuations with the instruments. Their services include among others, property management, valuation of assets, feasibility and viability studies, estate agency and public lands administration. Meanwhile, the newly inducted estate surveyors and valuers by the board have been tasked to give a good account of themselves and be good ambassadors of the body. Odudu stressed that the stamps, seals and certificates being given to them remained the property of the board, which reserves the right to withdraw the items at any time, if recklessly used.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Phase 3 Telecom Limited, Mr Stanley Jegede; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Hayiya Saratu Umar and Head, Finance, Phase 3 Telecom Limited, Mr. Idahosa Agbeyi, at the NIPC interactive workshop in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Policymakers, researchers fret over Africa’s $35bn food import CURRICULA REVIEW

Curricula on agriculture in schools need to be reviewed Dele Alao

olicymakers and researchers in Africa have lamented the continent’s rising food import bill estimated at $35 billion annually. The concern was expressed at the 15th anniversary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) held in South Africa. The $35 billion, they said, if invested in agriculture, could generate jobs and take some youth out of the labour market. They also described the rising youth unemployment in the continent as a potential “time bomb” that should be quickly “defused” through appropriate policies and initiatives before it “detonates” and wreaks havoc on the continent.

Executive Director, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Dr. Fina Opio, who chaired a special session titled “Promoting Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Agripreneur Model,” said: “The youth problem is, indeed, a time bomb, but also an opportunity if we can harness the energy in this population and channel it to constructive use.” The special session, which had other organisations such as the Conseil ouest et centre africain pour la recherche et le développement agricoles /West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), among others, recommended mainstreaming the youth unem-

ployment challenge at the national, regional and continental levels. It also harped on the need to review and change of curricula on agriculture in schools to encourage young people to go into the business of agriculture and thereby creating agricultural entrepreneurs. The position of the special session was echoed by President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, during his keynote address at the highlight of the celebration. “If we wait further and do nothing, the time bomb will explode,” he said. The IFAD president called on African governments to develop policies that would encourage inclusive growth, giving greater attention to marginalised groups including youth and women, development of rural infrastructure, and provision of social services in the rural areas to curb rural urban migration.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Over 200 exhibitors set for Ibadan fair p.34

Industry

Dangote praised for investing in manufacturing p.34

NEPC partners bee-makers on EU export CERTIFICATION Certification of Nigerian honey underway

he Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian bee-makers have begun moves to explore the European Union market for sales of the country’s honey. The deal, it was gathered, became necessary as business opportunities for Nigerian honey abound following the current

decline of official production of European honey. To this end, NEPC will ensure the certification of Nigerian honey for the EUmarket. Participants at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Osun State complained about the harsh economic realities facing the world and Nigeria in particular. While urging state governments and financial institutions to encourage honey producers, participants advocated the formation of an association that would secure their interest.

A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting read in part: “There is an urgent need to embark on the certification process in order to boost export earnings in the sub-sector by upgrading the technical expertise and introducing modern bee-keeping practices to increase production output and quality in line with international best practices. “There is the need for the constitution of a National Technical Committee to urgently set in motion the modalities for ‘third country’ listing of Nigerian honey for

the European Union market. There is an urgent need for the appointment of a honey consultant to work with the National Technical Committee on the certification process. “The appointment of a national competent authority is paramount for the certification process.” It added: “There is the need for state governments to encourage the formation of honey processors/producers/ co-operatives/farmers for the purpose of honey production for local and international markets.

Stakeholders called on financial institutions to provide requisite funding to encourage honey production. “NEPC to take steps for the immediate registration of honey producers/collection centres/processing plants to ensure monitoring and necessary interventions by government to be concluded within one year. There is the urgent need for the formation of a national umbrella body, the Bee-keepers Association of Nigeria, in order to co-ordinate the affairs and interests of bee-keepers and honey processors.”

NEXIM Bank makes case for non-oil exports ADVICE Drop in oil price provides opportunity for alternative source of forex

he Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) has said that the global fall in oil price served as great opportunity to diversify the economy. Managing Director/ Chief Executive, NEXIM Bank, Mr Roberts Orya, said this at the 2014 Nigeria Non-oil Export and Investment Development Conference. The conference was organised by Business Journal in Lagos. The NEXIM Bank boss noted that the bank has been working on deepening export-import trade and attracting foreign investments. Represented by the Head of Strategic Planning of NEXIM, Tayo Omidigi, the NEXIM boss emphasised the need for the diversification of the economy away from oil and the importance to promote the nonoil sector. He urged stakeholders to look deeply into avenues that would induce growth of the sector. Orya, who decried the country’s failure to invest in the non-oil sector, especially in oil palm, as Nigeria has low agriculture productivity, noted that in other countries, 10 per cent or more of their budgets were allocated to agriculture while Nigeria budgets just three per cent to the sector. This, he said, has resulted in persistent low records

in the raw solid minerals of the non-oil sector. He listed the non-availability of long-term funds, poor infrastructure and transportation constraints as some of the factors that have continued to hamper trade and investment with other countries. Speaking on the theme: “Nigeria – Beyond oil and gas,” the Group Managing Director of Mutual Benefit Group, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, said that Nigeria’s dependence on oil over the years has adversely affected its agriculture. He stated that the drastic drop in the price of oil was a wake-up call on the country to turn the economy around to become multi-faceted. Ogunbiyi said: “It is incumbent on us as a country to pay the deserved attention to agricultural products, move towards greater industrialisation, develop our solid minerals and revive other sectors of the economy.” He added that the private sector has a role to play, but that the enabling environment must be created for the sector to contribute to the non-oil sector. The Publisher/Editorin-Chief, Business Journal, Prince Cookey, said that government and Nigerians must look beyond oil if they are to banish poverty and improve the living condition. According to him, the time has come to expand the revenue base of the nation to have multiple streams of income for financial freedom, sustainable economic growth, reduction in poverty and better life for the people of Nigeria.

L-R: Head, Youth Segment, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Aderinokun; Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel, Maurice Newa with Vice President, Segments, Airtel, Dinesh Balsingh, at the media launch of Airtel Trybe in Lagos.

Manufacturers fret over increase in MPR WORRY Cost of production sets to go up

he Ogun State chapter of the Manufactures Association of Nigeria (MAN) has decried the increase of Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 12 to 13 per cent. According to its chairman, Mr Wale Adegbite, the recent development would necessitate an increase in lending rate in the financial sector. Adegbite stated that the increase in lending rate by the regulator would made manufacturers to borrow at a high rate which would increase production cost. “The nation suffers infrastructure deficiency al-

ready and transferring the high cost of production to consumer would worsen the situation of things because of what the people are going through,’’ he said. According to him, it would make the manufacturers to be less competitive compared to imported products and reduce their profit margins. The MAN boss said that the devaluation of the nation’s currency would make manufacturers that import raw materials to spend more in the process. “When manufacturers spend more in importing raw materials, it would automatically reduce funds available to invest in buying machineries,’’ he said. Adegbite said that the step by CBN to increase MPR and devaluation of naira would have an ad-

verse effect on the employment rate and increase poverty. It would be recalled that the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, announced an official exchange rate of N168 to one US dollar as against the old rate of N155 to one dollar. The CBN governor said that the measure was to strengthen the economy, following continued slide of oil price in the international market. Part of the measures, as announced by Emefiele, was an increase in interest rate from 12 per cent to 13 per cent. The MPR, one of the monetary policy instruments of CBN, is the benchmark lending rate and the rate at which the CBN lends to commercial banks.

Business | Industry

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Over 200 exhibitors set for Ibadan fair FORUM New vista of business opportunities open for participants

ver 200 exhibitors are expected at the 2014 edition of

Dangote praised for investing in manufacturing

resident of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Lagos State chapter, Mr Olayemi Shonubi, has commended business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for investing in real manufacturing concerns. Shonubi said this when he led members and students of the institute on a facility visit to the Ibese plant of Dangote Cement in Ogun State. He said that three or four people of Dangote’s class would have made a huge difference in Nigerian economy. The Lagos State NIQS president noted that most Nigerian businessmen were traders. He added that the nation’s economy needed entrepreneurs who would invest in manufacturing. Shonubi explained that countries being referred to as developed world were industrialised nations and not trading countries. He praised the magnitude and worth of the cement plant and noted that more of such plants in various sectors of the economy would have helped the nation, especially in this era of the declining crude oil price. Shonubi, who lamented the falling oil price, which had reduced the nation’s revenue and currency value, called on government to formulate policies to encourage more investors such as Dangote to invest in manufacturing rather than trading. “This will serve as an effective mechanism to industrialise the country, create more jobs and help lift the nation’s economy,” he said. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Prof. Kabir Bala, has called for “a solid partnership” with Dangote Cement.

Mega Trade Fair starting tomorrow in Ibadan, Oyo State. President of the Mega Trade, Mr Delight Owoyemi, who said this, noted that over 200 direct and indirect exhibitors have already indicated interest to participate in the fair. The fair with the theme: “Inclusive growth,” will hold between December 5 and 14, at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, where the last

edition held. According to Owoyemi, this year’s edition will be the mother of all trade fairs in the city. “At the risk of sounding immodest, we can proudly beat our chest that we broke the ice last year with the maiden edition of the Mega Trade Fair, which took the ancient city of Ibadan by storm as the marketing event was the first of its kind in over 25 years in the city,” Owoyemi said.

He added that the fair would offer opportunities for business development, networking and exchange of ideas, describing it as a hub for participants to showcase their goods and services and enjoy growth across board. “Being a marketing brand, we are optimistic that the fair will woo many leading brands and investors who want an entrance into Ibadan, the largest city in West Africa, who will in turn

create job opportunities and further reduce poverty in Oyo State,” he said. Owoyemi said that the previous fair recorded impressive participation and expressed optimism that this year’s edition would attract much more having collaborated with leading brands to ensure a huge trade exhibition. He said: “In our efforts to make the Mega Trade Fair the largest domestic trade fair in

sub-Sahara Africa, we have partnered with the likes of Vconnect, Carmudi, WhatUpIbadan, Wema Bank, Diamond Bank, NEM Assurance, FRCN, Somotex, Smiles Communication, MTN Nigeria, TF & Associates and City Marketplace magazine.” He added that the organisers are conscious of security of lives and property and are working closely with security agencies to ensure a hitch-free fair.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Brands&Marketing COMPETITION Platforms offer more alternatives to subscribers

Dele Alao

Pay Tv: ACTV challenges DSTV, GoTV, StarTimes, others

ay Tv market in the country is getting more interesting with each passing day. Since Multichoice, owners of DSTV, made a foray into the market over two decades ago, subscribers have come to love the aura of pay tv platform. For years, DSTV enjoyed monopoly and subscribers paid through their noses to enjoy the platform. Competition Though, some brands of pay Tv platforms such as Daarsat hit the Nigerian market after DSTV, none gave the South African brand much challenge in the market as HITV did. HITV later went into oblivion due to reasons best known to its management. Daarsat, from Daar Communications, also went off the air and returned later. The impact of its return is not being felt, according to industry observers. But, the coming on board of StarTimes created a big challenge for DSTV. Apart from cleverly positioning the brand from the outset as alternative cable platform to DSTV, the low cost of purchase and subscription, put forward by the owners of StarTimes, also appeal to majority of subscribers. Within a few years of StarTines operation, DSTV market domiance was threatened. Defence Realising that StarTimes is eroding its market share and cultivating the would-be-pay tv owners because of low cost of acquisition and subscription, Multichoice quickly launched GOTV into the market. GOTV, a direct response to StarTimes, also appeals to the mass market. Its on-going Go Gaga national consumer promotion, which drops the cost of acquisition to less than N3,000, has been described as another bold step to completely take over the mass market from the StarTimes. StarTimes, which has an operational relationship with NTA networks, appears inactive in the market as no visible marketing and marketing communications efforts are seen around the chinese-owned brand. New players: CONSAT A few months ago, Continental Satellite Limited (CONSAT), a Nigerian pay TV service, made a debut in the growing pay Tv market. Chief Executive Officer, Consat, Mayokun Okunola, said the pay Tv hopes to cut through the monopoly in the Nigerian payTV market by providing more

L- R: CEO, Integral Assets, Lanre Omasanya; Director, Brand and Media, African Cable Television (ACTV ), Ms. Akpo Gordon; a guest, Miss Tayo Okusanya; Managing Director, Neterra, Neven Dilkov and Chief Operating Officer, ACTV, Joseph Chitanta, at the official launch of ACTV in Lagos.

content at a reasonable price. While unveiling the service in Lagos, the CONSAT CEO added that his company would focus on the English Premier League (EPL), entertainment and documentary. “Our content providers are very passionate and we plan on developing our own content. It is our mandate to air contents from Nigeria and take it across the world, we will continue to invest in content,” he added. ACTV Launched officially into the market on Monday, African Cable Television Limited (ACTV) is also a Direct-to-Home (DHT) Pay TV. It is also described as wholly Nigerian company. Announcing its arrival in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, ACTV, Godfrey Orkeh, maintained that his platforms’ vision was to be a Direct-to-Home TV operator, renowned for offering quality entertainment content and a broad spectrum of choice offerings to the subscribers. To ensure that there is something for everyone, he said the company has made its ACTV6000 HD Personal Video Recorder (PVR) affordable to customers, which he also believed would help the company to penetrate the Nigerian market. The ACTV boss added that the company had selected a decoder that would provide fast boot up time, smooth channel change, clear and simple multi-layer menu to allow users to easily and quickly familiarise themselves with its features. Assuring subscribers of the

technology deployed, the CEO/ MD said the Pay Tv would champion the cause for local content development in the country and boost global digital broadcasting while offering high quality content at an affordable price. To enhance broad base entertainment across the globe, he said that the company has signed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Manchester United Television (MUTV), a subscription-based television channel owned and operated by the English football club, Manchester United. “By this agreement, Manchester United fans in Nigeria would be viewing all programmes on MUTV, including viewing all Premier League games (broadcast at midnight of the day the match was played), live reserve and academy games, pre-season friendly and classic matches as well as getting the latest news on sports and others,” the CEO said. Also, Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, ACTV, Joseph Chitanta, said: “We are pleased to offer our customers in Nigeria an HD decoder which incorporates fast boot up time, smooth channel change, clear and simple multilayer menu for users to quickly reach their desired features using an intuitive graphic user interface. From the outset, the ACTV6000 HD PVR decoder has been designed to make it easy and cost effective to add new interactive services or internet applications, and meet subscribers’ growing appetite for new content in the future. And we are proud that we are the first DTH Company to cater to the Igbo speaking and Pidgin English

loving audience across the country with Oji & Area TVTM Africa’s premier PidginEnglish channel.”

I think it is a good and welcome development. It shows our broadcast sector is growing. Also, bringing in more competition helps all players get better, while the consumer remains the king

Future As the country hinges towards digital migration comes June, 2015, there are indications that more pay tv platforms are set to hit the market. Reacting to the launch of more pay tv platforms, former Head of Corporate Communications, Skye Bank, Kayode Akinyemi ,said: “I think it is a good and welcome development. It shows our broadcast sector is growing. Also, bringing in more competition helps all players get better, while the consumer remains the king. Media planning and consumer targeting will, however, become even more challenging as the media gets further proliferated and the audience gets further fragmented. In all, I welcome the development provided all players are offered a level playing field.” Also, the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Curve Communications, Deola Odunowo, said: “The availability of more Pay TV networks in the market will definitely create better competition and options for consumers. However, to achieve the desired situation, the Federal government, via the regulatory agencies, will need to put in place policies that support the growth of local businesses and provide the competitive advantage. Also note that with the high subscriber base of foreign early starters in the Pay TV market, it will be very difficult to break the existing monopoly without favourable fiscal policies.”

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

ICT

NCC forecloses dataoriented promos’ ban p.37 The estimated annual capital flight of over N600 million being recorded in Nigeria’s economy due to dominant use of foreign domain names could be checkmated through aggressive promotion of country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), .ng, writes KUNLE AZEEZ

Group hinges states’ devt on ICT p.38

Curbing N600m annual losses to foreign domain names said he preferred foreign domain names such as .com to .ng of Nigeria due to security issues. Uduma, however, argued that the security of .ng is top-rated. “Even to scam with .ng is very difficult because we would be able to know the person that registered the domain name. Others do proxy, but we don’t do proxy in Nigeria. We know who is registering what; the registry is here with us,” she said.

igeria’s Internet ecosystem has, in the last one and a half decade, recorded steady growth with organisations such as the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and others leading the campaign for Internet usage in the country. Today, official data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) indicate that there are over 60 million Internet users in the country, even as the country pursues broadband policy to further deepen access to the Internet. Several emails and hundreds of thousands of websites have been opened by individuals, businesses and government institutions, a development that has boosted online presence of businesses in the country. To maintain online presence, especially opening of email addresses and websites, each country is assigned a unique domain name, which serves as Internet identifier for respective countries. Domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet resource, such as a website. It is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control on the Internet. Such domain names include .com for United States; .uk for United Kingdom; .au for South Africa and .ng for Nigeria, among others. According to Duport.com, there are approximately 250 different international domains containing their own two-letter country code extension in the world. Losses However, it is estimated that over 90 per cent of domain names, being used in Nigeria, are foreign domain names such as .com, .uk, .net, resulting in annual capital flight of N600 million, while adoption of Nigeria’s domain name is still very low. This is in spite of efforts being made by the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA), a regulating body and managers of the .ng national resource. As at 2012, NIRA estimated that Nigerian economy was losing an average of N600 million yearly and this happens because Nigeria continues to sign up to foreign domain instead of Nigeria’s domain name. Industry analysts say that this

INSET: Uduma

figure is expected to have even increased by now because more foreign domains are still being opened while .ng’s adoption is dragging. President of NIRA, Mrs. Mary Uduma, said: “Our Internet economy and e-commerce have not started; our Domain Name System (DNS) industry is still at the lowest ebb. Internet access is a challenge and the few using the Internet are using foreign domain names and for that reason, we are losing a lot of money, which we would have retained.” She said that Nigerians, especially the private sector operators, need to connect to the .ng domain to stem capital flight to other countries whose domain names Nigerians patronise and pay huge sums for. Uduma said: “Let me give you a statistics: If there are 1,000 registered domain names in Nigeria, only 10 will be on .ng, 990 will be on .com and if they all pay N1,000 that is one million naira. “So while N990,000 will go abroad, only N10,000 will be in Nigeria. So, we are losing money because people are not taking the .ng as their domain name.” She, however, stated that NIRA is increasing public awareness on the importance of using .ng domain names. “What we are doing is that we

As at 2012, NIRA estimated that Nigerian economy was losing an average of N600 million yearly and this happens because Nigeria continues to sign up to foreign domain instead of Nigeria’s domain name

are sensitising Nigerians that just as naira is our currency, .ng is our currency on the cyberspace; we should take .ng as our string on the cyberspace instead of using .com or .uk. “We are working with National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), our registrars, tertiary institutions and other stakeholders to make sure there is intervention for people to be online as soon as they take the .ng domain name,” she said. Success Meanwhile, the .ng domain adoption still seems to be growing steady, according to available records with plans to attain one million mark by 2020. For instance, from 2009, NIRA has been able to increase uptake of domain names from 2,000 to about 60,000 as at the end of 2013. Also, NIRA, in its Domain Report for 2014, spanning January to October,’ said that it has registered additional 15, 625 domain names, pushing the number of registered .ng domain names to close to 80,000. Security of .ng “I have always had the concerns that anything Nigerian, especially as far as cyberspace is concerned, may be prone to hacking,” said a Internet users, Mr. Femi Olu, who

Benefits of .ng Uduma, stated: “The value of using .ng to individuals, businesses and governments is huge. In the first place, the local content policy of the Federal Government starts with .ng. So, if you are a Nigerian and you want to promote the local content, you should be on .ng registry. That is the first thing.” Secondly, the NIRA President said that the policy of the federal government is also promoting local content for businesses to be online and preferably on .ng. “The more people find a business online these days, the better it is for the business owner and that is even where the world is going: e-commerce,” she added. She also said that .ng provides a good visibility and progress for business, urging businesses and individuals to bring their businesses online by opening such online presence in .ng. From macro perspective, Uduma said that the money realised from the sales of .ng domain names is retained in Nigeria and used to development the local economy as well as create jobs to address the unemployment situation in the country. Also justifying the benefits of .ng, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Mr. Muhammed Rudman, said that technically, a domain like the .ng, which is hosted locally can be more easily accessed when internet users are surfing the web than those hosted abroad. Going forward Despite the low level of .ng usage, Uduma explained that NiRA was determined to boost the country’s Internet registry’s usage by constantly investing in .ng’s infrastructure upgrade in key areas such as network systems and server upgrade; power system upgrade, getting a redundant bandwidth provider and enhancing customer support system. Also speaking with New Telegraph, an Internet expert, Mr. Destiny Amana, advocated a deliberate policy from government to encourage Nigerian businesses and citizens to open .ng emails and websites in line with what United States did to promote its domain names.

