Binder1, july 10,2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Thursday, July 10, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 142

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Maigari’s sack: FIFA suspends Nigeria Emmanuel Tobi

fter several days of a war of attrition, the world football governing body, FIFA, yesterday

suspended the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with immediate effect, on account of government interference. FIFA, rising from an

emergency committee meeting, announced the suspension of the NFF, and by extension Nigeria, with immediate effect from all its activities.

Article 13 and article 17 of the FIFA Statutes oblige member associations to manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties.

The decision to suspend Nigeria followed a letter sent by FIFA to the NFF on July 4, in which it expressed concern after the NFF was served with

court proceedings and consequently an order preventing the president of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, the NFF Executive CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Resource control

Row in confab over 18% proposal for derivation

lCommittee allocates 5% to North, 5% for solid minerals development Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

empers flared yesterday among delegates at the ongoing National Conference as

they bickered over a recommendation by a special ad hoc committee constituted to fashion out a consensus position on the issue of derivation, which proposed 18 per cent as special funds

to be allocated to oil-rich states. According to the ad hoc committee, the derivation formula should not be less than 18 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue of

the Federation just as it set aside five per cent as revenue for the development of minerals in other parts of the country and another five per cent to rebuild infrastructure in the

three zones of the North currently ravaged by insurgency. A former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari,

Impeachment: Nyako, deputy to appear before probe panel tomorrow lAPC caucus accuses PDP of destabilising North-East

who presented the report, said it was the product of a consensus among the leaders of the six geo-political zones. He explained that membership of the Consensus Group started with leaders of the six geopolitical zones and was later expanded to include the representatives of labour, employers’ association, women society and civil society groups. He said the group during its meetings, brainCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Ibrahim Abdul and Yekeen Nurudeen

he seven-man panel set up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct preferred against Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako and his deputy, Mr. Bala James Ngilari, preparatory to their impeachment, yesterday asked them to appear before it tomorrow. The date for their appearance was contained in a notice served on the duo which was pasted on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

LAGOS

Storms

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L-R: Country Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Cement WAPCO, Mr. Guillaume Roux; Director, Jean-Carlos Angule; Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Joseph Hudson and Chairman, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, during the 50th Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Falana, Keyamo, Adegboruwa mourn as Bamidele Aturu dies

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Row in confab over 18% proposal for derivation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

stormed on how to achieve consensus on the contentious issue of derivation and other related matters that have pitted Northern delegates against their Southern counterparts. He said: “I have the honour to present to this plenary the outcome of the consultation that was held to find the way forward and promote consensus on a very key issue that has the capacity to divide this house and even maybe this country. “After our meetings that lasted two days and two nights, here is what we arrived at: we arrived at these conclusions and in doing that among us there have been shift of positions on the parts of the two positions already taken by our numbers in the spirit of compromise and putting Nigeria first and above the interest of our respective zones and constituencies, recognising that status quo is not sustainable. “We have always felt that anytime we reduce our discussion to our village level, primordial level, state level, zonal level we are likely to run into problems, but when we raise the level to what unite us more than what divide us, there is peace. “Now one pole began

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

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with the position that was embodied in the recommendations of the Committee on Devolution of Power all the way from 13 per cent to 15 per cent to 17 per cent and not less than 18 per cent. “Another position shifted from the high figure of 100 per cent, 50 per cent to 21.5 per cent and 20 per cent; and finally to not less than 18 per cent to be reviewed every 10 years. Therefore, this group adopted a position and to recommend to the plenary not less than 18 per cent as the derivation formula but the group did not end there. “As a package, we propose two recommenda-

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ed in the Revenue Allocation Act.” Gambari also told the plenary session that the group, in reaching its conclusion, was motivated by the need to provide an avenue to reach consensus rather than voting, adding that they do not believe that voting will resolve the thorny issues. No sooner had Gambari finished the presentation of the report, than it elicited protests from a crosssection of delegates, many of whom raised objections and requested to speak on the matter. The struggle by many delegates to comment on the issue and the refusal

of the Deputy Chairman of the conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, to oblige them created a rowdy situation. Sensing the anger in the crowd, Akinyemi called on one of the delegates to move a motion for adjournment as it became clear that it would be difficult to continue with the proceedings of the day. It is expected that the report of the consensus committee will be discussed today when the delegates resume plenary. New Telegraph learnt that apart from the anger from the South-South over the pegging of derivation CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan; Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako; Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam and President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, at the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on Safe School Initiative in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO:TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

APC caucus accuses PDP of destabilising North-East CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PORT HARCOURT

tions: one, for 5 per cent revenue allocation to be made to the solid mineral sector for its development. We know we have been over relying on oil and the time has come to pay attention to other resources throughout the country. The second and perhaps much more urgent is that we have recommended a new fund to be established which will be called fund for stabilisation, rehabilitation and reconstruction. We have therefore recommended 5 per cent of revenue allocation, principally for the North-East, North-West and the North-Central. These recommendations, if endorsed, will be reflect-

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

the gates of the Government House, Yola and Ngilari’s office. However, while Nyako is to meet the panel at the Usman A. Iya Medical and Health Workers Union Secretariat, which it was able to secure after failed attempts on Tuesday to secure a venue to sit after its inaugural sitting on Monday, the notice of appearance for the deputy governor was silent on the venue and time where he is to meet the panel. The omission, which some described as deliberate, fuelled speculations about a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to save Ngilari, who unlike Nyako, did not defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). New Telegraph had exclusively reported on Monday that critical PDP stakeholders from the state, at the behest of the presidency, held two

meetings last weekend in Abuja to save Ngilari. After the two meetings, one at the home of former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and President Goodluck Jonathan’s former Special Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, the party chiefs settled for a former Chairman of Girei Local Government Area, Alhaji Abubakar Hamma, as the next deputy governor. The notice for Nyako’s appearance read: “Take notice this action or matter will be heard by this panel at Usman A. Iya Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, at Gibson Jalo Road on 11th July 2014 9:00am”. However, an APC stalwart in the state Mr. Ibrahim Bappa Waziri, said the panel’s action had justified their fears that Nyako was the target of the impeachment because of his frosty relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Anything could be possible because we have heard speculations that some groups and PDP blocks have been mounting pressure on the presidency to drop charges against the deputy governor and from what happens today, it appears that the presidency has yielded to the pressure,” he added. Also yesterday, religious leaders cautioned the lawmakers against removing Nyako and Ngilari. They warned that doing so may aggravate the security crisis in the state. Rising from a meeting, the Muslim Council in Adamawa State urged the lawmakers to allow Nyako and his deputy to complete their tenure, adding that the removal of the duo may spell doom for the state. The National Chairman of Jamaatul Izalatul Bid’a Waiqamatussunah (JIBWIS) Sheik

Abdullahi Bala Lau told reporters in Yola that the council unanimously rejected any move to impeach Nyako and Ngilari, stressing that the exercise came at the wrong time considering the security challenges bedevilling the state. “Though impeachment is a constitutional matter, we plead with the lawmakers to sheathe their swords and allow the leaders to finish serving their tenure. “We should not allow outsiders to foment trouble in our state because if it comes they would all leave us to our fate to suffer the consequences of our inactions,” Lau said. Also commenting, Reverend Iliya Aguwa said the state was in dire need of peace hence the need for politicians to avoid overheating the polity. According to him, the impeachment move against the governor and his deputy is a bad omen CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00 ARIK AIR LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:00; 09:00; 11:00 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00; 20:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 09:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 (SAT) 07:00; 11:00; 15:00 (SUN) 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 09:00; 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 (SAT) 07:30; 11:30; 09:00; 13:00; 17:00 (SUN) 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 ABUJA-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30; 16:50 (SAT/SUN) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30 PORT-HARCOURT-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10; 18:30 (SAT/SUN) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10

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Oil bloc sale: Reps raise panel to probe Alison-Madueke, Shell Philip Nyam Abuja

he House of Representatives yesterday constituted a seven-man ad hoc committee to investigate Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over an allegation that they illegally sold Oil Mining Licence (OML) 29. Alison-Madueke is already in court battling the lower chamber over its planned investigation of the allegation against her that she blew over N10 billion of public funds on private jets for official and private trips. The inauguration of the ad hoc committee

yesterday was sequel to a June 2 House resolution on allegations that Shell and other oil majors might have hidden under the cover of waivers usually granted by the minister to embark on the sale of OML 29 and others. House Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha who inaugurated the ad hoc committee named Chairman of the Committee on Education, Aminu Suleiman (Kano/APC) as chairman. Members are: Babatunde Adejare (Lagos/ APC), Irona Alphonsus Gerald (Imo/PDP), Binta Maigari Bello (Gombe/PDP), Ismaila Ahmed Gadaka (Yobe/ APC), Umaru Haliru Aliero (Kebbi/PDP) and Sunday Akpodiogaga

Emeyese (Delta/PDP). The ad hoc committee is expected to establish the validity of the transactions and report back to the House within two weeks. The House had noted that OML 29 has been in the custody of Shell for more than 52 years and one-half of the area of lease has not been relinquished to the Federal Government as stipulated by the Petroleum Act. Item 12(1) of the First Schedule to the Petroleum Act stipulates that 10 years after the grant of oil mining lease, onehalf of the lease shall be relinquished to the Federal Government. The motion asking the House to probe the transaction was spon-

sored by Gerald and was titled “Inadvertent Sale of OML 29 and other OMLS by SPDC and other Oil Majors”. Gerald had in his lead debate disclosed that “the outright sale of OML 29 and other OMLS is in direct contravention of the (Petroleum) Act and undermines the national interest.” Last June, Shell had announced plans to sell four more onshore oil blocks in Nigeria in its latest divestment from the country. According to reports, the blocs, with a combined production of around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd), are OMLs 18, 24, 25 and 29, located in the Niger Delta. The oil giant stated it would consult with

L-R: New ministers - Dr. Abdu Bulama (Science and Technology); Stephen Orise Oru (Niger Delta Development); Dayo Adeyeye (State, Works) and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (Education)- at their swearing-in in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

Sambo meets Reps today

lLobby for Jonathan’s second term, Alison-Madueke’s probe may top agenda Philip Nyam Abuja

ice-President Namadi Sambo is due to host members of the House of Representatives today at his official residence, Aguda House, Abuja for Ramadan breakfast. The invitation to the lawmakers was contained in a letter dated July 7, by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the president, Mr. M.A.K. Abubakar and addressed to the House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal. There were, however, speculations last night that the presidency

would use the meeting to plead with the lawmakers to drop their plans to probe Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, for allegedly spending N10 billion of public funds to charter private jets for her personal and official trips. A source told New Telegraph that the meeting was actually convened by the vice-president to mend fences with the House so as to enlist their support for the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. According to the source, the meeting is part of the reconciliation

process line up ahead of the declaration of intent to contest for a second term by the president. “Yes, there is a letter inviting us but we are told it is just Ramadan breakfast and until we get there, I cannot say exactly why he is inviting us at this time. Although, I have learnt from the leadership that part of why we are been invited is to close ranks and work ahead for the president’s second term ambition. “Secondly, I’m sure the issue of the petroleum minister will come up at that meeting. I’m aware that emissaries

have been sent severally to the House leadership to leave the minister alone,” the source stated. But Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, denied knowledge of the invitation. He said: “I’m not aware of such a letter. In fact, I’m hearing it from you for the first time” As to whether the House would honour the invitation, the House spokesman said ‘nobody is under compulsion to attend but if there is any invitation, anyone who wants to attend can do so.”

its international and Nigerian partners over the future of the 28 leases that produce some 750,000 barrels a day of

oil. Shell has already sold eight licences in Nigeria, all worth for a total $1.8 billion since 2010.

Row in confab over 18% proposal for derivation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

at 18 per cent, the report provoked delegates from the South-East and SouthWest who were excluded from the five per cent stabilisation and rehabilitation funds proposed in the report. In an interview with New Telegraph, Malam Isa Mafindi, a delegate from Taraba State, justified the allocation of five per cent to the North for the rehabilitation of the areas ravaged by insurgency. He attributed the anger to the fact that some people did not get what they wanted, adding that what was presented was an agreement among zonal leaders. “Let people vent their anger. You cannot have democracy without people having disagreements. Oil producers wanted 50 per cent derivation but they didn’t get it. They got what they can manage. So if they couldn’t get what they wanted, they should keep maintaining what they used to get. The issue of insurgency is the beginning of the trouble because immediately the insurgency finishes, it will take more than 20 years to return those areas to their normal state. This is because the destruction is extensive and the damage large. Everything is balanced. Let everything come out clearly tomorrow. “Whatever happens, this is an agreement. We are not going to do any voting because we have been having consensus on all issues and this is part of consensus,” he stated. A former Minister of External Affairs, General Ike Nwachukwu, who was part of the Consensus Group that drafted the controversial report, said delegates were free to react to its content. According to Nwachukwu, the group was sent on an errand and it merely delivered what it produced as consensus position. However, a former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, attributed the confusion that trailed the report to the way it was presented. He said what Gambari presented as rehabilitation and stabilisation fund for the North was actually meant to be a National

Emergency Fund for the entire country. Another delegate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, queried the rationale of allocating five per cent to the North without any consideration for the South-West and South-East. President of Aka Ikenga, a socio-cultural group from the South-East, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, said the recommendation of five per cent of national fund to any section was uncalled for and South-East delegates would reject it. The conference was also sharply divided along regional lines on the need for a new constitution, the modalities for the presentation of its final report and the subjection of conference decisions to a referendum. The disagreement came same day delegates adopted a harmonised position on the controversial proposal to expunge the Land Use Act from the 1999 Constitution. The consensus position is that the Land Use Act should remain in the constitution. The plenary witnessed a heated debate during which some delegates from the South canvassed a common position hinged on the alleged illegitimacy and inadequacies of the 1999 Constitution as well as the need for the conference to draft a new constitution that will replace the existing one. Their counterparts from the North however had a diametrically opposite view as they insisted that there was no need for a new constitution. They also argued that the conference has no powers to write a new constitution because they were not elected and were not operating as a constituent assembly. There were also disagreements on the modalities for packaging and presenting the final report of the conference. While some delegates wanted the report to be sent to President Goodluck Jonathan for onward transmission to the National Assembly, others warned that it would be dangerous to send the report to the National Assembly as the parliament was already biased against the conference.

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Reps approve N271bn budget for FCT, N322bn for NDDC Philip Nyam Abuja

he House of Representatives yesterday unanimously passed for second reading the N271,125,108,635 proposed budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). It also passed for second reading the N322. 600 billion Appropriation Bill for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the 2014 fiscal year. Leading debate on the general principles of the FCTA money bill at yesterday’s plenary, Chairman, House committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Emmanuel Jime (APC Benue), said there was a slight increase in the proposed budget from

N259 billion in 2013, to N271 billion for the 2014, representing an increase of N12 billion. He explained that the FCT needed funds to execute developmental projects and appealed to his colleagues to accord the bill a speedy passage. A breakdown of the budget shows that N49, 200, 944, 858 billion is for personnel cost, while N62, 891, 521, 857 billion is for overhead cost. The balance of N159, 032, 636, 921 billion is for capital project. While also leading debate on the general principles of the NDDC Appropriation Bill, House Leader, Mulikat AkandeAdeola, argued that the proposed budget, if passed into law, would address many socio-economic and

environmental problems in the Niger Delta region, especially unemployment and youth restiveness. In his contribution, Abubakar Momoh observed that going by what is contained in the bill, the people of Niger Delta would be happy if the budget is well implemented. He called on the House Committee on Niger Delta to monitor the effective implementation of the budget. Peterside Dakuku also urged that the tripartite issue of equity, fairness and justice be taken into consideration with all seriousness. He cited an example of how 70 per cent of the Rivers State’s budget is domiciled in a single local government that contrib-

utes barely five per cent to the state resources. According to a breakdown of the NDDC budget, of the N322 billion approved for the commission, N15.080 billion is for personnel cost, N10,186 billion for overhead expenditure and N2,281 billion for capital expenditure while N295.051 billion is for development projects for the service of the NDDC. After the debate, the two bills were unanimously passed into second reading through a voice vote. House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, who presided over the plenary referred the FCT budget to the Committee on Federal Capital Territory and that of NDDC to the Committees on NDDC and finance for further legislative input.

APC caucus accuses PDP of destabilising North-East CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

to the state. “There is need for all the stakeholders to embrace dialogue so that the lingering crisis can be nipped in the bud. People are suffering as up till now salaries have not been paid as a result of which many hapless families were further subjected to hardship. “We are in the holy month of Ramadan, a sacred month for the Muslims; we the Christians must do whatever we could to ensure that the fasting embarked by our brothers and sisters is conducted smoothly,” Aguwa said. The North-East chapter of the APC however described the impeachment bid as part of a plot by the PDP to further destabilise the geopolitical zone in the effort by the ruling party to take over states controlled by the opposition in the region ahead of the 2015 general election. APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mr. Bisichi David Lawal, after a meeting of the zonal caucus of the party yesterday in Abuja, accused the ruling party of using the state assembly

to get at Nyako and take over the state through illegal means. He expressed concern that the immediate past acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, despite his earlier ruling that a notice has to be served personally on the governor, which has not been complied with, went ahead to constitute the seven-man member probe committee to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Nyako. The caucus accused the Federal Government and PDP members in the state of working to destabilise Adamawa by bringing disunity among the people. He also called for the immediate opening of the Maiduguri Airport to flights as according to him, the closure has subjected people of the area and exposed them to danger of being attacked while travelling by road. The caucus also called on the government to work for the release of hundreds of women and girls abducted from Borno and other places in the North-East by insurgents.

FIFA suspends Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

L-R: Head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Michael Arrion; UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Daouda Toure; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Director, UNDP’s Democratic Governance for Development in Nigeria, Dr. Mourtada Deme, during a visit to Ekweremadu in Abuja…yesterday.

Jonathan assigns Shekarau, three new ministers portfolios Anule Emmanuel

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday named former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain who recently defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, as the Minister of Education. The president also named Dr. Stephen Oru as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Dr. Abdul Gulama, Minister of Science and Technology and Prince Dayo Adeyeye as Minister of State for Works. The president announced the portfolios of the quartet, who were

cleared by the Senate on July 2 as ministers-designate, shortly after their inauguration at the State House, Abuja. Jonathan, however, seized the occasion to carry out a minor cabinet reshuffle by reassigning Adeyeye’s predecessor at the Ministry of Work, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, to the Ministry of Finance as Minister of State. Yuguda will also supervise the National Planning Commission (NPC). Earlier, while administering the oath of office on Shekarau, Adeyeye, Oru and Gulama, the president told them that they have to hit the ground running as his ad-

ministration has less than a year to go and he would expect them to make an impact before the expiration of his tenure. He said: “Let me congratulate you for this appointment; but it is not an enviable appointment because in football match when you get to the injury time and a player is brought in, you expect goals. “This government has less than a year to go and you have been brought in this time, so you know the reason why you have been brought in. “You have no time to sleep, unfortunately for you because first you have to learn how to climb the

ropes, because maybe it is a different setting, no matter how experienced you are if you go to something different, you will need some time to adjust. “But from your background, we know that all of you are eminently qualified to be here and we know that it will not take you too many hours to settle down. We believe that you will perform not just to satisfy Mr. President but to satisfy Nigerians. You are not just serving the president as a principal aide, but you are serving our motherland and in this we will expect the best from you, especially at this time when there is a global competition.”

Committee members and the NFF Congress from running football affairs in Nigeria. A Plateau High Court sitting in Jos on July 2, granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Maigari, the Executive Committee members as well as the NFF Congress from running affairs of Nigerian football forthwith pending the determination of a motion on notice before the court. The court also ordered the Minister of Sports, Mr. Tammy Danagogo, to appoint a senior civil servant, Lawrence Latken, to manage the NFF until the matter was heard in court, without giving any date for such a hearing. Based on the order, Katken convened an extraordinary general assembly on July 5 to deliberate further on the issue. But FIFA said yesterday that the extraordinary general assembly was convened in violation of the NFF statutes. Before the court order, the NFF had planned an elective congress for August 26.

FIFA said the suspension would be lifted once the court actions had been withdrawn and the properly elected NFF Executive Committee, the NFF general assembly and the NFF administration were able to work without any interference in their affairs. Owing to this decision, no team from Nigeria of any, including clubs, can have any international sporting contact in line with article 14 of the FIFA Statutes. During the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level or in friendly matches. The most immediate effect is that Nigeria will not be entitled to participate in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled for between August 5 and 24 should the suspension not be lifted by July 15. In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any FIFA or CAF development programmes, courses or training during the suspension period.

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

I still receive calls from my seized phone, Ndume tells court Tunde Oyesina Abuja

t was shock yesterday ICourt before the Federal High sitting in Abuja

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu waziri Tambuwal (left), Presenting a copy of House of Representatives Legislatives Agenda to Indian High Commission to Nigeria, Ajjampur Rangaiah Ghanashyam, during the Envoy's visit to the speaker in Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

when Senator Ali Ndume, who is charged with alleged sponsoring of Boko Haram told Justice Gabriel Kolawole that his telephone which has been confiscated and in possession of the court is being used to call his new phone lines. Counsel to Ndume, Rickey Tarfa, SAN told the court of the strange development when Ndume's trial came up before the court. Responding, the trial judge expressed shock and said: "I don't know much about technology. How can a phone that is switched off be able to receive and make calls?

I think you should go to MTN for clarification and also confer with the prosecution witness to know what to do. "Really, it is strange to me that a phone line that is not active can be used to make calls." Responding, Ndume said he had already complained to the service provider that he had been receiving strange calls from his previous number 08035998045, which is in the custody of the Federal High Court, where he is standing trial for alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram activities. According to him, "Then I got the second call from my former number 08035998045 which is supposed to be in the custody of the Federal High Court at 9:58am which also went off after few seconds."

FG investigates politicians, APC: Jonathan's second term ambition, overwhelming BBOG campaigners chibok

From activism, govt smells a rat in the crusade to free abducted school girls Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he Federal Government yesterday said it is investigating the activities of some politicians and activists of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) Group in connection with terrorist actitivites in the country. It also accused the BBOG Group of "complimenting and supplementing terrorism." Addressing journalists yesterday, at the National Information Centre (NIC), Abuja, DirectorGeneral of National Orientation Agency (NOA),

Mr. Mike Omeri, warned groups and individuals against dabbling into security matters. He advised that security operations, especially as they relate to efforts towards the rescue of the missing Chibok schoolgirls, should be left for security operatives to handle, pledging that in no time, the over 200 girls will be rescued from their Boko Haram abductors. Responding to a question on the activities of the group, Omeri, who doubles as the Coordinator of NIC said, "Some of these groups are complimenting and supplementing terrorism." Meanwhile, the Department of State Service (DSS) yesterday, raised the alarm that promoters of the Bring Back Our Girls Group, had concluded plans to bring

some "foreign media" to Abuja, to cover a "simulation" that will give a false impression that they had visited the dreaded Sambisa forest and Chibok community. This disclosure was made by the Deputy Director of Information and Public Affairs, Ms Marilyn Ogar. Ogar further accused the leadership of the BBOG group of paying courtesy calls on prominent Nigerians, with a view to soliciting funds to further the course of their activities. That is even as she claimed that for anyone to belong to the group, they must have a tag, ostensibly for identification purposes. While describing the group as a "franchise", she assured that the secret service and other se-

curity agencies were on top of the situation. According Ogar, operatives have since uncovered accounts operated by the group. Her words: "They want to simulate protest march; not using NTA, AIT or Channels, but to bring foreign media and claim that they went to Sambisa forest and Chibok. We know the location they want to use in Abuja; we also know that you cannot stand up from here as a journalist and say you want to join the group; you must be registered and you must have a tag. "This is a civil protest; seeking for the rights of people. Do you have to go to that extent? We also know that they run accounts; we also know that they pay visits to prominent people to solicit for funds. Funds for what?

Senate to create Bio-safety Management Agency Chukwu David Abuja

he Senate yesterday reinforced its determination to subject application of biotechnology in Nigeria to proper regulation as it passed the Bill seeking to establish the National Bio-Safety Management Agency (NBMA) to second reading. The Bill, which is being sponsored by Senator Domingo Obende, an All Progressives Congress, APC Chieftain representing Edo North Senatorial District, seeks to address the National Bio-safety requirements and regulate the practice of modern biotechnology

and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) to ensure safety to the environment and human health. Leading the debate on the general principles of the Bill, Obende explained that the Bill would apply to ensure safety administration of any activity of importing, exporting GMOs and the products derived into and out of the country. He noted that the absence of Bio-safety law had hampered research and development in modern biotechnology in Nigeria and stressed the need for the present National Assembly to blaze the trail by passing the proposal into law.

According to the legislator, "the Bio-safety Bill will address issues concerning food security, health issues, diagnostic, and environmental problems like desertification, soil erosion etc. Obende added, "a Biosafety law will, therefore, enable our research institutes to carry out their statutory functions.” Contributing, Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDPKogi) pointed out that Nigeria needed to embrace modern technology to ensure food security for the population, creation of jobs and wealth for the youth. He said, "Nigeria has to apply relevant technology to guarantee food se-

curity for the people because the nation can only move forward when it is able to feed the citizens. "This agency will be able to help create jobs and develop rare seedlings that would help to impact the agricultural sector,"he said. In his ruling, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, promised that the senate would support any initiative that has potential to guarantee food security for the nation. Mark expressed optimism that the Bill would be given speedy consideration as well as receive presidential assent as soon as it was passed by the National Assembly.

Yekken Nurudeen and Temitope Ogunbanke

he All Progressives Tdescribed Congress (APC) has President

Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria's number one enemy because of his propensity to perpetrate impunity, abuse federal institutions and tolerate corruption, all in a dangerous clamour to win reelection at all costs. APC in a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said under President Jonathan's watch, Nigeria has been thrown into unprecedented crisis that is manifesting in the opposition strongholds

of Rivers, Edo, Adamawa and Nasarawa States and elsewhere across the country. The party stated that: “The President has abused national institutions perhaps more than any other President in Nigeria's history, deploying the police and the army to intimidate and harass ordinary citizens in general and opposition supporters in particular, as he did recently in Ekiti and he is allegedly planning to do in Osun State; shutting airports at will just to punish the opposition and muscling the electoral commission, INEC, to prevent incorruptible RECs from conducting elections.

80% of Boko Haram victims are Christians,says Oritsejafor Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

ational President of the NNigeria Christian Association of (CAN) Pastor Ayo

Oritsejafor, has said that 80 per cent of innocent Nigerians killed by the outlawed Islamic sect Boko Haram were Christians. Oritsejafor, who was in Makurdi, the Benue State capital yesterday for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the association which took place at Royal Choice Inn, also disclosed that the hidden agenda of the sect was to have an Islamic state, adding that their action was a clear indication that they were out to advocate for a Jihad which he described as not healthy for the country. The CAN president, who sympathized with the families that lost their loved ones in the attacks also acknowledged the efforts by

the Federal Government in rescuing the schoolgirls abducted from Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State in April, and prayed for God's intervention for their save return. He stressed the need to beef up security at the country's borders with neighbouring countries through the deployment of qualified security operatives to safeguard the lives of the citizens of the country. Oritsejafor further sympathized the entire people of Benue State over the invasion of suspected armed Fulani insurgents that led to the massive killing of peasant farmers, condemned the creation of grazing reserves for the herdsmen, saying that instead, modern ranches be encouraged and located where the herdsmen came from to allow peace in the state.

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

BPE, NCP want court to okay power privatisation CROSSFIRE Senior lawyers at their best as Ethiope Energy and Delta Power shy it out in court Tunde Oyesina

ABUJA

he Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and the National Council on Privatization (NCP), yesterday asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to refuse an application by Ethiope Energy

Limited for an order of interlocutory injunction to stop them from taking any steps to implement the bidding exercise in respect of the privatization of three National Integrated Power Plants (NIPPs) power stations. Furthermore, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, which was also joined as a party, equally opposed Ethiope's application to stop the bidding process. Counsel to Ethiope, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN had prayed the court to issue an interlocutory injunction

arguing that his client had met the conditions for the bids and that it was wrong to exclude it from the next round of bidding. But counsel to the BPE and the NCP, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN said that Ethiope Energy did not have any legal right to compel the court to exercise its discretion in the company's favour. According to him, an applicant for interlocutory injunction should establish its legal right. He further argued that Ethiope wrongly based its claim on commercial bids

whereas what was in issue was financial bids. He also argued that the document which the company relied on in instituting the case made reference only to financial bids and added that having come under the wrong heading, the application for injunction should fail. He added that Ethiope did not meet the requirements for qualification. According to him, bidders must show that they had 50 per cent in experience and business class sections and other requirements.

He also told the court that the plaintiff company did not place relevant materials before the court to enable the court exercise its discretion in its favour. He said that what the plaintiff sought to stop was a completed process and added that injunction could not be granted to stop a completed act. He however urged the court to dismiss the application. Arguing in similar terms, counsel to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, Dr Fabian Ajogwu, SAN submitted

that injunction should not be granted to stop an action where damages would be an adequate compensation. He argued that monetary compensation would be enough to take care of the plaintiff's loss if it lost anything. In his reply on point of law, Izinyon asked the court to discountenance the counter-affidavit filed by BPE and NCP on the ground that they were filed out of time. The trial Judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati adjourned the case to October 7 for ruling.

Ogun police arrest 1,227 suspects, recover 390 ammunition Kunle Olayeni

Abeokuta

L-R: Pro-Chancellor/Chairman, Governing Council , Federal University of Technology, Akure, Dr Mohammed Shata; Chairman, FUTA/AKURE Partnership, Chief Reuben Fasoranti and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, after a meeting at the institution...yesterday

Holy lands are not for jamboree, says Aliyu Dan Atori

MINNA

he Governor of Niger Tgida State, Dr Mu'azu BabanAliyu, has admon-

ished Nigerians not to see performance of pilgrimages to the Holy lands in Jerusalem and Mecca as jamborees but exercise that will uplift and rejuvenate their spiritual lives. He made the remarks in Minna yesterday when he received the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission, Dr John Kennedy Opara, who was in government house to brief the governor on the preparation for the 2014 pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He explained that performance of pilgrimages will strengthen the faith of the pilgrims and make them better people who will contribute more meaningfully to the development of the society. He added, "Pilgrimages are for moral and spiritual transformation. We must not look at pilgrimage as a jamboree". Aliyu also spoke against defection by pilgrims while performing pilgrimage

saying such attitude gives the country bad name in the larger society, disclosing also that as a result, the Niger State Government has decided that only those resident in the state with verifiable guarantors will be allowed to register and perform pilgrimage from the state. Commenting on the spate of insurgency in the country, Aliyu asked Nigerians to support the government to bring the situation under control by offering information on the activities of insurgents to the security agencies. "We must check the charlatans among us. Anybody, who will slaughter a human being is morally and spiritually bankrupt". The Governor re-emphasized the statement by the Presidency that the Army ‘is aware of the location of the abducted Chibok girls’ but cannot act with the speed required because of the safety of the girls. "The military can’t act the way Nigerians want because we cannot throw away the baby and the bath water."

he Ogun State Police Command has arrested about 1,227 suspects in connection with robbery and sundry crimes across the state in the last six months. It also recovered 90 arms and 390 ammunition from various suspects between January and June this year. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, stated this yesterday in Abeokuta while giving the stewardship of the command. Adejobi, a Deputy Su-

perintendent of Police, disclosed that the value of property recovered during the period under review was over N77million. He said in all the suspects arrested, 157 were suspected robbers while others were arrested for cultism, murder, stealing and fraud, among others. The PPRO explained that the command had been able to arrest 26 suspected rapists and 57 cultists while 24 suspected robbers were killed within the period. He said the command also recovered 87 stolen vehicles.

US envoy: 2015 election must Alleged forgery: ICPC arraigns be free, credible Accountant-General's staff Mojeed Alabi he United States has called on all stakeholders in Nigeria and politicians in particular to ensure a fair and credible 2015 general election if the country would retain her leadership position on the continent. The US Consul General in Lagos, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins, made the call while speaking at a cookout event to mark America's 238th independence anniversary in Lagos. He said US was committed to supporting a free and fair election in Nigeria, but everyone must make conscious efforts to making it so. He said: "America did not get to where they are in one day. It took a united spirit and support from friends and partners especially in our early years as a country. In most countries, what people shares is a common cultural sense, but what America share is common ideas, such that people have the freedom to live the way they want, speak the way they want, be what they want to be and make a

living the way they want, as long as it is within the ambit of the law. This is what we want every country to imbibe in order to be a strong force." Hawkins, however, is optimistic about Nigeria, saying the country is great because it has a lot in common with United States. "We share a lot of values together. The saying that Nigerians are happy people is so true because they show their happiness any where they are, even in the face of difficult times. Americans are happy people too. Continuing, he said, "While chatting with one of Nigeria's greatest writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, she said Nigeria is the America of Africa, and I agree absolutely with her. Truly, Nigeria is the America of Africa." Also speaking at the event, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, said the US and Nigeria had collaborated in many ways ranging from economic to security partnership. "A good example is the military ties in place."

Emmanuel Onani

Abuja

he Independent CorTOther rupt Practices and Related Offences

Commission (ICPC) yesterday, arraigned one Mr. Adotse Odang Anthony, before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged corrupt enrichment and falsification of records. A statement signed by the Resident Consultant(Media &Events) of the ICPC, Folu Olamiti, alleged that Anthony, who is a pool staff in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), "manipulated records to fraudulently collect double monthly emolument from the Federation account, to the tune of N353,756.52." The accused person, the statement added, committed the alleged offence, between 2009 and 2010, when he was deployed from the OAGF to the Federal Ministries of Works and

Education, respectively. ICPC further stated that the "accused person falsified his identity and personnel records and used same to make multiple registration on the Federal Government centralized Payroll called Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information Systems (IPPIS)..." It further averred that the suspect "allegedly used his insider knowledge of the workings of the IPPIS to override the security features of the IPPIS... altered and re-arranged the order of his name on the employment, transfer letters, and in the process created another identity for himself, by collecting double salaries which he was not entitled to." He was alleged to have "procured the services of two mercenaries to have their bio-metric images registered at the IPPIS registration point as he was aware that the system would identify multiple bio-metrics."

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

POLITICS Bishop Chukwuma runs into trouble for mingling with politicians Uwakwe Abugu

Enugu

he Archbishop of the Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. (Dr.) Emmanuel Chukwuma, has come under fire over his recent comments condemning the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu

2015: Enugu archbishop under fire over comments State. The party has ceded the governorship position in the 2015 elections to Enugu North senatorial district that has not has not produced the governor in the last two decades. Those who attacked Chukwuma for his comments to the effect that it was undemocratic to zone the governorship position to Enugu North dismissed his posturing as hypocritical since he was a living witness to the workings of such an arrangement in the past

two decades. His critics said the PDP in his state, Delta, has zoned the position to Delta North. The cleric was believed to be a close ally of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who has been accused severally of covertly working against the realisation of the PDP zoning formula in Enugu State by nursing a discreet governorship ambition even as he is from the same zone with Governor Sullivan Chime, who will serve out his second term in 2015. Bishop Chukwuma, who briefed newsmen in Enugu

last week, had called for the abandonment of the zoning arrangement, which he said was undemocratic, a statement he made about three weeks after conferring the Award of Excellence on Senator Ekweremadu, who has been at loggerheads with Chime on the issue of zoning as well as who occupies their Enugu West senatorial seat in 2015. There has been no love lost between Governor Chime, seen as the initiator of the decision to zone the governorship position come 2015 and the deputy senate president; and the

hostility between the two politicians has not been hidden since the zoning arrangement was mooted. In a show of disapproval of the bishop’s comments, reactions have continued to pour in from groups and stakeholders, who described the cleric’s alleged partisan posture as unfortunate, uncalled for and lacking in merit as it amounted to unnecessary meddlesomeness while others believed that it was a sing-song coming from the prodding of a political pay master. Reactions came from PDP Chairman, Chief Vita Abba and from many others including the National Coordinator of a pressure group, the Nsukka Zonal Awareness Forum (NZAF), Chief James Ugwu, the Chairman, Enugu State

Committee on the Actualisation of the Creation of Adada State, Gen. Gowdin Ugwuoke (rtd.) as well as some individuals, who did not want their names in print, because they profess the Anglican faith. NZAF led by Chief Ugwu, a former local council chairman for the old Isi-Uzo Local Government, said it appears Bishop Chukwuma hates the people of Nsukka zone, wondering why that should be the case as he is not from the state. According to the group, it is not the first time the cleric has worked to frustrate the efforts of the administration of Governor Chime but that “this time around, his opinion would continue to be seen as dangerous to the polity, by all good sons and daughters of Enugu State.”

Pension scam: Abia descends on sub-treasuries Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

L-R: Bureau Chief New Telegraph newspaper, Louis Achi; President, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Ademola Isaac; Deputy President, Otis Anyaeji and Vice-President, Corporate Resources and Media, Mrs. Margret Oguntola, during a courtesy visit to New Telegraph office in Abuja… yesterday... PHOTO:ELIJAHOLALUYI

Ebonyi NUJ rewards hard work Abia: NITP charts course for Ewa Nnanna n a bid to reward hard work, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Information Chapel, Ebonyi State, has organised a lecture in honour of her former chairman and state Chairman of NAWOJ, Mrs. Mary Chukwu, who just retired as a Director of Information. The event, which took place at the cabinet office, Government House, Abakaliki, was organised in recognition of her contribution to the growth of journalism in the state. Delivering a lecture on the topic; “News sources available to Information Officers,” a Director in the ministry and former National Deputy President of NUJ, Chief Abia Onyike, challenged information officers to live above board and stop complaining of being short-changed in their areas of primary assignments. He hinted on how they could key-into events and remain relevant wherever

they find themselves. Onyike expressed hopes that the capacity building embarked upon by the chapel will elevate information officers to become top brass journalists and enhance their service delivery to the sector. According to him, the sources open to information officers include sporting events, implementation of education polices of the government in the rural areas, disaster and response mechanisms, health sector, area council activities, council chairmen, legislative councils sittings, commissioners’ activities in the ministries, among others; adding that journalism is not limited to state policies and ceremonial functions. Earlier in an address, Chairman of the chapel, Mr. Moses Eze, had described Chukwu as a seasoned administrator, whose wealth of experience not only brought the chapel to limelight, but engendered positive change in the lives of information officers.

renewal of urban cities

Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

takeholders at the 2014 Schapter luncheon of the Abia State of the Nigerian In-

stitute of Town Planners (NITP) have called for orderly and systematic planning of Aba the commercial hub of the South-East to restore its lost glory and other urban centres in the country. Speaking at the event in Aba, Chairman of the occasion and member representing Obingwa, Osisioma and Ugwunagbo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, observed that planning not only adds to the beauty of a city, but also the quality of life of the residents. He said planning was a necessity in urbanisation, the absence of which has brought disasters on the physical environment and the economy of Nigerian cities. Ubani also said that the absence of planning was responsible for environmental

degradation and disasters in the urban centres, calling for urgent steps to redress the situation. In his speech, Abia State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Renewal, Elder Godwin Nna, stressed the need to involve the private sector in the physical planning of urban centers. According to him this would help to actualize government's aim of creating orderly, viable and pleasantly habitable urban cities. The commissioner explained that the synergy between the government, the private sector and other stakeholders in urbanisation has become necessary in view of government’s lean resources as well as the poor public awareness on the gains of physical planning. He urged town planners to draw up a road map for planning, noting that the state has competent and quality professionals that would help achieve the set goals.

or not being decisive in the implementation of government directive on electronic payment of pensioners, Abia State government has ordered the stoppage of the salaries of staff of the sub-treasuries. The order will remain until the new policy is implemented. The incidence of corrupt practices and non-compliance to the government’s directive in the payment of pensioners, have been a source of concern to the government as pensioners keep complaining of arrears of pension even as the money has been provided. The action was part of the efforts of the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Philip Nto, to sanitise the ministry in general and the sub-treasuries in particular. The commissioner was reported to have discovered that his late father’s name

was still in the pensioner’s payroll years after his death. Such sharp practice has gone unchallenged for years, which explains the reluctance of the Heads of Sub-Treasuries to facilitate the commencement of the electronic payment. The electronic payment of pensioners is one of the measures adopted by the government to check the unwholesome practice of misappropriation or outright embezzlement of pension funds. The Ministry of Finance, in a release made available to New Telegraph in Umuahia, said there was no going back on the commencement of the electronic payment of pensioners this month. It further directed the Heads of Sub-Treasuries to ensure strict compliance with all government directives regarding the welfare of pensioners.

Anabel plans road show to empower youths Leo Sobechi socio-economic group that specialises in educational and economic empowerment of young people, the Anabel Leadership Academy, says it is embarking on a National Road Show designed to spread the word about employment creation for the millions of unemployed youths in the country. In a statement made available to New Telegraph and signed by the CEO, Mr. Nicholas Okoye, the Academy said the “Empower Nigeria Initiative provides the platform for the em-

powerment of millions of unemployed Nigerians across the country,” adding that it hopes “to get more businesses involved in the effort to stimulate investment in micro, small, and medium businesses. “The Initiative operates by identifying the skills required for selfemployment, providing sources of capital and offering the training support young people need to get started in their chosen business, thereby assisting them to become successful entrepreneurs and subsequent employers of labour,” the statement added.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Nigerian held with cocaine valued Rs.70 lakh national was March 2013 and arrived in AingNigerian arrested here for traffick- Delhi five months ago," said 70 gram cocaine valued Joint Commissioner of PoRs.70 lakh in the international market, police said Wednesday. Okafor Ejike, 32, a resident of Lagos in Nigeria, was arrested Tuesday afternoon from near the Karol Bagh Metro station in west Delhi where he had gone to deliver the consignment to his contacts. Ejike told interrogators he was lured into the drug supply by a fellow Nigerian named Chijikoke, who left Delhi for his country in June. "Ejike came to Mumbai on a business visa in

lice Ravindra Yadav. Yadav said after reaching Delhi, he was living in Dwarka and started export of readymade garments to Nigeria where his sister used to sell them in the local market. "As the garment business was not doing well, Ejike landed in financial crisis. Meanwhile, he met Chikoje who lured him into the drug business. He used to supply drugs in various shopping malls and other crowded markets of west Delhi," Yadav added.

Illegal tank farm discovered in Ikeja Muritala Ayinla he Lagos State House of Assembly have called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to direct highpowered relevant agency to investigate the oil tank farm allegedly operating at 86 Oduduwa Crescent GRA Ikeja. The lawmakers, who decried the presence of the tank farm in the residential area, said such illegality should not be condoned, adding that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) should seal off the premises. They lamented that such tank farm endangers lives and properties of the residents, urging the members of the State Executive Council to urgently wade into the matter to avert imminent

danger. The Chief Whip of the House, Razaq Balogun, who raised the issue Under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, said the illegal tank farm poses danger to the residents of Ikeja and its environs, appealed to the state Governor Fashola to critically investigate the owner of such farm with a view to taking necessary action and ensure normalcy. Corroborating him, Gbolahan Yishawu representing Eti-Osa II maintained that the dastardly act called for proactive measures, urging residents in the state to be proactive in reporting any suspicious movement. He added that adequate step must be taken to forestall dangers capable of degenerating in the state.

NGOs tasked on poverty Ugo Willies

GOMBE

to the ongoing Aanddelegate National Conference Gombe based human

rights activist, Dr. Hannatu Ibrahim has applauded efforts of an Non Governmental Organisation, Talba-Neighbour-to-Neighbour, aimed at assisting the less privileged persons in the state. Ibrahim, who is a Second Republic Commissioner for

Information in the defunct Bauchi State, noted that it was not the sole responsibility of Government to shoulder such laudable programmes geared towards empowering the less privileged in the society, particularly women. According to her, all wealthy individuals in the state should emulate the organization in giving the people direction as well as help them realize their potentials.

131 Lagos new homeowners excited over qualification Dayo Ayeyemi t was a moment of joy for 131 new homeowners that emerged in the fifth edition of the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LAGHOMS) held yesterday in Ikeja as they expressed appreciation to God and Governor Babatunde Fashola that gave them the opportunity of becoming instant landlords.

Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke with New Telegraph, said they came to the draw event after they have submitted all necessary documents with an open heart, not knowing that luck would smile at them. Speaking, Mr Obi Mordi, a banker, said the transparency that goes with the selection process of LAGHOMS’ draw, has shown that things could work right in Nigeria.

Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu (left), holding a hoe, after being decorated as the Patron of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria by the Chairman, Mallam Shehu Galadima at the Government House, Minna…yesterday

4.9%

The percentage of households with a computer in Africa region in 2009. Source: Itu.int

0.8%

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

2.63m

The total population of Maracaibo, Venezuela in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

NIPR inducts 101 members ‘Bisalla was a versatile journalist' Appolonia Adeyemi he Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) will induct 101 NIPR members at an induction ceremony taking place in Lagos on July 18. A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the President of NIPR, Dr. Grace Achum, stated that among those to be inducted are the first batch of the 2014 new

members of the NIPR According to Achum, the event is to hold at the Lagos Television Compound in Lagos The Guest Speaker during the Event will be Dr. Isah Momoh of the Lagos Business School, with the theme: ‘’Identifying Opportunities in Public Relations for self reliance and National Development.’’

Aregbesola’s affecting peoples’ lives – Oyedepo he General Overseer of T(aka the Living Faith Church Winners' Chapel),

Bishop David Oyedepo, on Wednesday said the infrastructural renewal, particularly the education revolution in Osun deserves global applause. Oyedepo gave his assessment yesterday in Osogbo, when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola. The cleric noted that any governance that is producing results and affecting the lives of vast majority of the people must be deeply appreciated. The Bishop strongly appealed to stakeholders to always be at the vanguard of peaceful coexistence, noting that there is nothing like living in peace, working peace and promoting peace.

"There is nothing like peace in the whole world. We should always walk towards whatever will promote peace and peaceful coexistence among our people. "Let us work for an atmosphere that encourages peace, which engenders growth and development. This is because life is all about promoting the wellbeing of the people. Responding, Governor Aregbesola disclosed that his administration has no political, religious or tribal preference. Aregbesola stated that it is absolutely impossible for him to be a religious fundamentalist owing to his all-faith inclusive background. He described as shocking and mischievous the erroneous tag ascribed to his administration as proIslamic faith.

Yuzarsif Alhassan

Bauchi

he late Managing EdiTtions, tor, Northern OperaSulaiman Bisalla,

has been described as a versatile journalist in the media world. That was the view of the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Governor Isa Yuguda, Alhaji Danlami Baban Takko. He said Bisalla was a man who was opento everyone, a lis-

tener, patient and humble man. His words "I knew Bisalla around 2010 and that time, I left Daily Trust newspaper in 2001. He was not there then. So, he came after me and when I got a political appointment in the Yuguda administration in 2010, I worked in various capacities and I was writing promotional and image making, write-up in the government."

Fadipe launches tourism book Temitope Sobowale he Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Local Government Service Commission, Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe, has launched his book titled, “TOURISM DESTINATION MANAGEMENT : A Guide For Policy Makers and Destination Managers.” Dr Wanle Akinbob-

oye said that creativity is the essence of life itself, “There is no ending to tourism. WTO describes tourism as the movement of people from place to place. He further said that tourism can be called business tourism, combined with educational tourism, saying that it will be difficult for any economy to actualize its goal.”

GLO boosts Oke'badan festival lobacom has thrown G‘Badan, its weight behind Oke the age long festival of unity celebrated annually by Ibadan indigenes. Globacom on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the organisers of the festival to sponsor the festival for three years, commencing in 2015. Globacom, speaking through its Zonal Business Coordinator (West),

Mr Dare Oyewale, said the company was proud to associate with Oke 'Badan Festival because it serves as a reminder of the historical antecedents of Ibadan people. "This collaboration with the Ibadan people will further strengthen the festival and turn it to a world-class event which will attract tourists from across the world'" said Oyewale.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Dominic Adewole ASABA

osters, canvassing vote for the Director of Lagos Business School, Professor Pat Utomi, to succeed Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan successor, next year, yesterday, littered the streets of Asaba, Delta State capital yesterday. Prior to this, it was highly speculated across the state that the Professor, because of his fraternity with the All Progressives Congress (APC), would declare for the arch-rival party. But yesterday, Deltans woke up and saw his governorship posters, adorned with the ruling Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) logo. Prof. Utomi’s entrance

Kinsmen ask Ahmed to declare for second term

Delta 2015: Utomi’s PDP posters flood Asaba l I won’t join PDP, he says

into the political landscape of the state, the New Telegraph gathered authoritatively, has sent panic into the camps of other aspirants from Delta North Senatorial District, who have since last year engaged in a rat race. But contacted yesterday, Utomi laughed off the posters, declaring that he has never contemplated going to the PDP before. “That’s not true. I have never thought, nev-

27.9m

er contemplated of going to the PDP before. I think it is one of these youth groups that printed the posters”, he said. Utomi, a former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP) first hinted of his desire to join the governorship race of the state “to contribute his quota to the good governance of Governor Uduaghan” at the APC Leaders’ Forum, held in Ibusa, Oshimili North

Local Government Area of the state, chaired by Engr. Hyacinth Enuha, about three months ago. At the meeting, Chief Fidelis Tilije, a threetime running-mate to Chief Great Ogboru, the governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), maintained an “enough is enough” stand on PDP’s supremacy in the state since 1999, urging Utomi to join the governorship race to correct “all the

43.7%

The total population of Venezuela (rep. 0.4% The percentage drop of capital importation of world’s total population) in 2010. in the banking sector of Nigeria in 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com Source: National Bureau of Statistics

wrongs and starvation the ruling party has inflicted on people of the state.” APC leaders at the event carpeted Uduaghan and his selection by the former Governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, maintaining that “everything about Uduaghan’s administration was voodoo, mere cosmetics and media propaganda.” But instead of Utomi yielding to APC calls to see 2015 as “the favourable time to redeem the state”, his posters declared for PDP.

