Binder1 26 august, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 189

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Chidoka orders staff audit in aviation agencies Wole Shadare

taff of agencies in the aviation sector have been gripped with fear of possible job losses following a directive by the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, for a

fresh audit to ascertain the number of workers in the various agencies and to see whether they were properly engaged. According to a source, Chidoka said the staff audit was necessary to repositioning the agencies.

The ministry had last week sent out forms with the title: ‘Update/Review of Staff Nominal Roll of Agencies,’ which advised all staff to input their bio data in preparations for the staff audit. The source added that

the essence of the staff audit was for the ministry to know the exact number of staff in each agency and their qualifications, among others. After the filling of the forms, all the workers were required to submit the doc-

uments to their Heads of Department for approval. Although, most of the workers were yet to return their forms to the ministry as at yesterday, some of them feared that the exercise could claim their CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

boko haram

480 soldiers ‘flee’ war zone to Cameroun

lThey were on ‘tactical retreat,’ says Defence Headquarters Emmanuel Onani, Ibrahim Abdul and Dan Atori

ome 500 soldiers were yesterday reported to have fled to Cameroun as fierce fighting broke out between troops and Boko Haram militants in Borno State. The troops were said to have fled their duty posts in Gamboru Ngala and Banki towns into Camer-

oun following Boko Haram attacks on the communities. Both Gamboru Ngala and Banki towns share international boundaries with Cameroun Republic that all witnessed a series of deadly attacks in recent times, including the massacre of over 300 traders in Gamboru Main Market early this year. The attack on Gam-

boru Ngala came after the town was almost entirely destroyed in May in a devastating assault that also left more than 300 people killed and prompted outrage at the lack of military response. Many local residents sought refuge across the border in the north Cameroun town of Fotokol, where troop reinforceCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Ekweremadu: Confab’s recommendation won’t produce new states lSays Jonathan should decide what to do with report Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

ew states may not be created so soon notwithstanding the recommendation of the

Court restrains FG from sacking doctors

just-concluded National Conference for 18 additional states, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has said. Ekweremadu told reporters on Sunday in

lagos

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Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on the sideline of the South-East zonal meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that what the conference had done was to forge consensus on state creation. According to him, state creation has a constitutional process that must be followed and the decision of the National ConferCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

President Goodluck Jonathan arriving at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja after a private visit to Germany...yesterday. Photo: Timothy Ikuomenisan

Tony Elumelu returns to UBA as chair

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Impeachment: Panel submits report on Enugu dep governor to Assembly lNasarawa Assembly suspends Al-Makura’s ouster bid Uwakwe Abugu and Cheke Emmanuel

he seven-man impeachment panel which looked into allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office brought against the deputy governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, yesterday submitted its report to the State House of Assembly. A source at the Assembly told New Telegraph that the legislators are likely to commence consideration of the recommendations of the panel today when the House reconvenes after the last adjournment. Presenting the report

yesterday, chairman of the panel, Mr. Uchenna Oraekeyi, explained that the report was in three volumes. He specified that the Volume One contains findings of the panel; Volume Two carries proceedings of the panel while Volume Three contains the recommendations of the panel. It was not possible for any of our sources contacted yesterday to give an inkling of what the panel recommended. The three volumes of the report were handed over to the Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odo, in his office. Not even members of the Assembly were present during the brief

ceremony which started at 10a.m. yesterday. The panel chairman had come with the rest members of the panel. The speaker, who spoke after the report was presented to him, commended the panelists for discharging their duty and for submitting the report within the time frame allotted to the assignment. He told them that the legislators would conclude deliberations within 14 days from yesterday and that it is during the consideration of the report that members would determine either to adopt

or reject the panel’s recommendations. Meanwhile, there were indications yesterday that the Nasarawa State House of Assembly has suspended the impeachment of Governor Tanko Al-makura pending the outcome of the probe of the state Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Diko, by the National Judicial Council (NJC). The House had after its sitting penultimate week, petitioned the NJC over Justice Dikko’s alleged partisanship in constituting the seven-man panel that investigated

Al-makura. Though efforts by New Telegraph to confirm the development from the Clerk of the House, Ego Maikeffi, was unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Security, Mohammed Baba Ibaku, who spoke on the issue, said the House will stay action on the impeachment pending the outcome of its petition. Ibaku also said the Assembly was not in receipt of any report from the seven-man panel that recently cleared Governor Al-makura of allegations of gross misconduct lev-

elled against him. According to him, the House does not have any business to do with a report of an illegal panel constituted by the state Chief Judge. His words: “We can’t receive any paper from that illegal panel. We have petitioned the NJC and it has commenced probe into our petition, so there is no way we can accept the report of an illegal panel that was constituted by Chief Judge.” The House failed in its bid to impeach Al-makura on August 3, when the panel constituted by Justice Dikko cleared the governor of all the 16-count charges levelled against him, but shortly after, the lawmakers sat and disbanded the panel, directing the Chief Judge to re-constitute the panel on the ground that the former panel was partisan.

480 soldiers ‘flee’ Borno to Cameroun CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ments were being sent, a security service source told AFP. The soldiers are currently in the Camerounian town of Maroua, about 80km from the Nigerian border, the country’s Army spokesman, Lt Col Didier Badjek, told the BBC. But the Defence Headquarters faulted the claim that the soldiers fled the battlefield, saying they were on ‘tactical retreat.’ Before yesterday controversial report of the soldiers fleeing from the battle field, some of them had complained of being poorly equipped to face the insurgents. Wives of troops in Borno State had recently embarked on a protest calling on the military authorities to properly kit their husbands before deploying them to the battlefield. “The soldiers fled after a fierce battle with Boko Haram insurgents along Banki border area. ‘’The soldiers who were over powered and rattled by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, had no option but to sneak into our country, Cameroun. ‘’They were disarmed by our soldiers, before taking to a neighbouring city of Maroua,’’ a resident of Tinyer, Ahmadou Buoba, said. According to a report in a local radio monitored in Yola yesterday, the soldiers had been disarmed and were now being accommodated in schools while others were rushed to Maroua for safekeeping. Reacting to the claim, the Defence Headquarters

explained that the soldiers accused of fleeing were on a “tactical retreat.” A statement posted on the official website of the DHQ by its spokesman, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, stated that, having withdrawn into a Camerounian town, the soldiers voluntarily surrendered their weapons, in a tradition that shows they were not on a “hostile mission”. “The Nigerian troops that were found in Cameroun were as a result of a sustained battle between the troops and the terrorists around the borders with Cameroun which saw the Nigerian troops charging through the borders in a tactical manoeuvre. “Eventually they found themselves on Camerounian soil. Being allies the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission. “Following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Camerounian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria. “The reference to the incidence as a defection is therefore not appropriate considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe. “Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through GamCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu (left) presenting a copy of New Telegraph to a business mogul, Chief Arthur Eze, in Enugu… at the weekend.

Jonathan should decide what to do with report CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ence will not create states. “You should know the technicalities of state creation. It is not a matter of sitting down in one place and saying you have created states because this is not a military era. There are constitutional requirements and you have to pass through those rigours,” he stated. The National Conference, while considering the report of the Standing Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government on July 3, had approved in principle the creation of 18 states, in a bid to promote equity and parity among the geo-po-

litical zones and to ensure equality of zones. Ekweremadu also said President Goodluck Jonathan was the one to decide what to do with the report of the National Conference and not the National Assembly. He added that the call for the National Assembly to work with the presidency to ensure that the recommendations are implemented was unnecessary, adding: “It is up to the president to decide on what to do with the document.” On his lingering political difference with Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, Ekweremadu

said it would be resolved at the fullness of time through a democratic process. The senator’s rumoured governorship ambition in 2015 is believed to have pitted him against Chime who insists that the seat be zoned to Nsukka Zone in the spirit of equity and fairness. He, however, denied the existence of any crisis in the Enugu State chapter of the PDP as a result of his alleged rift with Chime. According to him, he has no personal feud with the governor as whatsoever difference he has with Chime will be resolved at the appropriate time and

does not warrant undue public attention. He said: “I don’t have any personal problem with the governor; PDP in Enugu State is one. In politics, there is plurality of interests; we are all entitled to our personal interests and I believe at the fullness of time we will be able to harmornise somehow through a democratic process.” Ekweremadu said he did not feel his political future was under any threat, adding: “I have been in politics for a very long time and as far as I am concerned, I know that power comes from God not by human efforts.”

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Troops were on ‘tactical retreat,’ says DHQ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

borou Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued,” Olukolade said. Also yesterday, the insurgents made further advances in a territorial grab by once more taking over Gamboru-Ngala, a key township on the border between Nigeria and Cameroun. Both locals and a member of civilian, Bukar Madu, said the insurgents first attacked and sacked an army barrack in Ngala before proceeding to Gamboru about three kilometres away. However, it was learnt that in a swift response to the attacks, a Nigerian Air Force jet dropped a massive bomb in the middle of Gamboru after hovering for several minutes in the air. “The jet then left while the militants began a house-to-house raid in Gamboru,’’ a fleeing resident who simple identified herself as Hajiya Maria has said. “A contingent of Nigerian troops later seen massing close to a bridge earlier destroyed by insurgents during their first attack on Gamboru,’’ she added. “Boko Haram desperately wants to seize full control of Gamboru-Ngala because the extensive area offers great strategic advantages. “If they completely cap-

ture the township, Boko Haram will be able to use it to transact economic and military business. The township will enable them (to) freely move arms into Nigeria in order to fortify their control of the seized territories they have declared an Islamic caliphate,” a report quoted a source as saying. Among towns and areas under the sect’s control are Gwoza and Marte in Borno State, Buni Yadi in Yobe State and Madagali in Adamawa State. Residents said yesterday’s attack on Gamboru Ngala began at about 5:30 am (0430 GMT), with the extremists launching coordinated strikes on the main police station and a military base known as the Harmony camp. “The sounds (of gunfire) became more deafening as police and soldiers responded to Boko Haram,” said witness Hamisu Lawan. “Most of our people have fled into Cameroun.” Others locked themselves in their homes, voicing fears that the militants would turn their guns on civilians once they had

overrun the police station and military camp. Residents in Fotokol, which is separated from Gamboru-Ngala by a river, also reported “intense” fighting throughout the morning. “(Camerounian) soldiers are at the bridge,” a resident said. Local officials and residents in Borno said Boko Haram might be in control of a key road connecting Gamboru Ngala to Maiduguri. The insurgents have also continued to occupy Madagali town, a key township on the border between Adamawa and Borno states, defying the 24-hour curfew slammed on the community by the Adamawa State Government. Residents said the insurgents who are now moving freely in the town brandishing their guns, had asked them to defy the curfew and continued their normal business, without fear of attack. ‘’They asked us to ignore the 24-hour curfew, promising not to attack us. They (Boko Haram)told

us that they are not after us now; rather they are pursuing troops being deployed,’’ said a resident of the town who pleaded anonymity. The source said even some residents that fled to the neighbouring Cameroun were reported to have been arrested by Cameroun’s gendermanes. ‘’Many residents are now on the hilltops, while those that were able to cross over to Cameroun are reported to have been arrested by Cameroun security operatives. ‘’We are now finding it difficult to cross over, so many have resorted to stay back here in the town. We are now living in an atmosphere of despair and agony,’’ said a resident. Chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, Mr James Abu Waltharda, said in a telephone interview that civilian casualty had been minimal so far but thousands of residents had been displaced. He said five churches were burnt by the assailants in Sabongari and Hembla settlements in Madagali. The Police Public

Relations Officer in Adamawa, Mr. Michael Haa, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who confirmed there was tension in Madagali, said he was not aware of any casualty suffered during the Boko Haram attack on the town. Meanwhile, Niger State Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has stressed the need for Nigerians to be more security conscious in the face of security challenges facing the country. According to him, if Nigerians give information to government agencies, the attacks on innocent people by the Boko Haram will be checked before they are perpetrated. Aliyu spoke in Minna when he received the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro and the newlyelected North-Central zone executive of the Mayetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association, led by the Chairman, Alhaji Sani Zuni. Aliyu decried the callous manner the Boko Haram members have been killing people and destroying property, saying that it was time to end their activities .

26o C 21oC Rain Showers

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20o C 17oC Storms

KANO

32oC 21oC Storms

ENUGU

29o C 22oC Storms

Former Chairman, UBA Plc, Ambassador Joe Keshi and the new Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, at the handover ceremony in Lagos... yesterday.

Chidoka orders staff audit in aviation agencies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

IBADAN

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CALABAR

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MAIDUGURI

33o C 23oC Isolated Storms

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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

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

jobs as most of them were said to have been employed without due process. The source told New Telegraph that at a recent meeting Chidoka held with the helmsmen in the agencies, he accused some of them of harbouring ghost workers. Another source said it was normal for the minister to take stock of all the things under his supervision as a lot of damage was caused with huge employment done in the past three years without recourse to

due process. Earlier, Chidoka in an August 11 letter to the agencies’ heads had ordered them to immediately suspend forthwith fresh recruitments and promotions. He equally ordered the instant stoppage of irregular employment and requested for the update on condition of service and scheme of service in all the agencies, which are to be concluded by September 23. The minister also asked the agencies to halt further payment on all capital projects until after verification

of the projects, forward the list of all ongoing projects and payment status to his office and suspend all recruitment and promotion matters as well as stop all irregular employments. The minister equally directed the suspension of all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related contracts to allow for an audit/appraisal of existing infrastructure, establish relationship between service, professional staff and identify areas of need and to steadily increase remittances of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)

in line with Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and to prepare/update condition of service and scheme of service. His directive was handed to the managing directors of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Rector, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria and Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

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

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Court restrains FG from sacking doctors lReps to doctors: New salary structure takes off January 2015

Joseph Onyekwere and Philip Nyam

ustice Babatunde Adejumon of the National Industrial Court (NIC) yesterday restrained the Federal Government from terminating the appointment of resident doctors. The court gave the order while ruling on a Motion on Notice filed by the Registered Trustee of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) against the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Health and 37 Chief Medical Directors of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres across the country. Joined as respondents are: the Chief Medical Directors of Aminu Kanu Teaching Hospital, Kano; Jos University Teaching Hospital; Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Awka; Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife; University College Hospital, Ibadan; University of Benin Teaching Hospital; Calabar Teaching Hospital; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital; Uni-

versity of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; Usman Danfodio Teaching Hospital, Sokoto; University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Others are the medical Directors of Federal Medical Centres in Asaba, Azare, Bida, Birnin-Kebbi, Birnin Kudu, Gombe, Keffi, Gusau, Ido-Ekiti, Katsina, Lokoja, Makurdi, Owerri, Owo, Umuahia, Yenegoa, Yola, Ebute Metta, Lagos and Yobe state respectively. Justice Adejumon, in his ruling, also ordered that a status quo ante be maintained pending the hearing and determination of the suit filed by the resident doctors. On the issue of suspension of training programmes for doctors, the court directed the claimant (NMA) to put all the respondents on notice adding that the issue would be better addressed when parties joined issues before the court. Ruling on the Motion on Notice, Justice Adejumon held: “I have gone through the motion exparte, the affidavit in support as well

as the written address. In respect of prayer one (suspension of training programme), it is my belief that it will be better addressed when parties join issues on the issues raised in the Motion on Notice. “On the second prayer (termination of appointment), it is the order of the court that since there is yet to be proof that the order has been carried out, the 3rd to 39th respondents (Chief Medical Directors) are hereby restrained either by themselves, agents, privies or any other person from serving member of the Registered Trustee of the Nigeria Medical Association with any letter of termination if same had not been served on them

before today (August 25, 2014).” The resident doctors had in a Motion on Notice dated August 18, 2014 filed by their counsel, Mr. Alex Akoja from the law firm of Yusuf Ali (SAN), brought pursuant to Order 14 Rule 1(1, 2&3) of the National Industrial Court Civil Procedure Rule, 2007 sought for an order restraining the respondents or their privies from executing or giving effect to the directive contained in the letter of August 13, 2014 suspending the Residency Training Programme for doctors pending the hearing and determination of the suit. Besides, the resident doctors prayed the court

for an interim injunction restraining the respondents from issuing letters of termination of Residency Training Appointment to resident doctors. The claimant stated that the said letter was issued without the approval of the National Assembly and consultations with statutory bodies established to manage the residency programme. The suit has been adjourned till September 17 for hearing of the Motion on Notice. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday disclosed that the new salary structure for the Nigerian medical doctors would be reflected in the 2015 budget and takes ef-

fect as from January 2015. Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta) disclosed this while reacting to the resolution of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend the 55-day old nationwide strike on Sunday. He said: “The new salary structure of medical doctors would be reflected in the 2015 Budget and medical doctors will begin to get the new salary structure effective from January 2015. “The Federal Government shall pay two months’ salary arrears to members of NMA on or before July 31, 2014; that balance of salary arrears would be reflected in the 2015 Budget and paid to members of NMA.”

Activities yet to pick up at National Hospital Obinna Odoh Abuja

espite the suspension on Sunday of the 55day industrial action by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), activities at the National Hospital, Abuja have not picked up as resident doctors did not resume work as at yesterday. The head, Information Service and Management, Dr. Tayo Haastrup, told New Telegraph that the hospital has started offering services as directed by the NMA but regretted that only resident doctors have not resumed work. Haastrup stated that the hospital has started receiving fresh patients. “We have started to offer fresh admission of patients and resumed work but experienced low turn up today. Our consultants have started working, our house officers, and medical officers are all working and other medical workers too but only resident doctors are yet to resume work,” Haastrup said.

Mr. Uzoma Echendu, whose son has been on admission for three months, revealed that the hospital has been offering services to patients since the strike action started till date. Echendu said the services offered by the hospital were meant only for patients on admission before the strike. He noted that the hospital is yet to start admitting new patients. “It is only three patients who have been on admission since the strike in this male ward with over 30-bed space that are here. No fresh admission has taken place but we are well treated,” Echendu stated. Mrs Onuigbo, a daughter to a patient, told our correspondent that the doctors are yet to resume work. “One of the nurses told me in confidence that doctors have not started work at all and it will not be wise to give us admission when doctors are not working. The nurse said that doctors will start work on Wednesday,” stated Onuigbo.

L-R: Former Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Ahmed Moddibo; National Organising Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha and a PDP chieftain, Alhaji Sani Bala, during Moddibo’s submission of his nomination form for the gubernatorial election in Adamawa State in Abuja...yesterday.

CBN to float N50bn agric fund Anule Emmanuel

resident Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to set aside a N50 billion mechanisation intervention support fund for the establishment of 1,200 private sector-driven Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHE) nationwide. The president gave the directive yesterday at the launch of the 100,000 metric tonnes grains silos and the Agricultural Equipment Hiring centres in Abuja. Jonathan, represented by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, said the event was important to his administration because of its commitment to ensure food security for the nation by reducing post-harvest losses.

He explained that the development of strategic grains reserve was central to the Federal Government’s policy of stabilising food prices for consumers and assuring guaranteed minimum prices and market access for farmers. According to him, current records indicate that farmers produced 21 million metric tonnes of food, surpassing previous target. He added that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has completed a total of six silos with a capacity of 250,000 metric tonnes since November 2013 with a further 625,000 metric ton silos to be completed by December, making a total of 875,000 metric ton silos capacity completed

within two years. He expressed satisfaction that the Agricultural Transformation Agenda is achieving great strides in government’s efforts to turn Nigeria into a selfsufficient country. He said: “Our growth enhancement scheme and the e-wallet system for reaching farmers with fertilizers and improved seeds through the mobile phones have reached 14 million farmers by 2014.” He also expressed delight that Nigeria is the first in Africa to develop the e-wallet system which is now being replicated in several African countries. “Our food import bill has declined from N 1.1 trillion ($ 6.9 billion) in 2009 to N 684.7 billion ($4.35 billion) by December 2013 and continues to decline in 2014.

“With the Agricultural Enterprise Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs) being launched today, the agricultural mechanisation programme will be driven through a public private partnership involving private sector manufacturers of tractors and agricultural machinery, service provider operators, financial institutions and government,” the president stated. He commended the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Asabe Ahmed and their team for the impressive progress achieved under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Earlier, Adesina had said private sector investments in agriculture were expanding.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Ribadu: I can serve in any capacity Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

ormer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who is now seeking to fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag in the Adamawa State governorship bye-election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said he is ready to serve in any capacity to better the lot of his people. Ribadu, who submitted his nomination form yesterday at the PDP National Secretariat, was reacting to the question on why he decided to vie for the governorship, having contested for the presidency. The former EFCC chairman said he is passionate about the people of Adamawa State.

"I am prepared to serve. Even if you ask me to be a sweeper in any part of Nigeria, I am ready to do it. I am passionate about myself to address the challenges of Adamawa State. I will work hard to succeed. I do intend to leave no stone unturned", the former anti-graft boss added. He denied that he did not have the structure on the ground to win the election, adding: "I am not new in politics; I have been in politics for four to five years. Adamawa people will decide". He said he was not worried whether the party grants him waiver or not to contest the primaries but added that he had complied with the provisions of the PDP constitution, regarding seeking

for waiver. "I have done my beat; it is left for the party to do their own. I am not worried about waiver. I have followed the rule", he stated. Former Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Alhaji Mohammed Modibbo, said he was in the race to rescue the state from bad governance. He promised to ensure even development of the state if elected, and said the strategy was to oppose the imposition of candidates on the people. Former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, said he is in the race for the infrastructure development of the state. Hong observed that the state was facing se-

curity challenges, which requires someone who is energetic to handle. He is confident that PDP will win Adamawa State, and explained the number of aspirants on the platform of the party was a measure of the confidence the people of the state have on PDP. Also, another aspirant, Marcus Gundiri, advised the party to think seriously about people who joined PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that they have proved to be electable. According to the aspirant:"We are going into a major election, not a mock election. People who come from APC are capable of winning elections; waiver should not be an issue. People will gain a lot from who joined them."

L-R: Late Prof. Dora Akunyili's husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili; Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the night of tributes in honour of the departed in Abuja…yesterday

GOOD NEWS

It is not yet over for those who could meetup with the registration exercise Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to set up registration points at its Local Government Area (LGA) offices for people who were unable to register during the continuous voter registration exercise. Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Kayode Idowu, in a statement yesterday, said the commission has noted with concern the agitation in some quarters for an extension of the second phase of the exercise. "INEC notes with deep regret that old tendencies towards irregularity, such as partisans urging people to come out and do multiple registration, largely

CVR: INEC to set up registration points Commends Security agencies on Ekiti, Osun Poll accounted for the crowd clusters lingering at registration points set up for the CVR by the Commission. "Many other people who have relocated since the last registration exercise and only needed to apply for their registration status to be transferred to their new location also turned up for fresh registration. When data are consolidated and de-duplication is carried out by INEC, all instances of multiple registrations will yet be eliminated. But, unfortunately, these sets of people obstructed legitimate registrants from having their turn at the registration points", the statement added. Idowu noted that much as the Commission was eager to ensure that all legitimate persons who are yet to register as voters have the opportunity to do so, it is logistically

impossible to extend this phase of the CVR beyond its scheduled deadline. The phase of the exercise, which commenced on Wednesday, August 20th, 2014, involved the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 11 states namely Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo Delta and Cross River. Meanwhile, the INEC has applauded the nation’s security agencies for their role in the successful conduct of the Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections. INEC National Commissioner, Dr. Ishmael Igbani, gave the praise when he hosted 23 participants of the National Security Training Seminar who were on a study tour of the Commission at its Headquarters in Abuja. Igbani noted that the security agencies deployed to the two states contributed to a large extent for

the free, fair and credible governorship elections saying, the people came out in the two states in large numbers to discharge their civic responsibilities unmolested. He noted that the high turnout of voters was largely due to the presence of security personnel. He also educated the participants on the functions, structure and working mechanisms of the Commission, stating that the era of rigging of elections and snatching of ballot boxes was over with the strict measures put in place by the commission. Responding, the leader of the team, Mrs. Chinyelum Usman, from the office of Chief of Defence Intelligence, told the commission that the participants were in the Commission to expose themselves to the working mechanism of the Commission and its impact on national security.

Youths shuts down NNPC flow station in Delta community Joe Obende

WARRI

igeria’s earnings from NN2billion crude oil may dip by daily follow-

ing the shutdown of the Erhoike flow station in Ethiope East council area of Delta State. Weeks of ultimatum by the host communities to the operators of the station, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), culminated to the shutdown of the station. Leaders of the peaceful protest, which eventually led to the shutdown of the station, who spoke to newsmen at the gates of the flow station in Erhoike, said the people were prepared to have the place under lock and key until NPDC accede to their demands, the sources of their grievances. Narrating the reasons for the action yesterday, leader of all the oil producing communities in Orogun, Morris Ochuko Idiovwha; chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Chief Banet Abafe; Women Leader, Mrs. Mary Umufo; as well as Chief Jettson Efetobor, all cited neglect in the provision of basic social amenities, marginalization in employment and many other counter actions opposed to earlier agreement. According to Idiovwha, the action of the people would result in the shortage of the country’s crude output to the tune of up to 44,880 barrels, estimated at about N1.8 billion per day. “This Kokori/Orogun flow station has over 42 oil wells. Recently NPDC made a publication saying that this flow station is the second highest producing flow station in the whole of Delta Central, in the whole of OML 30 and aside that, the com-

munities are extremely poor, no development. I can tell you that in the whole of Orogun, there is no medical centre. We are saying to NPDC and Shoreline Energy; if they don’t want to heed our demands, they should leave the land. “We have said they must pay all rentals and leases; we want a percentage of productions, we want to be represented in how our oil is appropriated. If they cannot give us a percentage of production, they should leave our land. We are out today and we are ready to defend our rights, we are ready to defend our resources with the last drop of our blood. We are saying to Shoreline Energy, NPDC; if you cannot carry the people of Orogun along, leave our land “We have all agreed to come out today and today is Day One; we are ready to stay here. As a matter of fact, if they don’t yield to our demands, we will be sleeping here, we will stay here and they will have to vacate this land. We are ready to stay as long as possible until our demands are met. If they do not yield to our demands, we will take over this land and plant cassava here. We are ready to stay till as long as our demands are met and the flow station will remain down until our demands are met”, Idiovwha said. In her contribution, Mrs. Umufo, said, “When NPDC was taking over the mess SPDC left in the community in 2013, they said they were aware of the issues and promised to remedy them. After six months, they came up with quick-win projects. They made our people borrow money. They have not paid for the projects as promised. They turned them to quick-kill projects.”

Jonathan returns from ‘private visit' to Germany Anule Emmanuel resident Goodluck Preturned Jonathan yesterday to Abuja after

a four-day "private visit" to Germany. The Jonathan arrived the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport at about 4.32pm and was received by some top government functionaries. Although the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati had in a statement explained that the President's visit was private, a section of the media had reported he was flown abroad after falling ill.

Abati in the statement said the President would return early this week after completing the purpose of his trip. Jonathan, who dressed in a pair of navy blue suit, a white shirt and his trademark hat, was received by his Chief of Staff, Brig.-Gen. Jones Arogbofa (rtd.); Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed; and the acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba on arrival. Jonathan on arrival at the Presidential Villa, retired into his official residence where he was also received by family members and some close aides.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

TMG seeks urgent review of Electoral Act Chukwu David ABUJA

head of the 2015 genAsociety eral elections, a civil organization,

Deputy Baba Aladura, Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Dr. D.L Bob-Manuel (left) and Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, during a visit of the church’s members to the governor in Benin City…yesterday

74.25%

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

RENEGADES

Comrade governo descends on cash and carry politicians whose sole interest is money Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

do State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday declared that he has no apology to tender to those who decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a rival party. Oshiomhole said he was determined never to share the state’s resources, meant for developing the state, to them. Speaking at the presentation of staff of office to Alhaji Jackson Etokhana, as the Oghieavhianwu of Avhianwu, the governor urged the new royal father to educate his people to distinguish and support only politicians, who

26,000

The number of people in refugee-like situation in Western Sahara at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

23.8%

The percentage of urban population of Afghanistan in 2012. Source: Un.org

Oshiomhole: I owe no apology to APC defectors stand for the interest of the larger family, rather than personal interest or the interest of their immediate family. The governor maintained that, “we must use every opportunity to educate our people. This afternoon, your Royal Highnesses, I am not asking you to go and carry party cards; I only ask you and your chiefs to educate our people to distinguish politicians who will stand only when it is good for their family, not when it is good for the larger community. According to him: “I want it to be said that when I left office, our people started distinguishing thieves from real politicians. Our people must learn to begin to interrogate all manners of political miscreants, who come wanting to cash in on the

poverty of our people. I always say that to be poor is not to be crazy. So, we must be clear”, he said. He insisted that, “those who decamp because I do not put money in their pockets, let them continue to decamp; no apology and everybody will be remembered when they write the history of politics in Afemai land. Those who called for Afemai Agenda believing that when an Afemai man becomes the governor, he will carry state money and share to them; and once they do not get it, they abandon Afemai Agenda and now they have turned only to the agenda of their stomach infrastructure”. Oshiomhole urged the Royal Fathers to guide the young ones stressing, “you will always be governed by politicians

whether you like it or not, but you must carefully select your politicians on the basis of those who understand that state power is not for the private comfort of those around the state operators”. He assured Royal Fathers in the state that government under his watch will never interfere with traditional matters, maintaining that he will not sponsor anybody to write a petition against any Royal Father and that if anybody encourages anyone to do fictitious petitions, it will be dismissed. According to him, “this government believes that the foundation for peace and stability requires that we respect not only the traditional institution, but we respect traditional rulers who sit on the various thrones”.

Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) yesterday in Abuja implored the National Assembly to expedite action on the proposals submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to amend the Electoral Act, 2010. The group also condemned the deployment of military personnel by the Federal Government to conduct elections in Ekiti and Osun states recently, suggesting that INEC should instead, be allowed to determine the number of security agents to be deployed to venues of elections. The Chairman of the Monitoring Group, Comrade Zik Ibrahim, made

the positions known in an address of welcome to declare open the organization's 2014 biennial general meeting. The meeting had in attendance Prof. Okey Ibeanu, who represented the commission's Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega; Hajia Husseina Alkali, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission; Henry Frankard, European Union and Professor Sam Egwu, University of Jos. Speaking on what the group perceived as the militarization of electoral process, Ibrahim said: "one of the most recent and controversial trends in our electoral process, is the heavy deployment of the military and an assortment of other security forces for the purpose of policing the electoral environment."

No Obi, no APGA, says ex-gov's aide Tony Okafor AWKA

Media Assistant to Tmerhe Mr. Peter Obi, the forGovernor of Anam-

bra State, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, has described his boss as the face of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) in Nigeria. He made the remarks while addressing newsmen in Awka on the lingering crisis in APGA. Obienyem said that besides being presented as such by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, that Obi’s steadfastness made the Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh to present to him in September 2003 , the APGA most faithful party man of our time award. “Obi has not changed; he has continued to make legendary sacrifices for the growth of the party against the wishes of

those that saw the party as an instrument of merchandise. The most recent of his many sacrifices was his rejection of a ministerial appointment rather than join another party as was requested of him”, Obienyem said When asked to comment on the statement credited to Umeh’s Assistant on Media, Mr. Stan Okeke that the claim of Obi’s sacrifice for the party was a ruse, Obienyem said: “I do not want to make comments on what Victor Umeh or his Assistant said, realizing fully Victor’s modus operandi of instigating controversy where none exists and cleverly informing the Governor that he (the Governor) and not himself is the target for the purse of the state to be opened to him in the name of wedging non-existent war; the likes of which he has wedged over the years to the grace of his pockets."

2015: PPA sacks Oyo, Adamawa, Anambra executive councils

‘What Kwakwanso, Wammako discussed in secret'

Johnchuks Onuanyim

Ibraheem Musa

ABUJA

he National Leadership of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA has sacked its state executives councils in Oyo, Adamawa and Anambra states. Also sacked were the ward and local government executives of the party in the aforementioned states. According to statement from the party's National Chairman, Comrade Peter Ameh, the action was in pursuant to Article 10, Section D subsection i, ii of the

party’s constitution. Adducing reasons for the dissolution, the national chairman said, for engaging in dishonest practices; flouting rulings and decision of the party; non performance; and expiration of tenure, the leadership of the party in the states was sacked. He said, "This decision became necessary in order to reposition the party for electoral victory come 2015. "Members of these committees should hand over party documents and properties in their possession to their respective caretaker com-

mittee, which shall also be acting as the registration committee. "The composition of the two committee that will be responsible for the conduct and execution of this important assignment have been formed. According to Ameh, "the State Registration Committee will be responsible for the registration of the new members into the party and the registration and updating of old party members in Anambra State under the leadership and supervision of the National Registration Committee in charge of the state".

KADUNA

All Progressives Tsaidhe Congress (APC) has that it is not inter-

ested in any individual’s political aspiration but how to take power from Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) at the centre and all states in Nigeria. That, according to Alhaji Inuwa AbdulKadir, the party’s North West Vice Chairman remains the priority of the party going towards the 2015 general elections. Inuwa, who spoke to our correspondent on telephone, was explain-

ing the secret meeting that the three APC governors and party stalwarts had in Kaduna on Sunday. The meeting, which was attended by Governors Aliyu Magatarda Wamako and Abdulazeez Yari of Sokoto and Zamfara states respectively, also had Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State in attendance. General Muhammadu Buhari was expected at the meeting but didnot attend. According to reports, the meeting was convened to produce a consensus northern presidential candidate ahead of the

October primaries. In addition, the meeting was said to have strategized on how to dislodge PDP in the North West zone. Explaining the agenda of the meeting, Inuwa said that the meeting was part of APC’s crusade of how to defeat PDP and remove President Goodluck Jonathan from power, adding that ‘’we are determined to change how the country is governed.’’ “By our conducts and actions now and when we assume power, we are determined to give Nigerians true democracy as against the impunity that obtains now’’, Inuwa said.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Group pays tribute to Akunyili Wale Elegbede group, GoodAhassupport luck Initiative ’07 (Gi07) joined other Nigeri-

L-R: Jigawa State Governor, Dr. Sule Lamido; Dr Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, of ABU Zaria; Prof. Sule Bello; Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu, of Bayero University, Kano; Dr M.B. Umar, of Federal University, Dutse and Prof. Abubakar Mu'azu, shortly after Jigawa State Anniversary Symposium in Dutse

Nigeria to establish first digital radio station Clement James CALABAR

he Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku has disclosed that his Ministry was in the process of establishing the first digital radio station in the country and this will take place “in the coming months.” He made the disclosure at the ongoing retreat for management and staff of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) which opened on Monday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. Maku said the digital station will compete favourably with any station in the world and appealed to delegates to key into the plan of government. He challenged the Board and Management of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) to generate ideas that will

ensure the continued dominance of the premium station in the country. The Minister, who was represented by one of his Special Adviser, Mr. Henry Abiodun Angulu, said given the prime position of the national network in the nation’s history, much was expected from the management especially now that the country is on the verge of another election. “Nigeria is going through a very challenging period in its history and the role of the broadcast media, especially FRCN becomes even more crucial. The public therefore, expects some ideas that will improve on the contents and programmes of the broadcast media and help to stabilize the polity,” he said. The Minister said he would prefer the full commercialization of the national network instead of

Court remands robbers for attempted killing in Osun Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

our middle aged men were yesterday ordered to be remanded in Ilesha Prison for attempting to kill a middle aged man in an operation that lasted hours. The accused were arraigned by an Osogbo magistrate court for shooting one Busayo Adeniyi in the stomach and also hit him with gun butt during a robbery operation in Iragbiji, Boripe local government of the state. . The accused persons, Sunday 20, Adekunle Femi 20, Ogunyemi Sunday 19 and Ayetomobi Lateef are said to have perpetrated in the deadly act after violently frisking their victims. They shot a person and gave them severe beating in different parts of their bodies. The incident which

took place at Oke-Iyanu area of the town when the gang operated with a double barren gun extorting valuable from the affected persons properties on 27th July 2014. They reportedly left their victims brutalized. The accused were said to have committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 1(1)6(b), 1(2)(9), 1(1)(2)(a) and 1(1)(2)(a) of robbery and firearms (special provision) act cap. R11 vol. 14 laws of federation of Nigeria 2004. They were slammed with a count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and attempted murder. In his ruling, the presiding magistrate, A.A Olowolagba ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Ilesha prison custody and adjourned further hearing to September 25.

privatization, given the role of FRCN in the political process of the country. He challenged the management to go beyond fulfilling the traditional functions of the media which is to inform, educate and entertain and focus on issues that will assist is solving the numerous problems confronting the nation. According to him, FRCN is the flagship broadcast network in the country and much was expected from it by the society, noting that it was time management generate new ideas that will encourage continued confidence and credibility. He therefore, challenged them to be more professional and thorough in the treatment of news and programmes “because of the array of your listeners.” Maku reiterated the commitment of President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the coming elections would be free, fair and credible and urged the network to be at the

forefront of educating the people to desist from being used for the purpose of violence. Speaking earlier, the Director General of FRCN, Malam Muhammad Ladan Salihu said with the possibility of full commercialization of the network, and given the possibility of reduced funding from government, the retreat was organized to develop a strategic plan for the establishment of a single backbone channel. “Time to build a national backbone to give credibility to our claim of being the largest radio network in Africa has come. Let’s begin to work for the system; one that will address the core objectives of our calling. This retreat is meant to bring out modalities that will strengthen FRCN,” he explained. According to him, the retreat will also assist in developing a plan for improved internally generated revenue from the proposed Radio Nigeria Network (RNN) channel.

ans to eulogise the late former Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Dora Akunyili, describing her as a rare breed who whole-heartedly loved and served the nation diligently. The group in a statement signed by its founder Afoma Adigwe and made available to journalists in Lagos, said that Akunyili, who was a matron of the group, “meant well for Nigeria and lived an influential life.” Gi07, which was set up before the 2007 general elections to promote and support President Good-

NLC commends NMA suspension of strike he Nigeria Labour Con- ment. Tcommended gress (NLC) on Monday “All hands should now the decision be on deck to ensure that of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend its 55-day-old industrial action. The Acting General Secretary of NLC, Mr Chris Uyot, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Uyot said that it was needful for all hands to be on the deck to effectively tackle the Ebola virus currently affecting the country. “We want to commend the NMA for suspending its strike at this trial mo-

he FCT Administration Tlected yesterday said it coland disposed 31,166

tonnes of solid waste at designated sites in the month of July. This wass contained in a statement issued by Mr Muhammad Sule, Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, in Abuja. The statement stated that Bala made the disclosure after the FCTA weekly operations briefing in his office. Bala said the waste was collected and disposed despite the heavy rains that made access to the dump sites difficult. It stated that 761 street traders and hawkers were arrested, 674 prosecuted and 31 were sentenced to various prison terms.

The statement stated that the administration also arrested 172 beggars and destitute, including 72 minors, and warned that hard times awaited people who constitute environmental nuisances in the FCT. It stated that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) inspected 1,976 premises for proper sanitation. It also staid AEPB fumigated 85 premises during the inspection. The stated that the meeting had in attendance the FCT Minister of State, Ms Olajumoke Akinjide, FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr John Chukwu, Mandate Secretaries, Directors of the operational departments, among others.

this current health challenge is eradicated “We want to appreciate the Federal Government for the proactive measures in making sure that every issue was resolved. “I do not know what the terms are for the suspension but the good thing is that the strike is now suspended and the sector can move forward’’. Uyot said that the NLC was not part of the negotiation that led to the suspension of the strike because the NMA was not an affiliate of the congress.

Ebola: NGO wants FG to order fumigation Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

-Non Governmental A Organization (NGO), FCTA disposes 31,000 tonnes Civil Society Awareness Response on Epidemic

of waste in July, says Bala

luck Jonathan aspiration, urged the Federal Government to immortalise the late Minister of Information. “Since the demise of our matron, we are yet to find a suitable word to describe her. She was passionate about Nigeria and she loved the masses across the length and breath of the nation. "As our matron, we gained from her wealth of experience and she stood for that which is right and that was why she supported President Jonathan because she was upright. She never for once compromised and she fearlessly say the truth not minding whose ox is being gored. We at Gi07 will forever cherish our beloved matron,” Adigwe said in the statement.

Diseases (CARED) yesterday recommended that hotels, religious centres and other public places in all the parts of the country should be fumigated from time to time to prevent the spread of Ebola virus in the country. The Co-ordinator of the organization, Mr Stephen Aremu, who made the recommendation at a press Conference in Osogbo, called on the Federal Government to act fast on the recommendation . He argued also that "areas where bats and other animals are populated should be sprayed to prevent the people from contacting the virus through consumption of animals." The Coordinator, who frowned at hospitals rejecting patients with EVD symptoms, charged them to desist from doing so,

saying it could" lead to unnecessary loss of lives through ailments with similar symptoms with the deadly disease". " Owing to the poor understanding of the disease and how it can be managed, a patient living with HIV, but manifesting symptoms relating to Ebola was rejected in several hospitals he went to for medical help in Lagos. It is frighten that medical personnel could do such a thing". "We have also had reports from other states in the country of rejection of patients by health care giver over the fear that they may be Ebola patients. So far, from reports all these rejected patients are not carrying the disease, but were denied attention by those that should take care of them. "This situation has led to death in some cases and may make people suffering from the disease not to present themselves for treatment. It may worsen the situation".

NEWS 9 Again, Ondo JUSUN goes on strike

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Babatope Okeowo AKURE

a month after the Btionarely nationwide strike acembarked upon by

L-R: Managing Director, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Deog Jun Kim; Country Sales Manager, First Choice Mobile Communications, Mr. Christian Elega and General Manager, Mobile Communications Division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Steve Seungeui Lee, during the official launch of LG G3 Smartphone in Lagos

529m

The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions of developed countries in 2010. Source: Itu.int

Appolonia Adeyemi, Yekeen Nurudeen and Oluwatosin Omoniyi

s part of measures to curtail the spread of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it has barred delegates from nine countries where there have been outbreak of the disease to stay away from its 12th NLC Rain School 2014 holding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Following this, nine countries including Liberia, South Africa, Guinea, Kenya, and others were conspicuously absent from the conference which kicked off yesterday in Uyo. While disclosing this at the opening ceremony of the conference, NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, said the congress barred the delegates from the affected countries from attending the conference to prevent the spread

52.6

The average goal attempts in Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Goal.com

0.3%

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

Ebola: NLC bars Liberia, eight other countries from conference

of the virus. He said the NLC took the decision because the presence of nationals from the countries would have scared other participants away from the conference. New Telegraph gathered that the only delegate that attended the conference from Ghana, Gladys Osuma, was certified Ebola free. His words: “You know for obvious reason why it is only one person from Ghana who is here today; that is because of the unfortunate incident of the Ebola Virus. And some countries are making efforts to ensure that people outside will not come either to import or may not come to export this very dreaded disease. “That is why we wrote to quite a number of these countries particularly Si-

erra-Leone, Liberia, and even South Africa and so on explaining reasons they should please help us by staying back because we wouldn’t want to bring people to scare the larger people here. “This is because when you hear that somebody from Liberia is here all of you will stay away. We asked them to stay back. But I am very happy that our sister from Ghana is hale and hearty and she will also go back hale and hearty.” Indications emerged yesterday that one of the three persons currently under treatment for the EVD is due for discharge after necessary protocols have been done. The Federal Ministry of Health also dismissed report that a sister to the late Dr. Amevor Adadevor

tested positive to the EVD in Lagos. Adadevor contracted the virus while treating the late Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, who imported the disease into Nigeria. Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Health, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, dismissed the report, insisting that there was no new Ebola case in the country. According to the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Nigeria has reduced from 14 to 13. Chukwu said: “The total number of confirmed cases including the index case is now 13, explaining that the 14th case initially announced as positive turned out to be a false positive.