Business | ICT

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

NCC forecloses data-oriented promos’ ban GROWTH Mobile data is projected to grow 6.3 times between 2013 and 2018 Stories by Kunle Azeez

n what appears as fresh moves to promote the use of data services towards achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it would not ban promotions run by telecoms operators to support uptake of data usage. Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah said: “We would not place ban on promotions being run by telecoms operators that support the use of smartphone usage and data services.” Juwah, who lamented the low level of smartphone or 3Gcompliant devices being used in the country at a forum in Lagos, said that without access to 3G-enables devices, there is no way broadband internet services can be accessed by telecoms consumers. NCC noted that while the teledensity for voice services had grown to reach over 94 per cent, the data service adoption

rate is still less than 40 per cent of the 180 million population in the country. “It is disappointing that despite the fact that operators have invested in 3G technology, consumers are not yet deploying data to run their business and private lives more effectively as we now have just 12 million 3G devices,” he said. The Federal Government, through the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018, has mandated the NCC to ensure that the country achieve 30 per cent broadband internet usage by 2018, up from the current six per cent penetration. In a related development, the Ghanaian government has, through the 2015 budget, announced it would abolish taxes on all imported smartphones by next year. But thr government said it realised that although Ghana has high mobile phone penetration, smartphones only represent 15 per cent. “Communication is shifting from voice to data and mobile data is projected to grow 6.3 times between 2013 and 2018. It is being proposed that in order to increase smartphone penetration and in line with government’s policy of bridging the digital divide within the country, import duties on

smartphones will be removed. “It is expected that the increase in smartphone penetration will increase revenue from Communication Service Tax, VAT and corporate taxes,” the government had stated in the budget. Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4Ai), Sonia Jorge, while

the company has, over the years, remained a dominant player in the deployment of high speed data and high quality voice services in the market place, stressing that in the intervening years since roll-out, the company has continued to grow phenomenally. Responding, the Chief Executive Officer of Visafone, Mr Srinivasa Venkatappa, said: “We are excited by this award which recognises the company as the CDMA Operator of the Year. We are encouraged and will continue to provide high quality services focused at specific segments to stand out as the provider of high quality services in the telecom sector.” He explained that the company, which recently

emerged the Telecoms Company of Year in the Niche Services category at the just concluded Nigeria Telecoms Awards, was also recognised as one of Nigeria’s Top 100 Most Respected Companies in 2014.” He commended the award organisers for providing an annual platform on which to benchmark companies’ performances, noting that the award wil,l in no small way, provide the necessary encouragement to sustain its drive to provide improved services to customers. The Visafone CEO noted that the network will continually push the boundaries of innovation and tap opportunities in the market by creating customised products and solutions to have a sustainable business model.

SME: Etisalat partners Creative Focus

ne of Nigeria’s telecoms operators, Etisalat, has partnered organisers of Nigeria’s premium business intelligence initiative, Creative Focus, to empower small and medium enterprises owners in Nigeria. The fifth edition of the programme was officially declared open in Lagos recently, according to a statement from the telecoms company. This year’s edition titled ‘Creative focus: The challenge,’ will showcase and promote young start-up en-

trepreneurs in the interior design, architecture and landscape, publishing industry, photography and arts. Other sectors include food and beverage, agriculture, fashion design and accessories, lifestyle products, graphic design, website and blog development and beauty and hair care sectors of the economy. On that same day, a new campaign #WetinBeYourNumber, also aimed at youth and SME empowerment, will be launched on social media.

in Ghana and as a result, only about 15 per cent of the population currently has one. It’s worth noting that when Kenya scrapped VAT on handsets in 2009, devices in circulation quadrupled and overall mobile penetration rose from 50 per cent to more than 70 per cent. We hope to see similar results in Ghana,” Jorge said.

L-R: Director, Co-Curriculum Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, Mrs Mary Oyetunde; Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe and Zonal Director, Eti-Osa, Zone 2, District 3 of the ministry, Mrs. Patricia Enase, during the launch of a MultiChoice Resource Centre in Lagos.

Visafone pledges improved service igeria’s largest player in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) segment of the nation’s telecoms sector, Visafone Communications Limited, has restated its commitment to ensuring high quality services for Nigerians. The company won the CDMA Operator of the Year award at the just concluded AfriICTA 2014 held in Lagos. Chairman of AfriICTA, Mr Mkpe Abang, who presented the award, said: “Visafone was adjudged the CDMA Operator of the Year because of its resilience in the market in the face of stiff competition and a very harsh economic climate.” In a statement from Visafone, Abang noted that

commending the government of Ghana for the decision, said removing import taxes is a key step towards getting every Ghanaian online. The issue of mobile phone tax was among the topics discussed at A4AI’s first in-country engagement held in Ghana. “Taxes make up over a third of the cost of a smartphone

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat, Mr Mathew Willsher, said that “Etisalat has been a major supporter of SME in Nigeria, empowering more than 100 businesses in Nigeria with its Easybusiness Millionaires Hunt, where no fewer than 10 winners got N2 million each in grants and more than 50 others trained at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Lagos Business School on how to take their respective businesses to the next level.”

Nokia Lumia 530 enters Nigeria

nformation Technology firm, Microsoft Corporation, has introduced Lumia 530 as the latest addition to the family of its Lumia portfolio into the Nigerian market. A review of the phone exudes a smart, portable device, yet a powerful device that comes with Lumia signature apps and Microsoft services such as Skype and Microsoft Office, Instagram, WhatsApp and others. With Lumia 530 smartphone, Microsoft has extended its innovations to more users across the world. According to the company in a statement, “good value means never compromising. That’s why the Nokia Lumia 530 comes with a quad core processor, the latest version of Windows Phone and the best new apps.” Dual SIM 3G variant features built into the system allows for easy switching between two SIM cards and helping people manage their data costs. Microsoft said that the Lumia 530 gives yet another edge, which is smooth performance with signature Lumia apps such as Creative Studio and Glam Me, which help people take quality voice-guided selfies with the 5MP rear camera. Another feature of the phone is OneDrive capability to store and sync impor-

tant files across multiple devices. “Your pictures, videos and documents are ready to go – anytime, anywhere. And with 15GB of free storage, you have enough space for everything you need. Editing and sharing is easy too – the Nokia Lumia 530 comes with Microsoft Office so you will be ready to take care of business wherever you are,” Microsoft said in the statement. Windows Phone 8.1 software is equally responsive and makes the Lumia 530 much easier to use than its predecessor. “You can now swipe down from the top of the screen to open up the Action Centre notification bar, and you can add a third row of Live Tiles to the home screen to fit in more apps. You can also set a background image of your choice which then permeates through the home screen’s Live Tiles, making Microsoft’s operating system feel much more personalized than before,” Microsoft said. According to Microsoft, the Lumia 530’s 5-megapixel rear camera is a cut above most other budget cameras. “In our outdoor shots, colours were rich and detailed even in cloudy, overcast weather, and there was only a very small amount of focus deterioration toward the edge of each frame,” it said.

Business | ICT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Group hinges states’ devt on ICT EFFEICIENCY Automating government processes is capable of promoting efficiency Stories by Kunle Azeez

tate governments in Nigeria have been urged to increase the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a means of fast-tracking the socio-economic development of their respective states. The call was made in a statement issued by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) and made available to New Telegraph in Lagos this week. The statement, signed by NITRA President, Emma Okonji, said deliberate use of ICT tools to automate processes in government and support every aspect of the states’ economy has become imperative if the country’s vision of becoming one of the 20 most industrialised economies in 2020 is to be attained. “Today, Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa, and we have the auspicious Vision 20:2020, which aims at making Nigeria one of the leading economies in the next six years. To achieve this, it’s our believe that both

the federal and state governments will have to infuse ICT into their processes as well as using ICT to automate every sector of the states’ economy,” the statement said. NITRA, however, commended state governments, especially Osun State, for deliberate deployment of ICT to support e-learning and automate government processes, resulting in growth in the state’s revenue generation. According to the statement, “Osun State is one of the state governments in Nigeria that has taken deliberate decision to deploy ICT to drive economic growth and deepen e-learning in the state. “It is noteworthy that the strategic use of ICT tools and services by current administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State to advance the course of development has become a sterling example of how other states should leverage ICT to pursue their development agenda.” NITRA noted that the innovative use of ICT to boost e-learning with the provision of Opon Imo (Tablet of Knowledge) pro bonoto students in the state to make learning much easier and more fun has galvanised increased interest in education among students. The government of the State

of Osun, last year, launched the free computer initiative, where it is providing 150,000 e-learning tablets for Senior Secondary Schools. “This initiative, recognised as the first of its kind anywhere in the world, covers 17 Core Subjects with over five Extra Curricula Subjects for Senior Secondary 1, 2 and 3 levels.” The Tablet contains over 56 textbooks, 900 minutes of virtual classroom lessons and 1,000 Practice Questions for WAEC and JAMB. In addition to aiding preparation for School Leaving Examinations, the introduction of the tool is today aiding adoption of ICT skills among students in the state. “We hope that in years to come, the state government will begin to reap the harvest of this laudable ICT initiative, where digital education is being advanced in the state,” NITRA said. NITRA similarly noted that Osun State has leveraged ICT for capacity building among youths in the state, promoted ICT investment in the state with the siting of RLG Communication, a phone manufacturing firm in the state, as well as deploying ICT to enhance delivery of government services to the the citizens of the state in a way that is transparent and process-driven.

Airtel introduces youth-friendly tariffs

elecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, has crashed tariffs for the youths and students on campuses through the introduction of its new offering tagged ‘Airtel Trybe’. The company, in a statement, said that the product is enhanced with features, which offer youths the experience and benefits of staying connected to families, friends and their loved ones at all times and is specially designed to cater for the needs and lifestyle of the youth. The product, Airtel said, also offers additional opportunities to customers for deriving maximum benefits from voice calls, SMS and data for social media platforms at affordable rates. In addition to these, Airtel said that there are also other amazing bonuses for new and existing customers who subscribe. Speaking at the launch of the product in Lagos, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Maurice Newa, said that the telco has again demonstrated its passion for the youth, stressing that Airtel will continue to create innovative products and services as well as convenient platforms for customers to experience world-class telecoms services on the network. “Airtel realises the yearning of customers, especially the youths, to always stay online and remain connected to their loved ones, families, friends

and associates. So with Airtel Trybe, a platform which not only offers affordable call and SMS rates, but also comes with huge attractive data plans, we have shown that we clearly and deeply care about providing opportunities for our customers to enjoy every moment on our network,” he said. Speaking further, he noted that the telco fully understands that communication and internet connectivity have become indispensable components of the 21st century enabling business, education, entertainment, information, governance and other activities and is committed to becoming the leading internet company in Nigeria. “To begin to enjoy the freebies, customers simply need to use up to N48 in a day with the first 2 minutes charged at N40k per/sec while other calls are charged at N20k/sec for on-net and N30k/sec for off-net calls. “Customers, who make international calls, will enjoy N30k/sec from the very first minute on calls to the United States of America, India, China, Canada and the United Kingdom (landlines),” he said. He said that subscribers will also enjoy freebies after the first 120 seconds. “The freebies include free 10 minutes Trybe-to-Trybe calls for each subscriber per day and another free voice calls offer from 11pm to 4.30am to other Airtel subscribers.”

NITDA tasks govt agencies on ICT investment

D L-R: Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Mr Peter Jack and Group Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group Plc., Mr Austin Okere, during the presentation of the ‘ICT Personality of the Year’ award to Okere during the 2014 Nigerian Information Technology Merit Award organised by the Nigerian Computer Society in Lagos.

Vodacom Business opens Ibadan, Kano offices

n Information Technology firm, Vodacom Business Nigeria, has opened regional offices in Ibadan and Kano. These offices, according to a statement from the company, are part of Vodacom Nigeria’s expansion plans, which will strengthen services to customers in these regions and the surrounding areas. The company said it will leverage its extensive national communications network to provide secure and agile communication solutions to customers in these regions. These services include enter-

prise voice, cloud and hosting solutions as well as machine– to–machine solutions. “We expanded into Ibadan and Kano in response to the demand for converged communications. These are thriving markets where companies are investing in cutting-edge telecommunication solutions to increase customer engagement and loyalty,” said Vodacom’s Managing Director, Mr Guy Clarke. He said that the new offices will provide services and support to large-scale enterprise, SMEs as well as public enter-

prises in Ibadan, Kano and surrounding areas in both cities. “Our solutions will provide businesses in these regions with a single point of contact for their enterprise telephony and data services, all on a single secure network,” Clarke added. Vodacom offers connectivity, voice, cloud and hosting services from Nigeria’s only certified Tier-3 data center and now business in Ibadan and Kano can enjoy reliable, secure and scalable communication services regardless of their size or location.

irector General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Peter Jack, has called for a decisive investment by the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government to ensure efficiency in their service delivery to the citizens. Jack made the call during a NITDA-NIHILENT e-Governance awards programme organised to evaluate all e-governance projects in the country. NIHILENT Nigeria, a subsidiary of NIHILENT, an India-based global consulting and solutions integration company has a strong e-Governance capability, with proven expertise in the design and development of e-Governance policies, strategies and programmes for national and local governments. The award, according to a statement from the company, was part of NIHILENT’s effort to work in collaboration with NITDA

in designing a comprehensive evaluation framework for the ICT industry. According to the NITDA’s DG, “all government agencies must proactively invest in Information Technology in order to consolidate on the gains of past investments in the sector.” He stressed that NITDA’s collaboration with NIHILENT in this year’s NITDANIHILENT e-Governance Awards was to “evaluate, recognise and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance and ICT initiatives.” Jack explained that NITDA, through the awards, aims to recognise leading lights in the area of e-Governance in Nigeria, disseminate knowledge on effective methods of implementing the initiatives, encourage innovation in e-Governance as well as foster a collaborative environment for problem resolution, risk management and future planning.

Photo | News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

L-R: Managing Director, Purples Consult Limited, Ms. Sola Salako; Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi and Co. Dr. Nnamdi Dimgba; wife of late Chief Oliyide Sodipo, Janet; Director, Directorate for Citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rights, Lagos and Dean, School of Law and Security Studies, Babcock University, Prof. Bankole Sodipo, at Chief Oliyide Sodipo memorial lecture held in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

L-R: Secretary General, Koro Support Group, Dr. Tai Balofin; Secretary General Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Wahab Owoniran; wife of the Lagos Governorship aspirant, Alhaja Morufat Obanikoro; Governorship aspirant, Mr. Musliu Obanikoro; member PDP Board of trustee, Hajia Aduke Maina and Dr. Adetokunbo Pearlse, at the formal declaration of Obanikoro in Lagos.

L-R: Regent of Akure, Princess Adetutu Adesida; wife of Ondo State Governor, Olukemi Mimiko; wife of the late Deji of Akure, Olori Mojisola Adesida; Bishop of Ondo Diocese (Anglican Communion), Rev. Latunji Lasebikan and wife of the former Osemawe of Ondo, Olori Anike Adesanoye, at the one year remembrance of the late Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida, in Akure.

L-R: Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman, National Automobile Technician Association (NATA), Olawale Obadeyi and Representative of National President, NATA, Comrade Akinola S, during NATA Day/Official launching of N5.5 million NATA State Secretariat in Abeokuta.

Members of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide praying with the 2015 Saint Adekahunsi Calendar at the second Adoption Service (Adult Harvest) of the parish in Akute, Ogun State.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

L-R: Members of Igbo Leaders of Thought, Prof. Chiweyite Ejike; Prof. Vincent Ike and Prof. Ben Nwabueze, at Igbo Leaders of Thought working committee meeting in Enugu.