2.6bn

The estimated increase in number of urban population between 2011 and 2050. Source: Unesco.org

Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

kinsmen of the Snor,ome Kwara State GoverAlhaji AbdulFattah

Ahmed, have asked him to indicate interest in the 2015 election again, saying they were satisfied with his performance in the last three years. The kinsmen, under the banner of All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders’ Forum in Babanloma, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, argued in a letter to the governor that his reelection would enable him consolidate on what he has done in the first term in office. Ahmed, from Share in Ifelodun Local Government Area, rode into office on the popularity of his choice from the Kwara South senatorial district, after the central district had ruled the state for 12 years starting from 1999. In the open letter to the governor titled: “Maigida: Performance Commendation and an Appeal”, the APC Stakeholders Forum expressed confidence that the re-election would receive the blessings of the party’s leader in the state, Senator Bukola Saraki, anytime he makes his intention known. They promised to work assiduously for the success of the party in the forthcoming general elections. Those who signed the letter included Special Assistant to the state governor on Education Monitoring, Alhaji Abdullahi Yakubu; former chairman of Ifelodun Local Government council, Alhaji Baba Mohammed Kosalamola; Hadji Garba Olaoye, Deacon E.B. Olatomiwa, a member of Board of Directors of Kwara State Printing Publishing Corporation (The Herald),

L-R: Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant, Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Chairman, PDP South West Mobilisation Committee, Chief Buruji Kasamu; former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin and Ekiti State Governor-Elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, at a PDP rally, in Ibadan… yesterday.

Aregbesola,Ataoja harp on the economic gains of Osun Osogbo tourism Osun governor and monarch keep eyes on $4b expected from Festival Andrew Iro Okungbowa

S the activities marking this year’s celebration of Osun Osogbo Cultural Festival formally begins, Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye 11, have called on Nigerians to take advantage of the tourism potential of the cultural

fiesta even as the state government targets its share of $4 billion tourism domestic market. Speaking at the Festival Corporate Forum held in Lagos yesterday, the traditional ruler of Osogbo, who is the custodian and chief celebrant of the yearly festival, said the celebration has gone beyond a religious or cultural affair to that of tourism with the potential to bring about the economic development of the people. It is for this reason, said the monarch, who spoke through Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, that the festival has continued to attract support with many activities

built round it. ‘‘Essentially, these activities with other associated ones, are to springboard cultural tourism development in Osun State and generally in Nigeria,’’ he said. Also speaking in the same vein, Aregbesola, who was represented at the occasion by his Senior Assistant on Tourism and Culture, Mr. Ladi Soyede, pointed out that it was because of the importance that the state government attached to tourism development that prompted its promotion of cultural events and other related activities in the state, Osun Osogbo Cultural Festival inclusive.

According to him, the huge investment and progress made by the government in the cultural sector in the last three years has impacted on the fortune of the festival as it has become the biggest festival in the country. Soyede revealed that the festival last year recorded 21, 713 domestic visitors and 123 foreign tourists while the Abuja Carnival, the closet to it recorded 19, 015 domestic tourists and 113 foreign tourists. He said that the target of the state government is to get its fair share of the estimated $4 billion domestic market and the $3 billion Diaspora market. To this end, he said that the government would double its effort at developing and promoting its cultural and tourism activities.

NEWS

APC get more knock in Ekiti Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

he Ekiti State chapter of TParty the Peoples Democratic (PDP) has warned

the All Progressives Congress (APC) against antagonising it over its advice to civil servants in the state not to allow themselves to be used to drain the state's resources. In a statement in AdoEkiti yesterday by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Oluwawole, the PDP said there was nothing wrong in its statement that civil servants should not join any official of the outgoing government in looting the state's treasury. The PDP took exception to the statement by the State Chairman of the APC, Chief Jide Awe, that it was dragging civil servants to politics by warning them against looting the treasury in the last few months remaining for the APC-led administration. According to him, APC's act of hypocrisy had again come to the fore, saying that the so called stakeholders, who did not see anything wrong when its government conscripted civil servants and teachers as well as other public servants into the re-election campaign of Governor Kayode Fayemi were now crying on the top of the roof just because PDP admonished civil servants not to be part of what could bring Ekiti backward or cause an avoidable problems for the incoming government of Mr Ayo Fayose."

2015: Azare youths endorse Kwankwaso Sani Muh'd Sani Bauchi

overnor Rabiu Musa Gadvised of Kano State has been to contest the

2015presidential election in the country because of his political maturity and development he brought to his state as governor. A political group, Azare Concern Progressive Youths of Nigeria, under the Chairmanship of Alhaji Abdullahi Kabir, made the call in Azare Local Government Area of Bauchi State at the end of their meeting. Abdullahi said that, ''Kwankwaso is the right material Nigeria needs as its leader because of his foresight and commitment towards the development of Kano State and Nigeria as a whole. The governor has succeeded in executing more peopleoriented projects than what was recorded during the past civilian and military administrations in the state.''

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THURSday, JULY 10, 2014

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

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Auto crash claims two, injures 15 RECKLESSNESS

Juliana Francis

Two persons lose their lives while others sustain injuries in an accident, which FRSC blames on over-speeding

State Accountant-General, Joel Joseph Tticearaba Lenbang, was yesterday arraigned before JusDonatus Nwabueze Okorowo of the Federal

Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

t least two persons died, while 15 others sustained various degrees of injury in an accident which occurred on Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway. Those who died were said to be the drivers of the buses involved in the crash. The Ebonyi State Acting Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Elemchi Ibekwe, yesterday confirmed the death of driver of Enugu Transport Company (ENTRACO) and that of EMEM Mass Transit in the accident involving buses of the two firms at the Ezillo axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway. Ibekwe said that out of the 17 passengers involved in the accident, 15 were seriously injured and were currently receiving treatment at Felix Memorial Hospital, Abakaliki and Christ the King Hospital, also in the city. The sector commander, who blamed the crash on over-speeding, dangerous driving and dangerous overtaking, said the accident would have been averted if the drivers had exercised patience and considered the risk involved in such dangerous overtaking. According to him, the vehicles are a Toyota bus with registration number,

Osita Chidoka, FRSC Corps Marshal

AFK 195 AA, belonging to EMEM and a Hiace bus with registration number, XH 759 KTU, belonging to ENTRACO. He said: “Yesterday (Tuesday) about 03.30pm at Ezillo axis of the EnuguAbakaliki Expressway, our officials at Nkalagu Unit command on patrol got a distress call that a Toyota bus belonging to ENTRACO and a Hiace bus belonging to EMEM had a head on collision and immediately they rushed to the scene of the accident and were able to rescue some of the victims. “From their report, the two drivers died on the spot while the others 15 passengers, who sustained various degrees of injury, were rushed to the Felix Memorial Hospital and Christ the King Hospital, Abakaliki. “Our men, who had to rush to the

scene of the accident to help in rescuing the victims, attributed the accident to dangerous driving by the drivers. Seventeen persons were involved in the accident, 13 male and four female, unfortunately, two of the drivers died.” Ibekwe regretted that while the commission took the injured victims to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki for treatment, they were rejected following the industrial action embarked by the Nigerian Medical Association (NBA). He added that his men had to rush the victims to private hospitals to save their lives. When our correspondent visited Christ the King Hospital, the four people being attended to by the doctors were in critical conditions.

Father, stepmother arrested for beating daughter to death

Taiwo Jimoh

olice in Lagos have arrested a father and his wife for beating their 12-yearold daughter, Blessing Imeh, to death. The incident occurred at Oko Addo community in Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. The suspect identified as Francis Imeh hails from Cross River State. It was gathered that the girl was beaten to death for burning a neighbour’s clothes while playing with her peers. The late Blessing was said to be playing with a lighted candle with her mates when she mistakenly burnt the neighbour’s clothes. It was also learnt that when the girl’s father came back from work his wife, who is Blessing’s step mother, reported the incident to him. The reportedly descended on the little girl and beat her mercilessly. “The man hit the girl on the floor of their house and in the process her spinal cord was broken. She became paralysed. She was unable to stand or walk again,” a source said. The source alleged that Imeh locked the girl inside the house in order not to raise suspicion among neighbours. “The little girl was lying ill for a week,

EFCC arraigns Taraba accountant-general for N1.56bn fraud

said. But unknown to the landlady, Blessing had died the previous night before her warning, without neighbours noticing. The father and the stepmother kept mute over her death and contacted someone in the community to help bury her secretly. The house where Blessing was allegedly murdered It was gathwithout proper medical attention after the ered that the man who was contacted to injury she sustained from the beating. bury the girl reported the matter to the “A day before Blessing died, she crawled Baale of the community. out of their house to urinate, but suddenly The Baale, it was learnt, invited the fell and hit her head on the floor. police from Ajah Police Division, who ar“Some neighbours in the community rested Imeh and his wife. who were passing bye saw her and took But when contacted for confirmation, her back to the house. When the pain was the state Police Public Relations Officer too much for the girl, some neighbours re- (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, she told our correspondent to send a text massage to her ported her predicament to the landlady of the house, who in turned invited the girl’s mobile phone. She, however, did not reply to the text father and the stepmother, warning them that the girl must not die,” another source massage at press time.

High Court, Jalingo for defrauding the state government to the tune of N1.56 billion. He was docked on an eight-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, offences contrary to and punishable under the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006. When the charges were read to him, the accused pleaded not guilty. The malfeasance, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting Lenbang, came to light following a petition received from a concerned Taraba State indigene in February 2014, alleging massive looting of the state funds. The petition, the Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said, triggered investigation of the lifestyle of some of the officers mentioned in the petition and who were believed to be living above their means. The investigation uncovered systematic withdrawal of state funds through a scheme mastermind by Lenbang. “Withdrawals were allegedly made under the guise that such monies were used for sundry payments on behalf of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as payment of Bank Commissions on Turn over (COT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) which became a monthly affair. “A total sum of N1,567,226,557.081 was discovered to have been looted from the state treasury between January 2012 and December 2013,” Uwujaren said. In view of the plea of the accused, prosecuting counsel, Al Qasim Ja’afar applied for a date to commence trial. Counsel to accused, Abayomi Akamode, however, informed the court that he had filed a motion for bail yesterday morning and urged the court hear it. But Al Qasim told the court that he was just served the motion on notice in court and would need time to peruse and respond appropriately. Okorowo, therefore, adjourned the case till July 11, for hearing of the bail application and remanded the accused in prison custody.

Constable supplies cult group guns, ammunition Dominic Adewole ASABA police constable, one Isaiah Abuke, attached to Owa-Oyibu Divisional Police Headquarters in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, was arrested yesterday while being initiated into cultism. The policeman was arrested alongside one Emmanuel Iwezue, a final year student of Microbiology, Anambra State University, Akwa and Onyema Collins, a graduate of the Institute of Management of Technology (IMT), Enugu. Men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) swooped on them after a tip-off that cult members had gathered for initiation ceremony at Abavo, a town near Owa-Oyibu in Ika South Local Government Area. “The highly elated members of the cult group were basking in the euphoria of their newly caught members and started shooting sporadically into the air before the residents alerted men of the JTF in Agbor. “The JTF team immediately mobilised to the area from where the three suspects were arrested,” one of the eldest men in the community, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent.

METRO

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Gunmen kidnap pro-Amaechi lawmaker

Amaechi

unmen have abducted the lawmaker representing Etchie constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Golden Chioma, in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt. Chioma, a vocal supporter of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, was abducted late Tuesday evening and taken to an unknown destination. He is among the 22 members of the House under the leadership of Speaker Otelemabama Dan Amachree that relocated to the old Assembly complex following the brawl among lawmakers in the main Assembly complex. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muhammad Ahmad, said in Port Harcourt that investigation into the abduction was ongoing. He said: “Our detectives from anti-kidnap unit and State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) are on top of the incident to ensure that the legislator is freed unharmed.” The lawmaker is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shot UNILAG student recuperating in LUTH Mojeed Alabi

he Dean of Students’ Affairs of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof. Kayode Amund, has confirmed that the 400 level student of the Department of Philosophy simply identified as Sapara, who was shot on Monday night by alleged cult members was recuperating at the university’s Teaching Hospital in Idi-Araba. Amund said the information surrounding the incident, which occurred in front of King Jaja Hostel of the university, remained sketchy. He also disclosed that nobody had been arrested so far in connection with the incident but that investigations were ongoing. This revelation by Amund was contrary to the earlier denial by the public relations office of the institution. An officer from the PRO’s office, who did not give his name, had refuted the story. The short message sent to our correspondent by the officer on Tuesday evening read in part: “As a follow-up to your call, no student of UNILAG was shot on the head on Monday, July 7, 2014. There was just a minor scuffle between two students on our campus and nothing more. “Please disregard any text message saying that such happened on our campus. The university is peaceful as the students are busy writing their 2013/2014 first semester examination.” However, a visit to the hall yesterday showed that normalcy had been restored. But some of the students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were still afraid of another attack by the cult members since their target had reportedly survived the first onslaught. The Chairman of the hostel simply identified as King was not in his room when our correspondent got there but some of his neighbours alleged that no concrete effort had been made by the university to curtail reoccurrence of cult attacks.

Three injured as Osun Mega School hall collapses Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

hree people were injured yesterday when the main hall of the Osun State Mega School at Ejigbo in Ejigbo Local Government Area collapsed. The reason for the collapse of the hall, which occurred about 6am, could not be ascertained at press time. But observers said it might not be unconnected with the sub-standard materials used by the contractors handling the project. The collapse of the building, scheduled to be inaugurated tomorrow, surprised many indigenes of the state, who rained curses on the contractors. One of the indigenes, who identified himself as Adenike Adesola, said the situation could have been worse if students had occupied the classrooms.

The collapsed building

Adesola called on the state government to get to the root of the matter. It was, however learnt, that the three injured persons were the guards protecting the school. The Director, Bureau of Communication, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, said the government of Governor Rauf Aregbesola was sad over the incident. He said: “Information at the disposal of the government indicates that the Main Hall which had been completed along with other classrooms of the school came down about 6am on Wednesday after a loud bang was heard by those who were within the hall and

others within the vicinity of the project. “As a responsible government, it is too early for us to say what the exact cause of the collapse is until we have full investigations and advice of professionals.” However, the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of using “fake and substandard building materials in the construction of model schools in Osun State just as the model being constructed in Ejigbo collapsed injuring over 20 people”.

Herbalist, accomplice murder, bury client Tony Okafor Awka

he State Security Service (SSS) yesterTdoctor day in Anambra State paraded a native and one other person for alleged

murder and secret burial of a ‘client’. The suspect, Sunday Asika aka Aboy Ekwensu and his accomplice, Uchenna Ibeh, were accused of secretly killing one John Nwosu from Ahiazu Mbaise in Imo State and burying him in a shallow grave. Briefing journalists, the state Director of SSS, Mr Alex Okeiyi, said the incident took place at Obinabo village, in Nkpologwu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. Okeiyi said the suspects used an English double-barrelled gun with serial No8773180 to kill their victim. Juliana Francis

olice have been accused of shielding the identity of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly arrested for robbery. Ayodeji Olumudi, one of the suspects paraded by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), in Lagos on Monday, is said to be a strong member of PDP. The police had paid particular attention to Hon Odeyemi Itunnu, an All Peoples Congress (APC) chieftain, said to be the backbone of the gang. According to the police, Itunnu is also a local government executive member in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State. The suspects were paraded by Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba. At press time, Mba neither picked his calls nor responded to messages on his ‘whatsapp’. After the arrest of the gang, FSARS said it recovered 17 of the cars the robbery suspects

The SSS director added that when the native doctor’s shrine was combed by the security operatives, who acted on a tipoff, 10 live cartridges and a locally-made handcuff were recovered. He said: “Ibeh confessed that the native doctor had asked the deceased to stay back for security reason on the fateful day only for him to shoot him to death about 11.30 while (he) Ibeh did the burying in an already dug pit. “Investigation showed the deceased was an intermediary between his brother in South Africa and the native doctor. “The brother simply called Julius had sent him to the native doctor for a charm to make his business in South Africa flourish but the charm seemed not to have been effective. “The development forced the brother

to demand refund of the money he paid for the charm, except it was made to perform, thus he was murdered and buried secretly.” The SSS boss said that the body of the deceased had been exhumed in a shallow grave in the community by a homicide team from the state police command led by a pathologist. He described the native doctor as a terrorist, alleging that he had been providing spiritual protection to high profiled criminals in the state and its environs. Okeiyi warned native doctors in the state to desist from evil deals or be ready to face the wrath of the law. “There is a culture of impunity of killing in the state,” the SSS director said.

‘PDP chieftain among robbery suspects’

The suspects during the parade

stole in different parts of the country, most of which were Toyota and Honda models. Three assorted guns were also recovered from them. Itunnu claimed that he gave one of the suspects,Omoniyi Ajewole a locally-made gun, to protect during election period. The police said the gun had been recovered. Aside from Itunnu, Ajewole

and Olumudi, other suspects are Oluseye Jacob, Oluwadamiliare Rasaki, Ajisafe Olawale, Ogunniyi Sunday, Tolani Babatunde and Abubakar Umar. Different websites are awash with accusations that the police deliberately refused to link Olumudi with PDP. “APC has questioned reports in some national news-

papers concerning the arrest of one of its members for robbery, asking why the suspect, Itunu Odeyemi, was the only one so identified,” one of the websites, Sahara Reprters, said. It also quoted APC as saying in a statement that Odeyemi was neither a chieftain nor a leader in the party as portrayed. “He is a registered member though and we could not have raised any doubt on his integrity, except for his proving otherwise. “We are concerned that a more prominent person among those paraded as robbers is one Ayodeji Olumudi, who is a core member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Kogi State since 2009. He stands third from left in the picture displayed, putting on a red T-Shirt,” the statement added.

12 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Oyo CJ tasks new judges on industry, uprightness Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

hief Judge of Oyo state, Ceniji, Justice Badejoko Adyesterday charged

her colleagues on the Bench to be hard working, conscientious and above reproach in order to sustain the hallowed status of the judiciary. The CJ gave the advice at the Ring Road high Court, Ibadan at the special court session organized to formally introduce the five newlyappointed judges to the Bar and the Bench. The Judges appointed and sworn in on June 26, 2014 by Governor Abiola Ajimobi and formerly presented to the Bar are Abosede Bolaji, Kamoru Olawoyin, Mojisola Sule, Omolara Adeyemi, and Lateef Ganiyu. Adeniji, who will retire as the first female Chief Judge of Oyo sate tomorrow gave the advice to her colleagues against the directive and expectation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) on prompt writing and delivery of judgments and rulings, failure of which results in slow dispensation of justice. She said: "The office of a judge is a hallowed one. Every entrant to the sacred office must be hardworking, conscientious and generally above

every form of reproach". She noted that the appointment of the new judges showed that the establishment had reposed a lot of trust in them, adding that "a judicial officer must put a lot of effort into the writing and delivery of judgments and rulings so that he will not fall short of the expectation of the regulations". In attendance were all the Judges of the state High Court, Magistrates, Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Mr. Adebayo Ojo, chairmen of the branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in Ibadan, Kazeem Gbadamosi, his counterpart in Oyo, Adekunle Babalola as well as those of Ogbomoso and Saki. In his address, the Justice Commissioner challenged both the Judges and Magistrates to cultivate the culture of being impartial to all counsel and litigants that appear before them in order to chart the course of justice and make the society a saner one for all. "Be above board and be honest in the discharge of your duties. A judge must not be given to improper influence, inducement or pressure whether directly or indirectly from any quarter or for any reason at all", Ojo said. Gbadamosi of Ibadan

PDP will repeat Ekiti victory in Kwara, says FCC boss Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he Chairman, Federal Tsion Character Commis(FCC), Professor

Shuaib AbdulRaheem has declared that the Ekiti electoral victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would be replicated in Kwara state next year. AbdulRaheem, who is rumoured to be interested in the governorship ticket in Kwara for the 2015 polls, told some newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, that contrary to the positions of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the subsisting political condition in Kwara is not different from what obtained in Ekiti and is therefore a signal to the prospective victory of the PDP. He explained that he was yet to publicly make his intention known on the gubernatorial race because of the regulations guiding such but dismissed speculations that the PDP was being torn apart by the ambition of some of the leaders, saying the party was

stronger now than when it started few months back without the former members who defected to the APC. He also stated that his decision to withdraw from the PDP governorship ticket in 2011 was to salvage the image of the party and bring about sense of unity among members. He said: “There is going to be governorship but nobody is going to say anything about that now because saying so will be going against the regulations of INEC. So if you are going to ask that question, come back again next month when INEC would have blown the whistle and then you will know those who are running and those who are not running. But there is a lot of body movement. “Anybody can say anything. Politics is a dynamic institution. People keep going in and coming out. Even if they’ve been there for 100 years, something was before that time and nothing is permanent but change. It is time for them to be pushed out," AbdurRahman added.

L-R: First City Monument Bank (FCMB) representative, owner of Kuntel Pharmacy, Mr. Abayomi Tella; Mr. Oladipupo Kolawole; Executive Director, Lagos & South-West, FCMB, Mr. Femi Bakare; Divisional Head, Human Resources and Change Management of the bank, Felicia Obozuwa and Group Head, Mass Market Banking of the bank, Mr. Adetunji Lamidi, at the launch of FCMB's agent banking scheme at Osi Quarters, Ota, Ogun State…yesterday

3.96m

The total population of Ahmadabad, India in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

9.6%

The percentage of traditional biomass of global final energy consumption in 2010. Source: Unesco.org

113

The ratio of women to 100 men in Albania in 2010. Source: Un.org

Umeh seeks amnesty programme for MASSOB, BZM members equity

APGA chairman says Igbo youths deserve same treatment as others before them

Leo Sobechi

ational Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh has urged the federal government to rehabilitate Igbo youths craving a separate state under the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) and the Biafra Zionist Movement, (BZM) under an amnesty programme. Umeh who canvassed

the position while speaking to journalists in Enugu yesterday also called on the Federal Government to release without conditions all the members of the pro-Biafra groups being held in various detention facilities across the country so as to advance the spirit of “ongoing national reconciliation”. He contended that if the Federal Government ceases ongoing prosecution of members of BZM who were arrested in Enugu and all MASSOB members presently standing trial at various courts in the country, it would set the stage for an amnesty programme that could address youth restiveness and insecurity in the country. While stressing that

the gesture was imperative for the search for national unity and security, the APGA chieftain likened the situation of MASSOB youths to what obtained during the Niger Delta militancy before the Federal Government instituted an amnesty programme for them. “It is on record that the corpses of many MASSOB youths are still littered all over the mortuaries in South East Nigeria up till this moment. The youths have since protested against the way they have been used by their leader in the phantom struggle for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra and have already formed what they now call Igbo Ga Dimma (Igbo will be good) Youth Organiza-

tion,” Umeh said. He observed that Ndigbo and the Igbo youths have for long been agitating for a just Nigeria where equity and fairness will be the basis for dealing with all citizens even as he expressed joy that the ongoing National Conference is already addressing some of these problems. The APGA delegate to the national conference urged Igbo youths to cooperate with all Igbo delegates to the National Conference for the advancement of the rights of the Igbo people in Nigeria even as he condemned the antics of MASSOB leader, Raphael Uwazuruike, who he accused of living in opulence while subjecting Igbo youths to miserable social conditions.

Investigate use of state resources by governors, lawyer charges EFCC Clement James Calabar

Calabar based lawyer, Mr. Utum Eteng has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offenses Commission (ICPC) to carry out a thorough investigation on how much state governments have collected from the federation account and how much have been utilized in the last four years. In an exclusive interview with New Telegraph in Calabar on yesterday, Eteng said taking a careful look into state accounts will raise the

confidence of the public in governance, “as most of the governors are preparing to relocate abroad after their tenure.” This, according to him, will give Nigerians idea as to how monies are being expended at the state level in view of frequent complaints by some governors that their states are financially broke. Eteng said the recent statement by the Minister of Finance, Dr. OkonjoIweala that people should ask their governors the amount so far collected from the federation account, shows that the Minister knew what she was talking about. “I can tell you that

corruption is deep at the state level because these governors think nobody is supervising them in the use of available resources. Apart from the monies accruing from the federation account, nobody seems to ask them what they do with internally generated revenue in their states,” Eteng stated. Eteng said only the two anti-graft agencies can assist Nigeria avoid what he called “the James Ibori experience” by taking preemptive measures ahead of the exit of most of the governors from office next year. “We have heard some governors saying they have achieved this, they

have achieved that. But I can assure you that if the EFCC pores through all the state accounts, so many things would be exposed. The rate at which we are going in our democratic experience, EFCC and ICPC should stand up and help our democracy by taking such proactive steps as investigating state accounts,” he submitted. The lawyer reprimanded governors who use state resources to either fund the Governors’ Forum or their political parties, noting that if the anti-graft agencies were biting as expected, public officers would be more prudent with public funds.

OTTO: OPPOSITION SHOULD HELP JONATHAN, NOT DESTROY HIM / PAGE 17

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THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Jonathan should separate governance from politics –Aregbesola As the August 9 gubernatorial election in Osun State, draws closer the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in this interview says his popularity, street credibility and impact in the state in the past three-and-a-half years guarantees his re-election at the poll. He equally calls for the separation of politics from governance by President Goodluck Jonathan, among other salient issues. GEOFREY EKENNA and WALE ELEGBEDE bring the details The governorship election in Osun State is few weeks away. How prepared are you to ensure that there won’t be a repeat of what happened in Ekiti? First, I want you to know that I don’t even think about it and that is the interesting part of it. I set about this being cautious of the democratic norm. In the statement I made after the Ekiti election, I reflected that a genuine democrat must be willing and ready to embrace defeat as he or she will embrace victory provided the election is transparent, credible, free and fair. The real issue is not about you as a candidate but the quality of the electoral process. Once the quality is good and high, whatever the people say because they are the ultimate decider of who represents or govern them. Democratic choice is expected to be correct, good and right but it is not always that the choice is good, correct and right. To answer the question, long before I assumed this office, I prepared so well for the office in a way that going by the normal run, I should not be working as hard as am working now for re-election. A commentator said something to that effect that I am one of the politicians that from day one began my campaign. From the day I entered this office, I started my campaign. How many governors walk the streets with their citizens? I have been doing that since the first month in office. How many governors creates interactive forum in Nigeria before me? There is none. I was the first governor who devotes close to 10 hours of continuous engagement on a quarterly basis with the citizens. The people ask any question in a no-holds-barred atmosphere. The Ogbeni till day break is a worldwide engagement because we take feedbacks from the social media. The Gbangba Dekun is a monthly community interactive forum where the governor sits with all stakeholders in the community to ask or make inquiries on any issue. This is the picture of direct engagements that we are doing with the people that no government in Nigeria has ever attempted to do. We also have a carnival like procession in walk to live where we just walk round the communities and it is too engaging and popular because everybody wants to be with the governor. Hardly is there any community in this state that I have not touched personally. In terms of physical and social services, this is the first government that will say that there is no household, be it PDP, be it APC and others that our programmes

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has not reached. There is none. I feed 300,000 pupils every school day at the cost of N3.6 billion a year, I have been doing it since 2012 and I have spent N7.2 billion on that. You can go to the school by yourself and access what the children are eating to be sure whether it is worth what we are saying or not. I can tell you that nobody touches the money except those in charge. Long be-

fore we commenced the feeding arrangement, we empowered poultry farmers to produce poultry products so that the chicken and eggs the children consumes are all sourced from them and that is the way they paid back to us because we are not going buy from them. The students consume 15,000 chickens every week and it is served twice. They consume 300,000 eggs every week.

CROSSFIRE Oshiomhole is stirring up the political crisis in Edo State to prevent an official investigation into findings that he has been squandering the state’s resources -Olisa Metuh

The crisis in Edo Assembly is a product of PDP’s desperation for power in its attempt to capture anything in sight like a bunch of famished baboons -Kassim Afegbua

They consume 400 tons of fish every week. They consume 35 herds of cattle every week. We gave close to N600 million to the poultry farmers and also the fish farmers. The only people we buy from now are the cattle rearers. We had challenge with eggs supply because the totality of the eggs produced in Osun cannot cope with our demands, so we go to Kwara and Oyo states to make it up and we pick the foodstuff in the markets. The women, 3,007 of them who cook the meals to serve the students take money from the bank. We gave the women a seed capital to set up themselves and start. The bank pays them for the numbers of pupils they feed and the bank comes to us for settlement. With that we have been getting a value to a large extent for the money we spend. They are fed that way every school day. Also, 1,000 new farmers who we raised to produce cocoyam are in this, close to 500 O’Yes cadets are equally empowered to outtake the cocoyam and give to the vendors. Also, tens of thousands are equally engaged providing different items. From this alone, close to 1 million people are directly impacted from just one programme, O’meal. What is the state of the O’YES programme introduced by your administration? We have the second batch of O’Yes cadets, the first batch of 20,000 had gone, the 2nd batch of 20,000 is on and they are from homes. They work two or three days a week and they have the entire days of week left for them to see what they can do with their hands and earn a living because they are taught entrepreneurial training but they earn N10,000 monthly as cadets. On this scheme alone, this administration has spent N9 billion. I tell people what this type of scheme means for national government. You can’t say I don’t have 18 friends who I can give half a billion naira contract to, whether they do it or not, I would have still given it. But the maximum amount of that investment that will stay here will be less than 50 per cent, yes, you will have the project here but there would still be capital flight because we are talking about direct impact on the economy. O’Yes have changed the paradigm; 100 per cent of that N9 billion is in this economy. The programme has huge economic benefit to the state. You have in that scheme a directly injected N9 billion to the economy that has no means of going out because a man earning N10,000, unless you promised to double his investment, he has no business travelling to Ibadan with that N10,000. If its not going to yield anything more, he won’t go to Ibadan. Every bit of the money is better spent here. Every O ‘Yes cadet has a smart card and the issue of anyone handling or tampering with their CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

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

money does not arise. We are one of the few governments that have developed a meaningful programme for elderly citizens’ care. We are not into a blanket social welfare scheme for the elderly, we have a package that did an extensive survey of citizens that are 65 years and above, we have them in our database. We now identified those among them that are without any support, that is the first time any government will so do in Nigeria. We engaged a consultant, who is a professor of gerontology in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife. He developed the programme they used and without sentiment or parochialism, they got elderly citizens who lack support, we called them critically vulnerable-people who are aged but have nobody to care for them. If we did not discover them, nobody will know such people exist in Nigeria because they are waiting to die because they lack everything. We identified 1,800 of such people state wide. The selection was purely based on their conditions, no primodial sentiment. We didn’t do the selection anyway, Professor Ogunbameru of OAU administered everything, gave us the list and the addresses. We have been giving them N10,000 monthly since 2012. Still along that line, before now the only usage of ambulances here is to carry dead bodies, whereas it is not meant only to carry dead bodies but the conception of it is simply as a morgue vehicle. We have ambulance points everywhere in the state now working 24 hours. We are tied with the farmers and there is no farmer that does not benefit one thing or the other from the government of Osun State. We are almost concluding a process in which all farmers in the state, we have enumerated them, would have credit cards with which they buy their farm inputs by their doorsteps. They will buy on guaranteed credit and will pay back with either their commodity or they sell and pay back. Your question is if am bothered about Ekiti, I don’t even think about it. As a loyal APC member, I was disturbed, but as a head of a government that has worked so well with the people, I don’t even see the effect. I look at my engagement with the people, the products of my government which has not left any home unaffected positively, and I said if election is about acceptance, popularity and impact you have made on the people, we are waiting for what the dictate of democracy would be. In a credible, transparent, free and fair election, Rauf Aregbesola does not have any worry at all about what people will say about his administration. Is your administration in good terms with four critical sectors, namely, teachers, civil servants, okada riders and students who can vote? I will answer in this form. Most people don’t even know how to assess relationships. They assess it from the complaints they get from dissatisfied session of a critical lot, it cannot be. It’s impossible for human to exist without conflict. The Yoruba has an idiomatic way of expressing it, they said teeth and tongue fights but they are always still together. A sociologist in human science, would not therefore base his assessment of any sector on when there is disagreement. Let us look at what we have done and then situate our relationship within it, though some people for whatever reason do not just like you. I was telling someone that what should concern you is not those who are opposed to you especially as it gets to the run-up to the election. When you are still far from it, you may be bothered so that you can make it up. But when no matter what you do, that is their attitude, you just stay put. From the newspapers, there are not less than 20 parties seeking power, democratically. If you have 60 per cent that does not mean you don’t have opposition. The 40 per cent who doesn’t want to see you and may cut your head if you are

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Osun will re-elect APC, says Aregbesola careless not only vote against you. If you have 60 per cent, you are home and dry. In a struggle with other stakeholders, six is a good number. What we are doing is to ensure that each of these critical sectors don’t have any basis at all to be opposed to us. Let us start with the students. We met a condition when we came in that students were given a bursary of N3,000 and they won’t even get the bursary on time and it was full of scam. They brought it to me to sign and I said why do I have to sign N3,000 for anybody? It’s best if we don’t give this bursary or we give it meaningfully. We raised the bursary to N10,000 flat. For Medical and Law students N20,000 while our indigenes in Law School get N100,000. The school authorities give the money to students in their system. I don’t see how such students will hate us in the majority, I can’t see it. Whoever now hates us, has something else against us not for the fact that we have not done the needful. The increase wasn’t solicited; we did it out of our own understanding of the reality of what the students are going through. There was clamor for reduction of fees, we reduced the fees from a huge amount to something that is comparably affordable. Also, we have been investing in developing the institutions much more than any administration has done in the history of this state. Yes, we are having some challenges with the lecturers but it’s not peculiar to us but you just have to bear it. For Okada riders, they have no problem with us. They may want us to do things for them as we have done to some other groups, but it is not as if they said

compared to others, these are the problems. The roads here are appreciated even by those who use legs. Has any government succeeded in constructing 200 kilometres of road in all nooks and crannies of the state? There is no part of this state that we have not construct a new road and its not just any road but roads with concrete drainage, with stone base and thick asphaltic cover and above all, when I get to campaign grounds, I say our roads have tribal marks. In all general roads, we have roads with marks. We now have special roads, when we complete some of them, they will be tourism attraction and centres on their own. The road we are building in Gbogan, people will be coming to look at it, mark my words. That road you see, Gbongan to Akoda, will be a tourist attraction because it is not an ordinary road. It’s a road that took me time to conceive and design and we are taking our time to develop it. So, when people talk about the cost of our roads, I just laugh because it’s not good to be talking to people who don’t know what they are saying. We have different types of roads.

My administration does not suffer alienation from the people, it is one and same with the people and that is the basis of our confidence in their ever ready support at all times

That road is going to be a reference point in road construction. We are changing the landscape and making the state of Osun a hub of everything that is good. We also want to tell the world that the black man is a human being. I have two major objectives on earth; one is to help in the process of eliminating poverty because I hate poverty. I wasn’t born poor but I feel bad to see people in destitution. Two is that I don’t like how blacks are in the world today. As long as I live, I must be part of the process that will give the black man a good reckoning where they are because sadly, we are in the lowest part of civilisation. I have been everywhere in the world except the continent of Australia and in everywhere in the world, the most depressing portion of it is inhabited by blacks. These are the two issues that motivate me. How cordial is your relationship with Civil Servants? Before our advent, the civil servants never knew that salary could be paid before the end of the month. For seven and half year, salaries were never paid here before the end of the month. But from when I assumed office, we changed that. Before the year ended when I assumed office, I paid 10 per cent of their basic as 13th month salary and paid December salary before the end of the year, the civil servants were dazed. Since that day uptil December 2013, I pay salary on or before the 25th of every month. But as from January 2014, we ran into trouble which we explained to everybody six months before then. In July 2013, the Federal Government began a squeeze that they themselves know that nobody believed them.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 15

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

‘FG has declared economic war on Osun State’ They said 400,000 barrel of crude oil is being stolen everyday. We didn’t know problem was coming. Instead of collecting N4.6 billion, they gave this government N2.6 billion, 40 per cent slashed. We thought it would be temporary because after that month, they said the stolen crude has reduced to 200,000 barrel per day. When the oil being lost reduced, would you still expect a 40 per cent cut? From that July to now, the maximum allocation this state has ever received is N3.2 billion which was in November 2013. I am not making up anything, simply saying the truth. Now ask me how was I able to pay up until December 2013? My people are called osomalo – they are very deft in the management of money and I took this from them. I had been saving through the Omoluwabi Conservation Fund in which 10 per cent of all allocation must just go and rest. So, I had money in reserve, which was a build-up for my refusal to constitute a cabinet for 10 months. I had the money. Whereas my income fell to N2.6 billion at the lowest and N3.4 billion at the highest for a month, my statutory expenditures which are expenditures that I have no control on once we have agreed on it, for instance salary, pension and they are N3.6 billion every month, I have no power over it. I can’t say no, am not paying, Between July and December, I augmented my income with N5.4 billion. All in the hope that this thing will go, it didn’t go. It has not gone as we speak, it is even worse. Before, when you get your allocation, you will cash it by the 15th of every month. That is why they are paying salaries on the 15th of the month before we came in. That used to be the practice. But now, because you want to squeeze the opposition government, they even squeezed themselves. Nobody gets the reduced allocation earlier than the 26th of the following month. But before now, I wasn’t waiting for their money; I just pay on or before the 25th. If for whatever reason, because when we wanted to introduce the digital automation, it was difficult to do cross over it will get to the 1st or 2nd of the following month, not that the money is not there, we have arranged, banks just pay, we have money with them. To make up the deficit in what I receive and what I must pay, I spent extra N5.4 billion. However, I told you earlier that I gave 10 per cent of basic salary for 13th month salary; the second year I gave 25 per cent; the third year I gave 50 per cent; the fourth year, I gave 100 per cent. So, December of 2013, I gave every worker in the employment of Osun 100 per cent of their basic salary as extra income which I paid before the end of the year, ordinarily, why should any worker say I am not friendly with them. Before, workers here were given their leave allowances en bloc at the end of the year, I told them this is unreasonable because we don’t go to leave at the same time, so choose when you want your leave allowance to be paid. Is it on your birthday or the anniversary of your employment into the service? So, whenever you summit your birthday, your leave allowance will be credited to you. I don’t know if any other government in Nigeria does that. Two, go and visit the secretariat and see what we have made of the work environment. If these are things that should motivate workers, I stand tall and proud because I have done my best. No matter what anybody tells me, majority of them will appreciate these things. However, since January because I have exhausted my reserve, it is when we get money that we now go to look for money to add to it and pay. That began in January. The difference between me and others is that I don’t hide anything. I tell whosoever cares to listen. I am the most loquacious governor in Nigeria. I went to the retreat of lawmakers’ and I said what is happening in Nigeria today is equivalent

to the declaration of economic war on the states. If it is just mere shortage and it comes early, of course we will pay, it doesn’t come early. As we speak, we have not collected June allocation. What we are saying is that it is either people don’t even care or they think you can just conjoin money or they know what you are going through. I said at a rally recently that from what I have heard from their grapevine because they had a meeting where they said that, squeeze them, if they can’t pay salary, you will create problem for them. Mark my words; they might not give us June allocation until the end of August. But we will pay our workers, already we have paid June. I am happy to tell you that majority of our civil servants see and appreciate what we are doing. You can go to the secretariat and see what we are doing. We increased the car loan by 400 per cent; we increased housing loan by 100 per cent. For 36 out of 43 months we have been paying regularly, let’s even assume that there is a problem of delayed payments now, I cannot believe all the workers will be against us because I have done my best. If the demonstration of interest of workers in their remuneration and allowances counts and with what we have done, I don’t think they will be against us. I read the advert they published and I laughed because it indicted them. They wrote that my income was N2.8 billion and this is what I have to pay, N3.4 billion and pegged it with state and local governments. There is no way I can touch local governments account because it is separate and distinct. We made sure nobody touches local governments account and get away with it. Local governments have a separate account and I don’t know where their account is. I can only give policy statements on that. To what extent has the education reorm embarked upon by your administration impacted on teachers, students and other stakeholders in the sector? Our teachers in the state are now very well motivated such that you cannot distinguish between them and bank workers. When you see a teacher in Osun before, you know. They are so depressed, unmotivated and absence of facilities. Our teachers now appear corporate and well-motivated. It is not that there won’t be some of them who for whatever reason don’t like us, but they are in the minority. Don’t buy the talk that you hear that teachers don’t like him, I don’t believe that. Independent and scientific opinion polls do not support all these talks. You need to how people respond to us everywhere, people just swarm around me. I have never being in a place where

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try. I laugh when they talk about me because they don’t know I am from the street.

Whether you are APC or PDP, is your commitment not to improve the lot of your people?... We have a nation to build and a people to serve my presence does not generate euphoria. You don’t get such reception if people have problems with you. I don’t really believe I have any problem with any critical sector. There is nothing that they have done to deride us. There is no household in this state that does not feel our impact. We are talking about how to make education the central focus of our administration because I am no longer thinking of now but we want to create a new set of Nigerians on which a new society would be born and we can’t do it on what is there now. The first government in Nigeria to give free uniforms to all students; the first government that will say that you don’t need to buy textbooks for your children in the high school, Opon Imo and it’s targeted at 150,000 students. One of the attractions is that it reduces the cost of books. With that number and with what it cost us to procure the e-book, N200 million for 53 books. If you divide N200 million by 53, you will get the cost of per book on that basis. If you now divide the outcome with 150,000; do you know that the cost of the book will be N2? Opon Imo should be celebrated by all because it reduces the capital outlay on books. Tell me any government anywhere in the world that can provide eight textbooks free of charge to students. How many parents can buy all books required by their children, but we have changed this by putting into the hands of all our students in high schools a library of 53 textbooks. Our students here keep it with them, go home with them, and sleep with them for as long as they are in school. That was why I said that we have saved our state N8 billion to procure these books for the students. Immediately they heard that I said we have saved the state of N8 billion, they said Aregbesola has stolen N8 billion. That was the genesis of the money they said my son took from Opon Imo. Let’s asked them where the N8 billion is. Are you prepared for a possible lockdown of the state few days to the election? You see, I came here from the street and it is easy for me to go back to the street. My real home is on the street, whoever will hold me on the street will

What is your perception about the term ‘stomach infrastructure’? To those who are elite and are separated from the people, this term may make a new meaning to them. I am a product of the popular forces, the people, and I am part and parcel of them. I emanated from them and a product of their struggles. What is now known as stomach infrastructure is what we know as interaction, engagement, living with the people and meeting their aspiration and needs. That is what we have been doing from the very beginning of this administration; I feed our children every day. The akara (bean cake) seller knows that I fed her child every day. I identify with them on a daily basis in their struggle to live and they understand that everything we do is to make live easy for them. My administration does not suffer alienation from the people, it is one and same with the people and that is the basis of our confidence in their ever ready support at all times. Is there any aspect of the state that you think you have not touched? There is no trade, commercial or social group in Osun State that we have not impacted on. Apart from Lagos, we are the only state government that has an emergency call center but has been made dysfunctional because the Federal Government just refused to give us a short code to make it work. It has been ready for the past 13 to 18 months. If that centre had been activated, we acquired a helicopter that will get to the farthest place of this state in 15 minutes to attend to emergency issues. It won’t cost the Federal Government a dime but to just direct the NCC to allow us use their 122 line. I wrote to the President that emergency does not know political parties, what we don’t want is needless death because of absence of emergency services and the state of the art facilities are still lying down there fallow. They did not even acknowledge the letter talk less of giving us approval. That is the event of all these things when people reduce everything to politics. I told Femi Adesina when he came here; I told him to tell this man to separate governance from politics. Is it because of election that I want to get emergency code? You are seizing money meant for the people on the altar of politics because there is no justification for these crumbs. By the sixth month of being in power, I got a deal from a Chinese company to give me five locomotives, five rolling stocks without paying a dime. I have this programme of transporting goodsfarm products from here to Lagos and finished products from Lagos to this place because if we remove the cost of transportation, goods will sell here at the price of Lagos. I took a letter and stayed in the front of President Jonathan’s office for close to three hours in the night. By 3.am he came out and said Osun you are here, I gave him the letter, he didn’t even acknowledge it. I went back, wrote another one. What we are requesting for is that they allow the use of their tracks because I can’t bring stocks in if I can’t use the rail line. I am telling you how totally insensitive some of us are to the critical issues of our people. Whether you are APC or PDP, is your commitment not to improve the lot of your people? And when you get to these offices you must show shun partisanship because you have sworn to an oath of allegiance to the constitution and service to the people. I challenge anybody to say that my programmes are discriminatory? Why should it be anyway, are they not our citizens? We have a nation to build and a people to serve.