Adamawa: Rep warns PDP against imposition of candidate EQUITY

Nuhu Ribadu fought injustice and economic crime. Now in politics, he may have to wash Philip Nyam, Abuja and Ibrahim Abdul, Yola

member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmadu Fons Nwangubi (PDP, Adamawa) yesterday warned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against impositing any candidate in the October 2014 gubernatorial bye election in the state. Ahmadu gave the advice against the backdrop of allegations of plans by

Presidency and national secretariat of the party to foist the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election. He said such a move would only fuel disappointment among party faithful in the state and may lead to a bad outing for the party at the polls. Meanwhile, the former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matter, Mr. Ahmed Gulak and other top PDP aspirants have ganged-up against the state acting governor who is also a gubernatorial aspirant under the party, say-

ing he lacked moral base to vie for continuity. Gulak who spoke with reporters in his Yola residence said the nation's constitution is clear and the spirit and letters of the constitution are clearly spelt out on whether or not he should participate. "First and foremost, Fintiri should know he is the speaker of Adamawa House of Assembly. It’s by that virtue that he is the Acting Governor as there was no Governor and Deputy. “His position as speaker is reserved for him, meaning that he should midwife this election, after that he should return to his post as speaker. He has no moral basis to contest, that’s not the intention of the fram-

ers of the constitution, and it has not encouraged members to do so. "The Constitution is clear. He is not supposed to contest this bye- election. Because apart from the letters of the constitution by implication, he is not supposed not to participate as he has no moral right. If he wants to contest, he should better resign to avoid inviting calamity”, Gulak declared. Ahmadu, who represents Mayo Belwa, Jada, Ganye and Tango federal constituency of Adamawa noted that’ “the coming of Nuhu Ribadu to the PDP is not a big deal to the people of Adamawa state, because it is not what gives the PDP strength. "

the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) was called off, the Ondo State chapter of the union yesterday embarked upon another round of industrial action. The union members who locked judges, lawyers and litigants out of court rooms moved round other judicial divisions to ensure compliance with the directive of the union. Led by the Vice Chairman of state JUSUN, Mrs. Kikelomo Iyiola, the union said they would not open the gates of the court to anybody until

their demands were met. The major grouse of the union was the takeover of the duties of the administrative staff of the judiciary by magistrates. Briefing reporters on the outcome of their meeting, Iyiola said they are embarking on strike action on the failure to "withdraw magistrates currently manning administrative positions that should be manned by Registrars." Her words: "It is our belief that if Judicial Service Commission wants magistrates to acquire administrative knowledge it should send them to relevant administrative training institutions like the prestigious ASCON."

State creation: We will secede from Nigeria, Ijaw leaders threaten Gabriel Choba UGHELLI

ollowing the recomFtional mendation by the NaConference for

the creation of 18 more states, some Ijaw leaders have threatened to pull out of Nigeria if the federal government refused to create two new states for Ijaws to be known as Toru-Ebe and Farcados states. The Niger Delta Ijaw leaders through Chief Saturday Eregbene, a prominent Ijaw leader and president of Niger Delta Oil Producing Community Development Organization (NIDOPCODO), gave the warning yesterday. He expressed displeasure that the confab failed to address the problems of the Niger Delta, particularly resource control and state creation, adding that at least two states should be created for the Ijaws. The Ijaw leader recalled that in the 1957/1958 Conference

in London, Chief Dappa Biriye who represented the Niger Delta suggested that the Niger Delta people could not be together with the rest of Nigerians as a country therefore requested a separate country but the then Head of the British Government decided to give the Ijaws of the Niger Delta “The Niger Delta Development Board” to pacify them. "The Confab has forgotten the areas that needed states most such as the Niger Delta Region. Before independence, the Niger Deltans were agitating for Niger Delta Republic but instead they were given NDDB which was later scrapped", he said. According to him they have arrogantly refused to increase the derivation of resources to 50% as it was done in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions when the North was a major benefactor of the process through their groundnut pyramids.

Young Alhaji joins Labour Party Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

indications Cthatlear emerged yesterday the running mate to

Prof. Steve Ugba, the All Progressive Congress (APC's) governorship candidate during the 2011 gubernatorial election in Benue State, Alhaji Usman Abubakar may have finally dumped the party to align forces with the Labour Party, (LP). The decision of Alhaji Abubakar popularly known as Young Alhaji and Dan Maishanu to defect to another opposition party, New Telegraph gathered, is not unconnected with the crisis that rocked the state chapter of the APC where the party's leader and Senate

Minority Leader, Senator George Akume was widely accused of running it as his personal estate. This style of leadership aggrieved some members who considered such as been at variance with the collective interests of the APC family in the state. New Telegraph gathered reliably that, during the party's state congresses held early this year, Senator Akume was said to have imposed executive committee members of the party including Mr. Abba Yaro and Mr. Targema Takema as state chairman as well as chairman of the APC harmonization committee respectively, which members viewed as tyrannical.

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TUeSday, AUGUST 26, 2014

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We get more power using human parts, say suspects GHOSTLY POWER Some herbalists in police net claim they draw more supernatural power by using human parts, especially skulls Shola Adefuwa

olice in Lagos have arrested two men for being in possession of a human skull. But the men, 32-year-old Djssau Gerard from Republic of Benin and his Nigerian counterpart, Sessou Djiman (28), told detectives the skull was to be use for more ‘supernatural power’. The suspects, who were arrested by policemen attached to the Badagry Police Division, were later transferred to the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation.

It was gathered that Gerard was arrested when he was coming into Nigeria through Seme boarder with a human skull. The police said the suspect was caught with human skull in his bag. “In Cotonou, the relatives of anybody who dies from thunder strike don’t have access to his/her dead body. It is only the herbalist around there that will take the body and keep it. After keeping it for years or months, the herbalist can sell it,” Gerard said. During interrogation, the suspects confessed that he stole the skull from a herbalist in Cotonou. According to him, human skulls can be used for more power, power to heal the sick, treat epilepsy or treat pregnant women who have problems with child delivery. He said: “I’m a native doctor. I started traditional medicine practice in 2013 in Benin Republic. I usually use human parts for more power.” Gerard, a father of two, added that this was his first time in Lagos

with a human skull. “I wanted to use the skull for my friend called Djiman, a Nigerian, so that he can have more power,” he added. However, Djiman claimed that he was in the hospital when the police arrested his friend. “Gerard told me that he knew how to get more power. He said that he would bring a calabash for me. Gerard did not disclose to me that he was coming with a human skull; I only knew that after his arrest in Lagos. I am married; I have two wives and seven children. I am a native doctor, but I have not used human parts for my work,” he said. The suspect said that he was born in Lagos and grew up in Nigeria. He added: “I learnt traditional medicine practice when I was a teenager at Owode-Egba in Ogun State and live with the person who trained me. “Gerard told me he was coming with a calabash, not a human skull.”

Road users groan over failed Ikot Ekpene-Aba, Umuahia roads Tony Anichebe Uyo

he announcement by the Federal Government that it has awarded the Ikot Ekpene-Aba and Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia roads for rehabilitation has elicited mixed feelings from road users, mostly residents of Akwa Ibom State. Some of them, who spoke with our correspondent in Uyo, said that the Federal Government ought to re-award the roads for reconstruction and not a mere facelift by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) which may not stand one rainy season. According to them, many lives and properties have been lost to crashes on the roads in the last couple of years. Before the announcement, many public-spirited individuals and road users had appealed to the Federal Government to fix the roads which have become dilapidated and impassable following long years of neglect. The poor state of the two major high ways linking the South-East states to the South-South states of Akwa Ibom Rivers and Cross River states has caused many people untold hardship. The development has caused high cost of transportation of goods and services, deaths from accidents and robbery attacks at the bad portions of the roads. The Chairman, Ikot Ekpene Peoples’ Assembly, Mr Tom Essien (an engineer), who commended the

Federal Government for responding to the appeal to fix the roads, advised that the roads be awarded for reconstruction and if possible be extended to dual carriageways. He pointed out that the current state of the roads had gone beyond just repairing them. Essien said that it would be better to allow the roads in their present states than patching them again. He said that several patched works on the roads in the past had never worked. The chairman, therefore, wondered why the Federal Government would award such dilapidated roads to be patched while it was doing standard roads in other places. He said: “The maintenance crew is to look after a road when it is beginning to get bad and not when it has gone to that level. Repair is just mending something that got cracked. Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road is dilapidated. I therefore advise that the road be awarded for reconstruction. “If state governments can ‘dualise’ their roads, why not the Federal Government? After all, what are we using our oil money for?” In the same vein, a youth leader in Uruk Uso in Ikot Ekpene, Manasseh Umoette, said as far as road construction was concerned, those roads had been damaged beyond FERMA’s capacity. He said: “To the best of our knowledge, FERMA does not have the record of repairing roads that stand the test of time. FERMA deals with local contractors that lack ex-

Minister for Works, Mike Onolememen

pertise in road repairs. Because of the regular and heavy vehicular movement on the roads, if the roads are not reconstructed whatever repair they do, in a matter of weeks, the roads will collapse.” An Uyo-based businessman, Mr Alex Mapayi, Managing Director, MECON-ACE International Limited, described Federal Government’s decision to repair the roads as a big relief. He said: “I am a regular user of Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia Road, I can tell you the road is a bad case and when it rains the boys that use kernel shells to fill up bad spots will not be there to help direct you to enable you move.

The suspects with human skull

Woman convicted for aborting daughter’s pregnancy Dan Atori Minna

Magistrates’ Court in Niger State yesterday sentenced a 42-year-old woman, Mrs Martha Waziri, to eight months’ imprisonment or N10,000 fine for aborting her daughter’s three-month-old pregnancy. She was found guilty by the Kafin-Koro Senior Magistrates’ Court in Paikoro Local Government Area of a twocount charge brought against her by the police in Kafin-Koro Divisional Command after a complaint was lodged at the station by the man who put her daughter in the family way. The man, Mr Stephen Dauda (35), claimed he had paid the bride price of 19-year-old Juliana Waziri (the woman’s daughter), whom he described as his fiancée and had sexual intercourse with her which resulted into a pregnancy terminated by Mrs Waziri. It was gathered that on the discovery that his fiancée had terminated the pregnancy, Dauda inquired to know what led to the heinous act and Juliana told him that her mother was responsible for it. He then reported the matter to the police. Mrs Waziri was then arrested and charged to court on a two-count charge bothering on conspiracy and causing abortion, which contravened sections 232

and 97 of the Penal Code. According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Augustine Agbo, “on the 10th of August, 2014, a report was lodged at the Kafin-Koro Divisional Police Command that, you Martha Waziri of Kafin-Koro town had caused the termination of a threemonth-old pregnancy of your daughter named Juliana Waziri, an offence punishable under sections 232 and 97 of the Penal Code”. When the two-count charge was read to her by the presiding Magistrate, Mrs Ruth Ibrahim, she pleaded guilty and the prosecutor requested the court to commence summary trial and convict her in accordance to Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Passing her judgement, Ibrahim described as heartless the attitude of the woman to subject her own biological child to such an ungodly act by terminating her pregnancy. She said: “For your heartless act to terminate your own daughter’s pregnancy, the court will not have an option than to punish you to serve as a deterrent to other mothers like you. “You are hereby sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment with an option of N10,000 fine and also, a compensation of N5,000, and on failure to do that, you are to spend the next eight months in jail.”

METRO

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Fraudsters dupe through phony Airtel football competition Taiwo Jimoh

ome fraudsters are now on the prowl in Lagos, duping unwary Nigerians of thousands on naira through a deceptive Airtel football competition. One of the victims, Mr Chukwuemeka Anozie, said he lost over N150,000 to the scammers. Anozie appealed to the management of the communication giant, Airtel, to help arrest suspected fraudsters who used the company’s name to dupe him and his son. He said: “One day I came back from office and my son told me that he had been invited by Airtel after filling an online form of the Rising Star Football Academy. “When my son called the phone number, he was asked to call one Abiodun Success, the director of the academy. Success told my son on phone that he was in the right place as his academy was contracted by the telecommunication company to recruit young football players. “After my son had called the director, I also called him myself to confirm the authenticity of the competition, the man was happy that among those who have applied I was the only parent who called

him to confirm the event.” Anozie, however, said he was told to pay N5,000 for his son’s registration into Ademola Success bank account. He said: “Two days later, I received a massage again to pay another N5,000 for the stamping of my son’s form otherwise he would not be paid the monthly N70,000 stipends the company promised to pay them during the competition. I went straight to the bank to pay the money into his account, all because I wanted the best for my son.” The man said a few days later he received another message that his son was among those chosen to participate in training in South Africa and asked to pay N20, 000 for his travelling passport. He said: “When I was still making effort to gather the passport money, another massage came that we should pay N100,000 for my son’s Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) to South Africa. “After he had promised me that the money would be returned to my son and his colleagues travelling to South Africa, I went to borrow the money from a family. “I paid the money on Friday, I was told to come to the Murtala Mohammed Inter-

national Airport on Saturday with my son as they would be travelling to South Africa. To my surprise, when we got there, the phone number of the acclaimed director of the programme was switched off. Efforts to get to the man since then have been in vain.” When contacted, the Deputy Director of Corporate Communication of Airtel, Mr Adefemi Babafemi, said he was not aware of the competition or incident. He said: “We have a department in our office where such complaints are treated. Forward their website to me to aid our investigation.”

agos State Government said that it had trained at least 1,000 secondary school teachers on the effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, said this at the opening ceremony of a workshop for the teachers in Lagos. This is coming on the heels of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s suggestion for the stakeholders to adopt ICT-based method in teaching to address problem of mass failure in the public examinations. Fashola said that the students had the tendency to understand and assimilate better when they were being taught with the aid of ICT gadgets. But yesterday, Oladunjoye said the training was the beginning of a series of many capacity building interventions and activities for teachers in the state. She said: “In Lagos State, our thinking is that while it is right to build infrastructure, it is even of greater importance to build the capacity of staff who will deliver services to the teeming populace of our state. “The reasoning behind this is the fact that only competent and committed teachers teach, not bricks and mortars.” The commissioner added that this reasoning informed

government’s decision to continuously invest in the education sector through a variety of interventions like the development of physical infrastructure and development of teaching and administrative staff in state public schools. She added: “Apart from improving on the physical infrastructure in the state public schools, we have invested heavily in capacity building across all strata of the education sector, particularly through the Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project, by strengthening school administration, enhancing service delivery and improving learning outcomes.” Oladunjoye said that the capacity enhancement programme came about two months after the successful implementation of an induction programme for over 1,700 newly employed probationary teachers into the state Teaching Service. According to her, this is a testimony of the government’s commitment to all-round excellence in the state public service. The commissioner explained that the workshop was to address peculiarities so as to ensure fitness of purpose and seamless transfer of knowledge gained into the classrooms. She added that it was by so doing that the investment of public funds on the pro-

FRSC launches ‘Operation Chilled IV’ to reduce crashes Camillus Nnaji

Anozie

Mass failure: Lagos trains 1,000 teachers on ICT use Muritala Ayinla

Lawal cutting the tape to flag of the operation

gramme could be justified. Oladunjoye enjoined participants to maximise the opportunity afforded by the workshop, noting that their participation in the programme would be measured by how well they were able to apply and replicate the knowledge gained in their classrooms, lessons and in their overall effectiveness as teachers.

o reduce carnage on the nation’s roads, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) yesterday launched “Operation Chilled IV” on four major roads. Kicking off the programme at Rs.2.23 Mowe on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Corridor in Ogun State, the FRSC Commander, Administration and Strategy, Deputy Corps Marshal Demola Lawal, said the exercise aimed at addressing the issues of lane indiscipline, overloading and over-speeding. The programme, according to him, was launched simultaneously at four different corridors across the country. He said: “Our research has proved that lane indiscipline, overloading and over-speeding account for greater risks of road crashes. We want to use this programme to instil discipline in the road users. “FRSC has aligned itself with the United

Nations’ declaration to bring down road crashes by 50 per cent. We have identified these corridors, Lagos-Ibadan, Kaduna-Abuja, LokojaOkenne and Benin-Asaba expressways as the first beneficiaries of this programme because of their critical positions and the launch of this event takes place at the same time in these places.” Lawal announced the introduction of mobile courts on the expressways, He said those who contravened the traffic laws would be apprehended and sentenced accordingly. The commander added that said the aim was not to victimise any road user but to compel motorists to maintain good lane, be disciplined and avoid overloading. Offenders, he said, would pay fine directly into the Federation Government purse. Also, the Zonal Commander, Lagos/Ogun, Assistant Corps Marshal Godwin Ogagaoghene, said the commission

had deployed 20 officers and 60 marshals for the programme. He said: “To effectively check lane indiscipline, overloading and over-speeding, being the major targets of this programme, we have effectively drawn officers from different sector and zonal commands to boost personnel along this corridor. We have provided over 20 vehicles for this programme. Having provided this logistics, we shall bring down crashes to the minimum, beginning with this ember month.” Ogagaoghene added that measures had been put in place to remove obstructions capable of causing traffic jam on the road within 10 minutes, no matter the nature. Present at the event included Lagos Sector Commander, Hyginus Omeje, his Ogun State counterpart, Adegoke Adetunji and the host unit commander, FRSC Mowe Unit, Assistant Corps Commander Oludare Ogunjobi.

LASU: NANS honours Fashola, decries students’ victimisation Muritala Ayinla he National AssociaTdents tion of Nigerian Stu(NANS) yesterday

decried victimisation of its members who participated in the protest for the reduction of the Lagos State University (LASU) tuition fee. NANS, which also presented certificate of commendation to Governor Babatunde Fashola for reversing the tuition fee, regretted that some students were denied call-up letters for partaking in the protests against the increment in the fee. Speaking during the visit, Yakubu Eletu, who led the students, appealed to the governor to ensure the release of some students of LASU arrested during the protests.

Fashola (middle), his deputy, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (second right), Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Aderemi Ibirogba (right), his Transport and Education counterparts, Mr. Kayode Opeifa (left) and Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, during the visit.

He said: “Some of the students have been asked to face the Senate because they protested over the increase in tuition fees and some are being denied the opportunity to go for their NYSC because the school management withheld their call-up letters.

“We want the governor to prevail on the VC to sheathe his sword and allow the students who want to go for NYSC to do so.” Responding, Fashola urged NANS to change its style of pressing home its demands, pledging to always pursue policies that would raise the

standard of education. He said: “We are trying to give you the opportunity that we did not have, the opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect your life. These are some of the processes that we decided to take in order to prepare you for future leadership.”

12 NEWS

GUEST

Two Imo natural rulers were in Abuja as guests of the SSS Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

hairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri, has described as deliberate falsehood and distortion of facts, the speculation that two traditional rulers in Imo State were detained at Abuja. Ohiri, who addressed newsmen at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Ow-

102,800

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

We were quizzed not detained, says Imo monarch erri, on his return from Abuja, said he and Eze Chijioke Okwara, were only invited for interview by the Director of Operations of the State Security Service (SSS) on Thursday, August 21, 2014. The monarch noted that they had to repeat their visit to the SSS office the next day as they could not see the Director of Operations the previous day. He added that the visit was in connection with a petition made by Chief Cletus Ilomuanya, the de-

The total number of internet users in Cape Verde in 2008. Source: Blatantworld.com

posed traditional ruler of Obinugwu Autonomous Community, alleging threat to his life. Although, Eze Ohiri said he was not privy to the said petition, he pointed out that questions concerning the Iriji cultural festival performed by Ilomuanya, were raised as well as issues on the traditional institution and security in Imo State. He said no one has, in any manner, constituted a threat to Ilomuanya, but stressed that the deposed monarch has no right to

236,800

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

perform the Iriji ceremony as the ‘Obi of Obinugwu,’ since he has been dethroned by government. Ohiri added that the existing law backing the action of Governor Rochas Okorocha, is quite clear. “Ilomuanya either needs to go back to school or consult a lawyer to educate him properly on the content of the law that was made before the present administration came into power,” he observed. The monarch further advised Ilomuanya to stop parading himself as the traditional ruler of

0.31

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Guinea-Bissau in 2011. Source: Itu.int

Obinugwu community, he equally warned him to refrain from disparaging the government of Governor Rochas Okorocha. “Enough is enough, Obinugwu now has a new traditional ruler and Cletus Illomuanya should understand that fact;” Ohiri said.

He used the opportunity to appeal to journalists and the public not to address Ilomuanya as a traditional ruler in Imo State even as he equally cautioned journalists to be guided by the ethics of their profession in the reportage of events in the state.

2015: Akpabio sets up transitional committee kwa Ibom State Gov- see what is happening in AAkpabio, ernor, Chief Godswill the state. We don’t have yesterday said money to do everything. his administration has set up a handing-over committee to compile notes for the incoming administration. Governor Akpabio, who disclosed this on Sunday at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Ikot Ebido Oku, Uyo, during the thanksgiving service to mark the end of the House of Assembly’s third legislative session and the beginning of the fourth legislative session of the fifth Assembly, said the committee is headed by the Head of Civil Service (HoS), Mrs. Cecilia Udoessien. He blamed his inability to execute more projects on paucity of funds, noting that; “It is not everybody that can

There are some communities we have not yet touched. “It is not that we don’t want to touch those communities, but we don’t have the money. We have done feasibility studies. We have gone round and we know the problem of every community. We don’t have the money to solve all the problems at once.” On the success of his administration, Governor Akpabio attributed it to the cooperation of the legislature, adding that; “All the credit for the achievements of this administration belongs to God and the success of my administration is due to the cooperation of the state House of Assembly.

‘I’m ready for service' Gabriel Choba UGHELLI

s the people of Ughelli Acontinued North Constituency II to search for a L-R: Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Asabe Ahmed; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adeshina and Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Serah Ochekpe, during the inauguration of the new 1,000,000MT Silos Complex and flag-off of the private sector driven agricultural equipment hiring enterprise in Abuja…yesterday PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

MURIC disowns Shekau, calls his claim a mirage Lateef Ibrahim ABUJA

pressure group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the declaration by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, that the insurgent group has taken over Gwoza town in Borno State and has converted same as part of its Islamic caliphate as a mirage. The group said it totally and unequivocally rejects the declaration by the Boko Haram leader and reaffirmed its faith in the unity and indissolubility of Nigeria. MURIC in a statement by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, assured Nigerians that Muslims would continue to live in peace and tranquility with their Christian neighbours and their traditionalist brothers and sisters in one, indivisible country, Nigeria. The group also maintained that Muslims,

Christians and the traditionalists have come over a long way, so, “we will not emulate butchers of men. Islam strengthens humanity, it does not debase it.” According to the statement; “The leader of the Boko Haram insurgents, Abubakar Shekau, yesterday (Sunday) declared Gwoza as Boko Haram’s caliphate. Gwoza is a part of Borno State that was overrun by the insurgents a few days ago. “We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) hereby totally and unequivocally reject this declaration. We reaffirm our faith in the unity and indissolubility of Nigeria. “Almighty Allah says Oh you who believe, obey Allah, His Messenger and those in position of authority.” (Qur’an 4:59). Islam therefore commands obedience to constituted authority, but Boko Haram has chosen disobedience to and belligerence

towards the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. “Whereas Boko Haram members are aware that the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, is the indisputable leader of all Muslims in Nigeria, they have refused to heed his appeal. Instead of giving honour to Muslim leaders and Emirs, Boko Haram has killed some of them and attacked some others. “Whereas all-encompassing education is one of the basic tenets of Islam (Qur’an 96:1-5), Boko Haram forbids Western education. Whereas the Prophet (SAW) in the hadith commands education for all, Boko Haram seeks to alienate women from education. “Again, whereas the

Prophet (SAW) honoured the girl-child and commanded his followers to do same, Boko Haram kidnaps and enslaves young and innocent girls thereby exposing them to wild life and subjecting them to unimaginable psychological trauma. “Boko Haram’s declaration is a statement of secession. It must not be allowed. Gwoza must be liberated within days. Boko Haram or no Boko Haram, we cannot compromise the territorial integrity of Nigeria to anyone, no matter how barbaric. “We also charge the Nigerian Armed Forces to be more focused from this moment. Boko Haram must be flushed out with microscopic accuracy from all the villages occupied in Borno State. But there is a caveat: it must be done professionally so that innocent civilians do not fall victims,” the statement added.

credible candidate to represent them at the Delta State House of Assembly, a serving political aide, Jaro Movudu Egbo, has offered to serve the people in the next dispensation. Egbo, who made his ambition known to the people of Ughelli North Constituency II at his country home, Ekrejebo, Ughelli, promised to attract development to the area. He said: “I offer myself to you as your able servant and representative under the platform of the PDP,

because I have listened to the call by my people and accepted the challenge to go and represent them in the House. “The most significant means of serving the people is through politics, where resources and projects are allocated to the people. “So, what I am offering myself to do is to enable me serve further in a representative capacity as a lawmaker. I shall work hard to give sustainable socio-economic empowerment to the unemployed. I have started devising empowerment strategies, which will create employment and also reduce crime and promote peace in the area,” Egbo said.

Oyo directs students to check WAEC results online yo State government government reneged on Osecondary has directed all public its promise of offsetting school students the WAEC fees of SSS III who sat for the 2014 WAEC Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations in the state to access their results on the net. The directive was given by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu, in a statement issued in Ibadan yesterday. The commissioner also debunked rumours making the rounds that the

students preparing for WAEC Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations in the state. While describing the Abiola Ajimobi administration as a responsible and responsive one that would not toy with the lives of its citizens, Olaniyonu said government has paid N1.7 billion as WAEC fees between 2011 and 2014.

Politicians jostle for dominance in ‘Rivers of violence’ / PAGE 17

POLITICS

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Reps, INEC chart course for transparent polls

p-15

TUESday, AUGUST 26, 2014

Policemen departing Abuja for the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State

The Federal Government seems to have subtly bowed to pressure over deployment of soldiers for elections, which the opposition party insist was part of a calculated attempt by the ruling party to bully opponents in the 2015 general election, FELIX NWANERI reports

igeria’s political history is replete with instances of electoral violence, which over time, has been described as the biggest obstacle to democratic consolidation in Africa’s most populous nation. Of the eight general elections the nation has conducted since independence – 1964/1965, 1979, 1983, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, none was violence-free. Though many saw the lapses of the immediate post-independence polls as part of the learning process, but recent developments in the polity have shown that Nigeria’s politicians and other relevant stakeholders have not learnt any lesson from the past. The outcome of the two most recent polls – 2007 and 2011 justifies this. While the 2007 elections were described by both local and foreign election observers as one that cast a harsh light on patterns of violence, corruption and outright criminality that have characterized Nigeria’s political system, the post-election violence, which trailed the 2011 polls, although it was adjudged a sharp departure from what obtained in the past, nearly drove Nigeria to the brink.

Twists and turns over election militarisation By the time the dust settled, several lives were lost and properties worth billions of naira destroyed in the northern part of the country. Among those caught in the crossfire included members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were employed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as ad hoc staff. Kaduna State and Kano states, which were worst hit by the crisis, had thousands of persons displaced. While some of the affected persons and families of the deceased are still counting their losses, there are ominous signs over the possibility of violence in the forthcoming general election given the tension it has already generated. President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to officially declare for a second term, but his kinsmen from the South-South have persistently said that there is no going back on an eight-year presidency for their region as enjoyed by the SouthWest between 1999 and 2007. This has practically pitched them against some Northern political leaders, who are insisting that power must return to their region in 2015. The ominous signs over the elections, perhaps explained the alarm raised by the National Security Adviser (NSA),

Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) last year, when he said “there could possibly be violence, but with a different angle to it; not post-election but before and during, because of the prevailing security situation, unless it gets better before then.” And few months to the 2015 elections, a report by the CLEEN Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, stated that electoral violence is most likely to occur in 15 states. States listed as most volatile in the report titled: “Third Security Threat Assessment,” are Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Rivers, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ekiti and Osun. Three of these states – Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe are already under emergency rule due to the activities of the Boko Haram sect. Others like Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Zamfara have recently witnessed killings of hundreds of people as a result of communal and ethno-religious crises. The report also listed 11 states as midvolatile. These are Kogi, Niger, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina, Sokoto, Kano, Abia, Anambra, Delta, and Akwa Ibom, while the remaining 10 states including Lagos, Ondo and Sokoto were categorized as low-volatile or stable states. It, however,

said Ekiti and Osun states where governorship elections recently held oscillate between most volatile and mid-volatile groups. The organisation stated that the parameters used for the categorization were history of violence, degree of control by incumbent and relationship with the Federal Government, stability of internal state party politics, existence of terrorists and militants, as well as communal and religious conflict. Others were zoning arrangement, bid for second term by the incumbent governor, and jostle for federal and state legislative positions. The foundation also listed proliferation of arms and increased activities by armed groups as major risk factors towards the 2015 elections. About 500 million illicit weapons are said to be in circulation globally. Of this figure, 100 million are in sub-Saharan Africa and about 10 million in West Africa, and the Nigerian Army Standards and Evaluation Corps, last year said at least 70 per cent of these 10 million illegal weapons are freely circulating in the country. It was against this backdrop that the Federal Government has of late introduced more measures to ensure that elections were not only free and fair, but violent free. Such measures include heavy deployment of soldiers CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 POLITICS CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

to ward off possible trouble-shooters. This began with the July 2012 Edo State governorship poll. The success of the poll forced the government to extend the measure to subsequent governorship polls in Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti states, and the most recent, Osun, August 9. But typical of most government actions of late, the measure has attracted criticisms from the leadership and members of the opposition political parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as civil societies, who view it as unconstitutional. Condemnations To the APC, deployment of soldiers for election duties is unconstitutional. The party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osun State, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, who spoke on the eve of the state’s governorship poll, said though the party and its supporters were not afraid of soldiers, things should be done in the right way and an abuse of power should be discouraged. “The deployment of soldiers for election is unconstitutional. The constitution says that soldiers could be deployed only when the corporate existence of the nation is threatened. There was no war in Ekiti State during the June 21 governorship election but they deployed a large number of security agents there. They did that to harass leaders of the party. Many APC leaders were arrested for no just reason.” National Legal Adviser of the party, Dr. Muiz Banire, who shared similar view, said deployment of soldiers for election purposes could only serve to cause apathy in voters, even as he described the development as alien to the Electoral Act. He questioned the rationale behind such deployment when there were the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who were statutorily meant to carry out civic duties such as at elections. He said: “A lot of people could not come out to vote. They were afraid that bullets might fly from nowhere and hit them. They were afraid of the guns all over the place and so decided not to come out to vote. The Electoral Act does not even recognise that. The only people who are legitimately permitted to stay near the polling booth are the presiding officer, the polling clerk and the agents. It is only where there is a problem that the presiding officer can call in security officials. “Civil duties are meant to be carried out by the police. Even the civil defence has arms too. Now, what is the job of the Department of State Service (DSS)? They are telling Nigerians that they are incompetent. Soldiers are not meant to be within the country, they are not trained for internal security. They are trained for external conflicts except where there are insurrections. Even where there are, have they been able to tame them?” Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on his part argued that it is illegal to deploy the armed forces to maintain law and order during elections. In a statement, titled: “Illegal involvement of soldiers in election duties,” Falana said sections 215 and 217 of the constitution are clear that the power of the president to deploy armed forces for internal security is limited to the suppression of insurrection, including insurgency and aiding the police to restore order when it has broken down. Rather than use soldiers during elections, he advised that the police should be strengthened to discharge the duty of ensuring internal security while the armed forces are restricted to the defence of the nation’s territorial integrity. FG says no going back Despite the criticisms, the Federal Government said there is no going back on troops’ deployment in subsequent

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Deployment of troops stirs controversies

Jonathan

polls. President Jonathan, who dropped the hint at the recent Inter-faith Conference in Abuja, defended the heavy deployment of soldiers for the recent Osun State governorship poll, adding that the trend would continue in the 2015 general election. He said: “I am surprised that some political parties are agitating that government should withdraw security during and after elections. What surprises me most is that even some labour leaders are agitating that government should not secure people during elections. And I wonder how short human memories are. “We’ve just finished 2011 elections and we are talking about three years ago or quite close to four years ago and we know what happened in Bauchi. About 10 youth corpers were slaughtered in that election. We know what happened in Kano; property worth millions of naira were destroyed, some of the people have not gotten back to their houses. “We know what happened in Akwa Ibom where some criminals even had to severe the genitals of some men in the name of politics. In that kind of situation, how would a person who called himself a labour leader come out publicly to say government should not secure people. I don’t agree with them. My promise of free and fair elections is clear.” Raising the alarm over an alleged plot by anti-democratic elements in the country to take advantage of certain loopholes in the electoral processes to truncate the 2015 general election, the President dismissed fears of the ruling party making use of the military to hang on to power. He also absolved the security personnel of any interference in the various polls they have been deployed to supervise. His words: “I am from the PDP, the ruling party, but I don’t use that strength to make sure that PDP must win always. The PDP has lost election in Edo State, we lost election in Anambra State, we lost election in Ondo State and, of course, only recently, we lost election in Osun State. But we have said that this country must change. “The kind of elections that we had in the 60s that led to the crisis in the

Minimah

The kind of elections that... threatened the sovereignty of this country cannot come up again... Nigerians must vote and our vote must count West, that threatened the sovereignty of this country cannot come up again. The kind of elections we had during the Second Republic that some people won elections as governors and ran away from the state that they claimed elected them, cannot come up again. Nigerians must vote and our vote must count.” The President said if he was interested in manipulating elections, his party, the PDP will not lose governorship election in any state. “All what we want is credible election. I always tell politicians that none of our ambitions is worth the blood of any one Nigerian. If anybody wants to be a president, governor, a senator or anything, know that your ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian,” he said. Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, who further justified government’s deployment of soldiers in the recent governorship elections, said it was necessary to forestall bloodletting. “If the military had not been drafted to Osun’s election, blood would have been flowing there. The soldiers there are highly professional and they are there to ensure a crisis and violencefree election. The whole idea is to create an atmosphere for a free and fair election and President Jonathan should be commended for this. “We had election in Edo where the military was involved and Adams Oshiomhole won. APC did not complain. Recently, we had Ekiti election where PDP won. And people adjudged the election to be free and fair. APC leaders should learn to be good losers.” Babangida warns Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, who added his voice to the debate in an interview

with journalists in Minna, Niger State, warned against continued use of the military in providing security during elections. According to him, the continued deployment of soldiers for election duties would not be in the interest of anyone including even the military itself, which he said could soon be compromised as was done with the police. His words: “I don’t believe the military should supervise elections. I don’t believe they should participate in them. I was already an officer in the Nigerian Army in the 60s and there was no military presence in the streets in those days but the police. I think it is high time we restored the glory of the force.” Nothing new Former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, who backed the presidency on the issue, however said the military have always been part of the country’s electoral process. “Soldiers have always supervised elections in Nigeria. So there is nothing new. In 2007, the GOC (General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army) gave evidence at election petition tribunals,” he said. Adding that the presence of soldiers aided the success of recent elections, Ladoja said: “The deployment of heavy security in Ekiti was due to the hype at that time between the forces of PDP and APC. Maybe if security had not been deployed people may not have come out to vote. The fact that the election recorded more voters than ever before shows that people had confidence to come when they knew security was in place.” The Senate also cited same security measures for troops’ deployment in Osun. Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Paulinus Nwagu, clarified that soldiers were deployed to provide security in order to forestall possible attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents. “The militarisation of the political process in Nigeria at the moment is due to the current spate of insurgency across the country. We are in a difficult situation now in this country due to the worrisome issue of terrorism. If election is to be conducted in a particular place and adequate security is not proCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Last week, the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters in conjunction with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and UK aid held a public hearing on a bill to amend the Electoral Act of 2010 to pave the way for a transparent electoral process. PHILIP NYAM, who covered the event, reviews the proposals

Reps, INEC chart course for transparent polls

ince 1999, one issue that has been of utmost concern to many is the inability to deliver a truly transparent, free and fair election. Political parties and their candidates often complain of irregularities in every election and this is noticeable in the growing number of litigations at the election tribunals. The electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), aware of this has made tremendous efforts especially in the last gubernatorial elections it conducted in Ekiti and Osun state respectively. Although, INEC has been applauded by stakeholders and election observers, much more still needs to be done to attain a genuine transparent electoral process. This informed the resolution of the House of Representatives to amend the Electoral Act and strengthen out grey areas ahead of the 2015 general election. Hence, the House Committee on Electoral Matters on August 19 set the tone for the amendment of the act. The proposed amendment is cosponsored by Hon. Daniel Reyenieju (PDP, Delta), Hon. Usman Bello Kumo and Hon. Sabo Nakudu. Other sponsors are Hon. Emmanuel Jime (APC, Benue), Hon. Abimbola Daramola Oluwafemi and Hon. Eddie Mbadiwe. It is titled “a bill for an act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6 of 2010 to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process and for a more transparent process of conducting elections in Nigeria and for other matters connected therewith.” The one-day event offered stakeholders including INEC, civil society groups as well as women and youth groups to interface closely with the lawmakers on what they feel, should be included in the electoral legislation. INEC, being the umpire, occupied a prime position at the public hearing and it was represented by its chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki was represented by the director of special duties in his office, Col. Bello Fadile. Import of 2015 general election While declaring the public hearing open, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal declared that the 2015 general election will mark a watershed in Nigeria’s history even as he called on politicians to tread cautiously. According to him, as the 2015 elections draw nearer, there is a need for all stakeholders, especially members of the National Assembly, “to tidy up every aspect of the regulations governing the conduct of our elections,” adding that “if our electoral law is technically and morally sound, it will go a long way in ensuring that we have free and fair elections in 2015 and beyond.” He disclosed that it is the lawmakers’ desire “to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process and for a more transparent process of conducting elections in Nigeria. “The 2015 elections will no doubt mark a watershed in our nation’s his-

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Jerry Manwe; Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and the House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola at a Public Hearing on Electoral Matters in Abuja last week. PHOTO ELIJAh OLALUYI

tory. As participants in this public hearing, you have an opportunity and a duty to ensure that you contribute to making the elections the best that they can be. “We are all stakeholders in this project – Nigeria. Therefore, there is a lot at stake. I urge you to look at the matters dispassionately, using reason rather than emotions, so that at the end of the day whatever you do here today will have a beneficial effect on the future of our country,” he said. He lamented that 15 years after the return of democracy to Nigeria, “we are still talking about free and fair elections, autonomy of INEC, legal frame work of states’ electoral commissions, time frame of elections, participation of physically challenged persons in our elections, conduct of politicians, internal party democracy, order of elections, voters’ registration and accreditation, and debates by candidates, just to mention a few.” Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Jeri Manwe, had in his opening remarks re-echoed the position of the House on the essence of a transparent election and the need to put enabling legislations in place. He assured participants that their suggestions would be given the attention they deserve.