L-R: Member, All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees, Sam Nkire; APC presidential aspirant, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Campaign Director, Audu Abubakar, after the appearance of Kwankwaso before the Presidential screening committee in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi (right) and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Iguh at the traditional marriage of Ijeoma, the daughter of Dr. John Nwodo at Ukehe, Enugu State.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Leisure Arcade NUTS

NTPuzzle

By Kaycee

The Corn Field Catastrophe F Q A U T U M N C R K O H I W G G O U C O A C N E U E W O D V M R H S I H A I L O S T W N A E C

MAMA LASISI

By Aliu Eroje

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

MOYIN & FRIENDS

By Ayo Oyerinde AUTUMN

CORN

FIELD

GOOD

HAIL

HIDE

HUNT

LOST

NICHOLAS

RAHAB

RIGHT

SEEK

STEAL

WILL

WRONG

NTJokes Fuel Station

SUDOKU - Answer to No 5

SUDOKU - No 6

A professor drove into a petrol station in his sleek state of the art range rover sports and disembarked. Professor: Guy, abeg, give me full tank. Fuel Attendant: Sir, I don’t speak pidgin, I only speak English Professor: Ok! Good morning, I currently feel a profound desire to replenish the propelling of my motorized automobile. Therefore I cordially request you to transfer from your subterranean reservoir a sufficient quantity of the combustible fluid of the highest octane rating to fill the appropriate receptacle of the said means of perambulation to the brim. Fuel Attendant: Oga na play I dey play o, how much fuel you wan buy?

Potatoe Planting An old farmer wrote to his son who was in prison “...I won’t be able to plant potatoes and other things this year because I can’t dig the field, I know if you were here you would have helped me.”

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.

The son wrote back, “Dad, don’t even think of digging the field, do you want to expose me? That’s where I buried the money I stole.” The police read the letter before delivering it to the father, and the police dug the next day the whole field but nothing was found. The following day the son wrote to his father again, “Now you can plant your potatoes Dad, your farm has been dug for you.”

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Interest rate to hit 15% by March, says RenCap TIGHTENING

Foresees more monetary tightening Godson Ikoro

enaissance Capital has forecast additional hike of 3 per cent in interest rate by the first quarter of 2015. The Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which is the benchmark for all other interest rates currently stands at 13 per cent, following last week’s raising of rates for the first time in two years, by 100 basis points. In a report made available to New Telegraph, RenCap also predicted further increase in the cash reserve requirement (CRR) even as it suggests removal of fuel subsidy. According to the analysts at the company, the forecast is predicated on the short-term risks to the naira, which suggests that further tightening may be necessary; hinting that another rate of hike of 2-5 percentage points is possible over the short-term.

Advocates fuel subsidy removal Analysts at RenCap averred that given the downside risk to revenue and the near-depletion of the excess crude account, the government may have little option but to remove the fuel subsidy. The analysts explained that the government will be saving about $2.5bilion, or 4 percent of FY14 consolidated government budget, as they believe that the current low public debt levels of 11-12 per cent of GDP and revenue growth challenges imply government borrowing may increase in FY15, leading to an increase in yields in 2015, after being depressed in 2014. Aside the central bank’s devaluation of the naira and tightened policy, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) opted not to cut output, confirming low prices are here to stay, the analysts argued that the naira remains at significant risk, which implies the probability of further tightening is high. Three months ago, the probability of the oil price falling below $80/

bl was low. In contrast today, RenCap is adapting to the fact that this may be the new normal, following OPEC’s (which represents 40 per cent of the world’s production) decision to maintain current production levels in response to lower oil prices. The analysts believe

that there is scope for the crude oil price to drop below $70/bl in the near term, arguing that lower oil prices may result in a further slowdown in foreign exchange (FX) inflows, challenging the central bank’s ability to defend the naira. They insisted that the 2015 oil price is likely to settle

Kunle Azeez

igeria’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry has attracted $500 million (about N85 billion) venture capital fund for the development of start-ups in the country till date. This was disclosed by the Head, High Value Acquisition Strategy, Airtel, Ms Zainab Baruwa-Abiola, while speaking at an entrepreneurial initiative tagged ‘Catapult-aStartup,’ unveiled by the telco, in collaborations with its partners, in Lagos on Wednesday. “Till date, Nigeria has recorded a venture capital fund of $500 million into the various startups in Nigeria but our ultimate goal is to see start-ups in the mobile technology industry space that will grow to become multinationals.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

around the current forward price of $80/bl. Furthermore, at an oil price of $80/bl Nigeria’s current account (C/A) would become negative for the first time in 12 years, from its revised 2014 estimate of 2.2 percent of GDP 2014E (vs 4.3 per cent ) previously). While a weaker naira would possibly slow demand for imports and the

lower oil price reduce the cost of importing refined oil (20 per cent of imports), analyst believe this would be sufficient to keep the C/A positive, implying that forex reserves may have to be drawn down to finance Nigeria’s balance of payments (BOP). It sees the negative for the naira, which at NGN197/$1 at YE15 vs NGN182/$1 at YE14E.

‘Nigeria attracts N85bn for tech start-ups devt’ “The $500 million has gone into such companies as IROKOTV, Konga.com, Jumia. com, DealDey, Paga.com and others currently operating in the country,” she said. She added that the Catapult-aStartup is an Airtel initiative aimed at raising start-ups to successful businesses. She noted that start-ups are currently leading digital revolution, stressing that most of the multinationals in the ICT space today started as start-ups from the Silicon Valley, United States, where the likes of Google, Facebook,Alibaba, among others have emerged. Meanwhile, with the Catapult-a-Startup announcement, Airtel is offering a platform for budding mobile app developers to receive advanced mentoring from industry veterans, funding, marketing, and also improve their skills to become successful using their creativity. To participate in the programme, interested start-ups are to submit their ideas and presentations to the ‘Catapult-a-Startup’ website a dedicated website for evaluation. After the initial evaluation, selected start-ups will be in-

vited to pitch their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges, who will do a thorough evaluation and select the best start up proposals. The promoters of the selected start up proposals will be subsequently supported with a cash prize of one million naira, mentoring, funding, marketing and a chance to integrate their developed apps and services on the Airtel platform gaining direct access to the telco’s large customer base of 27 million. Speaking earlier at the unveiling of the initiative, Vice President, Data and Innovation, Airtel, Mr Nitin Anand; explained that Airtel initiated the programme in line with its vision to encourage innovation and empower young Nigerians by creating opportunities for them to bring their business ideas to fruition. He said: “At Airtel, we are passionate about building a community for young talented Nigerians. We are aware of the abundance of young people who are blessed with the skills to develop relevant apps with most of them not having the opportunity to showcase or develop their skills.”

Naira rallies for second day on intervention

he naira rose for the second straight day yesterday after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold dollars but still closed below the bottom of its new target range, dealers said. The naira has lost 11.8 percent against the dollar this year, as global oil prices plunged, worsening the already shaky finances of Africa’s top oil producing nation. The naira according to Reuters News, ended up about 0.6 percent at N179.90 against the dollar from Tuesday’s close of N181. It firmed almost four percent on the previous day after the apex bank intervened to help the currency up from another record intraday low. The naira was hovering around N183.15 to the dollar for almost three hours before

yesterday’s intervention. “The central bank has shown commitment to support the naira, but reserves are going down and at the end of the day the bank’s ability to sustain its support will be hampered,” a dealer said. “We expect more drastic measures in the near term,” he said. Nigeria’s foreign reserves fell to a six-month low of $36.7 billion by Dec. 1, down 4.5 percent from the previous month, limiting the CBN’s ability to keep defending the naira. The banking watchdog devalued the currency by 8 percent last week in a bid to halt a decline in foreign reserves but it has been struggling to keep the naira within its new band of N160-N176 to the dollar.

Business | Financial Market News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

3-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

535.00 573.89 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 396.68 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 150.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,730.13

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,549.76

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

0.39 1.70 2.40 2.65 2.74 3.49 4.57 4.89 7.15 9.28 13.99 14.47 14.97 15.64 19.62

13.63 13.69 13.67 13.69 13.70 13.77 13.84 13.85 13.71 13.44 13.22 13.21 13.20 13.39 13.15

13.21 13.59 13.60 13.61 13.62 13.65 13.76 13.75 13.65 13.39 13.17 13.16 13.14 13.33 13.10

96.43 99.00 102.80 91.67 90.30 91.71 107.10 76.23 111.90 103.90 111.24 95.39 69.62 78.00 93.00

96.58 99.15 102.95 91.82 90.45 92.01 107.40 76.53 112.20 104.20 111.54 95.69 69.92 78.30 93.30

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

24-May-10 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

0.47 1.21 2.02 2.38 2.59

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

16.86 15.86 15.68 14.67 14.68

92.58 101.67 100.29 97.68 94.76

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

315.33

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.74

4.44

18.43

96.00

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.58

3.23

17.49

98.30

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

0.87

4.46

18.24

96.44

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

0.87

3.48

17.25

98.71

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.38

5.59

19.26

82.93

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.42

1.00

14.63

98.98

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.08

1.79

15.52

96.36

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.25

1.80

15.47

97.52

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.84

1.00

14.80

97.66

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

14.96

09-Dec-18

2.25

1.00

14.67

99.69

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

11.13

12-Dec-18

2.25

4.78

18.45

91.92

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.63

1.00

14.69

99.68

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*GOMBE

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019

02-Oct-12

15.50

16.23

02-Oct-19

2.88

1.00

14.71

101.95

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

22-Nov-12

14.50

80.00

22-Nov-19

4.97

1.00

14.84

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

12-Dec-12

14.75

27.51

12-Dec-19

2.85

2.74

16.45

96.30

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.40

10-Oct-20

3.41

1.00

14.76

100.01

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.98

1.00

14.77

95.06

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.08

1.94

15.70

97.28

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

3.56

1.44

15.21

98.20

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.59

1.95

15.73

98.19

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

98.80

471.68 451.63

Corporate Bonds Aa/Agusto Nil

GTB NGC

13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.04

5.21

20.13

99.68

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.08

8.71

23.24

99.41 96.26

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.46

4.88

19.02

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

13.62

09-Dec-15

0.54

1.00

15.34

97.79

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.61

2.63

16.84

98.47

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.82

1.00

14.66

97.37

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.89

1.34

15.01

98.75

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.83

1.00

14.70

96.12

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.85

1.88

15.54

104.53

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.85

3.48

17.15

98.56

A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

2.02

5.20

18.88

98.96

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

2.02

5.06

18.74

101.85

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.80

1.35

15.15

96.71

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.12

2.29

15.97

99.87

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

2.21

6.11

19.79

95.54

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.08

2.16

15.89

100.33

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.95

2.76

16.53

95.23

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.83

1.00

14.23

87.96

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.83

1.00

14.23

94.85

AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

144.08

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

140.20

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.19

1.00

14.74

88.73

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.41

1.00

14.86

89.04

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 22.18

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

5.67

5.48

105.51

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

106.54

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.80

4.52

101.06

101.98

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.97

5.81

102.67

103.78

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,546.18

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

8.40

103.30

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.78

103.75

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.47

99.48

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

10.05

9.55

90.98

92.35

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.94

6.44

96.81

98.49

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

9.67

102.00

102.00 95.50

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.47

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

10.63

9.97

93.44

95.70

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

8.11

99.75

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

10.71

82.25

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

24-Jun-14

9.25

400.00

24-Jun-21

10.28

10.00

95.38

96.63

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

9.28

92.88

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.56

8.28

99.96

101.40

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC II

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,607.01

**Treasury Bills DTM 8 22 29 36 43 50 57 64

FIXINGS Maturity 11-Dec-14 25-Dec-14 1-Jan-15 8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15

Bid Discount (%) 12.90 14.20 13.95 13.95 13.80 13.70 13.85 13.40

Offer Discount (%) 12.65 13.95 13.70 13.70 13.55 13.45 13.60 13.15

Bid Yield (%) 12.94 14.32 14.11 14.14 14.03 13.96 14.16 13.72

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 15.7917 14.0120 14.5082 15.4150

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

14.42

O/N

14.92

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 14.00 14.13

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

178.50 173.45 173.73 174.37 175.59 176.81

178.60 173.69 174.04 175.00 176.74 178.50

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.74

4.44

18.43

96.00

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.58

3.23

17.49

98.30

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

0.87

4.46

18.24

96.44

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

0.87

3.48

17.25

98.71

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.38

5.59

19.26

82.93

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.42

1.00

14.63

98.98

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.08

1.79

15.52

96.36

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.25

1.80

15.47

97.52

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.84

1.00

14.80

97.66

09-Dec-11

14.50

14.96

09-Dec-18

2.25

1.00

14.67

99.69

A/Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI DECEMBER 4, 2014 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY,

Business | Financial Market News

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

11.13

12-Dec-18

2.25

4.78

18.45

91.92

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.63

1.00

14.69

99.68

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*GOMBE

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019

02-Oct-12

15.50

16.23

02-Oct-19

2.88

1.00

14.71

101.95

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

22-Nov-12

14.50

80.00

22-Nov-19

4.97

1.00

14.84

98.80

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

12-Dec-12

14.75

27.51

12-Dec-19

2.85

2.74

16.45

96.30

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.40

10-Oct-20

3.41

1.00

14.76

100.01

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.98

1.00

14.77

95.06

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.08

1.94

15.70

97.28

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

3.56

1.44

15.21

98.20

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.59

1.95

14.86

89.04

Cement prices may rise in 2015, says Lafarge HIGH DEMAND

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Demand for CAPITALISATION cement TOTAL MARKET is so big in Nigeria Corporate Bonds

Nestle sees unrest adding pressures on W’ Africa business 471.68

attacks15.73 against United 98.19 Nations’ peacekeepers and French soldiers in Africa and Nigeria.” northern Mali this year, Meanwhile, militant while Nigeria’s govern18-Dec-14 0.04 5.21 20.13 99.68 insurgencies across West 8.71 ment is struggling to 31-Dec-14 0.08 23.24 99.41 contain a rebellion by Africa are weighing on 17-Aug-15 0.46 4.88 19.02 96.26 Nestle’s which 09-Dec-15 business 0.54 in the 1.00Boko Haram, 15.34 97.79 has region, than98.47 13,000 06-Jan-16 adding 0.61to the 2.63killed more 16.84 29-Sep-16 1.82 1.00since 2009. 14.66 97.37 pressures of currency 25-Oct-16 1.89 infla- 1.34 98.75fear depreciation, high “The15.01 climate of 30-Sep-17 2.83 14.70 96.12 affects tion and the Ebola out- 1.00immediately 30-Nov-17 1.85 1.88 15.54 104.53 break, the food maker’s trade, which then slows 09-Apr-18 1.85 3.48 17.15 98.56 regional head said. down or18.88 tends to de-stock 09-Sep-18 2.02 5.20 98.96 Islamist rebellions and then 09-Sep-18 2.02 5.06significantly 18.74 101.85 in22-Sep-18 some countries are 1.35affects consumers going 3.80 15.15 96.71 18-Oct-18 2.12 2.29out to 15.97 99.87 undermining consumer shop,” Nandk17-Feb-19 2.21 Nand- 6.11ishore said. 19.79 95.54 afconfidence, Nandu “It does 01-Apr-19 3.08 15.89 100.33 kishore, Nestle’s 56-year- 2.16fect business.” 14-Nov-20 5.95 2.76 16.53 95.23 old30-Sep-24 head of Asia, Africa 1.00 Conditions from Af9.83 14.23 87.96 and Oceania, said in a rica to Asia are deterio30-Sep-24 9.83 1.00 14.23 94.85 Nov. 28 interview at the rating for Nestle, which Swiss company’s factory has forecast a challengin Agbara, southwest Ni- ing fourth quarter after geria. Militants linked to nine-month sales missed 11-Feb-18 have stepped 3.19 14.74 88.73 al-Qaeda up 1.00estimates.

