Binder1 july 22, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 154

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Lukman, ex-petroleum minister, dies at 75

l Jonathan, Mark, Atiku, Northern governors, Yero, Amosun pay tributes Our Reporters

former Minister of Petroleum Resources and erstwhile Secretary General of the Organisa-

tion of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, died yesterday in Vienna, Austria. OPEC, in a statement

from Vienna confirmed the death of Lukman, at the age of 75 without saying the cause. Born in Zaria, Kaduna State on August 26, 1938,

the late Lukman trained as a mining engineer at the College of Arts, Science, and Technology, Zaria, which later became Ahmadu Bello University,

Zaria and then at Imperial College, London. He earned a higher degree in mining engineering from the University of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

The late Lukman

Buhari to Jonathan: Stop this attack on opposition

lTinubu accuses president of seeking $1bn loan to fund second term Temitope Ogunbanke and Ibrahim Musa

former Head of State, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday warned President Goodluck Jonathan against the attack on the opposition. Buhari, in a statement released in Kaduna, which he personally signed,

urged the president to pull the brakes on his administration’s runaway train of impunity in the interest of Nigeria’s survival and the sustenance of the nation’s democracy. Buhari, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the threats of impeachment of governors of opposition states, just to decapi-

tate the opposition, did not augur well for the survival of a fragile nation like Nigeria or the survival of its

fledgling democracy. Also expressing his fear about the state of the nation, especially Boko Ha-

ram insurgency, another APC national leader and a former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu,

“There is the tendency for my statement to be misconstrued as that of a politician rather than a statesman. But I owe it as matter of duty and honour, and in the interest of our nation, to speak out on the dangerous trajectory that our nation is heading”

criticised Jonathan’s request for a $1 billion loan to fight insurgency. Buhari, speaking against the backdrop of last week’s impeachment of Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako and the ongoing bid to oust the incumbent in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Umaru Al-Makura, warned the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Fighter jet kills scores of insurgents in Borno villages lTwo die as helicopter crashes lFG plans new counter-terrorism strategy Lateef Ibrahim, Emmanuel Onani and Ahmed Miringa

cores of Boko Haram terrorists have been killed by Air Force fighter jets intercepted them on their way to attack some villages in Askira/ Uba Local Government Area of Borno state, just

Lagos

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as another military helicopter crashed in Bama Local Government Area of the state, killing two airforce personnel. It was learnt that the gunmen who had sent threat letters to some villages in Askira/Uba Local Government Area had ambushed people fleeing their villages to Askira and Uba towns for safety, killing six of them at the weekend. A resident of the area, Mr. John Amos, said yesterday that the fleeing residents notified security operatives, who alerted a fighter jet that promptly responded and threw CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega (left), with United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, at a workshop for public affairs officers in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Jonathan commends Oshiomhole on investment

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Buhari to Jonathan: Stop attack on opposition CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

president that subverting the constitution in the desperation to impeach a governor or deploying the institutions of state, some of which are symbols of the country’s unity, just to kick an out-of-favour state governor in the stomach could only breed anarchy and chaos. “The dangerous clouds are beginning to gather and the vultures are circling and these have manifested in Nasarawa where the ordinary people have defied guns and tanks to protest the plan to impeach Governor Umaru Tanko AI-Makura in a repeat of the bitter medicine forced down the throat of Governor Murtala Nyako. “The people’s protest in Nasarawa is a sign of what to come if the federal authorities continue to target opposition state governors for impeachment. In the long run, the impeachment weapon will be blunted. Positions will become more hardened on both sides and Nigeria and Nigerians will become the victims of arrested governance and possible anarchy. “Whether or not President Goodluck Jonathan is behind the gale of impeachment or the utilisation of desperate tactics

to suffocate the opposition and turn Nigeria into a one-party state, what cannot be denied is that they are happening under his watch, and he cannot pretend not to know, since that will be akin to hiding behind one finger,” he stated. Buhari while expressing his fear about the state of the nation, said: “In my capacity as a former head of state, rather than a politician, I have spoken to President Jonathan in private over these issues, but indications are that the strategy has not yielded positive fruits. I cannot, just because I am an opposition politician, fail to do what is expected of me as a former head of state to help rescue our nation in times of great trouble and palpable uncertainty. “History will not be kind to me if I sit back while things turn bad, just

so that no one will accuse me of partisanship. Yes, I am a politician. Yes, I am in the opposition. Yes, there is the tendency for my statement to be misconstrued as that of a politician rather than a statesman. But I owe it as matter of duty and honour, and in the interest of our nation, to speak out on the dangerous trajectory that our nation is heading. “I can say, in all sincerity, that I have seen it all, as an ordinary citizen, a military officer, a state governor, a minister, a head of state, a man who occupied many other sensitive posts and a politician. I have been a close participant and witness to Nigeria’s political history since independence in 1960. “Our country has gone through several rough patches, but never before have I seen a Nigerian

president declare war on his own country as we are seeing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president deploy federal institutions in the service of partisanship as we are witnessing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president utilise the common wealth to subvert the system and punish the opposition; all in the name of politics. Our nation has suffered serious consequences in the past for egregious acts that are not even close to what we are seeing now. It is time to pull the brakes.” He urged Jonathan to ponder the impact of recent events in the polity, under his watch, on the survival of the nation and the sustenance of its democracy. According to him, the president should also remember that no democ-

racy can thrive or survive without a virile opposition, hence it will amount to a man cutting his nose to spite his face for anyone to embark on a journey to decapitate the opposition, as the current central government is doing. He said a man of power must realise that he could not always do things just because he could do them. “I, along with many other patriotic Nigerians, fought for the unity and survival of this country. Hundreds of patriotic souls perished in the battle to keep Nigeria one. The blood of many of our compatriots helped to ensure the birth of the democracy we are practising today. “Let no one, whether the leader or the led; the high or the low, a member of the ruling or the opposition do anything to CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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FIRST NATION AIRWAYS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06.50; 09:30; 11:45; 16:00 (SAT) 06:50; 11:45 (SUN) 11:45; 16:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 11:30; 13:40;18:30 (SAT) 09:00; 13:40 (SUN) 13:40; 18:30 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 14:45 (SAT) 16:15 (SUN) 14:45 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:50 (SAT) 18:20 (SUN) 16:50 AEROCONTRACTORS LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06:50; 13:30; 16:30; 19:45 (SAT/SUN) 12:30; 16:45 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 13:00; 19:00 (SAT) 12:30 (SUN) 15:30 MEDVIEW AIRLINES LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:50; 12:00; 15:30 (SAT) 10:00; 15:00 (SUN) 17:30; 18:30 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 14:00, 15:00; 18:30 OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

L-R: Executive Director, Group Operations Ibeto Group, Eze Echesi; Assistant Director (Production), Sokoto Cement, Aminu Bashar and Chief Corporate Communication Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Anthony Chiejina, during the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) meeting with the cement manufacturing companies in Lagos…yesterday

Lukman, ex-petroleum minister, dies at 75 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mining and Metallurgy in Leoben, Austria (1967– 1968); a degree in Mineral Economics from McGill University, Montreal in 1978, and an honorary doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy. His first job in the mining industry was as an Assistant Mining Engineer with A B Statsgruvor of Sweden, a position he held between 1962 and 1964, before returning to Nigeria, to be appointed as Inspector of Mines at the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power, Jos, Plateau State. In 1970, he became General Manager of the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, a position he held till 1974. The late Lukman was

appointed Minister of Mines, Power and Steel by the Muhammadu Buhari administration and in 1986, he was became Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) till February 1990. He was also Minister of Foreign Affairs between January and September 1990 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) from 1993-94 and was elected OPEC, a position he held from 1995 to 2000. It was from this position that in 2000 former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as Presidential Adviser on Petroleum

and Energy Matters and Chairman of the NNPC, until in November 2003, when he voluntarily retired from public service. Lukman was in charge of OPEC during the 19971998 Asian financial crisis, when crude fell to $10 a barrel. He presided over a record number of OPEC conferences and was the group’s secretary-general for six years until 2000. In his last tour of duty as minister, Mr. Lukman was, on December 18, 2008, appointed Minister of Petroleum Resources by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, a position he held until March 2010. He put reforms in place to change the way Nigeria regulated and funded its oil and gas industry, over-

seeing the drafting of the first Petroleum Industry Bill sent to lawmakers in December 2008. The legislation remains stalled in parliament over differences between the government and energy companies, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Chevron Corp. (CVX). He is survived by a wife and three children. Expectedly, Lukman’s death drew tributes from associates and others, including President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President David Mark; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Ramalan Yero. The president, in a statement by his spokesCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Ebonyi lawmakers impeach speaker, elect replacement

lNwazunku kicks, says I remain in office Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

embers of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly yesterday impeached the Speaker, Chukwuma Nwazunku, amidst tight security. Eighteen out of the 24 members of the Assembly signed a petition in which they accused Nwazunku of gross misconduct and abuse of office, among other offences, to pave the way for his ouster.

The motion for the impeachment of the speaker was moved by Chris Usulor, representing Ezza South constituency and second by the Minority Leader, Enyi C Enyi (Ezza North West). The lawmakers immediately elected Mrs. Helen Nwobashi as the new speaker. The motion for her election as the new speaker was moved by Eni Uduma Chima (Afikpo South West) and seconded by Frank Onwe (Ohaukwu North).

However, the impeachment of Nwazunku created tension in the state following the presence of armed policemen at the Assembly complex who prevented the impeached speaker and his loyalists from gaining entry into the complex. The security operatives ordered everybody, including Nwobashi, to vacate the complex in order to maintain law and order. Reacting to his removal, Nwazunku described the exercise as illegal and unconstitutional since the

legislature was on a recess. According to him, his ouster was null and void and he remains the authentic speaker of the Assembly. “Their journey there is illegal. For me, I am not bothered. I still have the majority of the house. There is a no impeachment. I have the mace and I have ordered the security men to ward off those “criminals”, who call themselves honourable members,” he said. Nwazunku visited the Ebonyi State Government

House with a mace, to prove that the Nwobashi’s leadership never sat with the mace and the the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Rose Nwokporo, was not present when he was removed. He added they neither formed two thirds majority nor gained access into the legislative chambers. Nwazunku is however counting on the support of the Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, to reverse the impeachment. Shortly after her election, Nwobashi led other 18 lawmakers to a private audience with the wife of the governor, Mrs. Josephine Elechi. The meeting lasted for over 30 minutes. But at a press conference by the new leadership of the Assembly, Eni Uduma Chima representing Afikpo South-West, said the former speaker was impeached following conduct likely to cause a breach of the constitution.

According to him: “Section 104 of the Nigerian constitution provides that the House of Assembly of every state must sit for a minimum period of 181 days in a year. Under the leadership of Mr. Nwazunku Chukwuma, as at today, 21st day of July, 2014, a period of more than half of the year, the house has only sat for 17 times, inclusive of today’s emergency sitting.” But New Telegraph gathered that Nwazunku’s impeachment did not surprise many of the lawmakers and watchers of events in the state since it has become a recurring event. For example, former Speaker, Ike Nwankwo, was impeached in 2011 over gross insubordination. In 2012, a former Deputy Speaker, Val Okike, was impeached for wearing “boxers” about to public functions.

Buhari to Jonathan: Stop attack on opposition CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

L-R: Eze Iweka III of Obosi, Igwe Chidubem Iweka; Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and his wife, Olubunmi, after the inauguration of a school building donated by Anyaoku in Obosi, Anambra State... yesterday

FG plans new counter-terrorism strategy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

bombs on the Boko Haram insurgents, killing scores of them. The villages attacked, according to Amos, include Lassa, Rimingo, File, Murtavu and four other smaller villages and communities in the local government area. A security source yesterday confirmed the incident to journalists in Maiduguri. A political leader from the area, who craved for anonymity, also told journalists that hundreds of villagers from about nine villages had converged on the local government secretariat as internally displaced persons (IDPs), awaiting government assistance as they did not want to return to their villages for fear that Boko Haram militants could stage another attack. Efforts to get the Police Public Relation Officer, Mr. Gideon Jibrin, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), for confirmation proved abortive as his phone was switched off as at press time.

However, the military suffered a setback yesterday in the anti-terror war as a Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter, on a training mission, crashed due to a technical fault near Bama. The Defence Headquarters in a statement by Defence Director of Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, confirmed the death of the co-pilot and the technician onboard. Olukolade said the rescue operation for the Mi-35 helicopter was ongoing. According to him, investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident. The statement added that it had been established that the crash was not due to any enemy action. He said details on the crash would be made known after investigation. He was, however, silent on whether or not there were causalities as a result of the crash. Olukolade at another forum yesterday also said the military would resist any attempt by the outlawed Boko Haram sect to take any part of the Nige-

rian territory. He spoke against the backdrop of reports that suspected insurgents had overrun Damboa, a town in Borno State, and purportedly hoisted their flag, to indicate that they were in control of the area. But Olukolade said the Federal Government would not concede an inch of its territory to “terrorists” under any guise. According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces will defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation. Fielding questions from journalists at the National Information Centre (NIC) in Abuja yesterday, Olukolade said security operatives were alive to their statutory responsibility of containing threats to the Nigerian state. He said; “We are not conceding any portion of the country to terrorist groups; we are sure that Nigerian security agencies have firmed up deployment to that area... We are going to reverse any form of security threat around the area.” The National Secu-

rity Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) has, however, said the Federal Government is working on fresh strategy to end insurgency. Dasuki, represented by the Coordinator of Counter-Terrorism in his office, Gen. Sarkin Yaki Bello (rtd), at a workshop on security consciousness and awareness for stakeholders in the hospitality industry, also urged all security agencies to liaise with those interfacing with the public, especially stakeholders in the hotel industry, to check the security challenges facing Nigeria. He explained that part of the initial steps taken by the government was streamlining measures in which operators in the hospitality industry could identify and expose personalities whose identities were questionable. He added that the programme was premised on the fact that hotel operators were in constant touch with the larger populace and their collaboration would be worthwhile in tackling insurgency.

torpedo the system. Let no one, whether on the altar of personal ambition or pretension to higher patriotic tendencies, do anything that can detonate the keg of gunpowder on which the nation is sitting. It is time for all concerned to spare a thought for the ordinary citizens who have yet to see their hopes, dreams and aspirations come to reality, within the general context of nationhood,” he added. Also speaking on the state of the nation, Tinubu in a statement given to New Telegraph yesterday, called on the National Assembly to reject the president’s request to take a $1 billion loan. According to him, Jonathan “seeks not to use the money to construct a safe haven for the people. He seeks the money to build a casket for democracy.” He warned that if granted, the $1billion loan would be used by the president and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fund the 2015 general election to the detriment of the opposition. He said: “Most of it will go into the PDP coffers. The portion which finds its way to the armed forces and security agencies will be to purchase their services in suppressing all who are not PDP. The loan will not be to fight terrorism. It will be to fight the legitimate dissent. “Jonathan seeks to

borrow money because of his foreign handlers. They have told him if he borrows from abroad and spends that same money abroad, he will win the favour of foreign lenders, arms contractors and assorted business ventures. These people will, in turn, pressure their governments to love Jonathan where they now loathe him and his incompetent handling of high matters of state. As such, he can then ramrod his way through the 2105 elections and not risk international reaction. This is the plan. This loan is not intended to defend Nigeria any more than a pig is built for aerial flight. It is intended to launder his image and buy foreign favor that he may conduct his coming electoral misdeed in international silence.” Tinubu faulted the president’s claim that the loan would be to fight Boko Haram, saying: “I want to rid this nation of Boko Haram but I also am not prepared to be fooled by a trickster and his tricks on this important point. Given his track record of corrupt expenditure, the burden of proof lies with Jonathan. If more money is truly needed to tackle Boko Haram, I have no qualms with it. Before we get there, the president must give the nation a full accounting of what happened with the vast funds already allocated.”

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Acting Adamawa governor denies lawmakers took bribe to oust Nyako

lBriefs Jonathan on development in the state lEx-governor’s ouster was contrived, says APC lKeyamo asks lawmakers to swear in Ngilari as governor Foluso Ogunmodede, Anule Emmanuel and Ibrahim Abdul

cting Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintri, yesterday denied allegations that lawmakers from

the state were financially induced to impeach the former Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako. He told State House reporters after a closeddoor meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to brief him on

developments in the state, that nobody paid them to discharge their constitutional responsibility. Fintri, who was speaker of the state House of Assembly became the interim governor last week following the impeachment

of Alhaji Murtala Nyako and the controversial resignation of the Deputy Governor, Mr. James Bala Ngilari. He said: “Who gave the money? There must be an evidence of the person who gave the money. In

L-R: Secretary, Tribunal of Enquiry on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Accident and Vandalism along Ikorodu Road, Ms. Oludamilola Kesington; member, Mr. Nurudeen Ogbara; chairman, Justice Ebenezer Adeniyi Adebajo (rtd.); Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and another member, Mr. Jude Igbanoi, during the swearing-in of members of the panel in Ikeja...yesterday

this country, people are used to whatever situation that happened, it is about money. Who gave the money?” He also defended the ouster of Nyako, saying all allegations against him were true. “The man has stolen our money. That is the bottom line of it. You saw the allegations and they have been proved by the panel, so that cannot be the reason why we removed the man. There were even so many other issues that we could not bring as part of the allegations that formed his removal,” said. But the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of contriving the impeachment of Nyako, saying that it was as a ploy to coerce the opposition into joining the party. The party described the impeachment as naked use of power by the PDP. The state chairman of the party, Binta Masi Gar-

ba, at a press conference yesterday in Yola, also described the impeachment process as legally flawed on several fronts because the notice was not personally served on the governor in line with constitutional requirements and ruling of the Supreme Court. “This and other illegalities send dangerous signals of the manipulation of the judiciary for narrow political objectives” she said. However, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, yesterday faulted the alleged resignation Ngilari and described his sack by the state lawmakers as illegal, unconstitutional, null and void. Instead, Keyamo asked the lawmakers to swear in Ngilari as the substantive governor the state as his purported sack and resignation were a violation of the 1999 Constitution. In a letter dated July 21 and addressed to Jonathan, Keyamo pointed out a deluge of dangers inherent in the nation’s democratic process should the lawmakers refuse to swear Ngilari in as Adamawa State substantive governor. He tasked the president to halt the undemocratic ‘gale of impeachment’ threatening the nation’s fledgling democracy.

Lukman, ex-petroleum minister, dies at 75 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

man, Dr. Reuben Abati, said he received the news of the passing away of the former minister with sadness and a feeling of great national loss. He commiserated with the former minister’s family, the government and people of his home state and friends and associates. “The president shares their sorrow as they mourn the brilliant engineer, technocrat and administrator who spent almost all of his working life serving his country and the global community in various capacities, including minister, special adviser, Secretary General and president of the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC). “As Alhaji Lukman’s soul returns to its maker, President Jonathan joins all who knew him in giving thanks to God Almighty for bestowing him on the nation and for the great intelligence, integrity, competence and humility with which he distinguished himself in all his national and international assignments,” the statement added.

According to the president, Nigeria will always owe a debt of gratitude to the late minister for his significant contributions to the development of the country’s oil and gas industry and for serving with acclaimed distinction as the nation’s representative at OPEC. On his part, Mark described as a huge loss to Nigeria the death of Lukman. According to him, Lukman was one of the few Africans who left their positive footprints on the global stage. Mark, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh, said: “As a public servant, he was extra- ordinary. His excellent performance as the then petroleum minister earned him a higher responsibility to become OPEC secretary-General. “As OPEC SecretaryGeneral, Lukman demonstrated competence, excellence and high sense of wisdom before the international community and indeed raised the reputation of Nigeria as a strategic and important global player, especially in the oil

and gas sector.” In paying tribute to the late Lukman, Atiku described him as the best oil minister Nigeria ever had. The former vice-president in a statement by his media office in Abuja, said: “I will describe (Rilwan) Lukman as the best oil minister we ever had given his unmatched knowledge of the industry and the integrity with which he ran the ministry.” He recalled that Lukman’s contribution to the management of the nation’s oil and gas sector provided the impetus for his elevation as OPEC secretary general. Northern governors also mourned Lukman, whom they described as Nigeria’s gift to the world. Chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije, expressed shock over the death of the former minister. He said: “The passing of Rilwanu Lukman is a tragic and monumental loss to humanity as a whole. He lived a worthy, exemplary

and fulfilled life. Humanity has lost a thoroughbred professional, fine gentleman, world-class petroleum engineer and astute manager of human and material resources who has left indelible footprints on the sands of time.” Also, Yero, in a statement by his Director General, Media and Publicity, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, expressed profound grief over the death of the former minister. He described Lukman’s demise as a great loss not only to the state and Nigeria, but to the world, as he would be missed with his wealth of experience in the energy sector. ‘’The passing on of Dr. Lukman at this critical point of our nation history will definitely create a huge vacuum difficult to be filled. His death came at a time the country needed his experience in its quest to modernise the petroleum sector to attract more foreign direct investments,” he stated. He recalled the late Lukman’s persistent efforts at reforming the petroleum sector, especially during his second stint as

petroleum minister under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. He described the deceased as a nationalist “who dedicated most part of his lifetime working for the advancement and economic development of Nigeria.” “Future generations of Nigerians will remember him as an astute administrator that contributed immensely to nation building,” he added.” Yero’s counterpart in Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, also mourned Lukman whom he described him as a quintessential public servant. Amosun, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, hailed the late mining engineer’s contribution to the oil industry globally. “The history of the growth of OPEC cannot be written without our own Dr. Rilwanu Lukman being given a conspicuous space for his outstanding contributions to the body saddled with the responsibility of ensuring price stability in the world global

oil market. “As OPEC veteran, who served several terms as secretary general and president, Dr. Lukman’s administrative dexterity saw him implementing policies towards efficient and reliable supply of oil, thus assisting consuming nations in charting sustainable economic development plan nationally and internationally,” the governor added. Reacting to Lukman’s death, the International Institute for Petroleum, Energy Law and Policy (IIPELP) expressed sorrow at the passage. The deceased was vice chairman of the Governing Council of the institute since its inception. President of IIPELP, Professor Niyi AyoolaDaniels, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, described the late Lukman as a trusted adviser and excellent resource to the institute. Former Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, IIPELP’s Governing Council, Justice Alfa Belgore, also expressed condolences to the minister’s family and prayed for the repose of his soul.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

DSS arrests, frees Ezekwesili at Abuja airport Emmanuel Onani

Abuja

peratives of the Department of State Security (DSS) yesterday made a bid to stop former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, from travelling to London through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