If our electoral law is technically and morally sound, it will go a long way in ensuring that we have free and fair elections in 2015 and beyond

UK aid/PLAC Goodwill messages were also taken from the sponsors. Governance adviser, British Department for International Development (DFID), Catherine Weiss, in her goodwill message noted that 2015 was critical in the political history of the country. She posited that for the country’s democracy to thrive, the electoral process must be made to be transparent and acceptable to all the players. In his message, the executive director of PLAC, Clement Nwankwo, thanked all the participants at the public hearing for keeping faith with the desire to amend the Electoral Act 2010. INEC position In his lead presentation at the public hearing, Prof. Jega acknowledged that having applied the 2010 Electoral Act for the conduct of the 2011 general election, he was convinced that there was need to amend the law to make it more effective and implementable. Jega’s proposed amendment were anchored on the operational independence of INEC to be fully guaranteed in the constitution, appointment of dates for conduct of elections to be made by the commission in accordance with the constitution and that persons convicted of electoral offences should be disqualified from contesting elections and holding any positions in political parties. INEC also proposed that voting by Nigerians in diaspora should be allowed and that provisions should be made in the constitution for access to ballot by political parties as well as the need for establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission with power to investigate and prosecute all breaches of electoral legislation in the country. Jega equally suggested that the time for conduct of run-off elections to offices of president and governor of a state be increased from seven to 21 days. The INEC chairman also made suggestions with respect to women participation in politics and constituency delineation. INEC specifically identified 23 sections of the Act, which should be amended. The sections are 8, 13, 18, 25, 28, 30, 31, 33, 45, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55 and 60. Others

are 77, 87, 90, 100, 116, 117 and 123; while paragraph 51 (1) of the 1st schedule to the act was also suggested for amendment. Although, INEC believes that it is high time diaspora Nigerians be given the opportunity to vote, Jega however said it is “practically impossible” for Nigerians in Diaspora to vote in 2015 even if the Electoral Act 2010 is amended to allow for such. “I must be sincere with you. Even if the constitution is amended now, it will be practically impossible for Nigerians in Diaspora to vote in 2015. It is practically impossible for us to commence that next year, but the amendment should be done before the 2015 elections for future elections,” he noted. Also, Jega disclosed that the commission was making plans to ensure that security officials on election duty are able to exercise their civic right by casting votes in the forthcoming 2015 general election. On diaspora voting, Jega said although INEC would want an amendment that would enable Nigerians living abroad to vote where they are, the commission does not have the wherewithal to commence such an exercise in 2015 perhaps in future elections. According to Jega, “by 2015 general election, we have planned to allow security forces who are on election duty to vote. Hopefully, God willing by 2015, security officials on election duty will be able to vote at their areas of posting.” The commission suggested amendments to sections 48, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55 and 60 of the Act, which deal with the procedure for election. The sections specify the procedures for election from accreditation to voting and collection of results. “They do not give room for improvement on procedures for election including electronic voting system. It is for this reason that the commission suggested that these sections being restrictive, be deleted and replaced with a provision which allows procedures for election to be determined by the commission,” he suggested. He equally requested for an extension of the days for the transfer of voters from the proposed 45 by the lawmakCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

16 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Why Electoral Act must be amended, by stakeholders CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

ers to 60 days due to the technicalities involved, even though the Electoral Act 2010 provides 35 days. Similarly, the INEC boss confirmed that the issue of electronic voting would not be possible in 2015 saying. “The issue of electronic voting should also be accommodated before the 2015 elections, but we cannot conduct elections electronically next year. It will be for future elections,” he added. On the seven-day period stipulated in the Electoral Act 2010 for the conduct of run-off elections, Jega proposed an extension of the period to at least 21 days for a run-off election for the offices of the president and governors as provided “because it is technically impossible to do a run-off in seven days.” He said an amendment to Section 25 which provides for by-election whenever there is vacancy in a position would be appropriate so that all by-elections would be done twice every year instead of the regular ones. The commission also supported the amendment to Section 29 (8) on the deployment of “the Nigerian Armed Forces only for the purpose of securing the distribution and delivery of election materials.” He however supported the amendment seeking to limit the participation of the military in future elections in the country. The National Assembly had in its proposed amendment sought the insertion of a new paragraph (b) in the Section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act to limit the roles of the military to “securing the distribution and delivery of electoral materials.” On the insertion of the new paragraph and other proposed amendments, Jega said giving the commission the statutory power to manage security forces during elections would help to sanitise the nation’s electoral processes. According to him, it was the practice in many countries around the world that electoral bodies were given the power of management of security forces during elections. He said: “On the insertion of a new section 29 (1) (b) to empower INEC to control security agencies at election time, there are a few countries that are doing this because they feel it is good practice.” The commission equally sought for the deletion of paragraph 51 (2) and 1st schedule, which require the consent of the Attorney General of the Federation CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 4

vided, the insurgents can capitalise on that and go to such place and wreak havoc. This could destabilise the entire process.” Political education, not militarisation Other analysts, who spoke on the issue, said government in conjunction with the relevant agencies and stakeholders including INEC and the various parties should step up political education, as a way out of the impasse over troops’ deployment for elections. To members of this political school, it would be herculean for the Federal Government to mobilise the same number of security personnel it deployed in Ekiti and Osun for each of the 36 states in the general election. In Ekiti, for example, 36,790 armed soldiers, police, state security service and civil defence personnel were deployed, while Osun had over 70, 000. This implies that not less than one million armed troops will be required for the 2015 elections. The question then is: Where will the large number of troops come from? The country’s active frontline personnel is believed to be about 130,000. Falana, who spoke on this, averred: “Since the Federal Government cannot possibly mobilise that number of troops, the United Nations may be requested to send a peace keeping force for the militarisation of the entire coun-

Abolurin

before an official of the commission can concede to an election petition. The chairman said: “This is because the commission is independent and should determine whether an election that is bedevilled by vices to its knowledge should be defended in court. Subjecting the commission and its officials to the decision of the AGF is unconstitutional and has the potential of making the commission to defend the undefendable elections.” Political parties All the registered political parties were represented at the public hearing by the Inter-Party Advisory Council. Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Yunusa Tanko, who represented the parties said the parties resolved that the Electoral Act be amended to forestall cross carpeting of elected officials. According to him, “political parties are disturbed and asked that the Electoral Act be amended to ensure that no candidate defects after winning election on the platform of another party.” The parties also proposed that funding of political parties be given attention so as to help smaller parties that seem to be

Jega

vulnerable. Tanko observed that when funds are not provided to parties, they find it difficult to pay agents and as such make them susceptible to accepting bribe and gratification from larger parties to perpetrate irregularities during elections. The parties also proposed the injection of a proportional representation clause to put an end to the practice of winner takes all, saying “there should be a percentage of positions allocated to losing parties.” Similarly, Tanko said the parties want section 285 of the Act to be amended to determine clearly the period for the termination of election petitions. The NSCDC In his presentation, the Comptroller General of National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ade Abolurin, suggested that section 27 of the act be amended to read that “provided that the collation officer and the returning officers at every stage shall give a copy of the result, so announced, each to the candidates or their polling agents, the assigned police officer, the assigned representative of the State Security Service and repre-

sentative of the media and the (NSCDC) where available.” The NSCDC also sought for the amendment of paragraph 23 and 25 to include “relevant security personnel.” Similarly, it wants paragraph 15 of section 51 to be amended as well. Partners for Electoral Reforms A civil society group, the Partners for Electoral Reforms represented by Samson Itodo in his presentation suggested that the compilation of voters register period be extended from 45 to 60 days. He made case for the people living with disabilities (PLWDS) by calling for the amendment of section 56 (2), saying “there is need to amend this section to the effect that INEC will be compelled to allow people with disabilities vote by being assisted by people of their choice. Another amendment sought by the group was section 65 of the principal Act to provide that results should not be only announced but pasted at the various polling units.” When the House reconvenes in September, it will receive report of the committee preparatory to amending the Act and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Jonathan, Jega differ on deployment of troops try during the general election.” INEC kicks While the debate on the propriety or otherwise of troops’ deployment for elections raged, INEC last week threw its weight behind an amendment to the Electoral Act 2010 proposed by the House of Representatives, seeking to limit the participation of the military in future elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who spoke at a one-day public hearing on a bill to amend the Electoral Act 2010, said giving the commission the statutory power to manage security forces during elections would help to sanitise the nation’s electoral processes. “On the insertion of a new section 29 (1) (b) to empower INEC to control security agencies at election time, there are a few countries that are doing this because they feel it is good practice. In fact, in some of the countries the entire management of the security forces in the period of the election are given to the electoral management body. We did not recommend this because people are already accusing us of taking too much power. But if other stakeholders agree with this recommendation, it would help

Obanikoro

sanitise the electoral process,” Jega said. The National Assembly had in its proposed amendment sought the insertion of a new paragraph (b) in the Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act to limit the roles of the military to “securing the distribution and delivery of electoral materials.” Jega, who spoke at another forum,

said the commission would not allow the use of masked security agents to safeguard the 2015 general election. Insisting that any security agent deployed for an election must be identifiable, Jega decried the emerging trend where hooded security operatives are deployed for elections, saying this is highly worrisome and needs to be addressed in good time. “Security agents who are deployed on election duties should not be masked, the doctrine of transparency requires that they should be identifiable. We will not allow such persons during the 2015 elections. Any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable such that if anything happens, we will be able to know who to hold responsible,” he said. While the INEC chairman noted that the perceived over-militarisation of the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states did not deter the electorate from coming out to vote for candidates of their choices, the consensus is that there is the need to strengthen the country’s electoral laws so that members of the political class, who instigate violence as well as their foot soldiers, who undermine the electoral process by perpetrating violent acts do not escape the laws.

POLITICS 17

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Politicians jostle for dominance in ‘Rivers of violence’

Amaechi

For some time, Rivers State has been at the centre of political crisis which is becoming violent as 2015 elections approach, reports EMMANUEL MASHA

he current political wind blowing across Rivers State is one that somehow undermines some of the gains made by the administration of Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Almost on a daily basis, there is a form of clash involving the supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As the 2015 general election draws nearer, the supporters of Amaechi and the Minister of State for Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, have strongly made it clear that they are ready to stake all they have to ensure that their party dominates in 2015. First, it was the battle for the soul of the State House of Assembly, where the lawmakers loyal to Amaechi and Wike disagreed and fought on the floor of the House. The clash got to a peak when one of the lawmakers sustained serious head injuries and was flown abroad for treatment. Before the dust over the clash settled, the battle shifted to the judiciary, where the retirement of the Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu, and the controversy surrounding his succession enthroned an ugly situation that is yet to be resolved. While the government chose Justice P. N. Agumagu, the Wike’s camp said his appointment was unconstitutional, declaring that the person the cap fits was Justice Daisy Okocha. Exactly one year after the retirement of Ndu, the state judiciary workers are on strike following bombings in some State High Courts, which some PDP members alleged are being used by the state government to secure injunctions and favourable judgements.

Tunde Ogunsakin, Rivers State Commissioner of Police

At the moment, most police stations in the state are filled with detainees, who ordinarily should not be detained. The PDP has alleged that Amaechi has perfected plans to prolong the judiciary workers’ strike as long as he remains governor, accusing him of bribing the Rivers branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) with laptops. “The PDP continues to hold Governor Amaechi responsible for this embarrassing situation in the judiciary, while calling on lawyers to remain focused and resolute in their stance against all forms of impunity by the administration of Amaechi,” the state party’s chairman, Felix Obuah, said in a statement signed by his media aide, Jerry Needam. In late July, at Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, some rampaging gunmen, numbering about 12, stormed seven communities in the area and started shooting indiscriminately. The gunmen carried AK-47 rifles, rode into the area with six motorcycles and operated from 9p.m. till the early hours of the next day. Three persons were shot dead in Ede, one of the communities in the area while one person lost his life in Obite. And in Egite community, two persons were killed by the gunmen while two others were injured. Some said the killing was politically motivated, linking it to the political tussle among local politicians in the area. Barely one week after the supporters of Amaechi and Wike clashed over a scheduled visit of the governor to the minister’s community as part of his tour across the state’s 23 councils, some unknown gunmen allegedly working for a prominent politician in the state attacked Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State and sacked four communities. The affected communities are Egwie, Okomoko, Ulakwo 1 and Ulawkwo 2. Most residents of the communities were forced to flee to the bush. Although nobody was confirmed dead, a soldier and an Air Force officer sustained bullet wounds. An eyewitness said: “The incident

Wike

took place at Ulakwo and later extended to other communities. The violence was orchestrated by a politician in the area. There are pending political issues in the area. The gunmen shot from 11a.m. to 12 noon. “The communities involved have not known peace. Since yesterday we have been running up and down because of the shooting. All the youths, women and men have deserted the communities and are presently taking refuge in the bush. The politicians are arming the youths with different weapons.” The chairman of Etche Progressive Network, Mr. Israel Marshall, described the shooting as barbaric and uncalled for. “It is very unfortunate that people could go this far in the name of politics. Brothers and friends are now enemies because of politics. If people could go this far today, one wonders what would happen in 2015 general election. Those who are supporting and sponsoring violence in Etche should bear in mind that the people of Etche know them. “All the youths that allowed them-

It is very unfortunate that people could go this far in the name of politics. Brothers and friends are now enemies because of politics. If people could go this far today, one wonders what would happen in 2015 general election

selves to be used to destroy our culture and heritage should know that there is consequences for their actions. They fail to realise that politics comes and goes but families and friends remain the same,” he said. The council’s caretaker committee chairman, Mr. Charles Anyanwu, has appealed to all the parties involved in the crisis to sheathe their sword. Anyanwu who spoke to reporters on the incident confirmed that a soldier and an Air Force officer sustained bullet wounds during the crisis. “I learnt that two military officers sustained bullet wounds. From the report I got, it was the youths that were involved in the shooting that shot at the military men. This is uncalled for even when 2015 elections are yet to come,” he said. As the supporters of both men wage their war, Amaechi and Wike have equally attacked each other at any given opportunity. When the governor visited Obio/ Akpor council, where the genesis of the crisis started following the suspension of the chairman, Hon. Timothy Nsirim, over alleged misconduct by the House of Assembly, a move the PDP controlled by Wike faulted. The governor told Wike’s kinsmen and women that their son refused to build and deliver eight primary schools in the area. Last year, at an event organised by the PDP along Aba Road, Wike had threatened to make some disclosures that would surprise many. This back and forth tirade between the two men, according to one observer, who pleaded anonymity, is the “oil that fuels the engine that keeps the political crisis in the state going.” He urged the two men to know when to act as statesmen instead of playing to their advantage. He said: “They have to realise that this state is bigger than any of them. Whether they reign in Rivers or in Abuja, the state will remain after they have finished fighting for relevance and control of resources. Why should two friends suddenly turn the state upside down?”

18 POLITICS Monday Eze

ifty-three years ago, a bouncing baby boy was born to the family of Chief Michael and Mrs. Christiana Okwuru in the pastoral community of Amudo in the then Ezzikwo Division (now Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State). Like all people of humble birth, no comets heralded the arrival of Tobias Chukwuemeka Okwuru on August 26, 1961. He had his primary and post-primary education at St. Paul’s primary (now Community Central School, Amudo) and Boys’ Secondary School, Ezzamgbo, respectively. Later on, he bagged a second-class degree in Government/ Public Administration in Imo State University, Owerri. The life of Hon. Tobias Chukwuemeka Okwuru (a.k.a. Ali-Ezza) is a classical manifestation of Thomas Hardy’s submission that ‘time changes everything’. Within a space of 53 years, Okwuru has transformed from the humble, pastoral lad from Amudo whose soccer talent earned the sobriquet, Chairman Crackers, in Boys’ Secondary School, Ezzamgbo, to both a human and political phenomenon, as well as a reference point in both charity and positive management of public trust. Okwuru’s life is a recurrent reminder of the story of the faithful servant in the parable of the talents as told by our Lord in the Holy Bible. His demonstration of good faith, and commitment to the pursuit of the common good when he served as the secretary of Amudo Town Union between 1990 and 1993 set him on a trajectory with a rich political experience that has traversed the gamut of the three tiers of government in Nigeria: He was Councillor, Amudo/ Okoffia ward between 1996 and 1997; Supervisor for Works, Ezza South Local Government Area in 1997; State Administrative Secretary, Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), Ebonyi State, 1998; Pioneer State Auditor, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State, 1999; Pioneer Chief Whip of Ebonyi State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003; Majority Leader of Ebonyi State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2007; Ebonyi State Commissioner for Public Utilities from 2009 to 2010; and member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency in the 7th House of Representatives from 2011 till date. Throughout the eight years Okwuru was in Ebonyi State House of Assembly, he moved several motions, sponsored several bills, and attracted many developmental projects to his people. He was Chairman of the House Committee on Creation of Local Governments in 2001, and so, was instrumental to the creation of the first-generation Development Centres in Ebonyi State, Ezza South, and for Ezza people in the Diaspora (Inyaba, Ukaba and Effium). Since 2011 when his constituents elected him into the Green Chamber of the Nigerian parliament, Okwuru has sponsored several bills and motions; prominent among which are the motion to ensure that the Federal Government refunds various state governments the various sums of money they spent in the rehabilitation/reconstruction of federal roads within their respective states, and the motion to ensure that the Federal Ministry of Works urgently reconstruct the (then) collapsing bridge at kilometre 8, Enugu-Abakaliki expressway (near Industrial Training Fund Office in Enugu). Within Okwuru’s short stint as the Acting Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Environment, he attracted the Iyiudele–Azuiyiokwu flood control project to Ebonyi State. His comments on national development have shaped Federal Government’s policies, especially the review of Nigeria’s commitment to Economic Community Of West African States

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tobias Okwuru: A giver without boundary @53

Okwuru

(ECOWAS) immigration policy. The outstanding characteristics of Okwuru which endear him to people are his humility and forbearance. He is always in a hurry to forgive those who offend him. Ali-Ezza, as Okwuru is fondly called, has consistently demonstrated an exceptional capacity to handle provocations in a very mature manner. For all these and more, elders of Ebonyi politics refer to him as the Waziri of Ebonyi politics, apparently comparing Okwuru with the apostle of ‘politics without bitterness’ – Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri of blessed memory. Added to this is his cross-strata personality which enables him to mix up or blend with people, no matter their classes in the social strata. As a compassionate leader, Okwuru finds time to share in his teeming supporters’ laughter, and to cry with them when they are sad. All these culminate in the highly infectious charisma which is the major selling point of Okwuru. The lawmaker’s consistent investment of resources and energy in both the Lord’s vineyard and in human empowerment is also another strong source of the enormous goodwill which he enjoys. Through the AliEzza foundation, he has funded many church projects and provided scholarships, free medical assistance, free transport schemes, gainful employment, economic empowerment e.t.c. for the needy without regard to tribe, religion and political affiliations. As at press time, Okwuru has sunk a total of 30 water boreholes: 16 in Ikwo LGA; and 14 in Ezza South LGA; and executed rural electrification projects in Amana, Nsokkara, Amegu, Amezekwe, Umunwagu, Amudo and Okoffia communities of Ezza South LGA. His constituency office partnered with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to organise a drug-awareness campaign for youths of Ezza South

The outstanding characteristics of Okwuru which endear him to people are his humility and forbearance. He is always in a hurry to forgive those who offend him Council Area; and assisted to complete an uncompleted storey building for an unknown man (not for political reasons) in Okpuitumo, Ikwo LGA. In the earth-breaking 2013 edition of Okwuru’s annual “Festival of Thanks”, he distributed: 38 units of 300KVA transformers, 47 tricycles known as KEKE ALI-EZZA, 10 units of 5KVA power-generating sets, 150 units of motorcycles, 120 sewing machines, 20 units of electric welding machines, 10 sets of barbing equipment, and 20 sets of hair-dressing equipment to his constituents and other Ebonyi people. He followed this up in 2014 with the donation of seven more units of 300KVA transformers to Umuhuali, Ogboji Ezzaegu, and Azuinyaba communities all in Ishielu LGA; Ukaba in Onicha LGA; Oriuzor and Ekka communities in Ezza North LGA, Ebonyi State; and Ebura Echara Kingdom in Obubra LGA of Cross River State, all of which are outside his constituency. In fact, as I write this piece, it is on record that Okwuru has attracted a total of 45 units of 300KVA transformers among other things to Ebonyi State. This explains why Ebonyians voted

Okwuru as the Best Federal Legislator in the history of Ebonyi State in a poll conducted by Ebonyi State Ministry of Information and State Orientation, in conjunction with Green Blaze Magazine in March 2014. A man who has been justifiably described as a Giver-Without-Boundary, Okwuru has become a crowd-puller in his home state of Ebonyi, and beyond. This member of the prestigious order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, and Fellow of Chartered Institute of Public Administrators holds various chieftaincy titles and awards in Ebonyi State, Asaga Arochukwu in Abia State, Ebura-Echara kingdom in Obubra, Cross River, and Jato-Arka in Benue State. Okwuru’s creative approach to politics is celebrated by his peers within the National Unity Group (NUG) of the 7th House of Representatives where he introduced what is widely known as “black and white politics. All these have made the humble boy of Amudo, both the envy of the opposition, and the pride of his people and the PDP at the grassroots, state and national levels. Okwuru is married to the love of his life, Lady Eucharia Nworie Okwuru (LSM). The union is blessed with children. As Okwuru celebrates his 53rd birthday quietly in the orphanages and old people’s home in Abakaliki today, the prayer of the many beneficiaries of Okwuru’s large-heartedness in Ebonyi State and beyond is that it pleases God who rules in the affairs of men to continue to protect and prosper their benefactor; and I join them to say ‘many happy returns’ to the GiverWithout-Boundary at 53. •Eze a public affairs analyst, contributed this piece from Abakaliki, Ebonyi state

EDITORIAL

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19 Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Buddha

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

Ameyo Adadevoh, worthy of immortalisation

t was a fortuitous and heroic intervention that would save the country from the disaster of a viral pandemic but it also would have a tragic ending. Undoubtedly without Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh firmly managing the situation with the late American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, Nigeria would have by now been reeling from the adverse effect of the Ebola Virus Disease. When sawyer tested negative for malaria and other diseases, s was said to have Dr Adadevoh perceprtively ordered for an Ebola virus test. The positive result enabled the Lagos State health authorities to be promptly alerted about the first Ebola case in the country. In the process of working like a true professional though Dr. Adadevoh became infected. It would be recalled that initial reports indicated that she had survived the disease and had been discharged from quarantine. However the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu issued a statement clarifying that she was not the survivor. Anxiety had escalated over her health in the past weeks which necessitated a group of concerned friends, families and associates to seek assistance from the United States of America. The call which attracted attention of the public and government, however, did not yield the much expected result, and she succumbed to the deadly virus. Dr. Adadevoh, an experienced

consultant physician and endocrinologist was Lead Consultant with First Consultants Medical Centre, Lagos, came into the limelight shortly after the dramatic visit of Sawyer, and will be remembered as the first Nigerian confirmed to test positive to the Ebola virus. A holder of an MBBS from the University of Lagos, as well as a Diploma in Endocrinology from the University of London, the deceased practised in the United Kingdom and Nigeria for more than three decades. She was a member of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, the British-Nigerian Association and a Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College. She died in the line of duty, handling the Ebola case presented to her professionally and with laudable integrity. For discharging her responsibilities diligently without let or hindrance and rescuing the country from an unmitigated disaster, there should be proper recognition for her selfless sacrifice. The government should look for ways for immortalizing her for posterity. If not for her Patrick Sawyer, the man who entered Nigeria officially with the dreaded virus would have infected many more people than can be imagined and the virus would have spread. Dr Adadevoh refused to bow down to pressures from powers that be to release the sick Liberian when she insisted that he be quarantined. Her single move has saved Nigeria. The World Health Organiza-

tion announced recently that the Ebola virus death toll had eclipsed 1,200, as West Africa continues to battle the deadliest epidemic of the disease in medical history. There have been more than 2,200 suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola since the most recent outbreak emerged in December, according to the WHO and USA Today. About 55 percent of those cases have resulted in death. The 2014 Ebola outbreak is one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history and the first in West Africa. It is affecting four countries in West Africa: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, but does is yet to pose a significant risk outside the region. The Americanbased Center for Disease Control is working with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners in an international response to the current Ebola outbreak . CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to help coordinate technical assistance and control activities with partners. CDC has deployed several teams of public health experts to the West Africa region and plans to send additional public health experts to the affected countries to expand current response activities. Nigeria has lost a hitherto unsung gem by the death of Ameyoh Adadevoh. A wonderful and quintessential woman, a strong willed and determined

mother, what transpired and led to her untimely death should be well documented. Her professional life and times will be a role model worth emulating for generations tocome. A national monument should be named after her, awards in medicine and health sciences should be endorsed in her memory. She should be given a posthumous national award and her family compensated in any way the government deems fit. This is very important considering that national awards and honours have become denigrated in the past few years as they have been bestowed on several dishonourable people. If the government can do the right thing , this would encourage a lot of people to act courageously in ways that would bring honour to the country. It will inculcate the ideals of service and commitment to national cause, so that we can hope for a greater and better tomorrow. It is when government demonstrates that it has the capacity to recognize and honour merit that true excellence will multiply in our clime. Although, the death of Dr. Adadevoh was most unfortunate and least expected, but she did not in any way bring shame on herself, family and country. She has become a national heroine, a woman of courage and substance. Although she has gone, but her memory will linger in our national memory forever. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Deputy Managing Director/DEIC SULEIMAN UBA GAYA Managing Editor YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday AYODELE OJO Deputy Editor, Daily EMEKA OBASI Deputy Editor, Daily LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board GEOFFREY EKENNA News Editor TAIWO AHMED Advert Manager UCHEY OKEZIE Ag. Sales/Marketing Manager TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

OPINION Ribadu: The home-return of a sojourner Abubakar Galadima

ver since former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, indicated interest in moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), disquiet has reigned in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). As efforts by the party hierarchy to discourage his defection failed, disquiet gradually gave way to disdain and Ribadu became the butt of virulent attacks from his former party men. The hypocrites now take pot shots at his shining service records: while some said he was powerhungry, others labelled him an ungrateful politician. Like eating sour grapes, bitterness within the APC has never been more profound. The whining in the APC over Ribadu is understandable. Not only does it portray the APC in the worst possible light, it defined the rot in the major opposition camp like never before. Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, tried to make their burden lighter by adding a spin, that it (defection) would turn out Ribadu’s loss more than that of his party. It was a bad way to spin. However one looks at it, the situation in a party must be of the worst kind to make the presidential torch-bearer in one of the legacy partiesACN-in as recent as the 2011 elections to jump ship. As the APC sulks over Ribadu, the atmosphere is cheery in the PDP, which sees it as the arrival of a brother who has been on an endless sojourn in the wilderness. Even as Ribadu was flying the ACN presidential flag in the 2011 elections, many pundits said he was like a stranger in the party. His sojourn in the opposition camp didn’t just add up because he had PDP blood running in his veins, literally. To buttress the fact that the ruling party con-

nected so well with his principles, the former EFCC boss was in February 2012 appointed to chair the 20-member Petroleum Revenue Special Taskforce. It was the first appointment to be accepted by the former EFCC boss whose tenure at the anti-graft agency drew accolades during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, and as he enthused, it was an opportunity to be part of the Jonathan administration’s efforts to sanitise the petroleum industry. The question is: was he really a committed opposition politician? The answer, of course, is no; Ribadu has always been a sojourner in the APC. His sojourn, first in the ACN, which later teamed up with others to become APC, was for him an eye opener: the renowned anti-corruption Czar was forced to dine with strange bedfellows who had no respect for either political due process or party internal democracy. In spite of their ‘progressive’ tag, he must have found out to his dismay that the APC does not practise the ideals it preaches. While he lasted in the opposition enclave, it was easy for Ribadu to emerge as its moral compass, working hard to ensure the party walks its talk. Whether it earned him the 2011 presidential ticket of the ACN on merit, or he was simply one of the political guinea-pigs in Bola Tinubu’s political laboratory is not the issue here. What was most irritating was the treacherous manner in which Tinubu, the ACN godfather purportedly traded away his support base for a mess of financial pottage, and turned Ribadu into a political orphan. As far as the 2011 presidential election was concerned, Ribadu who only won in Osun State, was for the most part, on his own. The much support he garnered across the country was largely on the force of his moral persona,

and in spite of Tinubu and his band of renegades. It is still that moral force that is at play in Adamawa, where he has explained that his decision to quit the APC for the PDP was taken in the state’s overriding interest. Any honest man who seeks to serve requires a platform devoid of deceit and unnecessary baggage. Some few weeks ago, shortly after the impeachment of Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako as governor, the same Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande had committed another faux pax. The APC leaders had asked their former presidential candidate whom they knew was preparing for another shot at the presidency, to forget the idea and go for the governorship of Adamawa state instead. It was perfidy of the worst kind. Abubakar Atiku whom he had indicted on corruption charges as EFCC chairman in 2006, was no less treacherous. Though he learnt long ago that Atiku’s politics is defined by his interest and not the collective good, he must have wondered how he co-habited with the man for that long. The last straw, of course, was the man’s cat-andmouse game during the battle to save Governor Nyako from imminent impeachment. Unlike Ribadu who had fought doggedly for Nyako’s survival, Atiku clearly worked against the interest of the party in which he was supposed to be one of its leaders. To be saddled with such a character going into the Adamawa poll was to make his aspiration to serve his people, dead on arrival. When you add the insincerity and large baggage of corruption by other known leaders of the APC, Ribadu knew it was time to go.

• Abubakar Galadima sent this piece from Abuja.

Injustice of oil revenue derivation Boniface Dumpe

he derivation principle applied to the sharing of revenue from the Federation Account in Nigeria is the statutory concession recognising the right of land owners to the resources derived from their domain. The effective rate of application of the derivation principle has oscillated over time from a previous peak of 50% to an all time low of 1.5%. Application of the upper rate coincided with the period of derivation payments due to majority groups in the country. At that time in the 1960’s following independence, the revenue commodities – groundnut, cocoa and palm produce, were got from the Northern, Western and Eastern regions dominated by the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo peoples. Fortune changed, however, in the 1970’s when crude oil extraction and export fully displaced other commodities as Nigeria’s major revenue earner. As oil, derived mostly from the South-south region, populated by ethnic minority nationalities accrued unprecedented funds for the country, the payment rate for the derivation principle was reviewed to an all-time low. This was a naturally unjust decision no matter the rationale tendered for it. The action was not only a breach of the fundamental rights of the people in oil-field communities to their natural resource endowment but

amounted to forced seizure of the people’s resources or an act of expropriation. Lingering from the days of military dictatorship when it was decreed into effect, the situation has prevailed into a democratic dispensation when restoration of denied rights and the rule of law ought to take pre-eminence. Clearly, resolving the oil derivation injustice was among the cardinal task that the just concluded National Conference was convened to tackle. Sadly enough, they abdicated the responsibility and halfheartedly passed the buck by requesting the Federal Government to set up another technical committee to conclusively resolve the matter. To underscore the woeful failure of the just concluded National Conference on this matter, suffice it to recall that it was the Constituent Assembly called by the late General Sani Abacha’s administration, that recommended the current ‘at least 13%’ inscribed in the 1999 Constitution. The National Political Reform Conference called by President Obasanjo’s administration in 2005, recommended an upward review from ‘at least 13%’ to 18%. It is on record, that the South-south delegation to the 2005 Conference walked out in protest because their irreducible demand was an initial 25% oil derivation formula with proviso for progressive review to 50% in subsequent years. The South-south walkout accentuated the stalemate of the 2005 National Politi-

cal Reform Conference. Expectedly, what followed the South-south protest was the escalation of the militant agitations already raging in the Niger Delta creeks at the time. Major disruptions to oil production followed and Nigeria’s oil output ebb to an all time low prior to the promulgation of the Presidential Amnesty strategy by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The Presidential Amnesty programme is due to terminate in 2015. Besides the empowerment of a select group of ex-militant commanders and their followers, nothing has changed regarding the neglect in oil-field communities. The pristine poverty still prevails. The environmental despoliation persists unabated. The exclusion from the economic opportunities associated with oil production, processing and marketing is yet to change. Take the adamant attitude and stunning refusal to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of Ogoniland. Yes, the Nigerian Local Content Policy is now operational but in practice, it only provides access for privileged politicians and businessmen with the capital outlay to influence and breakthrough the oil industry cartels. Review of the oil derivation formula targeting reparations for the ordinary citizens in oil-field communities who actually bear the burden and brunt of oil production should be the focus of the anticipated review of the oil

derivation principle either by presidential action on the National Conference recommendations or through the craftsmanship of a technical committee. A further delay in oil derivation restitution could inspire a new epoch of militant agitations which is not good for Nigeria’s economic interest and political stability especially in the face of widespread politically motivated security challenges. Now that the National Conference has shrieked the responsibility, the Federal Government must rise up in Nigeria’s true interest and correct the injustice of oil revenue derivation. It remains unclear why President Obasanjo failed to implement the upward review to 18% as recommended in 2005. Now the negotiations should start from 18% with the objective of reaching a compromise acceptable to all interest groups. A mid-point between 18 and 25% can be considered for implementation in the interim with a specified component designated for accrual to an oil-field community trust fund. A review to 23% looks good since 10% community equity is envisaged to take effect when the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed into law. The host community derivation component will be applied on the basis of oil production quota or assessment of relative impact or operational assets hosted by various communities.

• Dumpe, Coordinator, Greenfield and Peace Nigeria Initiative (GPNI), wrote from PH. (dumpe_bb@yahoo. com; 08035484236)

ARTS TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

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“THE DRAMA IS NOT DEAD BUT LIVETH, AND CONTAINS THE GERMS OF BETTER THINGS.” ― WILLIAM ARCHER

THEATRE

The king must dance naked

John Enubiak

ive theatre enthusiasts thronged the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, on Sunday August 10, 2014 for the stage production of The King Must Dance Naked, a play written by Fred Agbeyegbe, and produced under the aegis of the Legendary Plays Series. Directed by Muyiwa Osinaike, King Must Dance Naked revolves around tradition that only one child of royalty, the son, can rise to power in his lifetime and become king. When Queen Odosun; a widow whose early years as a chamber maid were forgotten once she was accepted into royalty, gives birth to twins and must sacrifice one of them. It is naturally assumed that she must offer her baby girl to the African gods. Narrated by a griot who “in a very humorous and satiric way delineates the story of King Omajuwa, who is in fact a woman, saved by her mother Odosun a long time ago. Acting against an oracle that wants her to sacrifice the twin sister of the heir apparent, Queen Odosun instead lets her son get sacrificed in her place. However, an oracle warns her that if her daughter survives, she will one day rise to the throne. Queen Odosun also banishes the son of queen Lube, Omagbemi, who ironically forges an incestuous relationship later with her daughter and becomes Mejebi’s father. Mejebi reveals his mother’s reality and tries to take control of the throne. King Omajuwa, Queen Odosun's now grown up daughter, posing as a man, rose to the throne as said by the oracle. The Chief Priest was sent for by King Omajuwa to the palace to come and consult the gods and also tell her what the solution

Scenes in the Legendary Plays Series Production of The King Must Dance Naked at National Theatre, Lagos

is to the calamities that have befallen the land. Ultimately, the message of the play comes through when the soothsayer and Chief Priest Afinatan, declare that ‘the rock will only return’ if the king dances naked. In the final scene, King Omajuwa had no choice but to dance naked as required by the oracle to save the land and its inhabitants. The Legendary Plays Series is initiated by a group of theatre practitioners that are committed to the promotion of epic, historical and contemporary plays and also the reawakening

of live theatre performances in

People should please support the Art. Artists need to be encouraged and supported. Our artistes are great theatres across Nigeria. “It is in a bid to promoting live theatre festivals back to the National Theatre, promoting

the Nigerian Cultural Heritage, as well as discovering new talents in the performing arts that this season's festival of plays is being organised,” the producers stated in a release. The director of the play, Oshinaike said it was very difficult getting sponsors for the shows in the series. “There were challenges in getting sponsorships. It was very difficult because sponsors refused to come in because of National Theatre. And what we are saying is that, there is no theatre place in Nigeria like the National Theatre. The light, the backstage, the setting and every other things required for a stage performance are here. So, it won’t cost me any other thing than just to bring yourself to the theatre and perform.” Speaking on his inspiration for the play, Agbeyegbe said: “Writers get their inspirations from many things. These days, it is the culture of our country that people don’t know what is going on from our leaders, there is always a concern that what we are seeing cannot be reality, that what we are seeing may be some form of window dressing, it must be some camouflage. And the thought is constantly there, why are things the way they are? And in the end, there is only one conclusion to come to, that what we are seeing is not real. So, when I wrote the play in 1983, the issues were like they still are today and everybody is wondering in the society, what is Nigeria all about? What is our leadership all about?” Is this the way it is in other parts of the world? When you come to the conclusion that it is not, and you are eager to know, you ask for the Nakedness of the Leaders, and as it turned out in this particular play, it was obvious that it is not who should be on the throne that was sitting there. So, that was why the king was asked to dance naked.” He commended Legendary Plays Series for the performance, adding that it is about the 50th time he has seen this play. “Different directors exhibit what they see, what they read, and how they feel about it.” Mrs. Toki Mabogunje who was the special guest of honour, called for support for the Art, describing the performance as awesome. “The entire performance actually exhibited a height of greatness to the extent that Fred Agbeyegbe has decided to carry it to Owerri for his next theatre performance. I also had a great time. It is a great show. “People should please support the Art. Artists need to be encouraged and supported. Our artistes are great. I am always blown over by the kind of performance that they do, I am in support of the Art. I

think artists can be supported in cash and in kind, and also by attending the plays and giving them all of that moral encouragement and motivation that they need.” Also speaking in an interview, popular actor, Jude Orhorha who was the compere of the show, described the project as a right step in a right direction. “The National Theatre has always been there, it is just that the activities in the theatre have depreciated. So, in a way, this is the right step in a right direction to bring back the Theatre, and today, Theatre is alive. It is also my singular honour to be here, and I also had fun,” he said.

Buissonniere, Nigeria's first French movie set for release n an effort to bring the movie Iand industry closer to the people to forge a good rapport be-

tween Nigeria and the Francophone countries, Sandesco productions present a Ecole Buissonniere, a NigerianFrench movie fully subtitled in English to quench the thirst of all French movie lovers in Nigeria and other parts of the African continent. Ekwem Sandra Ogechi of Sandesco Concept stated this during a press conference held in Abuja recently that the purpose is to create employment for the unemployed French graduates in the country, while bridging the gap between French students and the French audience. "We want people who are French-speaking to understand that what they have learnt so far in school is not a waste because many have studied and forgotten that they could also put the French they have learnt into practice because government cannot create employment for everyone. "I love the French language; that is why I came up with this initiative. We have to justify what we read in the university. It is all about the introduction of the Nigerian-French theatre to Nigerians. We are looking at Nigerians who have studied French over the years who can produce their own movies," she said French learning has existed for over 50-years in Nigerian universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and others. Also, the government has been sponsoring the study of the language in. Until now, nothing of this nature has been done in Nigeria. Guest expected to grace the occasion are Governor Rochas Okorocha, Sen. Sonni Ogbuorji, Mrs Evelyn Nwaora, Miss Nigeria '85', Miss Rosemary Okeke, Tar Ukor(Mambisa), Ogue Jiofor,(Onwa 1of Enugu Ukwu), and Prof. Azika.

22 ARTS Moses Kadiri

his Friday, August 29, 2014 students of Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, Lagos will have the opportunity of seeing Olamide, Phyno, Flavour perform live in the season II of Coke Studio concert. The television series of the music concert which kicks off at the school main auditorium will also feature Omawumi, Waje, Iyanya, Seyi Shay, Chidinma, and Burna Boy. Apart from Lagos State the train will also move to nine other cities: Benin (UNIBEN); Port Harcourt (Rivers State University); Ibadan (University of Ibadan); Osun (University of Ife); Enugu (Enugu State University); Owerri (Federal University of Technology, Owerri); Abia (Abia State University); and Calabar (Cross Rivers State University). Speaking on the rationale for engaging the artistes, the Brand Manager (Colas) at CocaCola Nigeria, Femi Ashipa said: “Our decision to feature these artistes was spurred by our consumers’ request. These artistes are currently among the rave-of-the-moment in the Nigerian entertainment industry.” He added that the artistes will not only thrill the audience with their latest party songs, but will also perform with some aspiring artistes, who will be chosen from the audience. To qualify for this dream opportunity, an aspiring artiste is required to do a voice drop in a modern, well-equipped mobile studio set up on the Coke Studio tour bus at it moves around different locations in each city. The best voice drop will get a chance to perform alongside the star artistes during the concerts. He reiterated that the concerts and the dream opportu-

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Flavour, Olamide, Omawumi for Coke Studio II TV series

Omawumi

nity for aspiring music artistes are among the new elements that have been introduced in Coke Studio Season 2 to dial up the experience for Coke’s consumers and other music fans. In addition to the concerts, Coke Studio will also retain it's original element the recorded TV shows, which will be telecast beginning September 13, 2014 on AIT Network, MTV Base, HipTV, Nigezie, Sound City and Trace Urban TV. The show is made up of eight recorded 45-min-

Flavour

Our decision to feature these artistes was spurred by our consumers’ request ute shows. Each episode will showcase unexpected fusions by various groups of artiste to create a unique sound. The show will also provide viewers

with behind-the-scenes footage of the artistes’ interactions and experiences on the set. The music television series produced by Coca-Cola Company features live studio-recorded music performances by various artistes. The concept originates from the Brazilian show, Estúdio Coca-Cola which first aired in March 2007. The live show has been popular, receiving critical acclaim and frequently being rebroadcast on television and radio in Pakistan, India and the Middle East. The music

Maydre drops new video Aiye Oba Shola Adefuwa

oung talented afro–hop/ R&B artist, Mayowa Oluwadamilare Adetona popular known as Maydre has released the new video for his single titled Aiye Oba. Maydre known for his style, passion and purpose, told New Telegraph that the video was shot in Lagos, and directed by Patrick Ellis. According to him, the music video which was edited by Moses Momoh and produced by Kolawole Ajayi known as Kollertunz, featured some notable personalities such as the Oba of Imota, Ogogo, Yinka Quadri, Pa Peter Fatomila and others. “This is my first music video; it shows that I can do this. Then I need to feature some face in the industry, D’banj and we are already working on it,” he said. Maydre added that his interest in music as a career started when he was in secondary school. I have been into music for a long time before now. I started way back when I was in secondary school. I used

to play with my friends in the class room; we have desk, and we used to beat on it with stick. I do freestyle; I was a rapper then, and I have been inspired all my life to do music. “Aiye Oba video has been on ground weeks ago, and now everybody loves the boy. I know the video is going to be big this year and I know I am going to take over. Like I said in the song, Oluomo is taken over. It is my turn to take over and I believed the video is going to be great,” he said, adding that Aiye Oba is a song that talks about morality, tradition, humility, steadfastness and self-belief. Maydre further said that the video tells a story of a young ambitious person driven by his passion to excel and prove his worth as heir to the throne of his royal linage. He also said that he faced so many challenges before he got to where he is. “I have been through so many rough parts and narrow ways. I have had to do a lot of thing that I have no support to do. Challenges

Maydre

were much; I don’t want to go to the details. But I thank God for where I am today. I want to say thank you to everybody who has supported me, to my

fans out there, I am coming out with so much for you guys. Expect a lot from me, expect me to make you happy and to make you dance on a regular bases.”

show brings together artistes from different genres, eras and regions to create a modern and authentic sound through musical fusion. The purpose of Coke Studio is to reinvent the way music can capture the spirit of a nation, opening hearts and minds, and giving happiness.

Sola returns with Ragabomi Dada is back. This time Smi.ola with a single titled RagaboThe single also comes with

an impressive video. Sola’s first major recording opportunity was in November 2002 when Nova Promotions did a recording of a classic album project called The Afro Carols – a fresh approach to traditional Christmas songs – on which Sola recorded and featured alongside gifted artistes like Olufunmi, Mike Aremu, Segun Obe, Femi Jacobs and a host of others. She began her career in music fully in 2005 with the release of her debut album under the record label Nova Promotions. The album launch, which held at the prestigious Muson Centre was hosted by veteran radio broadcaster, Dan Foster and featured guest appearances by entertainment greats like Yinka Davies and Tee-A the comedian. Several hit tracks from the album such as Fall in Love and Iya were prominently featured on radio and television. Sola’s Fall in Love video particularly enjoyed massive rotation across many television stations and remains a favourite till date. Sola has worked with, and has been produced by notable producers in the industry like Cobhams Asuquo, TY Mix, Jeremiah Gyang and Diran Olajoyegbe. She also worked on several notable tracks with celebrated musician/producer, Paul Play.