16 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW Comrade Debo Adeniran, human rights activist and social commentator is the Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL). In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, he says the ongoing National Conference is worse than the 1995 General Sani Abacha Constitutional Conference. He also speaks on the agitation for state creation and rotational presidency. How do you see the recommendation for creation of additional 18 states in Nigeria? First and foremost there is nothing wrong in creating states because it brings government closer to the people but the problem we have is the way states and local governments are being administered in Nigeria. So our position at the level of CACOL is that the system should decide what they want. Do they want state or local government? They should scrap one. But we opt for the scraping of the state because the state is just playing the game of an interloper. They don’t really have role to play in the polity but because the constitution gave them so much power than they actually required, they are lording it over local governments. So, for us, we don’t mind even if you make every village a local government. What we want is that every citizen of this country deserved to be served by the government. If you look at our theoretical framework, our ideology is based from each according to his ability to each according to his need. If bringing government closer to the people at the grassroots will afford the people the opportunity to have their fair share of the country’s wealth and resources, so be it. The present arrangement is putting the local government at disadvantage and we don’t like that. Now, at the level of Yoruba nationalism, what we believe, because I also believe in the vision of having regional autonomy. That we have regional autonomy doesn’t mean that we are not going to create local government. We may still do the same thing; scraping the states as a structure, then resort to local governments because what interests us is whatever takes governance closer to the people. Regional autonomy will also afford unanimity of opinion because of the commonality of our ancestors, culture, tradition; the affinity will make it easier for people in different region to be better administered. If that arrangement is allowed, it will only allow ease administrative process and if there is any need to contribute to the centre, the regions will determine what their resources are and what is accrued to the central government. But if it became necessary that each of the regions or any of them or all of them want to go on their own separate ways, they can have an arrangement of regional or sub-regional arrangement like we have Economic Community of West of African State (ECOWAS) working together in Africa. Like African Union working together even when we have the United Nations. So there won’t be any problem having that regional arrangement. So you prefer having region than states? They are not the same thing; they are not exclusive. So, the states created will come under the region they fall. For example, you can create three states out of Lagos State; that does not mean they will not fall under Western Region.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Confab worse than Abacha’s conference –Adeniran The agitation in some quarters is that many of the existing 36 states are not economically viable, therefore why creating additional states while some of those in existence are still struggling? No, even if you leave them together they will still manage similar economy. It is just that the administrators are lazy in those states that you said are not viable. When the creator created everybody, he created individual with everything that he needs to survive till death. So, there is no region without its own mineral and human resources. It is only that people are too lazy to harness the resources they have; otherwise some resources are misappropriated by the unitary system we are operating, whereby the government at the centre exploits mineral resources because it is under the Exclusive List. Now, if it is a regional arrangement, in Osun State there would be opportunity for that region to exploit the gold that you have in Ilesha. There is gold in different parts of Oyo State. Ogun State has oil and Lagos State also has oil deposit. There is bitumen in several places. So, these can be annex. Then you have human resources that you can hire out because there are several states with mineral resources without human capital. So, you can hire that one out and make money out of it. So, there is no state that is not viable, it is only administrators that are not creative; that are lazy and just dependent. If you have 1,000 states in Nigeria, just like we have 774 local governments, you will just put them under the region they belong. So in essence what you are saying is that you don’t see anything wrong with the recommendation creation of additional 18 states? I don’t see anything wrong; they should even create more because there are states that are over populated; Lagos State for example is over populated and I don’t know why they would not create more three states out of Lagos State. So, let them create as many states as possible, they would manage themselves. If local government can manage its own territory even if it is made to be a state. That is my own argument but regional autonomy is a good thing entirely and it is more of ethnic nationalities. What is your take on the issue of rotational presidency? That is not good. What we should look for is merit, capacity, and track records. Nobody who is a novice in governance and understanding of history

Adeniran

The National Conference is even worse than what Abacha constituted during his Constitutional Conference.... This one, no voice of the masses was heard and structure of Nigeria should be allowed to become the President of this country. It should not be an automatic thing. The way I look at it; even if you have the whole people that constitute the government, as long as they are not corrupt, they will not amass national wealth for themselves. As long as they are not nepotistic, they will not look at people in the faces before they offered them jobs. As long they are not prejudicial, they will not allow certain criminals to go without trial; they would not cover up for those who have made the life of majority of people miserable. As long as they are not murderer, they will not allow people to be murdered in droves and keep quiet about it or play politics with such life. So, basically, it doesn’t matter somebody comes from. For all I care if the President is equitable in principle; even if he keeps coming from South-Eastern part of the country, he will always look at Nigeria as his own territory and will not concentrate development in the South-East at the detriment of other parts because they have always been producing. Of course, if you look at what is happening; that the North had produced more Presidents and Head of States more than any parts of the country. It doesn’t mean that, that part of country is well developed. These are some of the things that we should not allow to govern our mind. It is the fear that development projects would not be equitably sited and that is why people are saying that the presidency should be rotated. What is happening now is an aberration to the spirit of true democracy, whereby somebody will now appoint across the board people from his ethnic origin. That is not the way it should be. The way the National Conference is going, do you think something positive will come out of it considering the level of division among members and vari-

ous ethnic groups? They have disappointed us the way the National Conference was constituted in the first place because we thought that people should be allowed to select who represents them. The National Conference ought to have started from the family level to the community level to the local government level to the state and to the national level. But that was not the case. It is the present government that handpicked those they believe would play their own game when they get there. So, that has negated the spirit of National Conference in the first place. So, no nation can come out of the National Conference. But we are going to get an outcome that would be a tool for future agitation at different levels for infrastructural, administrative, economic agitations or whatever agitation. Because whatever they bring out would not truly represent a reflection of what the people want because the people didn’t have hand in how they were selected. The National Conference is even worse than what Abacha constituted during his Constitutional Conference. Because Abacha made pretences to election, people voted for those they wanted to represent them. This one, no voice of the masses was heard. They were handpicked; even for us in the NGOs and civil society organisations. They appointed those who represented us, we didn’t appoint those people representing the civil society organisations at the conference. So, basically if the foundation is faulty, the whole edifice is in shambles from the beginning. So that is it. But it doesn’t matter; it is just like a PRONACO putting together a peoples’ conference. Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO) has a draft constitution; even United Action for Democracy (UAD) has its own conference where it came up with it’s a constitution. Whatever is outcome of any conference is good enough as a tool and as one of those resources you can put together for futuristic agitation purposes. And what we asked for is actually Sovereign National Conference. If in the future, the Sovereign National Conference comes on board, whatever this so called National Conference comes out with will be one of those that would be analysed with outcome of other conferences to inform what has been said before. Where there is failure would be identified. Where there is success would be identified. What is common to agitation from different sectors would also be identified. Those would make the Sovereign National Conference to be faster than it would have taken because some people would agree with outcome of this conference, just like the one of PRONACO and others. Once they harmonise Sovereign National Conference would be faster. But, I bet you until there is Sovereign National Conference, there hasn’t be any conference that put the interest of the masses at the front burner. And Sovereign National Conference is the beginning of true nationhood. If you don’t have it, what you can put together is a contraption that would also scatter at a later time. When you have a Sovereign National Conference, everybody would have a sense of belonging and that is why I said that our recommendation is that it should start from homes before you throw it open, then to community, to local government and so on and so forth till when you now have representation from all over and you now gathered and say this is Sovereign National Conference. Because the National Assembly itself, they don’t have moral right and authority to thinker with what people have said because they are part of the problems that would be solved at the Sovereign National Conference.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 17

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

The Lagos State Task Force in company of the police recently allegedly invaded your office at the former Lagos tollgate. What was it about? I will tell you everything that happened on that day and I want you to know that whatever we are doing today is episode one of the total event because we will still go as far as episode 100 after this. Definitely, I know they will react to whatever I have to say on the issue and from there, we can move to episode two and more. Some few months ago, when I defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party with over 10, 000 of my followers, the leadership of APC in Lagos State was shocked. As at the time I moved, I was the Special Adviser to Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on security matters. But when we moved, the leadership in the state called us several unprintable names. Ironically, when we were with them, we were not called names, or when I was the head of bodyguards to Babatunde Fashola when he was vying for the number one job in Lagos State, I was not a criminal then. They entrusted their lives to us, we guided and secured them without police involvement until he became the governor. The invasion of our office has political undertone and this is bad for the country. It was the present chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, who is popularly referred to as ‘Supro’, he was the one that brought me to the former Alliance for Democracy (AD) when I was moving from the PDP then as a policeman. He and one other person, Gbolahan came and pleaded with me that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was the governor of the state then, gave them an assignment, that they must convince me to join them. They convinced me then that the governor was about to cleanse Lagos State, make it good and ensure stability in the state. I was suspicious then that this man was going to destroy Lagos State but as a human being the way they talked to me was convincing. I never knew that they came to deceive me. So, the moment I returned to the PDP, they were no longer comfortable and that was why Supro now mobilised police and some other hoodlums from Fadeyi area of the state, and equipped them with guns to destroy our office, a federal government office. If they so much believed that our activities in that office were illegal, they should have contacted the Federal Government. They did not do that, but intead took laws into their hands, by invading the premises, and arresting our people, who were performing their legitimate duties. But I can assure you that we will continue to resist any intimidation from the state government and their collaborators. Can you talk more about the activities of SURE-P in Lagos, because some people in the state see the organisation as being put together to destabilize the state, especially as the 2015 elections approach. This thing has been in existence for the past three years now and it was set up by the Federal Government to make the people feel its impact more. We are not all out to cause crisis in the state, or any other state in the country for that matter. Whatever we are doing is legal and we are bound by the laws of the country. The question one should ask people making this insinuation is, did the president or any federal parastatal complain to them that we are doing anything illegal here? Did the State Security Service (SSS) complain about our activities? This is a Federal Government programme for all

Otto: Opposition should help Jonathan, not destroy him Abdul Razak Rafiu Otto was one time Special Adviser on security matters to Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, but now a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State. He is also the national coordinator, Federal Roads Maintenance Task Force/Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). In this interview with the ETAGHENE EDIRIN, he speaks on the recent clash between his agency, and men of the Lagos State Management Transport Authority (LASTMA), as well as his return to the PDP among other issues. Excerpts: die anytime from now; I have told my wife and children we have to do something now so that when we die, we can enter into the kingdom of God. What if I collect the money today and I have a motor accident ordained by God or even turn into a mad man? What will I tell my God when I get to heaven? Some of these people want to destroy the country simple because an Ijaw man in the person of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is the president of Nigeria today. If Jonathan was their brother, father or even son, will they be wishing him evil? Jonathan is a human being; if he makes mistakes, we can advise him on the steps to take. He has special advisers and you as elders can call him and advise him. But rather, they want to destroy his government so that people can hate him and show apathy to his government. I know what I’m saying because I have been in politics since 1983; I was in charge of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s house from 1976 to the 1980s.

Otto

states. We are not just in Lagos State, but in all the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja. But, I want to point it out here that some hoodlums in the Federal Ministry of Works are conniving with the Lagos State Government to foment trouble in the state, which led to the destruction of our office by the State Task Force. Despite your claims of relevance in the APC, before you moved back to the PDP, the Lagos State Government has described you as an unknown politician; what do you have to say on this? Look at this, it’s when I was defecting to AD…(displays some pictures); this is me, this is special adviser to Bola Tinubu, Oyinlomo Danmole lifting up my hand when I was defecting with over 7,000 of my followers, Baba Rufai was there, Baba Eto was there, all the party state executives were there. Asiwaju was coming there, but while he was on the Third Mainland Bridge he got information that there

was inadequate space at the venue, he now turned back. They have never in their lives seen such level of a defection rally, and they know what I have done for them to make them be where they are today. That is why they are not comfortable. They promised to give me the sum of N250 million and a house in GRA, Ikeja. I said I didn’t want any of that. I am 50 years old and I can

Some of these people want to destroy the country simple because an Ijaw man in the person of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is the president of Nigeria today

Despite the fact that you are not vying for any political post, why do you think you are being confronted with these problems? Anybody who is over-ambitious must surely misbehave. Since I was born, I never attempted to vie for any political position, I never contested for councilor or chairman and I don’t even have the intention of such. My aim is to ensure that a good government is enthroned in Lagos and Nigeria and God has given us the president who has human feelings, but because of his human feelings they think he is a dummy, they think he can be controlled the way they like. They don’t realize that you have to humble yourself so that God can elevate you. Sincerely, I don’t know what to say about these people, but something is crystal clear; and that is the fact that I am not contesting for any political office anywhere, but I will fight for Lagosians to have good government and drive away those who came to loot the state blind. Amidst such controversies, what does the future hold for you in terms of Lagos, and national politics? There is nothing else, wait and see for yourself. When the Federal Government was trying to employ people they knew that Lagosians are suffering hence they are trying to assist. There was a day when President Jonathan had discussion with some people that he even promised that if possible, he will use his personal money to assist Lagosians. Go and see the boys in the Southsouth, these people are receiving assistance from the Federal Government regularly and they are engaged, but because they don’t want this man, and his party to come in and assist Lagosians, they now devised a means to blackmail him and try to confuse the people.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Ozaraebuka: Sustenance of Nigeria’s unity’ll ensure Jonathan’s victory in 2015

believe them. This is a democracy, and I believe that the PDP as a party will not suppress the aspiration of anyone. But we should realise that the PDP has a sitting president and if Jonathan says that he wants to seek for a second term, there is no way the party will say no because there are several advantages for a party if a sitting president says he would like to seek for another term, which he is entitled to. If the President says he will seek another term, we will support him, because it would be very unwise even for the PDP itself to bring out another person while Jonathan is still sitting in the Aso Villa. How will you force him to support the new candidate?

Prince Ignatius Ozaraebuka is the national coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Continuity Success Network. In this interview with FELIX NWANERI, he speaks on reasons why Nigerians should re-elect the President and his vice, Namadi Sambo in the 2015 general election. Excerpts

What is your take on the move to compel President Jonathan to drop his vice in 2015 over claims that he lacks what it takes to mobilize support for the Peoples Democratic Party in the region? That is total rubbish. In the 2011 elections, despite all the noise by some people in Kaduna, where the vice president hails from, Jonathan got more than 1.1 million votes in the state. That is the Pull Him Down Syndrome we are suffering from. I personally will find it unacceptable to repay loyalty that way. Sambo is suited for the position that he is presently occupying. There is no one from the North, who is likely to work with President Jonathan the way Sambo has done, and you will be dividing the house that God has put together if you try to supplant the Vice President.

Your group is championing for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo in 2015, why do you think they deserve a second term? First, I must give them kudos for having a good working relationship. This is the first time that we are having a president and his vice working without problems. If you recall what happened between 1999 and 2007, it was hectic between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his vice, Atiku Abubakar. Is a good working relationship between the president and his vice enough reasons for a second term? I am not saying that is enough, as there are several other factors. First, two of them are graduates; the first time we are having such in our polity. Secondly, we have witnessed lots of transformation in critical sectors of our economy since they assumed office. We were in this country when allegations were made that some people were given N300 billion to fix our roads and nothing was done. But we have seen the transformation that is taking place in our road and rail sectors. We have also seen the revolution in the agric sector; jobs are being created for our teeming youths. The rate of employment since Jonathan came to power is greater than what we witnessed between 1999 and 2007. Some Nigerians will disagree with you on the issue of transformation. The belief is that the President has not done enough to deserve another four years. It is normal that members of the opposition will not see anything good in the President’s work, so they are bound to criticize. But in spite of the criticisms, there are certain things that one can point at as being the achievements of the Jonathan government. As far as I am concerned, the present government has achieved a lot. I have travelled around the country and I will tell you that the Jonathan administration has done a lot in improving the peoples’ welfare. Can you list some of the sectors in which the government has performed? First, President Jonathan has introduced a new era of democracy in Nigeria; the era of unlimited tolerance, which we have never witnessed before. You can say whatever you want to say although I think that is democracy. I think that is one of the principles of democracy. Tolerance leads to the observance of the rule of law. If you are not tolerant, you will begin to arrest people on the streets because they insulted Mr. President, and there will be no respect for the rule of law. Secondly, most of the projects that this administration has embarked upon have started yielding results. Just like former President Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded in the communication sector, Jonathan is succeeding in the power sector. He has privatised the sector, and we are seeing the benefits. In a year or two,

Ozaraebuka

it will become as efficient as any power sector in the developed countries of the world. Thirdly, in physical infrastructure; you must have noticed the face-lift at most of our airports. Go to Abuja and Lagos airports and others across the country, you will see that there is a great change. The several road construction works that are on-going is another plus. Go and see the level of work on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway or the AbajiLokoja road; move to the South-East; before we use to spend a night at Ore if we are travelling to the South-East, now it takes just some hours to get to Onitsha; the East-West road From Port Harcourt to Warri is almost completed. The President would not have embarked on these projects if he didn’t have the peoples’ welfare at heart. Less than a year to the 2015 general election, the President is yet to declare his ambition. Don’t you think that groups like yours are only pushing him to run for a second term against his wish? I believe that the President is not one who makes unnecessary noise about his ambition. He is keeping to the provisions of the Electoral Act, which states that campaigns will start three months to the elections. He doesn’t want to heat up the polity unnecessarily, because looking at the type of politics we play Nigeria, some people will cash in on his early declaration to cause havoc in the system. Some of them have billions of naira to fund crisis. Jonathan doesn’t have such huge war chest; it is people like us who are urging him to come out; that we will support him. We have not heard of any report that he stashed money abroad like some of those who are making noise have done. But there are allegations that the President is running the most corrupt government in Nigeria’s history. Some people are only making allegations, which they cannot substantiate. If they have found him to be corrupt, they

There is no one who won’t appreciate the unity of Nigeria, which the Jonathan administration has been able to sustain despite the Boko Haram insurgency in the NorthEast geo-political zone should come up with facts and lay them bare before Nigerians. As long as they fail in doing so, I completely disagree with them. How does your group and others campaigning for the President’s re-election intend to surmount mounting opposition in the North against his ambition? A few people in the North want the presidency to come back to the region in 2015, but at the same time, majority are saying there is nothing wrong in allowing President Jonathan to complete his eight years for fairness. Allowing Jonathan another four years will not take anything away from the North. Mind you, the region has produced about eight or nine former heads of state of this country and it did not take away poverty from the North. We should not be talking as if the North has never had any president. We have had about eight or nine presidents from the North, yet poverty, illiteracy and crises persist in the region. What of the single term pact the President was alleged to have signed in 2011, which agitators for power shift in the North are hinging their argument on? Let them publish it. It is only when they make the pact public that we will

Is there any form of collaboration between your group and several others working for the President’s election in 2015 to achieve your common goal, which is victory for the PDP? We have about five groups that have approached us since we have been recognised by the PDP national leadership and we are bringing them on board. How are you reaching to the people at the grassroots, who constitute bulk of the electorate? We have structures at the wards, local governments, states and national level and we have made it clear to people that not every Nigerian is a member of the ruling party – the PDP, but our movement has its members cut across the various segments of the Nigerian society. There is no one who won’t appreciate the unity of Nigeria, which the Jonathan administration has been able to sustain despite the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East geo-political zone. Looking at the present political situation in the country, do you think the Jonathan and Sambo ticket will fly in 2015? Definitely, they have won already given what happened recently in Ekiti State. People like sincere leadership. Jonathan came on board and said that there are some states that don’t have federal universities and he fulfilled the promise he made in that direction. Also, I believe that God is the one that put him in that position. If you look at our political history, you will find out that nobody has ever come out to say I want to rule Nigeria, and made it. God has been using those He wants to steer the ship of the Nigeria at every point in time. But some people believe that such is responsible for the continuous emergence of leaders who were not prepared for the job. God really knows why he has not allowed those who want the position to get there. May be, they have one or two things in mind, which if implemented, will not augur well for the nation. God chooses leaders for his people and we cannot question His judgement.

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EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Sanctity of Truth w w w.new telegraphonli ne.com

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

THURSday, JULY 10, 2014

Return of the “mad dogs” syndrome

oldiers last week went on rampage, grounding human and vehicular movements along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, following allegations that a Lagos State Government commercial bus killed one of their colleagues at Palmgrove. They reportedly burnt any BRT vehicle on sight during the rampage, barricaded both sides of the road while some persons were also injured during the ensuing rampage. There were different accounts about the incident. Some said a soldier who was allegedly knocked down on the BRT lane did not die. It was alleged that the said soldier made a telephone call to his colleagues after he was knocked down and refused to listen to the pleas from those at the scene to forgive the driver of the bus. The incident reportedly caused massive traffic jam all the way to the Berger area of Lagos- Ibadan road. Another version of the incident had it that the unidentified soldier was riding a commercial motorcycle popularly known as okada along the BRT lane when he was crushed. Yet another claimed that the motorbike the deceased mounted was being chased by traffic officials. The driver of the bus was alleged to have abandoned the soldier, an action said to have angered his colleagues who subsequently went on rampage and allegedly attacked

any BRT bus on sight. Governor Babatunde Fashola promptly condemned the rampage and subsequent attacks and destruction of public property in the state by soldiers. Reacting to the development, Fashola said: “But it is really disappointing that public servants and that is what soldiers are, paid with tax payers’ money, will act in a manner that is being suggested…because I am waiting for official report to let me know who played what role and what happened…” Besides, Professor Wole Soyinka described the brutality by the soldiers as insane. He also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to caution the Nigerian Army over their excesses. The literary icon said the action of the soldiers reminded him of a play written by Ola Rotimi entitled ‘Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again’. In the same vein, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) lamented that ‘’the brutalisation of unarmed civilians by armed soldiers which started in the 70s has been a routine phenomenon. All the soldiers who participated in the latest primitive attack have to be fished out, arrested and prosecuted. Soldiers are not immune from prosecution. They are not above the law of the land. From my knowledge of the Nigerian Army, the soldiers indicted will be tried by a court martial. But the state government has to lodge a complaint with the

army authorities.’’ The psychology of the Nigerian soldier has always been that of a man who sees himself as being above the law. He looks at law-abiding citizens as “bloody civilians” and tends often to ride roughshod on the back of the citizens, believing that as a soldier he can do just anything and get away with it. Military officers behave as if they are extra-ordinary human beings that must be treated in a very special way, and are of the erroneous view that that their uniform bestows on them the power to misbehave and violate the laws of the land. The record of the misbehaviors of military in the country is legion and they have always got away with it; only an infinitesimal few officers have been apprehended and prosecuted for vilating the laws of the land. It is this indifference that has encouraged the culture of impunity and madness that we have witnessed men in uniform exhibit again and again. Although the military have come out to deny the involvement of soldiers in the rampage, witnesses and social media activists that saw what happened and posted pictures on the internet have proved beyond all doubt that indeed soldiers were responsible for the ugly incidents on the street of Lagos last week. It is, therefore, imperative that all those involved in the shameful act should be

carefully and painstakingly fished out and dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the law. The military are supposed to protect the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country, not to take laws into their hands and unleash mayhem on the armless citizens they are meant to protect. We are now in a democratic dispensation where the rule of law as well as equality before the law are enshrined in the constitution which everybody, including security agencies and institutions are expected to obey. The first step in redressing this absurdity is to identify the offenders and penalise them to serve as deterrence to others. The other angle is that the military needs to be reoriented, enlightened, educated and tutored in civil-military relations, duties and responsibilities in a democratic setting. They should be made aware of the limits of their powers. By so doing, the military will know what is expected of them at all times, and violence on citizens such as this will be very few and far between. Nigeria should not always be an exception to the rule. In countries where accountability matters, the military protect the interests of their respective citizens and that is what their Nigerian counterparts should emulate and not continue to exhibit these “mad dog” tendencies every so often. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Deputy Managing Director/DEIC SULEIMAN BISALLA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday 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 PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

OPINION

Gwarinpa demolition: exposing the mendacity against FCTA

Ibrahim Sarkin Yaki

he FCT Administration (FCTA) must ensure that it is not coerced into abandoning its constitutional responsibilities. Also, it must ensure that the development of structures in the FCT is carried out in strict compliance with the provision of the Abuja Master Plan; in accordance with the provision of the laws of the Federation of Nigeria Cap 138 of 1992, which spells out the procedure for urban and regional planning and development. A protest was organized and carried out by some individuals in Abuja on Thursday, June 19, this year over the demolition of an illegal settlement in Gwarinpa, exposing the level of ignominy attributed to the people that perpetrated this act of mischief and thereafter peddled disgusting lies against the FCT Administration. What really happened was that the Department of Development Control of the FCT Administration went to a village (Lungi) near Gwarinpa to effect the removal of illegal structures. The illegal occupants had been served notices for over a year by the Development Control when their illegal structures were still at foundation level. But the owners of the illegal structures in connivance with some inhabitants of Lungi village took the FCTA to court in a bid to challenge the action of the Development Control in issuing demolition notices to them. The case dawdled in court while they continued to build their illegal structures until this year when the court vacated the order, which stopped the FCTA from demolishing illegal structures in Lungi Village. Following this development, the FCTA as a responsible administration, had a series of meetings with the Chief of the village and all other stakeholders with a view to sensitizing them on the court verdict and the actions that Development Control were going to embark on to remove illegal structures in the village. The Development Control arrived at the scene at about 9.30am and demolition of illegal structures commenced smoothly with members of the security core present. The exercise ended at about 12.50pm, with

What really happened was that the Department of Development Control of the FCT Administration went to a village (Lungi) near Gwarinpa to effect the removal of illegal structures. The illegal occupants had been served notices for over a year by the Development Control when their illegal structures were still at foundation level no complaint or claim of injury or death whatsoever from the inhabitants of the village. The demolition squad completed their job and left the site with their machinery intact and returned to the office in Zone 6. Surprisingly, around two and half later, people were organized by mendacious elements to perpetrate a protest based on a fabricated allegation that a child was murdered by the demolition squad, which made the mother of the child commit suicide. The protesters not only demonstrated in the vicinity of Lungi but also blocked the ever busy Zuba/Kubwa 10-lane expressway and, in so doing, prevented people from going about their lawful duties and entering or leaving the city from that axis for over four hours(from 3.00pm to 7.00pm. Unfortunately, the claim that a child was murdered in the course of the demolition was not accorded enough inquiry before the news was published to the general public. The conflicting media reportage of the alleged deaths based on the demolition exercise is suggestive that the whole anecdotes were in fact fabricated to demean and disparage the FCT Administration. While one of the papers reported that a three-year old girl was killed, another reported that a two-month

old baby died while the mother committed suicide, on its part. Yet another daily quoted a source as saying that a boy was killed during demolition. One other paper said a mother and her baby died during a demolition exercise while another reported that the mother took a broken bottle and stabbed herself to death, as a result of her being disallowed from entering the house to rescue her son. All these confirm the assertion about lies having different versions while truth has just one version. In this age of digitalization and sophistry in communication, if such a thing had occurred, it would have been videotaped and sent to social media networks where it would have gone viral on the internet. Besides, the procedure of the Department of Development Control in removing illegal structures will not allow such a thing to happen. This is because even after notices are issued, before structures are demolished, officials must enter such structures to ascertain that no human presence is in the structure. The officials must also ensure that occupants are given fair opportunity to remove their valuables, except in situations where there is no cooperation from occupants of illegal structures who decide to willfully leave their belongings at the structure earmarked for demolition. With regard to human lives, if anybody is inside a structure, demolition is usually halted until that individual is removed to a safe distance from the site of demolition. The officials are never authorized and have never demolished any structure with any living or dead person. Thus, it remains absurd for anyone to assert that FCT Administration that carries out its demolition exercise through the Development Control with a strict compliance to the best standard practice has committed such an act. All law-abiding residents and visitors alike in the FCT must refuse to approve the lies fabricated by the perpetrators of this illegal protest and blockade of the 10-lane Zuba/Kubwa expressway. • Ibrahim Sarkin Yaki (Ibrahim.sarkinyaki1@gmail.com) wrote from Adisa Estate in Abuja.

The limits of propaganda Chuks Osuji

uring the Civil War, Nigerians used Radio Kaduna to counter Biafran propaganda--one Adamu was used as a match to Okoko Ndem. The purpose of Nigerian propaganda was to constantly remind Nigerians that the war was a mere police action to crush the rebellion by Ojukwu and his henchmen. However, propaganda worked for both the Germans and the British in the Second World War and worked for both Biafrans and Nigerians during the Civil War. Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs and attitudes. The propagandist has a specified goal or set of goals. To achieve these, he deliberately presents a selection of facts, arguments and display of information in ways he thinks will have the most effects. It must be noted, however, that a given propagandist may look upon himself as an educator, may believe that he is uttering the purest truth, that he is emphasizing or distorting certain aspects of the truth only to make a valid message more persuasive, and that the course of action that he recommends are in fact the best actions that the reactor could take. By the same token, the reactor who regards the propagandist’s message as self-evident truth may think of it as factual; this often seems to be the case with “true believers”. It is important to say that insurgents are using ideological indoctrination and not propaganda

Indeed, since the beginning of the insurgency, the m high command and the National Information Centre have tried to use propaganda either to appease or to raise their morale Nigerians In the first place, what the Nigerian government is trying to repress and to exterminate is an attempt by a few disgruntled individuals who see nothing good in a Southerner holding the position of a President in this country. In a way, it is not a full blown war. It is a confrontation requiring extremely fashioned out logistics and strategic options that would give soldiers and security operatives the most robust advantage against the insurgents. In this wise, therefore, do we need propaganda? A few statements which bordered on propaganda have been dished out in the past by the Military High Command. For example, after the abduction of the Chibok girls, the military announced that 193 of the girls had been rescued. This turned out to be a blatant falsehood which in fact depressed many Nigerians, particularly the parents of those children who were abducted. Did

the military need to dish out that type of propaganda? Furthermore, a couple of weeks ago, after the Nyanya bomb blast, the Military High Command said it had arrested the mastermind of Nyanya bombing in Sudan. And that it was taking action to repatriate the man to Nigeria. That was the end of that story. A couple of months ago, the military announced that it had killed in a gun battle at the Sambisa forest, the leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau who died in Cameroon as a result of the wounds he sustained in the gun battle. Boko Haram authorities responded a few days later by asking the Military Command to show the world the picture of their dead leader. Of course, the Security Command sometimes ago claimed that the Abubakar seen in video with the abducted girls was not the true Abubakar, saying, “Abubakar is not a name but a title of their leader, insisting that the original Abubakar was dead. Indeed, since the beginning of the insurgency, the m high command and the National Information Centre have tried to use propaganda either to appease or to raise their morale Nigerians. This is not good approach to such a situation because, sometimes, it aggravates the situation. Propaganda works well during a war situation and not in a situation such of terrorism as we are facing today. Even at that, those who are to mount such propaganda must be well-trained and experienced in the emerging situation because poor management of propa-

ganda boomerangs. That is why APC as a political Party is expanding only on the pages of newspapers because of its usage and improper use of propaganda. Its publicity personnel do not understand the apparent negativism of using what could be described as combative propaganda. What is more, the party dwells too much on running down the President and his government and seeing nothing good and correct in them. The consequence is that the party has alienated many Nigerians including those who ordinarily are not supporters of PDP or other parties. Too bad. It may be necessary to remind APC publicity personnel that there is a great difference between propaganda and public relations. In a way public relations makes, creates and sustains good image whereas propaganda creates and sustains falsehood and bad image in the long run. Admittedly, our security men and the soldiers are doing well in the face of overwhelming odds. What they need now is to be reinforced with more sophisticated equipment and military hardware to defeat the insurgents. We certainly don’t need propaganda in our confrontation with these fellows who belong to the medieval age when people were moving stark naked. It is indeed an accident of geographical and providential conjugation that these animals could be found in the same territory with human beings. They must be defeated and their cohorts must be ashamed in the long last. What we need today is collective and patriotic support to our military and security forces and not propaganda.

LAW

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www.newtelegraphonline.com/law

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

foluso.ogunmodede@newtelegraphonline.com bunfolchester@yahoo.com

Abar: I will help implement insurance policy }p-24 PAST NBA PRESIDENTS

nba election

Who succeeds Okey Wali? Okey Wali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, will next month bow out as the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), two years after his professional colleagues elected him in Abuja, to lead the lawyers’ umbrella group. Judiciary Editor, FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE writes on the July 14 election that will usher in a new president and other officials that will pilot the association’s affairs for another two years.

Alegeh, SAN

Adekoya, SAN

Adesina, SAN

I am the only candidate in this election who has put forward clear identifiable practical proposals. I propose to increase the share of branches from Bar practicing fees from the present 10% to 20%

why I am running this election is so that we can raise the Bar, raise the Bar back to where it used to be - where a legal practitioner was respected and trusted by civil society

As a deliberate policy of corporate governance, my administration shall be based on full democracy, consultation, openness, transparency and accountability

ome 100,000 members of the wig and gown profession, will arrive in Abuja on Sunday, July 13 for the 27th biennial election of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), where a successor will be elected for the chair being vacated by Okey Wali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Already, five candidates are jostling to replace Okey Wali. They are Mr. Agustine Oyarekhua Alegeh, Mrs. Olufunke Adekoya, Mr. Dele Adesina and Chief Adeniyi Akintola, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria and Mr. Osas Erhabor. Other officials, apart from the president, will also be elected to run the affairs of the association in the next two years. Okey Wali was elected in August 2012 in Abuja following the expiration of Mr. Joseph Daudu’s tenure. Daudu , who was elected in 2010 in Kaduna, took-over from Mr. Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu,SAN. NBA elected its first president, Alhaji Jubrin Martins 55 years ago. Martins died in 1959 shortly after his election. His death paved the way for the emergence of the late doyen of the Bar, Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams (SAN). The late Chief Williams, piloted the NBA’s affairs for nine years. He was succeeded by Mr. Peter Thomas in August 1968. Two years ago, Okey Wali became the association’s 26th president, amid pomp and pageantry after a fierce battle with

other candidates. Ahead of this year’s election, each of the 109 branches of the association had mapped out strategy not only to ensure that its candidates clinch 14 available posts but also to relieve the glamour which always go with the august event every two years. Unlike six years ago when the Southwest, comprising lawyers of Yoruba and the Mid-west, adopted Akeredolu as its sole candidate, this year’s election is a different ball game as no fewer than five aspirants had indicated interest to test their popularity, giving no room for adoption. While the Southwest insists that the zoning formula which had become the hallmark of the NBA election must be allowed to subsists as it is its turn to produce the 27th NBA President,its sister arm-the Midwest says the Southwest had deprived it of a slot for too long, insisting that it would not wait till 2018 to produce a candidate. This, however has polarised the Egbe Amofin, the umbrella body of lawyers of Yoruba extraction. Last week, the group worned that an imminent crisis may arise in the NBA should the association jettison a 12 year-old zoning arrangement for its presidency. Particularly, the Egbe Amofin, which rose from a crucial meeting at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Ibadan, threatened to disregard the long standing ‘gentleman’s agreement’ if its presidential as-

pirants were not given exclusive shot at the NBA Presidency come July 14. Its revered leader, Chief Bandele Aiku (SAN) who spoke against the backdrop of requests by some aspirants from other regional fora for endorsement by the group, said the Egbe Amofin would only support such aspirants if their regional fora respected the right of the South West to produce the next NBA president. Aiku, who traced the genesis of the NBA presidency zoning arrangement for the NBA, being rotated among the three former regions of East, West and North, said the group would not hesitate to protest the planned disregard of the arrangement , which produced the incumbent President, Okey Wali, SAN. His words: “The East started two years ago. This time around, it is essentially the turn of the South West. But there has been a lot of row as to whether the Midwest should come in as a forum. “What we said to them was that it was not the position of the Midwest to present a candidate for the office of the president of the NBA in 2014. They said they would take that position of the South West back to their people in the Midwest. “The position taken by the representatives of the Midwest as at that time - which was about two years ago - in a meeting held in my house was that they would take our decision back home. We have not heard from them as the only thing we heard from the Midwest was

Alhaji Jibril Martins, 1959, died in 1959 2. Chief FRA Williams, SAN, 1959 – 1968 3. Mr. Peter Thomas, 1968 – 1969 4. Chief G.M Bayo, 1969 – 1970 5. Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN, 1970 – 1973 6. Chief Adebayo Ogunsanya, SAN – 1973 – 1974 7. Dr. Mudiaga Oje, 1974 – 1976 8. Dr. Nwakanma Okoro, SAN, 1976 – 1978 9. Chief B.O. Benson, 1978 – 1980 10. Chief Adetunji Fadayiro, SAN, 1980 – 1982 11. Mr. A.N. Anyamene, SAN, 1982 – 1984 12. Prince Bola Ajibola, SAN – 1984 – 1985 13. Mr. Ebele Nwokoye, 1985 – 1987 14. Mr. Alao Aka-Bashorun, 1987 – 1989 15. Mr. Charles Idehen, 1990 – 1991 16. Mr. Clement Akpamgbo, SAN, 1991 – 1992 17. Mrs. Priscilla Kuye, 1992 18. Mr. Thompson Okpoko, SAN, 1998 – 2000 19. Mr. Onueze Okocho, SAN, 2000 – 2002 20. Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, 2002 – 2004 21. Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, 2004 – 2005 22. Prince Lanke Odogiyan, 2005 – 2006 23. Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, 2006 – 2008 24. Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, 2008 – 2010 25. Mr. Joseph B. Daudu, SAN 2010 – 2012 26. Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, 2012 – 2014 27. 2014 – 2016? the nomination of a presidential candidate that would represent them come July 2014.” The Egbe leader said the group has written to other regional fora, “informing them of the position of the South West - that it is the turn of the South West to present a candidate or candidates for the office of president and not the Midwest. I hope you will carry that message back to your respective fora, that we still stand by that decision. And I am sure that by the information we have given to you now, I hope you will assist the cause of the South West. The position is, scratch my back I scratch your back; if you assist our cause, we are prepared to assist your cause.” Dissatisfied, the Midwest Bar Forum traced a series of opportunities it had been denied to have a shot at the exalted office to the days of Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, who, apparently demonstrated his sympathy as the NBA president, made spritited efforts to address the injustice. To this, Agbakoba wired a letter that the NBA presidency must be rotated between the Midwest Bar and the Egbe Amofin as both belong to the west. This, Midwest leaders said the Egbe Amofin had never honoured it as the midwest had not been allowed to have a shot at the association’s topmost post. “This is an injustice to us, hence it is our turn to produce the 27th NBA President come July 14’, it said. Already, the Midwest Bar has adopted CO NTINUED O N PAGE22

22 LAW CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

Mr. Augustine Oyarekhua Alegeh as its sole candidate for the Tuesday's NBA Presidencial election. The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Chief Ferdinand Orbih, said “we would not want to believe that Egbe Amofin says it must produce the next NBA President. It went on: “Our disbelief stems from the fact that at a meeting held in March, 2012 to address the legitimate demands and aspiration of the Midwest Bar Forum for the NBA presidential slot, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba submitted a written position wherein he clearly stated that for the purpose of the zoning of the NBA presidency, both the Midwest Bar Forum and the Egbe Amofin belong to the West. “The meeting was presided over by Mr. J.B. Daudu, SAN ,the then president of the NBA, and the prominent and respected leaders that attended included Chief T.J.Okpoko SAN, and Chief Bamidele Aiku SAN, who represented the Midwest Bar Forum and the Egbe Amofin respectively. “In fact, it is unthinkable that Egbe Amofin would turn around to take a contrary position because of its support for a particular candidate and /or the exigencies of the present election. "It is important to note that there is no South west in the informal zoning configuration of the NBA as far as the office of the presidency is concerned. For the avoidance of doubt, the three recognized zones are NORTH, EAST and WEST (i.e Egbe Amofin and Midwest). “There is need to say that a decision has already be taken by the leaders and elders of the Bar at the aforesaid meeting in Abuja, in March, 2012. At the meeting, the NBA 2014 presidency was zoned to the WEST thus; leaving the door open for any member of the Midwest Bar Forum or Egbe Amofin to contest the election. The South-West-(Egbe Amofin) and the Midwest Bar Forum have since moved beyond partisan position. Both parties have already agreed that they belong to the WEST. “However, the unresolved issue is as to which of the two fora in the WEST will field a candidate in 2014. Efforts to resolve the question of precedence on the basis of fairness and propriety have not yielded dividend. On that note, the parties concerned have agreed to meet at Phillipi, i.e at the polls for the NBA to choose between the contesting WESTERN (Midwest and Egbe Amofin) candidates. “Finally, a leaf must be borrowed from the East where in the last election, candidates from different parts of the zone contested the election. That, in our view represents the true spirit of democracy”. While the Egbe Amofin is yet to adopt any of its presidential aspirants-Adekoya, Adesina and Akintola , Alegeh has been endorsed by his forum-the Midwest Bar Forum. This, will however, invoke the 2006 spirit when Chief Chris Uche and Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, both from the Eastern Bar slugged it out with each other for the soul of NBA presidency. Although Agbakoba won the election, their campaigns elicited division among delegates and branches of the NBA as there were moves to scuttle the ambition of a candidate believed to be sponsored by the administration of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The same scenario played itself out in 2010 between JB Daudu and JK Gadzama, who were both from the North. JB Daudu won the election. Apart from the NBA presidency, being hotly contested by five Senior Advocates, 15 others are for grabs. No fewer than 35 candidates are jostling for the 16 posts. Of the 35, about five of them are executive members of the outgoing leadership of the association. The positions which will be filled are those of the first, second and third Vice Presidents. General Secretary,, Legal

nba election

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Who succeeds Okey Wali? Adviser, Welfare Secretary,Treasurer, Financial Secretary and first, second and third Assistant Financial Secretary. The candidates for the 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, are Ibrahim Y.Umar,Frances Ekwere ,Afam Osigwe , the outgoing Publicity Secretary, Afam Obi, a former chairman, Lagos NBA branch, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo, Akintokunbo Oluwole,Andrew Ashong and Mr.Muheed Komolafe are eyeing the 3rd Vice Presidency. Others are Steve Abar, Bath OkoyeAniche, Afam Osigwe and Reuben Usman James. They are vying for the post of General Secretary. John Austin Unachukwu and Gbolahan Gbadamosi both past NBA Assistants Publicity Secretary and Olukunle Edun, are jostling to take over from Afam Obi, the outgoing Publicity Secretary. Others are U.F.O Nnaemeka (1st Assistant Secretary), C. C. Onwuzulike and Rafiu Balogun (Legal Adviser), Theophilus Terhile Igba,Wilson Oruma and Mas’ud Alabelewe (Welfare Secretary), Innocent Ochoga (Financial Secretary), and Mrs. Chinwe Nwadike (Treasurer). However, contestants have flagged off subtle campaigns through hand bills, pamphlets and contacts just as many believe that there would be compromises and horse-trading before Monday, July 14 elections. The contest this year is going to be on who clinch the NBA Presidency between Alegeh, Adekoya and Adesina, as the trio, who are Senior Advocates, have intimidating credentials. All are from the West zone of the NBA. While Adekoya was a former NBA 1st Vice president and Adesina a former NBA General Secretary, Alegeh is the association’s Chairman Database Committee since 2012. Alegeh , from the Midwest Bar Forum, is a Notary Public and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Although it is not clear who between the duo of Adekoya and Adesina, who are from the Southwest zone, would step down following alleged consultations going on within the ranks of their umbrella body-Egbe Amofin, the battle for the NBA’s Presidency would be tough going by their pedigree. Both contestants are no strangers in the politics of NBA. But while the Southwest is yet to anoint its candidate for the association’s top post, attention is already being shifted to Alegeh of the Midwest Bar Forum as no fewer than eighty of the association’s 109 branches had endorsed him.

Alegeh, with an intimidating profile, has been the NBA Chairman Database and Documentation of Nigerian Lawyers Committee since 2012 and the International Bar Association. Alegeh, a winner of Bola Ajibola Prize for Civil Procedure, has been a member of the Nigerian Bar Association since he was called to the Bar in 1986. His colleagues believe Alegeh deserves their votes for the post of the NBA Presidency as ‘he has been tested and found competent’. “ He has been around the association’s politics for over two decades’. Besides, they said Alegeh ‘has all it takes to move the NBA forward’. He may clinch the NBA Presidency if the ongoing schemings and consultations within the rank and file of the association, especially between the lawyers, on one hand, who are sympathetic to alleged ‘injustice’ against the Midwest Bar Forum and the past and present NBA administrators work out. Their reason: Alegeh will be best for the job given his vision of ‘Refocus, ‘Reform’ and ‘Reinvigorate’ the NBA. He is motivated by his commitment, availability, contacts and experience to vie for the NBA Presidency. He will be most useful to members of the Bar, past presidents and other NBA national officers towards achieving NBA objectives, programmes and elevating the standards of the legal profession through his welfare slogan: together we can. His wealth of experience is a greater asset to the Bar”. In a mission statement, Alegeh unveiled his plan to lead the Bar as President thus: “The reason why I am the best candidate to lead the Bar at this time is evident from a close review of the programmes contained in my manifesto. The programmes I have put forward are contemporary. They deal with the present challenges of lawyers. They don’t address the problems like politicians with promises and grandiose ideas. We have come forward with specific details and specific programmes and we have set out on how to achieve these programmes. We have taken on the welfare of lawyers and I believe that definitely a lot has to be done about the welfare of lawyers. When we take care of the welfare of our lawyers then each member will fulfil their obligations to the association as they will have a sense of belonging in the association. Each member will then be a human rights defender and rule of law proponent in their respective communities. This would ensure the obser-

10 branches, 19 others endorse Alegeh’s candidacy Foluso Ogunmodede

ARELY five days to the election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), no fewer than 75,000 lawyers from 10 branches of the association, have openly declared their support for Mr. Augustine Oyarekhua Alegeh, who is contesting the association’s top post-NBA presidency on Tuesday. Lawyers led by their chairmen, said their choice of Alegeh was unambiguous as he remains the only candidate competent to ‘promote the great ideals of the Bar’. Till date, about 70 of the 109 branches of the NBA had declared support for Alegeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Theirs came days after Joe Egwu, the Chairman of Agbor branch led his colleagues to adopt the Senior Advocate as their sole candidate for the NBA presidency. In their letter, the Agbor branch said: “We write to notify the NBA that we have resolved to support Austine Alegeh morally and with special prayers to come victorious in the election as we have unanimously adopted him as our presidential candidate”. Other branches which have openly thrown their support for Alegeh’s candidacy are the Asaba,Auchi Benin, Ekpoma, Ogwashi-Uku, Oleh, Sapele, Ughelli, Igarra and Warri. All, were unanimous that their anointed candidate was the most qualified of all the contestants. “We are satisfied that Augustine O. Alegeh is the best candidate for the NBA Presidency 2014 and we hereby adopt him as our sole candidate for the presidency of the NBA in the 2014 general election”, they said.

vance of the rule of law at all levels in our country. This must be of paramount importance to the association. I have put forward different programs. Firstly, from our Bar Practicing Fees, I propose to institute an insurance policy for lawyers. The policy would be flexible to meet the beliefs and needs of our lawyers. It would be a choice based policy where each member would be able to opt for the policy that meets his peculiar expectations. If we have 60,000 lawyers paying practicing fees and we take =N=500 from each lawyer to have a group insurance policy, it would amount to N30m yearly premium available for payment to insurance companies. If we increase the figure a little bit more, to maybe =N=1,000, it would translate to =N=60m or if we take 5% of every lawyer’s practicing fees, you can imagine what it would amount to. I give the various scenarios because I do not see the President of the NBA as a maximum ruler who sits down and decrees what he wants. If elected, I intend to sit down with the national officers, National Executive Committee, branch chairmen and with colleagues who are in insurance business to come up with a workable and acceptable plan to determine the premium that would be available for the insurance scheme. You’ll also see in my campaign that I said I am going to involve all the 109 branch chairmen and our Bar leaders in both policy formulation and policy implementation. Currently, lawyers pay between N5, 000 and N50, 000. If on the average we take N25, 000 as our base and decides to use 5% [=N=1,250] of that as our insurance premium, it would amount to about N37.5m if only 30,000 lawyers pay BPF. If we have a group insurance policy with a yearly premium of N37.5m, increasing to maybe N50m, I am sure that we’ll be able to get the best insurance policies available for lawyers. This is something that lawyers should not pay extra for. All we need is to deduct the agreed percentage from the Bar practicing fees paid by each lawyer to fund the insurance premium payment. This will also have additional benefits for the association itself as it would encourage more lawyers to pay their BPF yearly. The increase in the number of lawyers paying BPF would increase and enhance the revenue base of the association. This is because lawyers who may presently not be paying BPF would see a need to pay up in view of the added benefit of a flexible insurance policy. As the number of those paying increases, the percentage deducted from practicing fees for the insurance may even be reduced. This is something that is within our reach. As Bar Practicing Fees are paid as at March 31, we’ll know how much we are getting and we’ll know how much we’ll expend on the insurance policy that will cover our members. I am the only candidate in this election who has put forward clear identifiable practical proposals. I propose to increase the share of branches from Bar practicing fees from the present 10 per cent to 20 per cent. It is a constitutional matter and I intend to seek an amendment to the NBA Constitution to achieve this proposal. The proposal would also have a tied on proposal to allow remittance of BPF share to branches by direct debit via a standing order from the BPF account. This would ensure that the branches get their share timeously and would relieve the National Secretariat of the burden of calculating, computing and remitting the share to branches through the existing cumbersome process. CONTINUED ON PAGE25

law | news 23

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

elevation One of Nigeria's foremost commercial law firms has honoured its senior associate and expert in commercial litigation and oil and gas, Mr. Tolulope Aderemi with the rank of partner Camillus Nnaji

erchstone & Graeys, One of the leading commercial law firms in Nigeria, has announced the elevation of one of its senior associates to the rank of Partner, thus adding him as the seventh partner in the firm. He is Mr. Tolulope Aderemi, a commercial

Firm admits new partner litigator and Oil and Gas scholar. The law firm, ranked by United Kingdom-based medium, the ‘Lawyer’ Magazine as one of the few law firms in Nigeria ‘you can do business with’, conducted the selection process based on integrity and abreast with international standard, said the managing partner, Osaro Eghobamien SAN. This elevation stems out from the firm’s unique vision which had always been to build an institution with global appeal and a premium on integrity. The drive to continuously benchmark the firm’s practice against international standards, informed the

decision of the Board of Partners in June 2013 to travel with its lawyers to New Delhi, India, to convene the inaugural edition of the India- Africa Business Series, initiated by Perchstone & Graeys and held in conjunction with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Speaking during the retreat in New Delhi, Facilitator Mr. J. Sagar, challenged the firm to renew its commitment to building an institution which could exist independently of its founders; by offering ownership stake to young promising lawyers who were able to demonstrate the rare combination of creative foresight, technical expertise and

business development savvy. Eghobiamen further explained that the emergence of Aderemi was purely based on merit. According to him, the screening was done by external consultants. He said: “The Board of Partners immediately got to work, motivating and inspiring the entire team on a dynamic business and personal development drive for the next couple of months. One year later, a Partner emerges from within the ranks of the firm’s senior associates through a rigorous and transparent qualification and screening exercise, in which the Board of Partners engaged the services of

an independent external consultant who assisted to identify and single out the best talent. The decision making process proved to be far more daunting than ever anticipated as each of the candidates showed various sterling qualities, having been in the firm for not less than five years. “In the end, the Board of Partners had to settle for one who was most likely to develop new business, contribute to the firm’s profitability and add value to the firm beyond doing legal work. Now more than before, the firm it seems is strategically positioned to meet and exceed its clients’ expectations by attracting and retaining the best tal-

ent to service its clientele across diverse sectors. The message seems to be that there is no upper limit to the heights that can be attained by the firm’s lawyers in a system that rewards dynamism and, opens up a piece of the business to deserving stars.” With an enviable depth of knowledge in the Nigerian Energy Sector, Aderemi, a John Taylor graduate of the University of Aberdeen is licensed to practice as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Nigerian Supreme Court. Aderemi has been involved in high profile domestic and international Energy transactions, litigations as well as energy/construction arbitration references. He is a regular Speaker at both local and international law and commercial conferences.