It was learnt that Ezekwesili, one of the leaders of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign group championing the speedy rescue of over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, in April, was going to London for a scheduled engagement. However, during the pre-flight boarding

The life expectancy (in years) at birth of Algeria in 2010-2015. Source: Un.org

process, DSS agents arrested her and seized her international passport. Ezekwesili in tweets she posted during the encounter, said she resisted the attempt and insisted on fighting for her rights to freedom of movement. She said she was on her way to London to feature on a programme on the British Broadcasting

83%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Canada in 2011. Source: Itu.int

Corporation, Hard Talk. Ezekwesili said her travelling documents, including international passport, were seized. However, she said after fighting for her democratic rights, she was released, making her the last passenger to board the British Airways flight. Ezekwesili tweeted: “No one can seize my

democratic rights. I refused to let the SSS get away with trampling on my constitutional right.” But DSS Deputy Director of Information and Public Affairs, Marilyn Ogar, clarified that Ezekwesili was only subjected to the normal security checks conducted on air travellers. Fielding questions

25.44

Al-Makura: Nasarawa assembly divides over Speaker

The average age of the Ghana team in the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Goal.com

Cheke Emmanuel LAFIA

embers of the NasarM awa State House of Assembly have allegedly

L-R: Former Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe; Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Femi Thomas; National President, Health Care Providers Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Adenike Olaniba and Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Mike Ikpoki, at the NHIS launch of MTN Yello Health Cover Insurance products in Lagos…yesterday.

bargain

In the next two weeks, doctors may resume work Philip Nyam Abuja

triking doctors yesterday disclosed that they will return to work if the Federal Government pays their two months’ salary arrears within 14 days and continued payment of the balance in subsequent months. Acting president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Dr. Titus Ibekwe, gave the condition after over six hours meeting brokered by the House of Representatives committee on health between the Fed-

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Doctors to call off strike if… … FG decries N1.8 trillion wage bill eral Government and the striking doctors. According to him, the Association during the interface with the Federal Government team and the lawmakers agreed to forgo 22 years arrears of the salaries and that the payment should commence this year. He maintained that the delegation is requesting for a minimal evidence to present to the Emergency meeting before any decision on whether or not to suspend the strike. He maintained that “members of the NMA are not immune from the shut-down of the hospitals, and we are not looking forward to another

strike action again”, he assured. Ibekwe however applauded the sacrifice of the House of Representatives and assured the lawmakers of the NMA’s readiness to consider the appeal of the stakeholders. According to him, a lot of efforts were made to address the lacuna in the issue of clinical governance. He, however, noted that the two outstanding issues namely the step of entry of medical doctors/ collective bargaining on clinical governance as well as relativity is yet to be addressed. Giving details of the outcome of the meeting, chairman of the

House committee on health, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, urged the striking doctors to suspend the strike but insisted that the House would not conceed to anything that could contravene the 2014 Appropriation Act. He appealed to both parties to sheathe their swords but also warned the Federal Government's team against aggravating the crisis explaining that the meeting was conveyed to end the strike by offering minimal requirements that the NMA delegation will tender at the next meeting. He noted that minimum sum of N6.7 billion is required to offset the financial requirements of the striking medical doctors.

been divided over the impeachment move on Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura Sources revealed that eight out of the 20 members (all PDP) who signed the impeached notice are alleged to be making a Uturn for Al-makura, while the remaining 12 are hell bent to continue with the planned impeachment. Sources said an argument allegedly ensured between Aliyu Umar, Awe constituency and Francis Orogu, Keana constituency, when the former allegedly opposed the latter that they had agreed to make the Speaker governor after the impeachment of Al-Makura. The development resulted to fisticuff between the two. Sources said the eight lawmakers have threatened to stay away from the impeachment move if the initial agreement to make the speaker, Ahmed

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

State Command of Oandgun the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps

(NSCDC) yesterday arrested five suspects in connection with illegal dealing in petroleum products at Kara in Sagamu Local Government area of the state. The command also recovered 8,756 litres of petroleum allegedly siphoned from the pipe-

Delegates: Why confab report shouldn’t go to NASS

s the National ConferAreport ence prepares the final of its four months

The delegates, who spoke in separate chats with New Telegraph, said the submission of the document to members of the federal legislature would be counterproductive considering some of the radical

deliberations for ratification and adoption, some delegates have warned against the submission of the report to the National Assembly.

resolutions passed by the conference. The conference had in the course of its sittings recommended the adoption of a unicameral legislative system and by implication the scrapping of one of the arms of the National As-

sembly. In arriving at this resolution, the delegates reasoned that the parliament, as presently constituted, was part of the institutions in the political structure that has raised the cost of governance to an astronomical level. It

Musa Mohammed, the next governor was not obeyed. They threatened to decamp to All Progressives Congress, APC, of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, should the governor agree to increase their constituency allowances from the usual N10 million to N13million. Further findings also revealed that the lawmakers complained to state chairman of traditional council of chiefs, Alhaji Musatpha Agwai, who had invited them for dialogue that if Almakura doesn’t want to be embarrassed out office like ex-governor of Adamawa State Muritala Nyako, he should step up their constituency allowance from N10million to N13milion. It was gathered that the lawmakers had a meeting in Abuja and concluded that if they succeed in removing Governor Al-Makura, the Speaker of the house would succeed him and not his deputy, Damishi Luka, as it was initially planned.

NSCDC arrests five suspects for illegal dealing in fuel

Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

from journalists at the National Information Centre (NIC) in Abuja yesterday, Ogar accused Ezekwesili of trying to "create a scene" at the airport. She added that the former minister was only made to go through normal security screening at the airport and there was no attempt to arrest her.

was argued that if the cost of running a two- chamber parliament was becoming unbearable, Nigeria should borrow a leaf from Senegal where the political elite resolved to have a single chamber legislature and the saved resources

lines of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The state NSCDC commandant, Akinwande Aboluwoye, disclosed this to reporters in Abeokuta when he paraded the suspects and the items recovered from them. The suspects, all male, include Muritala Ogunlesi, 35, Mutiu Ademola, 34, Yesiru Balogun, 50, Fadeyi Idowu, 22 and Musiliu Oyefeso, 37. deployed to rebuild decaying public infrastructure across the country. In the alternative, the conference has also recommended a new system where the legislators would serve on part time basis and earn their pay according to the duration they sit to deliberate on national issues.

NEWS

decorum

Language dog matter, foul or fair, the message goes along way Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has advised the media team of former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to desist from associating him with propaganda, political mudslinging and character assassination that the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) has been known for. The party however, said that it has never labelled APC of habouring Islamic agenda, stating that it merely drew the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

PDP to Atiku: Caution your media team l Denies accusing APC of habouring Islamic agenda

attention of Nigerians to the revelation by an Islamic cleric, Ambassador Yusuf Garba and the Religious Equity Promotion Council (REPC) that the APC was seeking to impose on Nigeria, an agenda akin to that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, yesterday, said it does not want to join issues with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was one of its founding fathers and two-time former Vice President, but described as shocking, the fact that the leaders and members of the APC have gone on rabid attack on the Presidency

and the PDP leadership. “We also wish to put on record that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deliberately chosen not to take on the person of any of its former members, who are now in the opposition for the simple reason that we were members of the same large family, differences in persuasions of today notwithstanding". The party told his media handlers to remember that the former vice president was one of its members, and had once

shared its great vision, noting that in spite of any personal interest, the PDP as a platform remains better than the APC. "Indeed, the APC is not an alternative. It has no vision and is completely lacking in ideology. It is unfortunate that our former members have chosen to board the wrong vehicle, indeed, ‘a onechance bus’”, the party added. It restated its earlier stand that “APC is a party of selfish, religious and

ethnic bigots pursuing a Janjaweed ideology”. According to the statement, its only quarrel with the APC is about the use of religion and ethnicity to canvass for votes and membership, a practice which is clearly inimical to the progress and development of democracy. “The APC leaders are bitter because they have been confronted with a PDP that is not afraid to label them in their true colour despite personal threats, media attacks

and character assassination to cow and deter us. “We wish to inform the APC that we shall not relent but continue in the overall national interest to expose their evil agenda including their use of religion as a cover for narrow political ambitions. “In any case, we insist that it is completely out of place for anybody to associate APC with Islam which is a religion of peace and does not preach violence, greed, destruction and lust for power which are the trademarks of the APC”, the statement added.

Northern group submits bill on registration of southerners in the North he Concerned Arewa Tsubmitted Citizens yesterday a bill to the Ka-

duna House of Assembly seeking a law to provide for the registration of southerners in Kaduna and other parts of the North. The Kano-based group, which submitted the Bill and covering letter jointly signed by its President and Secretary, Audu Bulama Bukarti and Sanusi Umar Sadiq, urged the state assembly to pass the bill as quickly as possible. The group had submitted a similar bill to the Kano State Assembly. It wants southerners residing and seeking to enter the North to register within ten days. According to the letter, the bill, which is proposed for consideration by the lawmakers, is to protect

Kaduna and the North against terrorism, armed robbery, baby factories, pipeline vandalism, kidnappers and other activities allegedly carried out by southerners. The group claimed that the North is suffering from most of the evil vices mentioned because of the haphazard entry and exit of southerners that have infiltrated the North. Part of the letter reads: “This law may be cited as the Kaduna State registration of southerners and Allied Matters Law, 2014 and shall come into force on August 1st, 2014. “No southerner wishing to enter the boundary of the north shall be permitted to do so unless such is duly registered with appropriate authority.

Burning of BRT buses: Fashola sets up panel to probe incident Muritala Ayinla arely 17 days after Bdiers some suspected solin Lagos went wild,

burning about eight Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) buses on Ikorodu Road, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola yesterday constituted a tribunal of enquiry to probe the cause of the incident. Fashola had earlier described the July 4 incident as unfortunate and disappointing, saying he would reserve his comments on the incident until he receives a formal report from the military authorities. The soldiers were said to have gone wild after one of them was killed by a LAGBUS bus on BRT Lane. The accident which occurred around Palm Groove section of

the road led to burning of several BRT buses by the suspected soldiers. The three–man panel inaugurated yesterday is chaired by Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, a retired High Court Judge and has Mr Nurudeen Ogbara,a lawyer and Mr Jude Igbanoi , the Deputy Law Editor of Thisday newspapers as members. According to the Governor, the panel members are to investigate the cause(s) of the accident and how the victim died, ascertain the actual perpetrators of the mayhem and submit its findings to the government within 60 days. Authorities of the Nigerian Army had since said its officers were not responsible for the violence, blaming it on opportunistic hoodlums around the scene.

L-R: Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd); Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr. Markson Fefegha and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Treasury and Account, Mr. Timipre Seipulo, during the 15th edition of the monthly transparency Initiative press briefing in Yenagoa…yesterday

Jonathan commends Oshiomhole on investment Cajetan Mmuta

BENIN

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State for attracting investments into the state. He described Oshiomhole as investor’s delight for the feat in the area. Jonathan stated this when he commissioned the multi- million Presco BioGas Power Plant Project at Obayantor, Benin City. The President, who was represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment,

Mr. Olusegun Aganga, said, “for any form of investment, policies are critical, but the enabling environment is far more important”. The Presco Biogas Power Plant generates electricity from the waste generated from the oilpalm company. According to the President, “I wish to commend the government of Edo state, in particular, the Governor of Edo State. We heard his comments when they said they needed another 20,000 hectares of land; he said it is available, come and get it. Those

are the sort of governors that investors want to work with”. Mr. President explained that, “A Governor that is dynamic, a Governor that understands the economics, that understands the needs of the people, that understands the importance of investments in their states”. He also to commended “the people of Edo State for providing the cordial atmosphere for Presco to operate all these years and to continue to invest in this state and in this country. It is my hope that the cooperation that has sustained

Presco will be extended to other industrial establishments in Edo State.” Aganga assured that the Federal Government will continue to partner with states like Edo in its policy to bring about results which Nigerians expect from governance. He added; “I also want to say thank you to the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for your kind support for Presco Company in boosting the agro-allied industry. It is a great honour for me to be here today for the formal commissioning of this Bio-Gas Plant."

Agbaje declares for PDP, may battle Obanikoro Wale Elegbede peculations surroundSgovernorship ing the ambition of the candidate

of the defunct Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in 2007, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, was yesterday laid to rest. He formally made his entry into the Lagos chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thereby raising the stakes for the 2015 governorship race in

the state. Agbaje, who met with the 14 members Tunji Shelle-led State Working Committee (SWC) at the Ikeja GRA headquarters of the party, was on arrival received by scores of party supporters across the state, assuring party members of a complementary party politics in the state. Addressing the state executives, Agbaje said he

is already a card-carrying member of the PDP, adding that he has already registered in Ward B, Apapa area of the state. According to him; "I am here on a courtesy visit and I deliberately chose the State Working Committee as the first structure to meet in Lagos PDP. We are interested in change in Lagos and the group I represents, the Lagos AGENDA, found

out that the only viable platform to promote this change is the PDP.” Highlighting some of the efforts of his group in the last couple of days, Agbaje said he is bringing along with him nonPDP members and non politicians, adding that he would soon confirm a working relationship with other 10 performing political parties in the state.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Chibok girls: Niger Delta bishops arrive Calabar Clement James

Calabar

cclesiastical bishops Egion from the Niger Delta reunder the auspices of

the Association of Niger Delta Bishops Incorporated will hold a three-day prayer session for kidnapped Chibok girls and the current security situation in the country as well as the 2015 elections. General Secretary of the association, Bishop Edet Mfon, who spoke on behalf of others in Calabar yesterday, said the church could not wait and watch the nation boil without stepping in. The three-day prayer session, which will commence on Thursday, July 24, will focus on the release of the abducted schoolgirls, the insecurity in the country and peace before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

“We have heard people say we should divide this country. But dividing this country is not the solution. We have come to Calabar to hold onto God for the release of the Chibok girls, the fall of Boko Haram in this country and also pray about next year’s general elections, about which we are seeing some ominous signs,” Bishop Mfon said. He added that the choice of Calabar was informed by the fact that it was the first capital of the country, hence the need to come to the state and cry to God for divine intervention in the country. “We have earlier been to Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States and we were to go to Edo State, but were reminded by the Spirit of God that Calabar was the first capital of the country and that we should come and make our supplications here,” he explained.

Nigeria loses N300bn to bitumen importation annually Ibraheem Musa

Kaduna

ational Vice-Chairman, Association of Bitumen Marketers and Distributors of Nigeria (ABIMD), Mr. Fred Nyabam, yesterday said that Nigeria loses over N300 billion annually due to massive importation of bitumen into the country. He said the importation of the product was at the detriment of locally produced variety, which is available at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemi-

cal Company (KRPC). Nyabam, who made this known yesterday at a press conference, said the massive importation of bitumen into Nigeria, is a serious threat to the nation’s economy. According to him; “Regrettably, Nigeria has suddenly become a bitumen importing country, instead of exporting the product, which the Kaduna refinery was designed to achieve, because of few selfish individuals, we are exporting. This is a

clear case of economic sabotage and must be resisted.” The vice-chairman, however, pointed out that stakeholders in the bitumen sector prefer to use the imported variety, because of the high cost of locally produced one, in spite of its high quality. “The question is, why should imported bitumen be cheaper than locally produced one, if there is no high level conspiracy in the bitumen sub-sector? The union leader said

that at a meeting held last November to fashion out a way forward for the sector, representatives of KRPC confirmed that the bitumen plant in Kaduna is in perfect condition. KRPC officials at the meeting also confirmed that their annual production capacity is over 650,000 metric tonnes and that the product is readily available. “With this confirmation, do we really need to continue the importation of bitumen?” Nyabam queried.

South-South youths set agenda for Oru Gabriel Choba

Ughelli

etermined to sustain the Dregion, peace in the Niger Delta a pressure group,

South-South Youth Political Forum (SSYPF) has advised the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, to look into the challenges facing the people of the region. In a communiqué issued and signed by its National Chairman, Alaowei Promise Lawuru, and 96 others after a crucial meeting held in Patani near Ughelli, the group vowed to stop violence and thuggery during the 2015 general elections. Thecommuniquéreadsin part: “After our monthly delegates’ meeting held in Patani, the executive and members of the South South Youth Political Forum (SSYPF) hereby advise the newly sworn in Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Steve Oru, to look critically into the pains of Niger Deltans with a view to

solving them. “We say this because we were the ex-agitators and warlordsintheNigerDeltaregion, which produced the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. This brought in Elder Godsday Orubebe, as the first Minister, but for the years he was in office, he could not touch the life of thecommonman.Nosingle project was completed. “It was as if Niger Deltans where no longer existing, because we travelled around and saw what other regions were doing, they had been transformed; and we begin to wonder why a Niger Deltan, an Ijaw for that matter, could not develop the region within his long stay in office as minister. “Now that he has being removed and another Niger Deltan, an Urhobo, Dr. Steve Oru, has been swornin as minister, we decided to come together and advise him to look keenly into the pains of the people and address them."

Cleric berates scholars over fast breaking with Jonathan Buhari Bello

Jos

he National Chairman, Council of Ulama'u TJama'tu Izalatil Bid' ah

Wa Ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Shiekh Sani Yahaya Jingir, has berated some Islamic scholars, who last week broke their fast with President Goodluck Jonthan at the Presidential Villa, describing it as unwarranted. Jingir said he was aware that only Muslims that were fasting would take time to break their fast when it was time for that. He said to his amazement, he saw some scholars that were said to have visited the Villa to

break their fast with the President, who is not a Muslim and so had not fasted.” The sheikh was speaking yesterday at the closing of Ramadan lectures organised by the youth wing of JIBWIS in Jos, where he said the current insecurity situation does not warrant the Islamic scholars to honour the invitation for the breaking of the fast. He explained that it was just a deceit to invite Muslims to the breaking of the fast. “While your people in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi are been killed every day, yet because of your thirst for tasty food, you went to Abuja,” he said.

L-R: Member, House Committee on Health, Hon. Samuel Babatunde Adejare; Vice-Chairman, Hon. Musa Gulma and Chairman, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, during a meeting between the House of Representatives Committee on Health and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) over the resolution of the nationwide strike by NMA in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

100%

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

The estimated percentage of energy used for agriculture (to power mechanical equipment and irrigation pump-sets) Source: Unesco.org

10.17m

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

Ogun APC crisis: Amosun’s loyalists secure new secretariat Kunle Olayeni

versy between Amosun

Last January, the building was a scene of battle between the two warring factions of the party, leading to the deployment of riot policemen to disperse suspected political thugs allegedly mobilised to the place. The APC national leadership has since upheld Amosun’s faction in the state while speculations are rife that Osoba’s loyalists might defect to another political party. New Telegraph gathered that the vacation of the former secretariat may have foreclosed the possibility of reconciliation between the feuding factions in the party. Prior to securing the

Abeokuta and Osoba loyalists for some time.

midst the lingering crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun may have secured a new state secretariat for the party in Abeokuta, the state capital. The new secretariat of Ogun APC is located at Olorunsogo area, along Abiola Way in Abeokuta. The former secretariat of the party, situated at Leme area of Abiola Way and named “Akinrogun House,” is believed to be a private property of a former governor and APC national leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba. The control of the old secretariat has, however, been an object of contro-

new secretariat, the Ogun APC state executive headed by Alhaji Rokeeb Adeniji, had continued to hold meetings and other political activities at the Gateway Hall, near the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta. A party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday, however, said the Akinrogun House was hitherto used as office of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and not as the state secretariat of APC. The official justified the choice of a new secretariat, saying it would accommodate all members of the Legacy Parties – ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and

All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) – that formed the APC. He said, “It (relocation to new secretariat) has nothing to do with the choice of ownership of the former secretariat. Don’t forget that the former secretariat (Akinrogun House) was used by the ACN before the merger of the Legacy Parties that consummated the All Progressives Congress. So, after the merger, the APC has grown bigger and become more expanded. “Therefore, a new secretariat that would reflect the new status of the APC is not only desirable but appropriate. There is nothing strange about the new secretariat. All party members would have access to it.”

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Lagos plans database for PWD’s Camillus Nnaji

agos State Government has set up machinery which will ensure data collection of mentally and physically challenged persons. Special Assistant in the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Enitan Badru announced this during this year’s

annual stakeholders’ conference on special people’s law organized by Center for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) in Lagos. Badru represented by Mr. Dolapo Ajao from the ministry, said government was working with Lagos State resident’s registration agency (LASRRA) and Lagos State Office for Disabil-

ity Affairs (LASODA) not only to have a number data of people with disabilities but also have them certified. Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David Anyaele in appreciation said the conference among other things aimed at reviewing the state of the people with disabilities since the law was passed. In her own remarks,

representative of the Hon. Commissioner for Education and Director in the ministry, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olayinka said Lagos government is running an all-inclusive education programme at primary and secondary school level for people with disabilities aimed at eradicating all forms of discriminations against them.

2015: Group tasks Lagos PDP on fairness Wale Elegbede A group, Committee for the Restoration of Lagos Heritage (CORELAG) has urged the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State to ensure that all governorship aspirants under the party undergoes a level playing primaries, alleging that the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is scheming through the back door to become the party’s flag bearer in 2015. CORELAG in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr. Adebukola Fatoyinbo said after having failed woefully in the 2007

gubernatorial election in Lagos, despite all the billions raised for him by the party, Obanikoro is hell bent on scuttling PDP chances by crook or hook in the next election. The statement reads: “We have watched for some time now with irritation and even amusement the growing desperation of Musliu Obanikoro. It appears Mr. Obanikoro is wracked with some greedy obsession which makes him believe that he should have a first shot at all appointments and even elective positions to the detriment of all other members of the PDP.

Edo PDP legislators seek account probe Cajetan Mmuta, BENIN More drum beats of war are being championed by the opposition lawmakers in the Edo state House of Assembly as the G9 PDP legislators yesterday urged operatives of the anti-graft agencies to commence investigations into the state/local government’s joint accounts. The PDP lawmakers urged officials of the Economic and FinanL-R: Member, representing Bende in the House of Assembly, Hon. P. C. Onyegbu; Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji; his wife, Lady Mercy and Chairman of Arochukwu Local Government Area, Chief Oni Igbokwe T. C, at Bende Local Government Headquarters, for the 2014 youth empowerment programme...yesterday.