MOM&PARENTING

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OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI oluwatosin.omoniyi@newtelegraphonline.com tosin042001@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

Woman: Smiles amidst pains Who is a suppressed woman? It is she, who in many ways, cries or sheds tears almost through her life. She is ever crying, either for the loss of a loved one, or crying for the attention of someone; crying for the pains her child(ren) pass through. No peace of mind until the child gets well. She is not able to sleep at night, watching over her child and or family. She even cries for the pains of her monthly flow, for her painful stomach or heavy flow. She also cries when her child goes to school far away and even till the child is grown and away in a marital home. The mother is still up in physical and spirit praying and yearning for the betterment of her child. In her marriage, she goes through various categories of pains, ranging from the physical, to verbal and emotional abuse. After going through the sweet rigours of the night with her spouse, she is the only one quick to wake up to cater for the mouths of the family members, including the one she shared the sweet rigorous night with. How then is it a woman’s world?! Her position is numerous and uncountable. Even in the midst of pains and fears, she smiles wide and laughs wide, veiling her pains. She is the suppressed woman. OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI.

yobami Adepoju is a 42 year old successful single mother of a 16 year old girl. Very beautiful, intelligent and quiet successful in her travels and tours career, she is also homely. She is indeed a typical African man’s delight. But she has been unable to marry because of her church rules. The rules of her church- ‘Local Christian Assembly,’ somewhere in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, does not permit ladies of the church to marry outside the church. They either wait for a single man or a man to become a widower. But the men according to Adepoju’s mother can marry outside the church. Could this be said to bondage or religion? She is definitely suppressed in ignorance. Abosede Ajayi, was deceived into a marriage under the umbrella of religion. Anytime, Brother Femi wants to see Sister Bose, it was in company with some members of the church. As such, there was no intimate moment between them. After one year of courtship, they got married and on the night of the marriage, Brother Femi claimed to be waiting on God, an observation that would last three months. She waited and another excuse came up. Excuse after excuse, until one day, she threatened to inform elders of the church. He opened up to her that he was impotent; the reason he didn’t want to marry but his family members and the church wouldn’t let him be. So, he played along. Luckily, the church rules did not give room for self-discovery during the courtship days. Brother Femi begged sister Bose to go get pregnant from another man and bring it back to him in order to cover his shame. She obeyed but to her detriment. He exposed and disgraced her. He accused her of infidelity. He called the circle of both family members and church elders on her. As a result of this, Bose suffered mental problem and lost both the pregnancy and marriage! It took Neto Francis in Ibadan, Oyo State, 16 years to quit her marriage. She just didn’t quit free of charge

The crying woman

though. She sacrificed one of her ears to battering. First, it was what the society would think of her as a single mother of two. She observed that in this part of Africa, the society was not friendly to single parenting. Again, her family would not listen to heart pain stories. Friends also were not really helpful as to the proper direction. She swallowed it and went through a tortuous marriage. According to her, her husband would come home with a female friend and would not explain the August visitor , “I will get up even if it is late to boil water and prepare meal for the guest.” To top the injury, she would vacate her matrimonial bed for the sitting room for the guest. “My sister, it is very painful to hear the sexual moans of the two at night. He starved me for three solid years,” she said. Francis eventually found the strength to quit when she was near death from the

George

physical and verbal battering of her husband. Today, she is the founder of a NonGovernmental Organisation, NGO. The suppression for her here is that, five years after, she can’t start a relationship. She believes that all men are callous and brutal.

PHOTO: BAHAMASPRESS.COM

There is a family whereby the mother and children take cover (disappear from the sitting room) as soon as they hear their husband/father drive into the compound. He starts barking as he climbs the staircase and woe betides whoever happens to be the culprit for that day. He descends on the person even if it is his wife. And she endured this year- after -year! There is also a lady who is in a relationship because she is under pressure to get married; is always attending to her man even at odd hours to apply cream on his feet and massage them. He picks quarrels unnecessarily and uses very insulting languages on her. She still has to beg him in order to keep the relationship. “Whether trapped or not, I have to marry and bear children now, like any other woman,” she said. The abducted Chibok girls’ mothCO NTINUED O N PAGE 24

MOM&PARENTING

Sanctity of Truth

The suppressed woman!

A domestic violence victim

PHOTO: WWW.AFRICANMOVIES.COM

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

ers too would forever nurse the injury of their daughters being abused in the hands of their captors-Boko Haram. Some mothers have run mad, some dead. Of course, men feel the pain but women bear the brunt more. It is not only in a home that women are suppressed. In a work environment too, they face it there hot. They don’t even have the tiniest voice about their challenges. The men see them as their counterparts, who they aggressively compete with or against. In fact, it is harsher for them. Rolake Gbadesin, works in a private firm somewhere in Lagos. She never seemed to get it right with her supervisor. He is ever at loggerheads with her. When it is closing time, is when he remembers he has assignment for her. When he was asked to recommend some people for downsize, she was the first on the list that he recommended. The initial suspicion was that the bone of contention could be the man to woman issue. The supervisor actually got irritated because the lady is sounder, knowledge wise, than him and capable for her responsibility. These traits pose a threat to him. She bore this maltreatment for five years because she had to earn a living. The questions is who really is a woman? How she behaves in a suppressed environment or relationship? How should a woman have a voice without paying heavily for it? Grace Essen, president and founder of Mom to Mom Support Initiative, an NGO about women and children explained how a woman can survive in the face tyranny. For a woman in a suppressed environment or

Essen

relationship, the first and most important thing is to keep her self-esteem and self-confidence intact. That will give her the courage to take needed steps to her liberation. “When we say suppressed, we must keep in mind that it is in varying degrees, so the approach to each situation will vary, but the ultimate aim is to bring about a positive change in the situation, or find a way out of it. I say so because I have in my experience as a counselor found that most women are more interested in protecting the interests of the persons, putting them in such situations, than they finding a way out. So, they hang in there because they feel ‘powerless.’ Seeking external help is the right thing to do. She further stated; “In our culture, women are expected to be polite, agreeable and not expected to express our views that much. So, this preconditions us to be passive. A woman, who feels exploited, abused or whose rights have been withdrawn for so long, becomes resentful and aggressive, but that cannot bring about the outcome she desires. For her to have a voice without paying for it, she needs to learn to be assertive subtly, in a way that is non-threatening and

non aggressive, such that the man does not feel his power or position is being challenged. If she can massage his ego by making him feel he is ‘in charge,’ and is willing to shift grounds sometimes, and to add patience to her list of virtues, she will not only have a voice, she will get what she wants more often than not. “ Continuing, Essen added, “We do find ourselves in male dominated environments, at work and in business, but we cannot completely rule out the home. In our usual manner, we flex muscles and reaffirm our age long saying: What a man can do, a woman can do better. In as much as I agree with that, we have to watch the attitude behind it. Women are just different from men, period. The difference is not superior or inferior, but complementary. When we see it that way, our work or business environments will cease to be battle grounds, but a place where women who appreciate their feminine attributes and uniqueness, who are very confident of what they can bring to the table, are not afraid to employ them towards bringing about the overall good we all desire in our homes, organisations, and the society. To Feyi Soluade George, former first lady, of old Ondo State, a woman is a source of comfort; as such, can’t equal man, no matter what. And if the woman is more successful, she advised that she should be humble. Stating the quality of a woman who has inner and deeper insight than the man, she mustn’t neglect her womanly role. “But a woman of today has lost the values, adage and norms characterising a woman of virtue which help build and balance her home and life,” she said. She advised that a woman who finds herself in the midst of men should maintain herself as a woman so that she should be seen as such, else, men begin to express to her that it is a man’s world and as she struggles, she unconsciously begins to turn a man. “In your place of work, maintain a womanly position and role. At that, the man would respect and regard you as mummy.” Charity, she said begins at home, adding that a responsible woman is an inspiration of love. Therefore, they shouldn’t get carried away by western culture. Above all, they must possess God’s wisdom and understanding about their purposes.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Mom’s Alert The successful woman Grace Essen

an I have a successful career and be a full time mom? I ask, can a man have a successful career and be a full time dad? Of course yes! So can a woman! That may sound like a quick answer without much thought, but getting facing reality, we all know building a career and being a full time mum is one of the toughest things to do. It is even worse if you are a single mum or you have a husband whose job or business makes it look like he does not live in the same town with you. Here is one mom’s account: Week days, I only see my kids for three hours a day, weekends I am so busy with house chores and shopping and trying to get rest due to exhaustion that I rarely do activities with them and I feel awful about it. I sometimes miss their doctor’s appointments or parent/teacher meetings and other school stuff because I am so busy and needed at work that I can hardly get time off for family stuff and my boss doesn’t tolerate taking time off for family duties when there is work to do. I go to work when I am sick and send my kids to school sick, I am very overwhelmed but doing what I got to do. So if you are wondering if it indeed possible to build a successful career and be a full time mum the answer is YES. But, you have to become an expert at juggling both. Here are some tips to help you succeed; • First you must redefine what success means to you at this time. A lot must have changed since your bundle of joy came into the picture. Be very realistic about your expectations and you will find that the whole process will begin to look more ‘doable’. • Make a list of everything you feel you must accomplish, then prioritise them, small and big goals inclusive. For example, at the top of the list may be your wish to pick up your child at the day-care by 6pm every day, or your wish to become a manager at your firm in five years. Your list will help you keep track of what is absolutely necessary in your life and what you can learn to live without. • Accept that you can’t do everything, and live with that truth without feeling guilty. For instance, you won’t be able to attend all of your child’s school events if you also want to spend about 50 - 60 hours a week at the

office as it is expected of you. Face the tasks before you headon whether at home or at work. Most career mothers often feel they have to because ‘they need the money’ but if you adopt a more positive attitude to work where you work because you want to work and you desire personal satisfaction from working, you will likely succeed. • Draw strength from people who have gone before you and keep going; your mother, your mentor, your boss, a senior colleague etc. A lot of people have shared stories of how their moms worked so hard to make their lives much better. You want your children to be as proud of you as you are proud of your mom and you also want them to know firsthand the benefits of having a mother who earns her own money and has her own achievements so you better get on with your work. • A supportive spouse who is also an involved parent is essential to balancing work and family successfully and it is the best gift any career woman can get! Seek help and support so you are not stressed out particularly if you are the main source of financial support for your family. • You could consider a few more things here and there to make the journey a lot smoother - flexibility, a sense of humour, and lots of prayers. Out-source of some of your chores, adopt online shopping and delivery services, keep a well stocked freezer and pantry and other useful gadgets. It takes a lot effort and planning to keep it all coordinated. And because you have such an unbelievable ability to multitask, you sure can. If you find that managing your career and your toddlers is rather too challenging whereby your work, health and family suffer so much, you may choose to get off the fast track temporarily until when your kids are a bit more independent. But take time to think through to be sure that is what you really want to do. Other options you could consider are: a less demanding job or starting a business. They may not be any easier but will give you the flexibility you need. Motherhood in itself is a CAREER! Just like life’s other challenges, juggling work and family is a PUSH-AND-PULL affair! And here we are doing it and excelling in it. I salute all of us working moms! • Grace Essen is the founder and president Mum To Mum Support Initiative.

BUSINESS Tuesday, AUGUST 26, 2014

What's news Oil theft: JTF flays release of suspects by EFCC, Police The Joint Task Force (JTF), codenamed Operation Paulo Shield has disclosed that crude theft suspects that it arrested in 2013 have now found their ways back into the creeks for the same illegal ventures.

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Foreign crude buyers ignore Ebola outbreak Crude traders have said that they do not foresee the Ebola crisis having negative effect on demand and shipping of Nigeria’s crude.

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FG, power investors clash over N25bn legacy debts The cold war between the Federal Government and the new investors in the power sector over the payment of N25 billion legacy debts on gas has degenerated, New Telegraph has learnt.

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Airlines, ground handlers, others on throes of FAAN taxes The growth in Nigeria’s aviation market and spread of services is being hampered by over-taxation and lack of infrastructure.

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BUSINESS CREW AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business) Simeon Ogoegbulem, Dep. Business Editor BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime) SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) SIAKA MOMOH, Asst. Editor (Industry/Agric) Godson ikoro , Asst. Editor (Money Market) JONAH IBOMA, ICT Editor DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

25 NEW TELEGRAPH

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‘We partner Sparklight to develop local engineers – Leedco boss }p-35

ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

ayodele.aminu@newtelegraphonline.com ayodeleaminu@yahoo.com

FG abandons Kaduna refinery’s faulty lube unit KILLING LUBRICANTS MARKET The abandoned facility has increased the prices of base oil importation

Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government has abandoned the base oil-cracking unit of the Kaduna refinery, investigation by New Telegraph has revealed. The unit, which broke down exactly twenty years ago, is the only facility in Nigeria built with capacity to break base/ lube oil - the major ingredient for the production of lubricants. This development has made Nigeria’s lubricant market to totally depend on importation of base oil from refineries abroad. Checks by this newspaper showed that the base oil-cracking unit of the refinery first showed signs of major mechanical faults in 1994. “The management of the refinery called the attention of the NNPC to this issue at that time,” a source at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources said, adding that “since then that unit has been left like that.” With this development, Nigeria has lost over N20 billion to the abandonment of the facility. This is as a result of the over N1 billion annual loss to the importation of base oil, which is the major ingredient of lubricants manufacturing. Base oil, which formed 85 per cent of raw material for lubricants manufacturing, is one of the products of crude oil. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, sells over two million barrels of crude daily to refineries abroad and later import base oil. Minister of Petroleum resources, Mrsº Diezani AlisonMadueke, has, however, assured Nigerians of the government’s decision to pay more attention for the sub-sector. Mrs Alison-Madueke iden-

 Nigeria loses N20bn to neglect, say experts tified the importation of base as one of the challenges of the lube market. “Challenges facing lubricants market are unavailability of base oils locally and the resultant expensive import arising from skyrocketing exchange rates, high demurrage charges due to port delays and bandoned/unlicensed lubricants blending plants nation-

wide,” she said in a speech read by Mr. Chris Osarumwense at a summit in Lagos. Many stakeholders in the lubricants subsector who are aware of this development have condemned the country’s dependence on importation of base oil. Executive Secretary, Lubricants Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN), Mr Emeka

Obidike, appealed to the government to come to the aid of lubricants sub-sector. Although Obidike turned down request to know the exact amount that the country is losing to importation of lube oil, he maintained that billions of naira could have been saved if Nigeria is able to stop the imCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

L-R: Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, South Africa, Mr Mzwandile Masina; Chairman, Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, Foluso Phillips and Head, Corporate Banking Coverage, Stanbic IBTC, Anton Marais, at the breakfast meeting of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce in Lagos.

CONSTRAINTS Financial constraints that some of the electricity distribution firms are facing is a challenge Jonah Iboma

United Arab Emirates (UAE) firm, SES Smart Energy Solutions, has commenced exploratory visits and discussions with several power distribution companies in Nigeria. New Telegraph investigations showed that the firm builds and operates medium and small-sized power plants,

UAE energy firm mulls entry into Nigeria's power sector Seeks pact with Discos which can easily be fed into the power grid, a solution it has deployed in UAE and others places. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, generates about 3, 500 Mega Watts (MW) for its 170 million population. With this move, the country's quest towards boosting electricity power supply could receive a boost soon. It was also learnt that Selim Fayad, Regional Manager,

Northern and West Africa, SES Smart Energy Solutions, is currently in Nigeria to hold talks with government officials as well as some firms to seek ways to establish its first plant. However, the financial constraints that some of the electricity distribution companies are facing is a challenge that they will have to overcome to CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor Abdulwahab Isa, Finance Editor Chuks Onuanyin, Energy Nnamdi Amadi, Reporter JOHNSON ADEBAYO, Asst. Production Editor

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE July 2014.................................8.3% June 2014................................8.2% May 2014....................................8%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at Aug 22)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N170.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . . 11.57% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N290 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N228 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $39.586bn as at 20/08/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at Aug 22)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N156.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N259.43 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N207.57 Source: CBN

26 business | news MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT JTF has recommended maximum punishment for crude thieves and pipeline vandals Adeola Yusuf

he Joint Task Force (JTF), code-named Operation Paulo Shield, has disclosed that crude theft suspects that it arrested in 2013 have now found their ways back into the creeks for the same illegal ventures. Commander of JTF, Major General Emmanuel Atuwe, who disclosed this maintained that the JTF’s efforts at arresting oil thieves are being sabotaged. JTF handed over the suspects to the Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) based on the fact that it lacks power to prosecute. “Most of the suspected crude thieves we arrested in the past were released without trial,” he said on the side-line of the August Conference organised by the National Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) in Lagos. Nigeria is losing an estimated $35 million (20.6 million pounds) a day from oil theft and needs to put a “final stop” to the growing black market for crude exports, according to a national conference report. Africa’s largest economy and top oil producer has been struggling with oil theft for years with much of the stolen crude leaving the country in tankers. The energy committee of

Oil theft: JTF flays release of suspects by EFCC, Police Nigeria’s national conference said in a report submitted last week that the losses were “equivalent to $35 million each day,” or roughly a quarter of Nigeria’s annual revenue. It called on Abuja to “bring this racket to a full, final stop.” While saying that his military formation is in collaboration with many security agencies on how to end the menace, the JTF boss declared crude theft because of the damage this does to the Niger Delta environment and the economic threat it poses to Nigeria. “When we resumed duty, we declared zero tolerance for crude theft. Let me use this opportunity given at this conference by NAEC to say it again that we will not condone crude theft and pipeline vandalism,” he said. “The battle is on because dayin day-out, we are making arrest and burning illegal refineries.” He stressed that maximum punishment “should be given to anybody found stealing oil because of the danger their acts put on the environment.” According to him, it could “not be true 100 per cent to say that we don't have full infrastructure to fight crude theft, what the country need at this moment, is more collaboration among security agencies.” He continued: “NIMASA has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nigerian Navy and Air force three weeks ago. As I am speaking here, we are in talks with NIMASA over

FG abandons Kaduna refinery’s faulty lube unit C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

portation. “It doesn’t make any sense for Nigeria to export crude and later buy lube oil, which is a product of the crude for shipment into the country’s lubricants market. “Billions of naira could be saved if we develop capacity to address this act,” he said on the sideline of the summit. Principal Partner, Lubeservices Associates, Kayode Sote, an engineer, said in an address at the summit, that the lubricants market has potentials to promote Nigeria’s economic fortunes. “Statistics confirmed that industrial lubes accounted for 63 per cent of the total world lube consumption, about 1532 million gallons valued at $7.6 billion (N167.2 billion) in 1993 with a profit margin of about 30 per cent shared by marketers,” he said. Sote had earlier confirmed that the lube cracking unit of the Kaduna refinery - the only facility built with capacity to break lube oil, has been in comatose since 20 years ago. Mrs Alison-Madueke, however, stated that government is working hard to advance the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

course of the lube market. “NNPC retailing business was conceived in 2001 by NNPC Group top management to establish its own outlet stations. “The company’s operation began in August 2002 with only two stations in Lagos and Abuja to market petroleum products to the public. NNPC Retail Ltd is now one of Nigerian market leaders in the distribution of petroleum white products through a network of 37 mega stations, 12 floating stations and over 500 affiliate stations nationwide,” she explained. “NNPC Retail Ltd as one of the leaders in downstream petroleum marketing has decided to venture into the marketing of its own branded lubricants, in line with the NNPC business strategy. The initiative was to consolidate NNPC Retail position and also to complement the white products sold at its branded filling stations nationwide. “In order to enter the market within the shortest possible time, NNPC Retail Ltd opted for a contract blending of its branded lubricants for the short-term. Under this arrangement, NNPC Retail will have ownership of its lubricant formulations and customized packaging materials.”

this.” On the way out for the crude theft in Nigeria, Major General Atuwe said that the “suspects should be kept in custody pending the Court judgment. Next is the need for mass provision of employment op-

portunities. “Let government help in establishment of modular refineries to bring these thieves into the industry. This would make the petroleum products that are not available in creeks and hinterland to be available.

“The International Oil Companies (IOCs) should be careful with the issue of hiring and firing of employees who hitherto help them to keep watch on pipelines. This act encourages sabotaging of their facilities,” he said.

L-R: Branch manager, Dana Group, Aba, Ernest Onuoha; Manager in-charge of Port Harcourt, Kishore Kirpalani; Chief Commercial Officer Dana Groups, Sandeep Mailhotra and Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, during a courtesy visit to the governor, in Umuahia.

Nigeria risks achieving 18% aviation manpower devt quota, says expert BRAIN DRAIN Lack of training by aviation personnel and government for key aviation personnel has led to brain drain Wole Shadare

resident, Nigeria Aviation Safety Initiative (NASI), Capt Dung Pam, has berated the dearth of local aircraft engineers and pilots, saying the situation would lead to under-development of the sector in the country. Already, over 500 pilots and engineers are roaming the street, with expatriates taking their jobs, making stakeholders to ask the government to come to the rescue of the industry. Pam however, stated that C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

benefit from the services offered by the firm. A local partner of SES, Austin, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Cane Digital Services, confirmed the ongoing discussions between distribution firms and SES. He said that the firm had been talking with several Discos after a proper study of Nigeria's new power reforms, which he noted encouraged the firm to seek Nigerian entry. Austin added that the energy solutions that SES offered were

with this development, Nigeria would find it difficult to meet its 18 per cent quota in manpower development. This short fall, he told New Telegraph, makes the dominance of expatriate pilots inevitable in Nigeria’s aviation industry. He noted: “Nigeria’s population is 18 per cent of Africa’s; hence we are expected to provide the appropriate 18 per cent of the manpower.” This, according to him, means Nigeria should have precisely 128 additional pilots and 172 new engineers every year. He said that failing to meet this target means Africa would have to mitigate the shortfall by employing expatriates. These will eventually be repatriated both in terms of the acquired skills and revenue back to their home countries to the detriment of this continent, the expert explained. He said that the problem

could have been eliminated if the promised academic upgrade and expansion of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, had been carried out as planned. “I carried out a census of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recognised aviation training institutions in Africa. The result showed that the United Kingdom has more ICAO-recognised aviation institutions than the 54 African countries combined,” he stressed. Pam noted that the lack of training by aviation personnel and the Federal Government for key aviation personnel has led to brain drain. The entire transport policy for Nigeria he stated, needs to be re-written, advising that that the country needs clearly defined policies and their respective strategies with specific objectives and time-lines for safety, reliability, efficiency and sustainability.

UAE energy firm mulls entry into Nigeria's power sector very quick to install and would provide a very fast way out of the quagmire that power companies find themselves. He revealed that his firm was working with SES in order to deliver the necessary platform for the success of any possible project, adding that the firm was exploring ways of assisting Discos financially once the conditions are right. "We have the capacity to pro-

vide some financial assistance to distribution companies but that will depend on resolving some of the issues that they have with bill collection and their willingness to accept help from outside their current setup." It will be recalled that despite a lot of efforts, Nigeria's electricity generation has been falling consistently in recent months.

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UNRUFFLED The Ebola crisis has not affected foreigners’ demand and shipping of Nigeria’s crude Adeola Yusuf

rude traders have said that they do not foresee the Ebola crisis having negative effect on demand and shipping of Nigeria’s crude. Consequently, the demand for October loading has increased with three million barrels, Reuters reported. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter has recorded two fresh cases of Ebola. The West African countries are trying to contain the disease, although Liberia in particular, has had setbacks caused by protesters. “Ebola had not yet affected crude transactions and shipping to Nigeria,” Reuters said, quoting crude traders. Nigeria, which has a handful of cases, though events were being closely monitored, produces an average of 2. 3 million barrels of oil daily. India’s Oil trading Company, (IOC) has taken four million barrels of West African crude for October loading via tender, Reuters reported. IOC will take three cargoes of Nigerian Bonny Light and one cargo of Angolan Plutonio. “Nigeria’s remaining September-loading cargoes continued to clear slowly with little price movement,” the agency said. Around 10 cargoes of Nigerian crude were still available, one trader said, with grades such as Akpo, Escravos, Okoro

Foreign crude buyers ignore Ebola outbreak Increase Nigeria’s Oct oil loading and Qua Iboe still on offer, though more could reappear from trading houses. Meanwhile, the Angola’s October-loading programme

had still not emerged. The Bonny Light was probably bought at close to dated Brent plus $1 on a fob basis, one trader said.

Two of the Bonny cargoes will be combined in a VLCC, while the third and the Plutonio will be shipped together on another.

Liberia struggled last Monday to track down 17 suspected Ebola carriers who fled quarantine at the weekend, while the UN health agency urged affected West African nations to screen all departures in a bid to contain the worst ever outbreak of the virus.

Oil rig

FG, power investors clash over N25bn legacy debts PAY US Gas companies have increased agitation for debts payment Adeola Yusuf

he cold war between the Federal Government and the new investors in the power sector over the payment of N25 billion legacy debts on gas has degenerated, New Telegraph has learnt. The legacy debts are leftover debts, which the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) owed the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) on gas supply. A Federal Government committee comprising of the Nigerian Electricity Regulating Commission (NERC), the ministry of power, the ministry of petroleum resources and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked the new owners who inherited both the liabilities and assets of the defunct PHCN to pay the debts.

Nebo to meet DISCOs, GENCOs This newspaper had exclusively reported earlier that the new assets’ owners in electricity generation and distribution subsectors met for a crucial meeting last Thursday in Abuja where a “major” decision on the N25 billion legacy debts on gas was taken. A source at the Ministry of Power told our correspondent that the Federal Government’s committee has scheduled a closed-door meeting with the new investors to prevent the bickering from degenerating. “The Federal Government understands the implication of allowing a disagreement with investors to go public and I can tell you that based on this, the committee comprising of the NERC, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the CBN is planning a meeting with the GENCOs and the DISCOs,” he said, declining further questions. Banks had after the outcome of the government's committee

meeting, said that they would help raise funds for the N25 billion legacy debts. The banks said this during a meeting of the Bankers’ Committee in Lagos. Industry analysts however, said that the announcement was part of the moves by the banks to recover loans advanced to the power firms carved out of the PHCN during the power sector privatisation exercise. The committee said it had realised that lack of adequate gas supply was inhibiting the growth of the power sector. It, therefore, said that the decision to help with the payment of the N25billion debt owed the gas companies was because of its commitment to support the gas to power project in order to improve production in the sector. Aside paying the debt, the Bankers’ Committee said another incentive for the gas companies was that the price of the commodity had been reviewed

Nebo

upward. Speaking shortly after the meeting held at the CBN’s office in Lagos, the Group Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Jubril Aku, said: “The Minister of Petroleum Resources met with stakeholders and announced an increase in the price of gas because the government wanted a situation whereby gas would be commercially available.”

Aku was one of the bank chief executive officers that spoke with journalists on behalf of the committee. The others were the Director of Banking Supervision, CBN, Mrs Tokunbo Martins; Group Managing Director, Skye Bank Plc, Mr Timothy Oguntayo; and Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr Herbert Wigwe. Aku added: “The increase in gas price was from $1.50 to $2.50, with a transportation percentage of 0.8, and enough incentive of 3.3 per cent. In taking this decision, it was considered that it was important for gas companies to grow in their production, as only 23 gas companies among the whole lot are currently independent. “More so, the gas companies have always been agitating that these debts should be paid.” The new owners of the power assets, who bought over the PHCN and other Generation firms on November 1, 2013, have been asked to pay these debts, a demand, which they have turned down.

28 business | ENERGY ASSESMENT Company begins assessment of Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 233 offshore Nigeria Adeola Yusuf

outh African-owned oil company, SacOil, has said that it had set October deadline for the completion of exploration on its new oil asset offshore Nigeria. The company was, penultimate week, assigned 20 per cent equity in Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 233 offshore Nigeria. Chairman SacOil Holdings, Tito Mboweni, who said this, maintained that the Shell’s assets sale in Nigeria,“is good for us” and the company was “sniffing around” for prospects in Namibia and elsewhere on the continent. The company said that exploration works are to commence with completion scheduled for end of October 2014. “Assignment of 20 pct equity in oil prospecting licence 233 offshore Nigeria. 3D OBC acquisition work is expected to commence immediately, with completion scheduled for end of October 2014,” it said. SacOil Holdings had earlier disclosed that it was in talks to buy what could be the Johannesburg-based oil and gas com-

Nigeria’s asset: SacOil targets Oct to complete exploration pany’s first production asset. Mboweni said that SacOil had “the possibility of an OML”, or oil mining lease, for a project that was in production phase in Nigeria, Africa’s top crude producer. He declined

to provide more detail on the stage of negotiations or the location of the asset. JSE- and AIM-listed SacOil has operational blocks in Malawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its

shares have more than doubled over the past 12 months on the JSE. Mboweni said that Royal Dutch Shell’s sale of operations in Nigeria “is good for us” and the company was

L-R: Director General, National Automotive Council, (NAC), Mr Aminu Jalal; Summit Chairman, and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Lubcon Group, Jani Ibrahim and Assistant Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr Mudei Alphonsus, at the first Nigerian Lubricants Summit in Lagos.

‘Why Kenya, others plan to emulate Nigeria’s content policy’ he Kenyan Government has moved to emulate Nigeria and entrench a local content policy in their extractive industry. Managers of the industry in the eastern African country took this move, according to a statement from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), when they convened the Oil and Energy Local Content Convention in Nairobi recently. The Kenyan Government invited the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, to share the Nigerian experience and help them design local content policies and guidelines. The convention was organised by the Oil and Energy Services Limited in partnership with the Kenya Ministry of Energy and was in furtherance of the visit of the Kenyan President and his delegation to Nigeria in May to advance Kenya-Nigeria Partnership. In January, the Government of Congo Brazzaville also invited NCDMB to help it put in place policies on national content, privatisation and commercialisation. The invitations to the NCDMB by African countries follow several commendations it has received within the country. Last month, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, confirmed that the Federal Government was pleased with the contributions of Nigerian Content to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. She said: “We are all extremely pleased at the Federal level with the various achievements

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

this Board has recorded within this period of time. It is quite clear from our various movements particularly when we go to international fora and see the numbers of Nigerians that are now exhibiting the services they deliver to the industry. It is progressing robustly every year and going from strength to strength. Within Nigeria, the success of Nigerian Content is incredible.” The minister also underscored the adoption of the Nigerian Content philosophy by other sectors of the economy such as the Ministry of Communications Technology and Ministry of Power as further proof that the implementation of the Act has been effective. Recently, the Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo also commended NCDMB on the achievements it recorded with the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the past four years, noting that managers of the power sector were desirous of replicating similar successes for the benefit of the economy.

Jonathan

Adeola Yusuf

llegal refineries have continued to flourish in Nigeria because its construction requires just one million naira. Oil and gas expert, Mr. Felix Amieyeofori who disclosed this also said that this led to the persistent increase in cases of oil theft in Nigeria, adding that the continuous destruction of illegal refineries alone cannot end crude theft in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of Energia oil company limited further said that his company lost $200 million to crude theft in 2013 while Nigeria, according to him, loses about N7 billion to the menace annually Energia is an operator of a Marginal field. Felix said that the company on its own has engaged its host communities in the surveillance of pipelines. “We lost $200 millon between 2012 and 2013 (in one year), as small as we are, to oil theft,” he disclosed. According to him, crude theft threatened the entire 6,000km pipelines in the Niger Delta. “Between five and seven billion naira is lost annually besides the cost of repairs/replacement and remediation,” he said. On the way out, the MD Energia said that the JTF has arrested the barges, tug boats and tankers and destroyed illegal refineries, stressing that this is not enough. “With due respect to the JTF, I recommend a total restructure of the formation. This is because we already have some bad eggs in it. Another thing is that we must engage the host communities

“sniffing around” for prospects in Namibia and elsewhere on the continent. He noted that some of the company’s investors preferred oil and gas prospecting companies because of the potential for capital appreciation. “The debate within the company is whether we’re going to stay upstream oil and gas or vertically and horizontally integrated,” he said. SacOil was not interested in assets in South Africa, he said. Shale formations in the Karoo may hold up to 390 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and Total started to drill the country’s first deep-water well last week. “We don’t have the capacity for that. You could spend a lot of money and not get anything from South African exploration,” Mboweni said. Thabo Kgogo, a previous chief operating officer at stateowned PetroSA, took over as SacOil chief executive last month. “His plan is that he needs something small, now, that produces say about 5,000 barrels,” Mboweni said. “Something that generates cash.”

Why illegal refineries persist, by expert Alleges ‘bad eggs’ in JFT in this fight against pipeline vandals and crude thieves. “Government should also grant amnesty to illegal refiners as we did to militants,” he stressed. Meanwhile, the Joint Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, has given a graphical detail of the arrest of two trucks confiscated for siphoning Automated Gas Oil (diesel) from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). It was learnt that each of the truck had the capacity to carry 45,000 litres of oil. JTF’s Media Coordinator, Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka, said that the trucks were caught in the act at the NNPC pipeline along Imo Uzoakpo in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State. He disclosed that the trucks with number plates XA 458 ABK and NSK 355 YF were abandoned by the suspected oil thieves, who fled on seeing the troops of the task force. Anka said that investigations by JTF revealed that illegal bunkering activities had been going on at the site since the beginning of 2014. He quoted a resident of

the area as telling the troops that “tankers come here every night to load their trucks with products without being challenged.” He said that the resident, whose name was not mentioned, commended the JTF for the operation, saying that it would deter others from engaging in the criminality. Anka said that the two trucks with other illegal bunkering equipment recovered by the troops were moved to a safer location and burnt. He said: “This is in line with JTF’s mandate and the Commander JTF, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe’s zero tolerance campaign against oil theft and illegal oil bunkering. Present at the destruction site is the Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC) Manager, Aba Depot; Chairman, Ukwa West Local Government Area, Mr Loveday Chigbu and Abia State Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr Andy Datter. “The JTF hereby urge the general public to provide information on the activities of the oil thieves and illegal oil bunkering to security agencies,” the statement added.

BUSINESS | ENERGY 29

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FAT SALARY Petroleum engineers have the highest starting salary of any of the engineering degrees offered

etroleum engineers experienced the highest increase in median annual salary since 2011, according to a recent report from the American Geosciences Institute (AGI). In 2013, the median average salary for petroleum engineers was $132,000, and had increased by over $10,000 since 2011, ac-

Petroleum engineers see highest rise in median average salary cording to the August 12 report, which quoted data from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. Since 2011, all geoscience occupations – with the exception of atmospheric and space scientists, geographers, environmental science and protection technicians, engineering postsecondary teachers, and atmospheric, earth, marine and space sciences post-secondary teachers – recorded increases

in their median annual salaries, while decreases ranged only from $10 to $2,760 per year. The average median annual salary for geosciences-related occupations last year was $83,311. With the exception of soil and plant scientists and technician occupations, the median salaries for the geoscience occupations are higher than the median salaries for the broader occupation groups. “The geosci-

ences continue to be a lucrative employment option within the current workforce,” AGI said in the report. Petroleum engineers are in demand in the United States thanks to the surge in exploration and production at home and worldwide. These workers are in demand not only in the private sector, but at the United States’ Bureau of Land Management, to oversee mineral

resources that are millions of acres in the nation. ABC News reported on August 18 that the petroleum engineer job ranked among the best-paying jobs of 2014. Petroleum engineers also have the highest starting salary of any of the engineering degrees offered, with an average starting pay of $89,000 and a mid-career salary of $159,900, according to USAToday.

Acting Libya oil minister gets replacement

ibya’s acting oil minister, Omar Shakmak, will resign and be replaced by the chairman of the state oil firm, National Oil Corp (NOC), Mustafa Sanallah. Shakmak, a technocrat, told Reuters that Prime Minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, had informed him that he would be replaced. “I will abide by the decision because it is not a matter of job but it is Libya. We can serve Libya in different jobs,” he told Reuters by phone. NOC spokesman, Mohammed El Hariri, said that Sanallah had been told he would take over Shakmak’s job as deputy oil minister while remaining at the helm of the state firm. Since there has been no oil minister for months, Sanallah will effectively become acting oil minister. The change at the top comes at a time when Libya’s oil production has made a comeback after a year of protests and blockages at major fields and

ports. Output has risen to 562,000 barrels per day (bpd), NOC said, well above lows of barely 100,000 bpd seen a few months ago but still well short of previous production levels of about 1.4 million bpd. “The production of the Libyan crude oil has begun to recover gradually and is expected to return to its previous status as it was at the end of the year, if the situation stabilises in the different oil regions,” Shakmak said. But he said Libya was facing difficulties to return to markets after losing customers due to protests by various armed groups. They helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but now use their guns to make political demands. In a rare success for the government, a tanker started loading oil at top port Es Sider for the first time since the end of a year-long blockade by a group seeking autonomy in the east of Libya, NOC said.

Chairman Governing Board, National Oil Spill Detection and Regulating Agency (NOSDRA), Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd) (third left) and His Eminence Eze Oba of Ogbaland Eze Chukwuemela Nnam Obi during a courtesy call on the traditional ruler by Nosdra Governing Board chairman and members of Nosdra management.

Shell commits $3m to welding engineering centre $10B SAVINGS The centre is operational; it is expected to save the nation over $10 billion in revenue Chris Ejim Yenagoa

A pipeline engineer on duty

hell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) has committed about three million dollars to the completion of the National Centre of Excellence for Welding Engineering and Technology located in Benin, the Edo State capital. President of the Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW) and the West African Welding Federation (WAWF), Dr. Solomon Iyobosa Edebiri, disclosed this in a chat with newsmen. He spoke while unfolding plans for the commissioning of the multi-billion-naira facility

billed for the end of this year. The centre, which is expected to be the largest and best equipped in Africa, will play host to a number of facilities including welding laboratories for mechanical, corrosion and chemical test, under water welding and diving operations, non-destructive and destructive testing laboratories and research facilities that will allow the academia, the industry and researchers to work in a conducive environment. According to him, SNEPCO had not only taken over the completion of the welding laboratory, the company has also ordered and delivered all necessary equipment. It has also provided two giant power-generating plants to the complex so that operation can begin immediately. Dr. Edebiri said that when the centre is operational, it is expected to save the nation over $10 billion in revenue that is being spent to doing tests and other related services in the oil

and gas industry outside the country. He said that both the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) are also playing strategic roles towards the completion of the complex. Dr. Edebiri that as part of the goals to improve local content in the oil and gas industry, the PTDF is committing a lot of resources in building human capacity for the oil and gas industry. The NIW and WAWF president said that with the NCDMB facilitating the involvement of the international oil companies in Nigeria (IOCs), the synergy between the latter, the PTDF and NCDMB, the importation of welding personnel and services would soon become a thing of the past. Dr Edebiri further said that when completed, the facility is expected to train welding personnel over 21 welding processes as well as related welding fields.

BUSINESS | ENERGY

THREAT Oil thieves threatens Nigeria’s 2.3 m barrels oil production Adeola Yusuf

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the international oil companies (IOCs) have declared their readiness to end the N7 billion annual losses to crude theft in Nigeria. The two major stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry disclosed this at the 2014 edition of the August conference organised by the National Association of Energy Correspondents

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NNPC, IOCs vow to stop N7bn annual loss to crude theft (NAEC) in Lagos. The NNPC, which stated that Nigeria had suffered 34,042 cases of pipeline vandalism in 14 years, said that it has increased fight on pipeline vandals and crude thieves. NNPC and IOCs operate joint ventures in Nigeria. From the first recorded case of pipeline vandalism and rupture in 1999 within Nigeria, there have been 34,041 other cases in five major states in the country since then, according to

the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC from inception case date to 2013. The five major areas where vandals carry out their nefarious operations often referred to as ‘hot spots’, include Gombe, Kaduna, Mosimi in Ogun State, Port Harcourt (Rivers State) and Warri in Delta State. According to facts and figures released by PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), 2010 saw the highest

L-R: Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Engr. Joseph Bjoroge ; Member, Senate Energy Committee, Senator Gideon Moi; Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Davis Chirchir; Chairman OES LCC Steering Committee, Senator Kiraitu Murungi; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa and member of Kenya Oil and Gas Association, Gurjeet Phull-Jenkins during a programme tagged: “Nigeria mentors Kenya on Local Content.”

Ibadan Disco tasks staff on commitment to customers

eputy Managing Director of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Mr John Darlington, has stated that only the right people, skilled people, as well as committed and motivated workforce could make the company’s current journey to the promised land a success. Darlignton who said this in a statement, maintained that this was part of the efforts to ensure attitudinal re-orientation of its workforce to ensure effective service delivery in the new private sector-led electricity market. The company’s franchise area covers Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Kwara states. Quoting a former US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, Darlington stated: “You go to war with the army you have, not army you might want or wish to have at a later time,” stressing that the statement could not be more true and precise for the journey IBEDC has just started. “Truly, people are our greatest asset on the journey to our defined promised land. Therefore, we have no choice other than creating teams,” he added.

Darlington insisted that people and organisations must have a culture, adding that there was no debate about this cardinal fact. He stated that the company and her people must build a culture of high performance. According to him, it is a waste of time to articulate ideas about values and culture if the company does not model and reward behaviour that aligns with those goals. He said IBEDC must reward good performance and sanction poor performance. Darlington charged the company’s workforce to ponder on their scorecard since the takeover of the company on November 1, 2013. “What will be your scorecard as management and staff to our numerous stakeholders, including the owners, the board of directors and esteem customers for whom we exist; the regulators that have the right and power to let us exist and continue our business or take us over; and the large public watching and waiting to see what we would do with this asset?” he said. Also speaking, one of the resource persons, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, who spoke on “Imperatives for Strategic Transformation

from Public to Private Enterprise,” charged the company’s workforce to create a new organisational culture. Aduloju stated that the company’s transformation to a private enterprise involves new rules of engagement and charged the company and her workforce to map out the vision, scope and nature of transformation. Quoting the works of Niccolo Machiavelli in “The Prince (1532)”, Aduloju noted that “there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of new order of things.” Aduloju also re-echoed the works of Mark Sanborn, reminding the workers and the management: “Your success in life is not based on your ability to change. It is based in your ability to change faster than your competitors, customers and business.” The special guest at the event, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, charged the workers and management of the company to be guided by the company’s mission and vision.

recorded cases of 5,518 vandalism; 2011, 2012 and 2013 followed with 4,468, 3,708 and 3,571 cases respectively. Managing Director of Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Prince Haruna Momoh, who stated this, added that activities of pipeline vandals in the country have led to the loss of 712,776 cubic meters, M3, of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol in the last four years. Within the same period, he said the country lost 1,310,139 cubic meters of crude oil, 9,548M3 of Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK, and 37,054M3 of Automated Gas Oil, AGO, also known as diesel. The PPMC boss, who was represented at the event by Mr Frank Amego, also stated that the activities of economic saboteurs led to disruption of crude oil supply from Escravos to Warri and Port Harcourt refineries. Momoh further explained that due to this problem, the Federal Government had been forced to use marine vessels for crude oil deliveries to the refineries. Other negative effect caused by pipeline vandals, according to the PPMC, is the deteriora-

tion of refinery system as a result of idle time, loss of revenue to the government and the whole nation, product supply challenges due to refinery shutdowns, scarcity, and loss of lives and material resources from pipeline fire. Environmentally, the PPMC boss stated that there has been damage to water aquifer, loss of arable lands through pollution, pollution of streams and rivers and the reduction of pipeline life span, all as a result of pipeline vandalism. He noted that efforts have been made to manage and curtail the activities of pipeline vandals. Those efforts, according to him, include the manning of pipeline network with community guards, vigilante groups, Nigeria Police, Nigeria army, Joint Tax Force (JTF) and special task forces, which have yielded positive results. Others includes involvement of agencies in the security of the pipelines such as Civil Defence Corps, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) task force, DPO team, State Security Services (SSS), military, services of Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger Delta and the use o‎f Messer Sappers Engr. Ltd to grade the pipelines right of ways.