‘Why I want to be NBA President’

he Nigerian Bar Association is, in my humble opinion, in a state of decline. That is the association that should protect the interests of its members. I don’t think we are doing it; and I don’t think we are doing it adequately, if at all. Many lawyers are disenchanted with the Bar association both at the branch level and the national level. If you ask any lawyer to come to branch meeting, they will ask you: ‘What is the association doing for me for me to have my daily bread? I don’t have time to come and sit in any branch meeting.’ I think this shows the level to which we have fallen. So, why I am running this election is so that we can raise the Bar, raise the Bar back to where it used to be - where a legal practitioner was respected and trusted by civil society, where when we spoke other segments of the civil society listened to us because we were always on point and on time with our interventions into what is going on. For one thing, we need to look at our internal structures within the association and change the things that have meant that our members are disenchanted. They feel they don’t have a voice, they feel they cannot participate in the affairs of the association at the national level. We must revisit the exclusion of observers from NEC. I for one will not bar observers from NEC. And the reason is simple: it is a generally unpopular decision and I for one will take steps to overturn it. We are not a secret society. Attendance at NEC meetings is an opportunity for members across the country to socialize among themselves, to network among themselves. And those who are not NEC members, who attend with their friends who are NEC members, use it as an opportunity to decide to become more involved in the administration and management of their branches, either by contesting election at branch level or at the national level. It is a breeding ground for our next set of leaders. Instructively, the presidency of the NBA is not a one-man affair; that is why the president has many other national officers to support him. That is why the president has three vice president, has a Treasurer, has a Financial Secretary, has a Welfare Secretary, has a Legal Adviser. And if everybody is allowed to do their jobs, then it is not a stressful exercise at all. The problems that we are actually seeing in the Bar association today is that

people are trying to put all the powers of all the officers in one place. That is not what it is supposed to be. So, I don’t see it as more stressful than running my law firm here where we have 60 people – 25 administrative staff and about 40-something lawyers in three different offices, one of which is even outside of Nigeria. And I was the managing partner, and I ran it successfully from the day we started for four years till 2008. So, I don’t see any difference. It’s a question of having structures in place and having procedures in place. Once the structures are in place, the staff know this is the process. If it is a disciplinary complaint, it goes to the administrative staff in the secretariat; they review it; it then goes to the Legal Adviser who looks at it and says, ok fine, take the next step. If there are procedures in place, when the disciplinary complaint comes to the secretariat, the staff know what the procedure is. So, the procedures are there, the structures are there, the process runs seamlessly. For instance, let us just take our national secretariat. We have a national secretariat that does not have an effective staff manual. Now, an effective Staff Manual covers all the things that can happen and what you should do to respond so that whoever is in-charge of Bar Services for instance will know that if there is an enquiry in respect of a particular issue, does that enquiry go to the Legal Adviser if it is a legal enquiry? Or does it go to the head of Disciplinary Committee if it is a disciplinary enquiry? Or does it go to the head of the Membership department if it is an enquiry that involves membership? So, those are the structures and procedures that we should put in place. We don’t have that type of comprehensive manual. Those are the type of structures and procedures that I am talking about. When I was the chair of the Conference Planning Committee 2009, we planned the Lagos Conference. In 2010 we planned the Kaduna Conference. We sat down and we wrote a Conference Planning Manual which indicated, by this date, this is what you need to have done; these are the letters you ought to have sent out. And we have precedents of the letters inviting the Guest speaker, inviting Session chairmen. By each date, for each month, we knew what we were supposed to do. Those are the type of processes that I am talking about. It is my view that all lawyers must embrace an ‘international’ outlook

Adekoya, SAN

as the world has become a global village. I believe that the experiences I have gained at the international level – especially at the International Bar Association (IBA) - will be useful to the developmental agenda of my own Bar association. We must as a professional body think globally and act locally. That is the only way we can raise our standards, be of good standing in the comity of our professional colleagues, and be just as relevant on issues affecting us and our nation internationally and at the domestic level. I will not make empty pledges merely to win an election. In my previous record of service to the Association I fulfilled the pledges I made when seeking the mandate. As National Treasurer, I ensured that accounts of the association were audited and presented to NEC (a tradition that continues till date), and that a statement of the current income and expenditure of the Association was presented to NEC at each meeting. As 1st Vice President, I ensured that the Stamp and Seal Project was established. That it is non-operational till date has nothing to do with failure to fulfil any pledge made. Again, in the forthcoming elections, I am putting myself out to be held accountable for any pledge that I make. I shall keep my word! That is what our noble profession enjoins us to do. It is noteworthy that some of the issues I raised in 2006 when I contested the presidency of the NBA have not been

resolved till date. I said then - as I say now - that towards its members the association has both a representative and a regulatory role to play. The association is regulating its members through the collection of practising fees and disciplinary procedures, but has still not fulfilled its representative role of providing membership benefits or even improving on and protecting the livelihood of the average lawyer. The association must be relevant to its members. If it fails to do so, if we as an association do not project that relevance, then the association is certain to become increasingly irrelevant to our professional well-being or even the nation at large. I am not a stranger to matters of leadership of the Nigerian Bar association. Irrespective of the different power blocs and shades of opinion within the Bar, victory at the polls rests wholly on the votes cast for a candidate. I believe strongly that the Agenda set out in my manifesto is what the Bar needs at this time. I have the leadership experience, exposure, candour, and above all, competence to deliver on the pledges and commitments made in my Manifesto. I am aware that the majority of the delegates and members are tired of ‘business as usual’ and there is a conscious effort by them to make the Bar better. Many NBA members have called me to pledge their support; many keep calling to urge me on. The election is the opportunity to vote as our conscience directs us, and I believe delegates will individually and corporately live up to their commitment to join me in ‘Raising the Bar!’ The assertion that the NBA is not ripe for a female president is not borne out by facts and current trends. It is mere propaganda. If the Commonwealth Lawyers Association - of which Nigerian lawyers are a substantial part - can elect a Nigerian woman as President and she distinguished herself, I cannot see the point in that assertion. In fact, there is no better time than now to elect a female NBA President to replicate at the Bar the giant strides done by the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Bench. If we are all agreed that things have to be done differently, I can tell you without equivocation that the time to elect a female NBA President is now! It’s an idea whose time has come! The best man for the job is a woman. That’s the refrain I hear everywhere I go.

24 interview

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Abar: I will help implement insurance policy

In 2010, he was elected as 1st National Assistant Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). Two years later, he clinched the association’s post of a post of a second Vice President. Stephen Terseer Abar, the outgoing NBA second Vice President is again, eyeing the post of the General Secretary in the next week election of the lawyers’ umbrella body. He tells FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE why he is seeking election for the third term in a different officeGeneral Secretary and his vision to shape the NBA through the office of General-Secretary if elected aggregate of resolutions from 109 branches, by the time we collate them, we will be able to know what the majority of the Bar have in mind. That is one of the ways we can bridge the gap. We demand participation from the branches. Some people sit back and only grumble. When you grumble you cannot achieve anything. It is not sufficient to sit down and grumble. You can achieve a lot when you participate. Let us get your documented position on an issue. If for instance, Ikeja passes a motion, and the Secretary of Ikeja branch does not support it, he cannot go to NEC and advocate his personal opinion. He is bound by his branch resolution which is the view of the majority. He cannot deviate from it. He should always come back to his branch for a review of such position. So he should be implementing the view of the majority.

Abar

How would you bridge the gap between the national office of the NBA and branches throughout the country as you said in your brochure? By the grace of God as soon as I am elected we will be bridging the gap between the national office and the local branches. With the little experience in the NBA Secretariat in the past years, I found out that the happening in the national office, largely is a reflection of what is happening in the larger society whereby the leadership is disconnected from the followership. The leadership is interested in coming to read to us economic statistics of how works are being done. But you and I know that the statistics do not tally with what is on the ground. That is exactly what happens in NBA. Most of the programmes on papers are fantastic, how would you implement them? Yes, they are fantastic. But once they are not implemented and do not soothe the immediate needs of the branches, they become very ineffective. They are as good as white elephant projects which remain dreams never realised. For instance, it doesn’t make sense to me. For me , it is anomaly for the NBA to hike up cost of registration fees for conferences. At the end of the day they declare huge profits, while subjecting the generality of members to untold hardship. Because of the high cost, some of them are not opportune to attend. You increase fees to such a high level only to come back to declare profits, profits for who? It’s not a limited liability company we are running. If it were, all we need to say is ‘come and share the dividends, so that everybody will benefit’. The question is how are the funds being managed? I can assure you that majority of members do

not know. So, it does not make sense to me. That anticipated profits, why don’t you spread it down so that every lawyer would benefit by way of reduced conference fees. This will enable majority number of lawyers to be taken to conferences. The intention may be that conferences should be able to stand on its own, self-sustaining, but then in the process, you deprive majority number of lawyers from partaking in the conferences, some of which come only once in a year. So, there is a clear disconnect. I give you an example here. During the era of J.B. Daudu, that was when this impunity was at its peak. He literally imposed it against the views and intentions of majority members of National Executive Committee (NEC). Only two branches stood up to him and told their views against the practice. This was initiated by Ikeja branch followed by Lagos branch. It took the efforts of these branches to compel the J.B. Daudu to throw the gate of international conference open. Now my position is this: If you galvanise popular views and interest and you have a large percentage of the branches involved in that process, for instance in my branch I advocated that, because I realised these two branches had sat down and passed resolutions before acting. The leadership was not just acting on its own. It was the resolution of the people. So, you are acting pursuant to the resolution. I advocated in my branch that we should follow suit. What I intend to do is simply this: When such burning issues are in the fore, the Secretariat will communicate and demand, mark my choice of words. It is deliberate. I will demand their written resolution of the issue. If you are for it, say so, if you disagree, say so. When we have an

How would you look at the lawyers’ insurance policy which has not been implemented since 2003 if elected? I mean, what mechanism do you intend to put in place to ensure the trend is reversed or things you would do to facilitate it? For me, I strongly believe that it is not sufficient for NEC to pass a resolution and proving that an MOU has been signed by a service provider and then the matter is laid to rest. The Secretariat must be at the fore-front of ensuring, just as we intend to galvanise and get popular views on every issue that affects the association. We will similarly be at the fore-front of promoting the programme. Now referring to the insurance policy you talk about, besides sending text messages within the first week, the scheme has not been promoted. I’m sure if you sample opinions of members at our branches and say, the NBA has signed an agreement for insurance policy, many of them will be surprised. They are not aware of it. You pass a message to the branches and demand the records of members that are enrolled into the scheme. More importantly, you precipitate a resolution that is my view, because as second vice-president, I am also chairman of welfare committee of NBA. Our recommendation to this present executive was that rather than wait for the month of January to March, sending bulk SMS

By the grace of God as soon as I am elected we will be bridging the gap between the national office and the local branches

to members that they should pay their practicing fees as at when due, failure of which amounts to official misconduct, why don’t you take out of about N400 million you rake in as practising fees and pay upfront their premium for this insurance policy and simply inform members by same bulk SMS that whoever pays his practising fees on or before 31 day of March that is the cut off day, is automatically covered. I think people will be motivated more if they appreciate the benefits they stand to derive from the process. This is because you belong to an association because of the benefits you stand to gain. For most members, their connection with the NBA starts and end with payment of their practising fees. They don’t know how else it affects their lives. When you pay from what you’ve already gathered and send the same bulk SMS to every member that if you pay your practising fees as at when due, you are already covered by the policy, I’m sure you will have a larger percentage of members coming to pay their practising fees so that they take benefit of that insurance policy. I don’t know about some cosmopolitan branch like Lagos, but where I come from, Jos which is a rural branch and endangered economy, when we lose a colleague, it is difficult for us to raise N100,000 to N150,000 to support the family. But if we have an insurance policy in the event of such occurrence, and somebody is covered with a minimum of N2 million, you can imagine how happy and interested members would be to pay their practising fees. If you increase practising fees, they will not complain because they know that the benefit will still come back to them. We will not make things too rigid, we will make it open. On every issue we feel so passionate about we will originate it from the president, copy every member of NEC which of course includes representatives of the branches and also require their resolution on the issue. If they shoot it down, all well and good. If they vote for it, then we have their support to drive it. Any association that cannot protect or take care of its members does not worth its name. See Okada riders association, they seek to protect their members, knock down one of them and see what others would do. Unfortunately, presently, NBA does not seem to care for its members, short of collecting from us practising fees like tax collectors. It ends like that. This is what we intend to stop by the grace of God to reverse the trend. We don’t intend to accomplish this alone. We organise the branches to support us. These are things I know that they’ve been agitating for. But there has been no organised process to bring up these agitations.

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

FIDA honours Udeme Ufot, Agbakoba, Lagos CJ, others honours

Adekoya, a former NBA president and the outgoing Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips were the cynosure of all eyes as they bagged FIDA award

ore honours came the way of the leading aspirant for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidency, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN as lawyers under the aegis of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), honoured the foremost female lawyer with a distinguished service award. The occasion which climaxed the week-long 50th anniversary celebration by FIDA, Lagos, was held at the prestigious Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Lagos. It was attended by the cream of nation’s legal profession and the judiciary who came to felicitate with Adekoya and the other awardees. Others who bagged the coveted awards are the outgoing Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, a former NBA President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN),

L-R: Justice Funmilayo Atilade, the outgoing Lagos CJ, Justice Ayotunde Philips and Governor Babatunde Fashola during the workshop organised by the State Justice Ministry on Delay in Justice Administration...recently

foremost arbitrator, Mrs. Dorothy Udeme Ofot (SAN) and a renowned entrepreneur, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika. Also honured include a former executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, a Lagos State House of Assembly member, Mrs. Funmi Tejuosho, and a rights activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin. Chaired by the second Nigerian FIDA International President, Mrs. Stella Ugboma, the awards were billed to

Adekoya, who joined FIDA member in 1977, became a Life Member in 1982. However, Mrs. Ugboma commended Adekoya and other awardees for their ‘exemplary leadership’ and contributions to the growth of FIDA in Nigeria, saying that their public spirited gestures had not gone unnoticed. Speaking earlier, the Awards and Dinner Committee Chair, Mrs. Mandy Asagba extolled Adekoya’s virtues, saying she was confident that the former NBA 1st

vice president would do the women proud in her quest to lead the NBA. Adekoya in an address, said she was humbled by the honour done her, urging lawyers to commit more to the fight towards the protection of human rights and the elimination of poverty and injustice in the country. Adekoya, who is the only female aspirant among the five presidential hopefuls vying for the NBA presidency, was a two-time NBA national treasurer and 1st vice president.

nba election

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

I intend to seek constitutional amendment to enable us have electronic voting at our NBA national elections with the hope that same will eventually apply to NBA branches. The concept of travelling to the Delegates Conference to vote in July when you will also need to travel for AGC in August is burdensome. Given the security challenges in the country, we should avoid doing things that will make us gather in large numbers. I don’t think we should expose ourselves to security hazards unnecessarily. We need to be security conscious. Moreover, we cannot be an association in a digital age and cannot take advantage of digital solutions at our fingertips. Electronic voting is at our fingertips and we can no longer avoid it. If you understand the cost of elections to the NBA, you will realise that we can no longer do without electronic voting. Let’s assume that the National Secretariat will provide accommodation for three delegates per branch. 109 branches multiply by three, will give you 327 rooms for two nights. If we estimate the average cost of a hotel room in Abuja to be N15, 000, it will cost about N9.8m on accommodation alone. These same people can in the comfort of their homes vote electronically. If you don’t like that, they can go to the Bar Centre, or at their Bar meeting they log on to a laptop and vote. Each delegate of the branch can vote in the branch as the branch can set up laptops and do secret balloting in the branch instead of travelling to vote. That would save the cost of accommodation for the association. Let’s talk about transportation of 327 people traveling to Abuja on an average of N40, 000. Lawyers will have to come from Sokoto, Badagry, Maiduguri and all over the country and some will have to risk driving through Boko Ha-

honour those who had immensely contributed to the work of the prorights group in the last 50 years. FIDA is a voluntary, non-profit association of women lawyers who deploy their time and resources to combat poverty, injustice and rights abuse. Aside from Adekoya’s citation which attracted intermittent applause, the legal icon also received a customized golden plaque for her long standing efforts in promoting FIDA’s objectives.

35 eye NBA posts

Akintola, SAN

ram infested areas to come and vote. The cost of transportation alone would be in the region of N13m and this is money we can save. This money that we can plough back into continuing legal education, money we can plough back into annual general conference. So, if we make all these savings, my definite promise is to have reduced affordable conference fees. Everything ties to each other. I want to make this point that service to an association must be selfless service, but that service must

also come with clear cut ideas that will bring positive change. I have read all the manifestoes and I challenge you to read all of them. You will be satisfied that the only clear cut ideas are those that I offer and I have clear ideas of how to implement them. As for Adesina and Adekoya, Alegeh’s main challengers, their visions for the NBA have taken to all the nooks and crannies of the association as they wind up their campaigns. For instance, Adesina said he was the candidate to beat as the association requires selfless and vision-driven leadership. He said: "As a deliberate policy of corporate governance, my administration shall be based on full democracy, consultation, openness, transparency and accountability. "The presidency will be primarily concerned with the formulation and execution of policies and pursuit of duties that will enhance the relevance of NBA to its members, the legal profession, the supremacy of the rule of law and the nation. "I shall put in place an institutional framework for budgeting, accounting and hiring of staff. "My leadership shall develop a strategic welfare plan that will provide a comprehensive group life insurance policy for Nigerian lawyers; old or young, junior or senior. "The NBA will also undertake several incentives to create more job opportunities for lawyers, such as restriction of range of documentation by non-lawyers,

NBA Elections are billed to take place in Abuja on July 14 and 15. In a welcome address, FIDA Lagos Chair, Mrs. Eliana Martins said that the 50th anniversary celebrations commenced with a grand opening ceremony at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), with Adekoya as keynote speaker and presiding justice of the Court of Appeal Lagos, Justice Amina Augie as chairperson. She said that FIDA Lagos, also held an essay competition and debate as well as a visit to Kirikiri Prisons to counsel inmates on good behavior and life after incarceration. Besides, FIDA members organized legal clinics to offer free legal advice to indigent Nigerians, while they visited the FIDA Ward at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and a school outreach to counsel students on the dangers of engaging in vices. FIDA Nigeria was founded in 1964. It strives to empower women with skills and engages in advocacy against discriminatory succession rights and domestic violence while providing temporary shelter for battered women and promoting economic inclusion and access to justice.

use of foreign lawyers in Nigeria, as well as legal practice in ECOWAS region". Apparently harping on his experience as s former secretary of the Bar, Adesina declared that he remains the best candidate for the job and dismiss allegations that the South West is maginalising the Mid-West Bar Forum in the slot allotted to them as there was an understanding between the West and the Mid-West that the West should take the slot this time around, but regretted that the vaulting ambition of one man is working to scuttle the deal. While Adekoya said: “In my humble opinion, the Bar association is in a state of decline; that is, the association that should protect the interests of its members. I don’t think we are doing it; and I don’t think we are doing it adequately, if at all. “Many lawyers are disenchanted with the Bar association both at the branch level and the national level. If you ask any lawyer to come to branch meeting, he will ask you: ‘What is the association doing for me for me to have my daily bread? I don’t have time to come and sit in any branch meeting.’ I think this shows the level to which we have fallen. So, why I am running this election is so that we can raise the Bar, raise the Bar back to where it used to be - where a legal practitioner was respected and trusted by civil society, where when we spoke other segments of the civil society listened to us because we were always on point and on time with our interventions into what is going on. “I think that for one thing, we need to look at our internal structures within the association and change the things that have meant that our members are disenchanted. They feel they don’t have a voice, they feel they cannot participate in the affairs of the association at the national level”.

26 LAW | FILE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

*Dr. Oghenesivbe, is a member Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (M.NIIA), a political and socio-economic analyst.

FredLatimore Oghenesivbe

Caveat emptor and the need for pre-contract investigation in sale of land CON T INU ED F R O M LA S T W EEK

t is a legal truism that contract of sale of land is in five stages namely; the pre-contract stage (negotiation and pre-contract inquiries), contract stage (preparation of agreement and signing of contract of sale agreement), post-contract stage (legal drafting of Deed), Completion stage (execution of conveyance) and Governor’s consent. Due to the technicality involved in searches, investigation and legal drafting it is strongly recommended that a purchaser should engage the services of a solicitor from the very beginning in the transaction. Involving a solicitor at the middle or final stages of the contract of sale of land can be very costly. Void the use of quack estate agents who merely dub agreements that may not necessarily fit into the legal technicalities needed to protect your transaction because every property transaction has its own exclusive merits and demerits. Once there is dispute in the property purchased, the weak agreement executed by the quack agent may mess up your case in Court. Avoid using quacks, engage the services of a solicitor. There are several cases of land disputes in the courts across the country owing to the fact that some buyers fail to involve a solicitor and allow the vendor to dominate the transaction. It is also recommended that the purchaser should engage the services of a separate lawyer from that of the seller. But where one solicitor act for both parties he or she must ensure that the title is sound, the terms are unambiguous and agreed upon and solicitor should not have personal interest in the property. The court held in Smith v. Mansi (1962) that were the same solicitor acts for both parties (the vendor and the vendee), he has to first obtain all the facts about the property from the vendor and to give all information at his disposal concerning the property to the vendee (the purchaser) and obtain a written confirmation of the acceptance of the terms of offer from the purchaser before drafting the contract of sale agreement. The solicitor when acting for both parties is to ensure that money paid in the transaction goes to the right person such that if the contract is successful he pays money to the seller and if transaction hit the rocks money is given back to the purchaser. In this case, the solicitor owes fiduciary relationship to both parties ensuring that no one looses in the transaction. From the above explanation it can be seen that contract of sale of land is the first step in the process of transferring interest and title in land for valuable consideration. The existence and validity of a contract for sale of land depend upon ordinary rules of contract. The parties must have capacities to contract; there must be an offer, an acceptance, a consideration and intention by the parties to enter into a legally binding relationship. The contract for the sale of land is regulated by common law, the general principles of equity and customary law

It is safe to assert that for the purchaser to get a good title, he or she should engage the services of a solicitor, to conduct searches and investigation on the property as well as applicable statute and laws of various states of the federation. It is recommended that parties to a contract of sale of land should adopt the formal contract principle which sets out the rights and duties of the parties. It generally limits the application of implied terms and clearly introduces some assurance to conveyancing matter, it crystallizes the positions of the parties, the contract can be used to circumvent implied covenants or even create restrictions in the use of the land, it complies with the requirements of section 4 of the Statute of Fraud which requires that for an agreement for sale of land to be enforceable by an action in court, it must be evidenced by a sufficient note or memorandum in writing signed by the parties to be bound or his agent lawfully authorized which is why pre-contract searches and investigation is necessary to determine whether or not the purchaser is prepared to execute a contract of sale. In a formal contract for the sale of land duly executed, the death of either party would no longer affect the contract because the vendor’s estate, his executors, heirs and legal representatives are lawfully bound by the terms and conditions of the contract. Also, the purchaser acquires an immediate equitable interest in the property upon possession pending transfer of legal interest by the vendor through a deed of transfer or assignment with Governor’s consent. In conclusion therefore, it is safe to assert that for the purchaser to get a good title, he or she should engage the services of a solicitor, to conduct searches and investigation on the property so as to ensure that the purchaser is not buying a property that is defective. The pre-contract stage therefore is one of the crucial stages in the process of acquiring property because it affords the purchaser the unique opportunity to know through the diligent searches carried out by his solicitor whether or not he is buying a good and valid title. To buy a law suit simply means that a buyer fails to do searches on the property and it turned out that the vendor had no capacity to sell. The vendee only discovered at the post-completion stage that he transacted with the wrong party. Of course, in family land, if a purchaser deals with other principal members of the family without the consent of the family head, is void ab initio. Therefore, your solicitor is to use his professional expertise to do the searches and draft a legal document that will protect your interest in the entire transaction. Ignoring the pre-contract stage in sale of land contract can be very costly. Avoid it.

Adekoya: Golden Girl of Nigerian Bar CO N T I N U E D F R O M L A S T WEEK

Umar Abdulkadir

ithin the International Bar Association (IBA), Funke belongs to the Legal Practice Division, the Public and Professional Interest Division and is also an advisory board member of the IBA's African Regional Forum as well as an officer of its Bar Issues Commission. Funke is a Life Member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers. She has been an active member of the NBA both at the branch and national levels, having served in various roles since 1979 at a time she was only four years at the Bar. She was drafted into the National Executive Committee as the First Assistant National Secretary. Between 1979 and 1980, she assisted the then General Secretary, Chief Idowu Sofola (SAN) with secretarial duties. She then served as Secretary of NBA Lagos Branch between 1984 and 1986. Since then she has been a member of the NBA NEC. Funke served as National Treasurer between 1990 and 1991 and then won a hotly contested election for a second term. Since 1998 when the NBA was revived as a national association, Funke has been called upon to serve gratis in every succeeding administration. She has variously been member of the NBA Disciplinary Committee for Lagos Zone; member representing the NBA at the Body of Benchers; member, National Judiciary Committee; Chair, National Human Rights Committee; initiator of the Stamp and Seal programme aimed at weeding out fake lawyers; member of the committee set up to draft Bye-Laws for then new NBA sections; Chair of the Committee that organised a Stakeholders Summit on the State of the Legal Profession in Nigeria, and Chair of the Section on Legal Practice (SLP). She was again appointed chair of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) Legal Education Review Committee; Chair of the Conference Planning Committee charged with organising the 2009 and 2010 Annual Bar Conferences, member of the Committee that reviewed the then proposed amendments to the Legal Practitioners Act, and Chair of the Branch Capacity Building Committee under the Wali Presidency. The most endearing aspect is Funke’s clarity of thought and purpose in her quest to lead the NBA. The only female among the five aspirants vying for the Presidency of the NBA, Funke has marshaled out a 3-point Agenda which seeks to address the ills plaguing the Bar Association, focusing on Human Resource Development, Organisational Development, as well as Institutional and Legal Framework Development. In tackling the Human Resource gap, she plans to confront those who encroach on the work of lawyers in order to reclaim our workspace, upgrade our skills training process, promote the use of lawyers by and within the community, establish a mentoring scheme, develop and circulate training manuals and “Best Practice Notes” on professional and ethical issues, and deliver Continuing Legal Education through video CDs and online training methods/webinars. On Organizational Development, the renowned litigator will secure an increase in branch subvention from practicing fees from 10% to 20% of practicing fees - payable by 1st June of each year, and ensure that financial advisers are appointed to invest any surplus financial resources. Described by many as ‘Madam Integrity,’ Funke is a stickler for excellence. She has been described recently as a caring wife, a doting mother and grand-mother, a quintessential arbitrator, a consummate litigator, a passionate Bar activist, and a jurist of the finest refinement. *Abdulkadir is a lawyer and public analyst

Young Lawyer's Forum

For young lawyers, especially ‘new wigs,’ appearing before a judge for the first time can be daunting. A shaky voice; clenched fists; pounding heart; dry mouth – these are some signs of the anxiety that can throw a new lawyer off-balance, and possibly lead to awkward or embarrassing moments in court.

‘I goofed on my first day in court’

Olunlade

eji Olunlade, an Abuja-based lawyer Dafter recalled his first day in court shortly he was called to Bar and said he

‘goofed’. He told New Telegraph this way: “I was a Corps member attached to a Senior Counsel in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice. My Senior Counsel called me very early in the morning to travel to Ogbomoso for a matter coming up before Hon. Justice Adegbola. I was excited as I enjoyed being in court at all times but unfortunately, five files were handed over to me by my Principal and I was supposed to request for an adjournment in all the five cases for one reason or the other, ranging from my principal being personally interested in the matter, awaiting legal advice or for some other reasons. When I got to court, the first case called out of the five cases was a bail application that had not been heard for about three months and delayed at our instance; I announced appearance and confidently informed the court that we were awaiting legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution’s office. I was shocked when the courtroom full of senior lawyers exclaimed that legal advice was not so necessary in bail applications as it was usually within the purview of the counsel handling the matter. I was tongue tied as I didn’t know any other excuse to give the court. The Judge finally asked, ‘Mr. Olunlade, I take it that you are not prepared for any of your cases before me’, I had to reply mumbling excuses that I was given the files that morning and could not tangibly proceed with any. Then the judge got furious and uttered these words ‘Mr. Olunlade, please stand up. I hope you understand that the legal practice is not about wearing fine suits to court,It requires your time and effort. Even if you are a young counsel and your Principal sends you a file late to you, tell him you cannot go for a case you are ill prepared for. Furthermore, it is not unheard of, when you get to the courtroom, you can ask the court clerks for advice on how to prosecute your case at least they still understand much more than some lawyers. Please do not bring your surname into disrepute, I know a brilliant lawyer from your family’. I literally prayed the ground to open and swallow me then, I tried to respond and he only said` do you know it is unethical for you to speak while I’m still addressing you, otherwise I will cite you for professional misconduct”. Tears welled up in my eyes as I humbly and shamefully took my seat. After the court session, many lawyers approached me to offer consolatory words and tried to make me feel better understanding the predicament of a young lawyer thrust into the courtroom without adequate instructions from the principal. My redeeming feature came days later when I appeared in respect of another argument before the same Justice Adegbola and delivered my argument brilliantly, he thereafter said I could see you have improved a lot since our last encounter. Keep it up. I was elated.

HEALTH THURSday, JULY 10, 2014

lagos Heart Centre: 27 a check on medical tourism

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/health

}p-24 appolonia adeyemi appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline.com appoloniaadeyemi@gmail.com

Hygiene intervention key to achieving MDGs With the provision of safe water and good sanitation practices in households and communities, infections including diarrhoea and other diseases can be prevented, cutting down deaths among under five and others, writes APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

rom 5.30a.m when Mr. Oluwadare Cooker woke up to lead his family in early morning devotion in his home and up till about 1p.m when he proceeded to observe his lunch break in his office in Victoria Island, Lagos, he has used the toilet six times - twice to defecate and at other times to urinate. Considering the nature of humans, he will use toilet facility many more times before the close of the day's business and finally before dusk. On the two occasions Cooker passed faeces in the toilet, he took time to wash his hands with soap before exiting to continue with other domestic chores at home. On getting to his office environment however where he had no control over the provision of water and toilet facilities such as soaps, he did not bother to wash his hands because there is usually no water there. Curiously, thereafter, he uses the same unwashed hands for other routine activities including writing and sometimes, eating. This comes with risks of infections and diseases that can lead to death. On the contrary, according to UNICEF, scientific and research-based evidence has shown that very low cost intervention such as promoting hygiene including hand-washing with soap can prevent infections, saving the lives of children, mothers and entire population. One of the major diseases associated with inadequate hygiene is diarrhoea, a killer disease. UNICEF data shows that of the estimated 1.8 million people dying each year in Nigeria, 90 percent are children under five (U-5) years of age. If diarrhoea and some other illnesses can be addressed with hygiene, it will help in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 which is the reduction child mortality. Diarrhoea which can afflict children and adults, is the condition of having at least three loose or liquid bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. The most common cause of diarrhoea is an infection of the intestines due to a virus, bacteria, or parasite, a condition known as gastroenteritis. Diarrhoea is the cause of four billion cases of illnesses worldwide

HYGIENE CODE l Safe disposal of faeces including that of children (using toilet or latrine is the best way) l Proper hand-washing at appropriate times (washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using toilet, before touching food and before feeding children) l Proper storage of water and food l Safe disposal of household garbage.

Handwashing with soap is a lifestyle choice PHOTO www.magforwomen.com

resulting in school absenteesm, lost work days, among others. Scientific evidence has shown that inadequate water, poor sanitation and hygiene contribute to 88 percent of the illnesses. If simple intervention of hygiene promotion can reduce illnesses and deaths, it then becomes pertinent to know what hygiene is. According to medical experts, hygiene is the process of keeping oneself and one's surrounding clean especially in order to prevent illnesses or the spread of diseases. Hygiene promotion seeks to maintain the safety of water from source to point of use; to ensure safe use of toilet facilities; to prevent the spread of diseases and to entrench aesthetics and dignity. Confirming the role of good hygiene practices in curbing diarrhoea during a recent workshop in Enugu, Charles Nzuki, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF- Enugu, said, “No child should die because of diarrhoea and that is why sanitation and hygiene programmes are quite critical.These are very cost-effective interventions which every household can put in place. These are roles that communities need to play and that is why we need to educate them on some of the very basic things they can do on their own because it will prevent cases of diarrhoea. On specific things that can be done to promote hygiene, Nzuki said, “Just ensuring that the environment is clean; that there is proper disposal of excreta (faeces), and ensuring that there is no open defecation; and the

washing of all the utensils used for cooking. These will reduce cases of diarrhoea. Speaking on challenges hindering good hygiene practices among Nigerians, he said they are issues around cultural practices and social norms but affirmed that effective communication and engaging communities to participate in these developments will make a lot of difference. While stressing that communities that are being educated about these processes be carried along for the processes to succeed, Nzuki said, “It is important that the people own the process” According to him, engaging communities in the past has shown that they have ideas of how the processes can work and how sanitation interventions can be addressed. However, he stressed that hygiene promotion messages must be very clear.

If they wash their hands effectively with soap and water or ash if they do not have soap, they can reduce drastically the incidences of illness and the expenditure on medication

Furthermore, the chief of Field Office, UNICEF- Enugu said UNICEF is supporting the federal government development agenda. That is why we demonstrate the role of UNICEF in terms of contributing to some of those pillars which are clearly defined in Vision 20 20 20. It is around education and protection, adding that the most important thing is that UNICEF is working with the government closely, the civil society organisations and development partners within the framework of development agenda and that is why it is supporting government to achieve its development agenda. He lamented at the high level of open defecation practice (ODP) in the country. As at 2012, a World Bank Report stated that over 32 million Nigerians had no means of defecation and as such pass faeces in the open. By 2014, that figure has increased to 39 million according to 2014 data issued jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF. Highlighting the Economic Impact of poor sanitation, the World Bank found that majority of these costs to production come from annual premature deaths including U-5 due to diarrhoea disease. Other significant cost was productivity losses from poor sanitation and the time lost through the practice of open defecation. Also explaining the importance of Nigerians ending open defecation practice, Nzuki said it is about clean environment and sanitation. C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 2 3

28 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Ghana: West Africa gets cancer care facility with Dr. Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe

ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

Safe sex, key to check STDs (2)

L L-R: Dr. Wale Alabi, CEO Global Health & Projects; Moses Braimah, Communication Strategist; Dr. Clement E. Edusa, SGMC Radiation Oncologist; Korkor Agboka, SGMC PR/Marketing Director; Joshua K. Tetteh, SGMC CEO at the press briefing on the establishment of a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility at the Accra based Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, held in Accra, Ghana

ONCOLOGY Care access in close proximity with patients

n a bid to ease access to the management and treatment of cancer in the West African subregion, a group of Swedish and Ghanaian investors has established and run a world class innovative cancer care facility in Accra, Ghana. The facility known as the Sweden-Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC) has come in time to help solve the region’s need for private oncology services. Speaking on this initiative, Joshua Tetteh, Chief Executive Officer of SGMC said, “to run an infrastructure like cancer centre, you need 24-hour power supply, an enabling environment, the atomic energy permission and other support structures because cancer treatment requires a lot of efforts and logistics”. Statistics show that most cancer patients from Nigeria and other countries in the west African sub-region go to India, Egypt and Turkey to access treatment. A minimum of 500 to 1,000 patients leave for India every month and that cost translates to about $2 million monthly. “SGMC is well equipped with a modern 3-D planning system. Our cancer care involves linear accelerator, medical oncology with outpatient chemotherapy suite and diagnostic services. We have medical experts from Nigeria, Ghana, Sweden, Britain and Australia,” Tetteh confirmed. The strategic location of Accra ensures easy access to SGMC. It is about an hour from Lagos by air to Accra and

SGMC is well equipped with a modern 3-D planning system. Our cancer care involves linear accelerator, medical oncology with out-patient chemotherapy suite and diagnostic services. We have medical experts from Nigeria, Ghana, Sweden, Britain and Australia there is no visa restriction. Investigations have also revealed that the facility pricing is very competitive compared to others in order parts of the world. Dr. Clement Edusa, medical oncologist of SGMC revealed that in the last two years, the SGMC has handled over 1,004 patients most of which are palliative cases. “We get a lot of late cases which cannot be cured but just managed to reduce the pain. Seven out of 10 are late. Cancer cases that present early can be cured.” Edusa called for increased awareness and early diagnosis in order to detect the cancerous cells quickly. He also revealed that SGMC patients outside Ghana are mostly from Burkina Faso, Togo, Sierra leone and Nigeria. “In order to reduce cost of treatment, the governments of Burkin Faso and Togo have reached an agreement with us to support their citizens using our facility. We also run a microinsurance programme that enables the 185,000 members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) send any of their members plus one family member or relative with such ailment for free treatment”. Available records shows that about 95 of the teachers have benefited from the scheme in the past nine months.

How the scheme works GNAT pays SwedenGhana Cancer Foundation a lump of about $34,000 every month for the first one year to cover all members, while each member pays about 34 cents every month. Though treatment is totally free, all types of cancer diagnosis are to be paid for by individuals at a highly discounted rate. Jens Engelson, SGMC Medical Director/Consultant in Radiation Oncology said, “Nigerians can train at our facility by writing through the medical institutions where they work”. Engelson believes that apart from lifestyle wh i ch has changed in the last few years, one of the major reason for upsurge in cancer diseases is increased awareness which has also made more people to be diagnosed of cancer. He also faulted most of the statistics been bandied around as been inaccurate. “Most of these cases are already there. We just did not have a proper system in place were these case are captured and reported. Also, the level of awareness and diagnosis has improved tremendously in the last few years.” Furthermore, he said the SGMC also provide care for general medical issues.

ast week, Dr. UkoNdukwe published an article on sexuallytransmitted diseases (STDs) and their severe impact on affected persons as well as on newborns that contract them from their pregnant mothers. Here is the concluding part of the write up. PRIMARY GENITAL HERPES is caused by a virus called herpes simplex herpes 1 and 2 (HSV1&2). While HSV 1 causes cold sores, fever blisters on the lips with high fever, it is not as complicated as HSV 2 but with an oral to genital sexual contact, can be as complicated. It develops as a multiple fluid filled blisters in groups, like crops of seed, can burst open, crust and come together to form a wound. Similarly, it can be very painful. Sometimes, the crusted wound deepens in the middle. Also, it can disappear and reappear at a later time, going though same process, It is sexually transmitted. The first sign of an infection might be in the form of fever, headache, body weakness, pain and discomfort around the groin areas before the ulcer forms. The clusters of blisters might be found around the genital areas - on the buttocks, upper thighs, on and surrounding the vagina or penis. It can take four to five days after infection for rashes/ blisters to show up. HSV 1 is not curable but the frequency and degree of flare ups can be controlled with anti-viral medications and avoidance of multiple sex partners. Some of the complications of HSV 1 are meningitis, problems urinating, and destruction of the liver and self infection in other parts of the body by scratching, the fluid filled blister and touching another part of the body. If a pregnant woman develops an active outbreak of HSV 1 during pregnancy, a

Impact of STD on the back

cesarean section is recommended to avoid passing it to the newborn during delivery. GENITAL WARTS is caused by a virus called HUMAN PAPPILOMA VIRUS ( HPV) which has different types. Types 6 and 11 are more common and easier to manage while types 16,18,31,33 are more aggressive and have been linked to the main cause of cervical and anal cancer. There is a direct association with cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, oral and throat cancers. Genital warts affect 15 to 40 percent of sexually active adults. Penile warts can be transferred to the cervix during sex 50 percent of the time. It shows as a flesh colored extra growth lesions or like a skin tag on

A case of chancre-penile

the vagina/or penis and surrounding area. It is very contagious and can be spread from skin to skin, even to the anus. When it manifests, it looks like small soft, moist fleshy flower-like bumps. Affected persons can have one or more bumps. In women, the warts usually occur in and around the vagina and in men it is less common but can be seen on tip of the penis. Similarly, it can be transmitted during oral or vaginal sex. They may or may not disappear on their own but when they do, they stay in the body even after treatment and will always come back. It can be prevented by giving the HPV vaccine to young adults ages 12 to 26

If a pregnant woman develops an active outbreak of HSV 1 during pregnancy, a cesarean section is recommended to avoid passing it to the newborn during delivery

Effect of anal warts around genital area

in three doses and a regular pap smear every two years. Over 21 sexually active women will be able to have early detection of the virus and be aggressively managed before it develops into active cancer. When it is just a bump in its early stages, freezing or cutting it off by your doctor is the first line of treatment, and some creams and ointment can also be used. If it has gone into the cervix, which is normally discovered during a pap smear, a more aggressive treatment called colposcopy can be used but the key point is early detection and safe sex.. SYPHILIS is caused by a contagious bacterium called spirochete treponema pallidum which is sexually transmitted, although it can also be transmitted from the mother to the unborn child while in the womb. Syphilis is more common in homosexuals, and in men. There are four main stages in syphilis primary, secondary, latent and tertiary syphilis and it requires a high index of suspicions because it can come in various presentations and has been more rampant in the last 10 years mostly since the advent of the HIV epidemic. It can also have a very delayed onset with the painless sore called chancre (primary) lesions, typically it is initially manifested with a single painless sore which may go unnoticed and heals without treatment (primary). If left untreated, might reappear in the form of a skin rash (secondary) seen on the palms and soles of the feet. It is non itchy and stays there for a while, goes away, and may stay in one’s system for as long as 10 to 20 years. By then, it has slowly affected most of the body organs and may show up with heart damage, psychiatric problems, more rashes, and this time looking more like an open wound and more difficult to treat. The sores caused by syphilis makes it easier to transmit HIV during sex.

HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

omen who have caesarean sections (c-section) are 14 percent more likely to have a stillbirth in future than those giving birth naturally, according to researchers. Also, c-sections raised the chance of an ectopic pregnancy by nine percent, according to a study of more than 800,000 Danish first-time mothers. Prof. Louise Kenny of University College Cork described the risks as "very low". Performing 3,000 caesareans would

sing key tracer molecules, researchers have been able to hunt down elusive cells in the eye capable of regeneration and repair. They transplanted these regenerative stem cells into mice - creating fully functioning corneas. Writing in the journal Nature, they say this method may one day help restore the sight of victims of burns and chemical injuries. Limbal stem cells (LSC) are crucial for healthy eyesight - these cells work to maintain, repair and completely renew our corneas every few weeks. Without them the cornea - the transparent outermost layer of the eye would become cloudy and our vision disrupted. A deficiency of these cells due to disease or damage through injury to the eye are among the commonest reasons behind blindness worldwide. But the cells have so far been extremely difficult to identify, buried in a matrix of other structures in the limbal part of the eye - the junction between the cornea and the white of the eye (the sclera).

C-section ‘linked to stillbirth' lead to one extra stillbirth in a subsequent pregnancy, she said. "Although these are rare outcomes, they are devastating for parents and healthcare providers," Prof Kenny said. Any stillbirth is a stillbirth too many but the absolute risk is very small indeed” "Therefore, we would advise women to avoid requesting a caesarean section when there is no medical in-

dication to do so." Dr. Patrick O'Brien of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the findings were "reassuring." "It is quite reassuring that any increased risk of stillbirth in a subsequent pregnancy is very small indeed," he said. "Any stillbirth is a stillbirth too many but the absolute risk is very

Scientists use stem cells to regenerate human corneas

Cornea

Now scientists from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System have identified a key tracer molecule - known as ABCB5 - naturally present on the surface of limbal stem cells. Though ABCB5 has been known about for some time in other parts

C O N T I N U E D from PA G E 2 1

“If there is clean environment at the household level and even at school as well, children are not going to contract diarrhoea. It is necessary to communicate the message that there is a clear relationship between sanitation and hygiene at the household level and at school level as well. According to the UNICEF chief, there is no mother that wants her child to die. “Hence, if you link that relationship between diarrhoea and the number of the status of sanitation at the household and at the school level, there will be commitment at communities and there will be no open defecation.” To achieve success in this advocacy, mothers, fathers and others stakeholders should note that the most critical times to practice the hygiene code are: ensuring safe disposal of faeces including that of children, using toilet or latrine is the best way; ensuring proper hand-washing at appropriate times – washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using toilet, before touching food and before feeding children; ensuring proper storage of water and food; and ensuring safe disposal of household garbage. Going by this critical message, Cooker whose toilet practice is highlighted at the start of this report, should be not just be worried that

PHOTO:www.medicaltourismco.com

of the body, this is the first time it has been spotted on LSCs, helping to single out these elusive cells. Researchers have been able to tag these cells with fluorescent molecular flags. In their study, the scientists used this tagging technique to instantly identify a pool of LSCs on donated human corneas. After being transplanted to mice, these cells were

able to generate fully functioning human corneas. Prof Markus Frank, of Boston Children's Hospital, a lead author in the research said. The main significance for human disease is we have established a molecularly defined population of cells that we can extract from donor tissue. "And these cells have the remarkable ability to self-regenerate. We hope to drive this research forward so this can be used as a therapy." Harminder Dua, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Nottingham, who was not involved in this study, said: "This paper represents a very comprehensive and well conducted piece of work that takes use closer to the precise identification of stem cells. "Applying this knowledge to a clinical setting could help improve the outcomes for patients who need corneal reconstruction."

small indeed." The study, published in 'PLOS Medicine,' is one of the largest so far to look at links between c-sections and stillbirth. The study analysed data from 832,996 women from Danish national registers. There are about 4,000 stillbirths every year in the UK and one in 200 pregnancies ends in stillbirth.

Mobile authentic service: NAFDAC begins enforcement

ational Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has commenced enforcement of the deadline for implementation of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) by pharmaceutical companies nationwide. The enforcement operation which started last week in Abuja under the auspices of the Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate of NAFDAC was geared towards mopping up from circulation all anti-malarial and anti-biotic medicines that do not carry on their labels, the MAS scratch and text authentication codes introduced in 2010 by the Agency to save consumers from the menace of fake drugs. Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii has vowed that there was no going back on enforcement of compliance with the MAS deadline which has previously been shifted twice in the last three years due

to plea for more time by segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Orhii said NAFDAC has the full support of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu to enforce implementation of the service in a bid to eradicate counterfeit drugs in the country. He disclosed that firm instruction has been given to all NAFDAC offices across the country to go round various pharmaceutical outlets to enforce compliance as deadline is irreversible and sacrosanct. "The scratch and text service (MAS) has put the power of detecting counterfeit drugs in the hands of over 100 million mobile phone users in the country," he added. Orhii stated that the international community is full of commendation for Nigeria for pioneering the use of cutting-edge technologies in combating counterfeit medicines.

Hygiene intervention key to achieve MDGs there is no water and soap to wash hands with after using the toilet in his office. He as well as other affected persons using toilets should endevour to get water and soap or ashes and wash their hands properly after using the toilet, according to the UNICEF.

Speaking further, Nzuki said if there is a clear evidence that with proper sanitation and hygiene, we are able to prevent up to 17 percent of the number of U-5 children that we are losing because of diarrhoea. That will make a big contribution in

L-R: UNICEF WASH Specialist, Amose Chitonde Kudzala; Communication Officer (Media), UNICEF- Enugu, Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe; Chief of Field Office, UNICEF- Enugu, Charles Nzuki; WASH Specialist, UNICEF, Job Ominyi; and WASH Specialist, UNICEF-Enugu, Saando Anom at the workshop on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Enugu last week

terms of reduction of child mortality. Consequently, he stressed that the messages should be communicated to mothers, fathers, community leaders and people at the level that can ensure needed change. On his part, Job Ominyi, UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist, said diarrhoea cases are actually traced to poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Hence, he urged the media to make the public aware that “their health is in their hands. If they wash their hands effectively with soap and water or ash if they do not have soap, they can reduce drastically the incidences of illness and the expenditure on medication. On how to sustain adopted change in behaviour among Nigerians in the area of good hygiene practices, Saando Anom, WASH Specialist, UNICEF-Enugu, said even as advocates have ensured that there is behaviour change, “after they have changed, we need constantly to follow up with them to ensure that the new behaviour stays with them. According to him, impact is a long term result. So, development workers should always be with the community members. Even after you have seen that they have changed their behaviour, you should try to make sure that those behaviour change are sustained.

30 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Astymin sets to reward 200 kids for excellence Sola Adefuwa

upils, who have performed exceptionally in their academics, are in for a good time as Astymin, a premium nutritional supplements and flagship brand of Fidson Healthcare Plc is set to commence this year’s edition of its programme. This programme is designed for appreciating and rewarding outstanding performance in children. In what promises to be a more engaging experience than the previous editions, this year’s programme, which will take place on Saturday July 19, 2014 at the Grange School, Harold Shodipo Cresent, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, will witness the convergence of the very best graduating pupils from over two hundred private and public schools across the south-west and South-eastern region , as well as parents, teachers and stakeholders in Nigerian Educational system. The kids will be recognised and rewarded with certificate of excellence and valuable prizes. According to the General Manager, Marketing, Fidson Healthcare Plc., Mr Ola Ijimakin, This is another season of delight for the kids who have worked so hard and perform exceptionally in their academics; but for us as a brand, it is anoth-

L-R: Product Manager, OTC, Mr. Femi Ajala; Astymin School Program Coordinator, Mrs. YetundeAdesola; General Manager, Marketing, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr. Ola Ijimakin and Corporate Services Manager, Mr. Oladimeji Oduyebo at the Press Conference on Astymin Brilliance Reward in Lagos

er day of celebrating excellence. “The first three editions were great but this edition is groundbreaking for several reasons: For the first time this year, we will be rewarding pupils from outside our traditional south west states. In addition to the usual Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun states schools, this year’s event will also reward pupils from Delta, Anambra and Enugu states. Also for the first time, this year’s

event will be rewarding the top ten pupils from public schools in Lagos state. In this event also we will be having an unprecedented number of schools; over 200 in all”, he said. Explaining the rationale for the event, Ijimakin noted that Astymin Brilliance Rewards is the brand’s biggest and most prestigious event. He further explained that Astymin brand supports various

school programs in primary schools. Every month, there is an Astymin Genius of the Month. Essentially, students in primary schools in Lagos state write an essay on a topic agreed upon by their teachers. The teachers also assess them and chose the best of the entries. Astymin rewards and celebrate the child. There are also other online activities going on the AstyminOfiicial website,

www.myastymin.com and other social media platforms like Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. “We also sponsor debates, inter-house sports, PTA meetings, Christmas parties and more. At the secondary school level, Astymin is involved in debates and inter-house sports. At the University level, Astymin is the main sponsor of the annual PANS national conference. The main social event the participants look forward to is the ‘AstyminNite’ and the ‘Miss. Astymin’ beauty pageant. Our biggest and probably the most prestigious event however, is the ABR. This is an event that is meant to reward the best graduating pupil in primary schools in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun states”, he added. The ABR event will be an atmosphere of fun, friendship, sharing, networking and excitement. There will be lots of music, dance, games and jokes to the delight of the kids. The Astymin Brilliance Reward is one of the ways the brand is demonstrating its obligation to support the academic endeavour of Nigerian children and propel them towards excellence. This is in line with Fidson Healthcare Plc.’s pay off “…we value life” through its array of quality products and services.