PDP chieftains condemn plot to limit governorship to Ibadan Sola Adeyemo, Ibadan unday's decision of Saspirants some governorship of the Peoples'

Democratic Party (PDP) from Ibadan to limit emergence of the flagbearer of the party for the 2015 election to Ibadan, has been described by the Ibadan/Ogbomoso forum of the party as surprising and undemocratic. In a communique issued after its meeting in Ibadan yesterday, the Ibadan PDP forum said that it was surprised

at the demand, having passed through similar gang ups that led the party into losing the election in 2011. "We have passed through this stage before and similar gang ups and conspiracy cost us the mandate to rule the state again in 2011. "Similar gang ups anywhere only results to nullity, fear, failure and unpopular choices. We therefore enjoin the aspirants to have a rethink in the interest of our party”, it reads in part.

Vacant stool: No search for replacement yet - Regent

successor yet for the Late Amaa-Pere Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom who was recently laid to rest as he is still being mourned by his loyal subjects. Regent of the King-

dom, Dr. Samson Mamamu, who made this known said it had become imperative to clear the air as rumours were already flying that a successor was being shopped for clandestinely. He said it was too early to rush into that now given that the reign of the late royal father ushered in development and prosperity to Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom and Ijaw sons and daughters were still reveling in that.

Umar Danladi Ado Sokoto State Government has released the sum of N858m for the payment of the University scholarship of its indigenes studying various courses

in Nigeria and other foreign countries. Governor Aliyu Wamakko made this known while addressing the second batch of 121 students

Joe Obende Warri

he Ogbe-Ijoh TradiTthere tional Council has said is no search for a

Nwaoboshi fumes over slap by Ali Dominic Adewole, ASABA The rift between the wife of the former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Mrs. Nneamaka Mariam Ali and the Delta State Chairman of the party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi yesterday assumed a new dimension with Nwaoboshi threatening that the woman who slapped him publicly would not escape nemesis. While women supporters of Mrs. Ali, trooped to the streets of Asaba last week Friday protest-

ing against Nwaoboshi, hundreds of women from across the oil rich state yesterday besieged the Ultra-modern secretariat of the party in Asaba, in solidarity with the chairman. The women, led by the party’s Woman Leader, Barr. Mrs. Felicia AdoweiAjagu, flanked by the AguWanyi Lolo (Lioness) of PDP politics in Delta, Chief (Mrs.) Nkem Okwuofu, disowned Mrs. Ali and the protesting women who disrupted business activities in Asaba last weekend.

Shun sentiments, Jang tells Journalists Musa Pam, Jos Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has challenged Journalists working in the state to shun sentimental reportage but dwells more on investigative journalism. Jang through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. James Mannok made the call yesterday while fraternizing with the newly elected officials of the correspondents' chapel of the NUJ in the state. He stressed the need for

the media to change the orientation and thrive in responsive and objective journalism towards the development of the state and the country. Mannok congratulated the new executive for their peaceful election, saying he is confident that the team is made up of men who have over the years demonstrated zeal in carrying out their profession diligently and urged them to initiate programmes capable of taken the chapel to next level.

Sokoto releases N858m for students’ scholarship who are to undergo various academic courses in the Islamic University of Uganda. He stated that the first batch of the 99 students

admitted last year at the Islamic University Uganda were scheduled to complete their various academic programmes this year.

cial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look into the joint financial transaction books of both levels of government effective May 2012 to date. Meanwhile, the speaker of the G15 APC lawmakers of the house of assembly, Uyi Igbe also yesterday directed chairmen of the 18 eighteen council in the state to embark on projects that can be completed within a specified period.

Ebonyi partners USAID on clean water Tony Okuyeme The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ebonyi State Government to establish a collaborative development partnership to modernise the state’s water utility. The agreement cements an ongoing

working relationship to strengthen the institutional, legal and regulatory framework of the Ebonyi State water system so that households have increased access to potable water. The MOU was signed by the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi, and the USAID Mission Director, Michael T. Harvey.

Akpabio’s wife tasks parents on child rights The wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Ekaete Unoma Akpabio has appealed to parents and guardians to always accompany their children to school and church, as a way of creating a safe and secure environment for them. Mrs. Akpabio made the call at the General Headquarters of Christ Faith Church, Utu Ikot Nkor, in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area as part of her sensitization visit to churches in Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun to cam-

paign for the protection of the rights of the child. Describing children as the greatest assets of any nation, she said when a child is protected, the future of a nation is also protected. "Children cannot be expected to take full responsibility of their safety, hence, those looking after them, must keep a close watch on them and those that come in contact with them, as perpetrators of child abuse could either be family members or friends", he said.

Delta LG polls: Imposition crisis looms Dominic Adewole ASABA

A political pressure group in Delta State, the Concerned Ndokwa Easterners Political Forum yesterday rejected the plot by the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party to foist an anointed candidate on Ndokwa East Local Government Area in

the forthcoming council polls. The state’s Independent Electoral Commission has fixed the council polls for October 25, this year. The group expressed displeasure over what it tagged “acute marginatlization” of other existing Wards in the council area by the leaders of the party.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Abia turns empty lands to parks decongestion Aba and Umuahia will be gridlock free thanks to new parks Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

n its bid to sanitize the chaotic parking system and generate revenue Abia State government has concluded plans to establish a new parking system on empty lands. The system, according to the Commissioner for Transport, Emelike Kalu, would soon commence in the two cities of Umuahia, the state

N1.2bn

capital and Aba, the commercial nerve centre. He explained that the proposed new parking system, which would take off on government empty lands would be equipped with modern facilities for the convenience of the park users. The parking system, he further explained would be specifically for private cars since the commercial vehicle operators already have their designated parks. It will check indiscriminate parking on the streets, which he said was neither safe for the cars nor their owners. Emelike said the Ministry was aware of the

congestion and chaos caused by indiscriminate parking of vehicles on the roads and streets as well as the danger it poses to lives and property. He assured that the new system would address the challenge. The Commissioner told the visiting state Commandant of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) Mr. Anthony Oko that the Ministry was working out modalities to utilize government empty lands around the state for such parks. He added that when completed, the parks would ensure free flow of traffic and generate revenue for government.

US$17.90bn

He also promised to take necessary action to sanitize the operation of tricycles, commonly called keke, in the state. The commissioner who acknowledged the contributions of the FRSC in rstoring sanity on the roads, said such performance explained the appointment of the Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka to a higher responsibility as minister by President Goodluck Jonathan. Oko said the visit was to create a synergy between it and the Ministry with a view to finding lasting solution to the problematic transport sector.

30%

The IGR realized from direct assessment The total revenue realized from arms sales The percentage share of food production and supply chain of total global energy consumption sources of revenue in Akwa Ibom State in 2012. of EADS, (Trans-European) in 2008. Source: Unesco.org Source: National Bureau of Statistics Source: Blatantworld.com

Insecurity: Chime canvasses for more cooperation Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

he Governor of Enugu TChime State, Mr. Sullivan has call for in-

creased alertness, diligence, efficiency and cooperation of the people and all security operatives over the insecurity in the country. Speaking while declaring open the 2014 security summit organized by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Enugu state command, Governor Chime described security consciousness and acquisition of reliable intelligence as key to effective security in any society. The governor who was represented by the special adviser on Security, Mr. Richard Chime

Umuahia

resident of the InstiPcountants tute of Chartered Acof Nigeria

Apapa gridlock: Truck owners plan call up system

resident, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Aderemi Ogungbemi, said yesterday that the association would soon introduce a “call up system’’ to help to reduce Apapa gridlock. Ogungbemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the call up system was a temporary measure that permitted truck drivers to come to the port only when they were needed. “The call up system is a temporary method. It will enable an agent to call a truck driver when needed to load goods. “The truck drivers will no longer queue on the roads waiting to be called. The truck drivers can stay any where until they are called

that there is consignment for them to carry. “It is a temporary measure. When it is established, if you have no job, you do not have the right to be at the port environment,’’ he said. The AMATO president said government had not allocated a site whether temporary or permanent for truck owners to relocate to, stressing that truck owners would continue to operate from the ports. On their experiences during the gridlock on the roads to the ports, Ogungbemi said that it was difficult to quantify their losses because of the number of trucks that ply the routes daily. “The amount of money lost cannot be easily ascertained.

“While the terrible gridlock lasted for about four weeks, a driver that loads daily can manage to load once or highest twice in a week,’’ he said. Ogungbemi also said that corruption by security officials made business operation difficult for truck drivers. “Every truck owner has to part with money to security officials before he can be allowed into the port to load goods. “This is sad because a truck owner hardly makes a trip in a day,’’ the association president said. However, the truck owners and divers of articulated vehicles agreed to evacuate their trucks from the highway as from yesterday.

stressed the need for effective and timely sharing of intelligence among the security agencies to achieve a better result. He described the summit whose theme is “Need for Security consciousness and intelligence sharing” as very apt and re-stated the commitment of the administration to continue to support security agencies in order to enhance their operational efficiency. He commended the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC) for its laudable efforts towards improving the knowledge and awareness of its personnel and other security agencies in Security consciousness and intelligence sharing.

ICAN president: Best brains are in Nigeria Igbeaku Orji

L-R: Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Usman Jibrin; Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Rear Admiral Gabrial Okoi; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu and Adc to the President, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, at the National Security Council Meeting in Abuja…yesterday

(ICAN), Mr. Chido Ajaegbu has said Nigeria can overcome its challenges if the present generation cultivates an attitudinal change and passion for the country. Ajaegbu who noted that Nigeria has recorded significant and consistent growth recently, said there is need for positive attitude on the part of the people in order to make the gains visible on the lives of the people. The ICAN president who was speaking in Umuahia also called for strategic action on the part of government that would reflect the gains recorded on all levels of society.

He explained that the institute is committed to competence and professionalism, adding that ICAN would uphold the training and retraining of its members to meet global standards. Ajaegbu maintained that Nigeria parades the best brains in the world which should be harnessed for the benefit of the country and its people. He said he was in Abia State to interact with the stakeholders and members whom he commended for adhering to the ethics of the profession in the discharge of their duties. The Abia born ICAN President extolled the performance of Governor Theodore Orji, whom he said has transformed the state, especially Umuahia the state capital.

TCN begins reconstruction of 132KV lines Adeola Yusuf he Transmission ComTplans pany of Nigeria (TCN) to construct the

132KV lines of the Ikeja West-Oworonshoki Lagos High Tension Lines this weekend. This, according to a statement from the firm, would cause major obstruction on Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The TCN Lagos Region, which said this yesterday, maintained that it had written letters to the Lagos State Government, Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police notifying them of this development. The Region said that it had concluded plans to embark on the project. This project, the statement continued, is the "reconstruction of the 132KV Lines 1&2 on Towers 66-67 of the Ikeja West-Oworon-

shoki High Tension Lines by the Berger Junction on the Lagos end of the LagosIbadan Expressway." The reconstruction "of the line which will be on Saturday July 26,2014 will be from 7:00am to 10:00am and will affect the flow of traffic along the road because the lines crosses from one side of the busy road to the other," Osin declared. It must be noted that letters have been written the Lagos State Government, Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police notifying them of this.” This, according to the statement is soliciting their assistance in traffic control to ease movement of motorists during the period that the work will be on-going. In the same vein, the TCN also announced disruption in power supply to

Surulere and some parts of Lagos. "The Management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN), Lagos Region regrets to announce to her esteemed electricity customers in Surulere, Iganmu, Aguda, Ijesha, Ebute Metta, Orile and their environs that there will be disruption in electricity supply to them on Wednesday, July 20th, 2014 between the hours of 10:00am-12:00pm. "The planned outage is to enable the team of TCN Engineers to connect new bus section isolator. "This isolator will link two 60MVA power transformers at the Akangba 132KV Transmission Sub-Station and 40MW of electricity will be cut off, as load on all the outgoing 33KV feeders from the Station will be disrupted during the duration of outage.

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/metro

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

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

0802 393 8212

Four die as truck crashes into market TRAGIC A man loses his life while trying to save a woman from being crushed to death by truck

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

suspected assassins invadStorome ed the house of a land specula(names withheld) in Olorunso-

Juliana Francis

our persons were killed, while more than 11 people were injured yesterday at the Odo-Eran Bus Stop area of LASU/Igando Road, after a truck rammed into a market. A witness claimed that the truck had a brake failure as the driver was negotiating a sharp bend. In an attempt to avoid hitting tricycle riders, the driver drove straight into the market and killed four persons instantly. Some of the residents in the area said that more than 11 persons were killed, but others claimed that about 50 people died in the accident, which occurred about 10am. The truck driver had attempted to run away, but traders caught him down and attacked him with machetes. Another witness, who identified himself as Tomiwa Balogun, said the driver would have been killed, but for the timely intervention of the officials of the Federal Road Safety Com-

The accident scenes.

mission (FRSC). Those who died were said to be two men and two women. One of the men, described as a Good Samaritan, died while attempting to save a woman from being hit by the truck. The truck, which was carrying bags of sachet water, belongs to Dammy Pure Water, located at 22 Church Close, Igando Road. A man, who refused to disclose his name, said that the driver had been on suspension for misbehaviour and drunken-

ness and had only resumed duty yesterday morning. Balogun said the causality figure would have been higher but for providence. He said: “If not for God, more people would have died. A woman selling pepper just left her wares to go and urinate, when that truck ran through her seat. A young man tried to save a woman, but ended being killed. The young man saw the truck coming and it was heading straight for the woman, who had not seen it.

Extortion: Drivers take over police, FRSC checkpoints

The man pushed the woman out of the way but it ran him over.” A meat seller in the market, Mr. Yusuf, said that only two persons were killed. A chieftain of the All Peoples Congress (APC) in Idimu, Hon. Salami Adedoyin, said that about 50 people were injured. Some of the residents claimed that the Lagos State Government had repeatedly ordered the relocation of the market, but it was yet to be enforced.

The protesting drivers. Enugu

ore than 1,000 commercial drivers yesterday dislodged policemen and officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from the everbusy Nsukka-Enugu Ezike Road in Enugu State. The drivers were protesting what they described as excessive extortions by the police and FRSC men. The protest forced policemen and their FRSC counterparts to abandon their checkpoints on the road where they usually occupy on Nkwo market days. The state Police Public Rela-

tions Officer (PPRO), DSP Ebere Amaraizu, told our correspondent that there was no formal report of the allegation by drivers. He said: “I heard it just when someone called me this afternoon.” Amaraizu said it would have been better for the drivers to complain formally to the police authorities to enable the state command to track down those extorting them. “We have safeguards and measures to tackle such allegations,” he added. Anthony Eke, Usman Suleiman and Chika Ozioko, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, explained that apart from

the drivers in Nsukka, Igbo-Eze North and Igbo-Eze South local government areas of Enugu State, several others from Kogi State coming to Enugu were part of the protest. The drivers, who spoke with our correspondent at a checkpoint located at the boundary between Igbo-Eze North and South local governments which they had taken over, alleged that extortions had been going on at about eight checkpoints between Nsukka urban town and Enugu-Ezike, a journey of not more than 15 minutes. As the police and FRSC personnel saw the angry drivers, according to the protesters, they quickly left their checkpoints.

go area of Ibadan, Oyo State and killed his mother and wife. The man was said to be praying at a nearby mosque when the assassins entered his house. Police have already begun investigation into the incident, according to a source. It was gathered that the assassins stormed the eight- room bungalow about 3am on Sunday and asked for the whereabouts of the said land speculator. To force the man out of hiding, the assassins reportedly killed his wife. Upon hearing the agonising scream of the wife, the man’s mother was said to have also come out of her room, only to be killed. The assassins were said to have thereafter left the house without picking any item. The land speculator was also shielded from talking to journalists by family members who were already making preparations for the burial of the two women. Police from nearby Ogbere division have already visited the scene of the incident.e.

Voter card, tool to choose leaders, says Ondo commissioner ommissioner for Information, Ondo CState, Mr Kayode

Uwakwe Abugu

Assassins kill land speculator’s wife, mother

card remained a powerful weapon with which their voices could be heard. Akinmade, has He appreciated said that voter the people for their registration level of support for exercise was Governor Oluseessential to gun Mimiko and the process of his government choosing right and assured that leaders for the more dividends of growth of society. democracy would Akinmade said continue to be proMimiko, Ondo gov. vided for them. this while addressing Labour Pparty Akinmade said the faithful at a meeting in local government had been Ofosu-Onisere Ward in Omifun- dully recognised by the adfun, Idanre Local Government ministration and called on the people to continue to cooperate Area, against the backdrop of the validation of permanent with one another towards the voter card by the Independent actualisation of their hopes National Electoral Commis- and aspirations on the towns sion (INEC) scheduled to take and villages in the area. place in the state next month. The event witnessed disThe commissioner also inau- tribution of gift items for the gurated a town hall at Agbara- party members in the area. The gifts were presented by the Jingbe Community. He described the forthcom- Chief of Staff to the governor, ing voter registration card Dr Kola Ademujimi. Addressing the gathering, validation exercise as an opportunity for the people to key the Chief of Staff said all Laactively into the current demo- bour Party members in the cratic process. area should ensure that they The commissioner, who also collect their permanent voter used the opportunity of the card when the forthcoming meeting to empower members exercise commenced as schedof the area, stressed that voter uled by INEC.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

63-year-old man missing

METRO

Holy Bible arrests robbers Juliana Francis

Odebunmi

63-year-old man, Venerable Julius OlayAWire inka Odebunmi, of Olohan village near and Cable at Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State,

has been reported missing. His wife said Odebunmi, about 6.5 feet, was last seeing about 12.30am on July 10, when he was discovered to have left the house. His son, Shegun Odebunmi, said his father had not been seen since then as his whereabouts were still unknown. According to him, a missing person’s report was made at the Apata police station, Ibadan, on July 11. Anyone with useful information about the missing man should report at any nearby police station or call Shegun, his son, on 08032007390.

Six killed in cult groups’ clash over oil largesse Steve Uzoechi Owerri

t least six persons have been killed, while Abeen properties worth millions of naira have destroyed in the raging cult war in

the oil producing Egbema community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State. The two-week-old violence, which erupted on July 9, does not seem to abate as the contending groups have resorted to guerrilla war tactics following the intervention of the police. According to sources, the war is between Dey Gbam and Dey Well cult groups, whose activities are prevalent in the oil rich region. Trouble, it was learnt, started when rights and privileges from oil companies to indigenes and host communities seemed to be cornered by only members of one group. Efforts to seek equitable sharing failed as intervention by elders and church groups in the area achieved little. Without any comfortable compromise in sight, the Dey Well group took up arms and in the exchange of hostilities that followed, six persons, including a popular community leader and moneybags in the area, Chief Emmanuel Opara, have lost their lives. The war, which started at Obiakpu in Egbema, it was gathered, has shifted to Mmahu area of Egbema where a former local government worker, Chief Anthony Aligbua, and son, Gift, were brutally murdered. In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Andrew Enwerem, said that four persons had so far been killed in the crisis while six suspects had been arrested by the police. He, however, noted that one of the suspects arrested died following gunshot wounds sustained in a gun battle with the police. Enwerem also said that the cause of the war was contented to money from oil companies.

onday Patrick, Michael Adeagbo and Ismaila Kazeem alias Asumo would probably still be robbing people but for the Bible of one of their victims. The suspects, who robbed Pastor Lawal Adesoye Zacheous of Unity Estate, Idimu/ Egbeda of his Toyota Camry car, were exposed by the Bible left inside the car. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos State started trailing the robbers based on what Zacheous told the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko. Also arrested are John Odu, Promise Woke and Ifeoluwa Coker, for allegedly buying the car from the suspects. Odu is a graduate of Zoology, 2011 from the University of Port Harcourt. He did his post-graduate diploma in Management Sciences, while Coker, is a graduate of Biology Education from a Federal University of Technology. When SARS operatives stormed Patrick’s house, just like other members of his gang, he initially denied knowing what the policemen were talking about. But the eagle-eyed policemen noticed a giant Bible. Flipping through the Bible, they discovered the name of Zacheous on it. The gun used in the operation was also recovered from

L-R: Kazeem, Adeagbo and Patrick

Patrick’s home. Patrick said that he became friendly with Adeagbo after he came to his shop to sew cloths. He added: “One day, Michael (Adeagbo) came with a black bag to my shop. He said I should keep it for him. After about two days, I opened the bag and saw a gun inside. I waited for him for two days, but he did not come. It was while I was waiting for him, that police came to arrest me. “If Michael brings cloths to me to sew, he would give me money and phones. He had given me phones twice. I did

not know he is a robber. When I saw the Bible, I kept it in my shop because it was very big and I liked it.” The suspects met their waterloo after the Officer in Charge of SARS, SP Abba Kyarri, received instruction from Manko to go after the fleeing robbers. The suspects’ homes were searched and two pairs of army uniforms and a black bag, containing documents of the robbed cars were recovered. Also recovered was a locally-made double barrelled cut-to-size gun alleged to have

been used for the robbery. Adeagbo said that he and Kazeem carried out the robbery attack, adding that the snatched car was with Kazeem. Kazeem, on the other hand, said that the car was with Odu. Odu was arrested at Ikotun while trying to receive another snatched vehicle from Kazeem. Odu said that he had already sold the pastor’s car to a customer in Port Harcourt, identified as Promise Woke. Kazeem told detectives that he had once sold a Toyota Camry to Desmond Inwerem and Coker. Adeagbo, 25, an ex-convict, recalled how the pastor was robbed. He said: “As the pastor was returning from work, I and Kazeem followed him because we were already at the street. The pastor came down to open the gate to his home and we forced him into the car. We used only one gun. I brought the gun from Ife. As we snatched the vehicle, Kazeem collected the car, sold it and did not give me any money. “We have stolen laptops four times, handsets and gold. I, Lucky and Kunle did that job. Lucky is dead. He died during a robbery operation. Kunle is in prison now. I was not a robber before, but it was in prison I learnt about robbery.” Kazeem, 27, said that he met Adeagbo while they were both riding commercial motorcycles at Oshodi.

Panic as fire guts police station

Two electrocuted in Jigawa

Sinmiloluwa Sokunbi

Dutse

here was pandemonium at the Alapere Police Station, Lagos State, after a section of the station went up in flames. The fire was said to have started on Sunday morning, just as people were preparing to go to church and others were already in the church. The inferno started from a part of the station while policemen and women were running helter-skelter. Although nobody

could say what led to the outbreak of the fire, some residents attributed it to power surge. The fire was later put out by fire-fighters who got to the scene in the nick of time. A witness, who identified himself as Pastor Emmanuel, said the fire incident started from one of the rooms at the station. “The fire did not affect the whole building,” he added. By yesterday morning, builders

were already rebuilding and roofing the affected section. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, confirmed the story. She said: “It was true that a section of Alapere Police Station was gutted by fire, but nobody died. Nobody was even injured. It was caused by power surge, but everything is under control. No suspect escaped from detention in the midst of the confusion.”