NGA shifts attention to gas projects management Adeola Yusuf

he Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) said at the weekend that it was making bold attempts at developing Nigerian skills and capacity in fulfilment of economic progress of the Nigerian gas industry. The association, which said this in a statement maintained that this would reflect in its forth-coming definitive training on Fundamentals of Gas Projects Management. In its 15 years of serving as the voice for the gas industry in Nigeria, Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) a chartered member of the International Gas Union (IGU) provides the only opportunity through its Learning Solutions(a fit for purpose training) to gain comprehensive insight into the Nigerian gas sector. The, the association said, enabled participants to develop a greater understanding, interest and appreciation of how a typical gas project is organized and the roles and responsibilities of all members of the project team. The certificates course/ training is an enhanced and updated modules which technical importance include and not limited to: ability to clearly define project phases and to effectively estimate project timelines; conceptual engineering techniques and project execution strategy; fabrication and construction to

materials and equipment selections; project commissioning and start-up including management of project/technical risks and providing mitigations to challenges in project execution plan. Since independence in 1960, governments in Nigeria have been under pressure to level the economic playing field and to allow local talent to grow and compete with established international players. This pressure to ‘Nigerianise’ the economy has crystallized over the years into a coherent set of policies to promote local content, a regulations that require a foreign investor to buy and/or employ a certain amount of local materials or human resources for incorporation in the investor’s product or services. The aim is to build local industries and develop competent Nigerian personnel. The introduction of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) points to a deep desire by the Nigerian government for greater indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector where the policy has been most visible, thus has spur NGA into the introduction of its learning solutions. "This has excellent affiliation/ business relationship with the major players and stake holders in the gas sector including International Gas Union(IGU)," the statement read.

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PHEDC rules out 24-hour power supply BLACKOUT Power firm has blamed vandalism and transformer theft as the causes of darkness in Yenagoa Adeola Yusuf

he Yenagoa Business Unit of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company has ruled out 24-hour electricity supply for its customers at this moment.

Seeks customers' understanding PHEDC’s Public Affairs Manager, John Onyi, who said this, disclosed that the business unit receives between 34-50 megawatts out of load demand of 60 megawatts, which is not enough. He appealed to communities and individuals to stop harassing and inflicting injuiries on employees, adding that “we are not yet there in giving power supply for 24 hours.” The vandalism of electricity transformers and outright stealing, he added, are the reasons for the load shedding

currently experienced by consumers in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. It would be recalled that there has been an increase in complaints by consumers in Yenagoa and its environs about erratic power supply, over-billing, among others, charged by the company. Onyi however, said: “What the business unit receives from the national grid is not enough. This has necessitated it to embark on load shedding among the five 33KV feeders serving the city,” Onyi said.

He also said only 2,585 customers out of a customer population of 12,350, paid their electricity bills for the month of July, 2014. He said the business unit had lost 10 distribution transformers ranging from 200kva-250kva to the nefarious activities of vandals. Onyi said the company had identified Gwegwe Street, Ebis Mechanic Road, Ministry of Tourism, Bossy Water Tombia Road, Mgbongbon Plaza, Opolo Housing Estate and Sani Abacha Expressway as areas in the state capital badly affected by the unwholesome acts of vandalism. Onyi said the business unit

had also recorded a loss of about 65 per cent of revenue to energy theft since its inception in November last year. He decried the harassment, intimidation and physical assualt of company employees while “pursuing our legitimate duties in debt recovery.” Onyi stressed that it was when bills were paid for energy consumed that the company could remain in business. He urged the neighbourhoods to step up vigilance and report suspicious movement around installations to law enforcement agencies for prompt action as the company did not have materials in store to replace vandalised items.

Forte Oil mulls N14.4bn Geregu plant's upgrade

L-R: Executive Director, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), Esther Adeniyi ; Executive Director, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (Nigeria) limited, Dr. Emmanuel Enu; NAPE President, Adedoja Ojelabi; Chief Petroleum Engineer/Speaker, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (Nigeria)Limited, Dr. Saka Matemilola, and Managing Director/ (Chairman),Prime Exploration & Production Limited, Chief Chamberlain Oyibo at the August Monthly Technical meeting of NAPE in Lagos.

Shale to keep US as dominant oil, gas player –Mackenzie

lobal upstream spending is dominated by North America, and particularly the United States. That was a message delivered by Phjani Gadde, a senior upstream business analyst for Wood Mackenzie, in his presentation at the NAPE Business Conference. Development spending in the energy industry is expected to be $620 to 630 billion this year, with one-quarter of that amount coming from the United States, Gadde said. “A big part of that is tight oil. This came about by independents driving technology change, and ever-improving efficiencies,” he noted. Tight oil accounts for $72plus billion in development spending, Gadde said. That figure puts it “well ahead of shale gas or anything else,” he added. The Eagle Ford was a big part of the reason for the development figure, accounting for $27 billion. Bakken and

the Permian also accounted for a large percentage of total development spending, he said. In terms of production, Gadde said, tight oil is expected to reach about 5.8 million barrels a day by 2020, with Eagle Ford accounting for 2 million barrels of oil per day (bopd), while the Bakken will contribute about 1.7 million bopd. The Permian plays are likely to account for 1.1 billion bopd, and there could be more upside potential in the Permian Basin. The natural gas picture is dominated by the Northeast part of the country, which will account for one-third of total US supply by 2020, Gadde said. The Marcellus Shale is expected to contribute about 21 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in 2020, compared with about 12.8 Bcf. Demand in the US natural gas market is expected to grow substantially over the next

three to five years, Gadde said. By 2020, US liquid natural gas (LNG) exports are forecast to reach 7 Bcf. However, the natural gas picture is expected to be bearing over the next three-to-five years due to the strong production growth in the Marcellus Shale. Natural gas prices by 2023 should be in the $5 range, Gadde said, helped by a carbon tax. However, for most of the next 10 years, prices are likely to remain in the $3 and $4 range. Oil market forecasts reflect a balance between strong growth in tight oil in North America, and geopolitical issues that are “knocking some supply off.” The downside comes from sooner-than-expected resolutions to global issues in Iran and Algeria, while the current chaos in Iraq is providing some upside potential. The longer-term forecast was made, Gadde said, by “taking a moderate view.”

orte Oil Plc has disclosed plan to commit N14.40billiion (about $90 million) in overhauling its recently acquired Geregu Power Plant, GPP, to fully achieve the 414 mega watts installed capacity of the plant. Speaking at the company’s ‘Facts behind Figure’ on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Forte Oil Plc, Mr Akin Akinfemiwa, said the contract for upgrading of the GPP had since been awarded. He said that the company is also exploring the possibility of diversifying into the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry through profitable acquisition of upstream assets. The Forte Oil boss said the company it would enter into strategic alliance with partners with whom to share the inherent risk in the investment, adding that the company has already identified potential partners for that purpose. He, however, stated the company would manage its entry into the upstream space carefully due to the level of investment involved, includ-

ing the financial and technical expertise required. Alternatively, Akinfemiwa stated that its diversification into the upstream space might require the acquisition of set of marginal oil fields and putting them back to operation He added that Forte Oil intends to achieve market dominance through the expansion of its retail infrastructure, commercial business and improvement in its non-fuel revenue, saying, “We have an aggressive expansion plan and we will acquire stations where we have the market, specifically within regions of 3Km and in densely populated areas. “The expansion plan is a continuous exercise; it has no definitive timeline. It is something we will keep doing; we will capture the opportunity as they come and we will continue to do that.” He added, “We will acquire and lease retail outlets because we believe that we can make money through that. We want to make Forte Oil a one-stop-shop for all our customers’ needs. Therefore, any space we in our retail outlets will be fully utilised.”

US rig count falls by 17

he number of rigs drilling for oil and gas fell by 17 this week for a total of 1896, according to data from Houston-based services giant Baker Hughes. In a surprising turn, oil rigs plummeted while gas rigs increased. There were 25 fewer oil rigs drilling this week, for a total of 1564. They are still up 182 on the year. Gas-directed rigs, meanwhile, rose by nine for a total of 330, though that is 57 fewer than a year ago. Texas took the biggest hit among states, shedding 13 units to end the week at 888. It was not clear exactly which plays made up the bulk of the losses. The Permian was down three on 555, the Eagle Ford gained one for 200, the Granite Wash lost a pair

for 67 and the Barnett gained one for 26. Kansas was the biggest gainer one two additional rigs for a total of 28. Louisiana, Arkansas, West Virgina and Wyoming all gained one for respective totals of 117, 12, 30 and 56. No other states gained rigs, the New Mexico and Utah were flat on 94 and 23, respectively. Rig movements among plays were also not especially noteworthy. The Marcellus lost one for 76 and the Utica was flat on 44. The Williston basin lost a pair for 192. California lost one for 46 and Alaska lost three for six. The Guld of Mexico gained two rigs for a total of 62. Canada gained four for 405.

32 BUSINESS | ENERGY

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

FG to fast-tract renewable energy, says minister PRIVATE SECTOR The private sector is best placed to run a virile and efficient power sector Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he Federal Government has perfected plans to fast-track the development of renewable energy in the country, to improve power generation, Minister of States for Power, Mohammed Wakil, has said. Wakil, in statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Mr Olawale Rasheed, said: “Nigeria, after successfully privatising the power sector, is set for another landmark achievement by fast-tracking development of renewable energy sources. “The wind farm in Katsina is under technical audit before commissioning. The Zungeru hydro dam is under construction. Mambilla hydro dam is already approved and the Kashambilla evacuation project has also been approved. Several renewable energy projects are all in the pipeline.” He disclosed these when he played host to a delegation of the Renewable Energy Centre of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) led by its Executive Director, Mr Mahamah Kappiah, in Abuja. According to him, renewable energy was adopted by world leaders at various fora

as a way of addressing sustainable energy development questions, stressing that “our peculiar needs to add other sources of electricity to the conventional routes has informed this position. He said: “We are also working on the creation of a Presidential initiative on Renewable Energy, which is designed to create a focal coordinating point as well as provide the needed political backing for implementation of Renewable

 Forecast market rebound Higher seasonal demands in the coming weeks are expected to support the market Adeola Yusuf

igeria and other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are not worried about a slide in oil prices towards $100 a barrel, delegates from the producer group have said. With current levels seen as acceptable for producers, higher seasonal demands in the coming weeks are expected to support the market. Brent crude fell to a 14-month low of $101.11 a barrel at as investor concerns over conflict in Ukraine and Iraq eased and Libyan output rose. The drop brought prices below the level some in OPEC need for their budget needs. But delegates from three members of the OPEC told Reuters the decline in prices was

shop for the ratification of the National Policy on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. The SA media stated that in his response, Mr Kappiah commended the Nigerian government for her emphasis on renewable energy, describing it as being in conformity with trends worldwide Thanking Nigeria for joining the renewable energy revolution, the ECOWAS energy chief said the path taken by Nigerian Power Sector Reform

is the best option, which most countries are afraid of embarking on – such a large scale of privatization at a swoop. He noted that while it takes time for the benefits to fully manifest to the citizenry, Nigerians, he assured, would soon start to reap the fruits of the reforms. Kappiah further stated that private sector is best placed to run a virile and efficient power sector, affirming that Nigeria has taken the right decision.

Oil barrels

Nigeria, others unruffled by oil price slide SUSTENANCE

Energy projects. President Goodluck Jonathan is personally committed to drawing all these to a logical conclusion as he has also signed the resolution of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Heads of Government on renewable energy policy, among others.” As a way of fast-tracking Nigeria’s adoption of the Renewable Energy Policy, the minister said Nigeria will soon hold a validation work-

not an immediate concern. “There’s no reason to worry,” said a delegate from one of OPEC’s Gulf members. “We see the dip as a correction. Action will only be taken based on fundamentals and for the time being the price is still fair for producers.” He did not comment on what price would prompt concern in OPEC. Brent is still above the $100-mark favoured by top exporter Saudi Arabia, which many others in the 12-member group also support. Prices need to fall further to be outside an acceptable zone cited by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi in June, when OPEC last met to review its output policy. Oil at “$100, $110, $95 is a good price,” he said. Oil official from an African OPEC member took a similar view of the price drop to the Gulf delegate. “It’s just a seasonal phenomenon,” the official said. “The price will probably go back up in the autumn when demand picks up. There is no reason for panic. Anyway, the price will not go below $100.” OPEC has a nominal target

to produce 30 million barrels per day and in July, pumped around that level, according to a Reuter’s survey. The organisation is not scheduled to meet to review its output policy until November. But Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates could trim supply informally if needed, such as to make room for a further recovery in Libya or to support prices, said an OPEC source. In the last few years, OPEC has left its target unchanged and left market management to informal supply tweaks by the three Gulf producers. “The Gulf countries could cut back if they see a need,” the source said. "Other than that, I've not heard of any concern.”

Alison-Madueke

Bumi Armada inks $3bn FPSO contract with Eni Adeola Yusuf

alaysia-based international offshore oilfield services provider, Bumi Armada Berhad (Bumi Armada), has announced the signing of a contract between Eni Angola S.P.A. (Eni Angola), the consortium of Bumi Armada Offshore Holdings Limited (BAOHL) and Angoil Bumi JV Lda (ABJL). The company said that this agreement is for the chartering, operations and maintenance of a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) for deployment at the Block 15/06, East Hub field located in deep water offshore Angola (The Contract). The effective date of the contract is March 28 corresponding to the commencement of the work. The contract is for a firm charter of 12 years with options of eight yearly extensions. The estimated aggregate value of the Contract for the firm charter period is approximately $3.0 billion (equivalent to approximately MYR 9.6 billion), with a further aggregate contract value of $0.9 billion (equivalent to approximately MYR 3.0 billion) if Eni Angola exercises all the extension options. The FPSO is expected to com-

mence operations in the Block 15/06 field in the fourth quarter of 2016. Commenting on the signing of the Contract, Hassan Basma, executive director and CEO of Bumi Armada said: “The Contract for the Block 15/06 field marks Bumi Armada’s largest FPSO contract to date, in both contract value as well as the VLCC vessel, which we will be using for the conversion, and clearly marks our entrance into the top tier of global FPSO players. Work on the FPSO for the 15/06 field, has already commenced in April with the award of the LOI. We are confident of delivering the FPSO on time and on budget in 4Q 2016.” Bumi Armada will be using a VLCC class tanker for this FPSO conversion. The FPSO will utilize an external turret with 18 risers and umbilicals connected to the turret. The FPSO will also have a storage capacity of 1,800,000 barrels while having a crude oil production rate of 80,000 barrels per day, 120,000 barrels of water per day water injection and 120,000 million standard cubic feet gas handling capacities. The 4th Generation FPSO will have a topside weight of 15,000 tons and will be moored at a water depth of 1,476 feet (450 meters).

PROPERTY&ENVIRONMENT PAGE 33, Tuesday, August 26, 2014

PROACTIVENESS It will help to discern the quantum of investment needed to address the housing gap Dayo Ayeyemi

n a bid to lay to rest speculations surrounding the actual number of housing shortage in the country, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has developed a framework for conducting a National Housing Survey with a view to establishing whether Nigerians are adequately housed or not. The work is being undertaken with relevant stakeholders such as the National Population Commission (NPC), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), National Planning Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria. When this is done, the survey is expected to help in establishing the actual number of housing deficit in the country instead of relying on forecasts and the quantum of the investment needed to meaningfully address the housing gap. Up till now, there is no statistics on the number of housing deficit in the country. Most stakeholders rely solely on UN’s projection of 17 million units. Speaking with journalists at the weekend about the national housing survey, Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, said that it would help to determine the capacity requirements for transforming the housing and urban development sector on a sustainable basis. According to her, the next step for the committee is to develop a project document for undertaking the survey, which she said would be carried out nationwide in collaboration with all relevant internal and external stakeholders. In the short term, the minister disclosed that a pilot study would be carried out in the Federal Capital Territory (to represent the best housing case scenario) and one other state (that will symbolise the worst housing case scenario) to determine the magnitude of the housing deficit in Nigeria. Justifying the need for the housing survey, Eyakenyi stated: “From the trends we have seen so far, the problem of affordability is a key issue in housing deficit. This is the first time for a very long time that a housing survey is being undertaking in the country, specifically to address the concerns of the housing and urban development sector.” Access to land In order to ensure the availability of unencumbered land for housing development, Eyakenyi explained that the Federal Government is on top of considering the report of the Ministe-

FG set to conduct National Housing Survey would be secured in the remaining states for the project. It would be recalled that the Federal Government recently launched 10,000 mortgages for new homeowners for the take off of the NMRC. To hasten the take off, the minister said that a ministerial committee was set up under her chairmanship for the working out the modalities for the delivery of the 10,000 units, disclosing that an interim report detailing out the priority actions for the realization of the objective had been prepared and that “ is to be considered and adopted in the next few days.” Developers' involvement She enjoined competent developers and builders to fully participate in the process by responding to the advertisement for expression of interest, which would be out soon. According to her, selected developers and builders would be evaluated under transparent and well-articulated system of eligibility criteria in order to create a level playing field for stakeholders.

1004 Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos

Eyakenyi

rial Committee on National Inventory and Auditing of Federal Lands and Landed Property for implementation. The minister said that the committee was set up a few months ago to undertake the inventory and auditing of all federal lands and landed property across Nigeria with the objective of updating the ministry’s database on status of such land and property in order to free under-utilised lands for housing development. According to him, the purpose of the auditing was to ensure optimisation of the use of all Federal Government property in the country. Roadmap It would be recalled that most of the federal lands in some of the states have been encroached on by unauthorised individuals,

NMRC CEO, Sonnie Ayere

This is the first time for a very long time that a housing survey is being undertaking in the country, specifically to address the concerns of the housing and urban development sector making it difficult for government to make land available for mass housing development. On a roadmap for the sector, she told journalists that the ministry would soon stage a validation stakeholders’ workshop to consider the adoption of the

REDAN President, Olabode Afolayan

Roadmap for the Housing and Urban Development sector for implementation. The road map, she said, had been developed by the ministry in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, adding that it was reviewed at an enlarged meeting of Ministerial Expert Group charged with the responsibility of developing the document last month. Construction of 10,000 houses Ready to facilitate action on the delivery of 10,000 housing units that the mortgage facility of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) will support, the housing minister disclosed that the Federal Government has identified availability of land in 14 states for the take- off of the project. The minister assured that more unencumbered lands

National Building On the revised National Building Code, the minister said that the document is being finalised as one of the enabling instruments for ensuring quality and enhancing standards in the housing and urban development sector. She assured that her ministry would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure strict enforcement of the provisions of the code after its approval by government. Besides, she hinted that the ministry is regulating the practice of real estate in Nigerian to check unwholesome practices and rapid deterioration of estates across the country. The minister assured that more housing estates would be commissioned in different parts of the country in due course, adding that the ministry is intensifying action on the completion of all housing units within its purview, including the proto-type housing scheme, PPP scheme, FMBN and FHA housing schemes targeted at the low and middle income earners. To enhance the capacity of the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria (REDAN) to participate more effectively in the delivery of housing units under the NMRC, the minister disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been signed between Shelter Afrique and REDAN in support of housing development in Nigeria.

property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Consultants, investors unite over Port Harcourt Rainbow Town project STRATEGY This is to promote the marketing and sale of the various units in the project Stories by Dayo Ayeyemi

ho is who in the business world that converged on Victoria Island, Lagos at the weekend, were not disappointed when the promoters of the N82 billion Rainbow Town project in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, unveiled the new urban regeneration scheme to them. The forum provided them the opportunity to ask questions and exchange ideas about the project. Speaking at the event, its organiser and Principal Partner, Bode Adediji Partnership, Mr Bode Adediji, pointed out that the gathering was not about conventional road show, but meant to create a forum where frontline property consultants, professional firms, estate agents, some departments of the banks and oil industry could converge and be presented with the facts, figures, benefits and investment potential offered by Rainbow World. He stated that through the dialogue and exchange of opinions that must successfully flow at the event, participants must form a common partnership platform to reach-out to prospective buyers, investors and end-users so that the mar-

keting and sale programme of the project could be achieved ‘from the perspective of uncommon professionalism.’ The expectation after the event, he said, was that committed and interested participants would have keyed into this project and reach-out to their core-clients and strategic investors for the purposes of marketing and sale of the various units in the project. He said: “Even though this event has been packaged by Bode Adediji Partnership, the stakeholders umbrella covers other notable companies, Knight Frank and Rutley, Pat Onukwuli & Co, Homes and Real Estate Solutions. Through all and any of these other firms, we expect to have continuous engagement that will generate sale enquires, expression of interest and actual commitment on sale. “Rainbow World is a big apple and we expect that with the synergy to be generated during and after this forum, participants stand to gain financially and professionally from participating in the marketing and sale of the biggest and one of the best real estate developments in Africa.” The N82 billion Rainbow Town is located with strategic proximity to the Trans-Amadi business industrial corridor and consists of 1,181 tastefully designed residential units creatively distributed as terraces, detached homes and 25 high rise condominium towers. The project is Nigeria’s flagship urban renewal scheme

that re-images and transforms a blighted neigbouhood in metropolitan Port Harcourt, Rivers State, into a regenerated brand of premium mixed-use community of residential, commercial, healthcare, educational and recreational facilities set in a contemporary urbanism and environment ambience. The ambitious range of 1,181 upscale residential housing choices are creatively distributed into terrace, detached and high-rise condos. The clubhouse and outdoors with the complimentary mixed-use include a medical clinic, school, shopping arcade, clubhouse and outdoor recreational facilties. The 15-storey iconic tower

from one location to the other. Major rivers to be dredged include Oja Odan (Olosun Stream course), Yewa North; Lukosi Streem course, Abeokuta; Erilope (Stream course) Ago-Iwoye among others. “The dredging exercise is part of the promise made by the governor to the citizens to ensure that no lives or properties are lost to flood, because as a responsible and responsive government, we don’t need to wait till disaster like flood happens before we take the necessary preventive measure as over 13 million naira will be spent for the dredging exercise across the three senatorial districts,” he disclosed. Olubori advised residents of the state to desist from the habit of dumping refuse in waterways and canals, saying that the wastes were the major contributors to their blockage.

government acting under the Land Use Act, had reclaimed Rainbow Town which was originally constructed in 1964 by the former Eastern Nigeria Housing Corporation. The town went through several use transformations including, for a sustained period of time, serving as a military barracks. This was also followed by a protracted development lull, progressive degeneration of completed community assets and advent of associated social vices. At a point, Rainbow Town became a drain a regional citation for urban decay and poverty, thus, the decision of the Rivers state government to reclaim it and transform it into a breathtaking estate.

Port Harcourt’s Rainbow Town overview at night

Flood control: Ogun to dredge 14 waterways s part of government's efforts to prevent flood in the state, the Ogun State Ministry of Environment has commenced the dredging of 14 waterways across the state. Speaking at the on-going dredging exercise at the Olosun River in Oja–Odan, Yewa South Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ayo Olubori, an engineer, represented by the Director, Flood and Erosion, Olatunji Adenuga, said that the dredging exercise was part of government's efforts to control flood during the rainy season. Olubori explained further that six to seven months duration was stipulated for the dredging exercise across the three senatorial districts of the state, with major rivers and waterways to be dredged with ‘Swamp Boggy’ that will move

is the commercial hub of offices, convention center, movie theaters, shops, restaurants, short stay inn, and a helipad. Coming through a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2007 between Rivers State government and First Bank Nigeria Plc to enter into a public-private partnership; and Rainbow Town Development Limited (RTDL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) was registered in 2008, with a mandate to manage a re-development that drives an urban renaissance with economic growth polls that compliments the Greater Port Harcourt vision and its rich cultural endowment. It will be recalled that in year 2000, the Rivers State

Water Sanitation: ‘Nigeria must learn from MDG setbacks’

s Nigeria hosts a Presidential ADevelopment Summit on the Millennium Goals (MDGs) and

Amosun

In his response, the Chairman, Oja Odan Community Development Association, Alhaji Dara Adekunle, lauded the government's gesture, noting that before the dredging exercise, flood was a major challenge they faced during rainy season. Other waterways that have been dredged since the commencement of the exercise include Gbogidi waterway in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, Swampy area of Adiyewo coat waterway and Odon River in Sagamu Local Government.

Post-2015 Development Agenda, WaterAid Nigeria has tasked the country on the need to reflect and learn from its poverty reduction setbacks if it plans to fully capitalise on the Sustainable Development Goals, which are currently being negotiated globally to replace the existing MDGs. Speaking at the summit lastweek in Abuja, , WaterAid’s Nigeria Country Representative, Michael Ojo, said that Nigeria has seen success since 2000 through the Millennium Development Goal process, adding that the Presidential Summit would be an important opportunity for reflection and learning. He said: “We cannot miss out this crucial step if we as a country are to make a success of the new Sustainable Development Goals. Despite some growth, Nigeria’s access to water progress has been slow, and we are unfortunately not on track to meet our MDG target. The situation on access to basic sanitation is even bleaker with Nigeria be-

ing among a handful of nations where levels of coverage are falling rather than rising. If the current trend persists, access to basic sanitation is predicted to fall from 37 per cent in 1990 to just 26 per cent in 2015.” Nigeria has experienced increased growth in the last 10 years and today it is Africa’s richest economy with a GDP of $522.6 billion at a growth rate of seven per cent (World Bank, 2013). Despite this economic growth, Nigeria is still ranked as a lower middle-income country for a number of reasons. One of these is inequality – which is threatening the socio-economic transformation agenda and further questions the progress we as a nation have made so far. Speaking on the topic, ‘Addressing socio–economic inequalities: Key to socio-economic transformation: the case for water and sanitation’, Dr. Ojo said that ºßthe overall progress towards the MDG targets for water and sanitation has masked significant and growing disparities in access between countries, rich and poor, and urban and rural communities.

property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

‘We partner Sparklight to develop local engineers – Leedco boss Dr. Dennis Lee is the President of Leedco Engineers Inc. The company was formed over 20 years ago and has developed infrastructure projects across America, South Korea, Middle East and other Asian countries. In this interview with Dayo Ayeyemi, he speaks on various issues concerning his plan to work with local firm, Sparklight Group, to develop indigenous engineers and to deploy modern technology for urban mass housing, road infrastructure and power generation. Excerpts Can you tell us some of the projects your company has completed? We have finished the modeling of 1,000 projects in the United States in the last 20 years. In the last 15 years, we have extended our market to South Korea, which is my native country, and we have done many infrastructural projects in the country since 1992. One of the projects is the Seohae Grand Bridge, the longest bridge in South Korea. After, we also did Taiwan High Speed Rail from Taipei city to Kaohsiung city. We went to Hwajang and did a few projects which are mainly infrastructures including highway. We also went to Iraq and Saudi Arabia to do a few important projects, including the Salah Addin International Airport. Now we are trying to respond to the business in West Africa. Now we are in Liberia and we are trying to do Cable Stay Bridge, which is connecting Freetown to another town in Sierra Leone. We are in the final stage now. Going by your records, you have not done any project in Nigeria. Why? I went to Ghana about 10 years ago for the highway development using French Fund. That time, we were just working as a consultant for one of the Korean companies. How do you see investment opportunity in Nigeria? I think it’s excellent. I was in Nigeria a few days ago and I have developed an excellent impression about the country in terms of the friendly people, beautiful landscape and good potentials. I know the country has a lot of natural resources; and also know that the people are smart and highly educated. Besides, Nigeria has a lot of labour forces and I think all these are good potentialsfor investment. What is the purpose of your visit? At the moment, we are working with Sparklight Property Development Company. We are consulting with the Chairman of Sparklight Group, Chief Toyin Adeyinka. As you know, Chief Adeyinka has a lot business potentials in this country; we want to work with him for the development of this country. We are looking at three different areas: The number one is the infrastructure development of Lagos state, which includes the traffic improve-

made of planks and dry walls. So, I recommend lightweight for urban housing in Nigeria. For the overall economy, government can provide budget to build more homes at affordable prices for the people of this country. Is there any way you can bring your expertise to bear in the area of capacity building? Of course, I am a Korean-American, we have a lot of technology development in South Korean this day and, of course, the USA has its own technology. I will combine western technologies and deploy them to fast-track construction in order to ease housing problem. How do you intend to support Sparklight in its drive to promote construction projects, including housing? I know that Sparklight is developed and ambitious in this matter, the only thing the company needs is more experience and efficient technology to be efficient in economic ways. Ultimately, we can produce more houses for the people backed by technology. This, we can provide by working together.

Lee

ment project to ease congestion. Secondly, we want to be involved in power generation, which is a major issue in the country as you know. Thirdly, we are considering housing project. A lot of people in this country need affordable housing, so these are the three areas that we are targeting. We have in the last couple of years entered into relationship with Sparklight Group. When the chairman of Sparklight came to the United States and visited our office, we discussed many issues and concepts to work together. Of course, we had discussions on development projects. We discussed that we would want to launch into development projects in this country. How do you intend to participate in the areas of infrastructure development, power generation and housing in Nigeria? First of all, I should say that Sparklight is really an organised company in the areas of development and engineering. Taking advantage of these and considering our pedigree having developed projects in many countries by deploying technology, we can develop harmony with Sparklight. Already, the company has developed many housing estates in Nigeria; so we can help to promote the business on a bigger scale and in a more efficient way. In the area of infrastructure, we can work with the government of this country to ease traffic on major highways.

Some 40 years ago, South Korea was a very poor country. In 1960, it was the second poorest countries in the whole world

What do you mean? Well, I just came to Lagos a few days ago and I have seen lot of traffic congestion in the bridge area and some other places too. When talking about building the economy of this country, the most important element is to promote tourism and create jobs for the people, especially the young ones. There is the need to promote construction works in order to create jobs for workers to stimulate the economy of Nigeria in a fast way. By my personal opinion for Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole, it is better to ease traffic problem to enhance tourism business and create construction projects so that a lot of young people can have job. What is the solution to the traffic problem you just mentioned? Basically two things! The number one is to build a new bridge between Lagos Mainland and Victoria Island. This can help to reduce traffic jam. Another one is to build elevated highway so that when the road is congested, people can make use of the elevated highway such as light rail or commuting train so that we can have fast public transportation to move the people between the island and the mainland. One of the problems of affordable housing in Nigeria has to do with the conventional method of building which is slow. Do you have an alternative to fast track housing development in the country? My general impression about this is that Nigerian houses are too heavy. I know that when the house is heavy, it makes it durable on the long run, but you don’t have to build too heavy or too strong for affordable housing. You just have to make it lightweight. That means you spend less, have less labour, less cost and fast delivery. In the United States, we have interior walls that are

What do you think is the economic solution to the Nigerian housing problem? I think it is serious in the sense that I saw many old-styled houses. There is the need to bring in new housing in the down town area to ease traffic problem and enhance environment quality. If this is done, people will not need to come to the downtown to look for jobs. Do you think Nigerians are ripe for this? Some 40 years ago, South Korea was a very poor country. In 1960, it was the second poorest countries in the whole world. Now that their economic power is sustained, South Korea has now become the toast of the whole world. The people learnt so much technology from Japan and developed them by themselves. They are now number one in ship production in the whole world. They are now producing aircraft; so Nigerians should follow the good model of South Korea. The country does not have any natural resource but the people have ambition. This is my personal opinion again. I know there are lot of young men in this country and of course, the issue all over the world is unemployment; these young men must be trained and there must be projects so that technology transfer can be made number one in this country. Without technology transfer to these young gentlemen, it will be difficult to develop. In the area of welding, and like I said earlier, 50 years ago, Korea’s young men did not know how to weld, but now they are welding metal of 100 millimeters in thickness. They learnt the technology from Japan and our people are now building computers and selling to other countries. How can we domesticate this? To bring this down to Nigeria, we need to import some young engineers from Korea to work on some projects so that Nigerian youths can be there to supervise by learning the skills. This is the most efficient way to learn. When about 100 people are involved in the project, they will become supervisors and teach people working under them most especially the local people. This makes technology transfer possible.

36 property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Experts seek climate legal framework for states SUSTAINABILITY This to enhance renewable energy and efficiency through incentives in solar and wind energy Stories by Dayo Ayeyemi

n order to curb the phenomenon impacts of climate change in various sectors of the economy, environmentalists are canvassing for the establishment of a legal framework that supports the mainstreaming of its scenario into states’ development plans and strategies. This was one of resolutions agreed upon in a communiqué

issued after a two-day training workshop of State Planners/ Budget Officers on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Planning Process in the South-South geo-political zone held in Calabar, Cross River State. The experts believed that adaptation policies should to be an integral part of government initiatives, given the crosscutting nature of the impact of climate change. According to the latest report from EnviroNews, they agreed that planning and budget ministries of government should embark on human capacity and infrastructure building for all aspects of mainstreaming climate change. The forum was at the instance of the Department of

Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment and National Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and facilitated by the Economic Policy Analysis Centre (EPAC). Participants agreed that funding mechanism and institutional framework are weak and there is need for establishment of a coordinating institution or commission to oversee the mainstreaming of climate change into development activities at the national level. The stakeholders also recommended that appropriate methods should be deployed for development of functional and sustainable database to support climate change mainstreaming.

They noted that an elaborate advocacy and awareness programme on climate change should be embarked upon, using electronic and print media, advocacy workshops, town criers, grassroots information translated into local languages, and interfacing with school curricula. The participants urged government to promote clean development mechanism, activities that will enhance renewable energy and efficiency through incentives in solar and wind energy development. They called on government to develop, access and deploy appropriate technologies for sustainable waste management practices. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment,

Tejuosho Shooping Mall, Yaba, Lagos

FG warns against quackery in engineering W orried by the incessant and frequent building collapse in the country, the Federal Government has threatened to wield the big stick on anyone who engages in quackery. He warned quacks or professionals who cut corners to make money at the expense of the people that it will review with seriousness the observance of laws controlling the practice of engineering in Nigeria and as such bring them to book President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, gave the warning during the opening ceremony of the 23rd Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Engineering Assembly, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. He described the theme of the conference, which is “Commercializing Engineering: An Imperative for National Development” as timely especially as the nation battles to develop the basic infrastructure needed for economic transformation and development. The president who was represented by the Minister of State for Works, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, stated: “We have reached

the point in our country where we must reflect and review what is and what ought to be in the interest of our people. Therefore, a discussion by COREN which focuses on the Imperative of the nation’s development is a noteworthy contribution to our advancement”. Dr. Goodluck further stated that with modern development, time have come for the engineering profession to face the reality of competitive globalization, stating that the Nigerian engineering professionals must begin to measure their index of performance as against that of their foreign counterparts and buckle up to reverse the trend of foreigners dominating the construction industry in Nigeria. The President however disclosed that in order to promote indigenous participation in projects, the Federal Government has set up Presidential Committee on Strategic Plans for Engineering Development and Control which in 2005, released a white paper explicitly stating that jobs less than N500billion should be reserved for indigenous contractors. He furthermore, stated that

Jonathan

the Nigerian Content Act has come into play, urging the engineers to be on the driving seat, while also adding that the Nigerian content Policy must not be seen to be applicable only in the oil and gas industry but in all facets of engineering infrastructure in Nigeria, stating that these are opportunities meant to be fully harnessed by the Nigerian engineering personnel in

order to excel. Regarding the regulation of engineering practice in the country, the President disclosed that having followed with keen interest COREN’s achievements in this direction and in the areas of training, particularly the Supervised Industrial Training Scheme in Engineering (SITSIE), he expressed satisfaction and directed COREN to submit to Government the financial requests for immediate take off of the one year SITSIE Programme through the Federal Ministry of Works for consideration. He finally warned that government will view with seriousness the observance of the laws controlling the practice of engineering in the country insisting that offenders will not be spared. While delivering his keynote address, the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, called on COREN to address the challenges of the country’s Economic Development by strengthening the working collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Standards Organisations of Nigeria and other

Rabi Jimeta, who was represented by the Director, Climate Change Department of the Ministry, Samuel Adejuwon, said that funding for climate change activities could be leveraged nationally from both federal and state governments to argument pockets of resources available internationally. Hence, the need to ensure better understanding and implementation of the various budgetary and planning instruments that are available to address the risks related to impacts of climate change and the sustainable development implications. She noted that the country has some peculiar characteristics, making it vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For instance, the country’s geographical area of approximately 924,000 square kilometres spreading across different ecological zones has made a shift in climate more noticeable in Nigeria than any other African country south of Sahara. Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission (NPC), Suleiman Olarenwaju Abubakar, made a case for the development of new policy strategies to mitigate challenges associated with climate change to meet commitments to the provisions of the Kyoto Protocols, especially as it relates to adaptation and mitigation measures. Represented by the Acting Director, Youth Development, Falilat Abdul-Raheem, he said that the government has concluded the development of national infrastructure master plan to provide a coordinated road map for the climate change resilient infrastructure.

professional bodies in order to be ingenious and resourceful. The minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Abubakar Koro Muhammad, directed that COREN should also facilitate collaboration between the universities and industries in Nigeria in order to provide the needed critical mass for technological transformation of the country. He added that these will further complement government’s efforts in transforming the country into an Industrial grant which in turn will encourage greater patronage to registered local engineering firms and personnel by government. The President of the Council, Engr. Kashim A. Ali, acknowledged and appreciated the Federal Ministry of Works for supporting the council in various ways and promised Mr. President that all hands will be on deck to check and dislodge quacks as well as address professionals who cut corners at the expense of clients and lives of unsuspecting Nigerians.

FAAN: Too much money, not much p–38 to show

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

BUSINESS 37

Airlines, ground handlers, others on throes of FAAN taxes These are trying times in Nigeria’s aviation industry as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria continues to over-tax operators, writes Aviation Editor, WOLE SHADARE

he growth in Nigeria’s aviation market and spread of services is being hampered by overtaxation and lack of infrastructure. Outlook It is a well known fact that the country’s aviation industry is overtaxed and this is being reflected in the industry’s lack of competitiveness at the global level. It is important for Nigeria to acknowledge the devastating impact of high taxes. Taking a close look at certain taxes or charges which could be avoided, experts said that taxes on aviation fuel, service tax on air tickets and high airport charges were some of the things that need a re-look. In the aviation industry, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) especially has been found wanting in taxing everything and making life miserable for airlines, service providers, aviation ground handling firms and concessionaires. The astronomical taxes are seen as a way of squeezing them out of business. These are some of the taxes imposed in the last two years when former Aviation Minister, Ms Stella Oduah, held sway. Some of the controversial taxes were those imposed on foreign and domestic charter operators. The Ministry of Aviation had imposed $4000 and $3000 for each take off for the operators. Not only was it criminal, it was also done without carrying them along and going beyond the mundane reasons for the imposition. Expectedly, the operators rejected the new policy, forcing the Senate to call for the suspension of those charges until all the grey areas were ironed out. That has remained the situation till this day. Just last week, airlines and service providers like ground handling firms and other concessionaires of FAAN threatened to reject the new tax regime and may be preparing for a showdown with the aviation agency over what they described as “arbitrary increase in the charges” they pay to the

Aircraft on the tarmac of an airport

agency annually. New high charges The new charges made available to New Telegraph shows that FAAN had recently increased its ground rent, office rent, apron pass, operational vehicle sticker and car permit among others by 33 per cent and 500 per cent to all its clients in the sector. Airports mostly affected by this new development include the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja and the Port Harcourt Airport, Port Harcourt. The new charges indicated that FAAN increased its ground rent from N1,500 per square metre to N2,000, which is 33 per cent increase at the Lagos Airport. Office rent for airlines, ground handling services and other concessionaires at the same airport was increased from N30,000 to N60,000 per square metre per annum. This also shows 100 per cent increase in such rent. Others are apron pass and H&C Terminal car sticker, which increased from N50,000 and N7,000 per annum to N150,000 and N15,000 respectively. At Port Harcourt Airport, the situation is even worse, as FAAN’s clients are being compelled to pay new charges on ground rent, apron pass, car permit, operational vehicle sticker and apron pass. Equally exorbitant is that for ground rent at the airport, with the aviation agency raising the fee from N500 to N2000, indicating 300 per cent increase; Apron pass from

OLD/NEW FAAN CHARGES Location Lagos

Port Harcourt

Abuja

S/N 1 2 3 4 1 2 4 5 1

Description Old Rate N New Rate N % Charge Ground Rent 1,500 2,000 33.333333 Office Rent 30,000 60,000 100 Apron Pass 50,000 150,000 300 H&C Terminal 25,000 Car Sticker Ground Rent 500 2,000 300 Apron Pass 250,000 1,200,000 380 Car Permit 20,000 Operational 500,000 Vehicle Sticker Apron Pass 15,000 250,000 1,566.67

N250,000 to N1,200,000 per annum, which shows increase of 380 per cent. For car permit at the airport, clients are forced to pay N20,000 on each vehicle from zero naira while the sum of N500,000 was imposed on each operational vehicle sticker from another zero kobo. At the Abuja Airport, apron pass for each vehicle jumped by 1,566 per cent to N250,000 from N15,000 per annum. The findings also showed

Securing aviation’s future begins with some immediate challenges. Airlines must be profitable, safe and secure businesses. We need to provide efficient, customerfocused services

that the new charges are exclusive of the five per cent turnover the agency collects from most of its clients annually while it also receives about 7 per cent on each kilogramme of cargo cleared for importation by ground handling services. Stakeholders kick However, stakeholders in the aviation sector under the aegis of Airport Operators Committee, AOC, comprising the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCo, Plc local and foreign airlines and concessionaires to FAAN have concluded plans to resist the agency from enforcing the new charges. It would be recalled that some of the old charges were introduced in 2012 and 2013, wondering, just as experts wondered why the agency would want to increase the fees again barely 12 and 24 months after. A source who preferred anonymity said: “We are against this abnormality that is going on. As AOC members, we have met severally with FAAN on these new charges and told

them that we won’t be able to pay them because they are so arbitrary that we can’t afford them.” He told reporters that in other developed airports around the world, some of these charges are not paid by operators, alleging that FAAN is forcing the payment on them. He also alleged that officials had been impounding their operational vehicles, thereby disrupting their operations. “FAAN officials have been going round disrupting our operations and causing unnecessary delay to our clients especially at the tarmac. We have severally written petition to the Ministry of Aviation on this, but till now, we have not received any response.” The operators said that as at today, no airline in the country is making profit and many of them are existing on the fringes as they struggle to fund their operations and pay their personnel. According to them, considering the crucial role air transport plays in the economy of the nation, government should urgently take action by stopping the multi taxation and also remove landing and packing charges for airlines’ operational bases. The Deputy Managing Director and Head of Flight Operations of Arik Air, Captain Ado Sanusi, recently said that issues of multiple taxation should be tackled in order to assist the airlines sustain their operations. Safety challenge The International Air TransC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 9

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

SAA increases frequency between Lagos/Jo'burg Wole Shadare

outh African Airways (SAA) has increased frequency between Lagos and Johannesburg from 7 to 8 services per week effective September 2, 2014. Strong passenger demand and an additional state of the art A320s inducted to the fleet, are among the reasons that prompted SAA to add frequencies to its developing Lagos route. SAA Country Manager in Nigeria, Thobi Duma, at a press conference at the weekend, said: “SAA stands ready to offer seamless customer service to our valued passengers. This will ensure increased connectivity and better con-

necting times to flights in the evening out of Johannesburg. “We are noting a steady growth and we maintain that the increases in frequency will provide both business and leisure passengers travelling to and from these destinations with more flexibility and greater choice to connect onto SAA’s extensive global network,” adds Duma. Owing to the increased frequencies, passengers connecting from Lagos to other cities such as Abuja will be able to connect without challenges as opposed to the current schedule where they spend the night in Lagos before connecting. Furthermore, passengers from South Africa will be afforded more time to engage in their activities before flying out at

23h00 on Tuesday nights. This is part of SAA’s “Gaining Altitude” strategy to add flights in developing routes like Lagos and offering passengers convenient connections to the rest of the world. SAA will continue to look at new opportunities to add capacity to its existing network and further strengthen its brand presence around the world. “As SAA, we are committed be a catalyst for the growth of business and investment in Nigeria by ensuring that our passengers receive the comfort of flying with a very safe and secure carrier that has consistently been Africa’s most awarded airline, and recently voted by Skytrax as the Best Airline in Africa for 12 consecutive years,” concludes Duma.