451.63

Prices, which fluctu- es will probably increase it cut cement prices. ate, depending on move- again from mid-2015, he Lafarge’s cement ca13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 18-Dec-09 13.50 Aa/Agusto GTB ments in the local cursaid. pacity at its plants13.17 in Niµ 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 01-Apr-10 17.00 2.00 NGC Nil rency and when capacity “Prices have been adgeria and South Africa 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 17-Aug-10 10.00 3.61 Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC rices of cement in comes on 12.00 board, fell 9-DEC-2015 22 justed, so there’ll09-Dec-10 be an will rise FLOURMILLS A-/Agusto 12.00 above 20 million 13.62 *FLOURMILLS percent in Nigeria are expectimpact for the next six metric tons by 20200.60 from 14.00November, CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 BB+/GCR 06-Jan-11 14.00 *CHELLARAMS 13.00 NAHCO A+/Agusto; A-/GCR 29-Sep-11 15.00cured to rise nextNAHCO year Kristiansson said 29-SEP-2016 in an months,” Kristiansson about13.00 12 million tons FSDHBloom25-OCT-2016 A-/Agusto 25-Oct-13 FSDH after a slump, accordinterview 14.25 with said. “Over the long run, rently14.25 , Kristiansson5.53said. UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR 30-Sep-10 13.00 20.00 UBA ing to Lafarge Africa berg news13.00 yesterday in they’ll stay around the Lafarge Africa’s shares 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 18.00 0.64 *C & I LEASING listed in Lagos have Plc (WAPCO)’s country Hong Kong. The Lagoscurrent level.” #{r} MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 09-Apr-11 16.00 6.30 Nil *DANA dropped 38 percent this Chief Financial Officer, based unit of Lafarge SA Paris-based Lafarge, MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 09-Sep-11 18.00 2.90 A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWER# Anders Kristiansson. with quarter, is “very optimistic” pricwith MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018which is merging 09-Sep-11 16.00 compared0.80 AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER# Holcim Ltd. to create the the 1914.00 percent decline 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 A/Agusto; A/GCR 22-Sep-11 35.00 of UBA 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR 18-Oct-13 15.75 2.40 Ex*LA CASERA world’s biggest cement the Nigerian Stock MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 17-Feb-12 17.00All-Share Index. 0.41 BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS# company, competes in change #{r} 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 01-Apr-14 16.00 4.50 Nil *DANA Africa with Dangote Ce“Demand is so big in 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 A+/Agusto; A-/GCR 14-Nov-13 15.25 2.05 NAHCO ment Plc, owned by the Nigeria that we’re strug182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR 30-Sep-14 11.93 0.10 STANBIC IBTC to meet it although continent’s richest man gling 13.25 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR 30-Sep-14 15.44 STANBIC IBTC we’re investing heavily ustodian and AlManagement Services, Aliko Dangote. Dangote TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 144.08 ,” lied Insurance Mrs. Olubunmi Ader- Cement, Nigeria’s larg- he said. “Hopefully, we’ll TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 140.20 Limited (CAIL) emi, in a statement, est company and probe able to export one day, Supranational Bond winner has emerged thanked customers and ducer of the building but our first focus is to 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 IFC for 11-Feb-13 the investing public for material, said last month meet 10.20 demand in 12.00 South ofAAA/S&P the Pearl Awards 11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDBin 10-Jul-14 11.25 12.95 01-Feb-21 4.41 their contributions. sectorial leadership TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE financial services 2014. The managing direc24.95 The MARKET Pearl Awards is tor of the Company, Mr. TOTAL CAPITALISATION 22.18 an annual event organ- Wole Oshin, while reOutstanding Value ised for and on behalf Issuer ceiving the award, comDescription Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) Rating/Agency Issue Date Coupon (%) ($mm) Stories by Chris Ugwu of the Nigerian Stock mended the organisers the previous day to N10.979 FGN Eurobonds trillion, as market sentiment Exchange (NSE) to pro- for sustaining the ideals remained on the southwards verall market mote and of the awards. 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch;excellence B+/S&P 07-Oct-11 6.75 perfor500.00 28-Jan-21 5.67 trajectory . mance indicators, the honor deserving corpoHe promised that CusBB-/Fitch; FGN 12-Jul-13 5.13 market 500.00Meanwhile, 12-Jul-18 4.80 of NSE ASI and rates. a turnover todian will continue5.13toJUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P Custodian and Allied uphold “its corporate6.38 capitalisation declined 0.88 per 258.7 million shares worth vi-JUL 12, 2023 BB-/Fitch; 12-Jul-13 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.97 BB-/S&P cent each, as the stock market N4.7 billion in 3,965 deals was Insurance Limited, a sion and mission while TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 1,500.00 recorded in the day’s trading. registered member of consistently driving inextended losing streaks. TOTAL MARKETInsurance CAPITALISATION novation, applying cutThe banking sub-sector of Sell pressure forced the val- 1,546.18 the Nigerian ues of equities lower across the financial services sector Association is a mem- ting edge technology Corporate Eurobonds board, resulting in dip in was the most active (meaber of the Custodian and superior manpower 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I 01-Feb-11 11.50 01-Feb-16 8.40 market capitalisation by N97 450.00 sured by turnover volume); Group with other sister to ensure we continue to 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 4.78 billion. with 98.4 million shares worth companies including exceed customer expecB+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC 25-Jul-12 7.25 7.47 Custodian and Allied tations at all times.’ 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 Consequently, the All- 350.00 N1.2 billion25-Jul-17 exchanged by in6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC 09-May-13 6.88 02-May-18 Share Index fell 295.06 ba- 300.00 vestors in 1,222 deals. 10.05 Life Assurance Limited, He also congratulated 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P 08-Nov-13 6.00 6.94 sis points or 0.88 per cent to 400.00Volume 08-Nov-18 in the sub-sector Custodian TrusteesGTBANK Lim- PLC the Board, Management 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC II 08-Apr-12 10.25 300.00 08-Apr-19 9.67 close at 33,255.67, as against was largely driven by activiited and Crusader Sterand staff of Custodian 6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC 22-Apr-14 6.25 500.00 22-Apr-19 7.47 33,550.73 recorded 8.75 the previ- 200.00 ties in the shares of GTB10.63 and ling Pensions Limited, for the feat, while charg8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC 21-May-14 21-May-19 ETI Plc. ous day , while the market capcompleting the array of ing them to continue 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC 07-Aug-13 8.25 300.00 07-Aug-20 8.11 businesses theDEC 09, 2020 italisation services B-/Fitch; B/S&P in its fold. AFREN PLC IIIdoing their best for 6.63 09-Dec-13 of equities 6.63 depre360.00Other financial 09-Dec-20 10.71 overall good of clients ciated by N97 billion sub-sector activated with the Speaking 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P at the event, ACCESS BANK PLC II 24-Jun-14 9.25 or 0.88 400.00 24-Jun-21 10.28 shares of FBNH per cent from N11.076 the company’s head ofBANK LTD and the industry . USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 8.00/2Y B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST 23-Jul-14 8.00 trillion 450.00 23-Jul-21 Plc followed 9.28

‘Custodian is sectorial leader in financial services’

1.00

Investors on NSE lose N97billion

B-/S&P

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

8.56

Bid Price

Offer Price

8.28

99.96

101.40

with 50.3 million shares val& Yieldsmillion in 817 uedPrices at N872 deals. 5.48 105.51 106.54 On the gainers’ chart, PZ 4.52 101.06 101.98 Cussons Nigeria Plc rose by5.8110.24 per cent to close 102.67 103.78 at N31.97 per share, while shares of Eterna Oil Nigeria Plc advanced by 4.79 per cent to close at N3.28 per share. Skye Bank Plc increased by 8.40 103.30 4.64 per cent103.30 to close at N2.48 4.78 103.75 per share. 103.75 7.47 99.48 99.48 On the losers’ table, Cus9.55 90.98 todian Insurance Plc 92.35 led by 6.44 8.51 per cent96.81 to close at98.49 N3.98 9.67 102.00 102.00 per share. Cutix Nigeria Plc 7.47 95.50 95.50 followed with a loss of 4.73 9.97 93.44 95.70 per at N1.41 8.11cent to close 99.75 99.75 per share, while82.25 RT Briscoe 10.71 82.25 depreciated by95.38 4.71 per cent to 10.00 96.63 close 9.28 at 81 kobo 92.88 per share. 92.88

4,760.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

14-Aug-21

Offer Yield (%)

3-Dec-14

4,607.01

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 **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) 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 DTM Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) (%) Tenor (%) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, Maturity completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of anyBid of Yield the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any actionRate taken on the basis of the Information. NIBOR FGN

8 22 29 Bonds36 43 50 Rating/Agency 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 113 120 127 NA 134 141 148 155 162 246 274

11-Dec-14 25-Dec-14 1-Jan-15 8-Jan-15 15-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 Issuer 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 26-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 12-Mar-15 26-Mar-15 2-Apr-15 9-Apr-15 NA 16-Apr-15 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 7-May-15 14-May-15 6-Aug-15 3-Sep-15

12.90 14.20 13.95 13.95 13.80 13.70 Description 13.85 13.40 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.45 13.05 16-AUG-2016 13.85 15.10 27-APR-2017 13.35 9.85 27-JUL-2017 12.05 9.35 31-AUG-2017 13.50 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.30 16.00 29-JUN-2019 13.65 13.15 7.00 23-OCT-2019 13.30 16.39 27-JAN-2022 13.15 14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.20 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.60 12.49 22-MAY-2029 13.65 8.50 20-NOV-2029 12.80 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.45 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

12.65 13.95 13.70 13.70 13.55 13.45 Issue Date 13.60 13.15 23-Apr-10 13.20 16-Aug-13 13.60 27-Apr-12 13.10 27-Jul-07 11.80 31-Aug-07 13.25 30-May-08 13.05 29-Jun-12 13.40 12.90 23-Oct-09 13.05 27-Jan-12 12.90 14-Mar-14 12.95 28-Nov-08 12.35 22-May-09 13.40 20-Nov-09 12.55 23-Jul-10 12.20 18-Jul-14

12.94 14.32 14.11 14.14 14.03 13.96 Coupon (%) 14.16 13.72 4.00 13.81 13.05 14.27 15.10 13.78 9.85 12.43 9.35 14.01 10.70 13.87 16.00 14.29 13.78 7.00 13.98 16.39 13.85 14.20 13.95 15.00 13.31 12.49 14.53 8.50 14.01 10.00 13.73 12.1493

Bonds

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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

Maturity Date

(N'bn) 535.00 573.89 452.80 Tenor 20.00 1M 100.00 2M 300.00 3M 351.30 6M 9M 233.90 12M 600.00

OBB

Rate (%) 15.7917 14.0120 14.5082 15.4150

NITTY

23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 Rate (%) 27-Jul-17 13.9272 31-Aug-17 13.9894 30-May-18 14.0755 29-Jun-19 14.2727 14.3294 23-Oct-19 14.6813 27-Jan-22

396.68 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 NIFEX 22-May-29 200.00 20-Nov-29 Current Price ($/N) 591.57 23-Jul-30 BID($/N) 183.3000 150.00 18-Jul-34 OFFER ($/N) 183.4000

4,730.13

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

14.42

Spot O/N 14.92 7D 14D REPO Offer Tenor Rate (%) 1MYield TTM (Yrs) Bid Yield (%) Call 14.00 2M (%) 1M 14.13 3M 0.39 13.63 13.21 3M 14.76 6M 1.70 13.69 13.59 6M 15.98 1Y 2.40 13.67 13.60 2.65 13.69 13.61 NOTE: 2.74 13.70 13.62 3.49 13.77 13.65 :Benchmarks 4.57 Bond 13.84 13.76 * :Amortising µ :Convertible 4.89 Bond 13.85 13.75 AMCON: Asset Corporation of Nigeria 7.15 Management 13.71 13.65 FGN: Federal Nigeria 9.28 Government of 13.44 13.39 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 13.99 Mortgage Bank 13.22 13.17 IFC: International Finance Corporation 14.47 13.21 13.16 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.97 13.20 13.14 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 15.64 13.39 13.33 O/N: Overnight 19.62 13.15 13.10 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

178.50 178.60 173.45 Price 173.69 173.73 174.04 174.37 175.00 Bid Price Offer Price 175.59 176.74 176.81 178.50 96.43 96.58 180.70 184.25 99.00 99.15 188.59 196.85 102.80 102.95 91.67 91.82 90.30 90.45 92.01 NA :Not91.71 Applicable 107.10Rate Bond 107.40 # :Floating ***: Deferred 76.23 coupon bonds 76.53 111.90 112.20 †: Bond rating expired 104.20 103.90 N/A :Not Available 111.24 111.54 {r} :Issuer in receivership95.69 95.39 69.62 69.92 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 78.00 78.30 UBA: United Bank for Africa 93.00 93.30

4,549.76

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)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

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

0.47 1.21 2.02 2.38 Implied Yield 2.59

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 Implied Portfolio 1.00Price

16.86 15.86 15.68 14.67 INDEX 14.68

Indicative Price

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM Modified Duration Buckets

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24-May-10 0.00 FMDQ FGN BOND 03-Apr-12 17.25 09-Dec-11 0.00/16.00 20-Apr-12by 0.00/16.50 Weighting Weighting by Mkt Outstanding Value 06-Jul-12 Vol 0.00/16.50

24.56

INDEX3.00

112.22 116.70 Bucket Weighting 66.49

322.97

1,026.68

32.95

33.40

1,047.64

951.30

30.53

33.86

315.33 0.31

1,013.07

1,138.25

36.53

32.74

0.37

56.31

13.37

100.5471

1,175.57

17.5572

Market

3,094.34

3,116.23

100.00

1.00

100.00

13.53

115.3372

1,101.37

10.1370

14.19

13.68

117.9796

1,120.57

12.0566

29.50

13.75

130.1822

1,102.33

10.2333

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

31-Aug-10

12.50

31-Aug-15

0.74

4.44

18.43

96.00

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.58

3.23

17.49

98.30

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

0.87

4.46

18.24

96.44

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

0.87

3.48

17.25

98.71

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.38

5.59

19.26

82.93

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.42

1.00

14.63

98.98

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.08

1.79

15.52

96.36

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.25

1.80

15.47

97.52

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.84

1.00

14.80

97.66

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

8.50

0.33

92.58 101.67 100.29 YTD97.68 Return (%) 94.76

1,033.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 3<5 Sub-National Bonds

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017Total Outstanding Porfolio Market Value(Bn) 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 Volume(Bn)

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014

Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021

Business | Capital Market

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Daily Summary (Bonds)

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at December 3, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 1 22 11 34

Current Price 0.50 29.00 29.83

Quantity Traded 200,000 56,400 192,786 449,186

Value Traded 100,000.00 1,654,892.40 5,757,400.38 7,512,292.78

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 2.50

Quantity Traded 970,600 970,600

Value Traded 2,393,813.00 2,393,813.00

1,419,786

9,906,105.78

Quantity Traded 6,000 649 12,531,858 675,851 13,214,358

Value Traded 7,800.00 610.06 46,616,745.82 28,524,434.80 75,149,590.68

AGRICULTURE Totals

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021

A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. JOHN HOLT PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

52 Symbol AGLEVENT JOHNHOLT TRANSCORP UACN Daily Summary

No. of Deals 3 1 139 51 (Equities) 194

Activity Summary onTotals Board EQTY CONGLOMERATES CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Current Price 1.30 0.98 3.74 42.00

194

13,214,358 Page

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 0.96

Quantity Traded 98,275 98,275

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 60.66

Quantity Traded 97,278 97,278

Value Traded 5,606,236.21 5,606,236.21

Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 10.60

Quantity Traded 328,741 328,741

Value Traded 3,475,879.59 3,475,879.59

524,294

9,174,999.80

Quantity Traded 2,732,852 2,732,852

Value Traded 1,366,426.00 1,366,426.00

CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014

Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

41 Symbol DUNLOP Symbol CHAMPION GOLDBREW GUINNESS Daily Summary INTBREW NB

No. of Deals 3 3 No. of Deals 1 1 37 (Equities) 22 139 200

Current Price 0.50 Current Price 9.89 0.92 149.00 25.01 170.20

Quantity Traded 3,130 2,200 262,975 246,541 1,378,894 1,893,740 Page

Value Traded 92,884.00 92,884.00

No. of Deals 21 21

Current Price 151.11

Quantity Traded 43,506 43,506

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM UTC

No. of Deals 4 58 136 18 18 2 1 237

Current Price 5.92 6.30 51.00 3.30 7.87 19.00 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,440 1,967,968 5,964,558 416,000 93,050 915 2,000 8,446,931

Value Traded 13,737.20 12,346,705.07 317,384,977.78 1,368,326.50 702,027.55 17,338.00 1,000.00 331,834,112.10

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 29 72 101

Current Price 45.67 798.10

Quantity Traded 83,026 49,244 132,270

Value Traded 3,657,205.16 38,604,592.51 42,261,797.67

Symbol VITAFOAM

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 3.71

Quantity Traded 45,250 45,250

Value Traded 167,415.00 167,415.00

Quantity Traded 5,682,719 240,223

Value Traded 180,956,298.65 8,560,189.51

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 Household Durables Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 VITAFOAM NIG PLC.

Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Personal/Household Products Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities) PZ UNILEVER

Symbol

70 45

31.97 35.10

No. of Deals 115

Current Price

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 FIDELITY BANK PLC Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © COMPANY PLC. CORNERSTONE INSURANCE EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © FINANCIAL SERVICES Micro-Finance Banks Micro-Finance Banks Totals

684 Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 83 DIAMONDBNK 29 ETI 98 FIDELITYBK 60 GUARANTY 247 SKYEBANK 56 STERLNBANK 165 UBA 183 Daily Summary (Equities) UBN 47 UNITYBNK 5

Current Price 7.40 5.70 17.65 1.53 24.02 2.48 2.42 5.00 8.37 0.50

Page

Value Traded 189,516,488.16

19,217,491

851,794,455.84

Quantity Traded 2,540,172 10,336,528 12,145,257 3,098,992 27,874,483 2,890,000 7,447,677 18,761,815 1,138,634 5,900,199

No. of Deals 11 238 1,222

Current Price 0.95 19.11

Quantity Traded 389,965 5,910,161 98,433,883

Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST EQUITYASUR GUINEAINS LASACO LINKASSURE MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM PRESTIGE SOVRENINS STACO STDINSURE UNIVINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 21 7 11 2 2 4 1 8 3 16 3 2 2 2 7 36 127

Current Price 0.85 0.97 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 3.70 0.50 0.60 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.67

Quantity Traded 1,542,132 684,370 Page 14,316,876

No. of Deals 5

Current Price 0.88

Quantity Traded 252,795

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

Quantity Traded 5,922,942

Symbol WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded 6,588,300.95 6,588,300.95

97,839 32,100 631,050 200 11,569,668 1,600 1,639,800 5,000 78,799 10,895 88,760 1,769,507 702,588 33,171,184

Page

Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS BETA GLASS CO PLC. Activity Summary onTotals Board EQTY Packaging/Containers

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 40,000 Page 40,000

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,000 2,000

Value Traded 1,000.00 1,000.00

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & TRUST PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS DEAPCAP FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 13 7 1 637 33 3 46 77 817

Current Price 2.83 3.98 0.76 9.14 3.06 0.52 28.53 1.60

Quantity Traded 123,493 110,000 50,000 23,916,710 1,292,972 120,200 21,439,310 3,346,612 50,399,297

Value Traded 366,774.21 445,510.00 38,000.00 220,336,874.81 3,929,862.69 62,504.00 642,338,349.47 5,421,715.06 872,939,590.24

182,259,159

2,151,794,663.85

Quantity Traded 3,016 3,016

Value Traded 1,508.00 1,508.00

Value Traded 20,000.00 of 13 20,000.00

144,780

932,432.60

Symbol AFRPAINTS ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM PORTPAINT WAPCO

No. of Deals 1 60 6 8 10 125 1 50 261

Current Price 2.72 22.30 8.70 36.18 11.36 170.00 5.04 78.00

Quantity Traded 500 942,782 151,323 16,709 126,500 5,800,524 140 5,987,460 13,025,938

Value Traded 1,295.00 21,304,509.09 1,255,080.90 602,049.85 1,372,080.00 986,003,609.70 697.20 466,892,245.59 1,477,431,567.33

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 1.41

Quantity Traded 683,501 683,501

Value Traded 969,126.65 969,126.65

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 1.59 22.05

Quantity Traded 34,056 22,000 56,056

Value Traded 51,765.12 462,000.00 513,765.12

Page 13,765,495

Symbol MULTIVERSE

No. of Deals 1 1

Symbol JAPAULOIL Symbol OANDO

8 of 13 1,478,914,459.10

2,000

1,000.00 Value Traded 7,027,695.00 7,027,695.00

No. of Deals 221 221

Current Price 20.00

Quantity Traded 5,695,608 5,695,608

Value Traded 115,340,412.02 115,340,412.02

Symbol No. of Deals ETERNA PLC. ETERNA 47 FORTE OIL PLC. FO 52 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MOBIL 13 Daily Summary (Equities) MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. MRS 5 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL 14 ActivityPetroleum Summaryand onPetroleum Board EQTY Products Distributors Totals 131

Current Price 3.28 215.00 165.20 56.00 162.00

Quantity Traded 923,690 122,765 11,608 8,331 11,252 1,077,646

Value Traded 2,815,938.89 26,288,611.31 1,823,405.00 443,209.20 1,849,415.60 33,220,580.00