Dahiru Suleiman wo persons, Garba TMuhammad, Malam and Duguri have been

electrocuted in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital. The state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Gidado Muhammd, said 25-yearold Malam lost his life as a result of illegal tempering with electrical pole in Dutse. Malam was trying to repair a water booster, which was connected to an open well near Dutse Central Mosque.

The deceased was rushed to Dutse General Hospital but died later. Muhammad of Zai quarters died while working on electrical pole. The NSCDC commandant advised people to stop illegal connection of electrical cables. According to him, people should instead report electrical faults to the appropriate authority for repairs. He said: “Under no circumstance should anyone temper with electrical poles if he or she is not authorised to do so.”

One killed as herdsmen attack Benue community

Suswan, Benue gov.

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

ne person was reportedly Opeople killed while hundreds of were rendered home-

less when suspected Fulani insurgents launched a fresh

attack on Owukpa community in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State. Many other people were injured in the attack which occurred at the weekend. The herdsmen invaded the community with their cattle which destroyed maize and rice farms. After refusing to yield to appeals to leave the area as it was not a grazing zone, the herdsmen reportedly started to shoot sporadically and killed one person in the process. The attack came barely three days after the Committee on Conflict Resolution and

Peace Building constituted by the Benue State Government to look into the crisis between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers submitted its final report to Governor Gabriel Suswam. The local government Chairman, Mr Sunday Ojo, in an interview with our correspondent, accused the Fulani of violating the earlier peace pact they signed with the council. Ojo appealed to the state government and stakeholders to come to the aide of the local government in resolving the crisis. He said: “We signed a peace

pact with them but what is happening now is a contravention of the peace pact we had signed before. So we are calling on all and sundry to assist the leadership of the council in handling the situation.” The chairman commended the traditional rulers, security agencies as well as vigilance groups in Owukpa for their roles in ensuring that peace returns to the area. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Daniel Ezeala, who confirmed that one person was shot dead in incident, said that the situation had been brought under control.

12 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Ekiti poll: Fayemi's volte-face shows immaturity – PDP ILLITERACY PDP man Oluwawole describes Ekiti governor as an under-performer in political engineering Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Governor Kayode Fayemi's recant of his acceptance of defeat in the June 21 governorship election as a manifestation of his level of political maturity. The PDP, which reacted

to a serialised interview by the governor in some national dailies at the weekend, where he denied conceding defeat, also said Fayemi was showing elements of democratic illiteracy and political inconsistency. The PDP spoke through the State Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday. "We never took him serious neither did we rejoice in his fake concession because he was too battered and humbled in the election, a situation that would have plagued him with political hallucinations; for he has never been known to be groomed in political intelligence.

"He was dazed beyond his wildest imagination in an election he failed to win a single local government out of the 16 we have in the state. Ekiti people should understand that he is yet to recover and sooner than later, the reality of the situation will stare him in the face," he stated. PDP described the leadership of APC as a contraption of people suffering from diabolical delusions that would see them deride their own position at any point in time for political advantage even when the whole world was on the other side of the coin. "The double talk of the outgoing governor is a symptom of wild frustration, hence it took Fayemi a

month to wake up from the other side of the bed to insult the intelligence of Ekiti people by saying that he had not said he conceded defeat, while blaming people for lack of proper understanding of English Language. "The pride that made them fall from their Olympian height in the poll is what Fayemi has just displayed. He said people did not understand English Language, saying if they did, they would have understood his speech to mean that he did not accept defeat. Is he saying he is the only person who went to school or who studied the language? "How do you describe a Fayemi who congratulated a person who defeated him in an election that was ad-

L-R: Managing Director, The Quadrant Company, Mr. Bolaji Okusaga; United States Consul General, Mr. Jeff Hawkins and Team Leader, Political & Economic Section of the Consulate Lagos, Mr. Will Meeker, at the media briefing on Dawn in the Creeks, a television reality show to foster peace in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, in Lagos

Aondoakaa, Lawani can't succeed me, says Suswam

New LGs: EKSIEC submits referendum results to Assembly

Makurdi

Ado-Ekiti

Cephas Iorhemen

State Governor, Bhasenue Dr. Gabriel Suswam, ruled out the pos-

sibility of his Deputy, Chief Steven Lawani or former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN) amongst others to succeed him in 2015. Sources at the seat of power in the state confided in New Telegraph yesterday that the governor's position on the fate of the duo manifested during a meeting between him and stakeholders in the Tiv extraction where the Gen. Atom Kpera-led peace and conflict resolution committee investigating the Fulani invasion of Tiv land submitted its final report. A source from the meeting, who pleaded anonymity, quoted Suswam as saying it was only justifiable to present one person from the

Masev Iharev and Nongov Development Association (MINDA) bloc to become governor in 2015 to heal the wounds of the carnage inflicted on the people by the Fulani insurgents. "Let me be frank with you, the governor's pronouncement ignited a thunderous applause amongst the delegates from that axis when the governor made the statement. But the facial expression on the faces of the others showed displeasure", the source said. Another source, a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who was in the meeting said what the governor said "is an arrangement of the PDP in the state and by that conclusion, the governor is not being fair to other candidates from zones 'A'and 'C'. There could be a good candidate from MINDA and there could be a better candidate elsewhere."

Adesina Wahab

espite protests by the DPeoples state chapter of the Democratic Par-

ty (PDP), the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission,(EKSIEC) yesterday submitted results of Saturday's referendum it conducted in relation to proposed new local governments to the state House of Assembly. That was as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr Albert Omirin, said there was no record of any court order or ruling stopping the Assembly from going ahead with the exercise before the legislators. Omirin, who spoke to newsmen after EKSIEC Chairman, Mrs Cecilia Adelusi, led other members of her commission to the Assembly Complex to submit the results of the referendum, said the Assembly would never involve itself in any illegal act.

"I say once again that there is no record of any service of any court order or injunction stopping the Assembly from going ahead with this exercise. No court in this state or outside the state has restrained us," Omirin said. Adelusi, who submitted the results on behalf of the commission, said there was nothing evil in what SIEC did, contrary to claims by the opposition. She said having submitted the results to the Assembly, the bill was now in the court of the House to take the next step. Receiving the results, Omirin promised that the Assembly would accord it accelerated attention. The Speaker, who commended the commission for doing a good job, said the government of Dr Kayode Fayemi meant well for the people in his resolve to bring governance nearer to the people at the grassroots.

judged to be free, fair and peaceful by both Nigerian and international communities to come out after a month to change gear and be saying the opposite. "He said he would not go to court but his party is in the tribunal to challenge the result of the election where he was roundly trounced. We believe this is a display of his usual mother of all

hypocrisy, which has always been the hallmark of the All Progressives Congress. "We can recall the incidence of the 2003 when Dr Ayo Fayose defeated Fayemi's godfather, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, he conceded defeat and congratulated the PDP candidate but later went to tribunal where he equally failed," Oluwawole said.

2015: Enugu group faults ex-lawmaker on Ekweremadu, Chime

he Enugu West People’s Forum has faulted the suggestion by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. USA Igwesi, that Governor Sullivan Chime should be compensated with the Enugu West Senatorial seat at the end of his eight years in office as the Governor of Enugu State. The group bared its mind in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Ugulu O. Ugulu, while reacting to an interview published in a national daily yesterday. The forum stressed that while it had no problem with deserving former governors coming to the Senate through free and fair democratic contest, it was opposed to seeing legislative seats as a compensation or retirement benefit for former governors. It said that such was tantamount to assassination attempt on the nation’s democracy. The group said that Igwesi did not speak as a former lawmaker, when he claimed that Chime would outperform the incumbent Senator and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,

if compensated for with the senatorial seat. It wondered why a former Member of both the Enugu State House of Assembly and National Assembly feigned ignorance of the global parliamentary tradition called Ranking Rule, where experienced lawmakers take pre-eminence over newcomers. The statement read in part: “In Nigeria for instance, Section 3(2) of the Senate Standing Rule clearly states that the ‘nomination of senators to serve as presiding officers and appointments of principal officers and other officers of the senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators’; “It further states that ‘In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: senators returning based on number of times re-elected; senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; senators who have been members of a State House of Assembly or any other Legislative House; Senators elected as senators for the first time.’”

Life returns to Adeyemi College of Education Babatope Okeowo

Akure

ife yesterday returned LEducation to Adeyemi College of (ACE) Ondo, in

Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State, following the resumption of academic and official activities in the institution. The institution was shut over seven months ago, following an industrial action embarked upon by members of three workers unions; the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN), and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

The three unions, downed tools several months ago, following directives from their respective national bodies in reaction, to what they termed the refusal of the Federal Government, to abide with the 2009 / 2010 agreement purportedly signed with them. Preceding the resumption by the students, the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Felix Eniola Aderinboye, had in a statement Friday, informed parents and guardians that the College would resume on July 20, while academic activities will commence the next day, Monday July 21, for the conclusion of the 2012/ 2013 Rain semester.

2015: PDP WILL OVERRUN APC, SAYS ENIKUOMEHIN / PAGE 16

POLITICS

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AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, POLITICS

ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

ayodeleojo@yahoo.com

ORJI WAS NOT A PRODUCT OF PDP ROTATION –NWEKE

p-15

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

Yekeen Nurudeen

hese are not the best of times for the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC). It seems to all discerning minds that the party is on the brink of collapse. From all fronts, APC’s fortune keeps declining and fast disappearing too. To many political analysts following the trend of current mishaps befalling the party, its hope of giving the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) a run for its money, might just end up a mirage. It is arguable now that the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun’s leadership of the party is not finding it easy less than two months into the office. At a time the party’s national chairman was reaching out on reconciliation moves to aggrieved party chieftains and members who felt short changed in the last national convention, the party recorded its first major upset. The travails notwithstanding, the chairman believes all that is happening to the party will build and solidify it. “These things going on will build and solidify the party” he said, speaking on Ogun, Adamawa, Edo, Oyo and other APC states currently going through impeachment problems. Many believe to the contrary; in the eyes of those looking beyond the fate befalling APC, the party is fast moving towards collapse as being executed by the PDP. It suffered what can at best be described as an undisputed defeat in the June 24 governorship election in Ekiti state. Its candidate, and sitting governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, lost to the PDP candidate and also a former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose. The power play and scheming in the Ekiti election between the PDP and APC that led to the ouster of Fayemi are public knowledge; needless to say that APC is still ruing the loss and nursing the wounds from the loss. As it stands, APC’s dominance of the South West is crippled with the Ekiti loss and its chances of keeping other states where it holds sway are getting slimmer by the day. It has had to contend with one crises or another from almost all the states now. From Adamawa, Edo, Ekiti, Borno, Osun, Ogun and even Oyo states, the center seems no longer able to hold for the opposition party. The party is still grappling with the internal crisis that has engulfed its Edo state chapter. At the height of the imbroglio in Edo state, not a few party chieftains and their followers decamped to the PDP. The situation in Governor Adams Os-

Impeachment: Will APC survive the onslaught?

Odigie-Oyegun

Tinubu

hiomhole’s state, according to political analysts, would spell doom for the party in next year’s election as the Comrade governor appears to be losing grip of the state. Even the party’s Crisis Management Committee headed by General Muhammadu Buhari could not stop Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu from leading other stalwarts out of the party. The Edo state brouhaha is far from being over. What now seems to have compounded the woes of APC was the eventual impeachment of Murtala Nyako as the governor of Adamawa state by the PDP dominated state House of Assembly. Nyako last Tuesday lost the

battle to the law makers laying to rest weeks of speculation and intrigues. His deputy, Bala Ngilari, who was also in the eye of the storm, was quick to resign on the same day before the impeachment proceedings against the governor began. With Nyako’s impeachment and Ngilari’s resignation, the speaker, Alhaji Umaru Fintiri, is now the acting governor. A new election will be organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 90 days in order to pro-

duce a substantive governor. Though Nyako was removed on the groundsof gross misconducts according to the PDP law makers, what is however clear to political observers is that the former governor had actually sinned against President Goodluck Jonathan. Nyako was a member of the PDP until he defected to APC in November 2013. His major undoing perhaps was moving against President Jonathan during the ruling party’s crisis that culminated in the defec-

CROSSFIRE The pervasive insecurity that has crippled Nigeria since this insurgency started must be halted. Those behind it must be unraveled and prosecuted. Let the inquiry begin! -Lai Mohammed

We as, is the APC in a desperate move to pre-empt the British Parliament for fear of indictment or are they seeking to promote an orchestrated inquest to exonerate themselves? -Olisa Metuh

tion of five members to APC, himself inclusive. The straw that broke the camel’s back was his allegation of campaign of genocide against the north by the President. All these, political analysts believe are what led to his removal. Many who have expressed views on the crises that kicked him out of office blamed him for not showing much political knowledge in dealing with a House of Assembly dominated by opposition members knowing well that his hands were not clean. According to the national chairman of United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, Nyako did not display needed political sagacity in handling his travails in the midst of opposition.”If you are a governor in the midst of the opposition’s majority in the House of Assembly, it calls for political sagacity” he said. The former governor, Chief Okorie noted was over confident and underrated the opposition. This perhaps, explains, why when the House sat and deliberated on the report of the seven-man investigative panel which sat and indicted him, he did not make any attempt to defend himself. It is an open secret that the PDP was rattled by the defection of its five governors to the opposition. The defection has reduced the number of states it controls. It was only natural and expected too, that the ruling party would fight back to get all the lost states. Now that Ekiti and Adamawa are back in the hands of PDP, the ruling party appears not done yet with what observers have described as “killing the APC” before 2015. It has shifted its focus to Nasarawa state where another APC Governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura holds sway. The PDP had lost that state in the 2011 elections to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) the party under which AlMakura contested the election. He was the only CPC governor in the country until the merger of other parties June last year that produced the APC. The axe is dangling over Al-Makura’s head as the State House of Assembly has also served him an impeachment CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Will APC survive the onslaught?

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

notice. Nasarawa State House of Assembly has 24 members, 20 of which are from PDP while only four belong to APC which is the governor’s party. If the PDP members in the House continue with their move, it is only a matter of days before they would pull the carpet from under Al-Makura’s feet. He may go the way of his fellow party man, Nyako, if he also fails to apply wisdom in the midst of these PDP law makers. The governor had been accused of 16 offences summed up as “gross misconduct”. The various attempts by the House of Assembly to serve him the notice in person since last week Monday, when the impeachment proceedings began, have been futile. It was however served to him through the media. Al-Makura was reported to have rushed to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday to plead with President Jonathan to intervene so that the impeachment noose could be swayed off, but the public service of the notice indicated that his plea cut no ice with the presidency. Al-Makura and his deputy, Damishi Luka-Barau have been neck deep in crises. While the governor remains in APC, his deputy defected to the PDP. In February, the state leadership of the APC announced the suspension of Luka-Barau, from the party. Except an unexpected happens, Governor Al-Makura is clearly the next APC sitting governor to kick the canvas. And more may still go. At least the party leadership had alleged that the Presidency was planning to remove three more APC governors. In Edo state, it has been war of wits, tactics and power play between the APC and the PDP. Governor, Oshiomhole along with his deputy, Pius Odubu and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly , Mr. Uyi Igbe allegedly escaped an impeachment plot said to have been masterminded by members of the APC that recently defected to the PDP including their lawmakers and few leaders of the party in the state. The lawmakers, it was gathered were expected to execute the plot having allegedly received N30million each while N20million was to be added after the plot had succeeded. The plot, it was further learnt, was hatched to give the PDP the opportunity to win majority in the state assembly and National Assembly elections come 2015. If the impeachment plot had succeeded, one of the lawmakers who recently defected to the PDP would have transformed from Speaker to governor. Although the recent defection of four APC lawmakers to the PDP still places a minority status on it with eight seats against the APC’s 16, it was gathered that there are strong moves to induce more lawmakers to back the plot. This development makes Edo State a very easy prey for the PDP and if it succeeds, it is indeed a bad omen for the opposition ahead of 2015. Another state where APC is losing ground is Borno state, the hot bed of the terrorist Boko Haram sect. All is not well between Governor Kashim Shettima and his former boss, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. As a matter of fact, Senator Sheriff has left APC for PDP. He was received by a mammoth crowd in Maiduguri, Borno state capital last Monday afternoon. He noted that consultations are still ongoing, promising that “after Ramadan, we will come back and pull our people out of APC.” The former governor also apologised to Borno people for giving them Governor Shettima and promised to give them another person who according to him, would serve them. If this is anything to go by, Borno state is another state con-

Nyako

Oshiomhole

Ajimobi

Al-Makura

sidered a state lost by APC. And this has implications for the party in 2015. In Ogun state, the gulf between Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Aremo Segun Osoba is the major albatross of APC in the state. The two gladiators have two parallel factions and this has led to defection of about ten members of the State House of Assembly to PDP. This brings to 13 the number of PDP members in the House as the party before now had three members elected under the party. The defection was reportedly facilitated by a member of House of Representatives representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency, Abiodun Akinlade, who dumped APC for the PDP. The Assembly which comprises 26

Oyo, Osun among other APC controlled states are also on the brink of being taken over by the ruling party

members now reportedly has 13 PDP members while Labour Party, LP, and APC reportedly share the remaining 13 members. Akinlade while receiving the PDP flag, said he decided to join the PDP because of its laudable programmes for the people in the country. He promised the people of the state better lives under the PDP, claiming he had lined up some developmental programmes for the state. Oyo, Osun among other APC controlled states are also on the brink of being taken over by the ruling party. In Oyo State, the fear of the possible impeachment of Governor Abiola Ajimobi heightened recently with a series of secret political moves by members of the state House of Assembly, who may also be plotting his removal. This, analysts say may sound the death blow of APC even before the general election. APC national chairman, Chief Odigie-Oyegun is quite aware of the travails of his party and who the traducers are. He admitted in a recent interview that, in desperation, the Federal Government is creating problem for his APC in all its states. “Let us start with the present insecurity. Once or twice, I have read that it is the opposition that is doing all this because they don’t like the government; they hate the government. But do you kill your family to prove that you hate somebody else? How come that these things are in APC states?” He said

He argued that PDP is killing APC because of its prospect. “As far as the other issues are concerned, when a party is seen as having prospect, the struggle for offices gets keener.” Oyegun said. But the chairman is very optimistic that the problems would be resolved soon. His words: “We already have a high powered committee working on Ogun. As a matter of fact, Ogun is the most delicate of them all. We already have a high powered committee headed by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, including some truly respectable senior party leaders working on Ogun case”. The Edo state case, according to him is clear. He said “from the time we had some defections, I think the PDP saw it as a wonderful opportunity to undermine the state government, particularly, as four members of the House of Assembly defected with the group. They thought it a wonderful opportunity to destabilise and undermine the state government, keeping it preoccupied with crisis.” What Nigerians are expecting from the leadership of APC is quick and tactical response to save the sinking party which has before now, been prided as the needed alternative to the PDP in 2015. If APC will still exist in 2015 and beyond depends on the management of the various crises threatening to kill it, albeit masterminded by the ruling party.

POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Mr. Emmanuel Ahamdi Nweke was a Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the 2007 election. In this interview with select journalists, Nweke said that all persons from Ukwa/ Ngwa area irrespective of senatorial zone should be allowed to contest the 2015 governorship election in Abia State. He also spoke on other issues. Excerpts

Orji was not a product of PDP rotation –Nweke election as at that time.