L-R: South African Airways' Regional General Manager for Africa and Middle-East, Aaron Munetsi; Country Manager, Nigeria, Thobi Duma and Regional Manager for North, West and Central Africa, Ohis Ehimiaghe, at the airline’s press conference in Lagos announcing its 8th frequency on the Lagos/Johannesburg route.

ICAO to hold safety meeting with IATA, others T

he United Nation civil aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation will hold a broad international meeting to discuss airline safety in the industry's most coordinated response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, two people familiar with the matter said. The meeting of ICAO and senior officials from the airline industry and air traffic controllers, to be held in Montreal next week, comes amid growing calls for action to prevent a repeat of last week's incident, which killed 298 people. But both sources said it was not immediately clear what action would result from the meeting, given the agency's limited operational role.

And the United States, home to the world's biggest domestic aviation market, quickly dampened expectation of any major changes to the way global aviation is organised. The Montreal meeting will group top officials from the International Civil Aviation Organisation as well as International Air Transport Association and other agencies, the two people said. MH17 was shot down last week over a part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russianspeaking separatists. Industry figures have since urged ICAO to take on a bigger role and issue risk advisories. ICAO, IATA, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation and Airports Council

International will discuss the respective roles of each in airspace over conflict zones, the sources said. "The idea is for the partners to discuss solutions," said one aviation industry source close to ICAO, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for ICAO said a meeting was under discussion but had not been confirmed. IATA in Geneva declined to comment. Two ICAO representatives said the MH17 incident had sparked internal debate on whether the agency could one day provide risk advisories, although they did not expect to see any imminent changes. Member states have ultimate control over their own airspace and may be reluctant to hand over power to ICAO.

AIR RAGE

WITH

Wole Shadare

A crowded departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos

FAAN: Too much money, not much to show

hat the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is the proverbial cash-cow of the aviation industry is stating the obvious. The agency which is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the 22 airports across the country is big in size but a dwarf when it comes to airports development and ensuring safety. Any time a Managing Director is appointed to man the agency, what comes to mind is that the appointed official is “going there to chop”. Whatever that means underscores the well known fact that the agency is rich and should not be heard to be broke. But that is not the case. The truth is that the agency has been plunged into over N160 billion debt. It is a debt that may not be settled in the next ten years. Nobody has told Nigerians why led the agency to incur such humungous debts. The current Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunuma, a civil engineer has his work really cut out for him. Given his experience, he surely will stir FAAN out of trouble waters and reposition it if given the free hand to do his job, devoid of interference from the Ministry of Aviation. To say the least, the FAAN was wrecked by those who managed its affairs. It was one that served as the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) for former Ministers of Aviation. It was worse in the past three years where contracts were allegedly awarded without due process. Employments were done without recourse to laid down rules. People, over 200 of them who had no business in aviation were brought in. They were square pegs in round holes. The airports remodeling projects were shambolically done. Some of them are yet to be completed. Bids were shrouded in secrecy, aviation security contracts were said to have been equally given to a former Minister even when her firm has no experience in such serious business. While these went on, the agency reeled under heavy yoke. Nobody cared. As long

as they enriched their pockets, cries of decay at the airports never bothered them. Some of the airports runways and aprons like that of Enugu are flooded when it rains heavily. Many likened them to a swimming pool. What a shame! Virtually all the nation’s airports are in decrepit condition. They lack perimeter and security fences. In short our airports are very porous. For airports around the world, security has always been a top priority. One area that has not been tackled by some governments is the provision of perimeter fencing. How has Nigeria managed this challenge? As we know, in most cases where airports do have full fence coverage, their perimeter must be protected. Most of Nigeria’s airports lack adequate security equipment, from perimeter fencing to operational vehicles and inadequate personnel. Many of the airports have their perimeter fencing projects terminated and some of the airports, like the one in Benin do not have perimeter fencing at all. The ones in northern parts of the country need urgent security fencing in addition to the perimeter fencing because of the menace of terror organisations. While developed countries have their airports properly fenced in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, many countries in Africa, including Nigeria are yet to take such safety measure. The incident involving a stowaway, Daniel Oikhena some months ago is a huge testimony to how virtually Nigerian airports are dangerously exposed to threats. Most of the terminals lack the comfort passengers need. Inside the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, travellers go through hell. The terminal can be likened to poultry, fuelling what significance was achieved with Lagos airport remodeling. It is not all doom and gloom as there are some positives, but the rots far outweighs the gains.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana

Huge expansion in Ghana’s aviation industry VISION The aviation sector plays an important role in the global economy

ir travel in Ghana has been on a strong upward flow with the last two years showing a steep rise in both domestic and international passenger traffic. International aircraft movements to and from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) have improved tremendously between 2012 and 2013, as a result of the operation of new entrants into the industry and increased flight frequency of existing airlines. Domestic aircraft movements, on the other hand, experienced a sharp increase as a result of growing demand, reliable services and competitive airfares offered passengers by operators compared to road transporters. Pursuing the aim of making Ghana the gateway to Africa and an aviation hub in the West African sub-region, management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has unveiled an ambitious programme to bring KIA at par with some of the best in the world in terms of infrastructure, security and services. In order to stay competitive, governments in Senegal, Togo and Nigeria have committed significant financial resources to upgrade their airport infrastructure. The GACL at its second Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Accra last week announced its decision to source for and invest over US$600million in the next three years “to enhance and expand our airport infrastructure and services.” This has been occasioned by the recent promulgation of the Airport Tax (Amendment) 2013 Act 858, which enables the GACL to retain 100% tariff. The development, according to the Board of the company, will improve GACL’s ability to

leverage on its potential income to raise funding to improve international and domestic air travel facilities, human resources, build new airports and thereby raise the image of Ghana as a favourable investment destination. The company has, therefore, instructed its bankers to go to the capital market and raise a syndicated facility payable within eight to ten years. Strategies are underway to increase capacity and improve the operating efficiencies of the country’s airports at KIA, Kumasi, Tamale and Sunyani by upgrading and expanding infrastructure and service facilities, and also develop new regional aerodromes. In line with the new trend in airport business management, which emphasises non-aeronautical businesses, GACL intends to grow the non-aeronautical revenues of the company and increase its percentage contri-

bution to total revenue from the current level of 10 per cent to 30 per cent within the next five years. “Through joint ventures with private sector players and Public Private Partnerships, we will pursue opportunities in commercial real estate such as offices, hotels, malls, retail

In order to stay competitive, governments in Senegal, Togo and Nigeria have committed significant financial resources to upgrade their airport infrastructure

shopping malls, entertainment centres, car parks and other airport related development on the landside of our airports,” Mr Asare disclosed. The aviation sector plays an important role in the global economy by providing connectivity through the only rapid worldwide transport network. In doing so, the direct and wider impact on jobs and GDP globally is enormous—contributing over 22 million jobs and $1.4 trillion in GDP. Moreover, the sector makes contributions to other industries by facilitating their growth and supporting their operations. With a significant proportion of international tourists depending on air transport, the aviation industry supports 34.5 million jobs within tourism globally, contributing around $762 billion a year to world GDP. It supports tourism and international business by providing the world’s only rapid world-

Chidoka bags merit award M

inister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, has been conferred with the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on August 21, 2014. The President who was represented by the Vice President, Arc Namadi Sambo, said that recipients are being recognised for their productivity and commitment towards nation building. He charged them to continue to give their best for the growth and development of the country. The event, which was chaired by the Minister of Labour, Emeka Nwogu, also witnessed the conferment of the award on other notable Nigerians who have made significant contributions to the development of the country, in their various fields of endeavour. Chidoka is being recognised, with this award, because of the significant improvement he brought to the Federal Road

Safety Commission (FRSC) where he served as the corp Marshal. His unique management style, creativity and determination has earned the commission enconiums at home

Chidoka

and abroad. This is aside from his transparent commitment to the implementation of government’s Transformation Agenda in Road Safety, including infrastructural development, manpower training and development. The CEOs of aviation parastatals who came to felicitate with their new helmsman expressed pride for this enviable achievement. They enthused: "We are confident that your sterling qualities at the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), which earned you this award will be brought to bear in the aviation industry." They pledged their unalloyed commitment and support towards ensuring that these successes are replicated in the aviation industry. The occasion was attended by the newly posted Permanent Secretary, Mr Yemi Adelakun, Directors from the ministry and CEOs of the aviation agencies.

wide transportation network. Airlines transported 2.8 billion passengers and 47.6 million metric tonnes of air cargo in 2011, connecting the world’s cities with 36,000 routes. By providing these services, the aviation industry plays an important role in enabling economic growth and providing various economic and social benefits. The connections made between cities and markets produce an important infrastructure asset that facilitates activities that enhance a nation’s productivity. More specifically, air transport enables foreign direct investment (FDI), business cluster development, specialization, and other spillover effects.

• Culled from Top on Travel

Airlines on throes of FAAN taxes C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 7

port Association (IATA) has attributed the failure of airlines in Africa to over taxation by states, which is also compounded by safety challenges. Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of IATA, Tony Tyler, observed that in Africa there are high taxes and high cost of fuel on the continent than anywhere else in the world. These, he said are reasons why airlines in the continent barely operate profitably and therefore have short life span. “The key to unlocking aviation’s future potential is a global mindset supported by strong partnerships. Aviation connects people and business. Securing aviation’s future begins with some immediate challenges. Airlines must be profitable, safe and secure businesses. We need to provide efficient, customerfocused services. And sustainability must be integral to everything that we do,” said the IATA’s director-general.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

GOOD THINKING It is unsafe to breathe aviation engine oil fumes that contaminate the ventilation air

he Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE) represents more than 800,000 airline staff and consumers and congratulates the Boeing Aircraft Company for designing the Boeing 787 so it can provide clean breathing air to passengers and crews. For over 50 years, all commercial jet aircraft have used the flawed practice of supplying passengers and crews with unfiltered breathing air taken directly from the compression section of the engine using a process known as “Bleed Air”. This has been done despite the aviation industry knowing ‘’bleed air” can by design become contaminated with toxic synthetic jet engine oils and despite knowing aircraft have no form of contaminated air detection systems fitted – despite aviation regulations requiring them – to warn when the air is contaminated. The Boeing 787 is unique in that it uses a new “bleed-free” architecture through the use of electrical compressors that ensures passengers and crews are no longer exposed to oil fumes. Contaminated air exposures continue to occur on a daily basis and compromise flight safety and passenger and crew health. The Boeing 787 is the only commercial “bleedfree” aircraft flying today. There was significant attention at the recent Farnborough International Airshow on the new Airbus, Embraer and

‘Only Boeing 787 provides passengers, crews with clean breathing air' Boeing commercial aircraft designs. However, the GCAQE notes that all major aircraft manufacturers are planning to use the conventional flawed and outdated “bleed air” technology for cabin and flight deck ventilation on their new aircraft types. The GCAQE calls on all airframe and engine manufacturers, to only use Boeing 787 “bleed-free” technology on all newly manufactured or new type aircraft to protect crews and passengers and to introduce engineering air filtration solutions for all non Boeing 787 aircraft. It is unsafe to breathe aviation engine oil fumes that contaminate the ventilation air on “bleed air” equipped aircraft. The European Commission has recently classified one of the organophosphates present in some major engine oils as a “Substance of Very High Concern” (SVHC) because it may cause harm to the unborn and impair fertility. A wide range of United Nations and REACH hazard classifications exist for the chemical constituents in engine oils. Thus, it is unacceptable for the industry to continue to supply unfiltered engine “bleed air” knowing that no engine seal can exclude all oil, and that varying amounts of oil will leak into the system and be supplied directly to the cabin and flight deck for passengers and crew to breathe. Our view held by workers and consumers is all the more important given the recent

Lufthansa begins cargo services to Lagos lStrengthens presence in W‘Africa

Wole Shadare

ufthansa Cargo is further integrating Lagos into its own network through twice-weekly freighter flights. From 15 September, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter will take off from Frankfurt for the Nigerian city every Monday and Wednesday. Lagos is an important destination for the oil and gas industry in particular. Urgently required spare parts and equipment for oil production facilities can now be transported even faster to Nigeria, and with greater flexibility. A total of 170 tonnes of capacity will be available each week to Lufthansa Cargo customers on this route from September. Following a brief stop, the freighter will fly on to Johan-

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

nesburg. The return leg to Frankfurt will include a stopover in Nairobi. Another two weekly flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg will also stop in Nairobi on the southbound flight. “Adding Lagos to our freighter network considerably strengthens our involvement in West Africa”, emphasised Carsten Wirths, Vice President Europe & Africa at Lufthansa Cargo. In Nigeria alone, Lufthansa Cargo offers freight capacity on board Lufthansa Passenger Airlines flights to three destinations. Besides Lagos, Lufthansa also flies to Port Harcourt and Abuja with an Airbus A330. Accra (Ghana), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) and Luanda (Angola) are further destinations in West Africa.

case study report revealed by Die Welt, on a post mortem of a 43 year old British Airways pilot that raised significant

concerns about repeated low level exposure to organophosphates on aircraft. The same concerns raised 60 years ago

in 1954 by the leading British scientist Norman Aldridge.

• Culled from Top on Travel

Boeing 787 Business Class cabin

Delta, Bristow Airlines support student initiative

elta Air Lines has showed Dyoung its support for developing talents in the country

by sponsoring the 5th National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC 2013/2014). The airline gave out a free ticket to the United States as 1st Prize for the Winner of the writing contest which is aimed at creating greater awareness for the aviation industry at the grassroots level and encouraging young Nigerians to follow a career in the sector as a means of addressing the challenge of skilled manpower shortage and ageing workforce. Miss Karimat Sowemimo, a student of Murtala Muhammed Airport Secondary School, Ikeja emerged winner of the contest and was presented with the ticket during a courtesy visit to the airline’s office in Victoria Island, Lagos recently. She was in the company of members of her family including Mr Rafiu & Mrs. Modinat Sowemimo and her younger brother, Aliyu Sowemimo. The airline’s Sales Manager, Miss E. T. Sefia was on hand to make the ticket presentation and congratulated Karimat for her excellent performance. “Delat Air Lines works very closely with student related projects and it is always a pleasure for us to be part of whatever is being done not only to develop the skills of the younger generation but also to support the aviation

industry in whatever way we can,” she said. A delighted Mr. Ewos Iroro, Founder & Coordinator of NTEC, thanked the airline for the kind gesture and called on other well meaning organisations to identify with the initiative by working together to take the air transport industry to greater heights. Bristow Helicopters recently gave a huge boost to the prospect of getting more young Nigerians into following a career in the aviation industry when it joined forces with Travel & Business News, organisers of the National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC) in an effort to ameliorate the clear and present challenge of skilled manpower shortage and ageing workforce in the sector. The company accepted to be the Title Sponsor of the annual contest which was then rechristened as the 5th Bristow Helicopters/Travel & Business News National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC 2013/2014). During a courtesy call to the rotor operator’s office, winners of this year’s contest were congratulated and presented with cash prizes by the company’s Human Resources Manager, Mr. Femi Collins, who represented the Managing Director. The prizes were for the top ten winners in the Secondary School category and the top five in the Tertiary

Institutions Category. The topics of the essays written were: “Helicopters: How Important To Our Daily Life And Economy” for the Secondary Schools; and“Safety Versus Profit In Airline Operations: Which Comes First?” for the Tertiary Institutions. Miss Karimat SOWEMIMO, a student of Murtala Muhammed Airport Secondary School (MMASS), Ikeja, Lagos and winner of the Secondary Schools Category, went home with a cheque for N100,000. Miss Tolulope OGUNKOYA of International School (Unilag) Lagos (ISL) was second and took home N60,000. Miss Divine NWACHI also of MMASS came third and was rewarded with N40,000. There were also consolation cash prizes for students in 4th to 6th positions of N20,000 each; and for 7th to 10th positions of N10,000 each. In the Tertiary Institutions Category, Miss Temitope COKER, a 300 Level Law Student at the University of Lagos (Unilag) came first and went home with a cheque for N150,000. In second place was Miss Janet AYANDELE, a Diploma Student of Business Administration, Unilag, who won N100,000, while Miss Happiness Ndifreke, also a 200 Level student studying Psychology at Unilag came in 3rd place with a cash prize of N50,000.

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE 41

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tony Elumelu returns to UBA as chair

INNOVATION Tony’s return to the Board brings a depth of knowledge and experience

ment was in line with the apex bank’s code of corporate governance, having spent the mandatory three years after working as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of UBA. Specifically, Elumelu retired as Group Managing Director and CEO of UBA in 2010, following the introduction by the CBN of 10-year tenure limit for bank CEOs. He had served as CEO of the UBA Group for 13 years, where he was responsible for the creation of today's UBA, a financial services institution. UBA now spans Africa, providing services to more than 10 million customers, across the continent and in London, Paris and New York. Until his appointment Elumelu was Chairman/CEO of Heirs Holdings, the pan-African proprietary investment company, founded by Elumelu in 2010, which holds stakes in a number of leading African businesses, including Transcorp, Nigeria’s

Godson Ikoro

lightly over one month after Jim Ovia returned to Zenith Bank Plc as chairman, the Board of United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA)yesterday, announced the appointment of Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, as chairman, succeeding Ambassador Joe Keshi. Ovia, the founder and pioneer Managing Director of Zenith Bank, who was compelled to relinquish his position along with Elumelu and Akinsola Akinfemiwa of Skye Bank, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 10-year tenure limit for bank CEOs, returned to the Zenith Bank last month. A statement from UBA yesterday, said Elumelu’s appoint-

Elumelu

largest listed conglomerate by market capitalization, as well as UBA. A statement from the bank said : “Elumelu has developed a reputation for identifying value and bringing a long-term investment orientation and discipline to sectors critical to Africa's development, including financial services, power, oil and gas, agribusiness, real estate and hospitality.” The Chairmanship of UBA,

Naira eases after dollar inflows fail

he naira eased against the US currency yesterday, with last week's move by JP Morgan to include the country's 10-year bond in one of its indexes failing to stimulate strong dollar inflows. The local unit closed at N162.07 to the dollar, compared with Friday's close of N161.98, the same level it closed last Thursday prior to JP Morgan's announcement.

The 2024 bond according to Reuters, is due to be added to JP Morgan's Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBIEM) on Friday, in addition to five other bonds already listed, potentially triggering more offshore interest. But dealers said local bond trading was muted yesterday due to a holiday in Britain, where a number of foreign investors who trade Nigerian

debt are based. Yields on the 2024 bond climbed to 11.99 per cent, as against 11.92 percent last Friday. Citibank said in a note it expected the naira to get support from potential oil company dollar sales and foreign portfolio inflows this week. The local unit of Italian oil firm Eni sold $12 million yesterday, to start the month-end dollar sales.

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

Offer 163.38

CBN to float N50b agric fund Anule Emmanuel

resident Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to set aside a N50 billion mechanisation intervention support fund for the establishment of 1,200 private sector driven Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHE) across the states of the Federation. The President gave the directive yesterday while flagging off the 100,000 metric tons grains Silos at Sheda, in Abuja and the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centers in Nigeria. Represented at the event by Vice President, Jonathan said as Nigeria produces more food, it has become necessary to expand the country's food storage capacity and reduce post-harvest losses. The Vice President Sambo

Jonah Iboma

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

ing industry,” said economic and financial analyst, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Chief Executive of Financial Derivatives. “Tony is visionary, courageous and has shown an ability to both, think for the long term, and to create significant shareholder value. The drive, dynamism and competitiveness that we saw during his period as CEO of UBA, was one of the catalysts of the enormous changes in the Nigerian banking sector,” he said. Also, Dr. Farouk Umar, President, Association for the Advancement of Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS) said, “We are delighted with this appointment. It bodes well for UBA and the banking industry, now and in the future. Elumelu is a transformer and value creator for shareholders. We are excited about his return."

pointed out that current records indicate that Nigerian farmers produced 21 million metric tons. Vice President Sambo noted that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has completed a total of six silos with a capacity of 250,000 metric tons since November 2013 with a further 625,000 MT silos to be completed by December 2014, making a total of 875,000 MT silos capacity completed within two years. He commended the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, the Minister of State, Asabe Ahmed and their team in the ministry for the impressive progress achieved under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Earlier, the minister of Agriculture informed all that, private sector investments in agriculture are expanding.

847 jobs to go in MTN S’Africa

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

according to the statement, will complement Elumelu’s existing positions with other Heirs Holdings’ portfolio businesses, including the Chairmanships of Tenoil Petroleum & Energy Services Limited and Seadrill Limited. “Tony Elumelu’s track record at UBA speaks for itself,” said Mr. Phillips Oduoza, Group Managing Director/CEO UBA. “His return to the Board brings a depth of knowledge and experience in the African financial services industry that is second to none. We are privileged to have him lead the Board at this critical stage in our development.” Analysts and leaders of shareholder groups also welcomed Mr. Elumelu's return. “Banking in Africa is a dynamic, exciting and an increasingly competitive and challeng-

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

s much as 14 per cent of management staff of MTN in South Africa are set to be sacked, as the firm moves to address declining market share and revenue, according to the Solidarity Union. Marius Croucamp, spokesman for Solidarity Union, which largely represents interests of skilled workers in South Africa, said in several media reports yesterday that MTN wrote to employees in its domestic market on August 22 to say that 847 managers would be affected by plans to cut spending. MTN currently employs 6,196 people in South Africa, according to the union. MTN, Africa's largest telecoms group has expanded rapidly across the continent and in the Middle East over the past two decades but faces stiff competition at home from South African market leader Vodacom. Margins have also been squeezed by a price war launched by smaller operator Cell C and after regulators decided to cut mobile termination rates (MTR) - the fees networks charge each another to connect calls.

"We have just received a massive retrenchment notice at MTN," Croucamp, said. The process could be concluded by the end of October, he said. MTN's chief human resources officer Themba Nyathi confirmed that the company had begun restructuring to improve efficiency but said the process is at an early stage. "MTN SA will continue to review its cost structures, including employee costs, to ensure better alignment with revenue performance and the changing needs of the business and our clients," he said in a statement. The company declined to comment on the number of jobs that would be affected. MTN has overhauled senior management in its fastest growing markets as it seeks to increase smartphone penetration and boost data revenue outside South Africa, where sales are under pressure from competitors and regulators. MTN’s market share in South Africa declined 2.7 percentage points to 31.9 percent in the six months through June. The firm’s revenue from South Africa fell by 7 per cent to 19.2 billion rand ($1.8 billion) during the same period.

42 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

25-Aug-14

The FMDQ Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products, fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject to the FMDQ OTC PLC Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement on www.fmdqotc.com.

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

28-Sep-07 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

9.25 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 12.15

100.00 535.00 530.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 281.35 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 70.00

9.25 28-SEP-2014 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,591.19

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,677.86

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

Description

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 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

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

0.09 0.66 1.98 2.67 2.92 3.02 3.76 4.84 5.16 7.43 9.55 14.26 14.74 15.24 15.91 19.90

10.85 10.90 11.37 11.26 11.28 11.28 11.32 11.36 11.45 11.83 12.02 12.49 12.51 12.54 12.20 12.15

9.26 10.07 11.28 11.20 11.22 11.16 11.22 11.28 11.36 11.77 11.97 12.45 12.47 12.49 12.15 12.11

99.82 95.70 102.90 108.60 96.49 95.17 98.11 116.90 82.99 122.10 112.20 116.49 99.79 72.78 84.70 99.95

99.97 96.20 103.05 108.75 96.64 95.47 98.41 117.20 83.29 122.40 112.50 116.79 100.09 73.08 85.00 100.25

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

28-Sep-14 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

28-Dec-11 24-May-10 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

0.00 0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

978.35 24.56 3.30 112.22 116.70 66.49

31-Oct-14 24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.18 0.75 1.36 2.29 2.65 2.86

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

12.02 13.58 13.47 13.33 12.29 12.29

97.86 90.65 104.83 100.71 99.23 96.77

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

0.14 1.02 0.62 1.14 1.14 2.65 1.69 3.35 2.32 4.11 2.52 2.52 2.90 2.97 5.24 3.03 3.65 6.26 6.35 3.83 3.86

3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

14.22 15.54 14.10 15.60 14.62 16.88 12.30 13.09 13.13 12.34 12.30 16.08 12.29 12.28 12.47 14.02 12.31 12.72 13.68 12.76 13.27

99.87 97.23 99.66 98.74 101.36 85.72 102.43 102.36 101.88 105.20 104.84 96.09 105.17 107.97 107.59 101.76 106.81 103.25 105.42 105.10 105.03

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,276.29

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

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

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

14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

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

6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00 14.96 11.13 27.00 17.28 80.00 28.37 11.40 87.00 5.00 4.78 4.79

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds

484.10 492.19

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR

LAFARGE WAPCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014

Aa/Agusto

GTB µ NGC

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

Nil

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

*FLOURMILLS

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/Agusto

NAHCO

BBB-/GCR BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR A/Agusto; A/GCR Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR BBB/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

FSDH

A/GCR

13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

*C & I LEASING *DANA#

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

*DANA NAHCO

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

07-Oct-11

11.50

11.80

07-Oct-14

0.12

1.00

11.89

99.89

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.32

5.21

16.26

99.05

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.35

8.71

19.72

98.95

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.73

4.88

15.82

96.21

09-Dec-10

12.00

13.62

09-Dec-15

0.81

1.00

11.98

100.57

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.89

2.63

13.66

100.78

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

2.10

1.00

12.37

101.11

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

2.17

1.34

12.69

102.82

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

3.10

1.00

12.29

101.76

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.73

30-Nov-17

1.91

1.88

13.24

109.09

09-Apr-11

16.00

7.20

09-Apr-18

1.87

3.48

14.83

102.20

09-Sep-11

18.00

3.27

09-Sep-18

2.04

5.20

16.58

102.61

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.90

09-Sep-18

2.04

5.06

16.44

101.71

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

4.08

1.35

12.69

104.06

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.70

18-Oct-18

2.15

2.29

13.65

104.16

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.48

6.11

17.41

99.28

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.35

2.16

13.46

106.64

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

6.22

2.76

14.47

103.06

11-Feb-18

3.47

1.00

12.30

94.20

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

142.08

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

144.76

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

12.00 11.30 Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.70

4.56

111.24

112.08

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

3.90

3.70

104.36

105.10

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.03

4.92

109.55

110.33

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,625.73

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

3.43

111.13

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.64

3.92

104.68

105.92

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

6.87

100.97

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.72

8.14

94.25

96.01

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.12

5.89

99.55

100.38

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

7.74

7.04

107.78

109.38

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.35

99.58

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

8.97

8.73

99.15

100.07

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.42

103.01

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

7.38

96.25

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

8.00 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

7.76

7.57

100.94

101.71

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.91

8.63

99.36

100.47

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,360.00 4,435.52

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

FIXINGS Maturity 4-Sep-14 11-Sep-14 18-Sep-14 25-Sep-14 2-Oct-14 9-Oct-14 16-Oct-14 23-Oct-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.65 10.45 10.60 10.50 10.65 10.55 10.60 10.50

Offer Discount (%) 10.40 10.20 10.35 10.25 10.40 10.30 10.35 10.25

Bid Yield (%) 10.68 10.50 10.67 10.59 10.77 10.69 10.76 10.68

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.9167 12.2701 12.9107 14.0296

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.75

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

11.00

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

162.05 162.25 162.51 162.62 164.25 165.54

162.15 162.51 162.85 163.78 165.42 167.17

O/N Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 10.67 12.01

(%)

Agency Bonds

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 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

AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

28-Dec-11 24-May-10 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

0.00 0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

978.35 24.56 3.30 112.22 116.70 66.49

NIGER

Tuesday, August 26, 2014 A+/Agusto KADUNA

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

DECLINE

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

Market opens on negative route

Stories by Chris Ugwu

rading activities on the

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE floor of the Nigerian Stock TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Exchange (NSE) opened the

Corporate weekBonds on a negative path, as

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR LAFARGE WAPCO the bearish sentiments continAa/Agusto GTB ued to hold sway , culminating NGC Nil in a loss of N74billion. Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC A-/Agusto The listed equities lost points *FLOURMILLS BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS and remained in the red terriA+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO tory following sell pressure on A-/Agusto FSDH blue which was A/GCRchip companies, UBA due to profit taking*C by market BBB-/GCR & I LEASING BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *DANA of the speculators in the wake A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWER cautious optimism that had perAAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER vaded in the market in recent A/Agusto; A/GCR UBA times. Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA µ

# #

BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR BBB/GCR

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR Abdulwahab Isa

12.02 13.58 13.47 13.33 12.29 12.29

97.86 90.65 104.83 100.71 99.23 96.77

17-Feb-12 01-Apr-14

14-Nov-13

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS 43 6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00 14.96 11.13 27.00 17.28 80.00 28.37 11.40 87.00 5.00 4.78 4.79

0.14 1.02 0.62 1.14 1.14 2.65 1.69 3.35 2.32 4.11 2.52 2.52 2.90 2.97 5.24 3.03 3.65 6.26 6.35 3.83 3.86

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.48

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.35

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

6.22

Investors lose N74bn at NSE A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto A-/GCR

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

1,276.29

Sub-National Bonds Sanctity of Truth

0.18 0.75 1.36 2.29 2.65 2.86

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

A-/GCR

31-Oct-14 24-May-15 03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

The twin market performance measures, the NSE ASI and market capitalisation, dropped by 0.54 per cent respectively as the market tempo lowered. At the close of trading, 21 stocks appreciation, while 24 others constituted the losers’ table. The twin market indicators, the All-Share Index fell by 224.71 basis points or 0.54 per cent from 41,564.19 last Friday, 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 to close at 41,339.48, while the 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 market capitalisation dropped 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 10.00 billion UPDC 17-AUG-2015 by N74 or 0.54 per cent FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 from12.00 N13.72 trillion to N13.650 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 trillion. 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 Further analysis of the day’s 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 trading that Total Nige13.00 showed UBA 30-SEP-2017 18.00 C&I LEASING ria Plc topped the30-NOV-2017 day’s gainers’ 9-APR-2018 tableMPR+7.00 withDANA 98 kobo to close at MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 N182.00, while Forte Oil NigeMPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 ria Plc followed with 91 kobo to 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 close15.75 at LA N232.11 per share. CoCASERA 18-OCT-2018 MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

*CHELLARAMS# *DANA NAHCO

ccess Bank Plc has reported 3.85 per cent growth in its 2014 half-year pre-tax profit. The bank in a filing with Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) said the pre-tax profit rose to N27.1 billion, up 3.85 per cent from N26.1 billion during the comparable period of 2013. Also, revenue rose 15.2 per cent to N117.93 billion in the six 484.10 months period under review, 492.19 from N102.4 billion posted in 2013. Based on the results, the 11.80 07-Oct-14 0.12 bank declared an interim divi13.17 18-Dec-14 0.32 dend of 0.25 kobo, the same 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.35 amount it paid a year earlier. 3.61 17-Aug-15 0.73 13.62 The bank’s09-Dec-15 profit before0.81 tax 0.60 06-Jan-16 0.89 had jumped 20 per cent to N13.4 15.00 29-Sep-16 2.10 billion in its unaudited results 5.53 25-Oct-16 2.17 for months ended 20.00the three30-Sep-17 3.1031 March 2014. 30-Nov-17 0.73 1.91 7.20 1.87 The bank,09-Apr-18 which recorded 3.27 2.04 N11.1 billion09-Sep-18 PBT in the com0.90 09-Sep-18 2.04 parable period of 2013, also 35.00 22-Sep-18 4.08 grossed N57 billion, represent2.70 18-Oct-18 2.15

NBS delays Q2 GDP data by one week 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Abuja

142.08

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

144.76

he National Supranational BondBureau

of Statistics (NBS) will AAA/S&P IFC delay the release of the nation’s secTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE ond-quarter Domestic TOTAL MARKET Gross CAPITALISATION Product (GDP) data by a week because of a backlog of work Rating/Agency Issuer caused by a rebasing exercise, FGN Eurobonds the bureau’s Chief Executive, Yemi Kale BB-/Fitch; B+/S&Psaid yesterday. GDP data is scheduled for BB-/Fitch; FGN BB-/S&P 45 days after the end of release BB-/Fitch; each quarter, though the NBS BB-/S&P does not always keep to a preTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE cise schedule with data releases. TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Kale told Reuters: "The rebasing in April took us off our norCorporate Eurobonds mal quarterly schedule" B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFRENby PLCcreatI ing a backlog B+/Fitch; B+/S&P of adjusting GTBANK work.” PLC I The rebasing almost doubled B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITYto BANK PLC the size of its economy $510 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC billion, making Nigeria Africa's B/Fitch PLC II biggest economy, AFREN surpassing B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC South Africa. B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC Nigeria’s economy over took B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC

that of South Africa as the continent’s largest economy last 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 April after a re-basing exercise, which put it ahead of all Africa countries and 26 in the world. The latest ranking Description stand Nigeria's both the biggest in economy wise and the highest in population in6.75Africa. JAN 28, 2021 The recent re-basing exercise 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 put Nigeria GDP at £369 billion ($509 billion) nearly 6.38-JUL 12, 2023 twice as high as previously thought South Africa, long the economic frontrunner on the continent, has a GDP of £229 billion ($315 billion). 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 Analysts had7.50 predicted MAY 19, 2016 Nigeria economy will witness steady 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 progression this year. Direc6.00 NOV Chartered 08, 2018 tor of the Standard 10.25 APR 08, 2019 Bank's Africa department, Razia 6.25 APR 22, 2019 Khan, recently authored a study 8.75 May 21, 2019 championing Nigeria's economic 8.25 AUG 07, 2020

14.22 15.54 14.10 15.60 14.62 16.88 12.30 13.09 13.13 12.34 12.30 16.08 12.29 12.28 12.47 14.02 12.31 12.72 13.68 12.76 13.27

99.87 97.23 99.66 98.74 101.36 85.72 102.43 102.36 101.88 105.20 104.84 96.09 105.17 107.97 107.59 101.76 106.81 103.25 105.42 105.10 105.03

Access Bank’s HY profit rises 4%

noil dipped by 55 kobo to close at N69.00 per share. On the flip side, Nigerian Breweries Plc led the losers with a drop of N3.03 to close at N172.51, while Dangote Cement Plc shed N1.97 to close at N228.00. Mobil Oil Plc shed N1.00 to close at N174.00. On the activity chart, the banking sub-sector dominated in volume terms with 36.9 million shares worth N410.3 million in 1,051 deals. The sub07-Oct-11 11.50 sector 18-Dec-09 was enhanced by the 13.50 activities in the shares 01-Apr-10 17.00of GT Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc. 17-Aug-10 10.00 09-Dec-10 sub-sector 12.00boostInsurance ed by 06-Jan-11 the activities14.00 on the 13.00 shares29-Sep-11 of Mansard Insurance 25-Oct-13 14.25 Plc followed million 30-Sep-10 with 32.6 13.00 units, 30-Nov-12 worth N57.2 million in 18.00 09-Apr-11 16.00 173 deals. 09-Sep-11 18.00 In all, investors exchanged 16.00 a total 09-Sep-11 of 156.6 million shares, 22-Sep-11 14.00 worth N1.4 billion in 3,958 18-Oct-13 15.75 deals.