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 23 23

Symbol AFROMEDIA

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery

Value Traded 1,000.00 1,000.00

Current Price 397.11

Quantity Traded 112,687 Page 112,687 20,941,331

200,239,948.22

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 4,400,000 4,400,000

Value Traded 2,200,000.00 2,200,000.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 0.81

Quantity Traded 139,799 139,799

Value Traded 113,237.19 113,237.19

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 4.00

Quantity Traded 84,334 84,334

Value Traded 353,512.80 353,512.80

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 398,835 398,835

Value Traded 199,417.50 199,417.50

Symbol TANTALIZER

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 50.00 50.00

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 3.80

Quantity Traded Page 365,600 365,600

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 22,000 22,000

Value Traded 11,000.00 11,000.00

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 2 4 2 8

Current Price 0.99 1.47 4.13

Quantity Traded 2,000 84,531 6,150 92,681

Value Traded 1,961.65 118,343.40 23,619.50 143,924.55

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.60

Quantity Traded 8,500 8,500

Value Traded 5,100.00 5,100.00

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 5 38 43

Current Price 1.65 4.80

Quantity Traded 67,100 708,999 776,099

Value Traded 110,568.00 3,352,054.48 3,462,622.48

Symbol

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 3.50

Quantity Traded 336,000 336,000

Value Traded 1,152,481.41 1,152,481.41

Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC Hospitality Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES

Transport-Related Services SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC Daily SummaryAIRLINE as of 03/12/2014 NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

382

Daily Summary (Equities)

DailyCAVERTON Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

EQTY Board Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded 944,651,261.20 of 13 44,651,261.20

Value Traded 10 of 13 1,383,500.00 1,383,500.00

109

6,623,948

9,024,845.93

3,964

258,743,358

4,788,859,589.55

Quantity Traded 7,260 7,260

Value Traded 12,124.20 12,124.20

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

Value Traded 215,001.88

Value Traded

Quantity Traded 14,055,390 14,055,390

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

48,919.50 16,050.00 315,525.00 100.00 42,797,844.40 800.00 983,880.00 2,500.00 39,399.50 5,447.50 44,380.00 884,753.50 468,786.10 54,713,679.34

Quantity Traded

Current Price 0.50

RED EXPRESS PLC Daily Summary asSTAR of 03/12/2014 Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021

Value Traded 1,292,641.74 654,214.10 4 of 13 7,158,438.00

No. of Deals 1 1

Page

Current Price

No. of Deals 7 7

SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

Symbol ASOSAVINGS

No. of Deals

OIL AND GAS Totals

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Current Price 0.50

Symbol

Quantity Traded 2,000 2,000

OIL AND GAS Exploration and Production PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD PublishedSEPLAT by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Exploration and Production Totals

Value Traded 215,001.88

No. of Deals 1 1

Value Traded 826.00 895,965.00 141.60 896,932.60

Current Price 0.50

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors

Quantity Traded 252,795

Symbol UNIONDAC

Quantity Traded 200 73,500 80 73,780

270

OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Current Price

HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

Current Price 4.34 12.83 1.86

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

Value Traded 370,744.14 114,299,655.43 1,223,925,392.39

1,927,087.75

No. of Deals 1 2 1 (Equities) 4

630,716

Value Traded 15,500.00 15,500.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

NATURAL RESOURCES Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC Mining Services Totals

Value Traded 213,883.00 890,507.67 402,610.00 258,158.60 45,925.48 1,995.00 112,500.00 1,925,579.75

Quantity Traded 31,000 31,000

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 Electronic and Electrical Products Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 CUTIX PLC.

No. of Deals 5

2,172

Quantity Traded 103,420 257,086 8,150 158,825 49,919 300 50,000 627,700

Current Price 0.51

Symbol CWG NCR TRIPPLEG Daily Summary

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Current Price 2.08 3.37 52.00 1.62 0.94 7.00 2.36

No. of Deals 1 1

ICT Totals

Symbol

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Symbol COURTVILLE

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Processing Systems 13

Value Traded 18,936,227.36 59,425,223.58 214,403,799.61 4,761,478.06 680,578,872.61 7,161,660.00 17,853,863.84 93,675,379.37 9,508,388.89 2,950,099.50

No. of Deals 6 11 6 18 5 2 3 51 52

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Systems Totals Daily Summary as of Based 03/12/2014 Printed 03/12/2014 14:56:21.021 IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Value Traded 29,422.00 2,112.00 39,190,371.07 6,209,486.00 234,628,524.89 280,059,915.96

Symbol 7UP

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN PHARMDEKO

HEALTHCARE Totals

75,149,590.68 1

Symbol COSTAIN

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

SERVICES Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers JULI PLC. Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers Totals

Symbol JULI

No. of Deals 1 1

SERVICES Totals

Current Price 1.75

7,260

12,124.20

ASeM Board Totals

7,260

12,124.20

Equity Activity Totals

3,965

258,750,618

4,788,871,713.75

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Daily Summary as of 03/12/2014 Name Printed 03/12/2014 LOTUS14:56:21.021 HALAL EQUITY ETF

NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF)

Exchange Traded Fund

Name VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 10.42 2,124.00

Page

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol VETGRIF30

Quantity Traded 10 7

No. of Deals 1 3

Current Price 15.17

Value Traded 104.20 14,868.00 12

Quantity Traded 10 27

Value Traded 151.70 15,123.90

ETF Board Totals

15,123.90

ETP Activity Totals

15,123.90

NEW TELEGRAPH thursday, december 4, 2014

denials

While convicts mingle with the people, politicians trade words on the jail break Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

he attack on AdoEkiti Prisons by some gunmen on Monday has continued to generate accusations and counter-accusations among the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress

76.4%

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south - west

PDP, APC clash over attack on Ekiti prison (APC) in the state. Firing the first salvo, the Special Assistant, Public Communications to Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said the attack on the prison was aimed at freeing some APC leaders being tried for the murder of a PDP chieftain, Chief Omolafe Aderiye. However, the APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Olatubosun, said the Fayose administration should be held responsible for the

The percentage of the urban population of Bruinei Darussalam in 2012. Source: Un.org

incident. The governor’s aide said: “One question the public must ask is; why was the prison attacked less than one week after Niyi Adedipe was remanded in the prison’s custody? “Could it not have been that the invaders carried out the act to either free Niyi Adedipe and others remanded in the prison’s custody in connection with the murder of Omolafe Aderiye or kill them so as to prevent the expo-

1.3%

The annual population growth rate of Bangladesh in 2010-2015. Source: Un.org

sure of their sponsors?” Speaking further, Olayinka said: “Ekiti people should be reminded of how criminals invaded the state between 2008 and 2010, during which several people, including the late Attah of Aiyede Ekiti, Oba Adeleye Orisagbemi and the acting Provost of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Dr. Gabriel Olowoyo, were kidnapped and killed. “It was during this period that three officers of the Special Anti-Robbery

146,386

The number of refugees in Turkey at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Squad (SARS), Mohammed Manua, Wasiu Olatubosun and Simeon Obadero, were murdered. “Insecurity in Ekiti State then was used by the APC (then Action Congress of Nigeria) to discredit the Segun Oniled PDP government and Charles Ojo Ovie, who was the leader of the gang responsible for all these killings and kidnappings, was linked with some leaders of the APC. “Ekiti people should therefore know who their

39m

The estimated number of lives HIV has claimed so far. Source: Who.int

enemies are and continue to be security conscious, bearing in mind that Governor Ayodele Fayose will do everything within his power to protect the state and its citizens.” Olatubosun, in his statement, said: “If the jail break was an attempt by APC to free Adedipe, why did Adedipe report himself to the police and subsequently surrendered himself to the prisons’ authorities without being declared wanted? If the jail break is to kill Niyi Adedipe as alleged by Lere Olayinka, why was he not killed? “Today, Ekiti people have information that four of the escapees, including a notorious criminal and serial rapist that participated in attacking Fayose's opponents during his first stint, are being lodged in the chalets behind the Presidential Lodge in the Government House,” Olatubosun said, adding that the unfolding drama confirmed APC's outcry that a killer squad was being raised for attacks on opponents.

Confusion in Ondo PDP Babatope Okeowo Akure

A L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Council, Mr. Deji Elumoye; Sen. Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, and General Secretary, NUJ, Mrs. Abimbola Oyetunde, at a press briefing in Lagos… yesterday

Why Nigeria remains underdeveloped, by Babalakin Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

egal icon and businessman mogul, Mr. Wale Babalakin, yesterday blamed the country's stagnation on failure of successive governments to recognise merit and ingenuity in appointing public office holders, while promoting mediocrity. The chief executive officer of Bi-Courtney Limited made this observation in Ibadan at a seminar organised by the Kazim Gbadamosi-led Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Iyaganku. Speaking on the theme; “From Ibadan to the uttermost parts: Developing expertise in

emerging sectors,” Babalakin said the Nigerian society has also failed to reward talent or nurture it, leading to inability to progress. He said: “The first major issue in Nigeria is that we have abandoned merit. A system that abandons merit cannot grow. Talent is God-given and society must do everything to look for those talents and nurture them, because they are going to provide us with leadership. “But once you have criteria that are different from merit, you will continue to languish the way we are now doing,” he lamented. Painting a gloomy picture of the nation's economy in the face of global recession, the legal expert expressed the ap-

prehension that the worst was yet to come for Nigeria as oil price continues to slide, while also wondering why government continues to frustrate genuine private initiative targeted at providing relief and infrastructure for the people. “Three years ago, Nigeria’s recurrent expenditure and total earnings were equal. Last year, the provision for capital budget was to be borrowed. I don’t know any budget at the federal level that got 70 per cent funding last year. “That was when oil price was over $100. Now it is threatening to go far below $60. To compound the problem, we are in winter, if oil is not being heavily consumed at this period, what will happen during summer?

Lagos Majority Leader loses APC assembly primaries Temitope Ogunbanke

he hope of Lagos State House of Assembly Majority Leader, Hon. Ajibayo Adeyeye, to return to the House next year was dashed on Tuesday as he lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primary in Kosofe Constituency II of La-

gos State to one of the leading aspirants in the race, Otunba Tunde Braimoh. Braimoh, a former Kosofe Local Government chairman won with 230 votes while Adeyeye, a two-term lawmaker polled 173 votes. Other aspirants were Mr. Oluwole Ogunleye and Mr. Olusiji Kosoko, scored six and one votes.

Fayose congratulates Osundare Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has felicitated with literary icon, Prof. Niyi Osundare, for being shortlisted as a recipient of the Nigerian National Merit Award by President Goodluck Jonathan in the

2014 edition of the award programme. In a statement the governor personally signed and made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, Fayose said the emergence of Osundare as one of those to be conferred with the coveted national award billed for today, December 4, did not come to him as a surprise.

nother round of controversy yesterday rocked the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the resignation of six members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party. Some SWC members, including Wemimo Olaniran, legal adviser; Yomi Akinfemiwa, vicechairman, Ondo Central; Adeduro Charles, state auditor; Akindulureni Samson, Mrs. Esther Ebiwonjumi, women leader and Raheed Elegbeleye, were said to have resigned their appointments. While Adeduro said he resigned his position and membership of the party since he could not stay in the same party with the governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who recently joined, Elegbeleye said he has not resigned his position. However, others kept sealed lips over their status as members of the SWC. Their resignation was to pave way for the outright dissolution of the State Working Committee by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

News

SOUTH-EAST

THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ukwa demand Abia PDP guber ticket ROTATION

Politics as of zoning may tear Abia apart as Gov. Theodore Orji pitches Ukwa against Ngwa Peter Osondu ABA

he Ukwa in Abia State, have demanded from the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state that it be given the privilege to produce the governorship candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections. Indications were rife that the Abia State chapter of PDP recently zoned the governorship to Abia South District of which Ukwa is an integral part, but the party is said to be looking to favour as Ngwa man. The resolve of Ukwa people, who share borders with Rivers State and parts of Akwa Ibom State was made known in Aba during a media briefing jointly addressed by traditional rulers and other key political stakeholders from the sub group.

Speaking at the briefing, Chairman, UkwaEast Traditional Rulers Council HRH Eze Ikeagwuchi Ekeke of Obeaku-Ndoki, said the zone which produces oil in the state has been long marginalized and should be accorded the privilege of producing the governor of the state. He said that if their

demand was not considered, they may consider the option of moving out of the present Abia State, to a new state that may be created from Abia. “It our resolve to state that following the decision that the next governorship slot of the state has been zoned by the PDP to Abia South and since we the Ukwa

people belong to Abia South, which harbours the two group, Ngwa and Ukwa, it is only expedient that that Ukwa and Ngwa have been given the chance to produce the governor. It means that we have two possilities, to produce the Senator for the district and the governor. So, our position as a

people is that we and the Ngwa people should share the two positions to reflect equality and justice. We therefore demand that the Ngwa people should give us the position of the governor, as an Ngwa man, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has been given automatic ticket to return to the senate, by the PDP. So, we are asking that the

position of the governor be given to us.” Eze Ekeke, urged stakeholders within the party and the governor to ensure that the group gets what rightly belongs to it, noting that it would be wrong for them to be producing the oil that earns the state its wealth, while they are not being fairly treated.

L-R: Book reviewer, Prof. Peter Nwangwu; Author, Mr. Chinedu Onu; Chairman, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund), Dr. Musa Babayo and board member, Terfund, Dr. Ama Kolawole, at the presentation of a book entitled ‘The Courage to Dare-Enugu beyond 2015’ in Enugu …yesterday

Agukwe: Imo PDP governorship ticket not for sale Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

hairman of Imo Stakeholders Forum and former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Elvis Agukwe, has raised the alarm over an alleged

plan by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship aspirants to compromise the forthcoming primaries with monetary inducement to bribe delegates at the election. Agukwe, said facts at his disposal indicated

Teachers back UPP governorship aspirant Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

merging indications have revealed that the Imo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), has thrown its weight behind the governorship ambition of the United Progressives Party (UPP), aspirant, Dr. Osmond Imo Ukanacho, as the teachers yesterday assured him of their support and solidarity. Speaking at the Teachers House along Port Harcourt Road Owerri, during a meeting with Ukanacho, some of the teachers described the UPP governorship aspirant as a politician that can take the state to the the height of development. They decried what they described as the de-

valuation of teachers by successive governments in the state, lamenting the continued use of non-professionals and politicians to run the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ministry of Education and other education related parastatals in the state. The Chairman Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Imo State Dr. Reginald Anyadike also a teacher, said the NUT is in Court with the State Government due to the unusual and undue retirement of some teachers in the State who are not up to retirement age. He urged Dr. Ukanacho to look into the general welfare of the teachers which included issues of salary payment, gratuity and pension.

that some aspirants he described as ‘desperate mercenaries’ have budgeted huge sums of money to ensure that they pick the party’s ticket at all cost, saying their plan was to use the ticket as a bargaining power with Governor Rochas Okorocha.

In a statement he issued in Owerri yesterday, Agukwe urged th aspirants harbouring such plan and their APC collaborators to desist from their unwholesome schemings as Imo State and indeed the PDP gubernatorial ticket were not for sale.

“Those who have N2billion to spend on the primaries should please invest it in the establishment of industries so as to generate employment for our youths who have been gravely shortchanged by the APC government in Imo in the

last four years”, the former Commissioner said. He expressed shock that some people might be keeping such a staggering sum of money to themselves whereas Imo had been “reeling under poverty, unemployment and disease”.

Diaspora Imo indigenes okay Ohakim’s return Felix Nwaneri

group of Imo State indigenes residing in the United States (U.S) and Canada has described the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, as the only aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) capable of defeating the incumbent, Owelle Rochas Okorocha,

in the 2015 elections. The group, under the aegis Bring Back Ohakim Global Group (BBOGG), said it was going to work assiduously to help PDP elect Ohakim as governor of Imo State as well as re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan because of his Transformational Agenda. In a statement signed by its 27 local govern-

ment coordinators and made available to New Telegraph by its Director General, Dr. Acho Orabuchi, the BBOG said after a thorough evaluation of all the variables that would impact the governance of Imo State, it came to the conclusion that Ohakim was the best at this critical time. The statement read: “We have organised Imo

State indigenes globally to bring Ikedi Ohakim back to Douglas House to be our governor once again, to complete his tenure for four years. We came to this sound decision that Ohakim will be best for Imo State at this critical time without emotion or affinity, but with a thorough evaluation of all the variables that would impact the governance of Imo State”.

Enugu wins in Rockefeller’s ‘$100m Cities Challenge’ Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

nugu State emerged one of the 35 Cities in the world that won a place yesterday in the Rockefeller Foundation’s “Growing Network of Urban Centers Better Preparing to Respond to 21st

Century Challenges” being funded with an initial $100million commitment by the Foundation. The project initiated by the global charity body is aimed at encouraging growing cities across the world to prepare for rapid urbanization, globalization, climate change and natural and

man-made disasters. The announcement to this effect was made yesterday at an Urban Resilience Summit in Singapore in continuation of the “2014 – 100 Resilient Cities (100RC)” project pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. A report from the summit made available

to newsmen in Enugu yesterday said it was “announced today that 35 cities from around the world have been invited to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network. The announcement was made during The Rockefeller Foundation’s Urban Resilience Summit in Singapore”.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014

Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Police in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, yesterday dislodged protesting aspirants from Rivers State after an 11-hour occupation of the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the protesters. The police team led by Sanusi Buba, after a failed peaceful negotiation with the occupants,

£28,011

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SOUTH-SOUTH

Police arrest Rivers PDP guber aspirants’ supporters applied minimal force to regain the secretariat. Buba, had appealed to the aggrieved aspirants to disperse their supporters, promising to facilitate a meeting between them, the PDP leadership and the police commissioners since, according

to him, the party leadership was afraid to meet with them for fear of attack by suspected thugs. With the appeal falling on deaf ears, the police at about 5.09 p.m, fired several tear-gas canisters at the protesters, and shot several times into the air to disperse the

465

The average weekly salary of Germany’s The number of pending asylum seekers of Bundesliga players in 2013-2014 season. Luxembourg at the beginning of 2010. Source: Soccernet.com Source: Blatantworld.com

protesters. The canopy mounted at the entrance of the gate by the protesters was dismantled, while the police arrested 18 protesters along with the mock coffin brought with them. Speaking to Journalists later, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),

The percentage of the population of men above 60 years in Cape Verde in 2012. Source: Un.org

FCT Command, Peter Okechukwu, however denied that police used force to disperse the protesters. Okechukwu, while admitting that the people have the right to peaceful protest said that such should not breach other person’s fundamental right.