Next year’s election is around the corner and it is being taunted in some quarters that Ukwa Ngwa should take the governorship race slot. What is your take on it? Of course, it is right to cede the governorship position to the Ukwa / Ngwa area. That had been the position of the governor ever since; right from the declaration and pronouncement he made in April openly at the Abia State polytechnic pavilion during the reception by Abia South politicians. He has repeatedly on record said that he is an advocate of zoning based on the Abia charter of equity and I believe him when he says that. Looking at the controversies surrounding the adherence to Abia charter of equity; that is, the struggle between Ukwa /Ngwa and Isiukwuato over whose right it is to produce the next governor of the state. Do you think it’s the turn of Ukwa/Ngwa? I do not see any contention or confusion whatsoever in the issue of Abia charter of equity, or where power should be ceded to at this time. The Abia charter of equity as it stands now for all intents and purposes rotates power between the political blocs which are the old Bende and old Aba zone which is now known to be Ukwa /Ngwa. There was of course the issue before of Afipko, Ohaozara and the rest of them which were ceded to the now Ebonyi State, that there could have been some argument. Isiukwuato on its own is only one local government and could not possibly have become a province. So, those who are arguing that I think is part of plot by some people to rewrite what should be done in Abia State, and I said that these are people who have no good intention for Abians. Power should revolve between old Bende and the Ukwa/ Ngwa. That is what all have to believe in and that is what Abia charter of equity stands for. And of course that is why the governor in all his pronouncements previously has said that power should go to Ukwa Ngwa. Last week, a prominent son of Ngwa within the Abia Central Senatorial Zone made a statement which was published in one of the national dailies saying that the governorship position is going to Abia South and not Ukwa Ngwa and by implication Isiala North and South including Osisioma are “excluded” from contesting the guber race. What do we make out of this? The pronouncement which you referred was said to have been made by Elder Emmanuel Adaelu and he has said that he didn’t make those comments and I believe him because, I do not believe that someone like elder Adaelu would come out to say something to disenfranchise three major local governments (Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South and Osisioma Ngwa), in fact the root of Ngwa land. Elder Adaelu had been with us in the fight; indeed in the fore front of our fight for ceding power to the Ukwa/ Ngwa people. How and when did he suddenly come

Nweke

out to say that it has become Abia South? That would also be disenfranchising himself because his own local government would be one of those that would be excluded. If he did say that and I doubt that he did, what has been promised, why on earth did he say a thing like that? I don’t believe that elder Adaelu would say anything like that because it would reduce him and his influence within the Ukwa/Ngwa area if by any chance he has sold out the very people among whom he is a recognized leader. We learnt that Isiala Ngwa is the head of Ngwa land and by virtue of that, if something is coming to Ngwa land for the first time they are supposed to be the people that would benefit first. But from what was reported to have been said by Elder Adaelu, it’s like trying to give that which belong to the first son to somebody else. How do you see that? Yes! We are talking of the governorship of Abia State. I have heard that argument being proffered because Isiala Ngwa North and South are the first born, they should take the plump position before others. That is a very parochial view. That is not the basis upon which I am saying that the rest of Ukwa/ Ngwa people should be included. We are opening up the contest within the entire Ukwa/ Ngwa land and let the best of our people win. Who are they afraid of ? If there are competent people from Ukwa East, Aba North and South, Obingwa, Ugwunagbor, Osisioma, Isiala Ngwa North and South, who is to say that one of them would not emerge? Whose interest is be-

The governor is not a product of rotation at all. If anything, the governor’s emergence messed up rotation based on Abia charter of equity

ing served by excluding these three local governments (Isiala North and South and Osisioma)? That is the question one should ask. Elder Adaelu has been one of the advocates of the Ukwa Ngwa governorship when we fought against the previous administration when we all supported Enyinnaya Abaribe. We all fought including Elder Adaelu on the basis of Ukwa/ Ngwa. When did he suddenly change? Some people are arguing that the present governor is a product of rotation, therefore that Abia Central has gone and it is now the turn of Abia South, which is not true. As a matter of fact, the governor is not a product of rotation at all. If anything, the governor’s emergence messed up rotation based on Abia charter of equity. Abia charter of equity rotates power between the Old Bende and Ukwa /Ngwa. The current tenure of the governor has made it two times to old Bende when Ukwa/ Ngwa hadn’t a slot at all. When he (Governor Orji) contested, it wasn’t that we are giving it to the Abia Central that was never the argument. On what argument did you people allow the present governor to run? There was a lot of acrimony within the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) when he came back for his second tenure and that was seen as the way of ensuring that everyone comes back together within the fold and have a seating governor who wasn’t going to re-contest fresh election coming in to go for the second time. When he went for the first, he wasn’t a PDP governor. The zoning if it was then done was by PPA (Progressive Peoples Alliance), his former party. So to argue that PDP was zoning power based on senatorial districts, nothing could be farther from the truth. Governor T.A Orji is not a product of PDP or any other party’s rotation of power on senatorial districts. As at the time he was contesting, I contested the very first tenure he went for in 2007. Everyone had agreed it was Ukwa/ Ngwa agitation, everyone had agreed it was going to the Ukwa Area then but it didn’t stop our brothers including Isiukwuato of course from contesting the

At what point did you think that Ngwa people missed producing an Ngwa governor as at then? I know that PDP then as a party actually supported an Ukwa Ngwa candidate even though an Ukwa Ngwa person didn’t emerge. That’s the whole thing about these suggestions that are being made. It is good to make them and follow them through but anything can happen. This is politics, it is an election. As at that time, the PDP supported candidate was Okezie Iheanacho Orji. You will remember that who emerged from the PDP even though that the party had suggested Okezie Orji, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu emerged within the PDP. And that is what we are saying, now that everyone; all the stakeholders including the governor as the leader of the party, it is not for him only to decide where it will go. His view is a persuasive direction and it ends as only a persuasive direction. What will play out in the end will be more of the party; the party chairman and other PDP stakeholders will have a final say in that. He is only giving guidance and we believe him when he said that the guidance was going to go to the Ukwa/Ngwa. Whatever pressures are making people now come up with the argument of Abia South, one should ignore until the powers that be, PDP as a party and all the stakeholders have decided where power is going to go. My take is that, you cannot exclude Isiala Ngwa South, my local government, Isiala Ngwa North and Osisioma in the contest for the 2015 governorship election. Reports are quoting the governor as having set up a panel that is to streamline and bring out somebody who is going to be the governor of Abia State in 2015, how do you see this? Let me emphasize this, first I said that it will be undemocratic. Second, if we are not acting not disingenuously, the governor should not have set up a panel. He might as well say this is the person I want, what do you all say? And work towards that person emerging. When Gov T.A Orji emerged in 2007, his former boss, his predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu stood his ground and said this is the person I want and fought in private and public and got T.A Orji installed as governor which he is today. Sending people in this kind of futile exercise in my view if it is true, is a distraction. It goes to bolster what some people are already saying that there’s already a plot elsewhere to support someone away from Ukwa/Ngwa and this is just a way of creating confusion for the rest of the people. And Ngwa people are buying the confusion hook, line and sinker. I do not believe that anyone should set up any panel at all to say go and look for someone. We have also heard that there is a brokering of a deal and some agreement reached clandestinely which will present someone from Ugwunagbo and that is the reason these discussions are being made. I’m not going to name names of whom from Ugwunagbo, but somebody who was going to become a deputy to an aspirant in the 2007 elections and that this had been done to support the senatorial ambition of a person. If that is true, I think it is something that has even failed before it started because people who know that is what has happened, are not going to support that, that is, if the wider aim in the first place is for an Ukwa/Ngwa person to emerge as a governor of this state.

16 POLITICS You were a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defected to Labour Party (LP) now back to PDP. What informed your decision? I joined PDP December 30th 2001, I was then in Alliance for Democracy (AD). I discovered then that the AD was filled with hypocrisy; things were being done with impunity. People will go to Ijebu to say ‘Baba said’, and then you would not verify. You just pick anyone from nowhere; if anyone wins the primaries you refuse and say that is not what ‘Baba’ wants. How would you know what is happening in Ilaje from IjebuIgbo? And that was the impunity that was on. I then decided that I would not stay long in this place. PDP was a veritable platform where competition was allowed but it was not long after we came to power that PDP also assumed what AD had done. The slogan was that if you oppose the leader that means you are not loyal. We should be loyal completely. I then thought that I was not brought here or sold to anybody. Whenever we suggested to go for primaries it was always kicked against, or when we go for it they just scatter the place and just write down the names of the person they want, and say if you are in support say ‘I’ and even if the ‘nays’ have it you say the ‘I’ have it. And then you are thrown away and in fact that culture of impunity was going on. On one of the occasions on February 28, 2008 I was beaten up at the arcade while the former governor, late Dr Olusegun Agagu was seated. What did I do? I said the choice of the person being made the state deputy chairman was never discussed in our local government, so how come the person has been chosen in consensus, when did we meet? If we had met and we have even said the ‘Nays’ or the ‘I’ have it we would have known that we met. But the person was all the way in Kaduna; he did not fill any form, they just brought the person that it was on consensus. All because I said no they descended on me and beat me to a pulp. They tore my cloth. We went for election in Abuja, I had shown interest in the position of national legal adviser and had campaigned through the length and breadth of the country. My name was on the consensus list, all of a sudden they came and changed the whole thing and put somebody else’s name. That was the culture of impunity that was going on and I could not stomach it. That made me to leave for LP. You have been in LP and you have left there, why did you leave? When you wear a cloth called ‘Won iyo si’ it’s a kind of lace that has holes, that cloth could be very expensive. During the day you look nice and you flaunt it on your body, people will hail you. It is in the night when the dew come down that you realize you have been wearing rag because you will be feeling cold. It was ‘won iyo si’ I wore in LP. It was in the night I discovered that it was one party for one man for the benefit of that man and nothing more. And the draconian act I was talking about before in PDP was even worse down here and interestingly PDP has begun to make changes, because the leaders too were doing things with impunity. A good number of them are no longer in the service; some of them are used to military dictatorship. Those ones have left; now democracy in the proper sense of it began to come in. Then those democrats now began to tell them we can do it this way, but let us get it right. So when I discovered things were now been done right in the other house I had to move there. To crown it all, the non- performance of the party in my locality particularly the oil producing area is terrible. What are the things that are supposed to be done that are not done properly in the LP? Ilaje makes Ondo an oil producing

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Enikuomehin

PDP will overrun APC, says Enikuomehin Former Commissioner representing Ondo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Benson Enikuomehin recently dumped the ruling Labour Party(LP) for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke with BABATOPE OKEOWO on how his party will win next year’s presidential election, his sojourn in LP, the chances of PDP winning the next election in the state, and reasons why he fell out with Governor Olusegun Mimiko. Excerpts state. There are two local governments qualified as the Niger Delta area; they are Ilaje and Ese-Odo local governments. They used to be one local government before they were turned into. Ilaje is oil producing, Ese-Odo too one way or the other is an oil prospecting area, but for now oil is not being exploited from there. As of today oil is being exploited from Ilaje. The sad event of it is that each locality, or the area that produce this oil up till now have got nothing to show for the good things of life. It was only during the administration of late Dr Olusegun Agagu that we had the road constructed from Igbokoda to Ugbonla and Akintunwa junction down to Araromi. We agree that the road was not asphalted; it was surface dressed, a government that now came on board could criticize that administration that just did surface dressing, if they did surface dressed it, why don’t you asphalt it? The surface dress they did that time was good, people were plying it but the place has become a dungeon. Dr Agagu came on board May 29, 2003, by April 2004 the road construction had began. In other words, the administration was barely a year old when they began to construct road in this deep dungeon wilderness where there were no roads before. Three strong bridges were constructed, the Alape bridge, the Ofara bridge and the Aboto bridge. The present administration did not add one curvet to it. The road all got bad, it was Dr Agagu’s regime that did the sand filling of Adagbaguda behind Ugbo, Ugbonla.

There is only one party that is struggling in and out of water to compete with PDP... We will run over them like caterpillar runs over a lizard What did this administration do? It was Dr Agagu’s government that constructed the first NEPA line that went towards Ugbonla. I expected that there should have been a build up on that road. Rather than building up we are having diminishing returns. And yet more money comes in from the 13 per cent derivation. And some of us have raised this issue on several occasions and nothing is happening and here we are in the sixth year. If it took a man one year to have the road constructed and it is taking another person six years and he has done nothing only for his excellency the governor to flag off road two days to the bye election held in Ilaje/ Ese Odo federal constituency. Election was coming up on the 5th of April, on the 3rd he flagged off the road construction, the following day they took all the caterpillars away. The road was awarded for the sum of N 4.3 billion for asphalt overlay. What they did was to cut a part of the road and fill it up, which is called road patching. And

they have done that up to Akintugbuwa junction. Do you bring N 4.3 billion for road patching? Somebody must be fooling somebody. Are you saying the people in Ilaje who are still members of LP, don’t have a say on how OSOPADEC (Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission) money is spent? Yes they’re supposed to have a say but when people are eating crumbs and they are satisfied what would they say? I’ll rather drink gaari and go and sleep than to eat sumptuous meal where I would be having rumbling tummy. I think they should be bold enough. Because some of them have been so hungry for so long that some were appointed Special Assistants to be rehabilitated. If you are rehabilitated there is a level which you can talk. Those rehabilitated individuals who have gone through sufferings, sometimes their senses may not function so well in that regard. I believe that any normal Ilaje person should go ahead and cry. You don’t need to leave the party before you say it. Before I left LP I raised the alarm, I talked. So you won’t say because he has left, I gave their data. For instance, these are the monthly allocations under the 13 per cent derivation shared among the nine oil producing states. Ondo state had N1.4bn in 2009. If you take out 40 per cent of that amount that is almost about N 600 million that should come to OSOPADEC and that is how the money has been coming monthly, and it got to a stage that

POLITICS 17

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

over N2bn was coming in on monthly basis. What have they done with it? And people are sitting down there. I am not saying you should abuse the governor. The governor is the symbol of our state. I can’t abuse his office but I can say his administration has not done well. Even now that I have left the party I won’t abuse the governor because anybody can be there and the Bible says honour those in authority. But the LP administration in this state is a disaster to my people. They should go inward and think. How can you be taking money from the land of the people and you are doing nothing for them. The government said they have done something for your people through OSOPADEC. They should do documentary and go and interview people. Go to Ugbonla, Ilepete, Ogogoro, Abiagun, Zion Pepe, Araromi, Ikoriho, Ode Obiyan, come down to Molutehin. Would you in good conscience say in five years the government has not done anything in that area? (Cuts in) that five years is a minus. If for instance, over N48bn had accrued to OSOPADEC what has he done with it? One of my younger ones Banji Okunomo said he constructed toilets and it was on television. He said he put drugs in the dispensaries and that was all government did so you are using toilet to retire N48bn. Even the toilets in government house cannot be built with that amount of money. He said he built toilet for Ilaje who are the people that go there to defecate? You can see the ridicule. What has been observed over time is that when it comes to election period the LP still wins even in the last election in Ilaje… LP did not win, there were lots of maneuvering and crisis. LP led that election with a margin of about 1,300 votes and there were about 29 units where there were no elections in the whole wards. And then INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) then said if you look at the margin between the vote you had compared to over 29,000 that have not voted, if those people vote then you can determine the winner whether it is PDP that has won or LP that has won, let us have the vote, LP said no. The thug that went to disrupt the one in Arugbo too is a member of LP. If you are very popular let us go and conduct the election and you refused insisting that you want to go to court. You worked against Chief Olusola Oke at a point, now that you are back to the PDP how are you planning to reconcile this? The point is that the scripture says let us come and reason together. All we need to do is to come together and reason where and how did we get it wrong. A good number of them came to me after the election because at every point in time you will know where I stand. I don’t double play, in this area we got it wrong. The culture of impunity was our watchword and it was wrong, we needed to get it right and let me tell you, President Jonathan is telling us that. Look at what happened in Ekiti state. Fayose worked against the party; he fought against Oni because of the injustice meted to him. He worked for Fayemi and he told them I am not a member of your party but I know that Oni should not go there and Fayemi won. Now Fayose is back to PDP, that thing Fayose did and yet he was given the ticket of the party. Fayose has won for PDP. Now ask me how is he relating with members of the party he had worked against before? Politics is a matter of interest. Once you now agree that we had done wrong before we can be doing right. Will it now be right to say you are being driven by ambition? That would not be true, the issue is that I am being driven by what is right, fair and just. If in the process ambition comes in, why not?

‘Ondo govt is a family affair’ But members of LP are saying if your name were to be substituted for the Commissioner for NDDC you would not have decamped from the party. For goodness sake, when was my name substituted and when did I leave? May be November, I have just left end of June. What were you doing? You would have asked them that why did they substitute my name? What happened? We must ask questions. For instance, if a man is to get married to a lady and two days to the marriage having bought the wedding gown you then call off the marriage. Just three hours to the marriage when she was all dressed up moving round and a message came that the man has gone to marry another lady. How do you want the woman to feel? Does she not have blood in her system? You took a man up, wanted to mess up his name with no skeleton in his cupboard? So now let us ask who substituted the name? Was it LP that submitted the name? I thought they said it was the president. So why are they crying now, if it’s the president that did it and I am going to his party why are they complaining? If you begin to quarrel over that, are they the ones that substituted the name? Then they should own up but they said it was not LP that it was the president, then I decided to serve that president, I like my name being substituted. It must mean that there is something beneath the matter, is not the issue of substitution. Is substitution the reason they did not develop Ilaje? So if my name has not been substituted they would have built roads across creeks in Ilaje? Or if I had not decamped by now they would have finished Ilaje with glass houses? Who is fooling who? Look, when the boat is sinking it is safer for you to get out of that boat or else you will be drowned in it. If you are accusing the government of not doing much for the people of Ilaje, what did you do for them when you were in NDDC as a commissioner? You have asked a very beautiful question that would make me to roll out the things I did in contradiction to what the government in Ondo state did not do. Firstly, I brought the Ugbo/ Owoye road which was about over N19 billion, it was when I brought this road that the governor described me as a striker. How many roads did they take to Ilaje? Science laboratories were constructed around the state, how many have they done. At least I did 13. Now I brought solar revolution, the solar light because we have dark-

Enikuomehin

They put all of us here as zombies and we are following. It is a party of one man, for the benefit of one man for the use of one man ness. There is no national grid, if you go to Araromi, Eewa, Zion Pepe, Binehin, Itikan, Moofere, Okonla, ogogoro, Ayetoro, Ibienikan sulu, Enibiinu, obenla, Ilepete, ikoriho, Awoye, igbokoda, igbogunrin, Mahintedo, Bolowo, Okitipupa you will see solar light, every night the place is broad day light. You will see these things there. In the aspect of roads if you go to NDDC quarters at Okitipupa, Igodan new site, you will see the road construction. There is no estate in Akure be it Ijapo or Oba Ile that is as good as the road network I did. I did the Mahin internal road and the solar light. When I was there more than 15 persons were trained and employed as NDDC staff, NYSC members were employed and we pay them N30, 000 monthly. As soon as you graduate from the university we pick you up and you go for two years training. For those two years you would be paid N30, 000 monthly. What are they doing about unemployment? What do you mean by saying LP is a one man’s party? The governor of this state is from Ondo town, the LP national Deputy chairman, Hon Joseph Akinlaja is also from Ondo, Finance Commissioner, Chief Yele Ogundipe, Health Commissioner, Dr Dayo adeyanju, chairman LP Ondo state Chief Dele Akinyele, the Head of Service, Vice Chancellor AAUA, Chief Protocol Officer to the governor, SSA Admin Mr. Olasugba, EA Admin MR Ahmed, Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG) is an Ondo person not from Odigbo, the CMD of Mother and Child is the cousin to the governor, Mrs. Bolanle Olafunmioloye chairman of WECA is the junior one of the wife, SUBEB chairman. It is the government of the family for the family and for the benefit of the family. What portion do we have? So when the governor and the chairman of the party take a decision, it is family affair, SSG was the best man to the AAUA VC. The VC went for national confab when

he is supposed to be at the university. They put all of us here as zombies and we are following. It is a party of one man, for the benefit of one man for the use of one man. And now they have brought the Federal Polytechnic to Ile Oluji though they claimed it is in the Ondo South Senatorial District. I agree and they are qualified to have it but what is the distance between Ile oluji and Ondo? What is our own portion in Ilaje, Okitipupa, Odigbo,Ese Odo? The university that Agagu established, go to the gate you won’t see rat talk less of human beings. It is as good as not functioning. One of the things you will know that a university is functioning is the gate where you will see students. When you go to AAUA, Adeyemi College of Education, or FUTA you will see students. What are the chances of your party winning both at the state and the national levels? There is only one party that is struggling in and out of water to compete with PDP and all what they are doing is that they are applying all this APC drugs for them to survive. In their domain that is South West, in the last election in Ekiti it was one man one vote, no rigging. The incumbent was so beaten that he could not say otherwise, he said I surrender all. Is it LP that has no parents and family, whose head is a member of PDP in Abuja and LP in Ondo state. We will run over them like caterpillar runs over a lizard. People are already making up their minds. If you see the crowd, old aged people that came to decamp with us, it was monumental. You will think it was a rally despite the fact that they are spending money to entice people, how many people are moving to LP. If you see these signs you will know LP is crumbling. This state in the next election I can predict to you PDP first, APC second and LP third because there is nothing to campaign with. What about at the federal level? At the federal level my fear is that it might be a one party affair. There won’t be competition because it is going to be PDP affair. The APC is not gathered. I have thought APC was coming to give PDP strong competition. I like competition, I know we will win but I felt that there should be a bit of competition. It is like sending a 10 year old boy to go and fight Mike Tyson when he was still young; one knock will send the boy to his grave. By the time campaign comes, you will see what will happen in Osun. I respect few of them; Kano and Lagos States, they are doing well. Most of them are just making noise. PDP has structure. It is like a giant tree in the forest whose thongs are well situated. All these small winds can’t blow them. In this state AD failed, within one year it collapsed. PDP in this state for about six years have not been in government but yet they are still standing, the nutrient is being supplied from the centre. LP has no root, it will wither. Considering the security issues in the country don’t you think it will affect the fortunes of the party? Most of the people making bad comments are members of APC. President Jonathan is a peace loving man. He did not institute Boko Haram. Those who started it know themselves, was it not Ali Modu Sheriff in Borno that started it? Was he not in APC? On the issue of insecurity one feels sad about it. That definitely will not affect the fortune of PDP. But I must forewarn, PDP must do it right; allow people to go for competition during their primary. Whoever wins is a member of the party, he may not be in your camp but you are of same party. Give everybody free hand and if they do, LP will be swept off.