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

might. enues from the telecommuni"Nigeria's economy will cations industry , for instance, 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.47 well as the film industry achieve global relevance this as 12.00 year," Khan said in an interview Nollywood, have finally been 11.30 included. with Deutsche Welle. Outstanding Value about the facts behind Khan thinks 2014 will be Asked Issue Date Coupon (%)a waMaturity Date Bid Yield (%) (N'bn) tershed for the Nigerian econo- the figures, Michael Monnermy. When advising clients who jahn, who follows economic are planning and developments 07-Oct-11 investments 6.75 in Af500.00 political28-Jan-21 4.70in rica, Khan was quick to express Africa for the Africa Associa12-Jul-13 500.00 12-Jul-18 3.90 her enthusiasm about5.13 Nigeria. tion of the German Economy , his head. "There is absolutely6.38no way shook 12-Jul-13 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.03 "The absolute value of gross around it," she said. 1,500.00 But other observers are domestic product is not terri1,625.73 more cautious and even warn bly helpful, especially in a place that the latest statistics should like Nigeria where 90 per cent not be 01-Feb-11 viewed as a precise ap- of export earnings 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 are tied 3.43 to praisal19-May-11 of economic life oil," 7.50 in Ni500.00 Monnerjahn 19-May-16said, adding 4.64 that GDP 6.87 is in geria, but rather as a forecast. 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00even if Nigeria's 25-Jul-17 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.72 The09-May-13 new calculations are the same league as that of South 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 6.12 higher08-Nov-13 than before because pa- Africa, the two countries are far 08-Apr-12 10.25 300.00 7.74he rameters have been adjusted to from equal. 08-Apr-19 South Africa, 22-Apr-14 6.25 500.00 22-Apr-19 6.35 reflect21-May-14 modern conditions for said, has a much more mature 8.75 200.00 21-May-19 8.97 the first time since 1990. Rev- and sophisticated economy7.42 . 07-Aug-13 8.25 300.00 07-Aug-20

ing a nine per cent increase in the period under review. Similarly, operating income increased by 19 per cent to N42 billion, supported by a 12 per cent increase in its non-interest income during the period. In the same vein, Access Bank’s net interest margin rose to 6.2 per cent compared with the 5.4 per cent it attained in the first quarter of 2013. The results also showed that the bank recorded an eight per cent increase in its loan book to N871.8 billion, from the N810.7 1.00 99.89 billion in the11.89 fourth quarter of 5.21 16.26 99.05 2013, while customer deposits 8.71 19.72 98.95 climbed to N1.40 4.88 15.82 trillion.96.21 1.00 11.98 on the 100.57 Commenting results, 13.66 100.78 the2.63 Group Managing Director/ 1.00 12.37 101.11 Chief Executive Officer,102.82 Access 1.34 12.69 Bank, Wigwe said: 1.00 Mr. Herbert 12.29 101.76 “I am with the progress 1.88 pleased13.24 109.09 3.48the bank 14.83 102.20 that is making in de5.20 102.61 livering on a 16.58 strategy we spent 5.06 16.44 101.71 time explaining to our104.06 stake1.35 12.69 holders. These clearly 2.29 13.65results 104.16 demonstrate strong progress 6.11 17.41 99.28 to2.16 sustainable 13.46 and profitable 106.64 wards 2.76 14.47 103.06 growth for our shareholders. “Business performance has improved across all key segments, as the bank lays out its medium-term plan. Whilst 1.00 12.30 94.20 our corporate banking division remains a stronghold for the bank, significant potential is being shown by our andPrice busiOffer Yield (%) Bidpersonal Price Offer ness banking divisions.” Prices & Yields The bank’s audited result for the4.56 financial 111.24 year ended112.08 December, 2013 showed an increase in 104.36 105.10 the3.70bank’s deposit base from N1.201 trillion 109.55N1.33 trillion, 4.92 110.33 an 11 per cent growth over last year’s figure, while its loan book rose by 33 per cent, from N609billion in 2012 to N810billion in 2013, the111.13 bank’s 3.43 demonstrating 111.13 resolve to empowering critical 3.92 104.68 105.92 sectors of the economy.100.97 6.87 100.97 8.14 96.01 the A glance94.25 through 5.89 99.55 revealed 100.38that numbers also 107.78 109.38 the7.04bank’s earnings grew to 6.35 99.58 99.58 N206.7billion from N206.4billion 8.73 99.15 100.07 in 2012. 7.42 103.01 103.01

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

7.38

96.25

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

8.00 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

7.76

7.57

100.94

101.71

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.91

8.63

99.36

100.47

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,360.00 4,435.52

25-Aug-14

The FMDQ Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products, fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject to the FIXINGS Money Market Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement on www.fmdqotc.com. Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

**Treasury Bills FMDQ OTC PLC

DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) 10 4-Sep-14 10.65 17 11-Sep-14 10.45 FGN Bonds 24 18-Sep-14 10.60 31 25-Sep-14 10.50 38 2-Oct-14 10.65 Issuer Description Rating/Agency 45 9-Oct-14 10.55 52 16-Oct-14 10.60 9.25 28-SEP-2014 59 23-Oct-14 10.50 4.00 23-APR-2015 66 30-Oct-14 10.55 73 6-Nov-14 10.20 13.05 16-AUG-2016 80 13-Nov-14 10.65 15.10 27-APR-2017 87 20-Nov-14 9.20 9.85 27-JUL-2017 94 27-Nov-14 10.70 9.35 31-AUG-2017 101 4-Dec-14 10.10 10.70 30-MAY-2018 108 11-Dec-14 10.70 16.00 29-JUN-2019 122 25-Dec-14 10.70 NA NA 136 8-Jan-15 10.85 7.00 23-OCT-2019 150 22-Jan-15 10.50 16.39 27-JAN-2022 164 5-Feb-15 10.40 14.20 14-MAR-2024 178 19-Feb-15 10.25 15.00 28-NOV-2028 192 5-Mar-15 10.40 12.49 22-MAY-2029 227 9-Apr-15 10.15 8.50 20-NOV-2029 241 23-Apr-15 10.25 10.00 23-JUL-2030 255 7-May-15 10.15 346 6-Aug-15 10.25 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 *from the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration #

Offer Discount (%) 10.40 10.20 10.35 10.25 10.40 Issue Date 10.30 10.35 28-Sep-07 10.25 23-Apr-10 10.30 9.95 16-Aug-13 10.40 27-Apr-12 8.95 27-Jul-07 10.45 31-Aug-07 9.85 30-May-08 10.45 29-Jun-12 10.45 10.60 23-Oct-09 10.25 27-Jan-12 10.15 14-Mar-14 10.00 28-Nov-08 10.15 22-May-09 9.90 20-Nov-09 10.00 23-Jul-10 9.90 10.00 18-Jul-14

Bid Yield (%) 10.68 10.50 10.67 10.59 10.77 Coupon (%) 10.69 10.76 9.25 10.68 4.00 10.76 10.41 13.05 10.90 15.10 9.41 9.85 11.00 9.35 10.39 10.70 11.05 16.00 11.10 11.31 7.00 10.97 16.39 10.91 14.20 10.79 15.00 11.00 12.49 10.83 8.50 10.99 10.00 10.92 11.35 12.15

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON

Modified Duration Buckets

FMBN

<3 ***LCRM 3<5

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

>5 Market

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Tenor O/N 1M Outstanding 3M 6M (N'bn)

Value

Rate (%) 10.9167 12.2701 12.9107 Maturity Date 14.0296

100.00 28-Sep-14 535.00 23-Apr-15 NITTY 530.27 16-Aug-16 Tenor Rate (%) 452.80 27-Apr-17 1M 10.6047 20.00 27-Jul-17 2M 10.6192 100.00 31-Aug-17 3M 10.6425 300.00 30-May-18 6M 10.8355 351.30 29-Jun-19 9M 10.9953 12M 11.4379 233.90 23-Oct-19 600.00 27-Jan-22 281.35 14-Mar-24 NIFEX 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 Current Price ($/N) 20-Nov-29 BID($/N) 200.00 162.0000 591.57 23-Jul-30 OFFER ($/N) 162.1000 70.00 18-Jul-34

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.75

O/N

11.00

REPO TTM (Yrs) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%) Call 0.09 1M 0.66 3M 6M 1.98

10.67 10.85 12.01 10.90 12.64 13.58 11.37

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Tenor Spot 7D Offer 14DYield 1M (%) 2M 9.26 3M 10.07 6M 1Y 11.28

2.67 11.26 11.20 2.92 11.28 11.22 3.02 11.28 11.16 :Benchmarks 3.76Bond 11.32 11.22 * :Amortising 4.84 11.36 11.28 µ :Convertible Bond 5.16 Management Corporation 11.45 11.36 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria FGN: Federal 7.43Government of Nigeria 11.83 11.77 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 9.55 Mortgage Bank12.02 11.97 IFC: International Finance Corporation 14.26 12.49 12.45 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.74 Aviation Handling 12.51 Company 12.47 NAHCO: Nigerian 15.24 12.54 12.49 O/N: Overnight 15.91 12.20Company 12.15 UPDC: UAC Property Development WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company 19.90 12.15 12.11 NOTE:

Bid ($/N) 162.05 162.25 162.51 Bid Price 162.62 164.25 99.82 165.54 95.70 169.22 176.96 102.90

Offer ($/N)

Price 162.15 162.51

162.85 Offer Price 163.78 165.42 99.97 167.17 96.20 172.84 183.94 103.05

108.60 108.75 96.49 96.64 95.17 95.47 NA :Not Applicable 98.11 98.41 # :Floating Rate Bond 116.90 117.20 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 82.99 83.29 †: Bond122.10 rating expired 122.40 112.20 112.50 116.49 116.79 99.79 100.09 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 72.78Bank for Africa 73.08 UBA: United 84.70 85.00 99.95 100.25

4,591.19

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

Rating/Agency

NIBOR

Bonds

4,677.86 Description

Coupon (%)

28-Dec-11 Weighting by 24-May-10 Outstanding Vol

0.00 Weighting by Mkt 0.00 Value

FMDQ FGN BOND

0.00Porfolio AMCONMarket 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) Total Outstanding 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 1,037.39 983.07 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 1,143.27 951.30 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 816.73 872.92

2,997.39

Issue Date

2,807.29

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 35.02 20-Apr-12 33.89 06-Jul-12 31.09

100.00

17.25 0.00/16.00 34.61 0.00/16.50 38.14 0.00/16.50 27.25

100.00

Outstanding Value INDEX(N'bn) 978.35

Bucket Weighting 24.56

3.30 112.220.35 116.700.34 66.49 0.31

1,301.62 1.00

31-Oct-14 % Exposure_ 24-May-15 Mod_Duration

03-Apr-17 09-Dec-16 16.42 20-Apr-17 34.54 06-Jul-17 49.04

100.00

0.18

Implied Yield 0.75

1.36 2.29 11.31 2.65 11.69 2.86 12.14

11.85

# Risk Premium (%)

1.00 Implied 2.63 Portfolio Price 2.27 2.00 118.7353 1.00 135.5127 1.00 103.1700 119.5806

Valuation Yield (%) 12.02

INDEX 13.58

13.47 13.33 1,127.74 12.29 1,147.47 12.29 1,203.56 1,135.89

Indicative Price 97.86 YTD Return 90.65 (%)

104.83 100.71 12.7744 99.23 14.7470 96.77 20.3561 13.5888

1,276.29

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

NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER

15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11

14.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00

6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00

15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18

0.14 1.02 0.62 1.14 1.14 2.65 1.69 3.35 2.32 4.11

3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00

14.22 15.54 14.10 15.60 14.62 16.88 12.30 13.09 13.13 12.34

99.87 97.23 99.66 98.74 101.36 85.72 102.43 102.36 101.88 105.20

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014

Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

44 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

Daily Summary (Bonds)

No Debt Trading Activity

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at August 25, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals

Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 23 25 48

Current Price 36.47 36.30

Quantity Traded 139,877 194,499 334,376

Value Traded 4,856,464.13 7,016,726.98 11,873,191.11

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 3.15

Quantity Traded 593,856 593,856

Value Traded 1,887,202.18 1,887,202.18

928,232

13,760,393.29

Quantity Traded 21,575 150 28,940,910 255,017 29,217,652

Value Traded 30,160.50 700.50 164,033,101.97 14,974,000.65 179,037,963.62

29,217,652

179,037,963.62

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Diversified Industries Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

68 Symbol No. of Deals AGLEVENT 7 SCOA 2 TRANSCORP 289 Daily Summary (Equities) UACN 44 342

CONGLOMERATES Totals

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other

Current Price 1.40 4.91 5.70 59.00

342 Symbol COSTAIN GCAPPA

No. of Deals 13 1 14

Current Price 1.18 14.46

Quantity Traded 223,878 Page 10 223,888

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 65.00

Quantity Traded 32,170 32,170

Value Traded 2,033,867.60 2,033,867.60

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 25 25

Current Price 16.20

Quantity Traded 280,815 280,815

Value Traded 4,411,727.96 4,411,727.96

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 8.70

Quantity Traded 20,000 20,000

Value Traded 174,000.00 174,000.00

556,873

6,871,346.20

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 CONSUMER GOODS Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY GUINNESS NIG PLC CONSUMER GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Beverages--Brewers/Distillers INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. PREMIER BREWERIES PLC Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 UNION DICON SALT PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Activity on Board EQTY FoodSummary Products--Diversified Totals CONSUMER GOODS Household Durables Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

53 Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS

No. of Deals 7 50

Symbol INTBREW JOSBREW NB PREMBREW Symbol 7UP

FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC.

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 LINKAGE15:05:52.052 ASSURANCE PLC Printed 25/08/2014 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC

FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Brokers©and Services Published by The NigerianCarriers, Stock Exchange STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Value Traded 251,613.24 of 15 137.40 251,750.64

Quantity Traded 750 750

Value Traded 375.00 375.00

Current Price 8.31 190.00

Quantity Traded 150,000 32,709

Value Traded 1,185,000.00 6,143,352.76

No. of Deals 19 1 128 1 206

Current Price 27.00 2.46 172.51 1.65

Page Quantity Traded 125,006 3,500 487,260 50,500 848,975

2 of 15 Value Traded 3,316,671.22 8,190.00 83,922,466.83 83,325.00 94,659,005.81

No. of Deals 36 36

Current Price 126.78

Quantity Traded 93,385 93,385

Value Traded 12,452,412.00 12,452,412.00

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM UNIONDICON

No. of Deals 29 45 42 29 48 4 1 198

Current Price 7.50 8.85 68.11 4.10 9.77 21.00 14.11

Quantity Traded 203,828 968,920 81,894 1,125,376 1,758,919 28,600 50 4,167,587

Value Traded 1,510,674.00 8,485,059.96 5,315,635.82 4,621,571.62 17,000,868.88 575,720.00 670.50 37,510,200.78

Symbol

No. of Deals 13 41 54

Current Price 66.70 1,079.99

Quantity Traded 52,888 26,378 79,266

Value Traded 3,351,512.56 27,725,027.20 31,076,539.76

Symbol ENAMELWA VITAFOAM

No. of Deals 1 12 13

Current Price 32.27 4.15

Quantity Traded Page 50 74,518 74,568

3Value Traded of 15 1,533.00 306,235.95 307,768.95

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 29 35 64

Current Price 36.00 49.00

Quantity Traded 63,421 131,876 195,297

Value Traded 2,217,455.51 6,392,488.61 8,609,944.12

5,459,828

184,616,246.42

Quantity Traded 7,015,892 5,832,972 689,056 1,381,550 7,137,826 971,319 5,132,411

Value Traded 67,713,709.52 36,142,257.77 11,428,308.83 2,753,431.90 203,626,479.32 2,872,097.57 11,757,734.45

Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities) CADBURY NESTLE

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Banking Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 ACCESS BANK PLC.

573 Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 114 DIAMONDBNK 66 ETI 43 FIDELITYBK 51 277 DailyGUARANTY Summary (Equities) SKYEBANK 76 STERLNBANK 42

Symbol UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK Symbol AFRINSURE AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST EQUITYASUR INTENEGINS LASACO LAWUNION LINKASSURE MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS Daily Summary PRESTIGE REGALINS SOVRENINS

Current Price 9.74 6.20 16.55 2.00 28.50 2.97 2.30

No. of Deals 132 43 12 33 162 1,051

Current Price 7.23 8.17 0.50 0.98 24.30

No. of Deals 2 36 13 12 1 7 1 3 1 14 8 21 3 (Equities) 1 1 2

Current Price 0.50 0.80 0.98 0.57 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.61 0.54 0.81 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 4,738,054 110,246 1,114,619Page 1,269,319 1,522,905 36,916,169 Quantity Traded 1,500 1,289,921 756,712 3,609,600 155,000 477,233 1,100 60,200 2,000 19,290,000 932,650 3,316,355 143,780 1,000 1,000 1,600,000

Value Traded 34,288,476.48 903,688.53 4 557,309.50 of 15 1,208,764.67 37,094,694.11 410,346,952.65 Value Traded 750.00 1,040,266.34 747,236.29 2,080,769.00 77,500.00 238,616.50 550.00 30,100.00 1,000.00 48,232,507.70 503,000.99 2,710,622.05 71,890.00 500.00 500.00 800,000.00

Symbol STACO STDINSURE UNITYKAP WAPIC

No. of Deals 1 1 2 43 173

Current Price 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.77

Page Quantity Traded 56,550 5,000 200 927,229 32,627,030

Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 1.05

Quantity Traded 1,591,348 1,591,348

Value Traded 1,671,391.45 1,671,391.45

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Symbol ABBEYBDS RESORTSAL

No. of Deals 2 1 3

Current Price 1.30 0.50

Quantity Traded 800 2,000,000 2,000,800

Value Traded 1,040.00 1,000,000.00 1,001,040.00

Other Financial Institutions Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Activity Summary onInstitutions Board EQTY Other Financial Totals

Symbol No. of Deals AFRIPRUD 41 CUSTODYINS 11 FBNH 369 FCMB 55 ROYALEX 5 Daily Summary (Equities) STANBIC 51 UBCAP 49 581

FINANCIAL SERVICES

FINANCIAL Totals Published by The SERVICES Nigerian Stock Exchange © HEALTHCARE Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC.

Current Price 3.25 3.86 14.43 4.33 0.61 30.00 2.17

1,817

Quantity Traded 475,459 187,551 10,069,978 2,544,962 136,850 605,838 1,555,453 15,576,091

88,711,438 Page

5Value Traded of 15 28,275.00 2,500.00 100.00 712,733.43

57,279,417.30

Value Traded 1,548,546.30 723,869.06 145,164,664.21 10,795,158.34 83,511.50 18,152,745.19 3,381,687.70 179,850,182.30

650,148,983.70 6 of 15

Symbol MORISON

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.91

Quantity Traded 200 200

Value Traded 364.00 364.00

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER

No. of Deals 14 27 7 16

Current Price 1.93 3.33 65.99 1.58

Quantity Traded 540,800 1,902,500 48,600 253,697

Value Traded 1,050,241.50 6,255,394.00 3,110,110.00 396,645.04

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

Symbol NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 12 3 79

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Computer Based Systems Totals Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. IT Services Totals Processing Systems Activity Summary on Board EQTY

CHAMS PLC INDUSTRIAL ProcessingGOODS Systems Totals Building Materials ICT Totals BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC INDUSTRIAL GOODS CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC ASHAKA CEM PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC PREMIER PAINTS PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Current Price 1.20 2.38

80 Symbol COURTVILLE

Quantity Traded 307,102 1,900 3,054,599

Value Traded 371,173.42 4,560.00 11,188,123.96

3,054,799

11,188,487.96

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.57

Quantity Traded 2,040,000 2,040,000

Value Traded 1,162,000.00 1,162,000.00

No. of Deals 4 6 Daily Summary (Equities) 10

Current Price 5.00 13.50

Quantity Traded 2,400 330,611 333,011

Value Traded 11,736.35 4,457,788.10 4,469,524.45

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,600 1,600 Quantity Traded 2,374,611 115,102 82,471 248,757 Quantity Traded 44,765 3,000 3,955,000 585,434 820,500 50 Page 113,774 5,968,853

Value Traded 800.00 800.00 Value Traded 5,632,324.45 1,061,613.00

3,258,192.67 3,641,700.30 Value Traded 10,179,854.27 7,770.00 6,310,250.00 19,432,096.79 4,150,960.30 519.50 15 8 of 13,401,100.80 61,444,057.63

Symbol CWG NCR Symbol CHAMS

Symbol BERGER CAP CCNN Symbol DANGCEM AFRPAINTS PAINTCOM ASHAKACEM PORTPAINT PREMPAINTS WAPCO

No. of Deals 2 2 No. of Deals 15 9 25 27 No. of Deals 25 2 4 60 22 1 26 201

Current Price 9.00 39.05 14.65 Current Price 228.00 2.72 1.60 33.14 5.00 10.93 118.00

Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Symbol AUSTINLAZ CUTIX

No. of Deals 1 7 8

Current Price 2.00 1.90

Quantity Traded 200 56,810 57,010

Value Traded 418.00 104,613.10 105,031.10

Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 3 3 6

Current Price 1.75 17.11

Quantity Traded 300 333 633

Value Traded 549.00 5,980.68 6,529.68

6,026,496

61,555,618.41

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 BETA GLASS CO PLC. Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

Packaging/Containers Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals Activity Summary Board EQTY B.O.C. GASESon PLC. NATURAL RESOURCES Published byChemicals The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Chemicals Totals Metals ALUMINIUM MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Metals Totals

215

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 5.76

Quantity Traded 100

Value Traded 548.00

Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 100

9Value Traded of 15

Symbol ALUMACO

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 7.75

Quantity Traded 15 15

Value Traded 110.55 110.55

115

658.55

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA Activity Summary on PLC. Board EQTY

OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals

2 Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 50 50

Current Price 0.51

Quantity Traded 2,733,097 2,733,097

Value Traded 1,400,883.57 1,400,883.57

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 299 299

Current Price 26.00

Quantity Traded 6,295,287 6,295,287

Value Traded 164,280,269.28 164,280,269.28

No. of Deals 1 69 30 89 (Equities) 32 27 21

Current Price 0.50 69.00 3.75 232.11 174.00 58.90 182.00

Quantity Traded 600 320,094 467,892 245,968 426,631 290,353 108,063

Value Traded 300.00 22,039,732.50 1,791,146.90 57,129,216.17 74,526,424.43 16,708,797.45 19,672,174.30

Symbol

No. of Deals 269

Current Price

Quantity Traded 1,859,601

Value Traded 191,867,791.75

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 680.00

Quantity Traded 10,105 10,105

Value Traded 6,823,710.00 6,823,710.00

10,898,090

364,372,654.60

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO Daily Summary MOBIL MRS TOTAL

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Courier/Freight/Delivery Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Employment Solutions Totals SERVICES Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC Hospitality Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Hotels/Lodging Totals Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052 Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals Printing/Publishing

ACADEMY PRESS PLC. EQTY Activity Summary on Board

SERVICES Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC Published by SECURE The Nigerian Stock Exchange © ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY PLC Specialty Totals Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Transport-Related Services Totals Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

Page

636

Symbol AFROMEDIA

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,100 1,100

Value Traded 550.00 550.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 0.90

Quantity Traded 443,397 443,397

Value Traded 389,539.44 389,539.44

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 4.80

Quantity Traded 374,103 374,103

Value Traded 1,778,172.40 1,778,172.40

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 4,102,600 4,102,600

Value Traded 2,051,300.00 2,051,300.00

CILEASING

5 5

Symbol TANTALIZER

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,000 Page 2,000

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 0.80

Quantity Traded 742,380 742,380

Value Traded 593,508.80 593,508.80

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 5 5

Value Traded 2.50 2.50

Symbol ACADEMY

No. of Deals 2

Current Price 1.55

Quantity Traded 5,120

Value Traded 7,677.60

Symbol LEARNAFRCA STUDPRESS UPL

No. of Deals 10 1 33 46

Current Price 1.52 2.40 4.10

Quantity Traded 540,450 100 678,482 1,224,152

Value Traded 821,899.00 228.00 2,812,684.74 3,642,489.34

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 0.69

Quantity Traded 1,628,445 1,628,445

Value Traded 1,136,677.05 1,136,677.05

Symbol INTERLINK NSLTECH

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 4.90 0.50

Quantity Traded 50 Page 100 150

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 7 28 35

Current Price 2.16 5.00

Quantity Traded 16,786 708,172 724,958

Value Traded 36,278.68 3,541,498.58 3,577,777.26

Symbol No. of Deals CAVERTON 10 Daily Summary (Equities) 10

Current Price 5.32

Quantity Traded 219,995 219,995

Value Traded 1,180,289.40 1,180,289.40

Daily Summary (Equities)

SERVICES Totals on Board EQTY Activity Summary EQTY Board Totals

548.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded 1,000.00 of 15 1,000.00

Value Traded 233.00 of 15 50.00 283.00

155

9,463,285

14,351,589.19

3,956

156,691,419

1,491,536,266.39

Page

Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 2 2

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Current Price 1.41

Quantity Traded 1,200 1,200

Value Traded 1,608.00 1,608.00

1,200

1,608.00

ASeM Board Totals

1,200

1,608.00

Equity Activity Totals

3,958

156,692,619

1,491,537,874.39

Daily Summary as of 25/08/2014 Printed 25/08/2014 15:05:52.052

Exchange Traded Fund

Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

ETF Board Totals

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

Daily Summary (ETP)

No. of Deals 1 2 3

Quantity Traded 13 40 53

Value Traded 26,078.00 755.60 26,833.60

53 Page

ETP Activity Totals

Current Price 2,006.00 18.74

26,833.60 14

26,833.60

FEATURES

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

Commercial motorcyclists at Oshodi

newtelegraphonline.com/entrepreneur

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com otuntise@yahoo.co.uk

Nigerians, particularly Lagos residents, watch as government and commercial motorcyclists play a game of wits, writes CAMILLUS NNAJI

NEW TELEGRAPH

n what seems to be a test of will of the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, commercial motorcyclists, popularly called okada riders, have, in the last couple of days, returned to the metropolis. The state traffic law has banned the operations of commercial motorcyclists from over 470 routes in the state. In November 2012, while addressing motorcyclists at the Blue Roof of the Lagos Television, Ikeja, Fashola said it had become unlawful for anyone to operate a motorcycle in Lagos State without a valid rider’s licence. He said: “In addition, motorcycle operators are prohibited from operating on Lagos Island and Ikoyi -the entire Lagos CBD area, Ozumba Mbadiwe (from Bonny Camp - 1st Roundabout) Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Bourdillon Road, Gerrard Avenue, Alexander Road, Osborne Road and Alfred Rewane Road and CMS (Outer Marina).” Other areas are Mainland - the entire stretch of Funsho Williams Avenue - Eko Bridge, Apongbon, Murtala Mohammed Way from Jibowu to Yaba, Oyingbo, Iddo, Idumota, Ikorodu Expressway - from Jibowu to Ikorodu Town Roundabout. The Third Mainland Bridge - from Toll Gate

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Traffic law: Commercial motorcyclists dare Fashola through the entire stretch of Third Mainland Bridge - Badagry Expressway - the entire stretch of Badagry Expressway; Apapa Oshodi Expressway, Ikeja - the entire network of roads around Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa - Awolowo Road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road-Maryland Junction. The other areas listed under the Okada prohibition list are Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway/Agege Motor Road -the stretch from Moshalashi-Oshodi-Abule-EgbaBoundary of Ogun and Lagos State and all Lagos bridges. Fashola also made it clear that the police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and other relevant agencies were empowered to enforce the law and ensure compliance with the restrictions, but cautioned against brutalising the citizenry in the quest to enforce the new law. But speaking with his constituents, the legislator representing Ifako-Ijaiye Constituent 2 in the state House of Assembly, Ipoola Omisore, said the Assembly would review the ban on okada riders. Omisore, who organised a public awareness on the traffic law at Jankara, Ojokoro Local Council Development Area

(LCDA), said since the power rest more on the electorate than politicians, it was time to come together and delist some routes preventing okada riders from doing their business. He said: “I decided to organise this forum so as to ensure that we put an end to clashes between okada riders and the police.” Based on this, commercial motorcyclists, who had been waiting in the wings, invaded the metropolis like bees swarming on the beehive. Many of them even claimed that the government had lifted the ban outright. But the Lagos Ministry of Transport debunked such claims. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the ministry, Mr Sina Thorpe, told our correspondent that those holding on to such claims were misinformed. According to him, Okada riders who have started operating on the banned routes do so at their own risks. He said: “I don’t know where such reports came from, obviously not from the Ministry of Transport. If there are any changes in that regard, the government will make the changes official. Before then, the position remains the same.” But Okada riders are not deterred by

Thorpe’s warning. Okada riders are acting on the insinuation that the House of Assembly is planning a review of the traffic law, with ban on some restricted routes to be lifted. The Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade kayoed Opeifa, might have unwittingly triggered Okada riders’ return to the streets of Lagos. Opeifa, who chaired the committee on the review of the Lagos State University (LASU), had said that the government was not planning to lift the ban on operations of commercial motorcyclists. But some people believed the commissioner was only being economical with the truth on government’s plan. They reasoned that if the government could, because of political exigency, reverse the increment in LASU tuition fees, it would do the same with the ban on Okada riders. Based on this, some riders, who had relocated to border communities in Ogun State, returned to the Lagos metropolis in full force. However, this has led in to clashes between the police and commercial motorcyclists. A number of deaths have been recorded in some of these violent C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4 6

46 FEATURES

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Government, motorcycle riders’ game of wits C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 5

encounters. At Iyana School bus stop on IgandoIyana Iba Road, policemen from Isashi Division led by the Station Officer (SO) and the Operations Officer allegedly stormed the Okada park and seized commercial motorcycles. However, the motorcyclists alleged that the ban on Okada in Lagos State did not apply to the area. Trouble started when the policemen allegedly started shooting sporadically which sources said resulted in the death of three members of the Okada riders’ association. According to the riders, policemen attacked them, while trying to seize their motorcycles because they were plying certain routes in the axis. “We want government’s intervention. Policemen from Isashi division are always troubling us. On Friday, they gunned down three of our members,” one of the motorcyclists said. “They were just shooting anyhow. There was confusion and we all scampered to different directions for safety. They shot Laide who died instantly. “The policemen took his motorcycle to their station without even waiting to check if he was dead or not. Rather than check on Laide, they continued to shoot, leading to the shooting of two other people. The victims died,” another rider added. The policemen were alleged to have further spray acid on the riders. One Mr Giwa Gafaru and six others were affected. “The policemen came to our park about 9am that day to arrest us, but we all disagreed because the state governor said we shouldn’t allow any police to harass us on this road again; that we are now free to work. In fact, he gave us helmets,” a rider, who gave his name as Jamiu Giwa, said. The fuming motorcyclists said they were tired of the pressure from policemen. “The policemen are from Area K, Morogbo Command, but we are under Area E, Festac Command,” they said. One of the policemen identified as Mr. Leke reportedly said: “We came here today to kill, not to seize any motorcycle.” He then allegedly pointed his gun at a motorcyclist named Mr Taiye, but ended up shooting Laide to death. Leke allegedly killed three of the motorcyclists - Laide, Seventy, and Osha. Our correspondent located one of the wounded motorcyclists, Mr Sunday Okoro, in a hospital. Okoro said they were having an association meeting, when the chairman received a call. He said: “The caller said that police had gunned down three motorcyclists at Iyana School. We rushed to the place. When we got there, I saw Mr Leke shoot sporadically into the air with his counterpart Mr. Kehinde. “I went to park my motorcycle by the end of the road. I was still trying to adjust it, when I felt something hit my ankle like a sharp stone. As I wanted to run then, I

Protesting riders at Iyana School

Okada operators at Berger, Lagos

Fashola

Opeifa

fell. It was then I realised I had been shot.” But the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO), Lelma Kolle, denied the allegations. He said that the police did not kill any motorcyclist at the park. Kolle, however, said that police shot two on the legs to stop them from setting Isashi Police Station ablaze, after they had poured acid on a senior officer of the station, who, according to him, is presently in hospital, battling to stay alive. He explained that trouble started on that fateful day, after police attempted to carry out raid on a black spot at Iyano School, where many citizens had been dispossessed of their valuables. He said: “The DPO sent policemen to the black spot. When they reach there, they saw policemen, who thought they came to arrest them. Suddenly, they attacked them with broken bottles. Some of them poured acid on the station officer (SO), who is now in the hospital.” Kolle added that because of the tensed situation, the policemen went back to the station. The motorcyclists how regrouped, had a meeting and decided to attack the station and set it on fire. But some of the members disagreed, throwing them into two groups. “A fight broke out between the two groups - one of them used iron to hit another, leading to his death. They now came to the station, armed with broken bottles and jerry cans filled with fuel. They were

too many. Police fired warning shots, but they kept advancing. The police were forced to shoot two on the leg. They are now in the hospital. They now claimed that their member, who they killed, was killed by the police. The police did not kill anybody. “To prevent them from carrying out their dastardly act, the police fired into the air to scare them away but two of the Okada men were shot in the legs.” At Ojuelegba penultimate Saturday, some Okada riders accused policemen from Area C and Iponri divisional headquarters of seizing no fewer than 100 motorcycles from them. An Okada rider at Barracks-OjuelegbaIponri area on Ikorodu Road, who gave his name simply as Kunle, said police had arrested over 100 motorcycles. He said: “We heard that government has allowed us to start business; we don’t know why the police are after us. This job is helping a lot of people. Students of LASU, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State Polytechnic (PSPOTECH) and other institutions are riding Okada to pay school fees. Those who are riding Okada and getting daily bread do not embrace robbery. At Ojota, a former banker with Union Bank, Akin Oriade, advised the state lawmakers not to promote anarchy by reintroducing Okada. He said: “They use Okada to rob. Okada has sent many people to their early graves.

Many others are amputees while some are at Igbobi. If this decision is politically-motivated, it is an unwise and a bad decision.” But Monday Nwankwo, a Lagos-based businessman at Ojota, said that lifting the ban on Okada would help a lot of riders irrespective of the dangers in doing such. “I will like the ban placed on Okada to be lifted. These operators use it to feed their families, send their children to school and pay house rents. Despite the dangers, they have to work,” he said. Another Lagos resident at Ojota, Abiodun Damola, appealed to the state government to allow Okada riders to return to work. He said: “They should be allowed to work because they are suffering too much.” But Gabriel Emmanuel, a book seller Ojoelegba, urged government not to lift the ban. “Okada riders should get off the roads. Since they have been banned, we have adjusted. “Do you know how many people that have died from Okada accidents? Do you also know how many amputees suffering now and those at Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital? “Okada is used to rob. Those who are riding for business should look for another job,” Emmanuel said. In his own contribution, the Chairman of the Public Awareness Forum on the New Traffic Law, Mr Adeola Afolabi, advised the police to handle the Okada matter with a human face. He also advised the senior police officers at a recent forum held on the ban to ensure that the law enforcement agency does not go out of its mandate in the implementation of the law. He said: “We have seen cases where the police have arrested Okada riders who have not contravened the law. This aspect should be looked into.” But according to the ministries of Transport and Health, Okada operations in Lagos have left many homes in sorrow while those who escaped death in Okada accident are now living with disabilities. Such dangers posed by Okada with consequent high level of accident rate cannot be over-emphasised.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

APC commends Jega’s criteria for election conduct ...Says it is capable of engineering free and fair elections KUDOS Quite unusual, but true INEC gets passmark from APC spokesman Johnchuks Onuanyim he All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, for

the statement credited to him on the criteria for the conduct of elections. According to the party, such statement was capable of engineering free, fair and credible elections. APC, in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said three issues stand out in comments credited to the INEC boss; that hooded security personnel would no longer be allowed during elections; that the security para-

Ondo PDP ready to receive Mimiko Babatope Okeowo

Akure

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State yesterday expressed its readiness to accept Governor Olusegun Mimiko into the party whenever he is ready to dump the ruling Labour Party (LP). It, however, said Mimiko, who was a member of the party before he defected to the LP to pursue his governorship ambition, has not officially left the platform through which he became the fifth civilian governor of the state. Briefing reporters after the meeting of party leaders in Akure, PDP Chairman, Ebenezer Alabi, said the national secretariat of the party has not informed them that Mimiko would be joining the party. Already, Governor Mimiko has directed members of the House of Assembly elected on the platform of the LP, his aides and commissioners

to go to their respective wards and join the PDP. At a meeting held with leaders of LP at the Government House, at the weekend, the governor was quoted to have told those present at the meeting to go and consult with their members at the grassroots on their need to join the PDP. Mimiko said he is willing to work for the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan, and since the election for the National Assembly comes the same day with that of the President, he would not be ready to campaign for the candidate of LP at the election. Alabi said the 1999 Constitution guarantees free association and freedom to join or exit political parties and Mimiko’s case would not be an exception. The chairman, however, said Mimiko has met with some party leaders both at the state and the national levels and informed them that he would be joining the PDP.

Anambra youths endorse ex-commissioner for senate Tony Okafor

AWKA

ouths from Anambra North senatorial district, under the auspices of ‘Omambala Youths for Equity and Justice,’ yesterday endorsed former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Chief Dubem Obaze, as their senator in 2015. Obaze is a chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and has recently expressed interest in the senatorial seat in next year’s general elections. Addressing reporters in Awka, the group’s spokesman, Mr. Basil Okwunwanne, said Obaze possessed the qualities for effective representation in the nation’s upper legislative chamber.

According to the group, in line with the equity and justice that saw the emergence of Chief Willie Obiano, from Anambra North as the governor, there is also the need for the same principle to be adopted in electing the next senator for Anambra North. He added that among the three political blocks in the area - Omambala, Onitsha and Ogbaru, only Ogbaru has not produced the senator for the zone. It said: “We commend the former governor, Mr. Peter Obi, for championing equity during the 2013 governorship race. We also commend the Equity Group and Olu na Adagbe Peoples Assembly for also championing the cause that made it possible for Obiano, who is from Omambala, to emerge.

phernalia in future elections should be under the control of INEC and that the commission will use e-card readers for the 2015 general elections. The party said if indeed the INEC boss meant what he said, then it is a breakthrough of sorts in Nigeria's long quest to hold elections that are not only free, fair and transparent, but are seen to be so by the local and international community. APC, however, said it would hold Prof. Jega to his promises to avoid a repeat of the situation in the past, when promises made by the electoral chief were not kept. The party said: “During the voters’ registration exercise, Jega vowed that anyone who engages in double or multiple regis-

trations would be prosecuted. However, some parties which probably had an advanced knowledge that his statement was an empty threat apparently encouraged their members to engage in double or multiple registrations, thus gaining undue advantage over others, yet they were never prosecuted. “Also, during the last Ekiti governorship election, the INEC boss announced that colour-coded ballot papers would be used in different local governments to prevent election fraud, but that never happened and no reason was given for the failure. This is why we intend to hold Prof. Jega to every word he said in connection with the key issues mentioned above.” The party also recalled that before the Osun gov-

ernorship election earlier this month, the party warned that the use of hooded security personnel would encourage hoodlums with access to police or DSS uniforms to invade the state and perpetrate mayhem in the name of providing security. It said: “Sadly, that is exactly what happened during the election. In fact, media reports have said at least one person is now being prosecuted after he and others were found wearing black T-shirts with the inscription ‘Police’ in front and ‘DSS’ on its back during the Osun election. “Is there any clearer evidence that some of those who came to Osun in hoods were actually fake security agents”? The APC also recalled

that on May 26, 2014, the party issued a statement in which it tasked INEC to immediately commence the process that will lead to the use of the e-card reader for the elections in Ekiti and Osun States, if indeed the electoral body was committed to ensuring that the polls were free, fair and transparent. “If that advice had been heeded by INEC, perhaps the allegations of electoral fraud, and the litigation following the elections in both states, would not have arisen. “As we said in the May 26 statement; “Impersonation, multiple voting and endless altercations and associated tension will be eliminated at the voting centres with the use of e-card reader and not by any other means."

L-R: Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed; Chairman, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Alhaji Saka Danfo and Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape, during PMAN's solidarity visit to the governor in Ilorin... yesterday

Resident doctors’ suspension hinders strike call-off

Insurgency: Aliyu tasks Nigerians to be more security conscious

Muhammad Bashir

Dan Atori

Lokoja

good news that the Ttorshe striking resident dochave suspended their nationwide strike may suffer a setback following the purported sack of the doctors by the Federal Government. Patients who thronged various hospitals in Kogi State for medical attention, were disappointed when they were told to go back home. The reason was the inability of doctors to report for duty as expected yesterday morning. At the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, New Telegraph correspondent, who went round to monitor activities at the various hospitals

after the call off, reports that there was large turnout of patients who have come to collect cards, but the doctors were nowhere to be found. The patients, who waited for several hours, were later told to go back home as the doctors were attending a crucial meeting. One of the patients, Garba Umar, said they have reported to the hospital early enough to enable them see the doctors, stressing that after sometime, they were told to go back home because the doctors were in a meeting. He lamented that efforts made to know why the doctors were not attending to patients after calling off the strike proved abortive as they were leaving the premises one after other.

MINNA

iger State Governor, NAliyu, Dr. Muazu Babangida yesterday reem-

phasised the need for Nigerians to be more security conscious in the face of the challenges facing the country. He insisted that if Nigerians give information to the relevant government agencies, the attacks on innocent people by the Boko Haram sect would be checked before they are perpetrated. Aliyu spoke at the Government House, Minna, when he received the Emir of Borgu, Haliru Dantoro, who was on a thank you visit to the gov-

ernor for the three-day inspection of his emirate as well as the newly elected North Central zone executive of the Mayetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association led by the Chairman, Alhaji Sani Zuni. Governor Aliyu decried the callous manner the Boko Haram members have been killing innocent people and inflicting damage on properties, saying that it was time their nefarious activities are brought to an end. He told the Mayetti Allah members, who are mostly nomads to assist the government by offering information on the activities of strange people, who might be infiltrating the country through the borders.

48 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Give your children quality education, NUJ tells parents Tony Anichebe

Uyo

hairman of the Nigeria C(NUJ) Union of Journalists Akwa Ibom State

Council, Elder Patrick Albert, has called on parents to devote their resources to the training and education of their children to guarantee a worthwhile future for them. Albert made the plea while giving a motivational talk to students aged six to 16, who participated in an intensive one-week training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Reading, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Arts and Crafts, organised by the Foundation for Sound Mind and Crisis Intervention (FOSMACIN)

L-R: Former FCT Minister/All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai and Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, during El-Rufai’s visit to the governor in Port Harcourt…yesterday

We’ve no hand in church demolition, says Ontisha Catholic Archdiocese UNHOLY Anglicans in Anambra are yet to hear the last on the demolition of one of their churches

he Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday said it has no hand in the demolition of an Anglican worship centre in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that two weeks ago, unknown persons demolished Ebenezer Anglican Church, situated

at Oyolu-Oze village in Nkwelle-Ezunaka community in Oyi Local Government Area of the state. The Director of Communications in the archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Pius Ukor, told NAN that the church was very civil and diplomatic in its dealings and would not be involved or be associated with such an unholy act. “We as a church condemn such act in its totality. We cannot be part of the people or any arrangement that would destroy holy property or any place of worship; and we cannot encourage any

of our members to do such. “The Catholic Church, especially the Onitsha Archdiocese, has continued to treat any case it has with civility and diplomacy knowing that as a church, we need to show the light,” Ukor said. M e a n wh i l e, the President-General of the Nkwelle-Ezunaka community, Dr. Chris Eluemunoh, said the incident has nothing do with the Catholic Church. Eluemunoh said that the church could not have connived with unknown persons to perpetrate such act.

NMA strike: Confusion in Ibadan over doctors resumption Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

hough doctors nationwide have suspended their two-month-old strike and returned to their duty posts, members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), an arm of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), were yesterday confused about returning to work. New Tele graph’s checks at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, yesterday revealed that resident doctors, who had earlier been sacked by the Fed-

eral Government, were not at their duty posts. Their confusion arose from their purported sack and the suspension of residency training in the nation’s teaching hospitals and medical centres has not been resolved. The suspension of the strike was announced in Abuja on Sunday by the NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe. Reacting to the situation yesterday, ARD President, UCH, Ibadan chapter, Dr. Franklin Anoor, said the strike had been suspended, but, the sack of his members

could not make them go back to their duty posts. According to him;”It is true that the strike has been suspended, but, we are still awaiting government reversal of the circular through which we were pronounced sacked and our training suspended.” However, Oyo State NMA Chairman, Dr. Muyideen Olatunji, in his reaction, expressed a different view on the status of the resident doctors when he said: “There is nothing wrong with the resident doctors as all doctors are expected back at their duty posts.”

“I am not a Catholic, I am a Pentecostal worshiper and could, therefore, not have done any such act or colluded with anybody or organisation for that matter to destroy a holy place such as a worship centre. “It is, therefore, unfounded and malicious lies against me and the Catholic Church,” he said. NAN recalls that yesterday, Anglican faithful embarked on peaceful demonstration in Onitsha, alleging that the state government and Catholic Church have a hand in the unholy incident.

at the Ibom e-Library Complex, Uyo. The chairman said since the world is fast becoming a global village, driven by science, technology and arts, acquisition of knowledge and talent development have to be pursued and the sure way of doing this, is by availing our children with sound education. “It’s very clear, education is the key we, as parents, have to give to you so that you can unlock your talents, discover yourselves and become useful citizens. “When we have trained our children to become useful characters, then the future of our nation will be shaped by the kind of education transferred to them today,” he added.

2015: Akwa Ibom students endorse Udom Tony Anichebe

Uyo

tudents of 15 tertiary SState institutions in Akwa Ibom under the auspices of

the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS)/ Joint Campus Committee (JCC) have endorsed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Udom Emmanuel, as governorship candidate in the 2015 elections. Led by its National VicePresident, Comrade Ubon Marcus, and the Chairperson, Comrade Aquila Akpan, the students, during a solidarity visit to the SSG at Government House, Uyo, said they were in total support of his governorship ambition, because of his past records. The students, who are indigenes of the state were from the University of Uyo; Akwa Ibom State University; Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osura; Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron; College of Educa-

tion, Afaha Nsit; School of Health Science; Uyo City Polytechnic, among others. In his remarks, Marcus said the call on the SSG to succeed Governor Godswill Akpabio in 2015, was born out of patriotism by the students, who are concerned indigenes, saying that they will do whatever it takes to maintain their solidarity and support for the SSG. They added that; “Udom Emmanuel is the choice of the students of Akwa Ibom State.” On her part, Akpan said the students were impressed with the “intervention of the doctrine that leadership is measured in deeds than in days,” saying “having followed with keen interest and reexamining your impeccable credentials and capacity, the entire Akwa Ibom students want you as the next governor of the state after the uncommon transformation icon, Chief Godswill Akpabio, must have completed his tenure in 2015.”

Lanlehin tasks INEC on PVC distribution Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

ollowing the series of complaints that trailed the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards and the Continuous Voters’ Registration exercise in Oyo State, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the complaints are addressed. Thousands of voters from across the state had complained that they could not find their names on the list displayed at the polling units, and that there were no INEC officials to attend to them at some units. Apprehensive of pos-

sible disenfranchisement by the commission in the 2015 elections, many of the electorate had expressed worry, calling for a review of the exercise before it is too late. Speaking ahead of the ceremony to formally usher him into Accord Party (AP) at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the senator representing Oyo South senatorial district in Oyo State, said he refused to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) when it metamorphosed from Action Congress of Nigeria, because some people he would not like to work with were part of the merger. He said: “In the polling units where cards were to be collected, there were

no INEC officials to attend to the people. I went round Ibadan even on Sunday and realised that the exercise was not well conducted. “I want INEC to step up their act and improve on the exercise. It is important too that the exercise be extended for a few more days. However, I will not like to put the entire blame on INEC, because I understand it has some challenges. “Nigerians are very willing to exercise their civil rights and are more than ever alert to electoral matters. They demand a free and fair election free of violence. INEC has a larger part to play in this process.”