Modern cardiac, renal centre debut in Lagos Dettol Walkathon: Mission

n its bid to stop the spate medical trips abroad as well as build local capacity especially for ailments that should be treated locally but where expertise and facilities are not available to manage them, the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of health has opened for use of the public; the first ultra modern cardiac and renal centre at Gbagada area of Lagos. According to a statement from the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Tubosun Ogunbanwo, the facility is designed to handle heart and kidney related disease. It also offers out-patient services, diagnostic services, ultrasound, CT scan, Echo cardiography, Stress electrocardiography, laboratory services, fluoroscopy, ocular investigation for complications from hypertension, diabetes and renal conditions, and haemo-dialysis for acute and chronic kidney diseases with 24 dialysis machine. Similarly, it offers admission for all cardiac conditions that requires hospital stay, critical care in intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency wards, cardiac catherisation, non invasive cardiology, open heart surgery, renal surgery, nursing and diabetic services, rehabilitation services and corporate wellness program. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris while giving reasons for embarking on the project noted that Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Health considers it appropriate and timely to have a befitting cardiac and renal centre due to the increasing number of patients presenting with end stage renal failure adding also that the lack of a purpose built renal specialist centre, the periodic nature of the cardiac and renal missions which

has limited the number of beneficiaries and the need to conserve the financial resources currently being expended in the management of patients with renal and cardiac diseases in foreign countries are key reasons for building the facility. Idris noted that the cardiac and renal disease consti- A healthy human heart tute a growing health burden globally, stressing that there is what is called a triple jeopardy in the health sector especially in Lagos and Nigeria which require efforts of stakeholders in State health system to address. Said he “we have what we call double jeopardy but now it is triple jeopardy in the sense that we do not only have problems with communicable diseases, we are now having problems with non-communicable diseases, and the third one has to do with mental health. But this project is trying to address the major aspect of the non-communicable disease burden.” Idris added that the non-communicable disease burden prompted the State government to embark on the screening of people for hypertension and diabetes which are major contributor to the cardiac and renal ailment burden as part of the of its preventive and health promotion strategy stressing that the study from screening conducted State-wide showed that roughly 20 per cent of the people who were screened were hypertensive and between five and six per cent were diabetic.

“Not only that, we also do know that these two disease burden jointly cause serious complications in people who have these problems; and once you have these problems, you have them for live if they are not properly treated”, Idris explained. The Commissioner also noted that State government has over the years always earmark as part of its free health policy quite a huge chunk of its budget to sponsor people abroad on various medical problem that could not be treated in the country where the needed expertise and facilities are not available stressing that it is the copulation of these factors that prompted the State government to build the cardiac and renal centre. Said he, “a copulation of these factors prompted the need for us to build facilities locally, find a way of staffing them locally to provide the needed services to treat people of these ailments, reduce the number of money we are spending to sponsor people abroad, and more importantly to build local capacity.”

Idris

to save Nigerian children

Olushola Ricketts his might not be known to many Nigerians, but the World Health Organisation has confirmed that diarrhea disease is the second highest cause of death among children under five years (U-5) old globally and responsible for the death of around 760, 000 children yearly. Due to the ugly reality stated above, Reckitt Benckiser, as part of its activities to commemorate 50 years’ presence in the Nigerian market, has strengthened its commitment to reducing child mortality rate in Nigeria. The new initiative, Mom to Mom (MOMentum) campaign, is targeted at saving 10 million children in Nigeria. At the kick-off of the Dettol Walkathon, a walk organised by Reckitt Benckiser in Lagos recently, Reckitt Benckiser’s Marketing Director, West Africa, Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili said the Dettol antiseptic brand is embarking on a new journey to reach mothers all over Nigeria with the message of ‘easy simple health and hygiene practice can help to save ten million lives’”. Oguzhan added that the MOMentum campaign is about empowering and enabling mothers to teach other mothers about the best hygiene practices which is expected to make direct positive impacts on their families and loved ones. “We intend to take pledge from each mother we contact in the direct contact program to teach two other mothers, thus making a chain of empowerment all over Nigeria." For the past 50 years, he said Dettol has been at the forefront of

educating Nigerians about the health and hygiene benefit via mass consumer education programmes such as New Mum Program where five million mums have been reached since 2006. "We teach them good hygiene habits for themselves and their new born babies. Also, we have the Health on Wheels Program through which one hundred and fifty thousand families have been reached through the Mobile Clinic and School Hand Hygiene Program where almost a million kids have been reached this year’s across schools in Nigeria. We have a total of three million kids since it was started in 2010. And there is the Direct Home Contact Program through which we have reached a million moms," he added. Also, the Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mr. Segiru Momodu, commended the overall initiatives of Reckitt Benckiser. His words: “It is important for people to learn and imbibe good hygiene habit of hand washing. It is the easiest and the cheapest way to avoid sickness." Momodu further advised Nigerians, especially mothers to imbibe the good habit of hand washing." In his address, the Second National Vice President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Barthy Okorochukwu, lauded Dettol for being in the fore front of health education in Nigeria for the past 50 years. To him, the importance of fitness and this Dettol Walkathon cannot be over emphasised.

BUSINESS Thursday, July 10, 2014

What's news Nigeria’s IT growth rate creates appetite for businesses The rapid growth rate of Nigeria’s information technology sector is creating an appetite for robust security solutions for businesses, according to security solutions company Trend Micro.

STABILITY Stability and sanity appears to have returned to the forex market following the ability of the CBN to curb excesses of BDC operators

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Ayodele Aminu

Local Content: FG targets IT, other sectors

The over $5 billion local content investments in the oil and gas industry would be replicated in other key sectors of the economy, beginning with the Information and Communication Technology, where the Office of National Content (ONC) has been established, the Federal Government has said.

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Economy: GDP not true measure of well-being

In 2012, gross world product increased to just over $83 trillion, a 4.85 per cent increase over 2011. On the surface, this metric supports the argument that the worst of the global recession is in the past; however, the economy continues a pattern of slowing growth rates since 2010 and 2011, when gross world product grew 6.35 and 5.67 per cent, respectively.

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Nigerian to represent England at global tech competition Winner of the British Council’s innovation prize, Nasir Abdulkadir Yammama, has said that he will be representing England and not Nigeria at the Microsoftsponsored global technology competition.

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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

igeria’s external reserves rose marginally by 0.7 per cent or $278 million, from $37.74 billion last Friday to $38.018 billion on Monday, New Telegraph investigations have revealed. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been using the reserves to support the nation’s currency and this has been identified as one of the factors responsible for the deterioration of the reserves. The apex bank defended the naira this year with several billions of dollars. As at August 5 last year, the nation’s reserves, which stood at $46.98 billion, had weakened 0.8 per cent against the dollar since the start of the year to trade at N162.75 to the dollar at the interbank market. On Tuesday, it sold at N156.73 at the CBN official market. Deputy Governor, CBN, Dr. Sarah Alade and the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, had reiterated the apex bank’s resolve to continue to defend the naira. The banking watchdog has also been intervening in the interbank market in order to stabilise the beleaguered currency. The level of the reserves, which peaked at $48.86 billion last year, has so far been dipping since the beginning of the year. The declining streak, which started in December last year, picked up momentum last February with a big drop in the space of 25 days. While it had declined to $42.775 as at February 3, 2014, from $43.505, latest figures from the CBN’s website last Tuesday, showed that the country’s external reserves currently stands at $38.018 billion. There are strong indications that the ability of the CBN to curb the excesses of the Bureau De Change (BDCs) may have been responsible for the marginal increase in the reserves. The banking watchdog had announced a new minimum capital requirement of N35 million for the operation of

31 NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

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ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

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

Nigeria’s external reserves rise to $38.018bn

L-R: Former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr Stephen Oronsaye, Director General of the Pension Commission, Mr M.K Ahmad and Managing Director, First Pension Custodian Limited, Kunle Jinadu, during the World Pension Summit, Africa Special, held in Abuja.

BDC firms in the country, up from the N10 million previously stipulated by the central bank. In addition, while the application fee was raised to N100,000, the licensing fee to N1 million, the annual renewal fee for the forex dealers was also increased to N250,000. These had triggered of a high powered lobby group and some behind the scene moves from

the Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria, (ABCON), at both Chambers of the National Assembly, culminating to the House of Representatives summoning the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, to appear before the House Committee on Banking and Currency for further explanations. The apex bank had accused

CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor Abdulwahab Isa, Finance Editor Chuks Onuanyin, Energy Nnamdi Amadi, Reporter JOHNSON ADEBAYO, Asst. Production Editor

the operators of rent seeking, sharp practices and flagrant disregard of the objectives and principles in the guidelines for the operation of BDCs. But after listening to the various representations from stakeholders, the apex bank had last Monday, extended the CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Lagos traffic worsens port congestion WASTE It takes seven hours to get to the ports from Mile-2, a journey of less than 10 minutes Bayo Akomolafe

hips coming to ports in Lagos and Tincan Island are finding it difficult to berth in the last three weeks due to congestion. It was learnt that traffic congestion on the road from Mile

2 axis to Creek Road and Ijora to Wharf Road was responsible for the congestion at the seaports. Stakeholders, who recounted their experiences at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, durin the 70th birthday celebration of former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Aare Adebayo Sarumi, said it takes seven hours to get to the ports from Mile-2 for a journey of less than 10 minutes. Executive Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium Limited, Mrs Vicky Haastrup said: “In the last three weeks, shipping has

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor

Industry: Poor power supply as bane of sector

been inactive. No ship can come to the ports.” She said that something was fundamentally wrong with the country’s transportation system, stressing that it was nightmarish to discharge ships in Apapa. “Insurance is grumbling, all stakeholders are not happy because of the road congestion," she said. Sarumi also cautioned that if stakeholders were not careful, the Nigerian ports would fail. He said that there was the need to put round pegs in a CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE May 2014..................................8% April 2014...............................7.9% March 2014............................7.8%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at July 04)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N166.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N284 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N227.50 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $37.74bn as at 04/07/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at June 04)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N267.08 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N211.61 Source: CBN

BUSINESS | NEWS

BOOST Nigeria's technology security industry records 39 per cent growth

he rapid growth rate of Nigeria’s information technology sector is creating an appetite for robust security solutions for businesses, according to security solutions company Trend Micro. Vice-President for the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa at Trend Micro, Ihab Moawad, said this while announcing the company’s expansion plans for Africa, starting with Nigeria.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

‘Nigeria’s IT growth rate creates appetite for businesses' The growth of Nigeria’s technology security industry, according to him, is at 39 per cent, adding that his company will appoint a distributor in the country. “The growth in IT security within the Nigerian region is sitting at a staggering 39 per cent, which is further fuelled by the amount of business reform and the call for compliance from government and the financial

sector on businesses within the country,” Moawad said in a statement. “These factors are creating a growing appetite amongst businesses for robust security solutions that extend from the mobile device, through the network and into the cloud – all areas of which Trend Micro has a market leading solution for,” he added. Trend Micro, he said, had appointed Redington Gulf as

its first official distributor in Nigeria. “As a channel driven business, the company’s strategy is to grow and invest in local partners on the ground, while at the same time working through its distributors in the region,” the firm said. There were indications that the firm planned to target Nigeria’s banking, financial services and government sectors with the security solutions. The increasing cases of cybercrimes and other forms of financial crimes are some of the problems the firm would target to solve. Recently, Nigerian banks were investigated over cybercrime involvement and the value of electronic fraud in Nigeria was recently put at

about N7.5 billion in the first quarter of 2014, according to the Nigerian Inter-bank Settlements Systems (NIBSS) company. Aside the financial industry, Trend Micro plans selling its enterprise ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) solutions to telecom operators in the country. The Nigerian rollout is just part of a wider plan in place for a wider African roll-out. “The next step for us after establishing our presence in Nigeria will be to look at expanding into Kenya in 2015, which we see as the Africa year for Trend Micro. This will complete our initial African goal of having a presence in North, East, South and West Africa,” noted Moawad.

Nigeria’s external reserves rise to $38.018bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

L-R: Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Banking and Currency, Jones Oyereri; President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mrs Debola Osibogun; Executive Director, AMCON, Alhaji Abbas Jega and former President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Segun Aina, during a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to repeal the Nigeria deposit Insurance Corporation Act 2006 and re-enact the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation Act 2014, in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

recapitalisation deadline for BDC operators from July 15 to July 31, 2014. It also promised to pay interest on the mandatory cautionary deposit of N35 million in line with banking industry savings account rate. In a circular titled: “Extension of the time for compliance with the new requirements for

Local Content: FG targets IT, other sectors CONTENT OFFICE FG has established the Nigerian Content Office in the Ministry of Communication Technology Adeola Yusuf

he over $5 billion local content investments in the oil and gas industry would be replicated in other key sectors of the economy, beginning with the Information and Communication Technology, where the Office of National Content (ONC) has been established, the Federal Government has said. Information and Communication Technology had contributed 8.53 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the third quarter of 2013. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), said in a statement that the ONC would operate as a programme of the National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA), an agency in the Ministry of Communications Technology and work closely with the NCDMB. He said that the partnership is geared toward leveraging on

the successes, lessons, guidelines and templates conceived and implemented successfully by the Board in the oil and gas industry. Inaugurating the Advisory Board for the Office of National Content in ICT in Lagos, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, according to the statement, stated: “With the aggressive growth in the Nigerian ICT industry, contributing 8.53 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product by the third quarter of 2013, it was obvious that the industry was a key growth industry and as such deserves the design and execution of a well thought-out local content policy.” She noted that the country currently had the image of a continuing compulsive consumer of ICT products from other parts of the world and this needed to be addressed. Citing examples with personal computers, she said that Nigerians preferred foreign brands, with HP and Dell accounting for 60 per cent of approximately 750,000 pcs sold in Nigeria in 2012 while indigenous original equipment manufacturers accounted for about 20 per cent. This scenario is compounded by the perception that existing local ICT hardware manufacturers produce poor quality, expensive and uncompetitive products.

But rather than worry about the challenges, the minister described them as significant opportunities for the ICT Local Content Policy. She said: “We have crafted into our guidelines defined steps for our OEMs to recapitalise significantly so as to enable them provide significantly improved after-sales support, warranty support and customer service. “We have also encouraged the OEMs to collaborate in providing these back office and front office support mechanisms so that economics of scale can be achieved and more jobs created.” In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, lauded the minister of communication technology for setting up the ONC in the ICT sector, describing it as an affirmation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s belief in the contribution of local content to the growth of the economy. He noted that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, had directed the NCDMB to stimulate the participation of other sectors of the economy such as power, construction and agriculture in the Nigerian Content implementation. He also credited Madueke for the capacities that had been developed in Nigerian Content

Act, which can be leveraged by other sectors so that maximum benefits can be derived for the economy. Nwapa expressed confidence that the ONC will help unlock the enormous potentials inherent in the local ICT sector, create thousands of jobs within the sector and position Nigerian ICT companies to provide services and equipment to government, oil and gas and other key sectors of the economy. He promised that the Board would work closely with ONC to ensure that it took off successfully and avoid the pitfalls it experienced at the start of the Nigerian Content policy in the oil and gas sector. The executive secretary noted that the Board recently launched a linkage programme with key agencies of government aimed to institutionalise a platform for information exchange on ways and means of harnessing the resources of individual agencies towards developing local content and support Federal Government’s drive for employment generation, in-country value addition and overall economic transformation. He said: “We observed from feedback that unless we expand the basket and adopt local content guidelines in other sectors of the economy, the nation will not get the optimum benefits.”

the operation of Bureau De Change in Nigeria,” signed by its Director, Financial Policy and Regulatory Department, CBN said that the deadline for compliance had been extended to July 31, 2014. The circular with reference: FPR.DIR/GEN/CIR/04/10 states: “Further to our circular ref: FPRD/DIR/GEN/CIR/01/009 of June 23, 2004 on new requirements for the operations of BDC in Nigeria, the CBN, based on representations from stakeholders, clarified that the deadline for compliance with the new licensing requirements has been extended to July 31, 2014. CBN, however, said that it would stop funding any BDC that fails to comply with the new requirements at the expiration of the deadline. Besides, it said any BDC that meet the new requirements will quality to be engaged as agent by licensed international money transfer operators for inward and outward transfer business in Nigeria.

Lagos traffic worsens port congestion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

round hole. The former managing director said that there should be fair play among the operators. He said: “ If you kill the economy, you will end up killing yourself.” Meanwhile, investigation has revealed that apart from bad roads, officials of government agencies such as the Police, Nigerian Ports Authority and Federal Road Safety Corps were feeding fat on the system. A truck driver noted that before you could gain access to the port after spending two days on the roads, the security operatives extorts between N1,000 and N2,000. “The Nigerian Customs Service is not left out too, the source stressed.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

UN agency scribe calls for dynamic industrial policy South Africa’s and Mauritius’ successes have not gone unnoticed by other African peers - Nigeria, for instance, has renewed its commitment to industrialisation, launching the country’s Industrial Revolution Plan in February 2014 Siaka Momoh

he need to adopt dynamic industrial policies has come to the fore of African priorities, as the continent reflects on the next steps necessary to sustain and improve on growth rates that have made the continent an economic success story over the past decade, says Carlos Lopes, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in a paper posted in Devex –International Development news Friday. He argues: “The resilience of Africa’s economy was tested during the 2008 global financial crisis. But despite a slowdown in economic activity, African nations recovered faster than countries in other regions. In addition, the continent has recorded impressive five per cent growth, on average, over the past 10 years - a performance that more developed and wealthier regions have yet been able to match. “While this growth should be heralded, the consensus among African economists has been that the African continent needs to industrialise and become less dependent on commodities exports. Meaningful jobs and the attendant gains in broad economic and social development are needed to reduce high poverty and inequality rates. Yet, many would ask, what is new about the argument for structural transformation and industrialisation? Past industrialization efforts in the post-independence era, as well as in the 70s and 90s, did not contribute to growth in Africa. Productivity levels remained low, social conflicts slowed progress and understanding the sources of productivity growth remained a challenge for African economists. Throughout these years, the continent remained heavily dependent on primary commodity production and exports, which has undermined transformational efforts.” He said: “I have argued elsewhere that commodity-based industrialization can, with the right industrial policies, lay the ground for long-term diversification and competitiveness in new and non-commodity sectors in Africa’s commodity-rich countries. It is also important for African governments to put in place policies that facilitate the development of linkages, taking into account country- or industry-specific constraints that cannot be overcome by market forces and that call for strategic and systematic industrial policies. Doing so would not only help gradually transform their economies through increased value addition in the primary commodity

A cement plant

sector, but also contribute to the process of diversification into higherproductivity employment-generating sectors, especially in manufacturing and modern services.” He says if we accept that industrialization is an essential precondition for inclusive economic growth and structural transformation, then we must emphasize that any attempt to industrialize on the continent will fail if there is no focus on the designing of industrial policy institutions and processes capable of supporting industrial transformation. “Countries’ past experiences have demonstrated that adopting dynamic industrial policies with flexible processes and mechanisms help transform economies and bring about inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.” Lopes argues South Africa, for instance, has adopted a model linking industrial policy to national development plans. “The adoption in 2007 of the National Industrial Policy Framework the formulation of which involved the participation of stakeholders from the trade, financing and procurement sectors - has allowed the country to diversify itself beyond the reliance of tra-

The adoption in 2007 of the National Industrial Policy Framework has allowed the country to diversify itself beyond the reliance of traditional commodities and nontradable services

ditional commodities and nontradable services. It has boosted sectors such as the auto and components industry, making it one of the most important industries, contributing 6 percent of gross domestic product and 12 percent to manufacturing exports. “Mauritius’ industrial policy promotes high-level coordination and public-private dialogue and has helped the country transform itself from a low-income mono-crop economy to a well-diversified middle-income country in which tourism and the services sectors have become major contributors to national growth.” For him, such successes have not gone unnoticed by other African peers - Nigeria, for instance, has renewed its commitment to industrialization, launching the country’s Industrial Revolution Plan in February 2014. These examples, he says, demonstrate the advantages of adopting an industrial policy agenda and indicate that there is real benefit in embracing an institutional framework. “It is thus important for the rest of the continent to realize that transcending the blueprint approach to industrialization - where industrial policy is simply a set of noncontextual, predefined interventions, and shifting toward a set of institutions that generate processes that can address industry ever-changing exigencies - is the way to go.” For him, “There is no doubt that Africa has made a strong start in the 21st century. But to deliver sustained success the next stage is critically important. It is time for African countries and development partners to focus their attention and efforts on establishing the industrial policy frameworks needed to deliver sustained and inclusive growth.”

FactFile

Fiscal policy measures for the automotive industry This is to confirm that Mr. President has granted for the following fiscal policy measures in the Automotive Industry as enumerated hereunder: With effect from 9th October, 2013: Form M and letter of Credit must be established and last shipment date evidenced by bill of lading dated on or before 10th January, 2014. Fully Built Unit (FBU) Cars falling under H.S. Code 87.03 shall attract a duty of 35% and 35% levy; Fully Built Unit (FBU) Commercial Vehicles falling under H.S. Code 87.01, 87.02, 87.05, 87.06, 87.07, 87.16 shall attract 35% duty without levy; Local Assembly Plants shall import their - Completely Knocked Down (CKD) at 0% duty; -Semi Knocked Down One (SKD) H.S. Code 87.05 at 5% duty; Local Assembly Plant shall import Fully Built Unit (FBU) Cars at 35% duty and 20% duty for Commercial Vehicles without levy respectively in numbers equal to twice their imported CKD/SKD Kits. The above measures are to create an environment to support existing assembly plants and attract other Original Equipment Manufacturers who have expressed interest in Nigeria. In order to revive the Tyre Industry, the following measures have been approved with effect from 9th October, 2013: Form M and letter of Credit must be established and last shipment date evidenced by bill of lading dated on or before 10th January, 2014. Duty payable on tyres is now harmonized as below: Car tyres H.S. Code 4011.1000.20 20% duty and 5% VAT, Lorry/Bus tyres H.S. Code 4011.2000.00 20% duty and 5% VAT Importation of machinery and equipment for tyre production is now duty free; Pioneer Status is hereby given to all tyre plants; and Local tyre manufacturing plants are to import tyres as 5% duty in numbers equal to twice their production for two years from the date of commencement of production. To control under declaration of vehicle value to reduce duty paid: The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) shall publish the price of new vehicles annually; and To provide a transparent benchmark to determine the value of used vehicles, The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) shall use the value of a new vehicle depreciated by 10% per annum implying a ten (10) year period of cars and by 7% per annum implying a fifteen (15) year period for commercial vehicles. In either case, depreciation should never be below 30% of the value of the new vehicle equivalent. To effectively combat smuggling, monitoring and control of used and grey vehicle imports, to also facilitate the resolution of consumer complaints, all vehicle dealers and importers for sale to the public shall be licensed by the National Automotive Council of Nigeria.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance

BUSINESS | INDUSTRY

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

2014 HALF YEAR review

Enterprise with

Strokes

Siaka Momoh

siakamomoh@yahoo.com 08061396410

Rescuing street scamps

Beer bottling line

Industry: Poor power supply as bane of sector HURDLES Insecurity, infrastructure, delay in passing budget, slowed down progress Siaka Momoh

he launching of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja in February opened the year. For Mr President, “it is the most ambitious and comprehensive roadmap aimed at transforming the nation’s industrial landscape, boost skills development, enhance job creation and conserve foreign exchange.” View on policy True, it is an ambitious plan, yet, many, drawing on the benefit of hindsight, argue it is not the policy that matters but the will to execute policies. Akin Olusuyi, CEO, Cocoa Products (Ileluji) Limited and Shuaibu Idris, a financial expert and former deputy managing director of Dangote Sugar Plc, do not find the plan exciting because "our problem is not lack of policy but the non-existent of the political will to execute policies." But president of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, said NACCIMA would definitely key into and benefit from NEDEP that is designed to create at least 3.5 million jobs across the country through the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, which is the engine of economic growth. Budget 2014 The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry reviewed the progress on the 2014 federal budget and expressed concern over the outcome of long delays

in the passage of the budget. It argued that such delay has the consequences of escalation of uncertainty in the economy; delay in delivery of infrastructure projects which has profound impact on productivity; delay in payment of contractors of government projects and risk to contractual agreements on various government projects. Infrastructure problem Infrastructure problem appears to have come to stay. The truth is that the problem has piled up for too long. The Chamber called on the Federal Government to, among other things, resuscitate the rail and road network at the ports to bring relief to affected business persons in Nigeria. It argued that persistent delays in the clearance of cargo at the Lagos ports had become a major cause for concern for the business community. The National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) had cause to speak in the same vein like LCCI during the period. It organised a shipping stakeholder’s forum where the issue of gridlock at ports and its negative impact on doing business were discussed and recommendations made to government. Discussed were derelict nature of access roads, rail lines traffic jams, poor handling of containers, Customs service problems, among others. Capacity utilisation Figures are not out for capacity utilisation during the second quarter, yet, according to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), it was stable in first quarter 2014 about 49 per cent of installed capacity, just around half percent higher than the figure announced in the last quarter of 2013 was achieved. Since what we are talking about is average capacity, increasing real sector investment in parts of the country where there is relative peace must have been responsible

for the stable figure. However, there is nothing to cheer about a productive capacity that went up by just half a point. GDP growth and insecurity GDP growth is accelerating but hampered by insecurity in parts of the North in particular. In fact, Bismark Rewane puts it clearly. According to him, the worsening state of insecurity in parts of Nigeria is hampering the country’s GDP growth. GDP has been above seven per cent in the first half of the year. It was pass mark for retail business in the first quarter of the year. Nigeria’s retail business came of age with the country standing as the secondmost attractive destination, the toughest market though, Bismark Rewane, CEO of Financial Derivatives Company Limited said. Interestingly, the Oxford Business Group, in its 2013 report on Nigeria, said: “Nigeria has emerged as a prime market for international retailers targeting the country’s 168.8 million citizens as potential consumers of processed food, mobile phones and cars.” Rewane said that e-commerce attracted significant foreign interests. He explained: “Jumia and Konga are the main beneficiaries with approximately $50 million invested in 2013. But sweet music is changing to a dull one. According to Bismark Rewane, retail business has been on the decline since the start of Q2. Said he: “Retail sales have been on a decline since the start of Q2. Down 11 per cent in May across all segments; white products recorded the most decline of 15 per cent; FMCGs down 10 per cent; daily needs down 8 per cent.” He said that the decline in sales was due to security unrest, low cash flow, increased rains and lower consumer sentiment. And talking about insecurity, Cedric Bra, analyst at Euromonitor International, a consumer C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 5

treet scamps are a menace on the streets daily. They look pitiable and scruffy. You wouldn’t want them to get close to you because they stink. In local parlance, they are called ‘Area Boys’. Their stock in trade: Pick-pocketing; snatching people’s possessions from them - bags, purses, mobile phones and all that. One common pre-occupation they are notorious for is harassing those on wheels to part with money. Truck drivers conveying goods from the ports are popular targets. Some younger ones – under-age – are recruits of older ones who engage in a myriad of criminal activities. But some of these juveniles now do windscreen watching, unsolicited though. They hawk wares too. These are children of school age – primary and secondary school levels. This is big problem, one that is a huge challenge for Generation Enterprise (GEN). Generation Enterprise is a small business incubator programme that co-creates scalable businesses with unemployed and the marginalised youth. In doing so, Generation Enterprise integrates these youths into local economies. Developed by Wharton and Oxford business students, McKinsey consultants, and Nigerian youth leaders, the organisation adapts lean startup methodology from Silicon Valley to Lagos’ bottom-of-thepyramid markets. The goal is to Foster new high-growth businesses, generate sustainable jobs, and get youth off the streets. More than 80 million of the world’s young people are unemployed. Another 150 million youths are part of the “working poor”, eking out paltry and precarious livelihoods in the informal economy. This figure is the highest number of unemployed youth ever measured by the International Labour Organization (ILO), and represents the breeding ground for a global social crisis. The young social entrepreneurs on Generation Enterprise’s team are fighting to defuse this ‘ticking time bomb’ and help a ‘lost generation’ find its way. They have descended on Lagos, the world’s fastestgrowing megacity where population explosion, slum expansion, desperate poverty, but also entrepreneurial drive and a new spirit of civic engagement collide. Not too long ago, some GEN drivers came down from Washington DC, Atlanta, Berlin, and New York City to join their Nigerian teammates in Lagos and engage the city’s leaders in a discussion about scaling the Generation Enterprise project, which has already launched several street youth-led busi-

nesses and partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Special Duties and the Wiseup Foundation to open incubators in Alimosho and Agege. Launched in 2009, Generation Enterprise is comprised of a team of all-volunteer young professionals and students in the USA, Nigeria, Germany, Canada, and Singapore, dedicated to transforming slum economies by equipping the youth to get off the streets and become socially-responsible business owners and community leaders. Generation Enterprise’s unique two-phase incubator model targets youth in the urban developing world, a population largely left behind by the microfinance revolution. In less than ten years from now, 40 million Nigerians will become job seekers. And most of them will be unskilled hands. What do we do with these job seekers? Generation Enterprise (GEN) raised this question in Lagos. We should be asking ourselves this question now too. By ‘we’ I mean all – citizens and governments. All along, we have been saying it ticking bomb. You will agree with me if I say it is now an exploding bomb. You know what I mean. GEN is doing a great job, but the impact is not high enough. It needs robust assistance. In spite of GEN’s efforts and those of the Lagos State Government, street scamps still constitute a menace in Lagos. They do also in cities like Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Warri, Maiduguri and Bauchi. Even in towns and villages now! The model • Entry – 2 weeks: Youth accepted into GEN as fellows. • Train and testing - 3- 6 months: Fellows receive training and test business ideas. • Entrepreneurship - 6 months +. Fellows pitch business ideas and receive loans in asset form. • Independence - Ongoing - Fellows take ownership of business, eventually employing other youth. Long-term, communityoriented mindset Life on the streets is hard. The street youth can’t afford to plan for the long-term and invest in their communities when they are struggling to make ends meet. GEN gives them room to breathe, a chance to invest in themselves, and time to imagine a new future, in which they are more than hawkers, beggars, or criminals. They sign a code of conduct and support each other in setting an example. The Model equips fellows with social entrepreneurship essentials: Life, business, and technological skills.

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Retail sales have been on a decline since the start of Q2; down 11 per cent in May across all segments. The decline in sales is due to security unrest, low cash flow, increased rains and lower consumer sentiment Siaka Momoh

nly recently, several modern retail shops made their entry into Nigeria. The likes of Spar, Park ‘n’ Shop, and Shoprite came in. Artee Group, owners of SPAR and Park ‘n’ Shop has plan to open 100 shopping outlets in Nigeria in the next six years. The proposed outlets will come as hyper format units comprising between 400 and 500 shops located within the outlets. To actualise this plan, the Artee Group planned to invest heavily in real estate through the development of shops and malls for itself and others. Speaking to this writer months back, Haresh Keswani said the Group “does not see this move

Ambivalent strength of Nigeria’s retail business as shooting itself in the foot since there is robust room for all in retail business in Nigeria which is highly unexplored.” Artee Group is one of Nigeria's leading business houses with multiple businesses spanning across the consumption space. While retail forms the core business activity of Artee Group, group subsidiaries are present in manufacturing, real estate, exports among many others. “Nigeria offers an exciting opportunity for Spar,” said Gordon R. Campbell, managing director of Spar International. “This is the right time for Spar to enter Nigeria. It has the largest population in Africa and the economy is growing fast, resulting in much better living standards.” Many Shoprite outlets have sprung up across the country ever since. This was the outlook when the going was good. But it has not been all-sweet for some time

now. Perhaps it is a temporary outlook. Some details of the story: According to Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), in September 2012, sales improved with Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment recording a 20 percent increase but after that, Ramadan fast of July- August 2012 stifled sale. It also reported that total beer market in Nigeria declined by 7.4 percent in Q2, 2012, mainly in Lagos, South West and South South regions, and sales declined more in urban areas than rural; malt market also declined but only marginally; there was a shift to low sugar for the health conscious consumers and malt consumption was down mainly in rural areas, there was less drinking in bars whereas sales in supermarkets was higher. Coming with this issue of low sales, according to FDC, is the fact that the acceptance of the much-orchestrated cashless

policy is still below expectation and retail business has connectivity issues with Pos, ATMs and mobile devices. “The level of debit card activities in the supermarket and shopping malls is only up marginally; they are still less than 3 percent of total sales,” it said. And Oxford Business Group (OBG) report on Nigeria for 2013 said, “Nigeria which has the largest population in Africa, and one of the continents’ fastest growing economies, has emerged as a prime market for international retailers targeting the country’s 168.8 million citizens as potential consumers of processed food, mobile phones and cars.” According to the report, while almost all retail is currently conducted in informal markets, international chains are betting that rising incomes will change shopping habits. The report added that foreign investment in Nigerian retail reached $1.3 billion in the last

A retail shop

2014 HALF YEAR review

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 4

market research organisation warns that the growing modern retail market in Nigeria risks being compromised due to security concerns in northern parts of the country. Power Power remains a recurring problem. Manufacturers who gathered recently at Ikeja, Lagos, bemoaned the burden of high cost of manufacturing, saying that 40 per cent of their production cost goes into the provision of electricity supply for manufacturing. They argued: “When you now integrate this into deficiencies in the other infrastructural components, cost of manufacturing in Nigeria gets out of control.” EEG One threatening problem in the sector now is the planned scrapping of Export Expansion Grant (EEG). Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi

Poor power supply as bane of sector Okonjo-Iweala, announced the possibility of resting the incentive introduced by government to help local manufacturers export compete favourably with their counterparts’ in the international market. The minister alleged severe inefficiency in the management of the EEG in the ongoing review of the scheme and said unless government “is able to device methods that will enable the grant return economic value commensurate to the huge amounts being injected into the scheme, it may likely be scrapped.” But industry stakeholders wouldn’t buy this. The Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria has been in the forefront of attack on government non-transparency in the execution of EEG. It argued that the scrapping of EEG would kill the cocoa processing industry in the country. Cement issue The issue of cement stan-

dardisation caused a division in the industry, pitching Dangote Group against a group led by Lafarge Cement WAPCO. Following a robust argument about the various grades of cement and their safety during the quarter, the Federal Government, through the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) listed what each grade of cement should henceforth be used for. The 42.5 grade for castings while 32.5 will be for plastering. EPA Nigeria took a bold step by refusing to sign the $8.94 billion (6.5bn Euros) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union. The 15-member ECOWAS concluded technical negotiations for the trade agreement with the EU on March 28, 2014,

under which the West African countries would have full access to European markets. The agreement also gave Mauritania, a non-ECOWAS member state, full access to all markets within the EU. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Industry Trade and Investments did not see anything attractive in this and so will not commit the country to it. Investment flow However, depite the state of insecurity in question, investors have been trooping in to do business with Nigeria. Only recently, 25 US investors, led by Ms. Penny Pritzker, the country’s Commerce Secretary, came with the aim of doing business with Nigerian companies and at the end of talks, over $480 million deal was signed with Nigerian companies. But we can do better if Nigeria is fully secured.

two years. OBG added that automotive retailers are popping up across the country, “focused largely on commercial sales and large urban markets. According to Financial Derivatives Company’s Monthly Economic news and Views for June 2, presented by Bismark Rewane, the company’s CEO at the Lagos Business School, retail business has been on the decline since the start of Q2. Said he: “Retail sales have been on a decline since the start of Q2. Down 11 per cent in May across all segments; white products recorded the most decline of 15 per cent; FMCGs down 10 per cent; daily needs down 8 per cent.” He says the decline in sales is due to security unrest, low cash flow, increased rains and lower consumer sentiment. And talking about insecurity, Cedric Bra, analyst at Euromonitor International, a consumer market research organisation warns that the growing modern retail market in Nigeria risks being compromised due to security concerns in northern parts of the country. Boko Haram is an Islamist insurgent group which frowns on western education and has been unleashing armed onslaughts on police stations, churches and recreational places in some northern states. British soap maker, PZ Cussons, once warned it was likely to report disappointing full year profits, pointing to political upheaval in Nigeria, challenging trading conditions in Australia and high raw materials costs. PZ Cussons said it was monitoring social and economic tensions in Nigeria closely, after gun and bomb attacks by Boko Haram in Kano killed at least 186 people. Analysts say the consequence of the upheavals in Nigeria on PZ Cussons is an indication that other Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) may be in for bigger challenges, adding that their bottom lines would be adversely affected and by extension, that job losses are likely, if things do not change for the better. Investment analysts say that the impact of the sectarian violence, political instability and ripple effects of the Euro economic crises have brought manufacturing and investors’ confidence to their lowest points in recent years. The link between manufacturers and retail outlets is obvious. It is therefore expected that what affects manufacturers of goods will by extension affect retail business. The story is worst in respect of automotive business. Used vehicles (tokunbo) now sell between 30 and 50 per cent higher than it used to sell because of increased in tariff paid on imported vehicles from 20 per cent to 35 per cent. And their prices are set to go C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 6

36 BUSINESS | INDUSTRY EMPOWERMENT Job-seeking graduates favoured as they get British American Tobacco's training Siaka Momoh

ver 60 unemployed graduates have benefitted from BAT’s enterprise training under its StartUp Ogun Youth Enterprise Training - Young Farmers' Version which is designed to empower the youths in the area of entrepreneurship. Speaking during the closing ceremony in Abeokuta last week, the Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Oluwasoromidayo George, disclosed that the Foundation has identified the agrarian status of the state and decided to invest in the agricultural value chain, including investment in agriculture-based entrepreneurship for jobless youths, in fulfillment of BAT’s

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60 unemployed graduates benefit from BAT’s enterprise training corporate social investment. George said that the training, empowerment and mentorship on agriculture-based enterprise was designed to foster creativity and innovativeness in business idea development and business networking promotion geared towards the creation of both direct and indirect jobs as well as the wealth creation. "It is my pleasure to inform you that the one-week training programme which keyed into the "Start-Up Ogun" programme of the State Government, has successfully trained 60 youths of the state in acquiring requisite skills in developing their entrepreneurship skills, foster creativity and innovativeness in business idea development, promoting networking and opportunity sharing among participants.

"It is worthy to mention that this is not the first time the Foundation is implementing projects in Ogun State, we have implemented four projects before now, three agriculture projects and one water project between 2006 and 2012. "We also currently have two more projects, which are in progress. This will include the establishment of poultry farms in the four divisions of the state and a Cassava project in Ilugun, Ijebu North-East Local Government Area of the state," she concluded. In his address at the ceremony, Bimbo Ashiru, Ogun State Commissioner of Commerce and Industry tasked the trainees to leverage on Bank of Industry and Ogun State government N1 billion SMEs loan for

Unemployed youths in protest

actualisation and practicability of learned business idea development and agriculture-based

entrepreneurial skills, saying that government could not wait to key into the scheme.

Strength of retail business C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 5

up by as much as 126 per cent if full tariff of 70 per cent on imported cars becomes payable by vehicle importers. The coast is not very clear on this yet because reports have it that government says the duty still remains at 35 per cent. New Telegraph’s investigation corroborates FDC’s findings. Clearing agents and auto dealers spoken to are bitter about the negative impact of the 35 per cent tariff and lamented the worst would come with anticipated 70 per cent tariff in July. According to FDC’s Monthly Economic News and Views for June, a Corolla 1.8 Gil CVT (leather seat) which sold N1.9 million in April, sold for N2.9 million in May (an increase of 53 per cent) which FDC describes as impact of panic buying; and the projected impact of panic buying for July 1 is put at126 per cent. For Kia Sportage, it is N3.8 million for April; N4.3 million May, giving a 13 per cent impact of panic buying and projected impact of panic buying for July 1 is put at 32 per cent. For Hyundai Santa, the figures are N2.9 million for April, N3.5 May, 21 per cent impact of panic buying and 38 per cent projected impact of panic buying for July 1. Honda CRV’s are

N5.3 million April, N5.8 million May, 9 per cent impact of panic buying and 23 per cent projected impact of panic buying for July1. For new cars, according to FDC, Corolla (1.8 Gil CVT leather seat) which sold N4.9 million in April sold N6.9 million in May, recording an impact of panic buying of 41 per cent. Avensis (fabric seat with alloy rim) it is N6.9 million for April, N8.9 million May and impact of panic buying of 46 per cent. For Prado (7-S AT TX leather seat petrol engine), it is N11.95 million for April, N13.1 million May and 10 per cent for impact of panic buying. And for Yaris, it sold for N3.4 million in April, went up to N4.8 million in May recording 48 per cent impact of panic buying. And only recently, according to FDC, retail sales in June showed a slight recovery after a disappointing month of May. Sales were up 6 per cent in the Victoria Island, Lekki and Lagos central business district and retail prices at the supermarkets were flat because of consumer resistance. FDC says inventory levels were unchanged from May running at a four week forward stock level and that many shops had increased inventory pile up when the naira was coming under pressure.

Economy: GDP not true measure of well-being –Report A new Worldwatch Institute report examines GDP’s inadequacy as the sole metric for prosperity

n 2012, gross world product increased to just over $83 trillion, a 4.85 per cent increase over 2011. On the surface, this metric supports the argument that the worst of the global recession is in the past; however, the economy continues a pattern of slowing growth rates since 2010 and 2011, when gross world product grew 6.35 and 5.67 per cent, respectively. Moreover, closer inspection shows that growth is taking place mostly in emerging economies: the total gross domestic product (GDP) of emerging economies is now roughly equal to that of all the advanced economies, write Worldwatch researchers in the Institute's latest Vital Signs Online trend. The gross world product is the sum of the GDPs of all coun-

tries. This typically includes levels of consumption, investment, government spending, the cost of imports, and the proceeds from exports. Because of various transaction costs, floating exchange rates, and barriers such as tariffs, a metric known as the "purchasing power parity exchange rate" is applied to put purchasing power for different countries on an even footing. Countries that avoided overleveraging themselves while experiencing robust growth in recent years have had relatively healthier fiscal positions and therefore higher levels of foreign direct investment. This growth was hindered slightly, however, as advanced economies such as the United States, Japan, and the members of the European Union (EU) dealt with headline-grabbing crises such as the "fiscal cliff" and the possible breakup of the EU. Unemployment levels also indicate that, despite continued growth, economic health is far from a rosy picture. According to the International Labour Organization, 200 million people around the world are

unemployed-about 6 percent of the global workforce. Conventional economics regards economic growth as an unalloyed good, necessary to improve human well-being. But it is only a nominal indicator, lacking the many intricacies and more subjective goods that are essential to a more encompassing, holistic, and meaningful metric. Given the disparity of benefits, it is clear that in and of itself, growth is far from an effective measuring stick. Newer metrics seek to paint a more comprehensive and accurate picture of humanity's overall welfare. One enhanced and widely cited metric is the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), which includes the economic cost of expenditures that diminish "community capital." And in 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution stating that all countries should begin measuring happiness-taking a cue from Bhutan, which began tracking Gross National Happiness in the 1970s. Similarly, the UN Development Programme prepares a Human Development Index as

an indicator of well-being that relies primarily on health (life expectancy at birth), education (mean and expected years of schooling), and living standards (gross national income per capita on a logarithmic scale.) "Regardless of the approach or specific metrics involved, all studies seem to conclude that sole reliance on GDP growth as the measuring stick for prosperity and well-being is woefully inadequate and probably has been for some time," writes Mark Konold, the report's co-author and Worldwatch's Climate and Energy Caribbean Program Manager. "Higher human development can begin to be seriously measured only when the impact of expenditures is evaluated and when more-qualitative elements are examined as part of a much larger and more complex mechanism to decipher human development." But even when these more qualitative factors are considered, most approaches to global economic health ignore the planet's capacity to provide the resources necessary to sustain it. The resources of the

natural environment are finite, whereas human consumption has reached such a point that humanity consumes a year's worth of resources in less than 365 days. Further highlights from the report: • Non-energy-related commodities were down 7.5 percent in 2012, while oil prices stayed relatively flat throughout the year. • The ILO estimates that between 1999 and 2011 (the last year with complete data), labour productivity in advanced economies increased twice as much as average wages. Excluding China, real wage growth has averaged less than 1 percent a year since the onset of the financial crisis in 2007-08. • In the mid-1970s, per capita figures for GDP and GPI, which had shown a strong correlation up to that point, began to diverge for several countries. Although GDP per capita continued to rise, broader economic well-being leveled off and has even declined.

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TECHTalk

Wholesale licence, sanctions characterise telecoms Nigeria’s information and communications technology industry witnessed some interesting developments in the first half of 2014. JONAH IBOMA examines some of the most important ones.

GSM operators fined In February, NCC slammed a total fine of N647.5 million on Airtel, Globacom and MTN Nigeria, the three major GSM service providers for failing to meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for quality of service in the month of January 2014. Only Etisalat was spared just as NCC also barred Airtel, Globacom and MTN Nigeria from selling SIM Cards. According to the industry regulator, the services they provided for the period fell below expectation with dropped calls; and incomplete calls. The three companies, according to Reuben Muoka, Head, Media & Public Relations (NCC), were consequently barred from selling SIM Cards with effect from March 1 to 31, and were also barred from all promotions in their networks until they improve on the failed KPIs for which they are sanctioned. The details of the sanction showed that Airtel Network Ltd, and MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd, were to pay a fine of N185 Million each while Globacom Ltd was liable to the tune of N277,500. In addition, each of the operators were to ensure that they made the payment on or before March 7, 2014, failure upon which each will be liable to pay N2,500,000 per day as long as the contravention persists. It also indicated that Airtel failed on Call Setup Success Rate, CSSR, and SDCONG, while MTN failed on Call Setup Success Rate, CSSR and Drop Call Rate, DCR. On its part, Globacom failed on Call Setup Success Rate, CSSR, Drop Call Rate, DCR, and SDCONG. Emergence of Bitflux In February as well, Bitflux Communications Limited emerged winner of the 2.3 GHz spectrum with a bid of $23.25 million to beat Globacom, and clinched Wholesale Wireless Access Service Licence (WWASL).

Connected systems

The victory of Bitflux, comprising a consortium of VDT Communications Ltd, Bitcom Systems Ltd and Superflux International Ltd came against all expectations, considering then that little was known about the firm. NCC had, in a public notice, made available on its official website, announced only Globacom Limited and Bitflux Communications Limited as the approved bidders for the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum, whose auction price had earlier been set at $23 million (about N3.6 billion) with a tenure of 10 years and subject to renewal. Companies such as Zinox Telecommunications, a mobile arm of the Zinox Group, Airtel, MTN, Etisalat as well as Mobitel and Spectranet pulled out of the process, after showing initial interests. NCC, said only Globacom and Bitflux complied with the pre-qualification criteria set out in the Information Memorandum for the 2.3GHz Spectrum Auction. Stakeholders commended NCC for the way Bitflux emerged as winner. Abiodun Omoniyi, an executive director of Bitflux, thanked NCC for what he described as a transparent auction. President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said; “The exercise is transparent and what this means is that NCC is not a persondriven institution, but a process-driven institution that is doing everything to promote the good image of Nigeria, in spite of our negative image,” Ajayi said. NITDA gets GD The first quarter also witnessed the appointment of a substantive di-

NCC is expected to complete the licencing process for seven companies that will be situated across the geo-political zones of the country and Lagos by December

rector –general for the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in the person of Mr. Peter Jack. Infraco's licensing In June, NCC s kick-started the bid process for the licensing of infrastructure companies (Infracos) to deploy metropolitan optic fibre infrastructure and associated equipment in Lagos and the North Central Zone. The commission, which has set August 4 for the close of entries for the bidding announced in an advertorial, that the bidding process will be an open access, non-discriminatory and price regulated. According to the commission, the open access model has been examined and considered as a strategic means for the deployment of optic backbone transmission infrastructure network in Nigeria. The Executive Vice-Chairman, Eugene Juwah, explained that that the ultimate goal of the commission was to bridge the current broadband gap, facilitate the deployment of local content and deliver cost effective services to households and businesses. He said that the process was expected to address the challenge of fibre deployment in towns and cities, promote infrastructure sharing, reduce right of way issues and transform the beneficiary state to smart states amongst other privileges. The NCC said further that competent companies, consortiums of which at least one of the consortium member must be Nigerian registered company or firms including those who had earlier expressed interest, were invited to submit tender for consideration. “When the seven InfraCos finally come on board, they are expected to take broadband infrastructure from the ocean and connect them to the cities and hinterland across the country. This would make Internet ubiquitous in Nigeria and this would in turn impact positively on the economy,” Juwah said. All things being equal, NCC is expected to complete the licencing process for seven companies that will be situated across the geo-political zones of the country and Lagos by December.

Jonah Iboma 08050498516

Nigeria and ITU leadership position

hree main things that characterised the first half of 2014 were the fine imposed on telecommunication operators by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); the emergence of Bitflux as winner of 2.3 GHz and the industry regulator’s announcement of plans to start a phased licensing of infrastructure companies starting from Lagos and North Central states. Aside these, the emergence of Nigeria as a country to produce a candidate for the soon-to-be vacant position of deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union was another important development within the period.