18 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Jonathan’s open sesame to 2015 John Ainofenokhai

etween late 2013 and early 2014, the political fortunes of the People Democratic Party (PDP) appeared to be on a rapid decline, following the wave of defections from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC). First, it was five out of the seven aggrieved PDP governors who, on 26th November,2013, defected to the APC; and, in less than a month, they were joined by 37 members of the House of Representatives. Suddenly, the APC membership in the House had grown to 172 while that of the PDP had declined to 171. By mid-January of 2014, the APC had grown so much in confidence that the party’s Minority Leader in the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, addressed the Deputy Majority Leader, Leo Ogor, as “Deputy Minority Leader.” It wasn’t a joke! The APC was bent on effecting leadership change in the House, before it was restrained on March 31st, 2014, by a Federal High Court in Abuja. That, as it turned out, was the end of a tortuous hallucination for the PDP. To say that the party’s leadership was not shaken by that experience would be denying the obvious. Ironically, however, the man at the centre, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, was unperturbed, confidently assuring his supporters that the PDP crisis was a temporary phase that would soon come to pass. He was dead right in his reading of the character and temperament of Nigerian politics. As far back as August 27th, 2012, just over a year after his election, President Jonathan had wondered at the impatience of some Nigerians, when he declared that he was “the most criticised president in the world.” President Jonathan, however, vowed that he would, before leaving office, become “the most praised president.” What was the source of this confidence, the open sesame or magic wand, which would bring about this radical transforAdewole Adeoye

ne reason Governor Rauf Aregbesola is succeeding in Osun State is by taking care of a large number of youths in his state, home to 3.4 million people (2006 census), in which at least 60 per cent of that population comprises youths. Youths are restive, irresistible and could easily be swept into criminality if left idle. Aregbesola knew they could be a time-bomb and could disrupt his programme, so, he diffused the ‘bomb’. Today, the state is reaping abundantly from the spin-off of the initiative tagged OYES, or Osun State Youth Empowerment Scheme, put in place as a stop-gap to cut down on unemployment and infuse into the youth positive work ethics and culture, discipline, tenacity of purpose, self-sustenance, resourcefulness and respect for the environment. Today, the state is the safest in the country in terms of crime rate, and it is the clear leader in employment, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. Youth restiveness is hardly in the front burner and prostitution hardly exists. This also translates into good governance as Aregbesola, already a focused man, is able to forge ahead in executing his six-point agenda for the state, an enhanced co-existence among the various ethnic and religious groups, while entrepreneurs are at peace in their business transactions. The magic wand is rapidly and tangibly contributing to the state’s economic growth as prevailing peace is attracting investors, while the governor is busy es-

Jonathan

mation? The President’s answer, then and now, is “performance.” He believes strongly that, no matter the negative perceptions from some quarters, it is his performance in office that will, in the end, speak for him, defend him and campaign for him. With performance as the main criterion for assessing President Jonathan, in relation to 2015, it means that his supporters will transcend partisan boundaries. Not surprisingly, the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Monguno of the opposition APC from Borno State, recently did the unusual by praising President Jonathan for his unprecedented performance in the agriculture sector. According to him, “We must learn to give credit where credit is due and I’m doing exactly that”. Monguno is just one among millions of opposition leaders who, in spite of their political persuasions, still acknowledge the achievements of the Jonathan administration. In a similar vein, the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano,

who occupies his position on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has thrown his weight behind Jonathan and called on his people, Ndi Anambra, to vote for the president in the 2015 elections. Within the PDP, the support has been overwhelming, and almost without challenge. Day in day out, individuals and groups, civil society organisations, private and public institutions, are expressing their support and calling on President Jonathan to declare his intention to contest the 2015 presidential elections. It is all in recognition of his outstanding performance. Naturally, in a country where political jobbers and sycophants are never in short supply, endorsements of this kind should, honestly, not be taken as evidence of real political support. But, not when such an endorsement is openly expressed by a group as powerful as the governors and members of the House of Representatives, elected on the platform of the PDP. That, precisely, was what happened on Monday, July 14th, 2014, when this powerful group of politicians met and came out with a resolution, calling on President Jonathan “to officially declare to run for a second term in office after the Muslim fasting period, specifically anytime in August.” Anybody who understands the power structure of the PDP and the political strength of the governors and members of the National Assembly cannot but conclude that Jonathan is home and dry, as far as the issue of who becomes president in 2015 is concerned. These politicians are not doing the president any favour; they are merely asking Nigerians to give him what he has worked for and what he deserves, having discharged the mandate to the people during his first tenure. During President Jonathan’s electioneering campaigns for the 2011 presidential election, he promised a package of Transformation Agenda. First, he promised to reform the nation’s electoral system. Are elections in Nigeria conducted today the same way they were

in 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011? Think of the incidents of imposition of candidates, rigging and ballot box-snatching, etc. Second, President Jonathan promised massive road construction/rehabilitation. Has he failed to confront the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Highway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway, Kano-Maiduguri and Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Vom Manchok, Mokwa-Bida Road, SokotoTambuwal-Jega Road, the construction of bridges, and many more? Third, the president also promised to reform the power sector. Has he not taken the bold step of privatising and restructuring the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)? Has the power situation not improved from what it was when President Jonathan assumed office? Fourth, when President Jonathan came to power in 2011, crude oil production was as low as 700,000 barrels a day. Today, has production not moved up to as much as 2.5 million barrels a day? Are there still unending queues in the nation’s petrol stations? Has Nigeria, under President Jonathan, not become a major player in the international gas market through the implementation of the Nigerian Gas Master Plan: Compressed Natural Gas? In other sectors: agriculture, communication, security, aviation, women empowerment, job creation, etc., the Jonathan administration has been remarkably successful. To cap it all, the nation’s economy has been growing at an average rate of 6.5 per cent, with an unprecedented inflow of foreign investments. Under Jonathan, Nigeria’s economy has been rebased at $509.9 billion, thus, becoming the 26th largest economy in the world and first in Africa. ‘Performance’ is thus the Open sesame of President Jonathan as he moves triumphantly towards 2015. His monumental successes have been recognised by millions of Nigerians who are now inviting him to continue his good works. •Ainofenokhai writes from Benin City.

Applying Aregbesola’s talisman on unemployment tablishing more industries equally in the three senatorial zones. It is much easier to destroy than to build. Only the Federal Government could say exactly how much it spends daily in executing the wars against insurgency in the North-east, militancy and kidnappings in the south, an amount which could have been channeled to other useful purposes if youths in those regions had been taken care of in the first place. Aregbesola would rather spend part of the meagre resources of the state on human and infrastructural development, rather than on senseless events and frivolities. In 2010, he put in place the initiative, an idea he nurtured long before becoming governor. Participation in the scheme offers cadets the opportunity to acquire life-attitudes, self-confidence and improved skills within two years on the scheme. Only 20,000 applicants were successful at its take-off in December, 2010, out of about 250,000 who applied. The figure represents a 20 per cent decrease in youth unemployment in the state. If the number is added to about20, 000 workers in the conventional government jobs, one would believe in Aregbesola’s talisman. Instead of turning down the other applicants, the governor turned the project into a rolling scheme to accommodate others in turn. While serving, the cadets are also given 60 per cent consideration in any job opportunities.

Aregbesola

However, arm-chair critics say the project is too demeaning and condescending, for instance, for a graduate to be cleaners, forgetting that depending on who handles the knife, it could save lives if used by a surgeon but could destroy if handled by a robber. The unemployed Osun youths know where the shoes pinch. On acquiring the needed skills offered by the scheme, many of them have exploited it to their maximum advantage as many more have continued with their life ambitions in tertiary institutions or in other forms of gainful engagements. Many more have established small

and medium scale industries through cooperative societies, becoming employers of labour, instead of being weighed down by frustration and depression, capable of turning them into social outcasts. The N200 million spent monthly on the scheme has the tendency to re-inflate the economy as the amount largely circulates within the state. The cadets are work-ready, exceedingly competitive for the economy and the society and, while in service, they are armed with new skills, entrepreneurship and mentoring preparatory to a more gainful employment and challenges. They work in every part of the state. It is no wonder the World Bank recommends the initiative as an antidote to unemployment, criminality, and good governance. It is also not a surprise that Aregbesola was invited to Abuja for the take-off ceremony of the Federal Government’s version of the scheme, tagged Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO). There is no gain-saying the fact that Aregbesola has been managing the little resources judiciously and prudently, to the benefit of the citizens whose lives he pledged to touch. The project has given hope to the hopeless and resonates the people’s implicit confidence in the governor. It is time governments at local, state and federal levels adopted the good practice in removing their unemployment albatross. •Adeoye writes from Osogbo.

EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

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

TUESday, JuLY 22, 2014

Making the counter-insurgency campaign work

he human rights abuse record and uncooperative attitude of the Federal Government and its military authorities have again been identified as factors hindering the United States effective security assistance to Nigeria. Speaking recently before the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa’s hearing entitled, ‘Human Rights Vetting: Nigeria and Beyond’, the Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service, Lauren Blanchard said the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions. The Congress was briefed that the main impediments to America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader response to Boko Haram were “gross violations committed by the Nigerian forces, the Nigerian government’s resistance to adopting a more comprehensive approach to Boko Haram, and the continued lack of political will” within the government to investigate allegations of human rights abuses and hold perpetrators accountable. Blanchard told the Congress: “The Nigerian government also has appeared reticent in some cases to allow its security forces to participate in US training programmes.” The State Department indicates that there are currently 187 Nigerian military units and 173 police units that have been vetted and cleared to receive U.S. assistance and training. It is unclear whether the Nigerian government has given approval for such training to occur. A 2013 State

Department audit report noted that, “in addition to human rights concerns, Nigeria’s late submission of names of candidates for assistance was a ‘recurring problem’ for the US embassy. Multiple systemic factors further constrain the effectiveness of the Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram, notably security sector corruption and mismanagement, and some of these factors impede US support even for units that have been cleared for assistance.” She added that the security relationship between Nigeria and the US was hampered by the lack of cooperation and systemic failure in Nigeria. The security relationship also has been hampered at times by a lack of cooperation from Nigerian officials and by systemic problems in the Nigerian military. Political and human rights concerns have been a prominent factor in shaping US-Nigeria relations for decades. State Department human rights reports have continued to highlight serious human rights violations by the Nigerian security forces every year. These violations include politically motivated and extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, and torture, Blanchard said at the hearing. Despite about N1trn ($5.8b) security budget, the ACRS specialist said the “Nigerian troops are not adequately resourced or equipped” to counter Boko Haram insurgency. During the hearing, the American disclosed that the troops were “slow to adapt with new strategies, new doctrines and new tactics, and described Nigeria as

“an extremely challenging partner to work with.” Undoubtedly this is a very serious indictment of the Nigerian government and military. These very weighty allegations should not be dismissed as inconsequential and insignificant. They should be taken seriously because the war against terror and the counter insurgency campaign are being adversely affected by the lethargy and negative disposition of both the government and the military. The terror attacks on Nigeria have not only cast a big blight on the image of the country, they have also caused a lot of internal anguish as the productive segment of the society is steadily being decimated. Innocent citizens are being killed in very large numbers while government appears to act as if everything is okay in the country. It would be recalled that only recently, General T.Y. Danjuma (rtd) told President Jonathan that the war against terror was taking too long a time to persecute and that from all indications, the Boko Haram insurgents seemed to be having the upper hand. Surprisingly the president had no ready response to Danjuma’s damning comment. It is negates the whole essence of the much touted ‘cooperative’ war against Boko Haram that the Nigerian military appears not keen to work with the US military in this regard. We are at pains to understand why this is so, especially given that the government publicly accepted offer of assistance from the US and other foreign governments to fight the insur-

gency. We are constrained to believe that if the military had cooperated with its US counterpart, the war on terror in the country would probably have been far more successful than it is so far. It is very unfortunate that the war is still dragging with its catastrophic consequences in terms of human casualties and the government appears helpless even when, as is now apparent, it had all the help it needed to wage a successful war against the seemingly implacable insurgents. It against this background that perceptive Nigerians have raised eyebrows over the $1 billion that the government wants to borrow to fund and equip the military. In the light of the US State Department audit report, fears are being expressed—and rightly so--that the funds might just not be put to proper use; that is, for the purpose for which they are being sought. We recall that the minister for finance, Dr. Ngozi Ikonjo-Iweala said that within three months the military was given N130 billion for counter insurgency and N1 trillion for the military in three years. So, to what use have all these funds been put including the foreign financial assistance? Without mincing words, if any tangible progress is to be made, the attitude and focus of government must change from what appears to be desperate re-election maneuvers to realistic governance. The point of departure is that must do everything humanly possible to bring an immediate end to the escalating scourge of insurgency rather than play dangerous politics with it. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Deputy Managing Director/DEIC 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 TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

OPINION Bala’s efforts @ curbing security challenges in Abuja Rabiu Garba

or the umpteenth time, insurgents recently bayed their murderous fangs at Abuja. This time around, it was at Emab Plaza that the merchants of death decided to hit, and as usual, it left blood and tears in its wake. These persistent attacks by terrorists on Abuja, the nation’s capital city, which have led to the death of scores of Nigerians, with indeterminable number of others injured and properties destroyed has virtually put both residents and authorities alike on edge. The financial loss of such attacks can best be imagined but the loss of human lives is unquantifiable and inexcusable, thereby precipitating the pertinent question: what are the motives of the perpetrators? It is simply incomprehensible that anyone in his right frame of mind would take pleasure in dispatching innocent countrymen and women to the great beyond with reckless impunity the way and manner these scoundrels have been doing in the last few years. Come to think of it, the last attack at Emab Plaza in Abuja has once again raised questions on the level of security in the country, particularly intelligence-gathering and community policing. The frequency of these attacks on Abuja, which is expected to be a safe haven for all residents, considering its status as the seat of the federal government is indeed worrisome and also questions the efforts of security agencies in tackling same. Be that as it may, we cannot turn blind eyes to the efforts that the Federal Capital Territory Administration under Senator Bala Mohammed has been making to rein in the orgy of violence in the city. It has been observed that each time the terrorists decided to ply their unholy trade in the FCT, the Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed and his team at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) would promptly respond by visiting the scenes of such attacks and the injured at the hospitals, and offsetting the bills of those hospitalized. Apparently desirous to bring to an end the reign of terror of the insurgents, the minister has not relented in

holding meetings with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders in the security sector, where numerous strategies have been evolved. In furtherance of the FCT Administration’s effort at curbing terrorism attacks on the nation’s capital city, Senator Mohammed recently directed all the six area council chairmen in the Territory to begin the registration of all aliens in their respective area councils in conjunction with officials of the Nigerian Immigration Services. The minister, who gave the directive at an enlarged security meeting of the FCT which he presided in Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja, to review the security situation in the FCT also instructed the council chairmen to continue with their regular security meetings in their respective areas with the traditional rulers, community leaders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and other stakeholders. The minister at the meeting attended by the heads of the various security agencies in the FCT including military, the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Brigade of Guards, the Nigerian Immigration Services and others, also restated his earlier directive for the strengthening of security at all shopping malls and markets in the FCT particularly in the metropolis. Already, the owners and Management of Emab plaza have been given standard security requirements to be put in place before the plaza can be re-opened for business activities. Senator Bala Mohammed equally directed that the shopping centres and plazas along the crowded Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 and along all other busy corridors in the city and the satellite towns be similarly made to comply with the new security templates, just as he also directed the FCT Road Traffic Services Department and the Police to eject all persons carrying out commercial or begging activities on the various pedestrian bridges. It would be recalled that following the attack on Nyanya Bus Station this year, the minister had directed the immediate relocation and upgrading of the park complete with security gadgets, in addition to installation of bomb

detectors on all mass transit buses in Abuja. In its quest to further beef up security around the nation’s capital city and its environs, the authorities in Abuja went further to designate some boundary towns within Mararaba-Masaka axis of Nasarawa State and Suleja area of Niger State as veritable breeding grounds for terrorists with a view to directing special security attention to those areas. Aside all these, the minister has been up and doing, working unobtrusively to end the reign of insurgency in the FCT. In most cases, such efforts are not made public lest the criminal elements devise plans to circumscribe them. From all intents and purposes, there seems to be a convergence of opinion among the political elite that a new template must be fashioned to deal with the threat of terror in Abuja in particular and Nigeria in general. While the security forces join hands with the FCT Administration to address this alarming menace, it should be clear to all that security is not a job for the security forces alone. The point must be made that our collective security depends on our collective and individual efforts at securing our neighbourhoods. Even as Nigerians raise questions on the capability of our security forces, they must also ask themselves if they have done enough to secure their communities. That is one of the missing links in the security architecture. The perfunctory attitude to neighbourhood security by citizens cannot continue, if the country is to overcome the evil machinations of terror groups. Residents of Abuja should cooperate with security agencies by way of prompt information dissemination. They should be on red alert and be ready to report all suspicious movements to security agencies. In this regard, the FCTA should sensitise the people on why they must report suspicious movements to the security agencies. It is only this kind of collaborative effort between the government and the citizen that can deliver the kind of solution to nip security challenges before they balloon out of control. •Garba writes from Abuja

Who shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH 17? (1) Femi Fani-Kayode

hoever it is that shot down Malaysian Airline flight MH 17, which was carrying innocent civilians through the skies of eastern Ukraine en route Melbourne from Amsterdam last Thursday has indulged in an act of exceptional barbarity. This is a horrendous act of pure savagery and evil. The consequences of indulging in such a course of action for those that were involved in it will be far -reaching and devastating. As far as the unfolding and ugly events in Eastern Ukraine are concerned, this episode is a real game changer. The question that is on everyone’s lips is who was behind it? The western and particularly the American media and international news networks have already provided an answer to that question and they would have us all believe their own version of events and accept their understanding of the narrative. Yet things are never as simple as they

appear to be when it comes to such matters. As Count Von Clauzwitz once said, ‘’truth is always the first casualty in war’’. Concerning the shooting down of this plane I urge everyone to think deeply about who was really behind it and I urge them not to accept what they are being fed by the western news agencies and western governments blindly. There are a number of relevant and pertinent questions that still need to be answered before we can come to any definitive position about who the culprits really were. For example, who stood to gain the most from shooting down the plane and why is the fact that the plane had been escorted by Ukrainian fighter jets been unreported by the western mainstream news networks. Why, unlike others, did the Malaysian Airlines plane fly at 33,000ft fly over a war zone where other airlines refused to fly? Were they given assurances by someone or some people who actually sought to set them up? Why did they change their original flight path at the last minute and venture dangerously into troubled and what were clearly dangerous skies? Was this really due to bad

weather or was it because they were advised to do so by some external force or authority? What about the very serious allegation that is consistently being made on Russian, Chinese and Iranian television that the target of the ground to air missile was actually President Putin who was flying somewhere close to the area at the time and that the whole thing was actually an assassination attempt against Putin by the Ukrainian government and their American allies. Why is that aspect of the whole episode not being reported on the western international news networks? What does the Spanish Air controller have to gain by lying when he asserted that the plane was actually shot down by the Ukrainian government, which is American and Europe’s ally and the arch enemy of the pro-Russian Eastern Ukrainian separatists and the Russian Federation. The motive would simply be to discredit the Russians and the East Ukrainian proRussian forces and create a pre-text for greater NATO involvement in the unfolding events in Eastern Ukraine. Simply put, this whole episode brings us one step closer to a

full scale war in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe between Russia and her allies on the one hand and America and her allies on the other. According to many conspiracy theorists, like the respected David Icke, who believes that the Illuminati’s goal is to use America to control the entire world and that the ultimate objective is to eventually establish a ‘’new world order’’ with a ‘’one world government,’’ such a war is actually what many of the more powerful covert forces that are secretly operating behind the scenes in the west and particularly America actually want. There are so many unanswered questions in this matter. Again is there any link between this tragic episode and the one involving the missing Malaysian Airline MH 370. This was the plane which apparently vanished into thin air from the skies with no trace while it was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing just a few months ago? Can one airliner be so unlucky and is it just a coincidence or is there more to it? Eventually the truth will unfold and all these questions will be answered.

ARTS TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/arts

TONY OKUYEME tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com okuyemeogom@yahoo.com

"The literary artist lends verbal depth to the visual. The visual artist provides visible articulation for the literary." ― Aberjhani

culture

In the hearts of many (Acryilics- 45x45 inches) by Ibe Ananaba

Our Chibok Girls in My Mind, 2014 acrylic on canvas (90x120cm) by Tola Wewe

The Next Fifty Years: exploring society, poetics of materiality Stories by Tony okuyeme

he ongoing exhibition of paintings, sculptures and installations at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos, titled The Next Fifty Years: Contemporary Nigerian Art, explores among other things, developments in the society and contemporary African politics. The exhibition is put together by the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) in collaboration with the Omenka Gallery, as part of events marking SNA at 50. It will run from July 8 to August 2, 2014. President of SNA, Mr. Oliver Enwonwu said the show is grouped broadly around three themes; the body and society; the abstract and the poetics of materiality; and contemporary African politics. Working

ommissioner for Arts and Culture, Delta State and Nollywood big boy, Richard Mofe-Damijo and Sunday Omobolanle popularly known as Aluwe are among top Nigerian artistes recently signed to feature in a new campaign by Globacom. The new theme campaign “Go Ahead’ depicts the essence of the network and also communicates the dynamism of its services in voice, data and fixed lines. Others include legendary Chika Okpala, Zebrudaya alias 4:30 and his telly-wife, Lizzy Eveome, Ovuleria of New Masquerade series. Others are Bolaji Amusan a.k.a Mr Latin, Madam Ibidun Allison known as Amebo, an actress in rested television series, Village Headmaster and Abiola Atanda, popularly

mainly with acrylics, oils, and gold leaf, artists like Joseph Eze, Uche Edochie, Ibe Ananaba, Lemi Ghariokwu and Jefferson Jonahan engage with the body and how we negotiate our identities in our society and within a larger global context, while others like Gbolahan Ayoola draw on Yoruba folklore and mythology. The abstract and works that are crafted from found material feature prominently in the exhibition. “They underscore the African way of making things as against the technological processes of the West. Artists like Uche Joel Chima, Peju Alatise, Adeola Balogun, Raqib Bashorun and Olu Amoda are notable in this respect. These artists’ chief concerns lie in recycling and the sustenance of our natu-

ral environment.” Also, many of the artists like Jerry Buhari, Yomi Mohmoh, Michael Kpodoh, Victor Ehikamenor and Bob-Nosa Uwagboe engage with contemporary politics. Theirs is a critique on the leadership and government of many African countries who line their pockets with earnings from oil and vast natural resources while the masses live below the poverty line, and are left to deal with issues such as epileptic power supply and poor housing infrastructure. “In all, the works presented here are strongly individual and are a testament to each artist’s quest in exploring new visual possibilities. They offer us something different, something fresh, away from the over-exposed themes of modernity and

The Red Door, 2014, mixed media variable dimensions

street scenery, dancing figures, milk maids and cattle herdsmen. Collectively, the works form a part of a significant

trajectory in our recent artistic history− a glimpse into the next fifty years of contemporary art in Nigeria,” Enwonwu stated.

RMD, Omobolanle, 32 others in Glo new campaign

Omobolanle

RMD

known as Madam Kofo, who, as an actress, is popular for her accurate sculpting of skyscraper headgears. Also in the campaign are Saheed Mohammed (Funky Mallam), Morocco Maduka,Charles Awurum and Victor Osuagwu. The list also includes Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, another Fuji act, Saheed

Osupa; former Super Eagles striker, Daniel Amokachi and King of Galala Beats, Daddy Showkey. Chief Executive Officer of Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu and Delta State both represent the upwardlymobile new Aristocrats on the list. Four of the celebrities namely John Okafor (Mr Ibu)

and Bishop Ime,(Okon Lagos) both comics in the nation’s theatre industry; Chinwetalu Agu, and comedienne and television presenter, Helen Paul were designated as brand ambassadors. As brand representatives, the 34 celebrities are vested with the responsibility of positively motivating their followers from all strata of life not only to join the Globacom network but to recommend its products and services to others in their circles of influence. To connect the network to the evergreen entertainment stars are King Sunny Ade and Sir Victor Olaiya, both worldrenowned masters in Juju Mu-

sic and Highlife respectively. The stars have been appearing in television commercials, on billboards, lamp posts and fliers of the network, will complement the efforts of existing ambassadors including Bisade Ologunde (Lagbaja); Bezhiwa Idakula (Bez); Bright Okpocha (Basketmouth); Jude Abaga (MI ); Wande Coal, Chinedu Okolie (Flavour); Peter and Paul Okoye (P Square); Waje Iruobe; Omawumi Megbele; Funke Akindele (Jenifa); Chukie Edozien (Lynxx); Sammie Okposo and Ego Ogbaro. The ‘Go Ahead’ campaign encourages subscribers to believe in themselves and in the uniqueness of their talents, dreams and goals.