NEWS 49

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Ogoni group vows to halt Wike’s 2015 governorship ambition Division Divided they fall, maybe. The Ogoni need to speak with one voice Emmanuel Masha

Port Harcourt

ome Ogoni group has vowed to work tirelessly to ensure that the minister of state for Education, Barr. Nyesom

Wike does not emerge as Governor of Rivers State in 2015, saying he cannot for any reason succeed Mr. Chibuike Amaechi. Some prominent Ogoni leaders had at a rally organized by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last weekend endorsed Wike, demonstrating the split among Ogoni who up till now had almost agreed on the need for a governorship candidate of Ogoni extraction. The rally, organized by Ogoni Youth Movement

(OYM) was attended by PDP’s Rivers South East national vice chairman, Dr. Fred Kpakol, Chief Monday Ngbor, Hon. Kenneth Kobani, the commissioner for Finance under Odili, Rt. Hon. Dum Deekor, Dr. Jacobson Nbinna, Hon. Olaka Nwogu among others. The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), and the Ogoni Youth Satelite, have said that the endorsement of Wike at the rally does not reflect the position of the Ogoni, with MOSOP

noting that the minister and his supporters wanted to “impose their will on the vast majority of Ogoni.” It also described Ogoni indigenes campaigning for Wike instead of an Ogoni candidate as jokers, declaring that majority of the Ogoni agree and stood with MOSOP in its bid to produce the next governor. The Ogoni Youth Satelite said it was pathetic that some Ogoni sons and daughters that ought to protect the integrity of Ogoni people had queued behind Wike.

It added: “We will resist any injustice against an Ogoni man. We are not against any political party that gives her ticket to an Ogoni man. Most of these men are representing their stomach infrastructure not the interest and aspirations of Ogoni people.” ButtheOgoniSocialDemocratic Network (OSDN) has accused MOSOP of delving into political issues instead of being bipartisan, just as it absolved Wike of the plot to destabilize Ogoni. The group’s president,

George Kilsi Nubari in a statementsaid:“WeurgeMOSOP which is now gradually degenerating into an arm of the APC in Rivers State to ensure that it does not subject the reputation of MOSOP to question. “We condemn this posture of MOSOP to continually issue frivolous and bogus press statements lacking in truth and credibility and will urge its leadership to maintain the neutrality expected of the organization in political party affairs,” Nubari said.

Ebola: Oshiomhole sensitises Edo market women Cajetan Mmuta

BENIN

etermined to ensure the safety of families and residents within its environment, Edo state government yesterday took positive steps to sensitize market women on measures to be taken to nip in the bud and avert possible spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease in the state. The state governor Adams Oshiomhole at a well-attended sensitisation meeting held with leaders of market women drawn from various parts of the state in Benin City urged them to precautionary measures to stop the spread of the dreaded virus. Oshiomhole said: “The meeting today is two parts: first, to tell you about the Ebola Disease that was brought from another country to Lagos. We thank God that the disease has not come to Edo State. He said there was the need for all to be cautious and vigilant as people daily travel to different parts of the country and therefore

there is no way anybody could know who has contacted the virus, rather they must make necessary plan and be prepared to get rid of the situation. He said that the disease is difficult to manage and so advised them to talk to their members to be wary of who they shake or embrace because the disease causes serious sickness that can lead to death at a short time. The governor warned that, “because of this, it is good that we should know what to do as people travel to different parts of the country, people walk about and we do not know those who are infected. That is why we must be prepared and plan so that if anybody sees any victim, he or she should know what to do”. Besides, Oshiomhole said the second part of his sensitisation meeting was on the value of the INEC Permanent Voters’ Cards which distribution will soon be carried out on date to be made public by INEC in the state ahead of the 2015 elections in the country.

Orjiakor tips Jonathan Tony Okafor

Awka

of Peoples Ainchieftain Democratic Party (PDP) Anambra State, Chief

Pat Orjiakor, has predicted an easy win for President Goodluck Jonathan in next year's presidential election should he decide to re-contest. Orjiakor who holds the post of South East Zonal Coordinator of PDP National Youth Awareness Forum said Jonathan had achieved a lot in his first tenure that he would not need to dissipate any energy to be re-elected because according to him his (Jonathan's) good works would speak for him in the contest. Addressing journalists in Awka yesterday on the prospects of Jonathan's re-election, Orjiakor stated that his optimism for Jona-

than's victory was further boosted by the fact that notable individuals, including Prince Arthur Eze had thrown their weight behind his re-election. Orjiakor lauded the philanthropic gesture of Arthur Eze, a man he said had positively touched so many lives as part of human capital development. He extolled Prince Eze for his support to the PDP at all levels, a development he claimed had made the party visible and formidable to face the battle of 2015. He enjoined PDP supporters and Jonathan's support groups to continue to work hard until victory is achieved. Orjiakor stated that he left the defunct ANPP to join PDP because he believed in the transformation agenda of President Jonathan.

L-R: Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, Prof. Liman Tukur; Acting Governor, Ahmadu Fintri and Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Isa Ahmadu, during the visit of the acting governor to the emir's palace in Mubi …at the weekend

2014 Hajj: NAHCON pegs exchange rate for pilgrims Kunle Olayeni

Abeokuta

part of welfare packAtosages for pilgrims hoping embark on the 2014 Hajj

exercise, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has pegged exchange rates for pilgrims at N150 to a dollar. Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Sefiu Rasheed, made this disclosure during a chat with reporters in Abeokuta, the state capital. Rasheed added that this would be of major econom-

ic benefit for pilgrims and reduces non availability of foreign currency for the exercise. He noted that intending pilgrims are expected to deposit a minimum of N112, 500 in exchange for $750, while N150, 000 should be deposited for $1,000 equivalent as Basic Travelling Allowances (BTA). He maintained that all intending pilgrims from the state are being enjoined to upgrade their initial deposit for Hajj fares to the tune of N740, 000 as approved fare for this year’s exercise or risk forfeiting their slots.

Aspirant calls for Urhobo unity Gabriel Choba

Ughelli

people have being Uderrhobo urged to be united in orto vote for a credible

and saleable governorship candidate who has the interest of Deltans at heart in the forthcoming 2015 gubernatorial election. Chief Gabriel Chukwuma Oyibode, Delta governorship aspirant who gave this charge at Adabrasa while speaking to newsmen about the demise of

Gen Patrick Aziza. He described the death as a big lost to the Urhobo nation, saying he was a man who contributed to the success, peace stability and development of Urhobo and Nigeria in general. Oyibode said the political contribution of late Aziza and his endless efforts to restore peace in Urhobo land and across Delta State made him an outstanding leader and a figure to remember.

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Pakistan cleric at rally warns of 48-hour deadline

Pakistani cleric leading a mass anti-government rally in front of parliament issued a 48-hour deadline yesterday for the country’s prime minister to step down, saying he’s prepared to die to see it happen. Tahir-ul-Qadri showed protesters a white burial shroud in a speech issuing the deadline for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has

refused to step down. “I am giving this deadline today as I am ready to be martyred and I have taken the last bath today,” Qadri said, making some female supporter cry. It’s not clear what Qadri plans to do after his deadline expires, though some have feared protesters may try to enter parliament, which is protected by soldiers. That could set off a violent confrontation.

Qadri and opposition politician Imran Khan separately led tens of thousands of people from eastern city of Lahore to Islamabad, protesting against alleged vote fraud in the 2013 elections that brought Sharif to power. Both Khan and Qadri, a dual Pakistani-Canadian citizen with a wide following, also demand reforms in Pakistan’s electoral system to prevent future vote fraud. Backed

by parliament and many political parties, Sharif has said he won’t step down. Government negotiators are trying to convince Qadri and Khan to end their protest and back off the demand for Sharif ’s resignation. Meanwhile, the country’s Supreme Court has ruled that the road in front of the parliament, the Supreme Court and other government buildings now hosting the pro-

test be cleared of demonstrators. While the crowds have fallen well short of one million marchers that both leaders promised, their presence and heightened security measures have affected life and badly harmed business in the capital. The rallies have nevertheless remained festive, with families picnicking and men and women dancing to drums and national songs.

S. Sudan rivals sign new ceasefire

Supporters of Pakistan’s fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri praise their leaders speech in Islamabad, Pakistan

prominent Egyptian activist imprisoned for three months has joined a growing number of prisoners in an ongoing hunger strike to protest the government’s crackdown on dissent, a Cairo-based rights group and her lawyer said yesterday. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said at least a dozen protesters and activists behind bars have started a hunger strike in the past week, including prominent blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah. Abdel-Fattah is awaiting a retrial after he won an appeal of his 15-year prison sentence for participating in a protest last year. The group said Mahienour el-Masry, a secular activist sentenced for protesting as well, started a hunger strike Sunday. She was sentenced in May to two years, though her sentence was reduced to six months in July in addition to a $7,000 fine. The group said the hunger strikes are in reaction to “unfair trials” and “noticeably prolonged detentions” without trial in cases involving freedom of expression. Security officials say at

PHOTO: AP

More Egyptian prisoners join hunger strike least 20,000 people have been detained since the government crackdown began last year. Most of the detained are Islamist supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Late last year, the Egyptian government passed a controversial protest law that bans demonstrations without prior police approval and toughens the penalties on violators. The government says the law is necessary to ensure stability and the rule of law after years of turmoil and amid a campaign of militant violence. El-Masry’s lawyer, Mohammed Ramadan, said she began a hunger strike over the protest law. “She is protesting the absence of justice and to demand that all cases based on this law be dropped. These are political cases,” Ramadan said. Also joining the strike Sunday was a group of 11 Morsi supporters who have held without charges for months

for protesting, the group said. Two other Morsi supporters have been on hunger strike for months, including U.S-Egyptian citizen Mohammed Soltan, whose health has been failing after over 200 days on strike. Another, Ibrahim el-Yamani, has been on hunger strike for over 120 days after his one-year detention. A Facebook page called “We are up to here!” that tracks the number of prisoners on hunger strikes posted reports filed to prosecutors showing two prisoners in the southern province of Fayoum also joined the hunger strike Sunday because of their continued detention without charges. A protest is planned later yesterday in solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike. In June, authorities released an Al-Jazeera Arabic service journalist for health reasons after he had been on hunger strike for more than four months to protest his detention without charges.

outh Sudan’s warring leaders signed a fresh ceasefire deal yesterday vowing to end more than eight months of conflict, according to mediators who threatened sanctions should the agreement fail once again. East Africa’s regional IGAD bloc, which mediated the talks between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar, called on the leaders to forge a unity government within 45 days. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1.8 million have fled civil war sparked by a power struggle between Kiir and Machar, who met yesterday for the first time in more than two months. An IGAD communique welcomed the “signature by the warring parties” to the deal, “which obliges the parties to bring the conflict to an end”. Three previous ceasefire commitments have been broken within hours. “As a region, we have to show that any party which violates agreements that there

are consequences to misbehaviour,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said at the summit of east African leaders. “We are sending a clear message to the leaders of South Sudan. So delaying in the procedure will not be acceptable if not the region will take action.” Kiir and Machar last met in June, when they agreed to form a unity government within 60-days. They missed that deadline amid continuing war. The United Nations has said the food crisis is the “worst in the world”, and aid workers warn of the risk of famine if the conflict continues. The IGAD communique expressed “serious concerns over the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan where millions face famine, and which presents a threat to the national security of the entire region”. The United Nations warns that 50,000 children face death from malnutrition, while half the country’s populations need urgent food aid.

Presidential inauguration suffers delay

fghanistan’s next president was due to take over on yesterday but an inauguration deadline has been pushed to September as rival candidates fail to agree on who won an election meant to mark the country’s first democratic transfer of power. Rivals Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, as part of a U.S.-brokered deal, must form a government of national unity and cooperate on an audit of all eight million votes that were cast to eliminate concern about widespread electoral fraud. Afghanistan has been in a state of crisis since the disputed first round of the presidential election in April and the stand-off has dashed hopes for a smooth transition of power from President Hamid Karzai,

who has run the country since 2001. Karzai had earlier said the new leader would take over on Aug. 25 but a spokesman for the president said yesterday that date was never set as the inauguration date. Whatever the plan, yesterday, the Independent Election Commission was still pouring over votes cast in a second-round run-off held under U.N. supervision on June 14. In particular, the commission was due to begin throwing out, or “invalidating”, ballots deemed fraudulent in an audit of all eight million votes cast, organized as part of a deal to resolve the stand-off. “The Independent Election Commission is trying very hard to finish the process as soon as possible,” said its spokesman, Noor Mohammad Noor.

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ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

tuesday, August 26, 2014

Did you know? Most goals in one world cup match record is held by Russian footballer Oleg Salenko. He scored 5 goals against Cameroun in a 1994 world cup match

NFF stages Congress amidst doubts Maigari

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ROLL–CALL Abia State Chairman: E. C. Chukwuemeka Secretary: Ikeme Kalu Daniel Adamawa State Chairman: Musa A. Duhu Secretary: Umaru Hamidu Akwa Ibom State Chairman: Effiong Johnson (Menyene Nkwo) Sceretary: Mathew Peter Udoh Anambra State Chairman: Mike Umeh (Jude Obikwelu) Secretary: Emeka Ralph Bauchi State Chairman: Yahuza Adamu Ningi Secretary: Hussaini Ibrahim Garba Bayelsa State Chairman: Lucky Gospel Ewa Secretary: Ebiegberi Hans-Egbe Benue State Chairman: Margaret Icheen Secretary: Nongu –Philip Terwase Borno State Chairman: Kalli Babagana Secretary: Baba Sanim Cross River State Chairman:EssienAyi(OswaldAtuake)

Adekunle Salami

fter the politicking and confusion in the past two weeks, the proposed General Assembly of the Nigeria Football Federation holds today in Abuja with high expectations for the administration of football in the country. NFF President, Aminu Maigari, is expected to preside over the Congress where football association chairmen and secretaries of the 36 states and the FCT, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the various leagues, coaches association, Referees association and players’ union are expected to be in attendance at the event slated for Chida Hotel in Abuja. Secretary: Greg Abang Delta State Chairman: Amaju Pinnick Secretary: Friday Onothoja Ebonyi State Chairman: Obinna Ogba Secretary: Ome D. Chukwuemeka Edo State Chairman: Abel Ehigie Secretary: Victor Edokpayi Ekiti State

Moses

Investigations revealed that the Congress would to be a reconciliation meeting of sort following the crises that have enveloped the football scene in the past weeks. Secretary General of the NFF, Musa Amadu, said the Congress would not be elective as delegates are expected to decide on the new date for the elective Congress. “We have to look into many things and we also want to give all the aspiring candidates a level playing field. You need time to achieve all of that,” he said. Only at the weekend, NFF board members and some other football stakeholders held a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of

Chairman: Isaac Ayodele Secretary: Mercy Adegbuji Enugu State Chairman: Chidi Ofor Okenwa Secretary: Ugwu Francis Sunday FCT Chairman: Musa Talle Secretary: Ibrahim Abdullahi Gombe State Chairman: Auwalu Umar Sani Secretary: Ahmed Binanu Sada

CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 Imo State Chairman: Amanze Uchegbulam Secretary: Ndudi Godfrey Jigawa State Chairman: Sabo Abdullahi Dutse Secretary: Abdullahi A. Ringim Kaduna State Chairman: Magaji Abdulkadir Secretary: Ahuwan Elisha Kano State Chairman: Sharif Rabiu Inuwa Secretary: Usman Yahaya

Katsina State Chairman: Bello Saidu Secretary: Sani Tinua Kebbi State Chairman: Abubakar C. Ladan Secretary: Atiku Magaji Kogi State Chairman: Adams Yahaya Secretary: Austin Ogunmola Kwara State Chairman: Busari Ishola Secretary: Oke Mohammed Jimoh

Chairman: Sunday Longbap Secretary: Yakubu Dalyop Rivers State Chairman: Chris Green (H. I. Omineokume-Kile) Secretary: Ibigoni Benjamin-Akobo Sokoto State Chairman: Mohammed Nasir Saidu Secretary: Garba Hassan Taraba State Chairman: Hussein Modibo Secretary: Yosie Daniel Ayuba Yobe State Chairman: Mohammed Garba Secretary: Ahmed Asabe

Lagos State Chairman: Seyi Akinwunmi Secretary: Damilola Morakinyoj

Zamfara State Chairman: Ibrahim Musa Gusau Secretary: Hashim Yusuf Maru

Nasarawa State Chairman: Mohammed Alkali Secretary: Yakubu Galadima

Elite League Chairman:NdukaIrabor Secretary: Salisu Abubakar National League Chairman: Emeka Inyama (Nuhu Tanko) Secretary: Lawrence Katken Women’s League Chairman: Dilichukwu Onyedinma (Adeoye Adebowale) Secretary: Isaac Ajisafe Nationwide League Chairman: Ahmed Muazu Kawu (Joseph Akwa) Secretary: Shola Ogunnowo Coaches Association Chairman: Bitrus Bewarang Secretary: Solomon Ogbeide Referees Association Chairman: Ahmed Maude Secretary: Moroof Oyekunle Oluwa Players’ Union Chairman: Dahiru Sadi Secretary: Austin Popo

Niger State Chairman: Yusuf Ahmed ‘Fresh’(Yabagi Alhaji Baba) Secretary: Jagaba Saidu Egwa Ogun State Chairman: Ganiyu Majekodunmi Secretary: Leo Oyenekan Ondo State Chairman: Dele Ajayi Secretary: Fagite Babatunde Osun State Chairman: Taiwo Ogunjobi Secretary: Afolabi K. Segun Oyo State Chairman: Olaleye Adepoju (James Odeniran) Secretary: Kehinde Ojelowo Plateau State

Kanu influenced my West Brom move –Ideye

} P 52

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Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Jonathan promises to host Falconets

Keshi leads Eagles against Congo, South Africa for free lTargets six points, commends Danagogo Emmanuel Tobi

oach Stephen Keshi has agreed to lead the Super Eagles out for the 2015 AFCON double header against DR Congo and South Africa for free after intervention from Sports Minster, Tammy Danagogo. The Super Eagles will host Congo in Calabar on September 6, before they travel to Cape Town to face Bafana Bafana four days later. Keshi’s contract talks have drag on for several weeks after his contract expired at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to the leadership tussle in the Nigeria

Emmanuel Tobi

est Brom striker, Brown Ideye, has revealed that former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, was very influential in his decision to join the Hawthorns. Ideye, who cost £10m from Dynamo Kiev this summer, made his longawaited Baggies’ debut in Saturday’s goalless draw at Southampton and almost found the net in spectacular style. Now he is eyeing his first Albion start after receiving tips from Kanu, who made 58 appearances during a two-year stint with West Brom. “I spoke with Kanu,

Football Federation. “Keshi out of patriotism and love for this country has decided to lead the Super Eagles against DR Congo and South Africa without any contract. He is doing it free and all for Nigeria while negotiation is on-going,” his agent Emmanuel Ado informed New Telegraph on Monday Ado stressed that the intervention of the Sports Minster Keshi necessitated the move by Keshi who was ready to consider other has also obstructed Keshi’s options due to the delay in the contract negotiation. Dr Danagogo has proven his negotiation process. “We want to commend the Hon- zeal and determination for ourable Sports Minster for his sports development in Nigequickly intervention in the crisis ria with his actions. He added that, “Keshi has rocking Nigerian football which

Kanu influenced my West Brom move-Ideye

Ideye

Ajibade Olusesan

once or twice the same week,” said Ideye. “He’s a great guy. “He just told me to be myself and try to do my best on the pitch and he told me to score goals so hopefully, the fans and the club would be behind me. “He just told me to give my best in every game and try to get my head down and listen to what the manager has to say and what my fellow players are telling me. So I pray for the best.” Ideye almost opened his account for his new club after a skilful second-half turn, only to be denied by Fraser Forster’s excellent save. He said: “It would have been good for me to score a goal because I have always scored on my debut at each club, but on Saturday it was different. The goalkeeper was out very quickly and before I could lift my head I saw him coming and he made a great save.” Ideye who will be joined in England next month by his wife and two young sons thanked the fans, team-mates and boss Alan Irvine for helping him settle in.

set a target of six points for the Eagles even without a contract but he looks forward to a positive response with the intervention of the Sports Minister who he holds in high esteem.”

resident Goodluck Jonathan has promised to host the Super Falconets to a reception at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following their stellar performance at the FIFA U-20 Women World Cup in Canada. The Nigerian team lost 1-0 to Germany in the final of the competition on Monday morning but they had done enough to attract the admiration of the Mr President who described their performance as magnificent. Jonathan said in a press statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, that the Falconets have shown the world that with their innate skills, strength, resilience and determination, they could remain a great force in women’s football globally for many years to come.

NOC hails Falconets for winning silver

he Nigeria Olympic Committee has congratulated the Falconets for emerging the second best team at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which ended on Sunday in Canada. In an exciting and dramatic final match held at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Germany defeated the Falconets 1-0 after extra time, with the Falconets missing many scoring chances to have put the match to rest in regulation time. They had the best chances

of the night but strangely failed to convert them, with tournament leading scorer Asisat Oshoala being the worst culprit. And reacting to their loss on Monday, the President of the NOC, Sani Ndanusa, said that the Falconets gave a very good and justified account of themselves in the tournament. The former Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, also said that Nigerians were

NFF stages Congress amidst doubts

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 1

Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, to resolve the impasse on whether or not the Congress would be elective. “The Congress will only fashion out a roadmap for the elections, with the elective Congress expected to come up not later than two weeks after the Congress of Tuesday, 26th August,” Amadu said after the meeting with Anyim. Interestingly, Vice-President of the NFF, Chief Mike Umeh, who was one of those calling for elective Congress was at the peace meeting with the secretary to the government. It is expected that a new

electoral body will emerge from the meeting since the Amino Biambo-led body has fallen out with the soccer ruling body over its insistence on elective Congress for August 26 (today). The rat race over various positions in the executive board of the NFF is expected to start all over again and will only last about two weeks. However, there are uncertainties over the role the aggrieved members will play during and after the Congress. World football ruling body, FIFA, has been monitoring events keenly in Nigeria as they unfold since the crisis started during the World Cup.

extremely proud of the team, noting that from their very first match in the tournament against Mexico that they never left anyone in doubt about their talents. “We join all Nigerians in saying a big thank you to our Falconets for their heroic performance at the just concluded FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada. There is no doubt that you made us proud and we are very proud to have you as our ambassadors at the tournament. You did Nigeria proud, Ndanusa said.

Sport Trending

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Bright Dike Very proud of my sister @CourtneyDike and Nigeria. @bbright19 Kimberly Dike You all fought hard #falconets. Unlucky match.. Proud of Nigeria for getting this far. @kimberlydike Ikechukwu Uche, MON Happy to start the season with a victory... More victories ahead.. Congrats mates! @ikeuche9 Ideye Brown My heart goes out to @2faceidibia and the Rest of his Family. May Your Daddy’s soul Rest in Perfect Peace. @OfficialIdeye John Ogu My Heart Goes to @2faceidibia and his Family..May the Soul of Your Dad rest Well. @ogujohnugo Simon Terwase Zenke Heading to Sanliurfa with the fam for the start of the new season. @de_zenke17 Kanu Nwankwo Today is Iain kachi KANU birthday and we giving him a good birthday party and prayers.you all are invited.my son that God gave me. @papilokanu Roger Federer Back in the Big Apple for the @usopen #LetsDoThis. @rogerfederer

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Barca B coach hails magnificent Messi Man Utd to complete Di Maria deal today

anchester United are looking to have the British record signing of Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria wrapped up by Tuesday evening. United have made no official comment on the matter, but it is understood a fee has been agreed between the Red Devils and Real that will eclipse the British record €63 million Chelsea paid to Liverpool for Fernando Torres in 2011, with reports putting the figure

Torres

arcelona coach Luis Enrique praised Lionel Messi after the star’s brace in their 3-0 win over Elche on Sunday. Messi, fresh from winning the Golden Ball at the World Cup, showed off his quality again in Luis Enrique’s first competitive game in charge of the La Liga giants. The 44-year-old coach described Messi as a “wizard” and said the Argentina inter national could succeed in any position. “I’ve always said Leo

Messi is the best in the world, but not just that, he can be the best in every single aspect,” Luis Enrique said. “If he wants to be the best as a defender he would be the best defender in the world. He has a quality really difficult to see there. “We already see the things he does here, in the stadium but also in the training sessions where they are even more difficult because in front of him there are players at the same level of him or at least in a very high level as his team-mates are.”

eal Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Cristiano Ronaldo will undergo a week of special training after the club’s season opener. The Italian confirmed Ronaldo would be available for Monday’s curtain-raiser against Cordoba, but that he would require further attention to return to full fitness following muscle problems. And Ancelotti believes the gap between Monday’s match and the next La Liga fixture against Real Sociedad on Sunday would give the club time

to assist the Portuguese in his recovery. “There might well be a few minor aches and pains,” he said. “Last season he had tendinitis and during the pre-season he was not at his best. “He needed individual training work to sort it out. “We will have to make full use of next week to do training and specific work to improve his condition” Ronaldo scored both goals as Real beat Sevilla 2-0 to win the UEFA Super Cup in Cardiff earlier this month

Ronaldo to receive special training R

Messi (left)

Di Maria

SPORT | EURO FOOTBALL

at at least €75 million. It is also understood Di Maria – who bid farewell to his Real teammates on Sunday – was flying to Manchester on Monday ahead of a medical. And the expectation is that the deal will be complete within around 24 hours, although not in time for the Argentina international to be involved in United’s Capital One Cup tie at MK Dons on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old would be set for a debut in Saturday’s Premier League match at Burnley. United boss Louis van Gaal would neither confirm nor deny anything on the Di Maria situation after his side’s 1-1 league draw at Sunderland on Sunday.

Ronaldo

Balotelli will cause problem at Anfield - Liverpool legend Eight-game ban •As striker completes deal for Simeone ario Balotelli’s expected arrival at Liv-

erpool could cause a significant divide at the club, according to Anfield hero Gary McAllister. Balotelli joined the English giants from Milan for a reported fee of £16million. And while McAllister, who won five trophies at Liverpool towards the end of his glittering career, acknowledges the fee is not high for a player of Balotelli’s calibre, but is worried about the potential for a dressing room split. Balotelli courted regular controversy during an incident-packed spell at Manchester City prior to his return to Italy, and McAllister is not convinced the move is a good one for his former side. “It will split everyone,” McAllister said.

Balotelli

“He’s got great ability, but Liverpool are very much together under Brendan Rodgers and it doesn’t take a lot to split a dressing room. That’s my only fear. I’m not so sure [about the move].

Chelsea to pay Torres £16m if… F

ernando Torres is digging his heels in at Chelsea and the Stamford Bridge club will have to pay £16million for him to leave. The £50m flop has attracted interest from the likes of Roma, but any buying club will struggle to pay Torres’ £150,000-aweek wages. The Spanish striker therefore wants Chelsea to pay up the two years remaining on his deal - totalling around £16m - if he is to leave the club. There is frustration from both parties around Torres’ future - Chelsea at Torres’ refusal to see any potential move through

and the striker at his lack of first-team opportunities. The striker didn’t make the bench for Jose Mourinho’s side’s 2-0 win over Leicester on Saturday, with new signing Diego Costa and returning Blues icon Didier Drogba both preferred. Despite leaving Torres out of the win, Mourinho insisted he needs three strikers in his squad: ‘I want three strikers in the team. Sometimes I want to play with two and have one on the bench. At other times, someone will be suspended, another will be injured.”

tletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been handed an eight-game ban by the Spanish football federation following his actions during Friday’s Supercopa second leg against Real Madrid. Simeone was sent to the stands during the first half of the clash at the Vicente Calderon after aggressively remonstrating with the fourth official, who he then tapped on the back of the head. The Argentinian’s ban has been made up of four different punishments and includes a combined fine of 4,805 euros (£3,800). Atletico have also been fined 2,800 euros (£2,230). Simeone has 10 days to appeal the sanctions, which apply to any RFEF competition.

Simeone

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Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

132 Clubs for Extra Joss football tourney Season 3

ver 135 g rassroots football clubs have confir med their participation for the Extra Joss Soccer Championship as the Season Three of the tournament kicks-of f next month in Lagos State. The competition which star ted in 2012 with 32 teams and 126 in 2013 had g rown in leaps and bounds following the sponsor’s commitment to elevate the standard of the g rassroot football through a well-str uctured football tour nament sponsored by Kalbe Inter national with the support of the Lagos State Min-

istry of Youth, Sports and Social Development. Country Manager, Kalbe International, Didik Novandi, assured that the tour nament’s Local Organising Committee would visit each of the five Divisional Football Associations (Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos, Epe) to senstise them on the need for their respective affiliated football clubs to feature in the tour nament and also to encourage them to prepare adequately in order to win the star prize of N1m. According to him, the best 16 teams from the divisions will qualify for the round of 16 and

they will be paired in eight groups of two teams each on a knock- out basis at the Campos Stadium, Lagos Island. As part of efforts to encourage soccer fans to troop out en mass to watch scintillating matches, Novandi, said the organiser would sustain its relationship with the soccer fans by giving out different gift items to them through raffle draw while plans are in top gear to give winners of each division cash prize in order to encourage competitive football tour nament. Brand Mana g er, Novan Bill, confir med that the tour nament will tentatively kick- of f on 22nd

of September, at the Epe Division given that the Divisional Football Association was adjudg ed the best centre in the 2013 edition of Extra Joss Soccer Championship due to large tur n-out of fans and good organisation. According to Bill, the company which was decorated with Indonesia’s Best Brand Award, in 2006 and Golden Best Brand Award in 2005, had also sponsored a befitting Procold Table Tennis Championship that featured for mer African number one table tennis star, Se gun Toriola and others like Funke Oshonaike, Of fiong Edem, Cecilia Akpan.

Makurdi sports fans to enjoy GOtv

L-R: Deputy Governor of Benue State, Chief Steven Lawani, OFR receiving a GOtv Decoder from Mrs. Elizabeth Amkpa, General Manager, GOtv, MultiChoice Super Dealer, Engr. Olokpo Adams Olokpo and Mr. Oludare Kafar, Marketing Manager, GOtv during the GOtv team courtesy visit to the Benue State House after the launch of GOtv in Makurdi, Benue State recently.

ports fans in Makurdi, Benue state, have been given the opportunity to watch top European leagues on SuperSport Select 1 & 2 with highlights on SuperSport Blitz as GOtv launched its operation in the state. Barely one week after the launch of GOtv in Abeokuta on 1 August, GOtv signals were switched on in Ilesa & Ede (Osun state), Iseyin (Oyo state) and Makurdi (Benue state). Having already held launch events in Osun and Oyo states, all roads led to Makurdi for the launch which held from Tuesday, 19 to 21 August. The launch activities began with a press briefing and interviews on Radio Benue and Harvest FM both

in Makrudi. Because Makurdi residents had been eagerly waiting for the launch of GOtv, there were already a good number of subscribers even before the official launch. To this end, in the morning of the consumer launch, on 20 August, GOtv hosted the first 100 subscribers at a GOcustomer forum. The GOcustomer forum provided the opportunity to educate the subscribers on various self-service options available and the digital migration. The team led by the General Manager GOtv, Elizabeth Amkpa also paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Chief Steven Lawani, and presented him with a GOtv decoder.

CMB Building boosts MTN WGC: Igweh wins Northern Regional qualifiers Rugby Sevens A C MB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Ltd has concluded plans for a successful tournament as teams finalise preparations for the annual Independence Rugby Sevens. The rugby event has been sponsored by CMB Building Maintenance since 2009 to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence anniversary. According to the organisers, the Southwest region has been allotted five team slots in which 2013 finalists, Police Machines and Cowrie RFC were awarded automatic spots at this year’s tournament. The remaining three playoff spots will be determined between six other teams - Lagos RFC, Racing RFC, Gosar RFC, Hawkster Athletic, Eco II and Royal Stalions of Ilorin. This will be held at the main bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where pretenders will be separated from contenders. According to the organisers, this year’s edition promises to be bigger and better with 11 local teams and five international teams expected to battle for the trophy at the Onikan Stadium, between October 10 and 11.

n Abuja based hotelier, Chief Okey Igweh, emerged the winner of the northern regional qualifiers of the MTN World Golfers Championship held at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja, on Saturday. Igweh played off handicap 5 shot 74 net to qualify for the national final scheduled for Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, from September 12-14. Igweh returned the best net score of the day and will be joined by Austin Chigbo who shot 82 net as the two automatic qualifiers for the final from handicap flight 0-5 category. The golfer, who represented Nigeria at the MTN WGC final in Hua-Hin, Thailand, in 2010, automatically won himself high value gifts courtesy of MTN Nigeria for his feat in the competition. An elated Igweh poured encomiums on MTN for sponsoring the tournament and stated that the company has continued to stay ahead of the pack with innovations and service delivery. “The MTN WGC is one of the best tournaments in Nigeria played by dis-

L-R: Principal Partner, Reputation Chambers, Barr. Emma Owoicho, Former President, Nigerian Golf Federation, Gen. Victor Lot (rtd) and former, Director, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chief Ike Ndeokwelu, OON at the Tee Box during the MTN World Golfers Championship held at the IBB Golf Club, Abuja on Saturday.

cerning clubs. I was in Thailand in 2010 and I must admit that the benefits to network and opportunity to compete with other international golfers cannot be matched by other tournaments,” Igweh said. Acting General Manager, Northern Operations MTN, Ibrahim Bashir

Mohammed, who spoke at the prize presentation ceremony, thanked the players for their support for the MTN brand and reiterated the company’s resolve to meet them at their passion points. He stated that the customer was the reason the company was in business, therefore, it will

continue to identify with the exclusive lifestyles of golfers and other factors that set them apart from the crowd. “Golfers are held in high esteem by the company and it is our joy that this tournament has provided the platform for players to improve on their playing abilities,” he stated.

FIFA U -20 WOMEN WORLD CUP

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

SPORT 55

Falconets ‘very strong’ but we deserved win – Germany coach Ifeanyi Ibeh

Germany coach Maren Meinert celebrates with her team

Oshoala (middle) with golden ball

ermany coach, Maren Meinert, has acknowledged that her team’s opponents in Sunday’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final, Nigeria’s Falconets, were very strong, but insists her team deserved to be crowned world champions. Lena Petermann scored the match-winning goal eight minutes into extra time to steal victory for the Europeans, who were outplayed for long stretches by the Falconets, who created numerous goal scoring opportunities over the course of the game. The Nigerians were however unable to get past a resilient German defence marshalled by goalkeeper, Meike Kamper, who stood between the Falconets and victory, and was deservedly named player of the match. And Meinert has expressed her delight at her side’s victory which comes just over a month after Germany’s success at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. “The players and I spent the whole summer cheer-

ing on the men’s team and their success definitely motivated us. We didn’t necessarily expect to follow them and be standing here as champions, but we’re very proud - and the quality of teams we’ve beaten along the way makes us especially proud,” said Meinert. “One crucial thing today was that we played very well defensively as well as offensively, and the whole team worked hard to achieve that. “We knew Nigeria were very strong and play a high-tempo game, and that there would be times when our defence was overrun. But we restricted them to only a few shots on goal, so I think we defended against them well.” She added: “Every one of my girls put in 100 per cent and the win, in my opinion, is definitely deserved. We showed again today that we are strong physically and that has a lot to do with our fitness coach. But it also has a lot to do with our players’ mentality as they want to give everything until the very last minute. They know it hurts in the last 20 minutes but they keep going anyway, and today our physical strength towards the end of the match was definitely a factor.”

We’ll learn from Germany Bright Dike takes pride in sister’s feat defeat – Dedevbo B

Ifeanyi Ibeh

oach of Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, Peter Dedevbo, has attributed his side’s loss to Germany in the final of the FIFA U-20 to a lack of ‘tactical discipline’ on the part of his girls, even as he hopes they will learn from the defeat to the Europeans. The usually efficient Nigerians, who had found the back of their opponents’ net 15 times from their previous five games in Canada, suddenly found goal scoring hard to come by when it mattered most against the Germans in the final. The Germans, however, made the most of the few chances they created and ran out with a 1-0 win to claim a third world title at U-20 level. And Dedevbo, although hurt by the stinging defeat, hopes his girls will learn from it. “Today, we had enough opportunities to win this match in the first half alone. But while we had chances and didn’t take them, Germany had one chance

Dedevbo

and took it,” said Dedevbo after the game. “That’s the nature of football. I’ve not spoken to the girls yet, but I will tell them to take this defeat hard and learn from it because we lost this game due to tactical indiscipline,” added Dedevbo. “We had a great opportunity to win a World Cup with the chances we had in the first half, but we threw that chance away. Be that as it may, we did our best to redeem Nigeria’s image.” It was Nigeria’s second defeat in two finals at the U-20 Women’s World Cup, following an earlier loss to the Germans four years ago.

right Dike acted just like any other supporter at the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 between Germany and Nigeria on Sunday, continually rising from his seat, shouting and occasionally holding his head with hands whenever a chance went begging. The occasion proved an especially nerve-racking one for the Toronto FC and Nigeria striker, not least because his sister Courtney was out on the pitch. Having played for his club side against Chicago Fire the day before, Bright was full of expectation after making the trip to Montreal to see his sibling in action. “It’s a different experience to be looking on as a spectator and it makes me more nervous than playing. I’ve got every confidence in her, though,” he told Fifa.com during the game. “She’s done a great job and the whole family is very proud of her.” In the end, however, the Nigerians came off second best, just as they had done in

Awards

Most Valuable Player Adidas Golden Ball 1 Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria) 2 Griedge Mbock Bathy (France) 3 Claire Lavogez (France)

Top Scorer Adidas Golden Boot 1 Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria) – 7 goals

2 Pauline Bremer (Germany) – 5 goals 3 Sara Dabritz (Germany) – 5 goals Best Goalkeeper Adidas Golden Glove Maike Kamper (Germany) FIFA Fair Play award Canada

Bright Dike and sister, Courtney

the final against the same opposition four years earlier. For Courtney Dike there was at least the consolation of a loser’s medal, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that she had scored the tournament’s fastest ever goal in setting her side on the road to victory against Korea Republic in the group phase. As he explained, Bright has been giving her tips throughout the tournament, a factor in the Falconets’ impressive run perhaps: “I’ve watched all their games online and I’ve spoken to her before and after games. I tell her what she’s doing right and what she’s doing wrong and where she needs to work more. She’s a good player and she’s taken my advice on board too.” Born in the USA to Nigerian parents, Courtney, Bright and their other siblings are all strikers, and though the Toronto front man is the only member of the Dike family playing the game professionally at the moment, he believes his sister has a big future ahead of her. “She’s a very clever striker,” he explained. “She’s a good runner and she looks to get in behind the defence. She also moves well between the lines, which is one of the best attributes you can have. She’s a lot like me, I think. We have a very similar style.”

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The Toronto forward said he believed playing for Nigeria at Canada 2014 has been an enriching experience for Courtney and will only help her in her career: “The family has been to Nigeria a couple of times and we know the culture of the country through our parents. This has all been a fantastic experience for her, though. She’s settled in well in the team, made new friends and had a lot of fun.” While her team-mates are now preparing to go back to Nigeria, Courtney will be making the trip straight back to the University of Oklahoma to continue her business studies. “She won’t be having her holidays just yet. She’s got to get back down to work,” said Bright with a laugh. Given the success she has enjoyed in the last few weeks, Courtney will no doubt be keen to return to Nigeria duty in the future, and as Bright pointed out, she will only be stronger after her Canada 2014 adventure. “I’m sure she’s going to remember this World Cup for the rest of her life,” said a proud Bright. “It’s been fantastic for her and she’s only going to take positive things from it. It’s also helped her to grow as a player.” Although her day ended in dejection, a hug and a few consolatory words from her big brother will have put a smile back on Courtney’s face.

World Record

On Marble

Life has a way of shining on people who stand in the sunshine of kind actions.

– Bryant McGill

Sanctity of Truth

w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

The first successful appendectomy operation recorded was performed by French surgeon Claudius Amyand on 11-year-old boy at St. George’s Hospital, London on December 6, 1735.

N150

The battle for Gwoza is bigger than you think

he world may no longer be watching as intently as it no doubt should. However, the ferocity of the extremist cabal Boko Haram and its collective toll on Nigeria’s stability has not tempered. Contrary to uninformed belief, if anything, the situation is as dire as ever. Their seizure of, and proclamation of Islamic caliphate in, Gwoza clearly indicates a ramping up of both tact and approach, setting a dangerous precedent in morbid step with that of the mission of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. ISIS previously declared a caliphate in June, shortly after capturing enormous swathes of land in both northern Iraq and eastern Syria. This debilitating, truly geopolitical and perhaps not disjointed situation is made ever-worse in West Africa by misinformation spreading wildly on present-Gwoza’s security status, a small town nestled in Borno State, once Nigeria’s ‘Home of Peace’. ‘Official’ reports continue to deliberately or perhaps negligently disseminate by those with influence, each formal statement more opaque, blankly announcing that ‘never fear’, efforts are underway to wrestle the community back from the firm grip of the misguided sect. A noble and justified mission, without question; however, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) recently confirmed reports that Gwoza was indeed under rebel control and Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau himself remains defiant, proclaiming (in a 52-minute video obtained a few days ago by the Agence France Presse) Islamic Caliphate in the town, which the federal military authorities contend and seemingly believe is, in both”…sovereignty and territorial integrity, still intact within the Nigerian state”. And these growing attacks are not simply one-offs; Boko Haram has long held the capacity to execute multiple ‘operations’ concurrent to each other, as last week alone, 97 people, mostly men and boys, were kidnapped from a fishing village on the shores of Lake Chad, perhaps now so too conscripted into fighting. Militias such as these, much like cabals such as ISIS, have chosen not merely to ignore border-lines and ethical codes of combat in modern day warfare. The battle for authority in Gwoza is a particular turning point in the war for Nigeria’s freedom because Boko Haram publicly declares caliph-

World View SAM AMSTERDAM

The battle for authority in Gwoza is a particular turning point in the war for Nigeria’s freedom because Boko Haram publically declares caliphate

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Boko Haram members

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima

ate with seeming impunity and build borders of their own. This finding is an undisputed indictment of the Nigerian military’s strategic capability and an allusion as to where political priorities lie ahead of what will be hotly-contested 2015

elections. There is little factual information getting out regarding the daily lives of Gwoza citizens today and their struggle for independence under rebel-driven ‘law’ and lesser still, indicators that efforts, covert or otherwise, are actually underway to liberate the town. What we cannot allow to happen, either throughout the international community or within Nigeria itself, is the fortifying of a culture of acceptance, the ideology that the assaults from forces such as Boko Haram are now a daily part of life in this nation, to be sidelined within such a principal economic actor for the continent. More must ultimately be done to hold those with authority accountable for their actions, their strategy moving forward. We must look to those who push for greater transparency to stress likewise in the benchmark accomplishments of a military struggling to compete in the battle for both territorial integrity and hearts and minds. The international community has

a dynamic role to play and the time to re-inspire and press for support is now; there is simply none to lose.

OMOBABA

BOKO HARAM: NIGERIAN TROOPS ‘FLEE ACROSS BORDER’ – BBC

– Shame, a big shame!

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