N63.8m

The IGR realized from road taxes of Taraba State in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

L-R: Archbishop Goddowell Awomakpa; Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; Bishop Diamond Emobo and state Chairman, Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Gideon Oyibo, at the dedication of the new exco chambers in Asaba…on Monday.

Jubilation as Obuh’s canditates emerge winners of PDP primaries Dominic Adewole ASABA

ubilation erupted yesterday in the camp of a frontline governorship aspirant, Sir Tony Obuh, as the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) released the results of the last Saturday’s House of Assembly primaries. The primary election was conducted across the 29 constituencies of the state. Consequently, some of the present members of the House, who won the primaries have been presented with their Certificates of Return by the state party chairman, Chief Edwin Uzor. The New Telegraph however gathered that out of the 29 PDP flagbearers, over 25 are in Obuh’s campaign train and are automatic delegates of the party.

Among them are, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya, his deputy, Basil Ganagana, Majority Leader, Monday Igbuya, Deputy Majority Leader, Johnson Erijo, Hon Samuel Mariere, Ughelli North 1, Tim Owhefere, Isoko North, Keston Okoro, Udu, Daniel Mayuku, Warri South West, Dennis Omovie, Warri South 2, Kennedy Daubry, Burutu 2, Dan Yingi, Burutu 1, Friday Osanebi, Ndokwa East, Alphonsus Ojo, Ukwuani, Azuka Azaka, Ndokwa West, Efe Ofobruku, Uvwie, and Mrs Pat Ajudua, Oshimili North. Although, Micheal Diden (Warri North) and a host of others, are coordinating for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa’s governorship ambition, it was clear from all indications that other winners are of the Obuh camp.

Utuama to delegates: Make Delta your focus Gabriel Choba Ughelli

head of the Monday, December 8, Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governorship primaries, the state Deputy Governor Prof Amos Utuama, has appealed to the state delegates to make the interest of the State and its future their focus in picking the party’s governorship candidate. Advising the delegates to be properly guided as they cast their votes for the flag bearer of the party, for the 2015 general election, Utuama, a governorship aspirant, told a large crowd of youths who visited him at his Otu-Jeremi country home yesterday that he was ready to take the state to greater heights. He, however, asked them to go back and prevail on the delegates to make Delta State their focus by voting for competence, experience, character, accountability, integrity and the man they know. “I am very happy to see you and very encouraged by this solidarity visit. I am ready. And together we can build on what is on ground to achieve the Delta State of our dreams. But first, I want to appeal to you all to go back and prevail on the delegates, any one of them that you know, to please make Delta their focus.”

Three APC lawmakers lose seats in Edo Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

hree of the 15 lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 24 member Edo State House of Assembly lost their seats during the party’s primaries held on Tuesday in the state. The lawmakers included Sunday Aghedo (Ovia South West), Ohio

Esomo (Owan West) and Bamidele Oloruntoba (Akoko Edo constituency 2) respectively. It was gathered, that the trio may have lost in the primary election following the failure of the APC leaders and members to heed the plea by Governor Adam Oshiomhole, to the party leaders to allow all the APC lawmakers secure their return back to the house as compensation for their struggle

against the impunity in the house. The Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Victor Edoror and two time former Chairman of Egor Local Government Council of Edo State, Crosby Eribo, emerged candidates of the party at the end of the exercise. The two are expected to fly the APC flag in Esan Central and Egor councils respectively. New Telegraph find-

ings revealed that out of the 14 APC lawmakers after the death of their former colleague, Peter Aliu, representing Etsako East constituency, four are running for the House of Representatives election. Speaking on the election, Oshiomhole, who voted at the Azama Primary School, Jattu, described the primaries of the APC into the House of Assembly in Edo State as peaceful and transparent.

Shot Delta Assembly aspirant recounts ordeal Joe Obende Warri

elta State House of Assembly aspirant, Godspower Etih, who narrowly escaped death in the hands of assassins has said that he was still being targeted for assassination even when has stepped down from the race. Etih was said to have been shot at, several times, by gunmen who trailed him to his family

house on Lower Erejuwa Road/Odibo Street Area of Warri recently. Speaking to New Telegraph in Warri yesterday on his hospital bed, he said he had obediently stepped down when he was prevailed upon to do so, stating that he could not believe that any aggrieved interest would still send assassins on his trail. He, however, said he was still being seen as a threat despite stepping-

down from the race, stating that his political enemies still see his presence as clog in their wheel of progress, which has necessitated the move to eliminate him. “Actually, I had indicated my interest, but when the system said I should back down, I obeyed them. I am a principal actor in that constituency, politically and of course, I was there to implement whatever decision the system I belong decides.

“I was prepared to carry out that decision, till that point that, that incident (the attack) happened. “First, I must say I am overwhelmed and surprised that I am still alive today because when they fired the first shot, I thought it was normal robbery rascality, but when one of them turned round to where I was trying to bury my head and shot at me again, at that point, I knew it was more than what I had thought.”

News

Winners of Plateau APC primaries emerge Buhari Bello Jos

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State has conducted its primary elections into the various state constituencies, in readiness for the 2015 general election. The primaries, which were conducted in three out of the 17 local government areas of the state, were peacefully conducted under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In Jos North Local Government, the primaries were conducted in all the two state constituencies, where incumbent Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan, scored 112 votes and defeated Alhaji Abdulnasir Saleh, Yusuf Muhammad Dankaura, Aminu Ahmad, Hussaini Adam Maishafi, who scored 55, 2, 18 and 8 votes respectively. Hassan is to contest for the Jos North-North state constituency on the platform of the APC for the third time, having done that under the PDP and the Labour Party.

Benue APC bars Ugba Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State yesterday confirmed the exclusion of its defeated governorship candidate in the 2011 general election, Prof. Steve Ugba, from the list of aspirants for next year’s governorship poll. The party said even though the professor has obtained nomination form and has been screened by the party to contest the governorship election, he remains on his own. Chairman of the party, Comrade Abba Yaro, told journalists in Makurdi that the party took the decision to insulate Ugba from the race on the account of the zoning formula, which he said does not favour him. He described his ambition to govern the state as a wild goose chase. Yaro said the party has zoned the position to the MINDA geo-political bloc in the Benue North West senatorial district, where its leader and Senate Minority Leader, Dr. George Akume, hails from.

thursday, december 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

north

green light Court gives party thumbs up over primaries Musa Pam Jos

Federal High Court sitting in Jos, yesterday said it has not restrained the Peoples Dem-

14%

Court: PDP not restrained from conducting primaries ocratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting governorship primaries in Plateau State ahead of the 2015 general election. The presiding judge, Justice Ambrose Allao-

The percentage of population of men above 60 years of Belarus in 2012. Source: Un.org

goa, stated this yesterday during the hearing of a motion filed by nine members of the party against PDP and INEC, seeking an injunction to restrain the party from conducting its primaries. Allaogoa said: “The

750m

The number of individuals using the internet in developed countries in 2008. Source: Itu.int

court has not issued any order stopping PDP primaries in Plateau State,” adding that the substantive matter has nothing to do with equity and time, but the law. He said the matter must be completed before De-

1.96m

The number of people that died due to infectious diarrhoeas in 2001. Source: Unesco.org

cember 8, 2014 to enable the PDP holds its primary election. Justice Allaogoa however, cautioned counsel to the aggrieved persons that he is aware of the substantive matter long before now, but refused to file his suit until now that the governorship primary has been fixed for December 8. He adjourned the case to Friday, December 5, 2014 for adoption of addresses filed by the parties. It will be recalled that Mr. Matthew Datong, Barnabas Rintar, Gurumdiye Depak, Eric Guimwai and five others had approach the court to seek for an order to restrain PDP from processing the forms submitted by gubernatorial candidates in respect of Plateau State, interviewing and screening the forms submitted by the aspirants to the office of the governor.

Council boss urges herdsmen, farmers to embrace education Musa Pam Jos

H L-R: Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Abdul Kayode Yisa; Chairman, Moro Local Govt. Area, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajibola; Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Elder Peter Kisra; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Abubakar Kannike, at the flag-off of the construction of Arobadi- Megida road in Moro, Kwara State…yesterday

IBB’s cousin denied guber form by APC Dan Atori MINNA

gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was yesterday denied the form to run for the gubernatorial race under the party's platform in Niger State. The aspirant, Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu Wushishi, a cousin to former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi

Babangida (IBB), had his supporters with him while protesting his denial by the APC. Addressing journalists in his Tunga home after being denied the form by the party, Wushishi said: “The national executive, states’ executive and local governments or wards, have no right to deny any member of nomination forms.” According to him, “I blame the state APC, because the national leadership is informed by

Suswam: I will floor Gemade at primaries Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

enue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, yesterday said he will defeat the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Barnabas Gemade, ahead of Saturday's primaries of the party. The governor also denied that he has agreed to

step down for the senator for a ministerial appointment as speculated in some quarters. Fielding questions in his office at the Government House shortly after obtaining his new national identity card, Governor Suswam said he is ready for the race and will not betray the confidence the people of Benue North East reposed in him.

the state officials and it is what they are told that they follow. I will only blame the national body if they fail to investigate after the complaints they have received.” He further said: “As one of the founding members of the APC, I have the right to vie and contest under the party. Maybe they are denying me the form because I am over qualified. I personally spoke with the party Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, and he

said they are not in support of the illegality by the state executive. He said: “I have consulted and paid all the charges needed to be paid, yet I was denied the gubernatorial form. I can assure you, that if the APC continues in this manner, I will have no other choice than to cross carpet. “The Labour Party has been pleading with me to come and contest on their platform and for now, I have refused."

Wamakko proposes N112.6bn budget for 2015 Umar Danladi Ado Sokoto

okoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko, has proposed a budget of N112.6 billion for the 2015 fiscal year. The 2015 budget estimates tagged; “Budget of Consolidation and Renewal,” dropped by N13 billion when compared

with last year's N125 billion estimates. Briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state executive council meeting held yesterday, the state Commissioners for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Isah Bajini Galadanci, said the budget was based on the economic indices piloted by the current global oil price fall.

erdsmen and farmers who did not have formal education have been called upon to take advantage of the mass literacy programme of the Federal Government. The Chairman of Pankshin Local Government, Mr. Samuel Goar, made the call yesterday when the Monitoring Officer, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC), Ms. Habiba Haruna, paid him a courtesy call in his office in Pankshin. Goar, who spoke through his Deputy, Mr. Isaya Baltu, admonished the herdsmen and farmers to make the most of the mass literacy programme to acquire education. “When you acquire education, you will do better in taking care of your cattle and crops and make life better for your family members,” he said. He said aside knowledge, “education helps us live in peace with one another in our communities and ward off any infiltration by enemies of progress.” The chairman commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme for the less privileged, giving them the opportunity to acquire education.

NEW TELEGRAPH thursday, december 4, 2014

News 49

national

Allison-Madueke: OPEC will watch crude prices closely Anule Emmanuel

resident, Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Nigeria's Minister of Petroleum, Deziani Allison-Madueke, yesterday disclosed that the organization, under her leadership, will continue to watch carefully the failing crude oil prices with the view to taking strategic interventions to save global economy.

The new OPEC boss also admitted that the current trend in crude prices poses a challenging time for her tenure as President. Diezani stated this when she spoke to State House correspondents shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja. She expressed hope over the stabilization of crude oil prices soon. The OPEC President

said that the issue of fuel subsidy removal was being looked into by the Federal Government. “This is a very challenging time as you know for OPEC and for the global crude oil well as a whole. Quite clearly, there has been a battle of wits between certain OPEC countries, the big players and certain non-OPEC countries, who are big players in the world crude oil production markets at this time."

Diezani noted that "many countries, both OPEC and non-OPEC countries are suffering immensely. Even as we speak, Venezuela has gone into austerity measures and is measuring food because they were completely dependent on oil. "Angola, Algeria, Iran are all under duress as is Nigeria because it has affected our budgetary benchmark. And even non-OPEC countries like

Russia, who will not cut production are already seeing a drop in the value of their currency.” "So it is quite impactful on OPEC prices and what OPEC does in the global oil market. And so, we will be watching very closely as president of OPEC at this time at what point we have to call OPEC Extra Ordinary meeting and reconvene to see whether other strategies can be put into play."

FEC approves N431bn for road projects Anule Emmanuel

he Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a total of N430.5billion for the construction and rehabilitation of 17 roads across the country. Briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, said there were budgetary provisions of N11billion in the Ministry of Works' 2014 Appropriation and N10billion from SURE-P to fund the projects. The balance is expected to be provided for in subsequent budgets. Mohammed, who briefed alongside the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed; Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen; and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Stephen Oru, said council noted with delight that that was a major push in consolidating and implementing National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan in the road sector.

agos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to emulate the Indian Electoral Commission which organises elections for about 800 million Indians without a hitch. Fashola said his grievance over the shoddy performance of INEC was not a personal issue but about the right of every

Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

he Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has said that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) will be fully used to raise the country’s standard of education, noting that no university will survive without research. He also said that education should not be politicized in any form, noting that education projects in federal and state universities across the country were part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. Shekarau, who stated this during a facility tour to the University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, said that the Federal Government has finalized plans to build a state-of-the-art research library in the university. He said that the document to guide the beginning and the completion of the project worth N800 million were available.

Tukur denies taking PDP to court Tunde Oyesina Abuja

The new couple Queenett Nkire and Odunayo Ajayi (middle) with the Groom’s parents, Mr. Adebayo Ajayi and Mrs. Modupe, during their traditional wedding in Abuja. PHOTO:ELIJAHOLALUYI

APC governorship primaries may not hold in Imo Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

head of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) today across the federation, the party may have willfully succumbed to the opposition in Imo State, as no single governorship aspirant has emerged for the party’s governorship primaries

in Imo state. Ironical as it may seem, being an APC controlled state where the governor, Rochas Okorocha had, few months back, boasted that APC will rule Imo for 20 years, pundits had expected a multiplicity of aspirants. Presently, there are no indication that there would be any need for a governorship primaries in Imo State as the usual intrigue, horse-trading and lobbying of delegates

that go with primary elections are totally nonexistent, with no aspirant named yet as contesting for the governorship of Imo State under the APC. It would be recalled, however, that the governor, on January 15, 2014 convened a stakeholders’

registered voter in Lagos to get their Permanent Voter's Card, PVC. Speaking when he received an INEC team which comprised of a National Commissioner, State Commissioner, head of ICT and Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Fashola said until he gets his PVC and other registered voters get theirs, INEC has not done its job. The INEC team, who expressed shock over the missing PVC of the

governor, blamed the mix-up on the loss of fingerprint. But Fashola said during his visit to India recently, he learnt that the Indian system makes voters registration very seamless, less cumbersome and cheaper than it is being done in Nigeria because on a yearly basis, a specific period of time is devoted to updating the register without having to tell people to continually re-register every four years.

meeting in which he literally compelled all his aides nursing political ambition to declare the office they were bidding for, promising to ensure their ambitions were realized. He also assured them his interest was in the presidential election.

Electricity consumers plan nationwide boycott of Nov bill Adeola Yusuf

Fashola to INEC: Emulate Indian electoral system E Muritala Ayinla

Shekarau: TETFUND won’t be politicised

lectricity consumers in Nigeria on Tuesday vowed to boycott the November bills nationwide over what they called exploitation and crazy billing by new power assets owners. This came as Nigerian Electricity Regulating Commission (NERC) vowed to sanction any Electricity Distribution Company that fail to implement the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI). The Consumer Rights Advancement Organisation (CRADO) which led

a protest to a forum organised by the Nigeria Electricity Regulating Commission (NERC) in Lagos, stated that it had lined up a team of attorneys, who would take up a legal battle against any DISCO that disconnects consumers, who join the boycott. President of CRADO, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, who said that pre-paid meters were available in the warehouses of manufacturers, alleged a foul play by distribution firms to rip-off customers with the apathy they display to connection of the meters for customers.

ormer Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday debunked the claim that he took the leadership of the party to court over the appointment of Adamu Mu'azu as the chairman of the party after his resignation. This was just as Aliyu Gurin, who was the plaintiff at the Federal High Court approached the Court of Appeal praying it to reverse the judgement which dismissed his suit wherein he is challenging the appointment of Mu'azu. Justice Evoh Chukwu had on Tuesday dismissed Gubrin's case on ground that he lacked the locus standi to institute such suit. Addressing journalists in Abuja, Tukur, through his counsel, Adamson Adeboro, said he was joined as a defendant in the suit alongside Mu'azu, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC as defendants. He added that he only filed a counter-claim in the suit. "My client, Bamanga Tukur was not the plaintiff in the suit filed to oust Adamu Mu'azu. As a matter of fact, he was joined as 2nd defendant in the suit", Adeboro stated.

WORLD | News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

UN begins inquiry into attacks in Gaza

he United Nations has begun investigating Israeli attacks that hit U.N. facilities during last summer’s Gaza war and how Palestinian militants came to store weapons at several U.N. schools, officials said yesterday. A team of UN investigators arrived in Gaza on Tuesday to conduct the inquiry, three months after the war ended. They had already met with Israeli representatives in Jerusalem. The investigation is expected to last three weeks. “They are visiting the affected sites, they are con-

ducting meetings and interviews with people who were involved,” Robert Turner, the director of operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza told reporters. “It is specifically to look at violations of neutrality of UN installations.” During the July-August conflict, Israeli artillery and tank shells hit at least six UN-run facilities, killing around 30 Palestinian civilians who were sheltering there, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it believed militants were using the facilities as cover to fire rockets into Israel.

Ban Ki-moon

At the same time, several UN schools, all of them closed during the war, were found to

have been used by Hamas militants to store rockets, prompting heavy criticism from Israel. Both Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that dominates Gaza, have said they will cooperate fully with the inquiry, which was established by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, Israel has said it will not cooperate with a separate inquiry being carried out by the UN’s Human Rights Council, which is looking into possible war crimes, saying that it believes the council is biased against Israel. Paul Hirschson, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry,

said Ban’s inquiry was “an authentic investigation with potential for us to improve our performance in the course of conflict and learn from our mistakes”. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said while the group was happy to cooperate with both investigations, Israel should be compelled to submit to the Human Rights Council’s inquiry. “Israel’s selective process to deal with a committee and boycott another is unacceptable and it damages the reputation of the United Nations before anything else,” he said.