W it h

2014 HALF YEAR review

ne of the interesting developments in the telecommunications industry in the past few days is the news that the African Union (AU) Ministerial Candidature Committee has asked Nigeria and Mauritania to hold consultations to agree on a candidate for the post of deputy secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The call was made on the sideline of the AU summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to select a consensus African candidate for the post. According to feelers from people close to deliberations on the matter, neither Nigeria nor Mauritania is willing to withdraw its candidates for the job. Nigeria’s candidate for the ITU position, Mr Shola Taylor, is a former chairman of the ITU Radio Regulations Board, who had earlier been endorsed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the 20152019 term, while the Mauritanian candidate is Fatimetou Mohammed-Saleck. One of the things that have emerged in the current situation is that the Nigerian delegation has taken a stance not to concede to Mauritania, more as the country’s candidate has been endorsed by ECOWAS. It was also said that if neither of the two nations withdraw its candidate, Africa may present two candidates at the elections, which will hold in Busan, South Korea, in October. I state that the position already taken by Nigeria’s delegation to the meeting is good considering that the country has been in the forefront of telecommunications developments in the continent in the past decade. There is no good reason for the country to concede its candidacy to Mauritania, especially as the candidate being our forward is very qualified and experienced. Shola Taylor is a household name in ITU and the telecommunications industry in Africa. He has over 30 years postgraduation experience in international telecommunications and extensive experience in radio communication matters, having worked at Intelsat, Washington DC US, ITU, Geneva, Switzerland, Inmarsat, London UK, and the Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd. From the political perspective, Nigeria’s influence could further wane in the international arena if it concedes such an important position to a country with very little or no influence in ICT in Africa. Today, Nigeria’s telecommunications subscribers are over 130 million, which is roughly 25 per cent of the total subscription figure in Africa. The country is the biggest economy in Africa and the largest telecommunications market in the continent. Given that ITU has the function of global regulation of the telecommunications industry, especially from the perspectives of technology and service standards, Nigeria should not be playing second fiddle to any country in the continent when it comes to controlling things that concerns ITU. It is important that the country is in a position where it can contribute to effective technical and market regulation. I expect Nigeria’s delegate to effectively lobby other nations to secure this important position for the country. It would be recalled that the country recently could not secure the leadership of OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) for some petty reasons. The country must take this one very serious. Although, other candidates for the post may come from Canada, Poland and the United Kingdom (UK), the fact that Africa is being tipped for this position is a good reason for Nigeria to contest it properly.

BUSINESS | ICT

Stories by Jonah Iboma

inner of the British Council’s innovation prize, Nasir Abdulkadir Yammama, has said that he will be representing England and not Nigeria at the Microsoft-sponsored global technology competition. Yammama, a postgraduate student of Middlesex University, emerged winner of the British Council/Virgin Atlantic Airlines’ Enterprise Challenge competition. He developed a mobile appli-

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Nigerian to represent England at global tech competition cation for Nigerian farmers to obtain information about the richness of their farmlands and marketability of their produce. In addition to other prizes, he would also be mentored by the founder of Virgin Atlantic, Richard Branson. “This is not the only competition I am participating in.

I am still participating at the Microsoft’s global technology competition. I am supposed to have represented Nigeria at it, but things have changed. I will represent England,” Yammama told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “Many of us are going from England. That is why they

have to screen us. We are now at the semi-final stage. But this (Microsoft technology) competition is like the World Cup in the area of technology innovation.” Despite his plans to represent England, Yammama said that he might come back to Nigeria in the future to help the country solve its numer-

ous challenges, a position that the British Council said was noteworthy. “What struck us about Nasir was that unlike a lot of young people his age, he is actively thinking about solutions to Nigeria’s current problems and he has taken a different perspective to what he believes this solutions might be.”

Ericsson seeks mandatory infrastructure sharing echnology solutions firm, Tgerian Ericsson, has urged the NiCommunications Com-

L-R: Regional Operations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, Saliu Aliu; Commissioner for Youth Development and Sport, Cross Rivers State, Patrick Ugbe and Public Relations Manager, GOtv, Efe Obiomah, during a press conference to kick-off the 5th Cross River State Athletics and Swimming Championship sponsored by GOtv in Calabar, Cross Rivers State... on Monday

Samsung unveils 20.7-megapixel Galaxy K zoom smartphone S amsung Electronics West Africa has unveiled its new Galaxy K Zoom smartphone, a revolutionary product that delivers on the company’s mission to create a single device that fulfils the role of both an industry-leading smartphone and a high-end smart camera. A variant of Samsung’s wave-making flagship, the Galaxy S5, the device features a flawless capturing ability and combines real optics and premium design with the very latest Samsung Galaxy technology, setting new standards for mobile photography. Aside these, it is fitted with the latest Android operating system, alongside a large and

vivid 4.8-inch high-definition super AMOLED screen, and has an advanced camera system that offers consumers the control and functionality of a professional camera. The device features a 20.7 megapixel sensor, which is capable of capturing high-quality images with sharp, life-like colours that are clear in all lighting conditions. It also comes equipped with an optical image stabiliser (OIS), which reduces blurring caused by movement during photography, a 10x optical zoom and a new retracting lens technology. The K Zoom’s professional quality optics and precise zoom ring adjustments lets users create professional quality visual content with

every shot. The firm also said that the new smartphone integrated advanced camera usability features and functions, including Auto Focus and Auto Exposure Separation, which ensure a precise balance of light and clarity, and a selfie alarm that allows users to take perfectly timed selfies with ease. According to Samsung, each feature comes with a simple user interface that allows consumers to easily capture photographs and videos with superb image quality at all times. Director of Information Technology and Mobile at Samsung Electronics West CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Firm boosts ICT competitiveness in children computer technology train- company launched the initia- through early exposure, knowing company, United Global tive to help children acquire ing that the next generation of AResources Nigeria Limited better understanding of ICT leaders in Nigeria would be (UGRL), has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the sustenance of its initiative to enhance the preparedness of children in the country to obtain global professional certification in information and communications technology (ICT). UGRL’s General Manager, Vipul Gajjar, restated the firm’s vision at the 3rd UGRL Annual Inter-School ICT quiz competition held in Lagos recently. He explained that his

and enable them get easily integrated in today’s technologycontrolled world. “The quiz competition started three years back and has since become an annual event as a result of the positive response from schools and student community.” He said that it was important to take ICT knowledge down to the primary school level where good foundation in technology could be laid

deeply influenced by ICT. “We teach ICT as a core subject and the schools see our efforts as added value in the training of their students whilst parents and students appreciate our efforts,” he explained, stressing: “We started training with private schools that can accommodate the required ICT infrastructure and we are ready to work with government bodies to provide same to public schools.”

mission (NCC) to make infrastructure sharing mandatory in the telecoms sector to deepen telecoms penetration and improve service quality. According to the Managing Director, Ericsson Nigeria, Kamar Abass, there is already passive infrastructure sharing, adding that active infrastructure sharing will be good for the industry. Speaking during the unveiling of Ericsson Mobility Report in Lagos, he said that though the sector was expected to keep growing through the years ahead, “poor network coverage remained a cause for concern.” Abass stated that with over 130 million subscribers, it would be wrong to feel constrained by infrastructure challenges, adding that the country had reached an advanced stage of base transmission station (BTS) management. He revealed that Ericsson currently manages about 11,000 out of the over 20,000 BTS in the country, while, according to him, power availability is about 90 per cent at the BTS. He said that performance of networks would only keep getting smarter with improved technology from the firm. “As telecommunication technologies become a central part of the way businesses and society function, key stakeholders in the region such as government and network providers need to put resources in place that assist in dealing with consumer demand,” Abass said. “More spectrums will need to be allocated to support networks as their capacity is not growing as fast as the increase in data traffic,” he added. In the report, the firm said that by the end of this year, there would be over 635 million mobile phone subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa, which is predicted to rise to around 930 million by the end of 2019, stressing that there was an ongoing data revolution, with traffic growth doubling past years. It said that by 2019, there would be 557 million smartphones in use and 710 million broadband subscriptions. The Mobility Report shows that this year, phone users accessed 76,000 Terabyte (Tb) of

data per month – double that of last year’s figure of 37,500 TB per month. In 2015, the figures are expected to double again with mobile phone users accessing 147,000 TB per month. Ericsson disclosed that the rise of social media, contentrich apps and video content accessed from a new range of cheaper smartphones had prompted the rise. Regional Head of Ericsson, sub-Saharan Africa, Fredrik Jejdling, said that consumers in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria were also increasingly using video-television and media services from their smartphones. “Sub-Saharan Africa is currently undergoing a mobile digital revolution with consumers, networks and even media companies wakening up the possibilities of 3G and 4G technology. “We have seen the trend emerging over a few years, but in the past 12 months, the digital traffic has increased over 100 per cent, forcing us to revise our existing predictions,” Jejdling said. The report’s findings show that in the next five years, the voice call traffic in sub-Saharan Africa will double and there will be an explosion in mobile data which will grow 20 times between 2013 and 2019, twice the anticipated global expansion. By 2019, the report predicts 75 per cent of mobile subscriptions will be Internet-inclusive (3G or 4G). Many major device manufacturers have predicted this growth following the launch in 2014 of a number of smartphones for under $50, thereby allowing the rapid expansion of 3G and 4G technologies across the region. The 2014 report predicts that in just three years’ time, 3G technology will become the dominant technology across the region. Jejdling said: “The rise of cheap smartphones will allow vast portions of the population – from middle classes in cities to small businesses in rural areas – access to mobile broadband. M-commerce can offer endless opportunities for entrepreneurs and we’ve found that farmers are fans of mobile wallets – as well as teenagers wanting to watch music videos on their smartphone.”

BUSINESS | ICT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

QoS: Govt, operators urged to collaborate SERVICE QUALITY Research firm seeks change in approach towards meeting customers' expectation Stories by Jonah Iboma

he unacceptable level of service quality that continue to plague the Nigerian telecommunications sector despite phenomenal growth it has witnessed since the turn of the millennium needs concerted efforts between government and operators to solve. That is the opinion of global research and advisory services firm, International Data Corporation (IDC), as it weighs up the latest strategy by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) to bring offending operators into line and assesses the deeper issues involved in achieving true quality of service (QoS). The firm noted that from just 400,000 lines in 2001, Nigeria’s mobile market has grown to 120 million users today, with mobile phone penetration reaching 87 per cent of the population. It said that poor QoS remained the bane of the Nigerian telecommunications industry, with all four mobile network operators falling foul of the regulator at various times over the years. Indeed, in February this year Airtel, Globacom and MTN were handed month-long bans from selling SIM cards and suspended from engaging in any promotional activity until their

QoS levels reached the required standards. IDC, however, asked: “But will such stringent measures finally have the desired effect?” “Banning sales of SIM cards is a new hammer for the regulatory body, and one it has introduced in an attempt to compel operators to comply with its stated QoS standards,” said Oluwole Babatope, a telecommunications and networking research analyst with IDC West Africa. “Fines and limitations on marketing activities were the traditional sanctions of choice for NCC, so this latest action marks a significant shift in thinking. However, IDC believes that the ban on selling SIM cards will likely be as ineffective as the previous tactics because there is much more to enabling effective QoS than mere input or effort from the operators’ side.” The acquisition of land, together with government taxes, informal levies from various ‘community youth organizations,’ and the high cost of generating power, all demand huge capital and operational investments from telecom operators in the country, according to IDC. It also said that the operators had also consistently invested large amounts in their networks, adding that such efforts have often been ineffective due to lack of infrastructure in the country, which is a key reason why the quality of mobile services they provide has remained so poor. Another critical factor is security, with numerous reports over the last two years of widespread and persistent vandalism of fibre cables, theft of diesel generators from cell sites, and

Glo pre-paid roaming now in Brazil igeria’s national telecomNbacom, munications operator, Glohas launched a prepaid

roaming service in Brazil to complement its post-paid roaming hitherto available in that country. The service is available on TimBrazil, the largest mobile network in Brazil with over 74 million subscribers and it comes at competitive rates. Globacom said in a statement on Tuesday that the development is expected to excite thousands of Nigerian soccer fans and tourists who have either travelled or who still intend to travel to Brazil to witness the on-going 2014 World Cup. Steve Stretch, Head of Glo Gateway, Globacom’s international gateway division, said that with the pre-paid roaming service on TimBrazil, Glo prepaid subscribers who travel abroad for business or leisure will now be able to make and receive calls on their phones, send SMS and browse on their phones with ease. Already, some Nigerians currently in Brazil for the ongoing FIFA World Cup have eulogised the Globacom network for providing seamless roaming facilities in that country. Chairman of Pamodzi Sports

Marketing Company Limited, Chief Mike Itemuagbor, who commended Glo for also launching prepaid roaming, said that he had enjoyed an excellent roaming service on the Glo network since he arrived Brazil about two weeks ago. “From Sao Paulo to Curitiba, Cuiaba and Porto Alegre, I have enjoyed a distinctively clear roaming service on my Glo line. I commend Globacom for taking care of my communication needs and the rate is pocket friendly,” he said. In the same vein, chairman of the League Management Company, Chief Nduka Irabor, expressed delight with the quality of service he had been enjoying on his Glo line since he arrived Brazil. The LMC boss said that he was glad that he could use his Glo line to communicate with his family, friends and associates since he got to Brazil. He urged Globacom to keep up the good work. Stretch disclosed that prepaid roaming subscribers can receive calls and send SMS for N25 and browse the internet at 30k per kilobyte, which is the most competitive rate in the market today. Outgoing calls will be at N190 per minute.

destruction of fibre cables during road construction. IDC said that the way forward is for government to protect rather than persecute this sector of the economy. “The telecommunications vertical in Nigeria has consistently increased its contribution to GDP over recent years, rising from about 2 per cent in 2006 to 8 per cent in 2013,” said Babatope. “As such, it is in government’s interests to create and implement policies that provide an enabling environment for com-

munication service providers. Indeed, laws should be established that protect telecommunications infrastructure and prosecute the vandals and individuals who sabotage telecom operations in the country.” The firm added that none of these absolves the operators of all responsibility, however. “IDC is also of the opinion that operators must invest more in hybrid power solutions,” Babatope further said. “After all, it is common knowledge that the supply of

public electricity is unreliable and will likely remain a significant challenge for some time to come. Operators should therefore be proactive in seeking out cost-effective alternatives for power generation. Hybrid power solutions, which combine renewable and non-renewable energy sources, should help reduce operational expenditure on networks, thereby enabling the operators to invest more in their networks across the country and ultimately improve the customer experience.”

A telecom mast

Airtel aids education research A

irtel Nigeria has entered into a strategic partnership with Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) to deploy the country’s first research and education network dubbed Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN). The historic NgREN, an initiative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the first research and education network in the whole of West and Central Africa. It employs Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to drive inter-institutional communication, collaboration and shared access to knowledge across national and international boundaries. The unique programme, which was commissioned by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, on Tuesday at the National Universities Commission, Maitama, Abuja, is the outcome of NUC’s partnership with the Committee of Vice Chancellors

of Nigerian Universities to establish a foundation that will redefine research and learning in tertiary institutions across the country. The project also enjoys the support of the World Bank as it seeks to create an elaborate infrastructure backbone to interconnect all research and education institutions in the country and link them with other research and education networks worldwide. According to the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, the firm has played an important role in deploying NgREN. He expressed delighted that the programme underscored the company’s objective of repositioning as Nigeria’s number one enterprise business and mobile Internet service provider and in line with its core corporate philosophy of enriching lives. He also noted that Airtel was

20.7-megapixel Galaxy K zoom C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 8

Africa, Mr Emmanouil Revmatas, described the Galaxy K Zoom as a portal to a new communication era that shifts accepted standards in mobile telephony. “With the growth of social networking and the pervasiveness of instant messaging and communication, people today communicate faster than

words can manage. There is an increasing need to articulate our experiences through pictures and videos and the Galaxy K Zoom has been created to lead the way in this era of visual and voice communication. Our consumers can now take professional-quality photographs from a device that they can also use as their primary mobile phone,” he said.

passionate about the development of the education sector in tandem with the company’s major corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. “At Airtel Nigeria, we are committed to creating an innovative enterprise business and mobile communications solutions that will enrich lives and empower Nigerians to fulfil their dreams. Airtel will continue to support programmes and initiatives that will deepen learning, research, innovation and digital content in Nigeria,” Ogunsanya said. In the phase that was commissioned, Airtel Nigeria helped in connecting the 27 older federal universities in Nigeria through the provision of one gigabyte of bandwidth for the core backbone connectivity across four geographical zones in the country. They are Kano-Abuja; Abuja-Port Harcourt; Port Harcourt-Lagos and Lagos-Kano. The firm also provided 155mbps from the regional aggregation point to each of the selected universities in those regions and 155mbps duplex dedicated Internet service shared centrally by the selected universities in those regions. The NgREN project is in its first phase and a critical component is the implementation of a full-mesh, high performance national backbone network interconnecting all member campuses to provide state-of-the-art high performance/broadband network with Internet access.

FEATURES

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/entrepreneur

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

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

Being fruitful, even in widowhood Widows, despite their status and traumatic experiences, can still live worthwhile lives, writes ELIJAH SAMUEL

utually beneficial marital companionship is what everyone who sojourns on this terrestrial plane craves. Even more so, it invokes great delight when a partner with whom one shares a relatively encompassing compatibility is found. When finally, marital union is consummated, relevant parties assemble to chant blessings and prayers upon the marrying couples; prospects of prosperous marital union are prophetically reeled out during the ceremony signalling the commencement of their marital sojourn. In all of these, there is hardly a thought of calamitous occurrence befalling couples, whether in the budding stage or latter years of the marriage. But how cruel and unfair life may prove to be: without deference to any human rationale, life misfortune, especially sudden death of spouse creeps in and leave in its trail eternal loss, wailings, prejudice, discrimination, deprivations, dehumanising experiences, etc. As much as the loss of one’s spouse is not wished at any time, the stark reality is that it comes when it will come. And most times it comes when one least expects, thereby being caught in the web of unpreparedness. Howbeit, the composite impact of such unpreparedness is the lack of provisions or absorbent measures to cushion the effects of such sudden departure from the embrace of one’s family. In such circumstances, the most hit are the children and wife, in case of a man’s death. They become helplessly vulnerable as the plethora of challenges which a widow and the children are subjected to, especially in this part of the globe, are life-threatening. These take divine enablement and avowed resilience to surmount. During this year’s International Widows’ Day celebration recently, a NonGovernmental Organisation, Serendipity House Nigeria and God’s Wives, gathered widows together in Lagos to educate them on how to be ‘fruitful in widowhood’. The aim was to foster in the widows the ability for empowerment, which will drive their emancipation from every socio-economic entanglement besetting them since the loss of the breadwinners of their families. The programme, attended by many people cutting across socio-economic, ethnic and religious strata, provided the opportunity to unearth the unsavoury experiences of the widows’ world. Some of the widows had tales of unsavoury experiences. Mrs Patricia Nwanze, who retired as a head teacher in Lagos, spoke of her ordeals and the significance of the International Widows’ Day. She said: “International Widows’ Day is very important to us because it is the day we gather together to celebrate and make ourselves happy; it is like Mothers’ Day. People don’t remember a widow once her husband is dead. “Since seven years that I lost my husband, the experience has not been so good. But I appreciate God for giving me

Nwanze

Participants at the event

Akanbi

Ayantokun

Salako

the grace to wade through the challenges that I have been encountering. “I have kept on by God’s grace: I have been managing the family; and I have been able to build a bungalow in which I live at Magboro with my gratuity after retiring from service. Now I live on my pension allowance. “We want the government to come to the aid of widows so that they can do something productive with their lives and stop being dependent on people.” Another widow, who has trudged on, not allowing the departure of her husband rob her the possibility of attaining whatever goal she can attain, is Mrs Kehinde Ayantokun. The things she misses in her husband, according to her, are his sustained chastisement, guidance and lesson of business prudence. She said: “It has been three years since the demise of my husband. I thank God who has been my source of sustenance. One great lesson in my situation is that it is not good for a woman to be idle in a relationship. This is because the woman will suffer in case her husband dies suddenly. “I did not realise the import of my husband’s incessant chastisement on me to be hardworking and prudent when he was alive until he has gone. Although his death was very painful, I did not feel his absence so much in the sense of the upkeep of the family he left behind because I have learnt to be hardworking and industrious. “God has been so good in sustaining me and the children since the departure of my husband because there has not

been assistance from anywhere except from God. “By the grace of God I have been able to train my four children. The first two are through with apprenticeship and working, while the third is rounding up with his programme at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).” For yet another widow, who gave her name as Mrs Akanbi, taking solace in working for God has been the Gilead Balm to her widowhood troubles. “Since the departure of my husband seven years ago, I have been able to weather the storm of widowhood only by the grace of God. “The experience has been so unnerving, especially because there is no defence figure around in the family. I really missed the presence of my husband in many areas, especially his fatherly role in the family. “I have been making ends meet through my ministerial assignment as an evangelist and little vocation in the production of soap, disinfectants, etc.” “The government should come to the rescue of widows by providing jobs and making necessary arrangement for the empowerment of widows,” she said. Victoria Usang, who joined the league of widows in 2006, said she was compelled to get employment after the sudden demise of her police husband who was solely responsible for the family’s upkeep. She said: “Coming to the fellowship has really been of immense psychological benefit to me. The words of exhortation and drama presentation have somewhat

offered succour to my distraught soul. The lessons of the programme will be appropriated and inculcated in my living. “My husband died in active service as a police inspector in June 2008. It has not been easy to survive as I was not working before his death. While his benefits are yet to be paid to us, the police authorities are now trying to eject us from the barracks.” Aside government, the society also has a role to play in making the widows fruitful. Pastor Kayode Salako who administers the House of Joy Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), said spoke on the scriptural support for the upkeep of the widows. He said: “The church also has a role to play. In the Book of I Timothy 5:5 and I Timothy 1, the Bible teaching is made on how widows and orphans should be handled. The Bible makes us to understand that our service to God is incomplete without attention to the needs of this set of the less-privileged. “In this part of the world, once a person becomes a widow, she and her children are subjected to pass through hell; nobody looks in their direction anymore and they are left all to themselves. “However, the government, NGOs, philanthropists and privileged individuals have a role to play in ameliorating the burden of widows; they should try to do whatever they can, to give empowerment to the widows. By doing this, we are rendering service to God and doing His will.”

business | MONEY LINE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

CBN raises finance companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital to N100m banks, bridging financing gaps and meeting the financial needs of its target customers However, the apex bank noted that finance companies have not demonstrated the necessary capability to thrive in this space, which has resulted in a largely under-performing sub-sector - a situation of concern to the CBN and other key industry stakeholders. Consequently, the CBN undertook a review of the guidelines for finance companies, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by the Central Bank of Nigeria Act of 2007. The revised guidelines, according to the CBN, "will replace the existing guidelines for finance companies and should be read in conjunction with the provisions of the CBN Act, the BOFIA, as well as written directives, notices, circulars and guidelines that the CBN may issue from time to time." Going by the new guidelines, any company seeking a licence for a finance company business in Nigeria shall apply in writing to the Governor of the CBN

UNDERPERFORMING Finance houses have not lived up to expectations

Godson Ikoro

he Central Bank of Nigeria yesterday issued new guidelines for the finance companies in the country, raising their minimum capital requirements to N100million. It also delineating the scope of permissible operations for the companies and regulation of leasing business in Nigeria. In a circular on the revised guidelines for finance companies posted on its website, the apex bank noted that the finance company sub-sector was envisioned to operate within the middle tier of the financial system, with a focus on the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) segment. According to the banking watchdog, the sub-sector was to play complementary roles to

and such application shall be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of N100, 000 in bank draft, payable to the CBN. This will be in addition the deposit of the minimum capital of N100 million in bank draft made payable to the CBN. The capital thus deposited together with the accrued interest will be released to the promoters on the grant of the final licence. Also included is a satisfactory, verifiable and acceptable evidence of payment by the proposed shareholders of the minimum capital of N100 million as well as a detailed business plan or feasibility study, including the objectives and aims of the proposed finance company; the need for the services of the finance company and the special services that the finance company intends to provide. Others are a five-year financial projection for the operation of the finance company, indicating its expected growth and profitability, branch expansion programme, within the first five years; the proposed training programme for staff and management succession and details of

Naira flat, more dollar sales expected

he naira was little changed against the dollar on the interbank market, amid expectations the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would sell dollars soon, after earlier dollar sales by some local oil companies. The local currency closed yes-

terday at N162.45 to the dollar, slightly firmer than the N162.50 it had closed at the day before. Trader said Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas sold an undisclosed amount of dollars and a unit of Addax sold $12 million on Tuesday, providing support for the naira.

"There is a general expectation that the NNPC will likely come to the market this week and many banks are going short on dollar," one dealer said. Traders said the naira is seen gaining further value whenever the NNPC dollars hit the market, which may be before Friday.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

Bid Spot ($/N) 163.28 THE FIXINGS â&#x20AC;&#x201C;NIBOR,NITTY and NIFEX of February 6,2014

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

the assumptions upon which the financial projection has been made. The apex bank also insisted on seeing the organisational structure of the finance company, setting out in detail; the functions and responsibilities of the top management team and the conclusions based on the assumptions made in the feasibility report. Furthermore, a copy of the draft Memorandum and Articles of Association and the objectives of the company as disclosed in its Memorandum and Articles of Association should be in accordance with the services listed under the

scope of permissible operations for finance companies among others. The apex bank also listed the permissible services including consumer loans to individuals and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); funds management on behalf of customers; asset finance, leasing ,hire purchase and acquisition of goods through instalment payments over a given time frame. Others are project financing, financial consultancies, loan syndication and warehouse receipt finance, covered bonds and issuing of vouchers, coupons cards and token stamps.

World Bank unveils new strategic plan for Nigeria Kenneth Tyohemba Abuja

orld Bank through its group, the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) Monday, in Abuja unveiled a new strategic plan for Nigeria. The new Country Partnership Strategy, which covers the period of 2014-2017, aims to support the implementation of Nigeria's Vision 20:2020 and the government's transformation agenda, Country Director, World bank, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly disclosed while briefing news men in Abuja yesterday. The new CPS, which is built on the achievements and lessons from the implementation of the 2010-2013 programme, is prepared in the context of the Group's renewed commitment to the twin goals of reducing the number of people living below US$1.25 per capital per day to three per cent by 2030. It also seeks to foster income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of Nigeria's population. Strategic focus of the CPS covers the tasks of increasing productivity/ job creation, human capital development and improving governance as its cardinal points.

Marie-Nelly said the World bank has recognised Nigeria as the largest growing economy in Africa following the country's recent rebasing of its national accounts, which has positioned Nigeria to play a leading role on the continent and the globe at large. She attested that the country has enjoyed macro-economic stability and has been growing strongly, averaging seven per cent per year over the last decade, but however, expressed worry that despite the robust growth, poverty has remained significant with increasing inequality and regional disparities. The World bank CPC, according to the Country's Director "has officially launched its strategic partnership with Nigeria to help solve the problem of creating jobs opportunities for the large number of youth joining the labour force each year, and to address the continued insurgency in the country". She said key areas of intervention in aspect of creating jobs is to be geared towards improving agricultural productivity, increasing power generation and transmission capacity and financing for development particularly for private sector growth.

ARM to launch first infrastructure fund with $250m

RM Infrastructure is close to raising $250 million in Nigeria's first infrastructure fund, to invest in transport, energy and utility sectors across West Africa, with much of the money coming from pension funds, its managing director, Opuiyo Oforiokuma said. Speaking with Reuters on the sidelines of a pension funds conference in Abuja, he said the fund was expected to close by mid-August and was at the documentation stage with various investors including some Nigerian pension funds and other institutional investors such as the African Development Bank. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and home to 170 million people, according to,

requires around $50 billion a year for the next decade to develop badly needed infrastructure, especially for power, roads and water, to help boost economic growth. Nigeria's pension assets have grown to $25 billion in 2014, from under $4 billion seven years ago, as the government targets schemes to try to encourage domestic savings. But the funds have traditionally invested in debt and equity portfolios. "We are setting up a new infrastructure fund ... (The) target fund size is $250 million. This will be the first time pension funds are actually going to invest in infrastructure," Oforiokuma said on the sidelines of a pension funds conference in Abuja.

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014

Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020

42 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET Daily Summary (Bonds)

Sanctity of Truth

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020

Thursday, July 10, 2014

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 9, 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 14 10 24

Current Price 33.00 38.00

Quantity Traded 74,410 62,410 136,820

Value Traded 2,450,135.60 2,365,248.50 4,815,384.10

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 25 25

Current Price 3.06

Quantity Traded 1,135,993 1,135,993

Value Traded 3,457,768.73 3,457,768.73

1,272,813

8,273,152.83

Quantity Traded 319,593 10,103 3,000 37,815,551 297,154 38,445,401

Value Traded 414,358.85 41,306.01 3,300.00 211,241,176.00 18,418,791.15 230,118,932.01

38,445,401

230,118,932.01

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 CHELLARAMS PLC. Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 JOHN HOLT PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

49 Symbol No. of Deals AGLEVENT 13 CHELLARAM 3 JOHNHOLT 1 TRANSCORP 465 UACN 61 Daily Summary (Equities) 543

CONGLOMERATES Activity Summary onTotals Board EQTY CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE

PublishedBuilding by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Structure/Completion/Other

Current Price 1.31 3.95 1.15 5.65 61.99

543

Quantity TradedPage

1 of 14 Value Traded 233,887.04 233,887.04

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 1.35

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 68.05

Quantity Traded 63,069 63,069

Value Traded 4,283,250.24 4,283,250.24

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 29 29

Current Price 17.50

Quantity Traded 270,335 270,335

Value Traded 4,734,982.20 4,734,982.20

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

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 10.47

Quantity Traded 40,000 40,000

Value Traded 398,000.00 398,000.00

546,976

9,650,119.48

Current Price 10.17 197.53 29.50 175.22

Quantity Traded 10,500 125,504 60,607 660,293 856,904

Value Traded 101,535.00 24,742,205.52 1,744,964.98 115,456,887.23 142,045,592.73

COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 CONSTRUCTION/REAL Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 ESTATE Totals

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

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

59 Symbol CHAMPION Daily Summary GUINNESS INTBREW NB

No. of Deals 3 (Equities) 42 14 114 173

173,572 173,572

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 14 14

Current Price 102.53

Quantity Traded Page 60,751 60,751

Value Traded 2 of 14 6,233,721.14 6,233,721.14

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

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM UTC

No. of Deals 41 44 41 32 37 2 1 198

Current Price 8.19 9.11 78.00 4.05 11.50 19.75 0.50

Quantity Traded 185,392 283,772 88,750 2,115,715 607,329 13,569 268 3,294,795

Value Traded 1,500,987.45 2,586,151.30 6,840,646.57 8,560,322.74 6,880,038.45 254,858.16 134.00 26,623,138.67

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

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 33 44 77

Current Price 74.25 1,111.20

Quantity Traded 151,432 49,604 201,036

Value Traded 11,199,934.65 54,877,293.73 66,077,228.38

No. of Deals 28 1 29 Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 4.25 1.44

Quantity Traded 473,102 200 473,302

Value Traded 2,024,257.26 274.00 2,024,531.26

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 Household Durables Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020

VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals Personal/Household Products

Activity Summary Board EQTY PZ CUSSONSon NIGERIA PLC. CONSUMER GOODS

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange Personal/Household Products ©

UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 FIDELITY BANK PLC Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNITY BANK PLC

Symbol UNILEVER

No. of Deals 32 70

Current Price 53.01

Page Quantity Traded 119,474 450,625

3Value Traded of 14 6,304,985.43 18,389,463.28

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking 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 Published by The Nigerian StockINSURANCE Exchange ©COMPANY PLC. CORNERSTONE EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW AND ROCK INS. PLC. Daily Summary asUNION of 09/07/2014 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. Activity Summary on Board UNIC INSURANCE PLC. EQTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

261,393,675.46

Current Price 9.81 6.23 17.24 2.03 30.00 3.23 2.29 7.81 9.70 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,301,440 13,757,895 1,012,841 10,937,950 8,372,168 1,975,874 11,684,919 7,884,121 280,759 3,143,122

Value Traded 101,338,833.61 86,540,840.13 17,363,437.92 21,882,724.46 250,415,203.51 6,372,364.56 26,809,255.12 61,543,797.60 2,684,762.63 1,571,561.00

No. of Deals 34 235 1,597

Current Price 0.97 25.20

Quantity Traded 1,929,185 8,875,560 80,155,834

Value Traded 1,870,793.04 223,725,724.85 802,119,298.43

No. of Deals 1 36 64 1 1 1 1 13 3 2 9 17 34 10 3 (Equities) 1 2 2 1

Current Price 0.50 0.80 1.18 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.51 0.50 0.50 2.64 0.54 0.80 0.50 0.53 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 400 4,230,926 6,634,874 Page 400 550 12,895 400 1,030,000 342,069 1,100 25,768 1,705,500 2,102,639 2,270,000 9,266 100 49,760 5,365 9,409

Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 199 DIAMONDBNK 107 ETI 83 FIDELITYBK 102 GUARANTY 301 SKYEBANK 69 STERLNBANK 177 Daily Summary (Equities) UBA 208 UBN 51 UNITYBNK 31 Symbol WEMABANK ZENITHBANK Symbol AFRINSURE AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST EQUITYASUR GUINEAINS HMARKINS INTENEGINS LASACO LAWUNION MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS PRESTIGE Daily Summary REGALINS SOVRENINS STDINSURE UNIC

Symbol UNITYKAP WAPIC

No. of Deals 2 98 302

Current Price 0.50 0.86

Page

Quantity Traded 1,100 10,190,667 28,623,188

Value Traded 200.00 3,383,281.22 7,856,751.24 4 of 14 200.00 275.00 6,447.50 200.00 524,800.00 171,034.50 550.00 68,889.95 923,030.00 1,682,714.90 1,135,000.00 4,818.32 50.00 24,880.00 2,682.50 4,704.50 5

Value Traded 550.00 8,690,254.49 24,481,314.12

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

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 0.92

Quantity Traded 921,519 921,519

Value Traded 847,490.52 847,490.52

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

Symbol ASOSAVINGS RESORTSAL

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100,000 100,100

Value Traded 50.00 50,000.00 50,050.00

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. Daily Summary as ofEXCHANGE 09/07/2014 PLC. ROYAL Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 65 30 417 49 9 22 74 666 Daily Summary (Equities) 2,584

Current Price 3.30 3.90 16.01 4.15 0.54 27.03 2.25

Quantity Traded 697,378 2,375,011 18,735,097 1,670,994 195,990 259,216 3,041,324 26,975,010

Value Traded 2,318,425.57 9,229,819.40 299,904,425.19 6,947,382.55 105,660.76 7,004,481.80 6,878,731.13 332,388,926.40

136,775,651

1,159,887,079.47

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

Page

Symbol EKOCORP UNIONDAC

No. of Deals 2 1 3

Current Price 3.72 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,900 318,000 319,900

Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals

Symbol MORISON

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.91

Quantity Traded 4,200 4,200

Value Traded 7,644.00 7,644.00

Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC.

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER

No. of Deals 2 12 10 11

Current Price 2.43 3.00 69.99 1.76

Quantity Traded 18,590 178,800 1,096,262 337,132

Value Traded 43,128.80 538,545.00 75,715,650.40 590,922.32

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Page

Value Traded 6,726.00 159,000.00 165,726.00

2,069,284

77,200,579.52

Current Price 0.58

Quantity Traded 25,400 25,400

Value Traded 14,890.00 14,890.00

IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Symbol NCR TRIPPLEG

No. of Deals 1 2 3

Current Price 15.20 1.97

Quantity Traded 500 344 844

Value Traded 7,250.00 646.72 7,896.72

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 400 400

Value Traded 200.00 200.00

26,644

22,986.72

No. of Deals (Equities) 53 10 15

Current Price 29.60 9.00 39.00

Quantity Traded 463,767 9,946 73,361

Value Traded 13,596,317.04 86,966.41 2,871,269.82

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 Processing Systems Totals Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 ICT Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC Activity Summary on Board

EQTY

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © INDUSTRIAL GOODS

7 Symbol Daily Summary ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP

Page

Building Materials CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals

Symbol CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER FIRSTALUM PORTPAINT WAPCO

No. of Deals 35 32 5 1 2 37 190

Current Price 11.47 247.00 1.20 0.50 5.40 112.07

Quantity Traded 120,082 179,162 172,692 8,000 89,000 581,585 1,697,595

Value Traded 1,396,513.13 44,096,253.84 215,118.84 4,000.00 480,600.00 65,259,061.70 128,006,100.78

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

Symbol AUSTINLAZ CUTIX

No. of Deals 1 15 16

Current Price 2.00 1.90

Quantity Traded 5,000 443,927 448,927

Value Traded 9,500.00 852,742.32 862,242.32

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 1 7 8

Current Price 1.69 16.30

Quantity Traded 1,700 90,067 91,767

Value Traded 2,873.00 1,492,111.60 1,494,984.60

2,238,289

130,363,327.70

Quantity Traded 8,333 8,333

Value Traded 83,163.34 83,163.34

Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS BETA GLASS CO PLC. Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 Totals Packaging/Containers Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020 INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals NATURAL RESOURCES Metals ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. Metals Totals

214 Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities) ALEX

5 5

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page 8,333

of 14 83,163.34

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 81 81

Current Price 0.57

Quantity Traded 4,194,947 4,194,947

Value Traded 2,367,708.60 2,367,708.60

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 547 547

Current Price 28.00

Quantity Traded 9,948,503 9,948,503

Value Traded 278,319,669.52 278,319,669.52

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 25 27 144 13 22 8 239

Current Price 65.40 4.33 210.00 133.02 63.18 171.05

Quantity Traded 12,603 361,728 443,391 17,528 51,317 8,884 895,451

Value Traded 791,699.49 1,565,542.24 92,380,001.68 2,326,595.14 2,952,628.80 1,526,846.16 101,543,313.51

Symbol

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 702.00

Quantity Traded 12,700 12,700

Value Traded 8,593,935.06 8,593,935.06

15,051,601

390,824,626.69

SEPLAT Daily Summary (Equities)

OIL ANDSummary GAS Totals Activity on Board EQTY

SERVICES Advertising Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

10.50

880

Symbol AFROMEDIA

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 2,000 2,000

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 24 24

Current Price 1.11

Quantity Traded 996,650 996,650

Value Traded 1,087,387.89 1,087,387.89

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 18 5 23

Current Price 4.85 1.97

Quantity Traded 215,274 32,100 247,374

Value Traded 1,041,788.68 60,348.00 1,102,136.68

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 759,600 759,600

Value Traded 386,840.98 386,840.98

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.77

Quantity Traded 134,750 134,750

Value Traded 103,773.50 103,773.50

Symbol ACADEMY

No. of Deals 1 13 23 37

Current Price 1.71 1.74 4.35

Quantity Traded 1,000 246,534 495,753 743,287

Value Traded 1,710.00 423,972.88 2,208,720.61 2,634,403.49

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 28 28

Current Price 0.88

Quantity Traded 3,461,119 3,461,119

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 6 29 35

Current Price 2.34 4.99

Quantity Traded 28,200 1,247,891 1,276,091

Value Traded 63,033.80 6,182,994.96 6,246,028.76

Hotels/Lodging Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 IKEJA 15:06:20.020 HOTEL PLC Printed 09/07/2014

Hotels/Lodging Totals

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals EQTY Activity Summary on Board

SERVICES Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Transport-Related Services AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Daily Summary as of 09/07/2014 AIRLINE SERVICES Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020

Support and Logistics

Daily Summary (Equities) LEARNAFRCA UPL

Daily Summary (Equities)

Page

Value Traded 10 of 14 1,000.00 1,000.00

Value Traded 3,076,393.72 3,076,393.72

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 29 29

Current Price 6.89

Quantity Traded 367,010 367,010

Value Traded 2,502,841.70 2,502,841.70

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals SERVICES Totals

EQTY Board Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

201

7,987,881

17,140,806.72

5,150

209,760,286

2,284,958,449.94

Quantity Traded 2,970 2,970

Value Traded 3,979.80 3,979.80

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

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Value Traded 138,963.00 77,027,209.52

No. of Deals 3 3

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

Value Traded 12,084,477.85

Quantity Traded 114,400 1,745,184

Symbol COURTVILLE

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS NIGERIA PLC. Daily Summary asOIL of 09/07/2014 TOTAL15:06:20.020 NIGERIA PLC. Printed 09/07/2014 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Quantity Traded 331,151

Current Price 1.21

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Current Price 36.75

5,337,413

No. of Deals 8 43

HEALTHCARE Totals

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

No. of Deals 38

561

Symbol NEIMETH

NATURAL RESOURCES RESOURCES Totals © PublishedNATURAL by The Nigerian Stock Exchange

Symbol PZ

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 1.28

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

2,970

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © ASeM Board Daily Summary as ofTotals 09/07/2014

Page 2,970

Printed 09/07/2014 15:06:20.020

Equity Activity Totals

5,153

209,763,256

3,979.80

of 14 3,979.80

2,284,962,429.74

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund Name

Published byNEWGOLD The Nigerian Stock Exchange © EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 1 5 6

Current Price 2,085.00 19.56

Quantity Traded Page 15 19,104 19,119

Value Traded of 14 31,275.00 372,650.80 403,925.80

ETF Board Totals

19,119

403,925.80

ETP Activity Totals

19,119

403,925.80

business | FINANCIAL MARKET 43

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

9-Jul-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.

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

Description 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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

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

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

100.00 535.00 500.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 165.17 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

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

0.22 0.79 2.10 2.80 3.05 3.15 3.89 4.97 5.29 7.55 9.68 14.39 14.87 15.37 16.04

10.50 10.68 11.50 11.49 11.42 11.41 11.39 11.42 11.42 12.00 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.18 12.24

9.82 9.98 11.42 11.43 11.29 11.29 11.29 11.35 11.33 11.94 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.13 12.19

99.67 95.05 102.80 108.40 96.05 94.65 97.85 117.00 82.78 121.40 111.35 118.95 102.08 74.65 84.40

99.82 95.55 102.95 108.55 96.35 94.95 98.15 117.30 83.08 121.70 111.65 119.25 102.38 74.95 84.70

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

4,375.01 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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue 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 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.31 0.87 1.48 2.42 2.78 2.99

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.73 13.24 13.18 13.37 12.40 12.42

96.49 89.39 105.33 98.99 97.47 94.98

05-Aug-14 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

0.07 0.27 1.15 0.75 1.27 1.27 2.78 1.82 3.48 2.45 4.24 2.65 2.65 3.03 3.10 5.37 3.16 3.78 6.39 6.48 3.96 3.99

1.56 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

12.05 13.98 15.07 13.94 15.19 14.21 16.99 12.18 13.19 13.17 12.38 12.39 16.17 12.42 12.42 12.44 14.15 12.39 12.67 13.63 12.83 13.34

100.09 99.89 97.34 99.91 98.77 101.52 84.96 102.50 102.18 101.90 105.17 104.66 95.71 105.06 107.84 107.86 101.48 106.77 103.51 105.74 104.89 104.82

07-Oct-14 18-Dec-14 31-Dec-14 17-Aug-15 09-Dec-15 06-Jan-16 29-Sep-16 25-Oct-16 30-Sep-17 30-Nov-17 09-Apr-18 09-Sep-18 09-Sep-18 22-Sep-18 18-Oct-18 17-Feb-19 01-Apr-19 14-Nov-20

0.25 0.44 0.48 0.62 0.94 1.01 2.23 2.30 3.23 2.04 2.00 2.17 2.17 4.21 2.28 2.36 3.48 6.35

1.00 5.21 8.71 4.88 1.00 2.63 1.00 1.34 1.00 1.88 3.48 5.20 5.06 1.35 2.29 6.11 2.16 2.76

11.66 16.06 19.60 15.69 11.56 13.15 12.35 12.70 12.41 13.21 14.81 16.54 16.40 12.73 13.64 17.47 13.56 14.42

99.88 98.89 98.83 96.32 100.67 100.81 101.18 102.96 101.48 109.29 102.35 102.92 101.92 103.99 104.29 99.32 106.58 103.30

11-Feb-18

3.60

1.00

12.40

93.75

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,304.32

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto 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

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

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 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

05-Aug-09 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 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

17.00 6.00 8.50 16.50 13.00 18.50 57.00 50.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40 87.00 5.00 5.00 5.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

572.90

Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; AA/GCR Aa/Agusto Nil Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto BB+/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/Agusto A/GCR 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

LAFARGE WAPCO GTB µ NGC *UPDC *FLOURMILLS *CHELLARAMS NAHCO FSDH UBA *C & I LEASING *DANA# *TOWER# *TOWER# UBA *LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS# *DANA NAHCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

07-Oct-11 18-Dec-09 01-Apr-10 17-Aug-10 09-Dec-10 06-Jan-11 29-Sep-11 25-Oct-13 30-Sep-10 30-Nov-12 09-Apr-11 09-Sep-11 09-Sep-11 22-Sep-11 18-Oct-13 17-Feb-12 01-Apr-14 14-Nov-13

11.50 13.50 17.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 13.00 14.25 13.00 18.00 16.00 18.00 16.00 14.00 15.75 17.00 16.00 15.25

11.80 13.17 2.00 15.00 37.50 1.50 15.00 5.53 20.00 0.94 8.01 3.63 1.00 35.00 3.00 0.54 4.50 2.05

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

180.17

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

Maturity Date

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.88

4.74

110.37

111.22

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.10

3.90

103.74

104.48

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.29

5.18

107.67

108.52

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

Corporate Eurobonds AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.79

3.03

111.48

112.71

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.95

4.21

104.44

105.78

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.11

5.85

99.57

100.56

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.03

6.41

100.59

102.30

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.63

8.21

94.39

95.67

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

4.89

4.19

113.51

114.80

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.33

6.12

99.66

100.51

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

6.99

6.57

104.40

105.91

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.54

5.26

104.18

105.28

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

ACCESS BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

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

FIXINGS Maturity 17-Jul-14 24-Jul-14 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 28-Aug-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.35 10.35 10.35 10.20 10.40 10.35 10.40

Offer Discount (%) 10.10 10.10 10.10 9.95 10.15 10.10 10.15

Bid Yield (%) 10.37 10.39 10.41 10.28 10.51 10.48 10.55

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.8333 12.4040 13.3663 14.3366

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.50

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

O/N

10.75

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

162.35 162.81 163.07 163.66 164.90

162.45 163.24 163.63 164.58 166.41

Tenor Call

REPO

Rate (%) 10.50

06-Jul-12

0.00/16.50

66.49

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

06-Jul-17

2.99

1.00

12.42

94.98

1,304.32

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto KWARA A-/GCR NIGER A+/Agusto KADUNA A/Agusto *EBONYI Nil *BENUE A+/Agusto *IMO A+/Agusto; A+/GCR LAGOS A-/Agusto *BAYELSA A/Agusto EDO A+/Agusto; A+/GCR *DELTA A-/Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER A/Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI A-/Agusto *NIGER A/Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO A/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR LAGOS A/Agusto; A-/GCR *OSUN A/Agusto *OSUN Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR LAGOS A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI A/Agusto *EKITI he bulls maintained marA-/GCR *NASARAWA

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 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 inched up by 0.24 per cent each. 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 Specifically , the All-Share InOSUN 12-DEC-2019 dex14.75 gained 117.64 basis points or 0.414.75 perOSUN centII 30-SEP-2020 to close at 43,039.42 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 as against 42,861.78 recorded the 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 previous day while the market 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 capitalisation of06-JAN-2021 equities appreci15.00 NASARAWA

05-Aug-09 14.00 15-Oct-09 14.00 31-Aug-10 12.50 30-Sep-10 13.00 30-Jun-11 14.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 30-Jun-10 13.75 30-Dec-10 14.00 30-Sep-11 14.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 12-Dec-13 14.00 14-Feb-12 15.50 15.50 by acsector02-Oct-12 was largely driven tivity22-Nov-12 in the shares of14.50 Diamond Bank12-Dec-12 Plc and Sterling14.75 Bank Plc. 30-Sep-13 14.75 Also, insurance sub-sector 27-Nov-13 13.50 of the31-Dec-13 financial services sector, 15.00 boosted by activity in the shares 31-Dec-13 14.50 of Wapic Insurance Plc, followed 06-Jan-14 15.00

business | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

GREEN

Stock market upbeat on confidence level Stories by Chris Ugwu

ket OUTSTANDING supremacy VALUE yesterday TOTAL

following the investment Corporate Bonds decision taken by bargain A+/Agusto; LAFARGE WAPCO hunters onAA/GCR blue chip companies. Aa/Agusto GTB The key market performance µ Nil NGC measures, the NSE All Share InBbb-/Agusto *UPDC dex and market capitalisation, A-/Agusto rose by 0.4 per cent *FLOURMILLS as market BB+/GCR sentiments extended,*CHELLARAMS leading to A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO a gaining streak following high A-/Agusto FSDH optimism by investors. A/GCR UBA Positive sentiment had the BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING previous dayBB+/GCR returned to the BBB+/DataPro†; *DANA# # Exfloor of theBB-/GCR Nigerian*TOWER Stock A-/DataPro†; # change (NSE) as its *TOWER All Share AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR A/Agusto; Index andA/GCR market capitalisation UBA Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR BBB/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS# *DANA NAHCO

1.56 12.05 100.09 3.29 13.98 99.89 4.44 15.07 97.34 3.23 13.94 99.91 4.46 15.19 98.77 3.48 14.21 101.52 5.59 16.99 84.96 1.00 12.18 Thursday, July102.50 10, 2014 1.79 13.19 102.18 1.80 13.17 101.90 1.00 12.38 105.17 1.00 12.39 104.66 4.78 16.17 95.71 1.00 12.42 105.06 1.00 per share, 12.42 while107.84 N6.89 financial1.00services 12.44 providers,107.86 Zenith 2.74 14.15 101.48 Bank, Diamond Bank and First 1.00 12.39 106.77 City Monument Bank fell by 1.00 12.67 103.51 N0.10, N0.09 and N0.09 to close 1.94 13.63 105.74 at 1.44 N25.20, N6.23 12.83 and N4.15 104.89per share 1.95 respectively 13.34 . 104.82 Sanctity of Truth