22 ARTS Ebere Ameh

tudents from Vivian Fowler Memorial College and Community Secondary School, Mushin were in high spirits penultimate Saturday as they excitedly interviewed visitors and one another with their Nokia Lumnia phones. They worked in groups, towards creating a video documentary of the World Press Photo exhibition now rounding off at the Freedom Park Lagos in a programme titled Young Lens. Hosted by Lagos Photo in conjunction with World Press Photo, the exhibition has a lineup of activities of which Young Lens is one of them. “World Press Photo is a celebration of photography from all over the world. It’s an annual award for the best in press photography and the exhibition of those images goes on tour to over 45 countries. What we have on display here are images from last year’s contest. “Young Lens is a mentoring session for students by visiting photographers in collaboration with Youth Empowerment through Contemporary Art (Y.E.C.A). It is one of the interesting activities lined up for the exhibition. Youth Empowerment Through Contemporary Art is a mentorship program targeting the youth population in underprivileged communities in Lagos, Nigeria through art. “Today, we have kids from Community Senior Secondary School, Mushin and Vivian Fowler Memorial College. We are combining them into groups with the Vivian fowler students and they are going around and creating a documentary coverage of the exhibition. Some of them are covering the installation itself, others are interviewing guests and some are interviewing each other and we are going to get a comprehensive whole. They are using their Nokia Lumnia phones which is one of the official sponsors of the event,” Medina Dugger, a curator at the African Art Foundation and senior project coordinator and co-curator of Lagos photo said. Youth Empower ment through Contemporary Arts (YECA) is one of the initiatives of African Art Foundation. Every Saturday, the organisation, under the auspices of YECA, go to those schools in Lagos that don’t have Art classes and hold classes with them. “We try to address the absence of Art classes in a lot of the schools and we think it’s really empowering. That’s why we brought them here today. We think it is important for them to see, and we want to give them something extra so they really learn more. It is a ten week programme and we have reached a couple of schools. The next school that would benefit from YECA is in Makoko,”Dugger said. The World Press Photo, which is the source of the World Press Photo Exhibition is an independent not-profit organization. It organizes the prestigious annual press photography contest. The prizewinning photographs, after the contest, which holds at Oude Kerk in Amsterdam,

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Empowering youths through contemporary art

Some students of Vivian Fowler Memorial College taking a Selfie at the event

Young Lens is a mentoring session for students by visiting photographers

Students interviewing Medina Dugger as part of the Yeca challenge for Young Lens

are assembled into a travelling exhibition that is visited by over a million people in over 40 countries. In 2007, a total of 4,460 professional photographers from 124 countries entered 78,083 images in the competition. Nigerian Photographer, Akintunde Akinleye was awarded a prize in that 2007 edition of the prestigious World Press Photo Contest in Netherlands. He is the first Nigerian to be so honoured for his iconic photograph of a man rinsing soot from his face at the scene of an oil pipeline explosion in Lagos, December 2006.

“World press photo exhibition is going on in other parts of the world. Other countries who have reached agreement with world press photo are also hosting the same photos at the same time. It is a nice way to recognize what press photographers are doing, they are putting their lives on the line to capture these images, ... its recognizing their talents and energy. “We had it last year at Eko Hotel and we brought it this year to the Freedom Park because we want to reach a greater public. As it is, even if it rains, people can come in and

enjoy them. We just thought it is important we bring the story also here, we are trying to take the stories to the outermost parts of Africa. We have been hosting it in Lagos but hopefully, when we are able to afford the logistics and all the other allied expenses, we shall take it to other states. Young Lens is just one of the numerous and exciting activities we are featuring at this exhibition,” Dugger said. Reeling off the other activities for lined up for the exhibition, Dugger encouraged people who have inclination for photography to really master

their craft. According to her, they can submit their works to the world press photo on the internet if they have interesting stories and great images they think they could be awarded for. Though it is for press photographers, there is always a thin line between art and photography.” She said that people who love photography should go into it but should determine if they are you willing to be an event photographer or a press photographer? “If you want to be a press photographer, you’ll really have to get out there and be at the side of the stories that are happening,” Dugger said, addeding that people should take advantage of the Lagos Photo Exhibition, which opens in October to hone their craft. “Lagos photo opens in October and we have a number of workshops taking place. people who are interested could check the website, lagosphotofestival.com, if they want to know more. They can come and take advantage of the workshops, most of them are free and improve their craft and learn,” Dugger said.

MOM&PARENTING

NEW TELEGRAPH

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

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

Lagos: Taking parenting to next level Exclusive breastfeeding has always remained a difficult thing to achieve for working-class nursing mothers despite its importance on their health and that of their new born babies. But with the new Lagos State leave regime, where nursing mothers in the employ of the state government can now go on maternity leave for six months and their spouses for ten days, the exclusive breast will not only be achievable but also enhance good parenting as husband and wife will now have more time with their new born babies. MURITALA AYINLA writes.

isi Olowoporoku (not her real name) is one of the emergency managers and responders in the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA; she keeps her four-month-old baby at a crèche near the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa where she goes regularly to breastfeed the baby. For nearly a month, she could not breastfeed the baby during the day, even at her official break hour, she was ever on her toes working. It’s either she was involved in one accident scene, rescuing victims or at a collapsed building scene evacuating dead bodies and survivors. She was indeed as busy as a bee. Despite the fact that exclusive breast feeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for healthy growth and development of infants, Olowoporoku had no alternative than to succumb to fate since she was not ready to let go her job. Such were the challenges most female workers in Nigeria go through once they put to bed while in active service. Apart from going through the stressful passage of carrying the pregnancy for nine months, some of them find it difficult to get the three months maternity leave in their work place. Hence, leading to the death of some of them and their babies within the first six weeks of delivery. To address these challenges and reduce maternal mortality, the Lagos state government last week, extended the maternity leave of its female employees by three months, bringing it to a total of six months. By this extension, the state government believe that, it will enable them give the required attention to their new born babies in the first few months of life. In the new leave regime, male employees will also enjoy ten days paternity leave for birth of first two children. This development, the state government said, is to encourage good parenting among its workforce and reduce the needless deaths of mothers and their children arising from lack of giving adequate attention to the new born babies and ample time for the mothers to relax. The policy which is in line with the State’s policy of exclusive breast

Exclusive breastfeeding for the child.

This development is to encourage good parenting among its workforce and reduce the needless deaths of mothers and their children arising from lack of giving adequate attention to the new born babies and ample time for the mothers to relax feeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, will enable mothers take proper care of their babies and recoup well from the stress of child birth before resuming work so that both mother and child would have been strong enough to withstand the expected temporary separations that occurs when the mother goes back to work.

Fashola

Briefing jour nalists at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on the new policy recently approved by the State Executive Council, the Head of Service, Josephine Oluseyi Williams, said the review of

the leave policy was informed by the state government’s conviction that the inability of parents to adequately fulfil their parental role due to extensive work life account for some social ills in the society. She added that the ten working days paternity leave granted male employees was to encourage the husbands who may want to join their wives to achieve good parenting. She said, “both the extension of maternity and the ten day paternity leaves will apply only for the first two births of the couple after which the female employees revert to the old three months while the male employee ceases to enjoy such privilege.” Williams explained that the new leave gesture by government was further informed by the fact that nursing mothers leave their children in the hands of day-care nannies at such tender age of six weeks, adding that the level of concentration of such a CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

MOM&PARENTING

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Seven reasons why the breast really benefits baby

f you’re pregnant or a new mom, the decision of whether or not to breastfeed is likely already on your mind. You’ve heard that it’s a great way to nurture your baby, but when it comes to the specifics, things may be a bit hazier. With new studies constantly being released with updated findings about the science behind breastfeeding, the wealth of information is overwhelming. While you’re reading, keep in mind that these are just the facts. Whether you opt for the breast or bottle, we know that you’re doing your best for your baby and whole family. We’re here to share but never to judge. After all, don’t parents get enough of that as it is!? It encourages developmental skills New research has found that breastfeeding for at least six months is associated with language, movement, and coordination skills. It also helps babies emotionally. The research explained that babies have an intense need to be held and one of the most comforting things for a newborn is the physical act of nursing. Leaving a baby alone with a bottle is not emotionally satisfying to the child and does not make them feel safe or secure. It also promotes bonding between mother and baby in a way that bottle-feeding cannot. Most women naturally feel a strong desire to hold their

baby and there are physical and emotional reasons for this. Breastfeeding ensures that mother and baby have some intimate time together and actually stimulates the mother’s release of the oxytocin hormone, which is known to promote maternal behavior. An IQ boost Breastfeeding your baby for an average of a year could lead to an increase in IQ of about four points. In a study recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Pediatrics, researchers found that there is a “causal relationship of breast-feeding duration with receptive language and verbal and nonverbal intelligence later in life.” For instance, the study found that the verbal IQ of seven and eight year old children who had been breastfed was about 10 points higher than those who were not. Another 18 year study of over 1,000 children found that those who were breastfed had higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than children who were formula-fed as babies. It is interesting to note that babies who are breastfed naturally spend more time in what is known as the “quiet alert” state, which is not only soothing for parents but also the most conducive to the newborn’s learning.

It’s the perfect food! With the ideal combination of vitamins, protein, and fat, breast milk offers your infant everything he or she needs to grow in every ounce. Digestion made easy The consistency of breast milk is easier for developing digestive systems to process than formula. An immune boost Breast milk is packed with antibodies that help your baby to ward off viruses and bacteria and can reduce their risk of developing asthma or allergies. Infants who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months are said to have fewer ear infections and respiratory illnesses as well. Newborns are still developing and do not have a mature immune system to protect themselves from illness. Antibodies, or immune molecules, in a mother’s breast milk are transferred to the baby, giving them immunities to illnesses that the mother is immune to. The converse is also true; if your newborn is exposed to a germ, she will transfer it back to the mother while nursing. The mother’s body will then make antibodies to that particular germ and transfer them back to the baby at the next feeding. Studies have also shown that babies who are breastfed exclusively have better

functioning immune systems in the longterm as well. According to the studies, formula-fed babies do not get the same immune boost and have higher rates of: Middle ear infections, Pneumonia, Gastroenteritis (stomach flu), Urinary tract infections, Necrotizing enterocolitis, a digestive tract disorder that is a leading killer of premature infants. It’ll help your child maintain a healthy weight The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as a way to help reduce your child’s risk of becoming overweight or obese as a teen or adult. Breast milk contains a protein that could reduce the risk of obesity later in life. In fact, the longer a child is breastfed, the lower their risk of obesity, according to a study by U.S. researchers. The protein affects the body’s processing of fat. It can lower your baby’s risk of SIDS Breastfeeding has been associated with lowering the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by half for babies who are exclusively nursed for the first month of life. Breastfeeding is a mutually beneficial experience, in that it helps both mother and child. Women who breastfeed have reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis later in life. •Culled from Circle of Moms by Lisa Horten

Building good parenting through leave policy C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

nursing mother at her desk would be nothing to write home about. “However, at six months (i.e. 24 weeks), a baby is considered strong enough to be left in a decent crèche for proper care having gone through close affection and nurturing by the mother for those very important and delicate first few months of his/her life”, she said. Urging all nursing parent-employees in the State Public Service to utilise the privilege to devote adequate attention to their children “thereby promoting emotional bonding between them and their children when it matters most”, she appealed to other employers of labour in the State to emulate the gesture of the state government in order to advance a balanced family work life with the ultimate intent of having future leaders who, as neonate, had enjoyed parental care and affection. Explaining the rationale for the new leave regime, special adviser to the governor on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina said the 6-month leave would enable the nursing female public servants to implement the recommended six months exclusive breast feeding. “At six months or 24 weeks , a baby is considered strong enough to be left in decent crèche for proper care having gone through close affection and nurturing by mother for those very important and delicate first few

Both parents are promoting exclusive breastfeeding

months of his / her life. “Every year in our campaigns and advocacy, we encourage mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months. The government is putting its mouth where its money is. So, we are standing by that policy. The other concern that we have is that because the maternity leave is short, mother may not have had the opportunity to care for the children properly, to take them for im-

PHOTOWWW.HEALTHYNEWBORNNETWORK.ORG

munisation which by six months they complete the most important part of the immunisation. I believe this might have contributed to our increase in infant and new born mortalities. In allowing mothers to stay with their children for six months, they can sense if the child is having fever, malaria and when they are not well fed and they can seek intervention early. “The new leave will increase the

baby’s ability to develop their immune system before they are exposed to the crèche. Long diseases are reduced, allergic reactions are equally reduced. They now have the opportunity to eat what their bodies are formulated to digest, the breast milk; the woman breast milk instead of the cow milk.” She added that the other advantage is the benefit of colostrums, the anti microbial of the breast milk in the baby’s system. The nutrition in the best milk, apart from that breast milk develops their jaw and tongues. The eye contact during breastfeeding is a strong social bonding that gives a child a sense of belonging and reduces low self esteem in the child as the child grows up. It also allows mothers to get stable in the process of postpartum depression. “The mother will have time for their body to properly heal, the uterus of the mother will have time to contrast for pre-pregnancy state. It reduces the breast cancer risk for our women. It also reduces the condition called osteoporosis which is brittleness of bone in our women. So, there are so many benefits that go with breastfeeding. That is why we in the ministry of health are very excited about this. We know it will reduce our infant mortality and new born mortality and even our maternal mortality because tend to die more within the first six weeks. Now that they have time to pay attention to themselves and seek heath care when they are needed,” Dr Adeshina explained.

BUSINESS Tuesday, JULY 22, 2014

What's news FG orders review of Nigeria’s crude oil handling pacts The Federal Government has ordered a major review of Crude oil Handling Agreement (CHA) in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, New Telegraph has gathered.

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Experts to Nigerians: Expect no instant power supply changes The benefits of the electricity reforms of the Goodluck Jonathan administration are not realisable in the short term, the Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) has said.

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IPMAN crisis: Nwogu meets factional leaders tomorrow Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu will tomorrow meet the two factions of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) as the July deadline given by the Presidency on resolution of the crisis draws nearer.

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Chidoka: From road to air It is not yet clear who becomes the Minister of Aviation, but everything points to the direction of Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). He has been tipped to be named Minister of Aviation in the next few days by President Goodluck Jonathan after he scaled the screening hurdles of the Senate, last week.

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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

THREAT The disagreement between the duo may retard the gains recorded in the power sector Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government, at the weekend, intervened in the on-going supremacy battle and rivalry between the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Electricity Management Service Limited, which has become a threat to the gains of power sector’s privatisation. A source at the ministry of power told New Telegraph that Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, has reached out to the NERC and EMSL and called for a proper re-assessment of the bill. “This is because the minister is aware of the implication of this matter to the general regulation and control of the power sector. “I am aware that he has reached out to the NERC and EMSL and some members of power committees at the National Assembly,” he said. The source said that the intervention became necessary to forestall a major threat to the power sector reforms. NERC and EMSL are locking horns over a bill to establish Nigerian Electricity Management Services Authority (NEMSA), which is currently before the National Assembly. The bill which has already passed through the second reading at the House of Representatives will, if passed, empower EMSL to carry out some functions, which the NERC says will make the agency usurp its powers and duties. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, surprised lawmakers when he opposed passage of the bill, which he said would “not serve the country and its nascent power sector reforms any useful purpose.” The rivalry between both agencies manifested at the National Assembly last Thursday during a public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Power on a Bill for an Act to establish NEMSA. Minister of Power, however, pleaded for more time to allow the ministry and the agencies reach an agreement on the enactment of the bill.

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

25 NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Political milieu, insurgency raise real estate risk }p-33

ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

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

FG wades into NERC, EMSL supremacy row Nebo who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Mr Godknows Igali, explained that the function of inspecting electrical installations in the country was not fully undertaken by any department or agency of government. He said that the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005, made it clear that the function of inspection of materials was

to be domiciled in the ministry. He said the inspection of power equipment is the responsibility of the Electricity Inspectorate Services (EIS) department, adding that further consultations had suggested the transfer of the EISD to the EMSL, a development, which was sternly countered by NERC. “For us to focus on policies in the sector, the ministry wrote to

the Head of Service asking for permission that all the members of staff of the EIS department, which is under the ministry, should be transferred to this new organisation so that it can function on its own. That was approved and that was when we started making budgetary provisions for the agency,” Igali CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

L-R: Head, Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr Chima Nnadozie, Founder/CEO, Reqit Limited, Mr Ken Okolo and Senior Consultant, Mark George Consultants, Mr John Ekpikhe, at the 44th BusinessXpress seminar organised by Diamond Bank in Port Harcourt.

Nigerian firm emerges top bidder for Telkom Kenya EXPANSION Quest for business success forces Nigeria firm to look outside Jonah Iboma

igeria’s Megatech Engineering Limited is set to be named winner of a 70 per

• Beats Vietnamese, British Telcos cent stake in Telkom Kenya, as its $280 million bid beat those by international firms including a Vietnam and a British Consortium. According to details obtained by New Telegraph, an unnamed British Group placed a bid of $185 million and Vietnamese company, Viettel proposed $120 million for the 70 per cent controlling stake in the firm owned

by Orange S.A formerly France Télécom S.A. of France. Orange had in March appointed Lazard, a global financial advisory firm to help it find buyers for its telecoms business in Kenya and Uganda. Lebanon group Africell bought its Ugandan business, Orange Uganda in May. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE June 2014................................8.2% May 2014....................................8% April 2014.................................7.9%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at July 18)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N167.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N290 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N228 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $38.43bn as at 18/07/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at July 18)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N266.35 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N210.64 Source: CBN

26 business | news GAPS The review became necessary following noticeable gaps in the execution of the formula

Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government has ordered a major review of Crude oil Handling Agreement (CHA) in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, New Telegraph has gathered. The two agencies of government, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), which were ordered to take charge of the review, have September deadline to finalise the review. DPR, which confirmed this plan, said on its website that another industry review of the draft modified formula is slated to hold before the end of the third quarter of 2014. The industry watchdog added that the institution and NAPIMS have concluded arrangement to review the modified formula of CHA before the expiration of the deadline. The review became necessary following noticeable gaps in the implementation of the formula that was signed on 13th March 2013, to equitably allocate pipeline losses between operators and third parties injecting crude oil into pipeline

FG orders review of Nigeria’s crude oil handling pacts network. The draft modified formula tagged ‘Industry Based Theft Allocation Formula’ was presented for review on June 26, 2014 at a stakeholder’s workshop in Lagos. DRP-NAPIMS joint committee was set up in December 2011 to determine whether the method of production accounting is in accordance with industry standard and to provide a formula for the sharing of the losses due to crude oil theft. The committee developed a formula to determine the equitable allocation of stolen crude oil between operators and third party injectors. The formula became necessary because of the challenges in the implementation of CHA. This, investigation by this paper revealed, has been causing disagreement between companies and their pipeline crude transport contractors. Seplat had threatened to take the company in charge of pipeline transportation of its crude from its manifolds to exports terminal, to court over crude theft claims. The company currently produces oil and gas from five fields namely Oben, Amukpe, Ovhor, Okporhuru and Sapele fields, which are located in the Niger Delta.

Nigerian firm emerges top bidder for Telkom Kenya C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

Several companies were said to have also placed offers for Telkom Kenya including Angola’s Unitel, but UK-based online media TMT Finance recently reported that the French company was yet to find a prospective buyer with an offer matching its expectation. It was reported in June that Megatech Engineering Limited of Nigeria and Viettel from Vietnam were talking to the French firm and also conducted due diligence on the business, hoping to conclude the deal by the end of July. “I can confirm that France Telecom is in talks with three firms, Mega-tech being one of them, and is currently doing due diligence,” said a source

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

who did not want to be named. “France Telecom is actually looking for someone to buy its entire 70 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya and this could be concluded by end of July,” a source said to Kenya’s Nation newspaper. The negotiations come barely two months after France Telecom sold 95 per cent of its stake in a Ugandan telecoms operator, to Africell. Megatech Engineering was one of 19 firms that won licences in 2002 to provide fixed wireless access service in nine different regions in Nigeria in an auction conducted by The Nigerian Communications Commission. The firm's about N71million to offer fixed wireless service in Kano was said to have launched services in 2009.

Managing Director of Seplat, Austin Avuru, made the intention of instituting a legal suit known on the sideline of an event organised by Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Lagos.

said. If passed into law, the NEMSA Bill will empower the EMSL to carry out some functions, which NERC says will overlap with its duties as the regulator of the power sector. While the Ministry of Power, EMSL, Senate and House committees on Power and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) were of the opinion that the bill would empower the electricity management

company to ensure standards in the sector, NERC insisted that the company’s functions as proposed in the bill would conspicuously conflict with its roles and that of other subsisting institutions. Chairman, House Committee on Power, Mr. Patrick Ikhariale, gave reasons why the bill, which has passed first and second readings, was important and how it would impact on the economy. He, however, did not state whether or not it would cause overlapping of functions be-

Osahon, the President of NAPE, Mrs Adedoja Ojelabi, that his company is furious with the repeated claims of shortage of its oil between the manifolds and the terminal, which is often blamed on crude theft.

L-R: Strategic Assistant to the Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Garba El-Suleiman; Nollywood actor, Ronke Oshodi and Brand Building Director, Home and Personal Care, David Okeme, at the New Omo fast action launch, in Lagos.

Experts to Nigerians: Expect no instant power supply changes REGULATED TARIFF There would be no investor if the tariff is less than the cost of production Adeola Yusuf

he benefits of electricity reforms of the Goodluck Jonathan administration are not realisable in the short term, the Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), has said. The research and financial services firm, which said this in a presentation at the Lagos Business School, maintained that true commitment and observed improvements in the power sector should serve as

FG wades into NERC, EMSL row C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

He said that the court action could only be stopped if the DPR institutes arbitration between it and the contractor. An enraged Avuru told stakeholders at the event, including the Director, DPR, Mr George

tween the agencies. Ikhariale said: “The essence of this bill is to bring about an alternative that will be highly involved in ensuring technical conformity, safety regulation and adherence to best practices. “The principal role of this agency is, therefore, enforcement of technical standards, inspection, testing and certification of electrical equipment, materials, power systems and networks, to mention a few, in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.”

stimulus for increased investments in the Nigerian economy. “A key win would be in the area of power supply. Unfortunately, the benefits of the electricity reforms of the Goodluck Jonathan administration are not realizable in the short term,” the company said. The Chief Executive Officer of FDC, Bismack Rewane, who made this presentation however, tasked the government to show its commitment to the blueprint of achieving significant growth in the generation and distribution of electricity across the country “The envisaged cost savings should be reallocated to improvement and deployment of infrastructure for more efficient service delivery to the customers,” he stressed. Meanwhile, Aggreko, a Scottish business company that specialises in providing temporal power solution and temperature control across the globe, is currently in talks with five electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in Nigeria to provide embedded power to them. Embedded power generation is a situation where a generator is directly connected to the distribution network. It consists of smaller or modular generators that use a variety of generation technologies such as solar, wind, biomass, diesel, fuel oils, crude oil and small hydro. It is also a useful means of dedicating power to states and local governments, eligible customers and others.