11th Sierra Leonean doctor infected with Ebola

health official says another Sierra Leonean doctor has tested positive for Ebola, the 11th from that country to become infected. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Brima Kargbo said yesterday that Dr. Dauda Koroma tested positive for the disease on Tuesday. He is being treated at a military hospital in the capital. Ebola has sickened more than 17,000 people, the majority in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The disease is currently spreading fastest in Sierra Leone, where seven doctors have died of the disease. Health care workers have become infected in large numbers in this outbreak, often working on overfull wards with too few staff and insufficient protection. Nigerian health care workers prepared on Wednesday to deploy to fight Ebola in West Africa, part of the African Union’s promise to send 1,000 desperately needed medical workers by the end of the year. While hundreds of health care

workers have been promised by a handful of AU countries, they have been slow to deploy. So far, 87 African health care workers have gone to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the most-affected countries. The African Union held a send-off ceremony Wednesday for 250 Nigerians, who have been trained by the continental bloc to treat Ebola. Ebola has infected more than 17,000 people, killing about 6,000 of them. While foreign aid has poured in to build treatment centers and provide supplies, there remains a severe shortage of trained medical workers to treat patients. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea all had too few health workers even before the crisis began, and hundreds have become infected during the outbreak. On Wednesday, British actor Idris Elba, along with professional soccer players like Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira, launched radio and TV public service announcements that will be aired throughout the region.

Hong Kong ‘Occupy’ leaders surrender as pro-democracy protests to wither

eaders of Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement surrendered to police yesterday for their role in democracy protests that the government has deemed illegal, the latest sign that the civil disobedience campaign may be running out of steam. Three founders turned themselves in a day after calling on students to retreat from protest sites in the Asia financial center amid fears of further violence, just hours after student leader Joshua Wong had called on supporters to regroup. Pro-Beijing groups taunted Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming as they entered a police station just two subway stops from the main protest site in Admiralty, next to the Chinese-controlled city’s financial center. The three, accompanied by Cardinal Joseph Zen, 82, former Catholic Bishop

of Hong Kong, filled in forms, giving personal information, and were allowed to leave without facing any charges. “I hope we can show others the meaning of the surrender. We urge the occupation to end soon and more citizens will carry out the basic responsibility of civil disobedience, which is to surrender,” said Benny Tai, the most prominent of the Occupy leaders, after he left the police station. Police said 24 people aged between 33 and 82 had surrendered for “taking part in an unauthorized assembly”, and authorities would conduct follow-up investigations based on the information provided. More than 100,000 people took to the streets at the height of the demonstrations but numbers have dwindled to a few hundred, mostly students, and public support has waned as the protests blocked key roads and disrupted business.

Mourners gather outside a mosque to attend the memorial service for Tugce Albayrak, the 23-year-old university student who died after she was attacked in a McDonald’s restaurant parking lot yesterday PHOTO: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

Hundreds attend student’s funeral in Germany

undreds of mourners paid their last respects yesterday to a young woman hailed as a hero, who suffered fatal injuries after intervening to help two teenage girls being harassed by a group of men. Tugce Albayrak had been in a coma since mid-November following an early-morning altercation in Offenbach, near Frankfurt. She died Friday, on her 23rd birthday, after her family gave permission to switch off her life support. Albayrak’s funeral was held outside a mosque in Waechtersbach in central Germany. Her coffin, covered by a green cloth with Arabic script in gold, was placed on

a stone table, flanked by German and Turkish flags. Turkey’s ambassador to Germany and the Hesse state governor also attended the ceremony, conducted in both Turkish and German. The bravery of the Turkish-German woman triggered an outpouring of public sympathy in Germany. The country’s president was among many who have lauded her as a role model. Hundreds of thousands have signed an online petition urging that Albayrak be posthumously awarded a national medal of honor. Albayrak and two friends came to the help of two teenage girls who were being harassed by several young men inside a bathroom in the

McDonald’s at about 4 a.m. on November 15. Later outside, one of the men allegedly hit Albayrak in the head, and she fell to the ground. Preliminary autopsy results were inconclusive about whether the fatal blow was struck by the man or came from hitting the ground. Albayrak, a student at Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, hoped to become a high school German and ethics teacher. Her aunt, Reyhan Kes, told The Associated Press “she was a strong-minded girl. I believe she would have been a perfect teacher.” Albayrak was to be buried in the cemetery of her hometown in Bad SodenSalmuenster, 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Waechtersbach.

Hungary summons US ambassador over McCain’s ‘neofascist’ comment

ungary’s Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. envoy yesterday after U.S. Senator John McCain called Prime Minister Viktor Orban a “neo-fascist dictator”. The United States has become increasingly critical of Orban’s government, accusing him of getting too close to Russia since east-west tensions rose over Ukraine. Hungary’s foreign minister called in Chargé d’Affaires André Goodfriend over McCain’s comments, made in the U.S. Senate during a political spat

over the appointment of Hollywood producer Colleen Bell as U.S. Ambassador in Budapest. McCain, a Republican, told the Senate on Tuesday: “I am not against political appointees... I understand how the game is played, but ... (Hungary) ... is on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neo-fascist dictator, getting in bed with Vladimir Putin, and we’re going to send the producer of ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’ as the ambassador.” Bell has since been approved in the Senate and is expected to

take up her position in Hungary. “The Hungarian Government ... rejects the words of Senator John McCain regarding the Hungarian Prime Minister and the relationship of Hungary and Russia,” Foreign Ministry State Secretary Levente Magyar told national news agency MTI. Noting Orban’s Fidesz party has won parliamentary, European, and local elections, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told MTI: “Hungarian citizens ... articulated a very clear opinion that everyone ought to respect.”

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Sports News

International Sport

Australian cricketer gets emotional farewell

Buffon: Keepers need something exceptional to win Ballon d’Or

EPL move: Enyeama shuns pay cut, bench role

Sport Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles goalkeeper, Austin Ejide, has jumped to the defence of embattled coach of the team, Stephen Keshi, saying the Big Boss should not be crucified for the team’s failure to qualify for the 2015 Africa Nations Cup. The draw for the tournament was held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, yesterday and the defending champions were not in the line-up after they failed to beat South Africa in the last round of the qualifiers at the Uyo International Stadium last month. A serious debate is still on over the continued stay of Keshi as the handler of the team despite this failure because many Nigerians have fingered him as the biggest culprit in the Nations Cup debacle. But Ejide told our correspondent that although a coach takes the praise or the flak for the performance of his team, Keshi did well to galvanise the players in the qualifying series. He said that the coach was utterly disappointed with the result and did his best to rally them to go all out especially in the match against South Africa. “I believe the coach did his best to make sure that we qualify for the championship. He is like a father to all of us and he was very disappointed with the way we played especially the unfortunate result against South Africa. It was so

Interview

Did you know? That in 2004, James Hayter came on as an 84th minute substitute for Bournemouth against Wrexham and scored the fastest Football League hat-trick ever. It took less than 140 seconds

Crucify players, not Keshi –Ejide l Says Eagles failed Nigeria

frustrating that we created chances but the ball refused to go into the net and in football if you have chances and you don’t bury them, then you could get punished for it and that is what I think hap-

pened in that match against South Africa. “We all disappointed Nigerians, because we really wanted to be at the Nations Cup. Although we started badly but after we defeated

Congo, we felt that we had it in our hands but that draw spoiled the whole thing,” he said. He admitted that it was going to be tough for the players to watch AFCON on television saying that it would be more painful when the tournament really gets

underway without the Eagles in action. “Of course, it is going to be tough for us seeing our colleagues playing in the tournament without the defending champions. But it has happened and there is nothing we can do about it than to move on,” he said.

Ejide

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

world best player:

ITTF nominates Quadri

l African champion upbeat on awards Ajibade Olusesan

frica’s number one table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, has described 2014 as the most successful in his career after he was nominated for the International Table Tennis Federation Star Player of the Year Award. The Oyo state-born ping ponger who moved on the world rankings from 237th position in February to

30th in October to become the highest ranked African player in the last 30 years, also got nomination in the star point of the year category. His crucial point against Olympics and World Champion, China’s Jan Zhike, at the World Cup was picked as one of the best. Quadri is vying for the world’s best player award with China’s Xu Xin and Fan Zhendong, who is the

2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist. Also in the race is Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, who is the 2014 European Team Championships winner and the first Portuguese player to be ranked in the top 10 in the world. “These nominations are a big honour to me,” Quadri told our correspondent. “I feel so proud of myself and my country, Nigeria, to be recognised by the in-

ternational table tennis federation. This is certainly one more step higher in my career and it means so much to Nigerian table tennis players and the federation. I am sure it’s going to be some kind of morale booster for the African players.” Although his competitors for the gong are more illustrious, he CONTINUED ON PAGE 53

SPORT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

EPL move: Enyeama shuns pay cut, bench role Emmanuel Tobi

uper Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama has revealed that he would rather stay in France than have a pay cut or sit on the bench in the English Premier League. The Lille of France first choice goalkeeper who is in contention for the 2014 GLOCAF award, added that he couldn’t sacrifice regular football for the glamorous

Enyeama

Tough draw for Ghana, S’Africa l Cameroon, Cote d’ Ivoire in Group D

Ajibade Olusesan

ormer champions, Ghana and South Africa have been handed a tough draw as they will battle with Algeria and Senegal in Group C of the 2015 Africa Nations Cup finals. The draw ceremony was held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, yesterday night with CAF President, Issa Hayatou, and many other football dignitaries on the continent in attendance The pool has been dubbed the Group of Death and it would be interesting to see who will

make it out of the section when the hostilities begin in Equatorial Guinea next January. Perennial rivals, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivouire are also in the same group but the two former champions must prove their worth in Group D alongside dark horses, Mali and Guinea. The hosts, Equatorial Guinea, were handed a relatively weak draw after they were pooled in Group A with Congo, Gabon and Burkina Faso 2012 champion, Zambia are in in Group B with DR Congo, Cape Verde and 2004 champions, Tunisia.

Obafemi makes MLS best 11

igeria International Obafemi Martins continued to make tremendous strides in his career, when he was selected for the Major League Soccer All Stars this week. Martins, who plays for the Seattle Sounders, has contributed significantly to their highly successful campaign, where the club finished at the top of the Major League Soccer Supporters Shield standings. As a result, the club also earned the numberone ranking ahead of the play-offs, where they were knocked out by the LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup semi-finals. Nevertheless, Martin’s statistics, throughout the

Obafemi

season, spoke for themselves. The Nigerian was the top goal-scorer for the Sounders, finishing the season with 17 goals. He also completed the most successful assists for the Sounders and was among the leading shot takers throughout the campaign. The Best XI, as the Americans call it, recognises the league’s top 11 players on the field - one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards. The forward started 29 of his 31 appearances in 2014 and accumulated 2,600 minutes, and Sounders FC never lost or drew a game out of the 12 in which Martins scored.

EPL football. “I still have two more years left on my contract at Lille, but if I must move, it has to be something special, not for nothing,” he said in an interview. “I won’t take a pay cut or sit on the bench because I want to play in the EPL because I’m a winner, a competitor.” Meanwhile, Enyeama has congratulated Algerian midfielder, Yacine Brahimi after coming second in the 2014 BBC African Footballer of the

2015 AFCON GROUPINGS Group A Equatorial Guinea Congo Gabon Burkina Faso

Group B Zambia DR Congo Cape Verde Tunisia

Group C Ghana South Africa Senegal Algeria

Group D Cote d’Ivoire Cameroun Guinea Mali

Year award. The 24-year-old FC Porto winger beat Enyeama to the BBC award with a record number of votes that were submitted from fans in 207 Fifa-registered countries. “I want to say a big thank you to everyone that made a shout out for me, that voted for me for the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2014. God bless you all very well, and congratulations to the Algerian guy, Yacine Brahimi, who won it,” said Enyeama.

Nigeria coaches congress for Dec 29 Charles Ogundiya

he 2014 edition of the Annual General Congress of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association will hold on December 29, in Abuja, according to a release by the leadership of the body. In a release signed by the General Secretary of the Association, Solomon Ogbeide, two delegates are expected to represent each state and the FCT. The release read in part “this is to inform all the Chapters of Nigeria Football Coaches Association that the Annual General Congress of the Association is slated for December 29, 2014. “Please note that the state chapters are to sponsor only their chairmen and secretaries or their accredited representatives.”

Dolphins through to quarters despite loss Ifeanyi Ibeh

Arowosafe Tinuke

olphins of Nigeria, on Wednesday, in the Tunisian city of Sfax, suffered their first loss at the on-going FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup for Women, losing 79-59 to Interclube of Angola. This was despite the heroics of the trio of Amaka Nwakamma, Kodjo Nadege and Bintu Bhadmus, who combined for 41 points and 22 rebounds. Dolphins guard, Nwakamma, scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds, while her 6’5 Togolese teammate, Nadege, scored a game high 26 points. She also had six rebounds; half the number

Malta Guinness unveils ‘Game On’ campaign remium malt drink, Malta Guinness, has unveiled a P new reality television show, Malta Guinness Game On. The programme will serve as a platform for the nation to have a say and decide on which passion – football or fashion – will take Nigeria further. The debate has been on ever since fashion designer, Lanre Da-Silva Ajayi and former Nigeria international, Daniel Amokachi, made claims about the supremacy of their respective career paths on a talk show, Moments with Mo. Speaking about the development Malta Guinness Nigeria marketing manager, Uche Onwudiwe, said that the brand has passionately helped Nigerians express their ambitions and creativity at different times with projects such as the Malta Guinness Street Dance, among others. He added that the brand has yet again decided to explore the core of the Nigerian people with these two intriguing passions. “The brand will be facilitating these tough conversations by playing the role of an impartial umpire with fashion icon, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, and football legend, Daniel Amokachi, acting as captains of the two teams whilst giving the public a chance to vote and decide,” he added.

of boards picked up by the Nigerian team’s centre, Bintu Bhadmus, who had a game high 12 rebounds. But their displays on the court weren’t enough to get the better of the tournament’s defending champions, who finished first in Group B, ahead of second-placed Dolphins, having, like Dolphins, also won all of their previous three games at the eight-team tournament. Inspired by the inspirational play of American-born former WNBA star, Sequoia Holmes, who scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, the Angolans finished the opening quarter in front 26-19 before ending the half with a 41-29 lead.

Rufai banks on Copa Lagos to re-launch Stationary Stores

echnical Adviser of Lagos-based Stationery Stores, Peter Rufai, has said the participation of the club in this year’s edition of the COPA Lagos will afford the team the opportunity to rejuvenate their fans base both locally and internationally. The former Super Eagles goalkeeper described the competition tagged FC Barcelona Challenge as opportunity to reconnect with their supporters after years of absence from competitive football. Rufai said ‘Up Flaming of Lagos’ as the club was known in the past. It is a household name in Nigeria and the Diaspora. To boost their chances of winning the trophy, the team has intensified preparation as they participated in the one-day Eko Beach Soccer fiesta over the weekend. Copa Lagos kicks off on December 12, 2014.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT 53

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

or tmund’s chief executive, HansJoachim Watzke, has dismissed talk that Borussia Dortmund have an agreement with Real Madrid offering them first refusal on Marco Reus. Reports in the Spanish media had surfaced suggesting that Real will be given priority by the German club. Reus is currently out injured with an ankle ligament problem and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for the 25-year-old earlier this week. But Watzke was

Dortmund: No Reus agreement with Real Madrid quick to rubbish any speculation of an agreement with the Spanish giants, although Reus’ contract does include a buyout clause - reportedly set at €25 million which comes into effect next season. “This is complete

side has made to their home shirts is the amount of vertical stripes on the shirt over the years - their first ever kit was red and blue halves in 1899, a kit that came back in the 2008/09 season the season when the team won the European cup for the third time in their history. Sport, the Spanish paper reported that the new kit has already been approved by the club president, Josep Bartomeu, following a secret meeting between Barcelona and the kit manufacturer Nike. “The company that equips FC Barcelona needed an innovative design because sales are down when the design is very similar to the previous year.”

Australian cricketer gets emotional farewell

nonsense that there is an option right agreement,” Watzke told Bild. “Marco alone will decide where he will go. “If he decides to make use of the clause there is nothing we can do.”

Barcelona to change home kit

panish giants, Barcelona, have been rumoured to adopt a horizontally striped home kit for the first time in their 115-year history, the Spanish newspaper Sport reports. The only change that the Catalan

Reus

Injured Khedira out of hospital R

eal Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has been released from hospital after spending a night under observation due to a concussion sustained in Tuesday’s King’s Cup game at home to Cornella. Khedira collided with Cornella midfielder David Garcia shortly after halftime at the Bernabeu and after playing on for a few minutes the German international had to come off and was replaced by Jese. “After neurological tests conducted on Sami Khedira ... the player has been released,” the European champions said on their website on Wednesday.

ustralia cricket captain Michael Clarke broke down in tears as he paid tribute to a friend and teammate Phillip Hughes at the batsman’s funeral. Hughes, 25, died last week after being hit by a ball during a match in Sydney. His death stunned Australia and the funeral was broadcast live to millions of people on national television and on big screens in major cities. During the 80-minute service, Clarke said: “Phillip’s spirit, which is now part of our game forever, will act as a custodian of the sport we all love. “We must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on” Joining the parents of Hughes, Greg and Virginia, and his siblings, Jason and Megan, were Clarke and Sean Abbott, the bowler whose delivery caused the fatal injury to Hughes. Former Australia internationals Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh and Justin Langer were also among the mourners. They were joined by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and cricketing legends from around the world, including former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee and West Indies batsman Brian Lara. Jason and Megan Hughes also read letters to their brother.

Gregory Hughes (front), the father of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, crying as he carries his son’s casket past mourners during his funeral service

Onaolapo targetsfirst Rackets& Bats win inItalianleague T

Federer is the greatest ever, says Nadal’s uncle

with Ajibade Olusesan 07065377853

able tennis sensation, Ojo Onaolapo, is targeting his club’s first win in the on going Italian league as Cagliari Table tennis club confront Sterilgada club next week. Cagliari lost their opening match in the first week of the league to Roma table tennis club, and the player has urged his teammates to rise up to the occasion as they face Sterilgada on December 12. “We lost our first match 4-2 to Roma and it was so painful. Personally I did my best to help my club but ‘a tree cannot make a forest’. I won my own match but some of my teammates lost theirs. All of us are not happy about this and we have resolved to work hard and win our other games. We have to start with the one against Sterilgada and I am certain we are going to be successful in this one,” he said. He had told our correspondent that he could lead his team to the league

title after he emerged the best player in Italy last month and he still retains that optimism despite the opening week loss.

“Of course we can still win the league despite the fact that I was not happy with what we did in our first match,” he said.