Bulls dominate activities on NSE ated by N59 billion or 0.4 per cent to close at N14.211 trillion in contrast to N14.152 trillion as market 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 sentiment remained green. 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 Meanwhile, a turnover of 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 209.7 million shares worth N2.3 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 billion in 5,153 deals was record12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 ed 14.00 in the day’s trading. CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 Just as in the previous day, 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 the14.25 banking sub-sector was FSDH 25-OCT-2016 the13.00 most during the day UBA active 30-SEP-2017 (measured by 30-NOV-2017 turnover vol18.00 C&I LEASING ume); with 80.2 million shares MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 worth N802.1 million exchanged MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 TOWER by MPR+5.25 investors in9-SEP-2018 1,597 deals. 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 Volume in the banking sub15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

with a turnover of 28.6 million shares valued at N24.5 billion in 302 deals. 11.50 at the The07-Oct-11 number of gainers 13.50was 29, close 18-Dec-09 of trading session while01-Apr-10 decliners closed17.00 at 18. 10.00 On17-Aug-10 the gainers’ chart, down09-Dec-10 stream petroleum 12.00 products 06-Jan-11 14.00 marketer, Forte Oil, appreciated 29-Sep-11 13.00 by N11.90 to close at N210.00 per 25-Oct-13 14.25 share,30-Sep-10 while brewers of13.00 alcoholic drinks, Nigerian Breweries and 30-Nov-12 18.00 Guinness Nigeria, rose by N2.22 09-Apr-11 16.00 and N1.54 to close at N175.22 and 09-Sep-11 18.00 N197.53 per share. Similarly , ce09-Sep-11 16.00 22-Sep-11 14.00Cement ment producers, Lafarge 18-Oct-13 17-Feb-12 01-Apr-14 14-Nov-13

Shareholders endorse Lafarge’s merger

17.00 05-Aug-14 0.07 6.00 15-Oct-14 0.27 8.50 31-Aug-15 1.15 16.50 30-Sep-15 0.75 13.00 30-Jun-16 1.27 18.50 30-Jun-16 1.27 57.00 19-Apr-17 2.78 50.00 30-Jun-17 1.82 25.00 31-Dec-17 3.48 50.00 30-Sep-18 2.45 9.00 04-Oct-18 4.24 20.00 09-Dec-18 2.65 12.00 12-Dec-18 2.65 27.00 14-Feb-19 3.03 20.00 3.10 WAPCO and02-Oct-19 Ashaka Cement, 80.00 5.37 at gained N1.88 22-Nov-19 and N0.60 to close 30.00 12-Dec-19 3.16 N112.07 and N29.60 respectively . 11.40 30-Sep-20 3.78 On the flip side, oil and gas 87.00 27-Nov-20 6.39 logistics services providers, 5.00 31-Dec-20 6.48 the Caverton Offshore Group, 5.00 31-Dec-20 3.96 slipped by 06-Jan-21 N0.16 to close 5.00 3.99 at

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Cehareholders of Lafarge

its shares in its businesses in ment WAPCO Nigeria Plc Nigeria (AshakaCem, Unicem Supranational Bond at the 55th Annual General and Atlas) and South Africa to 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC Meeting (AGM) yesterday , sup- Lafarge WAPCO for a cash conTOTAL plans OUTSTANDING ported by theVALUE company sideration of US $200million to enter into discussions with and the issuance of 1.4billion Description Rating/Agency Issuer Lafarge South Africa (LSA) Lafarge Africa shares. The shareholders also authoin respect of the transfer of FGN Eurobonds Lafarge Group Affiliate com- rised of the company to raise panies ofB+/S&P their direct or indi- additional capital through a 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; rect equity interest in these public offer of debt or equity. BB-/Fitch; FGN 5.13 JUL 12, also 2018 comcompanies to Lafarge Cement The shareholders BB-/S&P mended the company for inWAPCO Nigeria Plc. BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 value The synergy would result in creasing shareholders’ BB-/S&P theTOTAL creation of Lafarge Africa, on investment through dividend OUTSTANDING VALUE a Nigerian listed holding com- payout, even as they approved a Corporate pany thatEurobonds will consolidate all dividend of 330 kobo for the 2013 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 financial year. Lafarge’s Nigerian and B-/S&P; B/Fitch AFRENSouth PLC I African assets. A representative of Kano 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 GTBANK PLC I B+/S&P; B+/Fitch This takes the company a shareholders,6.00Alhaji Muktar NOV 08, 2018 GTBANK PLC step closer in its bidACCESS to create Mukta, commended the com7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P BANK PLC a leading Sub Saharan Africa pany’s board6.88on improve MAYits 09, 2018 B/S&P; B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC building materials AFREN platform. performance10.25 andAPR adherence to 08, 2019 B/Fitch PLC Lafarge Group willZENITH transfer 6.25 APR 22,principles. 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P BANK PLC corporate governance

15.75 17.00 16.00 15.25

572.90

Analysts forecast 15-20% loan growth for banks

11.80 07-Oct-14 0.25 13.17 18-Dec-14 0.44 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.48 15.00 17-Aug-15 0.62 37.50 09-Dec-15 0.94 n spite of regulatory head1.50 06-Jan-16 1.01 winds, financial analysts 15.00 29-Sep-16 2.23 have predicted that loan 5.53 25-Oct-16 2.30 growth is likely the 20.00 30-Sep-17to be in3.23 range of 15-20 per cent for most 0.94 30-Nov-17 2.04 of8.01Nigerian 09-Apr-18 banks during2.00 the second half 09-Sep-18 of the year 2014. 3.63 2.17 According09-Sep-18 to equity research 1.00 2.17 35.00 22-Sep-18 conducted by analysts at4.21 the 3.00 Capital,18-Oct-18 2.28 FBN even as concerns 17-Feb-19 of0.54a slowdown in H2 for 2.36 loan 4.50 01-Apr-19the analysts 3.48 growth increase, 2.05 14-Nov-20 opportuni6.35 believe that lending

ties are generally greater than Muktar, who assured the 180.17 company of shareholders sup- they have been in the past such port on the proposed merger that banks will be able to meet 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.60 arrangement, also stressed the their guidance. 12.00 “We expect the banks to reneed for the company to embark on aggressive marketing cam- port a similar ROAE for full Issue Date Coupon (%) Issue Value Maturity Datedid in Bid Yield (%) paign. year($'mm) 2014 as they 2013. He added that this would help As such, we believe Q2 will see to offer a greater range of prod- slight improvements over Q1. Notwithstanding, we expect the uct choice to the customers. 07-Oct-11 6.75 500.00 28-Jan-21 4.88 President, Independent market’s reaction to be muted to 18-Dec-09 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 positive, given that4.10 our Shareholders Association of slightly Nigeria, Sir. Sunny Nwosu full year expectation for ROAE 01-Apr-10 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.29 said: “For the first time, we is flattish y/y. “Sequentially, we expect are acquiring a South African 1,500.00 company. This is an effort from some banks to show significant good management and good q/q growth in earnings, partic11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16and Fidelity Skye Bank board01-Feb-11 and we believe that we ularly 3.79 Bank. However, these growth will achieve 19-May-11 better things.” 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 4.95 He08-Nov-13 also urged the6.00 manage- rates 400.00 are flattered 08-Nov-18 by weak 6.11Q1 For the rest, we forecast ment 25-Jul-12 to ensure that 7.25 the prod- results. 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.03 flattish to single digit growth,” uct is09-May-13 widely spread, especially 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.63 in the08-Apr-12 rural areas to10.25 outweigh the said. 300.00researchers 08-Apr-19 4.89 competition. Besides revenue the 22-Apr-14 6.25 500.00 22-Apr-19 growth, 6.33

1.00 11.66 99.88 5.21 16.06 98.89 8.71 19.60 98.83 4.88 15.69 96.32 1.00 11.56 100.67 experts also believe “an eas2.63 13.15 100.81 ing1.00 of OPEX12.35 in Q2 for 101.18 certain banks, example UBA, will also 1.34 12.70 102.96 help growth. 1.00Q2 earnings 12.41 101.48 Q1 OPEX unusually high 1.88 can be 13.21 109.29 as 3.48 we saw this 14.81year (over 102.35and above 5.20 year-end 16.54effects such 102.92 as AMCON levy16.40 , NDIC premium) 5.06 101.92 1.35 12.73accruing. 103.99 because of over With 2.29 13.64 full year 104.29 regards to their guid6.11 we expect 17.47 the banks 99.32 to ance, 2.16 13.56 106.58 to reaffirm what they guided 2.76 their Q4 14.42 103.30 after 2013 or Q1 2014

results.” They noted that the recent change of guard at the central 1.00 12.40 93.75 bank was unlikely to lead to a worsening regulatory environment, adding that the changes Offer (%)motion Bid Price Price putYield into by the Offer previous governor were still being felt by Prices & Yields the banks. “As such,110.37 offsetting 4.74 111.22this positive outlook for risk asset 3.90 growth is the103.74 continuing104.48 impact of these regulatory headwinds, 107.67 5.18 which will most likely be108.52 visible till at least 2016. Our preference going into the Q2 reporting season are those banks, which have visible earnings 3.03 111.48 momentum 112.71 such 4.21 as Access 104.44 (Outperform 105.78 rated) and Stanbic (Neutral 5.85 99.57 100.56 rated); and UBA 6.41 100.59 (Outperform 102.30 rated) grounds 8.21 on valuation 94.39 95.67 and the potential 4.19 113.51 for putting 114.80 its excess 6.12 liquidity 99.66to work. 100.51

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

6.99

6.57

104.40

105.91

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.54

5.26

104.18

105.28

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

3,460.00

9-Jul-14

The FMDQ Bills Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products,FIXINGS fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject **Treasury Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) to the FMDQ OTC PLC TermsMaturity of Use and Disclaimer Statement. Offer Discount (%) DTM Bid Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%)

8 17-Jul-14 10.35 10.10 15 24-Jul-14 10.35 10.10 FGN Bonds 22 31-Jul-14 10.35 10.10 29 7-Aug-14 10.20 9.95 36 14-Aug-14 10.40 10.15 Issuer Description Rating/Agency Issue Date 43 21-Aug-14 10.35 10.10 50 28-Aug-14 10.40 10.15 9.25 28-SEP-2014 28-Sep-07 57 4-Sep-14 10.40 10.15 4.00 23-APR-2015 23-Apr-10 64 11-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16-Aug-13 71 18-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 15.10 27-APR-2017 27-Apr-12 78 25-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 9.85 27-JUL-2017 27-Jul-07 85 2-Oct-14 10.65 10.40 9.35 31-AUG-2017 31-Aug-07 92 9-Oct-14 10.10 9.85 10.70 30-MAY-2018 30-May-08 99 16-Oct-14 10.70 10.45 NA NA 16.00 29-JUN-2019 29-Jun-12 106 23-Oct-14 10.60 10.35 7.00 23-OCT-2019 23-Oct-09 113 30-Oct-14 10.70 10.45 16.39 27-JAN-2022 27-Jan-12 120 6-Nov-14 10.65 10.40 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14-Mar-14 127 13-Nov-14 10.80 10.55 15.00 28-NOV-2028 28-Nov-08 134 20-Nov-14 10.65 10.40 12.49 22-MAY-2029 22-May-09 148 4-Dec-14 10.50 10.25 8.50 20-NOV-2029 20-Nov-09 183 8-Jan-15 10.35 10.10 10.00 23-JUL-2030 23-Jul-10 197 22-Jan-15 10.45 10.20 211 10.45 10.20 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 5-Feb-15 225 19-Feb-15 10.35 10.10 239 5-Mar-15 10.40 10.15 274 9-Apr-15 10.30 10.05 Description Rating/Agency Issuer 288 23-Apr-15 10.20 9.95 302 7-May-15 9.70 9.45 *from theBonds Amortising Agency #bonds, the average life is 0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) AMCON Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

FMBN ***LCRM

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto 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

Modified Duration KWARA Buckets NIGER KADUNA <3 *EBONYI 3<5 *BENUE >5 *IMO Market LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS

10.37 10.39 10.41 10.28 10.51(%) Coupon 10.48 10.55 9.25 10.57 4.00 10.90 13.05 10.93 15.10 10.95 9.85 10.92 9.35 10.36 10.70 11.02 16.00 10.94 7.00 11.07 16.39 11.04 14.20 11.22 15.00 11.08 12.49 10.97 8.50 10.92 10.00 11.07 11.12 11.06 11.16 11.16 Issue Date 11.09 10.55

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

Bonds

NIBOR

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

Rate (%) 10.8333 12.4040 13.3663 Maturity Date 14.3366

OBB

10.50

Tenor

Spot O/N 10.75 7D Offer Yield 14D TTM (Yrs)REPO Bid Yield (%) (%) Tenor Rate (%) 1M Call 10.50 2M 100.00 28-Sep-14 0.22 10.50 9.82 1M 12.51 3M 535.00 23-Apr-15 0.79 10.68 9.98 3M 13.21 6M 500.27 2.10 11.50 11.42 NITTY 16-Aug-16 6M 13.90 1Y 452.80 27-Apr-17 2.80 11.49 11.43 Tenor Rate (%) 20.00 27-Jul-17 3.05 11.42 11.29 1M 10.3081 NOTE: 3.15 100.00 31-Aug-17 11.41 11.29 2M 10.7144 300.00 30-May-18 3.89 11.39 11.29 :Benchmarks 3M 10.5643 351.30 29-Jun-19 4.97 11.42 11.35 6M 10.9208 * :Amortising Bond 233.90 23-Oct-19 5.29 11.42 11.33 9M 11.1628 µ :Convertible Bond 600.00 27-Jan-22 12M 11.2204 AMCON: 7.55 Asset Management12.00 Corporation of 11.94 Nigeria 165.17 14-Mar-24 9.68 Government of 12.16 12.12 FGN: Federal Nigeria 75.00 28-Nov-28 14.39 12.17 12.13 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 150.00 22-May-29 14.87 12.18 12.14 IFC: International Finance Corporation NIFEX 200.00 20-Nov-29 15.37 Contractors Receivables 12.18 12.13 LCRM: Local Management 591.57 23-Jul-30 12.24 12.19 Current Price ($/N) NAHCO:16.04 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company BID($/N) 162.4300 O/N: Overnight 4,375.01 OFFER ($/N) 162.5300 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company # Risk Avg. Life/TTM Coupon (%) Issue Value (N'bn) Maturity Date Premium (Yrs)

(%)

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

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

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

0.31 0.87 1.48 2.42 2.78 2.99

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

Implied 0.07Yield 0.27 1.15 11.49 0.75 11.82 1.27 12.22 1.27 11.95 2.78 1.82 3.48 2.45 4.24 2.65 2.65 3.03 3.10 5.37 3.16 3.78 6.39

Implied 1.56Price Portfolio 3.29 4.44 116.7704 3.23 132.9059 4.46 98.9246 3.48 117.4637 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

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

162.35 Price 162.45 162.81 163.24 163.07 163.63 Offer Price Bid Price 163.66 164.58 164.90 166.41 99.67 99.82 166.35 168.32 95.05 95.55 169.88 174.53 102.80 102.95 177.43 186.60 108.40 108.55 96.05 96.35 94.65 94.95 97.85 98.15 NA :Not Applicable 117.00 117.30 # :Floating Rate Bond 82.78 83.08 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 121.40 121.70 111.35 †: Bond rating expired 111.65 118.95 119.25 102.08 102.38 74.65 74.95 84.40 84.70 NGC: Nigeria-German Company UBA: United Bank for Africa

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

11.73 13.24 13.18 13.37 12.40 12.42

96.49 89.39 105.33 98.99 97.47 94.98

1,304.32

Porfolio Market Total Outstanding Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 1,005.11 31-AUG-2015 953.07 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 1,139.42 951.30 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 683.20 756.74 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 2,827.73 2,661.11 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

Weighting by 05-Aug-09Vol Outstanding 15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 35.81 30-Sep-10 35.75 30-Jun-11 28.44 30-Jun-09 100.00 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

Weighting by Mkt 14.00 Value 14.00 12.50 35.54 13.00 40.29 14.00 24.16 15.50 100.00 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

Bucket17.00 Weighting 6.00 8.50 0.36 16.50 0.36 13.00 0.28 18.50 1.00 57.00 50.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40 87.00

% Exposure_ 05-Aug-14 Mod_Duration 15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 17.72 30-Sep-15 36.36 30-Jun-16 45.92 30-Jun-16 100.00 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

INDEX 12.05 13.98 15.07 1,109.08 13.94 1,125.40 15.19 1,154.04 14.21 1,115.78 16.99 12.18 13.19 13.17 12.38 12.39 16.17 12.42 12.42 12.44 14.15 12.39 12.67

YTD Return 100.09 (%) 99.89 97.34 10.9080 99.91 12.5396 98.77 15.4036 101.52 11.5780 84.96 102.50 102.18 101.90 105.17 104.66 95.71 105.06 107.84 107.86 101.48 106.77 103.51

NEWS 45

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Edo Assembly crisis: State of emergency fear grips APC lawmakers stalemate

No end in sight as shows rules the Legislature in Benin city Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

here is strong indication of a looming anarchy occasioned to pave way for a declaration of state of emergency by the federal government in Edo state following the ongoing crisis between the 15 lawmakers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the nine PDP legislators. Both factions are in supremacy battle over who will control the hallowed chambers of the house.

59,000

As a result, the leadership of the Assembly yesterday expressed deep concern over the raging political stalemate and urged the People’s Democratic Party and the Nigeria police force to retreat from their excesses and allow peace to rein in the state. Speaker of the state house of assembly, Hon. Uyi Igbe at a press conference held at the Government House Benin yesterday asked the ruling PDP government at the center and police top hierarchy to put a stop to the continued blockage imposed on the City center in the interest of the citizens of the state who suffer untold hardship in the process. Igbe also appealed to all well-meaning persons and authorities within and outside Edo

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

state to call to order those persons who seem determined to create a state of emergency to return to the path of sanity and respect for the rule of law. He accused the officers and men of the police force of allegedly becoming “virtually the enforcement wing of the PDP” and in the process “repeatedly aided the opposition party’s “legislators to break into the assembly complex and the hallowed chambers under the pretext of holding plenary sessions.” The speaker who ruled out any possible political solutions to the lingering impasse said they must allow the law courts to make necessary pronouncements as the last hope of the common man. They condemned “the

The ratio of women per 100 men in Nigeria in 2012. Source: Un.org

continued display of naked aggression and power show by those who believe that they control the organs of state power” and urged the IGP Mohammed Abubakar to call his officers and men to order. He said: “We urge the Inspector General of Police to call his officers and men to order and ask all concerned to note that the only legitimate authority for the resolution of all disputes is the judiciary whose orders and directives must be scrupulously enforced by all persons and authorities in Nigeria.” He said the house in order not to hamper legislative activities relocated to the old legislative chambers of Osadebey Avenue, GRA, (Government House) for legislative business, adding

4.13m

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of South Africa in 2011. Source: Itu.int

that appropriate notices were issued notifying all the lawmakers, the staff and the public about the decision to temporarily relocate the sitting of the house of assembly for obvious reasons. The lawmakers blasted the PDP counterparts who had been suspended for gross failure to obey various court orders. “It is therefore shocking that the police have

continued their siege to the house of assembly complex with daily blockade imposed on the Ring Road, Kings Square and its adjoining streets”. “The consequence of these continued blockades has been a total disruption of the free flow of human and vehicular traffic leading to untold hardship an economic loss on innocent members of the public.”

GOtv, C’ River forge partnership has announced lic relations manager GtheOtv its partnership with GOtv, explained that Cross River State the Cross River State government on the 5th Athletics and Swimming Championship for primary and secondary schools. This announcement was made at the Transcorp Hotel in Calabar on Tuesday. The sporting event will involve representatives from eighteen local government areas in Cross River State, and will run from Wednesday, 9 July through Saturday, 12 July 2014 at the UJ Esuene stadium, Calabar. Representing the general manager marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, Miss Efe Obiomah, pub-

government’s mission to groom the youth through sports is in line with MultiChoice Nigeria’s ongoing promotion of sports and its development. She also noted that children are important audiences of GOtv hence the decision to sponsor a championship for primary and secondary school children. “GOtv currently offers four kiddies channels – Nickelodeon, Disney Junior, JimJam, Channel ED which entertain while also aiding learning and development”, she said.

Crisis hits Delta APC Dominic Adewole ASABA

he factional crisis TChapter rocking the Delta State of the All Pro-

L-R: Brand Manager, Goldberg, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Bassey Mfon; Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Tourism and Culture, Mr. Oladipo Soyede and the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Layooye II, during the 2014 Osun Osogbo Festival programme unveiling and corporate forum in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

renowned consultant with Goalhai Nigeria Enterprises, Dr Grace Alufokahai yesterday charged the 36 states of the federation and 774 local government areas as well as the FCT Abuja to establish, equip and finance disaster management agencies (DMA) in their areas. Dr. Alufokahai stated this in a report titled: "Natural disaster Management strategies in the Niger Delta region". The report marked the high point of a two day workshop on disaster management organized by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, and the Edo state Ministry of Environment and

Consultant tasks states, LGAs, FCT on disaster management agencies Public Utilities held in Benin Edo state capital. Alufokahai said the call is necessary as a study she conducted revealed the absence of pre and post disaster management strategies in the four states badly affected by the 2012 flood disaster in the country beyond rescue, distribution of relief materials and proviso of emergency centers in form of camps in most cases. These agencies if established with well trained and equipped personnel, she advocated; "help improve the state of preparedness and management during

disasters”, and after the disaster, under a special Ministry for Natural disaster management. "Such a ministry would also take care of disasters like gully erosion, drought, fire outbreaks, desertification and even oil pollution...and for establishing a database on disaster related issues and the gathering and dispatching of information on climatic change issues, rainfall and other climatic conditions and related issues", she said. Identifying inadequate relief camps, makeshift camp structures, dishonest practices in distribution of relief materials

and inadequate transport facilities to go round camps as constraints in managing the 2012 flood disaster in the Niger Delta region, she said existing disaster agencies lacked qualified personnel, adequate fund and logistics to cope with disasters. ANEEJ executive director Rev David Ugolor said the workshop was designed to present the study by Dr Alufohai and discuss disasters generally with the outcome serving as a prelude for the setting up of disaster management agencies in states and local governments where they currently do not exist.

gressive Congress (APC) has escalated as one of the state chairmen of the party, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, has been suspended over the rule of the thumb. Already, three chairmen, including Chief Adolor Okotie-Eboh of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Isaac Tobore Ajueshi, who mobilized for the party shortly after the merger stuff, and the controversial Prophet Erue, who emerged during the party’s recently concluded congress in

the state are currently laying claim to the soul of the party in the state. Prophet Erue, the New Telegraph gathered, incurred the wrath of some members for refusing to change the results of the rule of the thumb. But the suspended chairman maintained in Asaba yesterday that instead of bordering himself with petty issues, he was girding his loins for the forth-coming council polls in the state so as to defeat the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Prophet Erue, it was further gathered, was suspended by some aggrieved members of the party, led by a member of the State Working Committee (SWC).

800 private schools to go in Delta Joe Obende Warri

he Delta State GovernTprivate ment is to close over 800 schools across the

state following their persistent failure to adhere to set standards. Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in the state, Prof. Patrick Moboghare, made this known in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area. Moboghare, who spoke in a Radio Delta, Warri pidgin English programme, said the step had become impera-

tive as several reminders over the years had failed to elicit any change in the listed schools. The schools, made up of crèche, nursery, primary and secondary schools, for instance, do not have playgrounds for the children which he described as "vital" in learning. “When a child is restrained and he is not offered the freedom to play, which is innate in children, he becomes emotionally bottled up and when he explodes, he turns a rebel”, he counseled.

46 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Lawyer slams N110m suit on CAC boss, accuses him of negligence

Falana, Keyamo, others mourn Bamidele Aturu

Tunde Oyesina

opular Lagos lawyer, Pdead. Bamidele Aturu is He was said to have

ABUJA

he Re gistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), has been dragged before a federal high court sitting in Abuja over an alleged negligence that resulted in wrongful registration of a corporate body, Ibom Mega Transformation Initiative (IMTI). The registrar general along with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and IMTI were sued by a legal practitioner, Jacob Brown Udobang, who is claiming N110 million jointly from the three defendants as damages. Besides, the lawyer and one Chief Emmanuel Inyang, who jointly sued

0.8%

the defendants on alleged negligence are demanding for a court order removing the registrar general from office on alleged gross incompetence and negligence. In an originating summon filed by Iniobong Utuk, the first plaintiff, who claimed to be an accredited customer of CAC with number NBA/IND/8478 averred that on August 5, 2013, he applied for registration of a body - Ibom Transformation Initiative on behalf of Emmanuel Inyang, the second plaintiff. The plaintiffs claimed that the proposed name of the body was denied after a search and were officially asked to introduce additional word to the initial name. They claimed that in compliance with the direc-

The percentage of modern biofuels of global final energy consumption in 2010. Source: Unesco.org

tive, another name Ibom Mega Transformation Initiative (IMTI) was presented and reserved till February 15, 2014 for registration after payment of all mandatory fees. Based on the approval, the plaintiffs claimed that posters, letterhead papers, handbills, signposts, office rent and newspaper publication were executed in the name of the non-governmental organisation to the tune of over N5 million. The plaintiffs averred that sometimes in January this year, they discovered that the CAC had negligently registered the Ibom Mega Transformation Initiative with number RC No 662694 for another group of customers. They claimed that their documents, includ-

ing receipts for all mandatory payments, were negligently used to register the body for another set of unknown people. The plaintiffs further averred that the beneficiaries of the negligence actually applied for registration of another similar body Ibom Transformation and Justice Initiative and had done newspaper publication in The Sun newspaper of Friday, November 8, 2013, to the effect of their own name. They further claimed that all documents and payments made by the beneficiaries of the alleged CAC negligence bored the name of Ibom Transformation and Justice Initiative and that an oath made at a high court also corroborated it.

$US3.65trn $2,046.9m The nominal GDP of Germany (World Bank) in 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com

The capital importation of the banking sector of Nigeria in 2009. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Joseph Onyekwere

taken ill few days ago and died in a Lagos hospital yesterday. Aturu was until his death, the Principal Counsel, Bamidele Aturu & Co., a full service law firm with special expertise in Litigation, Human Rights, Maritime Law and Labour Law. Until his death, the fiery lawyer was known as a human rights advocate and the voice of the oppressed. When contacted, another Lagos based human rights lawyer, Ebun OluAdegboruwa confirmed his death and added that he has been sick of recent. He described him as a very brilliant lawyer. “We lost a very brilliant law-

The late Aturu

Jonathan laments high rate of school dropout resident Goodluck Ppressed Jonathan yesterday exconcern about the

L-R: Igwe of Abba, Igwe Linus Leonard Eze; Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano; wife of the Igwe of Abba, Lolo Maureen Eze and the Igwe of Ifitedunu, Igwe Dr. Emeka Ilunoh, at the flag of construction work on Abba-Ifitedunu Road project in Njikoka Local Government Area...yesterday

yer and advocate. We will surely miss him”, he said. Festus Keyamo, one of his friends in the legal practice, was in shock. He told New Telegraph: “I am devastated. I don’t know what to say. He held too much promise for our generation. I can’t find a word." Also, Femi Falana, who was speechless, when contacted on phone described Aturu's death as unbelievable.

high rate of school dropouts in Nigeria, saying the figure, which is as high as 70 per cent in some parts of the country, is “too high” Jonathan, while inaugurating the steering committee for the Safe Schools Initiative, explained that such a high percentage of dropouts was unacceptable. “From statistics, the dropout of students at the basic level of education is quite high. The basic level is the primary and secondary. The dropout at that level is too high. “Some states are fairly okay with one or two per cent. But some states are as high as 70 per cent. If the dropout rate of students at the basic level is as high as 70 per cent, that means that only 30 per cent goes to

school. That is terrible. “In Borno State today for example, children, especially girls, are not going to school because of the risk they face from terrorism and violence. This is not acceptable,” a report by an online newspaper, Premium Times, quoted Jonathan as saying. The president also said Nigeria was under stress because of the excesses of the Boko Haram sect and called for the need to cushion the collateral damage from the sect’s activities. He added that the kidnap of schoolchildren, like in Chibok, must not be allowed to recur, adding that the Safe School Initiative has been designed to enhance the safety of pupils and teachers as well as restore the confidence of parents in keeping their children in school.

Fayose tells rebellious PDP members to leave

Wukari: Group calls for an end to crisis

Sola Adeyemo

JALINGO

Ibadan

kiti State governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, yesterday threatened rebellious members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who might want to cause disharmony within its fold, to leave as the party’s exit door is open to them. He said this at a rally organised by the South-West Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the party held in Ibadan, Oyo State. The rally, which was more of a ‘thank you’ variety after last month’s victory, had in attendance bigwigs of the party, among them former gov-

ernor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, the Chairman of the committee, Buruji Kashamu, Chairman of the party, Yinka Taiwo, and others. In his speech, Fayose said members who have held elective positions before should desist from causing division in the party, that the present leadership of the party was ready to suspend such politicians. “This is the last time that any member of the party, irrespective of his position, whether former governor or president, will be begged to remain in the party. If they want to join other parties, they are free. They should not disparage the party again because if

they do, they will go. “They have enjoyed benefits in the party, so they should respect the party, whether former president or senator. I left the party when I had misunderstanding with it and returned when we resolved our differences. I was fighting from outside and not in the party. The door is open for them to leave,” he said. The Ekiti governor-elect added that he was in a position to lead the campaign for the exit of All Progressives Congress governmentsin the South-West, being the only person in Nigeria to have defeated two incumbent governors. He also promised that the best candidate will

emerge from all the states’ primaries as the National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, favours a credible process. “I am the only person in Nigeria to have achieved the feat of defeating two incumbent governors, so I am in a position to give advice on how to achieve victory at the poll. We will defeat APC in Oyo State and other South-West states with the support of the people. Our business in government is to perform and give due recognition to the grassroots. “APC has wasted the opportunity it has to perform by neglecting the grassroots. Elections are not won by propaganda, but at the grassroots. If Ekiti can do it, Oyo people can do it.”

Sabiu Mustapha

group in Taraba Asionyouth State, the Youth of ViNigeria, has called

on the state and Federal Governments to come up with measures that would bring an end to the crisis rocking the southern part of the state, particularly the intermittent ethno-religious conflict in Wukari Local Government. Chairman, Community Mobilisation Committee of the group, Mr. Ishaku Bako, made the call yesterday in Jalingo, at a press conference. Bako lamented that the conflict had caused the displacement of thousands of people in the vil-

lages of Wukari that has led to the disruption of economic and social activities in the area. “As we address you now, several families are living as refugees in towns and villages all over Taraba, Plateau, Benue and Nassarawa States,” he added. He said the situation has led to the suspension of farming activities in the affected communities; adding that the repercussion can only be imagined in the coming years. He further urged government at all levels to deploy more security operatives to the area to bring an end to the lingering crisis.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

fair play Lagos gov absolves government of favouritism Muritala Ayinla

bout 102 new home owners yesterday emerged in the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS), even as the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola said ethnicity and religion are not conditions for benefiting from Lagos. Speaking at the fifth raffle of Lagos HOMS held at the Blue Roof, LTV8 Agidingbi, Fashola explained that the scheme does not in any way discriminate on any

New LGs: PDP accuses Assembly of contempt

No discrimination in allocation of LagosHoms, says Fashola

Anambra CP warns motorcycle operators

l 102 New Home Owners Emerge

he Anambra State ComTUsman missioner of Police Mr. Gwari, has warned

grounds, saying those bent at dividing the residents along religion or ethnic lines would fail woefully. He said: "It encompasses the diversity of our country. From the draw, we can see applicants from Igbo, Hausa and Delta among others duly participated in the scheme and won in the process.The scheme does not ask religious questions. It does not ask ethnic questions. So, tell those who want to divide us by religion that they will fail. This housing scheme has further bound us together.” Harping on the transparency in the application of the mortgage scheme,

Fashola said the scheme had not been infected with bribery, saying it “is free from man-know-man syndromes.' He added: “I do not know any state in the federation in the country where two hundred homes are put in the market every month. I do not even know any country in West Africa where two hundred homes are put in the market every month. This is happening in Lagos State and by an All Progressives Congress (APC) government.” He added that the newly introduced 'rent-toown' housing programme will capture junior public servants, artisans, tradesmen and those who can-

not afford 30 percent equity contribution now. He assured that it will allow people in this category pay rents, which forms the basis for their mortgage in the long run. He added that applicants do not have to know any government official at any level to benefit from the schem The governor said many housing units are currently under different stages of construction across the state, pointing out that the government have expanded to Ilubirin, Iponri and Akerele Extension among others. "We are currently working on 23 additional construction sites. We

have equally engaged 193 contractors. Also, about 2,483 persons of diverse qualification have been employed as a result apart from consultants, architect and other building professionals that have benefitted from the housing scheme directly and indirectly”, he stated. Fashola said the various scheme were executed with the tax payers’ money, that the state government is not paying interest to any bank because of this scheme. He added that the state government did not borrow money from any bank locally or internationally to fund the housing projects, noting that the housing projects are being executed 100 percent by the state government.

Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of Ecratic the People’s DemoParty (PDP) has

accused the State House of Assembly of contempt and threatened to sue the Assembly should it take further steps on the bill sent to it by Governor Kayode Fayemi for the creation of additional Local Council Development Areas. The party also warned that it will be contemptuous for the Assembly to pass the bill intended to create more LCDAs into law when there is a pending suit in court against such policy. The party in a letter dated July 8, 2014, signed by its Legal Adviser, Mr Kolapo Kolade and addressed to the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adewale Omirin in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday said the party had earlier gone to Ado-Ekiti High Court to challenge the rationale behind the creation of more LCDAs by Governor Kayode Fayemi in the twilight of his administration. The party in the suit number HAD/75/2014 filed by its State Chairman, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe prayed the court to grant perpetual injunction,restraining Governor Fayemi from carrying out the policy on the premise that it was ill-timed and targeted at creating problem for the incoming administration. Citing Cap 8 Section 54(5) of the Standing Order of the Assembly, which borders on the rules of debate, the party quoted: “No matter pending in court of law shall be entertained by the House in order not to prejudice the decision of the court in respect of the matter”.

NEWS 47

Onah O. Onah Onitsha

that the police will not hesitate to deal decisively with anybody or group of persons who may want to hide under any umbrella to disrupt the peace and stability in the state. Disturbed by the alleged bitter relationship amongst Campaign for Democracy, CD, some Divisional Crime Officers, DCOs in the state, the Tricycle operators and the motorcycle operators, the Police Commissioner, yesterday addressed the parities in what he called peaceful co-existence meeting. Addressing the leaders of CD led by their South East zonal chairman, Dede Uzor A.Uzor and the tricycle operators led by their leaders, Chief Donatus Ezeanuna the CP said they should see themselves as partners in progress and their brother’s keepers. He however frowned at alleged uncomplimentary roles of some Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, warning that he would not hesitate to deal with them if they abuse their offices. The DPO Fegge, Onitsha, Mr Rabiu Garba had earlier in his office reconciled the warring factions but the effort of the DPO was turn down as the two groups continue their leadership tussle over who will control the Motorcycle and Tricycle transport union in the commercial city.

Police clamp down on MASSOB Onah O. Onah Onitsha Some Women Reading the Hearing Notice pasted by the Investigation Panel at the Main Entrance of Adamawa Deputy Governor in Yola … yesterday.

Illegal levy: Onitsha LG chairman, Head of Service risk jail Onah O. Onah Onitsha

n Onitsha Magistrate court presided over by Dr R.N. Okoye, has adjourned till Tuesday 19 August 2014 for hearing on a contempt prayers brought against the Onitsha North Local Government council for disobeying an order of the court made on the 29th June 2010. Others charged alongside the council boss are the Head of Service of the council and the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission. The order in “form 49” made available to the New Telegraph reads in

parts: “Notice to show cause why order of committal should not be made…take notice that unless you show cause after the issuance and receipt of form 48 of 23rd June, 2014, that you are not in contempt of the honourable court order, that warrant of committal shall be issued against you and you will be committed to prison.” The order New Telegraph gathered was as a resulting of a motion on notice brought against the defendant by Messrs. Cletus Eburuike, Lawrence Chukwu and Comas Ekwealor suing for themselves and representing members of Amalgamated Traders

and Artisans Workers Association Onitsha, Anambra State. The motion on notice was according to Mr. Melly Chukwuemeka Eze, counsel to the plaintiffs /applicants was brought pursuant to order 18 rule 1 of the magistrate court law (cap 88) law of Anambra State 1991 as amended and section 72 of sheriff and civil process act and order 1 rule 13 of the judgment (enforcement) rules of the inherent jurisdiction of the honorable Tribunal praying for the declaration of the court, that the refusal of the defendants and their agents, privies and assigns to obey the terms of settlement of

28th June 2010 entered between the parties is willful violation of the verdict of the honourable court or Tribunal and is contemptuous. The motion also prayed the court for declaration that the continued neglect or/and refusal of the defendant and their agents privies and assigns to discountenance the seizure, impoundment and attempt to auction the merchandize, wares, chattels and tools of the plaintiff applicants upon the receipt of the honourable tribunal form 48 of 23rd June 2014, amount to gross act of contempt and flagrant disobedience to the verdict of the court.

Police in Anambra Tedlyhe State yesterday allegset ablaze the prop-

erty of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) ablaze at Nimo, Njikoka Local Government Area. According to reports, the Police allegedly stormed the MASSOB office at about 4pm and throw out all the property in the office outside and set them ablaze. The MASSOB Deputy Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, told the New Telegraph that the property set ablaze included, refrigerator, chairs, computers sets, files, clock, fans, cardboards, tables carpets and window blinds worth over N200, 000. Mazi Mocha added that N65, 500 cash was also removed from the office and described the action as barbaric, adding that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives every Nigerian the right to freedom of association.

Osun 2014

48 NEWS

Governor deserves second term, says traditional rulers

raditional rulers in Oke-Irun and Iresi of Boluwaduro Local Government in Osun State, Oba Isaac Adetunlurese and Oba Sikiru Adeseun, yesterday campaigned for the re-election of Governor Aregbesola in the August 9 governorship election. The traditional rulers, who appealed to their subjects to cast their votes for the governor, said he has beaten the imagination of all and sundry in the rapid transformation of the state. The monarchs support came yesterday as one of the sons of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, Abdul Abiola, endorsed the second term bid of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State. Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Abdul

said his endorsement was beyond partisan politics, noting that the governor deserved a second term, because of the remarkable achievements of his administration in the last three years. “Aregbesola has done what is line with my father’s vision for education in Nigeria, which is very germane to the development of any country. His education policy is not only amazing, but a feat that has transformed Osun education, enabling its students be part of the global education/computer age. The monarchs made the appeal in their palaces differently, when the supporters and loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) thronged

The ratio of women per 100 men in United Arab Emirates in 2012. Source: Un.org

the streets of Iresi and OkeIrun to receive the party re-election campaign team, canvassing votes ahead of the election. The crowd walked through the major roads of the two towns, canvassed votes among the residents and as well explained the manifesto of the APC candidate, Rauf Aregbesola. Addressing the supporters, the monarchs described the governor as an excellent performer that deserves to be supported for another term of office. Onirun said the governor has not only done credibly well, but has also been fair to all sections of the state. According to him, Aregbesola has judiciously utilised the state resources

329,560

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

to provide equitable infrastructure to the people as envisioned by the founding fathers, adding that his administration is the first to initiate developmental project that launches the state into limelight. In his speech, the Oluresi said Governor Aregbesola is a rare politician, who should be allowed to use his wealth of experience to fully transform the state to a viable one both socially and economically. Addressing residents of the communities, Chairman of the campaign team, Mr. Sunday Akere, said the governor has stunned the people through his six-point integral action plan in his first term of office by turning all moribund sectors alive.

624,773

The number of air travel passengers of Abuja international wing in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Workers form mobilisation group for Aregbesola Stories by Adeolu Adeyemo OSOGBO

ome supporters of Osun SAregbesola, State governor, Rauf have formed a

mobilisation group for his re-election. The group, which has as its members almost all the unions in the state, is now working to penetrate all the nooks and crannies of Osun to sell Aregbesola as the best candidate to be re-elected in the coming election. One of the members, who identified himself as Adesola Adenike, told News Telegraph that members of the group now meet every week to map out strategies on how to intensify efforts to make their dream a reality. Adenike added the formation of the group was to ensure that Aregbesola is not ousted in the governorship race, but be the winner at the end of the exercise. In Egbedore, Ede and

Ejigbo federal constituency, these workers meet 4.00pm every Thursday at Baptist Primary School, Awo, under the leadership of an outstanding teacher. However, the membership comprising youths and adults, according to a member, is now fifty, but that as soon as people are aware of the association, its' membership would swell up. The member, who gave his name simply as Alhaji Lateef, hinted further that the impact of the group would be felt in all the thirty local government areas as its tentacles cut across the length and breadth of the state. He said: “We unite to form the group with one voice, one goal, one purpose, one focus, one vision, one mission and one dream to achieve victory at the poll and God will help us in transforming our desires to reality.”

LP to launch campaign on Saturday State Governor, Othendo Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Labour Party (LP),

National Chairman, Dan Nwayanwu and the party’s National Working Committee members will on Saturday storm Osogbo, to flag off the governorship campaign of Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, for the August 9 election. Director of Publicity to the LP flag bearer, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, made this known in a statement yesterday. Oladeji said the event would take place at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo and would attract people from all walks of life. He said: “Though

Akinbade has been moving round the state in a bid to sell his candidature to the people, the official campaign flag off will be this weekend at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo.” Oladeji added that the programme is expected to be graced by national leaders of the party and thousands of party supporters across the state. "Equally, representatives of the NLC, TUC, student bodies and labour leaders are expected to grace the occasion.” The statement implored members of the party and the people to troop out in large numbers to ensure that the programme succeeds.

‘Voters’ cards now being sold for N10,000' L-R: Deputy Governor, Osun State, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; founder, Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife, Sherifat, during the bishop's visit to the governor in Osogbo…yesterday

PDP: Politicians in fake army uniforms will not go unpunished

ne month to the conduct of the Osun State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Acting National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipupo, yesterday war ned politicians planning to put on fake military and police uniforms to perpetrate electoral fraud during the election to desist from such. He said the Federal Government would put every security in place to checkmate the antidemocratic act. The party’s acting

national secretary, who gave the warning in Owode during the ongoing campaign of the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, said such anti-democratic acts would not be tolerated. He said: “The Federal Government would not condone any covert act by desperate politicians to arm fake military personnel and policemen to perpetrate electoral fraud during the poll. “T he President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government

possessed the capacity and wherewithal to nip in the bud moves by some gladiators to thwart envisaged success of the electoral exercise. “No politician, no matter how powerful or highly placed, will be allowed to arm fake policemen or soldiers in a bid to cause violence. “The President and our chairman have mandated me to tell you that there would be no violence or confusion. Jonathan is the Commander-In-Chief

of Federal Republic of Nigeria. “You should entertain no fear, because the gover nment would ensure free, fair and credible election.” While addressing the crowd, Omisore said: “Teachers, civil servants in the service of Osun State would get their salaries and emoluments as at when due when I become the governor of Osun in August.” “We would also send all the contractors milking our economy back to Lagos.”

sun State CommissionOSpecial er for Youths, Sport and Needs, Mr. Ste-

phen Kola-Balogun yesterday raised the alarm that voters’ cards are now being sold for N10, 000 in the state. The commissioner, who condemned the development at a press briefing yesterday, said information at his disposal revealed that it was the handiwork of some people who collected some voters’ cards in exchange for N10, 000. Balogun condemned the attitude; describing it as undemocratic and a new approach in the politics of the state, calling on concerned authorities to right the wrongs before it goes out of hand. The commissioner, who stressed that the same thing is being extended to elderly ones, hinted that they would ask them to fill a form and get it

exchanged for money. “It has come to my notice that some people are currently collecting voters’ cards of youths in exchanged for N10, 000 while the elderly ones are being tricked to submit theirs for peanuts. “As the Commissioner for Youths and Special Needs, the unfolding scenario is not acceptable, it is criminal and no reasonable government will watch the vulnerable been dubiously exploited without moving against it.” He, however, called it a criminal offence, charging people not to sell their voting rights in exchange of money. “This is unprecedented. It is high time we condemn it. Everybody should not sell their voting rights. The elderly are being tricked; youths are selling theirs willingly for N10, 000.

AFRICA | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Somali leader fires police, intelligence chiefs

omalia’s government fired the police and intelligence chiefs a day after Islamic militants attacked the heavily guarded presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, the information minister announced yesterday.

Government troops and African Union peacekeepers repelled the attack and no government official was hurt, Mustafa Dhuhulow said. Three of the four extremist attackers were shot dead by soldiers after they forced their way into the presidential palace

War-torn South Sudan marks third anniversary as famine looms

outh Sudan marked its third anniversary of independence yesterday, with civil war raging, the young nation divided by ethnic atrocities and on the brink of famine. The streets of the capital have been lined with banners proclaiming “One People, One Nation”, with the government of President Salva Kiir due to put on a show of force with a military parade and speeches delivered to celebrate the breakaway from the repressive government in Khartoum. Authorities have deployed heavy security ahead of the commemorations, underscoring the bitter divisions in the world’s youngest nation where a nearly seven-month-old civil war rages on. “It’s a sad anniversary,” admitted Juba resident Gideon, 23, saying he had hoped for better three years on from the fanfare and optimism that swept the country in July 2011. South Sudan has been wracked by war since midDecember, when presidential guards loyal to Kiir clashed with troops supporting ousted vice-president Riek Machar, who fled to the bush and rallied a huge rebel army. The fighting has been marked by widespread atrocities against both members of the Nuer people, to which Machar belongs, and revenge attacks against Kiir’s Dinka group, the single largest tribe. Civilians have been massacred and dumped in mass graves, patients murdered in hospitals and churches, and entire towns flattened as urban centres including key oilproducing hubs changed hands several times. The most conservative estimates put the toll at 10,000 dead, although aid workers say the real figure is likely far higher. Almost 100,000 civilians are sheltering in squalid camps inside UN bases fearing revenge attacks if they leave. Aid group Oxfam said South Sudan was “currently Africa’s

worst crisis with nearly 4 million -- a third of the country’s population at risk of severe hunger and an aid effort that has only so far reached half of those in need”. “The world’s attention is elsewhere as Africa’s worst humanitarian catastrophe descends into more misery. We will be staring into the abyss and fail to avert a famine if funds do not start arriving soon to help the people of South Sudan at risk of starvation, disease and violence,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International. “If the aid effort does not increase 50,000 children could die from malnutrition. Since the current crisis began in December last year fighting has forced 1.5 million people from their homes and numbers continue to rise.” On the eve of the anniversary, the departing UN representative in the country issued a scathing attack on the country’s leaders, calling them a “selfserving elite” responsible for a looming “man-made famine”. “Thousands and thousands have been killed,” said Hilde Johnson of the UN mission in South Sudan, lashing out at both the government and rebels, warning that one of world’s least developed nations has “been set back decades”. Leaders were sick with “the cancer of corruption” with the country’s billions of dollars worth of oil “a curse rather than a blessing”, she said. Peace talks in luxury hotels in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have made little progress and last month they halted indefinitely, with both sides refusing to attend the discussions. “If there are further delays, and the blame games go on, whether from those wanting to remain in office or those wanting to get back in, we can draw only one conclusion; that this is only about a scramble for power,” Johnson added.

late Tuesday, sparking an exchange of gunfire, he said. The fourth militant was wounded. Dhuhulow told reporters yesterday that police commander Abdihakim Saaid and intelligence chief Bashir Gobe were replaced immediately. A new minister for national security was also appointed in changes announced by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, who was inside the palace when the attack happened. Dhuhulow said the government would implement sweeping new security measures to prevent such attacks. The presidential compound known also as Villa Somalia houses several government offices and is considered one of the safest places in Mogadishu because of the tight security presence. However, it has been attacked many times by

militias in the country’s east that had caused exports from two of the country’s oil ports to stop for almost a year. The disputes over oil had knocked the country’s regular 1.6 million barrels per day production down by 80 percent, seriously hurting revenues, as well as the central’s government grip on power. Mohammed al-Harari, spokesman for the National Oil Corporation, said that 325,000 barrels per day are being pumped from the Sharara oilfield since it reopened. Production resumed a day earlier. The National Oil

security officials said the four militants managed to infiltrate Villa Somalia by dressing as government troops. Amid the confusion some soldiers and guards fired at their comrades, said Yusuf Nor, a security official who was at the scene as the attack unfolded. Somali police officials said the militants, who were armed with grenades, split up once inside and tried to take control of different buildings in the compound. The Horn of African nation has been trying to rebuild following years of political instability and civil strife since 1991, when the dictator Siad Barre was ousted from power. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Western-backed government has promised to put the country on a path toward democracy and economic progress, despite regular attacks by Islamic militants.

Children race onto the drop zone after an air drop by the international Red Cross in South Sudan...recently.

Ki-moon picks Brahimi as UN Syria mediator

taffan de Mistura, a veteran diplomat and former UN special envoy to Afghanistan, will replace Lakhdar Brahimi as the UNmediator for Syria, diplomatic sources said yesterday. UN

Production in Libya’s Sharara oilfield resumes roduction at one of Libya’s largest oilfields restarted, pumping at more than 90 percent of its capacity in a boost to the troubled North African nation, a Libyan official said yesterday. The pumping at southwestern Sharara oilfield, one of Libya’s largest at 340,000 barrels per day, had been intermittently shut down because of protests in the area over financial and political demands. The resumption of production comes days after the central government resolved another dispute with

al-Qaida-linked militants over the years. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab has vowed to step up attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack was the second assault on Villa Somalia this year and it was the first time militants were able to breach its compound and take offensive positions inside. The palace is protected by government troops and African Union peacekeepers who helped to drive the al-Shabab militants out of Mogadishu in 2011. The U.S. government condemned the latest attack. Such attacks “demonstrate that insecurity in Mogadishu persists, including very real threats from al-Shabaab,” said Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman. Somalia’s government has not given details about how the attack was carried out, but some

Corporation lifted a force majeure from two other eastern ports, Ras Lanuf and al-Sidra, Sunday, following an agreement with rebels in the area to end their control over them. The rebels had been demanding a share of the oil revenues and a degree of political autonomy. Production there has not resumed yet. Libya has been struggling with motley of militias vying for power, political disputes between Islamists and non-Islamist forces over control of the parliament and government, and rampant violence.

diplomats in New York said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would announce the choice of de Mistura, a dual citizen of Italy and Sweden, later yesterday. Many diplomats have said prospects for a negotiated settlement of the war have dimmed amid worsening violence. Brahimi stepped down, May 31, frustrated by international deadlock over how to end the three year civil war in Syria. He had long threatened to quit, just as his predecessor - former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan - did in 2012. Annan resigned after six months as the UN and Arab League joint special representative on Syria, accusing the U.N. Security Council of failing to unite behind efforts to end the fighting. Russia, supported by China, has vetoed four UN Security Coun-

cil resolutions threatening action against its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United Nations says more than 150,000 people have been killed, some 10.8 million people in Syria need help, of which 4.7 million are in hard-to-reach areas, while another three million have fled the conflict. De Mistura, has worked with the United Nations in Somalia, the Middle East, the Balkans, Nepal, Iraq and Afghanistan during the past three decades. He was most recently the UN special envoy in Afghanistan in 2010-2011. It was not immediately clear if he would be a joint UN and Arab League envoy. Ban Ki-moon met Nabil el-Araby, head of the Cairo-based Arab League, in June to discuss whether a new appointee would still be a joint appointee.

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Gaza rockets land deep in Israel as it bombards Palestinian enclave

sraeli air strikes shook Gaza every few minutes yesterday, and militants kept up rocket fire at Israel’s heartland in intensifying warfare that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 37 people in the Hamas-dominated enclave. Missiles from Israel’s Iron Dome defense system shot into the sky to intercept a rocket launched, for the second straight day, at Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial capital. Other communities near Tel Aviv in central Israel and in the south, closer to Gaza, were also targeted. In the longest-range attack since Tuesday, when Israel stepped up its

offensive, a rocket hit Zichron Yaakov, a town 115 kilometers (70 miles) north of Gaza, slightly injuring one person, Channel Two television said. No Israeli fatalities were reported, and Israeli news reports hailed as heroes the military crews of the Iron Dome batteries, which are made in Israel and partly funded by the United States. With frequent explosions from Israeli air strikes echoing through Gaza City, its main shopping street was largely deserted. Local residents reported hundreds of attacks on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it had attacked 550 Hamas sites, in-

cluding 60 rocket launchers, over the past two days. Israel’s military said concealed rocket launching sites, weapons storage facilities, tunnels and command and control positions, as well as the homes of gunmen, were hit. Palestinian officials said at least 25 houses were either destroyed or damaged and not all of the dwellings belonged to militants. The build-up to the most serious hostilities between Israel and Gaza militants since an eight-day war in 2012 began three weeks ago with rocket attacks following the abduction and killing of three Jewish

India’s Modi tightens grip on ruling party, naming close aide as chief

headquarters celebrated with the beating of drums, Singh and Modi both offered sweets to Shah. Shah’s elevation completes Modi’s takeover of the party apparatus and comes ahead of a clutch of elections in states the prime minister is hoping to win back from the opposition, to help him achieve his ambitious economic and political plans. In a break from tradition after the crowning of a party chief, neither Modi nor Shah spoke to reporters. Instead, Modi posted a message on Twitter saying Shah had started his journey as a simple party worker and repeatedly proved himself. But Shah’s elevation as head of a major party marked a new low, said Yogendra Yadav, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, which has campaigned for a clean-up of Indian politics. “A sad day,” Yadav said in a Twitter message. “Amit Shah’s appointment as BJP president further lowers the minimum moral qualification for becoming a national leader.” The son of a well-to-do businessman, Shah was interior minister for seven years in Modi’s

mediation role more difficult. At least 29 civilians, including five children, were among the 37 Palestinian dead in two days of fighting, and 230 people have been wounded, hospital officials said.

Election crisis and war casualties add to Afghan woes

ighting in Afghanistan is spreading into populated areas, exacting a record toll on civilians, the UN warned yesterday, as presidential candidates called on supporters not to escalate tensions after the disputed election result. The country’s political crisis and soaring civilian casualties have caused deep disquiet among Afghanistan’s international backers who sent soldiers and billions of dollars of aid to the country since 2001. Claims that a functioning state has been established to replace the harsh Taliban regime look at risk after presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah rejected the June 14 election result alleging he was the victim of mass fraud. Security gains also appear fragile as the final 50,000 NATO troops end their combat mission by December after 13 years of fighting that has failed to defeat the Taliban insurgents. Underlining the extent of the violence plaguing Afghanistan, the UN report revealed that civilian casualties soared by 24 percent in the first half of 2014. Ground combat is now causing more deaths and injuries than improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a worrying sign of

spreading conflict, with women and children increasingly caught in the crossfire. “The nature of the conflict in Afghanistan is changing in 2014 with an escalation of ground engagements in civilian-populated areas,” warned Jan Kubis, the UN mission chief in Afghanistan. In the first six months of this year, UNAMA documented 4,853 civilian casualties -- up 24 percent over the same period in 2013. The toll included 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries, with ground engagements causing two out of every five civilian casualties in 2014. Fears that Afghanistan could see a return to the ethnic bloodshed of the 1992 -1996 civil war have grown during the deepening election crisis. Abdullah Abdullah, a former anti-Taliban resistance fighter, came second in preliminary results to Ashraf Ghani, but Abdullah said the election was fraudulent and that he expected to become the next president. Ghani attracts much of his support from the Pashtun tribes of the south and east, while Abdullah’s vote base is among the Tajiks and other northern Afghan groups -- echoing the ethnic divisions of the civil war.

Syria’s Western-backed opposition elects new president

Smoke and flames are seen following what police said was an Israeli air strike.

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest political associate was named the president of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party yesterday as the leader tightened his grip on the party he carried to its biggest election victory this summer. Amit Shah is a controversial former minister from Modi’s home state of Gujarat in western India. He faces three counts of murder and was banned briefly during the election campaign this year for delivering hate speeches. But the stocky, bearded Shah masterminded the BJP’s strongest showing in the battleground state of northern Uttar Pradesh, helping to propel the party to an absolute majority of its own in the parliamentary election. “The spectacular success that he achieved in Uttar Pradesh has never been done before,” the outgoing party chief, Rajnath Singh, told a news conference. “So we decided to give him the national responsibility.” The party’s top decision-making parliamentary board unanimously chose Shah as his successor, added Singh, who is now in government as the federal home minister. As workers at party

seminary students in the occupied West Bank. Egypt brokered a truce in the conflict two years ago, but its military-backed government’s hostility toward Islamist Hamas could make a

cabinet in Gujarat before his 2010 arrest on murder charges and subsequent release on bail. Shah denies charges that he ordered the killing of a man, police said was an Islamic militant on a mission to assassinate Modi. The man’s wife and a witness were also killed. Shah’s political rivals accuse him of sowing religious hatred in Uttar Pradesh soon after Modi put him in charge of the populous state. The tactic, they said, was aimed at polarizing Hindu and Muslim voters along religious lines. Critics say the BJP, which is the political offspring of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has a deep-seated bias against India’s 160 million Muslims. The party denies the charge and says it is opposed to the appeasement of any group. During the national election campaign, Shah was banned by the Election Commission from holding rallies and delivering speeches after it found him guilty of delivering “hate speeches” designed to promote “hatred and ill will” between religions.

yria’s Western-backed opposition, the National Coalition, elected Hadi alBahra, chief negotiator at the Geneva peace talks, as its new president yesterday after a three-day meeting in Istanbul. The United States and other key powers have designated the Coalition as the main body representing the opposition to Syrian President Bashar alAssad, but it has little power inside Syria where disparate militant groups outside its control hold ground. Bahra, a U.S-trained industrial engineer, has close ties to regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as did his predecessor Ahmad Jarba, who stood down after serving the maximum two sixmonth terms. Bahra’s election is unlikely to have any impact on the situation in Syria or within opposition ranks for now, though France, the first Western nation to back the Coalition, welcomed his appointment and said it was still striving for a political resolution of the conflict. Infighting within the opposition coalition has undermined rebel efforts to take on forces loyal to Assad, playing into the hands of rival, more hardline groups that include foreign militants such as the Islamic State. U.S.- and Russian-sponsored

talks to end the three-yearold civil war stalled after two rounds in January and February in Geneva, when the coalition and Assad’s representatives failed to make substantive progress. Bahra, born in 1959 in Damascus, has worked as a businessman in Saudi Arabia running hospitals and a Jeddah-based media and software distribution company, a biography on the National Coalition’s website said. While welcoming Bahra’s election, the French foreign ministry said Paris would not change its stance of providing civilian and non-lethal military aid. The rebels say they need heavy weaponry to change the balance on the ground in Syria. “We will continue to provide support to help (the Coalition) fight oppression and terrorism,” spokesman Romain Nadal said in a daily online briefing. “This aid aims to help the moderate opposition protect the population against attacks by the regime and terrorists and provide basic public services in liberated zones.” A French diplomatic source said there was no real political will in Paris to increase military support and that the French wanted to focus on humanitarian efforts.

SPORT

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ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS

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AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

thursday, july 10, 2014

Babatunde eyes Sunderland move S

uper Eagles midfielder, Michel Babatunde, has revealed that Sunderland are one of several Premier League clubs looking to sign him. Babatunde made two appearances for his country at the World Cup before breaking his wrist in Nigeria’s final group game against Argentina. The 21-year-old says his agent has subsequently been contacted by Sunderland and expects to leave Ukraine outfit Volyn Lutsk this summer. “I have received several offers from different

lAs Schalke table four-year offer places, but I’m interested in the one from Sunderland. They have contacted my agent and we will see how it goes from there,” Babatunde said. “There are about two offers from clubs in Turkey as well, which are both under consideration and will be discussed at the right time. “I’m probably going to leave Volyn. We have to discuss the offers on ground but most likely, I will be leaving this summer.”

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet was at the World Cup as a broadcasting pundit for ITV. Meanwhile, top German Bundesliga club Schalke 04 are in the forefront of European clubs who wish to sign Babatunde. It was gathered that Schalke have tabled a four-year deal for the 21-year-old forward while two clubs from Turkey and one from France are also keen to sign the left-sided midfielder and winger.

Babatunde

FIFA suspension: Falconets first lAs team get casualty July 15 deadline T

Falconets’ Ngozi Okobi (left)

he Nigeria Under-20 women side, Falconets may become the first casualty of the impending FIFA ban of the country from its activities over last week’s court sacking of the Aminu Maigari-led Nigeria Football Federation. The world football governing body on Wednesday suspended Nigeria from all football related activities, giving a deadline of July 15, for status quo to be reverted to. The first indication that the suspension may have already started to bite is that the Falconets were twice stopped from embarking on their proposed 24-day camping tour of Canada ahead of 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in that country. The nation’s campaigners were scheduled to depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday aboard Lufthansa Airline to Frankfurt en route Moncton, Canada but that was not to be as the team returned to their camp on flimsy flight hitch. However, the players returned to the airport on Tuesday to embark on the tour, but were told in no uncertain term that their tickets had been cancelled on the orders of the world football governing body, FIFA. The team as at Wednesday were still holed up in their camp with strict

instruction from the new helmsmen at the Nigeria Football Federation to avoid the public, the stadium but train within the hotel premises until otherwise directed. The plight of the women’s team may not be unconnected with the face-off between the country and FIFA following the sacking of the elected NFF board by the court and the subsequent Congress’ action and appointment of Lawrence Katken to oversee the activities of the federation. “The cancellation of the Falconets’ trip to Canada in preparation of FIFA organised competition is the strongest indication that FIFA’s imminent ban is already in force and the Falconets happened to be the first casualties. “The new helmsmen at NFF understood quite clearly while the tour was cancelled by no other than football governing body FIFA because the event in question is theirs. “The impression created to the public is that the team left Abuja on Monday to Frankfurt where they will connect flight to Moncton, Canada but as we speak (Wednesday) the players are in their hotel anxiously waiting for further direction. “They’re sternly warned to keep off from public view, avoid the stadium but train within the hotel compound,” said a source to supersport.com.

52 SPORT

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

FIFA WORLD CUP

Switzerland 1954 Magical Magyars dreams shattered by Germans The 1954 final became known as the ‘Miracle of Bern’. The ‘Magical Magyars’ came into the finals as the hot favourites and on a 32 match unbeaten run. They disposed of West Germany -- admittedly not a wholly first choice line-up -- by an astonishing 8-3 scoreline in the group stage and few thought the Germans could redress the balance in the final. It looked as if a similar thrashing was on the cards when the Hungarians went 2-0 up inside the opening 10 minutes with Ferenc Puskas scoring the first. However, the Germans captained by former Soviet Prisoner of War Fritz Walter stormed back and were level 10 minutes later. Helmut Rahn completed the astonishing turnaround when he scored the winner six minutes from time. Sweden 1958 Swedes World hopes turn sour Sweden have never come as close to getting their hands on the trophy as when they hosted it. They cantered through their group and disposed of the Soviet Union in the quarterfinals. How-

ermany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the World Cup semi-final was a “hammer-blow” that has damaged the hosts’ image around the world, Argentine great Diego Maradona said. The astonishing reverse was Brazil’s record World Cup defeat, their first loss at home in 64 competitive matches since 1975, and the first time they had lost by six goals in any match since Uruguay beat them 6-0 in the Copa America in 1920. “I said Germany were better than Brazil, I didn’t like Brazil from the start, but I didn’t think Germany were going to be so imposing, so devastating, so decisive,” the former World Cup winner said on a chatshow late on Tuesday. “Brazil just didn’t turn up and I think the worst thing for Brazil is that they gave an extremely poor image. OK, Germany were strong but the Brazil players simply weren’t on the pitch.” Maradona knows what it is like to be humiliated by Germany: he managed Argentina at the World Cup four years ago where the Germans beat his team 4-0 in the quarter-finals. That, he argued on

ever, facing the defending champions West Germany was an entirely different proposition. The Germans took the lead but the Swedes levelled before half-time. Late goals from Gunnar Gren and Kurt Hamrin secured them a remarkable 3-1 win over a stunned German outfit which had been reduced to 10 men on the hour mark but had more than held their own. In the final they took a fourth minute lead but ended up being overwhelmed 5-2 by Brazil with a young Pele scoring a double. Mexico 1986 Spanish bull run blunted by Belgians Spain as ever entered a finals with pundits and players saying alike this will be the one to end the trophy drought dating back to the tarnished win in the 1964 European Championships. Their belief was stoked in a jaw dropping 5-1 thrashing of Denmark in the last 16 clash. The Belgians, though, proved far more resilient as their mix of experienced veterans such as Jan Ceulemans and youngsters like Enzo Scifo held the Spanish line spearheaded by the ‘vulture’ Emilio Butragueno at bay. The Spaniards cancelled out Ceulemans’s 35th minute goal five min-

Five warnings for rampant Germans Germany showcased sublime skills against Brazil during their massive 7-1 win in the semis of FIFA World Cup. The team though will need to avoid complacency. Here are five previous occasions impressive wins did not lead to further glory but instead defeat: face heavily-criticised hosts France. They looked to be heading towards an historic appearance in the final as star striker Davor Suker gave them the lead in the first minute of the second-half. However, they were pegged back almost immediately as Lilian Thuram popped up for his first ever international goal and took such a liking to it he added another to dash Croat dreams.

Germany’s Toni Kroos celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with teammates Miroslav Klose (L) and Sami Khedira

utes from time. However it failed to prove to be the spark to victory and the Belgians progrssed 5-4 on penalties. France 1998 Thuram puts paid to Croatian fairytale Croatia looked as if they could give their nascent republic

born out of the ashes of the Balkan wars in the early 1990’s something to be cheerful about as they made steady progress at their first World Cup finals. Dreams turned into belief when they outclassed traditional titan Germany 3-0 in their quarterfinal and prepared to

Brazil’s image shattered, says Maradona

Maradona

the Venezuelan-based TV network Telesur, was different, because Argentina fought harder and let in three late goals rather than capitulate from the start. “I’m sorry because Brazil was so proud of its team, they wanted to reach the final, but

football gives you these hammer-blows,” Maradona added. Though respectful in his comments on air, some media reported that privately Maradona was mocking the Brazilians, who are Argentina’s traditional rivals.

Those reports said that just before going on air, the always controversial Maradona had sung an Argentine fans’ song, “Brazil, how does it feel?”, but adapting the word “siente” which means feel in Spanish for “siete” which means seven. On the program, he criticised how Brazil’s midfield and defense seemed to melt away at every German attack in the game on Tuesday night at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium “Brazil didn’t stop anything in the midfield, anyone could get through. The defenders, Dante and David Luiz, had no coordination,” Maradona said. Dante stood in for suspended captain Thiago Silva while striker Neymar was out inured. “It was like five-aside. You give it to me, I give it you, and you shoot,” Maradona added of the ease with which Ger many’s strikers stroked the ball around in the buildup to the goals. Had Germany converted a great chance, just prior to Brazil’s consolation goal, and gone

South Africa 2010 Spanish pragmatism too much for German flair-filled youth Several of the present German side will think back to four years ago and heed the words of Loew for they had sauntered through the last 16 and the quarterfinals with eyecatching 4-1 and 4-0 wallopings of England and Argentina respectively. They entered the semifinal with European champions Spain -- who had beaten them in that final in 2008 -- with a lot of confidence. However, 90 minutes later it was the Spaniards who progressed -- and ultimately won the trophy -- after a Carles Puyol goal gave them a 1-0 win while the Germans left the pitch drained.

8-0 up, it would have been a “global catastrophe,” Maradona said. The team suffered from not being in the South American qualifiers with the experience that would have given, he said. Brazil qualified for the tournament automatically as hosts. Echoing the amazement of those at the game, and millions watching around the world, the Argentine said it felt as if he had fallen asleep and dreamt about Brazil’s defeat. The atmosphere inside the Mineirao stadium was surreal, as hours of euphoric buildup turned to shock and trauma when Germany

went 5-0 up in the first half. Adults and children cried alike, some fans began booing their team and ironically cheering the Germans, and there was venomous treatment for some players especially forward Fred. The Brazilians looked lost and startled, while the Germans seemed almost embarrassed by what was happening, restraining their celebrations and consoling their rivals afterwards. Praising Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as a “monster”, Maradona said the Europeans nevertheless have weaknesses. “This Germany is vulnerable,” said Maradona.

Brazil fans are devastated while watching the first half on Copacabana Beach

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News Updates Pele confident Brazil will win 2018 World Cup

razil legend Pele Baside was quick to cast his country’s

seven-goal World Cup rout at Ger many’s hands on Tuesday, saying the Selecao would deliver in Russia in 2018. “We’ll get the sixth title in Russia. Congratulations to Germany,” Pele wrote on his Twitter feed. “I always said that football is a box of surprises. Nobody in this world expected this result,” said Pele, who played in three World Cup-winning Brazil teams. Brazil had been hoping to extend their record of five wins in the competition. But, as with their previous hosting in 1950, they failed to land the trophy on home soil as the Germ a n s a n n i h i l at e d them 7-1 in their Belo Horizonte semifinal.

Pele

It’s the worst day of my life –Scolari B razil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has described his side’s hammering by Germany in the World Cup semi-finals as the worst day of his life. The hosts were thrashed 7-1 in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday night their heaviest ever defeat in the tournament. Despite admitting his shame following the match, 65-year-old Scolari insists that “life goes on”. “I think it was the worst day of my life, but life goes on,” the veteran coach is quoted as saying by FIFA.com. “I will be remembered as the coach to lose 7-1 but I knew that risk when I took the job and life goes on so that is what I am going to do.” Brazil return to action on Saturday when they compete in the Thirdfourth place playoff.

Hulk(righ) contesting with Germany player

midfielder Ggerermany Bastian Schweinsteihas apologised to hosts Brazil after thrashing them at the FIFA World Cup. Schweinsteiger’s men were rampant 7-1 winners over Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, going 5-0 up prior to the half-hour mark as they coasted into the World Cup final. The Bayern Munich man offered his apologies to the home nation, with several of Brazil’s players in tears after their semi-final exit. “I would like to apolo-

uses were set ablaze by angry Brazilians after their national team’s embarrassing 7-1 World Cup loss to Ger-

defence. Blues boss Mourinho told Yahoo!: “I don’t think it’s fair to separate a player from the team, because the team was really bad. “David made mistakes? Yes he did. But Dante made mistakes, Marcelo made mistakes, Fernandinho made mistakes. The team as a team made mistakes. So I don’t think it’s fair [to pin most of the blame on Luiz].”

many. Fans went wild across the nation Tuesday night, torching at least 20 vehicles at a Sao Paulo SPTrans depot where out-of-service autos are stored, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. Another three were destroyed elsewhere in the city, while looters also ransacked an electronics store. Flags were also burned, with the Veja Sao Paulo website tweeting an image of fans setting fire to a green-and-yellow fabric. Belo Horizonte, the city

that hosted the game, managed to escape relatively unscathed, however. Riot police out on patrol managed to prevent any violent outpourings of grief. A dozen fans were arrested in the Savassi neighbourhood, however, when a series of street scuffles broke out shortly after the game ended. Cops haven’t officially linked the violence to the humiliating World Cup defeat. Instead, they have said that the incidents are “under investigation.”

Germany-Brazil match scores Twitter records ermany’s 7-1 trouncing of host GWorld country Brazil in the 2014 FIFA Cup semifinals Tuesday registered as the most-discussed sporting game ever on Twitter, with 35.6 million tweets posted worldwide during the match.

Ramires(right) tackling Germany player

gize to Brazil. We did not expect such a score. We try to be respectful playing football and scoring goals. For us this World Cup is a dream,” Schweinsteiger said. “We are really enjoying the Brazilian people, and meant that the Brazilian team made big role in the tournament.”

Brazilian fans burn buses, flags after loss

Don’t make David Luiz the scapegoat –Mourinho ose Mourinho has de- evening in Belo Horizonte, Jdefender fended former Chelsea with Luiz suffering a torDavid Luiz, say- rid time in the centre of ing he could not take all the blame for Brazil’s disastrous 7-1 World Cup semifinal defeat to Germany. Luiz, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a reported £50 million deal earlier in the summer, captained his country in the absence of the suspended Thiago Silva. But the host nation found themselves 5-0 down before half an hour had been played on a nightmare

Germany star apologises for Brazil humiliation

The blowout also set a Twitter record for posts per second, as Deutschland’s fifth goal in the 29th minute produced 580,166 tweets per minute. By comparison, this year’s Super Bowl XLVIII registered 24.9 million tweets during the Seattle Seahawks’ blowout of the Denver Broncos, slightly above 24.1 million for the 2013 Super Bowl. The 2014 game had a peak of 381,605 tweets per minute, after Seattle’s Percy Harvin returned the second-half opening kickoff for a touchdown. According to Twitter, the two weeks 2014 World Cup group play registered more than 300 million tweets over a 15-day period -- double the 150 million tweets about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London over 16 days. Prior to the Germany-Brazil match, the mosttweeted games of the tourney had been the June 28 Brazil-Chile meeting in the round of 16 with 16.4 million posts and the June 12 Brazil-Croatia opening match with 12.2 million.

A bus that was torched by angry Brazilian fans

Schweinsteiger

German Chancellor to attend World Cup final man President GficeerJoachim Gauck’s ofsaid on July 9 that

Gauck and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Rio de Janeiro for the World Cup finalChancellor Merkel will travel to the World Cup final in Brazil to watch Germany attempt to lift the trophy on Sunday. Sunday’s final will be Merkel’s second at this World Cup. The chancellor was in the stands for Germany’s opening match against Portugal last month, which Joachim Loew’s team won 4-0. Merkel has frequently appeared at Germany matches since the country hosted the World Cup in 2006 and has become a regular visitor to the team’s dressing room.

Brazil boot Cafu out of dressing room razil legend Cafu was ex- Jose Maria Marin. was practically expelled Bdressing pelled from the Selecao “President Marin from the dressing room. room in the after- said he didn’t want any Humbly, I left the changmath of their 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Germany on Tuesday evening. The two-time World Cup winner - who made 142 appearances for Brazil during his active career - visited his compatriots after their humbling defeat in an attempt to console them, yet was unceremoniously told to leave by CBF president

strangers in the dressing room,” Cafu said. “I told him I’m no stranger. I was only there to embrace the boys, to give them some comfort. I didn’t want to talk about anything else. I was only there because the boys needed support, that’s why I came to the dressing room. “I was surprised that I

ing room. “I endured a similar thing back in 1998 and I know what a World Cup defeat feels like. “I knew the boys needed some attention and needed to be comforted at that moment. I wasn’t there for self-promotion, I don’t need this kind of thing. I went to give a hug to Felipao and [Carlos Alberto] Parreira.”

54 SPORT Eagles’ transfer Update

Olhanense Release Obodo

Portuguese team OlhanenREagleselegated ese have let go of Former Super midfielder Christian Obodo after

just one year with the team. Obodo signed a five month deal with the team in January with an option of a one year extension in the summer and made 13 appearances without scoring a goal as they got relegated to the second division in Portugal. The Ex Perugia, Lecce,Torino and Udinese playmaker was released alongside 15 other players and a statement on the club’s website confirming his release speculated he is set to move to Qatar. His Nigerian compatriot at the team Femi Balogun was retained and he is among the players currently undergoing preseason in preparation for life in the Portuguese second division. Last season, Femi Balogun made 26 appearances scoring once after joining from Spanish third tier team Athletico Balereas in the summer of 2013.

Granada Want Ilori

panish La-Liga Outfit Granada have started negotiations with Liverpool over a deal for Nigeria-born Portugal Under-21 defender Tiago Ilori who spent last season on loan with them. Granada are hoping to either secure a loan deal or a permanent transfer for the player who made nine appearances for them last season. Ilori’s impressive performances for the team, in particular his home debut against Real Betis had the Spanish press comparing the youngster to Dutch master Ronald Koeman for a pin-point pass that set up striker Piti to score the only goal of the game. The 20 year old joined Liverpool from Sporting Lisbon last summer and despite playing for Portugal he is still eligible for Nigeria and England.

Osagona rejects overseas move

ghodaro Osagona has shunned a move abroad so as to help crown Enugu Rangers champions this season. Osagona is joint leading scorer in the Nigeria premier league with 10 goals after the first round of the season and his goals have attracted interests from home and abroad. Top Argentine club River Plate are believed to be one of Osagona’s foreign suitors. But the former Shooting Stars striker has now said he is staying put at Rangers. “I had contacts from top Nigerian and also overseas clubs, but I decided against any move so as to ensure I play my part in helping Rangers become champions in Nigeria again.”

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Inter Sign Roma Defender

Brazilian left back Dodo Rloanoma’s has joined Inter on a two year deal for €1.2 million, with

a compulsory €7.8m buyout clause. The left back emerged as a target for the Nerazzurri over the past few days, with opportunities for the 22 year old set to be limited in Rome following the signing of Ashley Cole from Chelsea. The 22 year old will travel with the rest of the Inter squad to their pre-season training camp in the northern Italian city of Pinzolo.

Michu set for Napoli loan

ayern Munich have reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid for the sale of Croatia international Mario Mandzukic, who was previously linked with Arsenal and Chelsea. Bayern’s sporting director Matthias Sammer has confirmed that the forward will head to the Spanish capital after the two clubs and the player reached an accord. He said: “There is a verbal agreement between FC Bayern, Atletico Madrid and Mario Mandzukic. “We want to thank Mario Mandzukic for his performances at FC Bayern and wish him all the best for the future.”

Real, Juve finalise Moratta deal

wansea striker Michu is on the verge of joining Naopli on a season-long loan. Michu was a notable absentee as Swansea jetted out to the United States for their pre-season tour with his representatives confirming that the club is in negotiations with the Italian outfit. The 28-year-old, who moved to the Liberty Stadium from Rayo Vallencano in the summer of 2012, was restricted to 15 Premier League starts for the Swans last season because of injury.

Madrid and Juventus are finalising Rtional,ealtransfer of 21-year old Spanish internaAlvaro Morata, in a £22 million deal

Lazio won’t sell Klose

€5m stalls Kroos Madrid switch

azio will not be tempted to cash in on Miroslav Klose’s increased popularity following his record-breaking goal for Germany against Brazil. The 36-year-old forward struck his 16th goal in his World Cup career in the 7-1 demolition of hosts Brazil on Tuesday, a strike that has made him the competition’s all-time leading scorer. ‘Now we have a champion who has scored the most goals in World Cups,’ Lazio president Claudio Lotito said to Italian radio station Rai Due.

Stafylidis joins Fulham on loan

ulham have signed Greece international left-back Konstantinos Stafylidis on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen. The 20-year-old, who has made one appearance for Greece but was not in their 2014 World Cup squad, joined the German side from PAOK Salonika in 2012. He is Fulham’s sixth summer signing as the relegated club prepare for life in the Championship. The deal includes an option to make Stafylidis’s move to Craven Cottage permanent if he impresses.

New Hull deal for Jakupovic

ull City goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic has signed a new two-year contract with the Premier League club. Jakupovic has made just 10 appearances for Hull since joining in 2012 and the one-time Switzerland international had a spell on loan at League One Leyton Samuel Joins Guangzhou Orient last season. uangzhou R&F, on Wednesday The 29-year-old made his top-flight debut morning Nigerian time, completed against Manchester United in May.

Gthe signing of Aaron Samuel on a two

and a half year deal for a fee of €1.5 million, SL10.ng can exclusively report. This ends the attacker’s 23 - month collaboration with Norwegian Tippeligaen teams, having turned out for Vålerenga and Sarpsborg 08 before his move to the Chinese Super League campaigners. Aaron Samuel’s Norwegian - Nigerian agent, Atta Aneke, insisted that his client made the right decision joining Guangzhou R&F despite attracting interest from clubs across Europe. ‘’The interest shown from Sven-Göran Eriksson, the coach, informed Aaron decision to join this team.” ‘’Many European teams showed interest but none of them made a concrete offer due to Sarpsborg’s asking price, which Guangzhou R&F met.”

Bayern confirm Mandzukic move to Atletico

the

that will see the striker move to the Serie A champions in a four year deal, as reported by the Marca. The news will come as a blow to both Arsenal and Wolfsburg, after both clubs had previously enquired about the player. The Bundesliga side, backed by German car manufacturer Volkswagen, will be more disappointed after having already offered Real Madrid £20 million which was turned down, while Arsenal’s apparent signing of Alexis Sanchez will soften the blow for Arsene Wenger and the Emirates faithful.

has made an agreement ThaveoniwithyetKroos Real Madrid but Bayern Munich to sign off on the deal, it has

been claimed. Germany international Kroos is expected to make the move to Santiago Bernabeu once the World Cup is over and has agreed terms with Los Blancos, AS say, citing a report from German publication Bild. Madrid want to pay €25m for Kroos while Bayern want €30m, and Hansa Rostock are due part of the transfer fee for their role in developing the 24-year-old, who was at Hansa as a youngster before switching to Bayern.

Feghouli courted by Italian giants

Algerian midfielder Sofiane Vropeanalencia’s Feghouli is in the sights of big Euguns following his performance

with the ‘Fennecs’ at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014. Feghouli was instrumental in Algeria’s most successful World Cup campaign to date with a historic qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament. According to media reports, AC Milan appear to be the most serious candidates in the chase for ‘Soso’, but his 12-million-euro buy-out clause seems to hold back a deal with the Rossoneri.

Tottenham chase Draxler

ottenham are ready to chase Germany and Schalke attacking midfielder, Julian Draxler. The German who was on the radar at Arsenal for most of last season never made the move to the Emirates as he wanted to continue to ply his trade in Germany. Now, new Spurs manager, Pochettino is ready to make a £17m bid for Draxler to drag him to the Premier League. The tall German came on in Germany’s stunning 7-1 semi-final victory over hosts Brazil in the World Cup. The 20-yearold who only had a cameo outing showed some delicate touches and precision passes.

Brazil 2014 Semi-Final & Final Fixtures SEMI-FINALS Tuesday July

Wednesday July 9

Brazil V Germany

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF Saturday July 12 [Neth/Arg] V Brazil FINAL Sunday July

1-7 9pm EstadioMineirao, Belo Horizonte

Netherlands V Argentina ?-? 9pm Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo

Germany V [Neth/Arg]

9pm Estadio Nacional, Brasilia

8pm Maracanã, Rio De Janeiro

Tello snubs Liverpool for Porto

arcelona winger Cristian Tello will join Porto on B loan next season, according to reports. The 22-year-old played a peripheral role at the

Catalan club last campaign as his progression has been slowed by the presence of stars such as Neymar, Lionel Messi, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez – and after a season without silverware, he was expected to be part of a huge clear-out

at the Camp Nou. Last week it was reported that the Spanish international was very close to reaching an agreement with Porto. And, according to Spanish newspaper AS, Porto have already reached an agreement with Barca for the loan of Tello to the Portuguese side to strengthen their forwards – it is thought that it was the player who decided to go out on loan, to see how the season goes, even though Porto wanted to take ownership of him.

Juve make approach for Evra

talian champions Juventus have made an IPatrice approach for Manchester United full-back Evra.

The 33-year-old has been at Old Trafford since January 2006, when he was signed from Monaco for £5m. Despite growing speculation about his future throughout last season, Evra signed a one-year contract with United in May. The Senegalise-born defender has won the Premier League five times with United, and was part of the team that won the Champions League in 2008.

Fenerbahce prepare €5m bid for Pato enerbahce have been linked with F Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato. The Istanbul based club is preparing a

€5 million bid along with a part-exchange deal involving midfielder Cristian Baroni. Fenerbahce are also willing to meet the €3.5 million perseason wage demands which proved a stumbling block for Serie A side Inter Milan who have also been heavily linked with Pato. The 24-year-old striker has failed to find his form since his return to Brazil and is eager for a move back to Europe.

Alves signs Valencia extension

iego Alves has signed a new five-year D contract with Valencia, tying the goalkeeper to the club until 2019.

Mundo Deportivo report that the Brazilian’s fresh terms were confirmed on the club’s website. The 29-year-old made 35 appearances last season and has been a Valencia player since a 2011 move from Almeria.

Bilbao ‘seeking Asier Illarramendi loan’

sier Illarramendi could be set for a loan move A to Athletic Bilbao if reports in Spain are to be believed.

The central midfielder, who played for Bilbao’s bitter rivals Real Sociedad prior to his switch to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer, is set for a temporary exit to get more first team minutes under his belt. And having sold Ander Herrera to Manchester United last month, Bilbao are looking to add to their midfield as they try to make an impression on the Champions League. Illarramendi is still seen as the long-term replacement to Xabi Alonso at Los Blancos and the club is not willing to sell the 22-year-old. But having struggled to make his mark in his first season, Carlo Ancelotti is keen to allow the player to build up his confidence away from the pressure-cooker of the Santiago Bernabeu.

Rami open to France move

dmil Rami says he will keep his opA tions open with negotiations between Valencia and Milan seemingly

stalling. The France international was on loan at San Siro during the second half of last season, and impressed enough for the Rossoneri to try and get the centre back on a full-time basis. However, with Los Che’s ownership issues putting talks on the back seat,Marseille are seen as potential spoilers of a move back to Italy. And the defender has admitted that he is fond of Ligue 1 and the StadeVelodrome outfit in particular.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 10, 2014

SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 10, 2014

C’Wealth preparation: We’re on track – Igali the President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation said the team was trying to utilise the little time available to prepare very well. Igali said preparation sometimeswas not about how long you prepare, but how smart you are in passing the technical input to the athletes. “Some sports like Wrestling and Boxing are preparing in Abuja, Para-sports and Table Tennis in Ibadan, while athletics are intensifying preparations too. We just want to utilise the little time we have for a meaningful preparation. “Agreed, we have little time to prepare, but it is not always how long, but how smart, which is what we have been doing,” the Olympic gold medalist said. Team Nigeria will be partici-

Charles Ogundiya

T cavendish (front)

Cavendish ruled out of C’wealth Games

ark Cavendish is set to miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after it was confirmed he will undergo surgery on a shoulder injury. The 29-year-old crashed late on in the first stage of the Tour de France at the weekend and was ruled out of the competition. He was found to be suffering from a dislocation of the joint between his right shoulder blade and collarbone before his team, Omega Pharma Quick-Step, confirmed he will need an operation on the problem. The ligaments around Cavendish’s acromioclavicular

joint were found to be ruptured and his shoulder separated. He underwent Surgery on July 9 (yesterday) to stabilise the joint with the expected recovery time of six weeks likely to rule him out of the Games, which get under way on July 23. “It’s worse than I was hoping, but immediately after the crash I knew something was really wrong,” Cavendish told his team’s website. “It is really painful, but at the moment all I can do is focus 100 per cent of my effort on my recovery to be able to get back racing for Omega Pharma Quick-Step as quickly as possible.”

Katken appoints adviser, heads of departments General Secretary of AMr.cting Nigeria Football Federation, Lawrence Katken, has ap-

pointed Mr. Tunde Aderibigbe as senior special adviser, as well as heads of departments as the ship of the Football House steadies for immediate challenges. Mr. Bola Oyeyode is now Head of General Competitions, while Mr. Ademola Olajire is Head of Communications and Barrister Okey Obi is Head of Legal/Corporate Services. Former international striker Rafiu Yusuf heads the Technical Department; Mr. Ayo Abdulra-

haman is Head of International Competitions and; Dr. Christian Emeruwa is Special Assistant to Ag. General Secretary. Mr. Emmanuel Adesanya is Head of Inter-Clubs; Mr. Alizor Chuks heads Marketing Department; Mr. Afolabi Olusola heads the Internal Audit Unit and; Mr. Sunday Okayi heads the Referees Unit. Also appointed are Miss Ruth David (Federations Cup); Mr. Tolulope Abe (ICT); Mr. Magaji Abdullahi (Human Resources); Mr. Barnabas Joro (Protocol Unit) and; Mr. Dayo Enebi (International Friendlies).

Kwara Utd players to get 130 percent sign–on fees Kwara State Governor, Thashe Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed approved the payment

of 2013/2014 sign-on fees and clearance fees for Kwara United FC of Ilorin. The state Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Prince Saheed Popoola, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin at the ministry. He said the governor has also approved the payment of the remaining 30percent of 2012/2013 sign-on fees for the team. Prince Popoola said Gov. Ahmed was fully committed to the welfare of the team and

sports generally in the state and charged the players and management of the team to reciprocate by setting promoting to the Premier League next season. The general manager of the club, Alhaji Haruna Maigidasanma, while commenting on the development, said the governor was a sport loving governor, who remained the first governor to pay a hundred percent sign-on on fee. He said the payment had come at the right time for the team which is currently occupying the second position on the log of group A of the Nigeria National League (NNL).

he Technical Director of Nigeria Olympics Committee, Daniel Igali, is confident that Team Nigeria will surely come back with their head high from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, starting in less than three weeks despite very little by way of preparation. Speaking with New Telegraph from Abuja,

Ex-kick-boxer banned from Glasgow Games

Igali

pating in 7 sports at the Games which take centre stage in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3. Nigeria was ninth at the last Games in New Delhi, India in 2010 with 11 gold medals, eight silver and 14 bronze medals.

elsh boxer AshW ley Brace has been barred from compet-

ing at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games due to her kickboxing background. The Ebbw Vale athlete had been hoping to compete a g ainst Nicola Adams in the 51kg category as women’s boxing prepares to make its debut at the Games. B u t t h e s p o r t ’s world gover ning body, A I BA h a s d e e m e d Brace ineligible to compete because she took part in the 2013 Wo rl d K i c k b o x i n g Championships. Team Wales Chef de Mission, Brian Davies said: “It is with great disappointment that we can confir m boxer Ashley Brace will no long er compete for Team Wales at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. “Ashley is a f antastic young athlete with bags of potential and we are saddened that she now won’t have the oppor tunity to compete at the Games.”

Brace (left)

T&T hockey team departs for Scotland rinidad and Tobago’s first batch TGames of athletes for the Commonwealth to be staged from July 23 to August 4 in Glasgow, Scotland, departed for the Games on Tuesday. T&T women’s hockey squad, co-captained by Alanna Lewis and Patricia Wright-Alexis, will be coached by former national player Anthony Marcano, and comprises a host of youth players in Lewis and Wright-Alexis, long serving custodian Petal Derry, Avion Candice Ashton, Kwylan Jaggessar and Brittney Hingh among the few with more than 25 caps under their belt. However, missing the games are experienced forwards Blair Wynne and Kristin Thompson as well as defender Teresa Lezama, Tamara

De Nobriga and goalkeeper Jenielle Carrington, all of whom were part of the team at last September’s Pan American Cup in Mendoza, Argentina, where the team ended seventh. In Glasgow, T&T, ranked 31st in the world, will face rivals Canada (22nd), India (13th), New Zealand (4th) and South Africa (11th) in Pool A, while Pool B consists of defending champions and world third ranked side Australia, England (6th), Scotland (16th), Wales (32nd) and Malaysia (21st). Australian women have dominated the gold medal spot at previous Commonwealth Games, however, they still found themselves below New Zealand and England in the current world rankings.

England name crack squad for Falconets of Nigeria’s group stage OU-20neopponents at the 2014 FIFA Women’s World Cup, England, have released their final squad list for the tournament taking place from August 5 to 24 in Canada. The list of 21 players is dominated by players from Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal, and consists of 17 of the players who helped England to a second-place finish at last year’s Euro U-19 Championship. In addition, every member of the English team had previously represented England at U-17 level, and plays either in the English first or second divisions. England will commence

their World Cup campaign with a game against South Korea on August 6, before taking on Mexico on August 9. They will thereafter take on Nigeria’s Falconets on August 13 in Toronto. The Falconets, who have featured in every World Cup edition since the tournament’s inaugural edition 12 years ago in Canada, jetted out to Canada on Monday for a three-week long training camp with a team of 24 players. The Peter Dedevbo-tutored side reached the final in Germany four years ago before losing to hosts Germany, and also made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 finals in Japan.

Falconets coach, Peter Dedevbo

World Record

On Marble

If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money.

– Abigail Van Buren

The Longest nose on a living person measures 8.8 cm (3.46 in) long from the bridge to the tip and belongs to Mehmet Ozyurek (Turkey).

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 THURSday, JULY 10, 2014

N150

Their sorrows shall be multiplied... I TALKING TOUGH GABRIEL AKINADEWO sn’t it curious that an article written on Nigeria’s socio-political issues 20 years ago is still relevant as if it was written yesterday? Is it a twist of fate or a design by some supernatural elements that middle class Nigerians, who make a significant percentage of the population, have now been eliminated? Can it be argued that Nigeria is a country in contrast? In this country, despite our God-given resources, stupendous wealth and abject poverty are competing for space. Churches and mosques are springing up by the day, yet crimes are on the increase. We have crude oil but we import refined products. We cannot make vehicles but the latest automobiles are found in Nigeria days after their launch. We preach democracy abroad but lack ‘real’ democracy at home. Citizens provide for themselves security, water, roads, light, yet government collects taxes from them. At independence, Nigeria held so much promise of greatness but today, it has become a subject of scorn in the comity of nations because it is a country with so much resources but pitiably, cannot manage successfully for the benefit of its citizens. It was the darling of all nations in 1960 but today, Nigerians are killing themselves to enter other countries because of the hardship and killings at home. The country is blessed with arable land but Nigerians import food. People in government are no longer ashamed to give statistics of the number of tonnes of rice imported from Thailand and other countries yearly. The most worrisome aspect of this general slip down the ladder happens at the individual level. I just can’t understand why, for instance, people will leave rural areas to buy yam in Shoprite in Ikeja, Lagos. You can go to Shoprite to buy their special bread, drinks etc but for God sake, how can I buy yam in Shoprite when I am not an European or an American? I saw a guy the other time buying yam in Shoprite and mere looking at him showed that he just wanted to boast when he got home that ‘I also went to Shoprite today’. I saw another comical guy the same day. After purchasing items in Shoprite, he was sweating to get a taxi that will take him to Iyana Ipaja. And when I saw everything he bought, they were items he could have purchased from a shop next to his house. But apparently because he wanted to impress his co-tenants that he also knew the way to Shoprite, he discomforted himself. And that is one of the problems with Nigeria and Nigerians. We tend to shout it that we are the giant of Africa but what is synonymous with the so-called big size of this country is intellectual and moral emptiness. Agriculture used to be the mainstay of the economy but this has been thrown to the dogs because making ‘fast money’ from oil is the order of the day. I pray the efforts by the current Minister of Agriculture to revamp the sector will succeed. Other countries started their journey to economic and political development by being realistic and futuristic, not being lackadaisical about good governance the way we have it in Nigeria. What politicians and opinion leaders in the country have forgotten, pitiably, is that no matter what happens, the world will move on. Nigeria cannot, because of inept leadership and lack of seriousness

gabyfola@hotmail.com - 08023010222 (sms only)

on the part of the led, delay world advancement in technology, economy, politics and human development. Why is this country like this? Why are things turning upside down and why is the polity going from bad to worse? Is there any solution to these man-made challenges? In the Bible, the children of Israel were the closest to God and, ironically, the most disloyal. They were always committing one sin or the other. In Judges 10:10, as they were won’t to do, they cried unto the Lord, saying: “... We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim”. Is Nigeria not in the same situation today? How many Nigerians have been extrajudicially killed since the advent of the Fourth Republic? How many killers have been let off the hook by security agents because they know people in high places? How did we end up with a security apparatus in such that robbers will seize, by the throat, residents of a suburb of Lagos for more than three hours whereas an individual, in another location, has more than

20 policemen guarding him? Why do so-called men of God go to church in the morning and in the evening, plot the downfall of fellow human beings? What is so fascinating about public office that will warrant the killing of other aspirants or candidates? From North to South, East to West, it is killing unlimited among Nigerians. Do we think the blood of those shed by power-hungry elements will not cry for justice? When a country is filled with people who leave God to pursue other ‘gods’ (inordinate ambition, wickedness, greediness, stealing, deception), the repercussion will be similar to what is happening in the country today. Psalm 16:4 says “Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god...” Nigerians are close to, and far from, God. By mouth, everybody is a Christian or a Muslim. We all attend churches and mosques. In practice, many Nigerians are satanically wicked. Most of the crimes in the land are committed by self-proclaimed Christians and Muslims. Look at what happened between father and son last week in a holy place like the

Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Twenty-one-year-old Tolani Ajayi killed his father, Charles Ajayi. The lad confessed at the Ogun State Police Command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, that he actually used a kitchen knife and cutlass to hack his father after an argument ensued between them. He said: “The incident happened around 1 a.m. It was anger that led me into this. My father just bit me repeatedly with his teeth. There was an argument between us and I stood up to him. He beat me with a stick and bit me with his teeth. Only the two of us were at home; my mother was in Abuja. “We live in Abuja, I schooled at the Camp. My father came for a programme, then my school was on break. So, I went to meet him. We were meant to go back to Abuja together, but then, the incident happened and I am here. There is no way Nigerians can help me. I am going to face my judgement. I am meant to pay for what I have done. It is something that is inevitable. I am just waiting for it”. This is just one of the evil deeds in the land and if this is not enough to buttress the fact that Nigerians are running after another god, I wonder what is. When it comes to veneration, Nigeria should not be an exception to the rule. God created man in His image and there is no way God will be happy with a country which citizens take delight in committing atrocities against the creation of God and nature. If Nigerians do not want their sorrows to multiply, they must return to God. I always argue that law making is not our problem. The type of constitution that regulates our conduct and which we must obey is not a major challenge to our quest to providing basic amenities to the less privileged. If you like, let us have 2014 Constitution now. Attitude to God and fellow human beings, not law, is the problem with Nigerians. I pray it will not be late before Nigerians realise that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

OmoBaba

I AM GOING TO CELEBRATE MY 80TH BIRTHDAY IN THE FOREST- Soyinka

– Sambisa forest?

Printed and Published by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd: Head Office: No. 1A, Ajumobi Street, Off ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja-Lagos. Tel: +234 1-2219496, 2219498. Abuja Office: Orji Kalu House, Plot 322, by Banex Junction, Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Advert Hotline: 01-8541248, Email: info@newtelegraphonline.com Website: www.newtelegraphonline.com ISSN 2354-4317 Editor: YEMI AJAYI.