World best player: ITTF nominates Quadri

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51

believes he could still nick it ahead of them. He urged sports fans to go to 2014 ITTFStarAwards.com. to vote for him. “Nothing is impossible. I know I can win it with fans support around the world. Their votes will take me there because I can’t do it alone,” he said. Nominees for the female star of the year are China’s

Ding Ning, 2014 ITTF Women’s World Cup winner and world number one; Feng Tianwei of Singapore, Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan and China’s Liu Shiwe. According to a statement released by the ITTF, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, the awards ceremony will hold in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on January 7, 2015.

NPA Tennis Open enters quarterfinal T he on-going Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA National Tennis Open reach its crucial stage today with places in the semi-final up for grabs. In some of the second round matches played yesterday at the N5.7m prize money-event holding at the Package B centre of the National Stadium in Abuja, Clifford

Enosoregbe defeated Ikechukwu Iloputa 6-1, 6-2 while Henry Atseye fought to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Taiwo Owolabi. Emmanuel Idoko also put paid to the ambition of Etim Ekanem with a 6-3, 6-3 victory just as Candy Idoko ousted Nonso Madueke, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in a nervy encounter. Junior sensation, Joseph Imeh,

Onaolapo

also did a quick-fire double against Emmanuel Sunday with a 6-3, 6-2 win and he is joined by Sylvester Emmanuel who outsmarted John Botu 6-4, 6-1 while Hamidu Abdullahi is a 7-5,6-3 winner against Chukwuma Abaa In the Women’s Singles, Osareimen Airhunwunde walloped Blessing Anuna 6-2, 6-2, as Christie Agugbom whipped Rita Obasogie, 6-0, 6-1.

oni Nadal, lifelong coach and uncle to Rafael Nadal, has risked his nephew’s wrath by saying Roger Federer should be considered the best player of all time. Federer has won a record 17 grand slam singles titles and finally ended his wait for a Davis Cup earlier in November. Nadal is currently three behind his great rival with 14 grand slam crowns to his name, but his uncle is of firm opinion that Federer is “the best in history.” Nadal Snr told Spanish radio station Cadena COPE: “I think he is [the best of alltime], the numbers say so. “Federer is the best in the history of the game alongside Rod Laver and, unfortunately for us, it is like that.” Despite Federer’s grand slam dominance, Nadal has often come out better when the pair have met on court; Nadal holds a 23-10 record in his favour. But his uncle said: “I don’t know why that is. Federer’s game doesn’t affect Rafael as much. In any case, one is the best for the titles they win. “Federer has won 17 grand slams, Rafael has won 14. He was number one for five years, Rafael for three.”

SPORT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buffon: Goalies need something exceptional to win Ballon d’Or

Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon in this interview with FIFA.com gives tips on how to win the top prize at the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2014 Gala.Only one goalkeeper, Lev Yashin of the USSR in 1963 has ever won France Football’s Ballon d’Or award.

Manuel Neuer, Inset: Buffon

When you think of the FIFA Ballon d’Or, what goes through your mind? It’s a very important award for a player because it’s the greatest and most symbolic recognition of our work. It is the ultimate goal you can achieve in the game, because global recognition is something that makes you proud, and tells you that you will be in the football history books forever. In 2006 you came second behind Fabio Cannavaro in the

voting for France Football’s Ballon d’Or, which in those days was awarded to the best player in Europe. How important was that to you? Well, no one remembers second place, especially in sport. Of course I was proud, because coming second was the result of great sacrifices and victories as a team. But in the end, if you don’t win, second place is not really important. Fabio won because he deserved it more. The only time a goalkeeper

won the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in Europe was in 1963, when Lev Yashin claimed the prize. Why is it so difficult for a goalkeeper to win? It’s not just that it’s difficult, but there are also historical situations and moments that end up deciding these awards. Yashin was certainly exceptional, one of the greats, but I think the fact that he came from a country about which people knew little helped. At that time, there were players people had

heard a lot about, but had only seen play a few times. I think this mystery added to the legend that surrounded them. Although, of course, to win the Ballon d’Or, you have to have something special in comparison with the rest. For a goalkeeper to win the award today something truly exceptional has to happen. Often the prize doesn’t go to the best player, but to the player who has won more games, and who was most decisive in those victories. So perhaps a goalkeeper will win the Ballon d’Or when he helps his team become world champions by winning four games in a row on penalties and saving every spot-kick (laughs). That way no one can overlook him! But something really remarkable needs to happen.

If you were to choose the FIFA Ballon D’Or award winner in 2014, what criteria would you use? For me the best player unless something very surprising happens, like someone has a really wonderful individual season – should make an important contribution to his own history and trajectory, to the level of performance that he has always produced. If he was considered a phenomenon

when he was younger, for example, he has to fulfil and maintain that expectation. That will lead to a deserved winner. And in your opinion, who will win? Probably [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Even if he hadn’t won the UEFA Champions League, the player who is the best at a particular moment should be rewarded. Ronaldo – in addition to having a splendid career and maintaining a high level of performance over a long period – has done something exceptional over the last two years, and deserves the recognition. That said, I still think that [Lionel] Messi is the best overall, because when he is 100 per cent, he is simply sublime to watch. But there is not much difference between the two: they are playing at such a high level that if one drops just a little, the other will overtake him. And what Ronaldo did this year was beautiful to behold: incredibly decisive and professional. You realise that he has the right mind-set, and is working towards goals that he sets himself. In the end, people who stand out so deservedly, thanks to their hard work and sacrifice, should be rewarded.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Test of will and might I

t was 2007. The governorship stanza of the general election was just a few months away. In Lagos, the election had rekindled the old rivalry between the ruling Action Congress (AC), which later metamorphosed into Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before it morphed a few years later with other opposition parties in Nigeria into the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, an astute politician who has proved his mettle in politics as an acute strategist and a dogged fighter, was winding down as Lagos State governor after eight years in office. He needed somebody he could trust to succeed him. It was a task Tinubu knew he could not bungle. It was a task that he could not allow anybody to execute for him. There was just so much at stake should he make the wrong choice. In Nigeria’s peculiar environment, handing over power to an ‘enemy’ is akin to signing your jail sentence, if not death warrant. You need somebody to watch your back and keep the anti-graft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) away from your doors. The fact is that no matter how hard a top public officeholder tried in Nigeria, there will always be some misdeeds to hang him with. None could be as clean as a whistle. And that chink in the armour is what opponents need to whip him in line. Besides, every governor or president wants an ally to succeed him to protect his legacy. That may not conform to ethos of democracy, as some purists will argue, but is democracy not a political system that reflects the socio-economic and political culture of the people? That is why there has never been any agreement from Washington, regarded as the precursor of modern democracy, to India, the world’s largest democracy, on the best way to practise the political system bequeathed to mankind around 508–507 BC by Athens’ Cleisthenes, historically referred to as “the father of Athenian democracy.” But in Nigeria, especially since 1999 when democracy returned after about three decades of military hiatus, outgoing governors and president have always tried to influence the choice of who succeeds them. However, it has not always been a profitable venture for the godfathers as they and their godsons are soon set apart by ambitions and clashes of will. The political landscape is littered with stories of godfathers falling apart with their godsons. Ask former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani and his outgoing successor, Mr. Sullivan Chime. Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has his tale to tell with his former Chief of Staff, Chief Theodore Orji, who won election while in prison custody. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will eternally rue his misfiring by intervening in the process for the emergence of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as a successor in 2007. His relationship with the late Yar’Adua’s successor, President Goodluck Jonathan, a man for whom he rigged the process so that he could emerge the deceased president’s running mate at the PDP convention, is as cordial as that between the United States President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. So, Tinubu was in search of a trust ally who could do the two essential

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Tinubu

Fashola

tasks: carry on with the legacy of his administration and watch his back. Despite the array of aspirants, majority of them from his cabinet jockeying to succeed him, the Lion of Bourdillon, a befitting testament to his political acumen, settled for a dark horse. Mr. Babatunde Fashola, despite being Tinubu’s chief of staff from August 16, 2002 to November 6, 2006, was hardly known outside Tinubu’s office, where he was

dubbed Commissioner for Governor’s Office. He had been drafted into the race amidst opposition from members of Tinubu’s kitchen cabinet such as a former Commissioner for Physical Planning, Mr. Hakeem Gbajabiamila. Many of them jumped ship and sought to actualise their ambition on the platform of other parties. On that day in 2007, it was the task of four journalists, yours sincerely inclusive, to interact with Fashola to get a feel of the man to be saddled with the onerous task of running unarguably, Nigeria’s most complex state for the next four years, if he wins the election. At a meeting fixed for the interaction, which was part of a campaign to shape public perception about him, we gathered inside a small hall at Planet One, Maryland, Lagos and talked into the wee hours of the morning. Although he looked fatigued, having come to the meeting from the political circuit, that did not dampen his fervour. He spoke passionately about his vision for Lagos and how he intended steering the state towards a brighter future. The quartet left Fashola with an unmistakable impression that perhaps, Asiwaju might be right in his choice. Eight years down the line, there is no doubt that Tinubu made the right choice. No matter whatever anybody may say, Fashola has become the poster boy for Nigerian governors, majority of who have performed underwhelmingly despite the resources available to them. But if he was right in having the last word on his successor, will he allow Fashola to also play the same role now that he is in the twilight of his administration? That is the moral dilemma the APC is facing in Lagos State. Despite efforts to downplay the disagreement between the duo on who flies the party’s

Eight years down the line, there is no doubt that Tinubu made the right choice. But if he was right in having the last word on his successor, will he allow Fashola to also play the same role now that he is in the twilight of his administration? That is the moral dilemma the APC is facing in Lagos State

flag for the 2015 governorship election, they are not on the same page. While Tinubu has mobilised party leaders and other critical stakeholders for former Accountant General of the state, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Fashola, after several attempts to overcome Asiwaju’s efforts to run his candidates out of the race, has settled for his former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Supo Sashore. But in this unfair competition, at which the competency of the two APC aspirants will not determine who wins, Ambode is in pole position because of Tinubu’s backing. As the party holds its governorship primaries today, victory seems skewed against Sashore in this proxy war. What had worked for Fashola that made him such a top performer in public office to have made London’s The Telegraph to describe him as “the man who tamed Nigeria’s most lawless city,” is his greatest undoing in his current bid to replicate Tinubu’s 2006 feat. With his disdain for the nitty-gritty of how to play party politics in Nigeria, which largely depends on a generous dispensing of patronage and cut-throat competition among party members seeking favour, he was able to singularly focus on governance. In his queer division of labour, he left party politics to Tinubu, a master of the game. However, his strength then has emerged the major weakness which Asiwaju has exploited in this test of will and might. That is why many Asiwaju’s supporters have argued that in this case, what was sauce for Tinubu, who charted his own path as governor that made it easy for him to throw up Fashola, may not be sauce for the governor. But if the plot of the Fashola’s camp succeeds, Tinubu may have his way at a great cost. Ambode’s expected victory today may just be a pyrrhic triumph. With the power of such an influential incumbent like Tinubu behind him, Fashola did not only get the AC’s ticket, he survived PDP’s desperation to make history in the state with a win of the governorship poll. How far Ambode can go without Fashola’s support depends on how Tinubu’s manages the crushing defeat he is set to inflict on his protégé. Already, there are whispers of a possible re-enactment of the 1993 dirty fight for Lagos governorship position among aspirants of the now defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) that pitted Chief Dapo Sarunmi against the now late Prof. Femi Agbalajobi. Although Agbalajobi won the ticket, the party was badly divided that in an act of vengeance, party members were mobilised to vote for National Republican Convention candidate, Chief Michael Otedola, now deceased. Waiting in the wing to reap from APC’s festering crisis is the PDP, which badly needs to win Lagos that has eluded it since the rebirth of democracy in 1999, even if to prove a point. All in all, the crisis of confidence between the duo calls to question the surrogate democracy that we have so perfected as a political culture. It is not about any particular party because the PDP has a surfeit of crises arising from this culture of manipulated imposition of candidates that is made under the guise of party members exercising their franchise. Whichever way it goes today, for APC, the die is cast.

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OPEC presidency, Alison-Madueke and PDP’s gaffe

hen are we going to change for the better in this country? When are we going to elevate national interest above individual selfish idiosyncracies? When are Nigerians going to stop embarrassing Nigeria in the comity of nations? For years, the right choices to ensure the growth of the economy have been relegated to the background and mediocrity elevated to a national policy. Why do Nigerians do the same thing over and over and expect a different result? Mundane things are being celebrated and millions of hapless Nigerians are always at the receiving end. That is why a governor will dig borehole and count it as an achievement with advertisements in newspapers. That ours is an import-driven economy is a fact which is not subjected to any analysis or debate. That is why Nigerian officials are jittery with the ongoing free fall of the Naira because of the declining crude oil price in the international market. What is known as the real sector (manufacturing) is almost dead in the country. Who will revive this sector when electricity is comatose? Most people who refer to themselves as businessmen in this country are actually traders and importers. That is why we have crude oil but we import refined products. Which serious country will leave its citizens at the mercy of market forces? For decades, misinformation has been the strong weapon used by the government to confuse Nigerians. But, can this and lies defeat the truth? That is why I find what happened last week in the oil sector intriguing. What are the lies surrounding the presidency of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) given to Nigeria last week? What is the truth? Last Thursday, Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke, was elected as OPEC President at the 166th ordinary meeting of the oil body in Vienna, Austria. As the current Alternate President of the body, she becomes the first female to head the oil cartel and will assume office in January 2015, succeeding Abdourhman Atahar Al-Ahirish, Libya’s Vice Prime Minister for Corporations. Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar and Head of its delegation was elected as Alternate President. This was the same Alison-Madueke nominated by the Federal Government in June for the post of Secretary-General of the organisation to succeed the incumbent, Abdullah al-Badri, whose tenure ends this month. She lost. It is not the first time a Nigerian will be elected as OPEC president, a ceremonial position. The first Nigerian to be elected to the position, after a meeting in Lagos in 1972, was Shettima Ali Monguno, followed by Malam Yahaya Dikko (1981), Dr. Rilwan Lukman (1986), Prof. Jibril Aminu (1991), Dr. Chu S.P. Okongwu (1992), Dr. Dan Etete (1998)

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Mrs. Alison-Madueke

Metuh

and Dr. Edmund Daukoru (2005). The OPEC President is elected by the Conference and serves for a period of one year. He/she presides over meetings of the Conference in the course of his/her Presidency. Also elected by the Conference is the Alternate President who exercises the responsibilities of the President during his/her absence, or when he/ she is unable to carry out responsibilities. The position of Alternate President was introduced in 1978 at the 51st meeting of the Conference. According to the laws governing the cartel, the Secretary-General is the boss, not the President. As the Chief Executive Officer, the Secretary-General runs the affairs of the organisation. Four Nigerians were SecretariesGeneral – M.O. Feyide, Lukman, Daukoru and Mohammed Barkindo. That Alison-Madueke is going to be the first woman President in January is commendable but that is where it stops. What I read since last week does not portray Nigeria as a country desirous of projecting its image globally. It was as if the moment she assumes the presidency next year, Nigeria will become a first class country, a country to be emulated by others. What has Alison-Madueke’s OPEC presidency got to do with our country and economy? I still don’t know because anyone celebrating OPEC Presidency is like celebrating the chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Because it is rotational, OPEC Presidency goes to one of the member countries periodically, not an

individual. Majority of the countries have organised their home fronts and the presidency is just a title they may accept or reject. Of all the OPEC countries, none is run the way our leaders run this country. Let Nigeria be given the OPEC presidency forever, it still will not change anything. So, why are we deceiving ourselves, jumping needlessly as if with the OPEC presidency, all roads in the country will become motorable, insecurity will cease to exist, medical care will be given a priority, all willing youths will be employed, there will be free housing for all and education will be free at all levels? I am surprised some Nigerians are already singing the praises of the Petroleum Minister to high heavens for clinching the presidency, a position that is ceremonial and rotational. Because of the turn-by-turn formula among member-countries, if a Gabriel Akinadewo is the Petroleum Minister and it is the turn of Nigeria to assume presidency of the cartel, Gabriel Akinadewo automatically becomes the OPEC president. In another year, it is the turn of another country and the individual representing it becomes the president. Lukman, Aminu, Daukoru and others were OPEC presidents. Lukman was even Secretary-General. Did their presidencies contribute anything to, or change, our economy? Will OPEC presidency change Nigerians’ attitude to national development? I am sure many Nigerians were scandalised with the statement from the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, on the OPEC presidency

when he noted that Alison-Madueke’s election “is a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration by the international community”. “Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s election as first OPEC female president was as a result of her determined growth of the Nigerian operational capacity and local content in exploration and production, particularly through the facilitation and approval of largescale divestments by oil majors to indigenous companies. This is indeed part of the many landmark achievements of the exemplary government of President Goodluck Jonathan.” Moreover, as a leading exporter of oil, Nigeria is now advantageously positioned to contribute and help shape major decisions in the global oil market. Indeed, the decision by the OPEC member nations to hand the task of presiding over their affairs to a prominent cabinet member in our government speaks volumes of the trust reposed in us by the international community. The nation’s economy now ranks as one of the fastest growing in the world. Nigeria has become a top investment destination, the largest economy in Africa as well as the 26th largest economy in the world, with Nigerians and Nigerian businesses excelling in all critical sectors of the global economy. Since the signing into law of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act by President Jonathan, our Government has, among other achievements in the sector, increased the level of indigenous Nigerian participation in upstream and downstream activities by over 45 per cent, thereby increasing employment opportunities for our youth. Our government has also succeeded in eliminating long queues at our fuel stations through regular and sustained product supply, which is a demonstration of our commitment to the well being of our citizens. Today, gas infrastructure for the gas-to-power and gas-to-industry is being aggressively put in place. Over 450 kilometres of gas pipelines have been installed in the last three years with another 2,000 kilometres planned over the next four years”. What exactly is PDP celebrating? Will Metuh’s statement on the OPEC presidency remove the serious danger lurking around with the ceaseless spate of bombing in parts of the country? Since Friday last week, thousands of Nigerians have been killed in a war that nobody understands. If you do not believe that Nigeria is in the throes of life-threatening crisis, how do you explain the killing of Michael Anyiam-Osigwe a few days ago? A man with an extensive local and global connection and a friend to many presidents and prime ministers, he was killed like a chicken by armed robbers near Okada Junction, OreBenin Expressway in broad daylight. Will OPEC presidency restore our sanity in this country?

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