Aggreko’s Regional Managing Director, David TaylorSmith told newsmen in Lagos, that the company was desirous to discuss with the 11 DISCOs in the country about embedded power solution, noting that it is an exciting opportunity. He explained that Aggreko has its manufacturing company in Scotland but already exists in 28 African countries, including Nigeria providing about 1.3 gigawatts of electricity across the continent. He added: “There are three markets in Africa where we set up permanent businesses to keep equipment in the country and our team of engineers and that is Nigeria, South Africa and Kenyan. “We chose these countries because their economy are more bigger and also, we think that there is demand for power and a demand on the kind of way we provide power. “We think that the most exciting opportunities in the whole of Africa is Nigeria because there is a big demand for power and also because we provide power in the oil and gas industry. “We have been working here for a number of years but we have been doing it on a project basis. The important thing now is that all of our team got equipment in-country. “We have Nigerian engineers and anytime they need more equipment it is quite easy because they keep those equipment mobile anywhere in the world.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

IPMAN crisis: Nwogu meets factional leaders tomorrow NO HIDERANCE The meeting will not wait for return of those on lesser Adeola Yusuf

inister of Labour, Emeka Wogu, will tomorrow meet the two factions of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) as the July deadline given by the Presidency on resolution of the crisis draws nearer. New Telegraph had exclusively reported the on-going efforts by government to end the leadership tussle rocking IPMAN. The Presidency had last Wednesday given a July end ultimatum to the two factions to close ranks. The meeting further checks revealed, will not be delayed for the return of former President of the association and other executive from lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia. The Presidency drafted labour minister into the reconciliation process to forestall strike by oil workers. Attempts had earlier been made by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke to end the crisis. A source at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources however told this newspaper that the meeting with the minister of labour has been scheduled for tomorrow. This, according to him, was occasioned by insistence by the

A section of the Port Harcourt Refining

Okorokwo faction that some members of its leadership have gone to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj. "This was the case before an order came from Aso Rock that the meeting must not wait for any one," the source said. "The scheduled meeting on the IPMAN crisis has been shifted to next week Wednesday

owing to the plea by Okoronkwo group that some of their key members like Alhaji Aminu, Alhaji Pasali and few others are in Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj," he maintained. They had requested for end of the month but the minister said the issues on hand are of national importance and thus its urgency.

He, accordingly, insisted that the meeting must hold next week. "The minister of labour has the directive of the Presidency to see to the end of the crisis next week to avert any industrial action by NUPENG," the source had told this newspaper. The minister petroleum resources had earlier tasked the

NNPC deploys in-house expertise to save P'Harcourt Refinery, others UNDERPERFORMING NNPC has said that the four refineries are yet to meet 100 per cent capacity utilisation Adeola Yusuf

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has overcome the setback in the plans to get the Original Refinery Builders (ORB) for the Turn Around Maintenance of the Port Harcourt refinery, the corporation has said. NNPC, which said this in a statement at the weekend, declared that it had deployed

in-house expertise to fix critical units of the refinery and three other. Quoting the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Engineer Andrew Yakubu, the statement signed by Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said that the corporation is yet to meet 40 per cent capacity utilisation of the facilities. The experts, the NNPC said, are working to meet the remaining 40 per cent of capacity utilisation of the refineries. “In spite of the setback experienced in the plan to get the original builders of the refineries to undertake their scheduled turn-around maintenance, NNPC has deployed in-house expertise to fix critical units of the refineries,

which has increased their capacity utilisation,” the statement said. The NNPC, Alegbe said, has retooled the nation’s four refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, resulting in a rise in their capacity utilisation to 60 per cent of their nameplate capacity. In a keynote address at an event where Yakubu presented the scorecard of his management to mark his second year in office as GMD, he explained that in spite of the setback experienced in the plan to get the original builders of the refineries to undertake their scheduled turn-around maintenance, NNPC has deployed in-house expertise to fix critical units of the refineries, which has increased their capacity utilisation.

“The recent improved performance of our refineries, including the re-streaming of the secondary units, especially the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCU,) is contributing to a substantial reduction of petroleum products into the country”, he declared. He lamented that the refineries still faced constraint in capacity utilisation due to crude oil supply challenges as a result of pipeline vandalism. Speaking further on the turn-around maintenance, the GMD explained that NNPC was still working with the companies recommended by the original builders to outline the scope of work even as negotiations were ongoing to ensure that the nation got value for every kobo to be expended on the project.

two factional presidents, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo and Mr Obasi Lawson, to "immediately sheath their sword and embrace peace" in the interest of the association. “While Mr Obasi was standing on the court ruling to back his claim as the President, Mr. Okoronkwo also believed that he is the president based on the transition. “But the minister wanted the two of them to close gap and work together for the betterment of the association and the industry,” the source had said. The embattled former National President of the IPMAN, Aminu Abdulkadir on April 2, 2914 stepped down from his leadership position in the crisisridden association. Abdulkadir also handed over the reigns of the association to his former deputy, Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, who is now acting as the president of the association. Although it was gathered that the development was in contempt of an existing judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which had ruled in favour of Obasi Lawson as the president of the association and ordered Abdulkadir to handover the leadership of IPMAN to him. Abdulkadir's handover of affairs to Okonkwo was also followed by an alleged stakeholders’ meeting, which was summoned by the Managing Director of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Haruna Momoh, in Abuja in March.

28 business | ENERGY

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

NIPCO boosts domestic gas usage campaign PRIORITY FG has prioritised rural dwellers, semi–urban communities for gas usage campaign Adeola Yusuf

ipco plc at the weekend donated gas cylinders and other accessories as its gas switch campaign train reached the ancient town of Auchi, Edo State. This, according to a statement from the company, is a renewed efforts to boost the federal government’s gas usage scheme. At an event, which took place in the compound of the traditional ruler of Auchi, the Otaru of Auchi, Haliru Momoh, the company said that it took the feat in conjunction with a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Gas to Health Initiative (GHI) to strengthen the paradigm shift of the energy market towards LP Gas in the country. Managing Director, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Prince Haruna Momoh, said at the event that the federal government would continue to support initiative aimed at promoting

the safe and healthy use of LP Gas, which the nation is richly endowed with in the overall interest of the citizenry. Prince Momoh whose address was delivered by the Manager, LPG PPMC, Engineer Betty Ugona, said that the rural dwellers and the semi – urban communities are main priorities of government in view of the large cooking they do with a view to encouraging them to use gas for cooking. The PPMC MD, who is also the chairman of the board of trustees of the GTI commended Nipco for supporting the initiative, stressing that the cylinders donated will help boost efforts of the NGO and ultimately deepen gas usage among beneficiaries. He listed the key objectives of GTI to include: improving health by substituting other fuels, particularly firewood and kerosene for LP Gas, promoting rapid growth for the domestic gas market and availability and competitiveness among others. According to him, LP Gas remains most efficient cooking fuel even as government is doing its best to promote its consumption. He however, noted that its usage is still low due to the missing gap of adequate publicity and awareness on its benefits over other cooking

fuels. He maintained that the issue of accessories, which is one of the drawbacks of usage of the product, are being addressed through plethora of support by stakeholders via the free distribution of the items to the people. While receiving the stakeholders who came for the epoch making event, the HRM Momoh thanked the supporters and initiators of the dream, which has seen his subjects receive the accessories, said the noble venture is another plus to his reign. He said that even with very late announcement, the event elicited tremendous attendance.

He enjoined the GTI and its supporting companies to make the campaign an eternal one and not in anyway ad-hoc in view of the attendant benefits of gas over other cooking fuels, adding that the traditional institution will always provide an enabling environment to facilitate the scheme. The paramount ruler noted that in no distant future Nigeria will rank with other civilised world where gas has become the domestic cooking fuel of note with posterity being on the side of porters of this great initiative. . Managing Director, Nipco, Mr Venkataraman Venkatapathy said that his company supported the initiative with

the donation of varying sizes of cylinders to remove the burden of procuring them by many Nigerians. The MD, who spoke through the Corporate Affairs Manager, Lawal Taofeek, said the feat was part of the overall objective of the company to reach out in line with her corporate social responsibility to the citizenry from all parts of the country. A safety pamphlet specially prepared by the company to guide LP Gas users as part of her efforts to guarantee safety of life and properties while using gas stove, was distributed to participants at the event, which was said to have attracted about a thousand people.

Solar technology to drive rural electrification, says Nebo James Nwabueze Abuja

he Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo has said that henceforth, solar technology solution will replace the traditional use of generators run with diesel as primary source of energy for the rural electrification projects across the country. Professor Nebo said this when a group of officers from the Defence Command and Staff College of Bostwana, led by Brigadier Shadrack Moloi visited the Ministry. Nebo, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Amb. Godknows Igali, during the visit, said that with improvement in the storage capabilities of solar, it is now possible for rural folks to enjoy basic electricity throughout the night, that will provide them basic lighting. He said the Ministry will soon put in place well-structured governance that will ensure that electricity users are made to pay some amount into a pool that will be channeled towards minor replacements and maintenance. He also identified the need for training of locals in the maintenance of solar panels and other ancillary facilities, adding that solar power is not only sustainable, but also renewable hence, it is far better than generators with diesel,

describing this as unsuitable in view of modern development in the solar technology. Responding to a question about privatization, as the profit motive of the new owners could make electricity un-affordable, the Minister said, Nigeria has in place an effective regulatory framework - the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which has a fixed tariff structure, not the new owners. He said NERC has also provided social net in terms of its tariff structure to accommodate the poor, noting that since the market is yet to stabilize, tariff increase can only be incremental not geometric. He was quick to add that Nigerians want improved services before they are ready to pay for any increase in tariff, but there is the need to balance the need to recoup investment and the propensity to increase tariff. Speaking to the newsmen, the leader of the Botswana delegation, Brigadier Shedrack Moloi, and commandant of the Defence College, argued that the choice of Nigeria’s power sector for the study tour was informed by the similarities in the challenges in the provision and supply of energy in his country and Nigeria. He said over reliance on Eskom, the South-African Energy giant has caused his country to rethink; hence Nigeria’s bold privatization of the sector is a good lesson for Bostwana.

Programme Coordinator, Gas to Health Initiative [GTHI], Mr Benedict Oji (third from left), being assisted by Manager Corporate Affairs, Nipco, Mr Lawal Taofeek (left) presenting some Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) accessories to Mrs Kekere Ekun at the palace of the Otaru of Auchi in Edo State recently.

Shell workers among 298 killed in Malaysian Airlines crash Sad Shell has said that it is deeply saddened by the death of staff and everyone onboard flight MH17

hell has confirmed that some of its workers were among the 298 people on board a Malaysian Airlines flight that crashed in Ukraine last Thursday. Although the Anglo-Dutch super major did not say how many of its employees were on board the ill-fated flight MH17, it is believed to have been three employees from the Malaysian office. The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed between Krasni Luch in the Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the Donetsk region. The area in which it came down is currently under the

control of pro-Russian separatists following Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Shell’s statement said: “After a review of traveller records and airline manifests, we now have confirmation from authorities and family members that Shell staff were aboard Malaysian Airlines flight 17, which went down in Ukraine while travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. “However, we are still working on a definitive list of employees and are unable to provide further information at this point in time. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of our colleagues and friends, and we mourn their loss and the loss of the lives of everyone onboard flight MH17. “Shell is providing support to the families of our employees to help them through this time of grief. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of all the passengers and crew on board flight MH17.”

Flight MH17 was carrying 283 passengers and 15 Malaysian crew members. Of the passengers, there were at least 154 from the Netherlands, 28 from Malaysia (including two infants), 27 from Australia, 12 from Indonesia (including one infant), nine from the UK, four each from Germany and Belgium, three from the Philippines, one from Canada and 41 so far from of unverified citizenship. Both sides in the standoff between Ukraine and Russia have pointed the finger of blame at the other. While the cause of the crash remains unknown, reports suggest it may have been shot down from a surface-to-air missile. The plane, built in 1997, had a clean safety record and had its last safety check on 11 July. It is the exact same model of aircraft as flight MH370, also a Malaysian Airlines plane, which disappeared in March while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. That plane has yet to be located.

BUSINESS | ENERGY 29

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

RESOURCE CONTROL IYC has flayed the inability to secure 100 per cent oil derivation for their region at the National Conference

18% oil derivation: Youths upset with N’ Delta delegates

Adeola Yusuf

ouths in the Niger Delta region have expressed disappointment at delegates from the area at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja. Rising under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide, the youth declared that the delagates who were mandated to demand for a 100 per cent oil derivation for the region have compromised. Lawyer and spokesperson of the IYC, Comrade Eric Omare, who said this in a statement, also threatened war over the 18 per cent oil derivation proposed for the region at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja. In a statement entitled “Proposed 5% revenue for Boko Haram and 18% derivation: An invitation to war,” issued in Port Harcourt, the group also kicked against clamour for 5 per cent revenue allocation to “the Boko Haram-ravaged North Eastern part of the country over the activities of the Islamist insurgents.” The proposal by the Consensus Group of the National Conference to increase the derivation by a paltry 5 per cent to make it 18 per cent and also allocate 5 per cent to the North as a result of Boko Haram insurgency, according to the IYC, “is provocative, disgusting and an invitation to war.” The group said: “It is an insult to the Niger-Delta people for the Conference group to recommend only 5% increase

VANDALS The PHEDC has decried the loss of nine distribution transformers to vandals

Adeola Yusuf

he Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) at the weekend declared that the power supply it received from the national grid is 530 Mega Watts (MW) below the required supply. The company said this in a statement, maintaining that it had now received only about 150-164 megawatts as against 694 megawatts being the load demand within the Port Harcourt metropolis. This came as the 14-day power outage declared by the company began to impact negatively on revenue of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state. The PHED, had earlier announced in a statement issued by its Public Affairs Manager, Mr. John Onyi, its plans to temporary withdraw its power transmission supply in Rivers State from July 14 to 28, for “a

Oil rig

to the derivation percentage from resources produced in the Niger Delta region on the condition that 5% of the nation’s revenue would be allocated to ‘fund’ and ‘encourage’ Boko Haram activities”. The IYC, which questioned the source for the 5 per cent revenue for the North East, also expressed disappointment at delegates from the Niger Delta region at the conference, who, it

said, were mandated to demand for a 100 per cent oil derivation for the region and not to compromise. “If we may ask, where would the Boko Haram 5% revenue come from? Is it from the oil and gas revenue of the Niger Delta region and taxes mainly collected from southern part of Nigeria or 5% of revenue generated from the Boko Haram sponsored states?”

“It has become obvious that Ijaw and Niger Delta delegates to the National Confab have run out of steam to resist the arrogance of their Northern counterparts and the IYC calls on them to return home honourably.

170 benefit from PTDF overseas scholarship

P’ Harcourt Disco records 530MW power T supply shortfall

James Nwabueze Abuja

corrective work” The corrective work, according to the company, would be carried out on its transmission and the re-conductor of some sections of its supply lines that bring power into Port Harcourt. “Port Harcourt metropolis, which has been experiencing load limitation occasioned by inadequate megawatts from the national grid, has now received only about 150-164 megawatts as against 694 megawatts being the load demand within the city,” the statement said. It added that the inadequacy has forced the company to embark on load shedding with a view to sharing the available power. The planned power cut by its transmission company, the statement said, is aimed at enhancing capacity of its supply lines. The statement said: “The outages will be from the hours of 9am to 4pm each day for a period of two weeks. This work when completed will enhance the power wheeling capacity of

the lines. During this period, electricity consumers in Port Harcourt will experience temporary withdrawal of service. “Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company will make concerted effort to resume normal electricity supply to customers from 4pm on each day to 9am the next day”. The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company also decried the loss of nine distribution transformers due to the activities of vandals in the Diobu Business Units, which, according to it, has limited Mile 3, Iwofe, Mile 2, Agip and some sections of Rumueme axis from steady power supply. The statement also affirmed that work was ongoing at the vandalised 5 towers (132kv lines), which supplies power from Omoku to Port Harcourt. The power line was attacked by vandals over four months ago, limiting the NTA-Mgbuoba, Ada-George, Rumuosi, UPTH, University of Port Harcourt and some parts of the East West road from power supply.

“They have failed to achieve anything for the Niger-Delta and have further endangered the people of the region. To increase derivation by 5% and allocate 5% to fund Boko Haram to kill more innocent children, women and Nigerians is the worst decision that any person on earth would be party to. “The Niger Delta delegates had a mandate to demand for 100% derivation and if there must be any concession, concede to nothing less than 50% derivation and if this is not accepted by other parts of Nigeria, then return home with honour and not to sell their birth right to Northerners. “The youths and people of the Niger-Delta reject and would continue to resist the second class mentality being displayed by most Niger Delta delegates at the Confab. The Niger Delta has given up everything to sustain the unity of Nigeria and we are not ready to sacrifice anymore”. The IYC further warned that the proposal to increase derivation “by only 5% and allocate 5% to ‘fund’ and ‘encourage’ Boko Haram activities” is an invitation to war. They insisted that the Niger-Delta people would not under any circumstance accept what it describes as a ‘provocative proposal’ by the National Conference.

he Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has selected about 170 candidates for the award of overseas scholarship. Head, Press and External Relations, of the Fund Mr. Kalu Otisi, in a statement, noted that the scholarship award, which is for MSc studies in oil and gas related courses in top ranked universities abroad, followed the outcome of an aptitude test conducted by the Fund in December last year as part of the process for the selection of candidates for the award. According to Otisi, the successful candidates are made up of four best performing candidates in the aptitude exams from each of the 36 states and two from the Federal Capital Territory.

$350m

Assigned financial stock of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) Plc, which the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) will manage on behalf of the NBET. Source: Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

“ Others selected for the award, include two additional candidates from each of the nine oil endowed states of Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, Rivers and Bayelsa states, while six female candidates with the highest scores in each of the six geo-political zones also received scholarship awards on gender consideration. Though the aptitude exams was written by candidates who applied for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 OSS programme, there was no discrimination on the basis of year of application in considering those selected for the award. Furthermore, the candidates assessed performances were based on their states to reflect the Federal Character principle” he stated. The Fund’s spokesman disclosed that the induction of successful candidates for the scholarship award is scheduled for the 11th to 15th of August 2014.

$5.8bn

The amount Federal, States, Local Governments raked-in from sale of 10 National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) plants. Source: Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE)

BUSINESS | ENERGY

GAS PAYMENT Gencos will now have prompt payment through its new payment system so they can pay early for gas James Nwabueze Abuja

he Operator of the Nigerian Electricity Market (ONEM) has said some electricity Distribution companies (Discos) are still performing less than 50 per cent of their invoice, especially on remittances in the extended interim market period. The Director of the Market Operator (MO)/ONEM, Mrs. Veronica Ngozi Osumhor, said this at a Market Participant Training and Workshop organised in Abuja, to educate all participants of developments in the market and discuss their valuable concerns. Mrs. Osumhor stated that the market performance so far is not impressive and that all hands must be on deck to improve the situation, as some of the companies are performing at less than 50 per cent of the invoice. She said: “I am hopeful that things will go better. But my sincere appeal is that, Discos need to improve their remittance level. Particularly, some Discos that are performing less than 50 per cent, it is really shameful and the truth is that we don’t believe you.” Osumhor, who decried the situation, said the Discos at takeover promised to make critical investments to turn the situation of the defunct PHCN around, adding “but we have

REMANDED Suspected vandals have been remanded in custody Adeola Yusuf

wo men; Suleiman Amusa and his son, Owolabi Amusa have been jailed for attacking a staff of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution PLC (IKEDC) with a machete whilst on official duty at Agbowa-Itokin road, in the outskirt of Ikorodu, Lagos. The company, which announced this in a statement at the weekend, said that the conviction came on the heels of increased surveillance by security agencies who have pledged to prosecute offenders as well as safeguard the lives and property of power companies following rising cases of assault from restive youths and groups. In a judgment delivered by the Magistrate, Mr. P.L. Hopeto at the Badagry Magistrate Court 2 on July 2, 2014 under the charge number IKD/C/24C/2010, both defendants were convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour. “In another development, three men were almost electrocuted in Ilasamaja on July 7, 2014 while attempting to steal an erected electricity pole along Limca Road, Isolo, and Lagos.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Power distribution firms perform below 50%, says operator not seen that... All we have seen is that the old Discos arrangement did better than what we have now.” Reiterating the place of sanctions in the electricity market, MO, which is a section of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at the moment, said it will ensure strict compliance with sanctions as outlined in the Interim Market Rules.

To help the Discos bring in more money to the market, MO said, “We have put sanctions in place, so when they don’t pay based on the total bill we give to them, we first deduct their compulsory payment and then we give a percentage of that to them as penalty.” The Director noted that Generation companies (Gencos) will now have prompt payment

through its new payment system so they can pay early for gas to complete the value chain, adding that stricter sanctions will commence with the declaration of the Transition Electricity Market (TEM) when the market will become contractbased. Earlier, the Managing Director of TCN, Mr. Mack Kast, said the workshop is intended

to clear all doubts about the way MO administers the Market now and when TEM is declared. Kast urged all participants comprising the Discos, Gencos, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) to interact freely, ask questions and make observations and recommendations.

Faulty tranformer

Court jails two for assaulting IKEDC staff “The leader of the suspects has been remanded in prison custody at the Kirikiri Prisons awaiting a trial process that is set to commence in Lagos while the two others who were affected by electrocution are being treated in an undisclosed hospital,” IKEDC statement said. Meanwhile, the company said that it had been receiving support of the law enforcement agencies in Lagos State in its bid to ensure protection from assaults as well as malicious damage to its equipment and installations across its network. Consequently a model for increased surveillance and Rapid Response Support is being adopted to ensure protection of the investments and safety of workers in IKEDC and other power companies across the nation. “In one of its stakeholder engagement meetings with security agencies, IKEDC officials were assured of the support of the Lagos State Police Command,” the company said. IKEDC added that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Umar A. Manko, pledged to assist it by working out strategies to combat vandalism in the State. “He urged all Nigerians to adopt an ownership approach to critical infrastructure by re-

porting cases of vandalism to relevant security agencies,” the statement added. “During a recent visit to the IKEDC Corporate Headquarters, the Director of State Security Service, Lagos State Command, Mr. Ben Achu, pledged to assist IKEDC in combating vandalism within the network of the company.” Achu was quoted to have said: “Power is at the heart of all development at all levels and we are on course with

achieving this in Nigeria. We will work with IKEDC in the area of monitoring as well as soliciting the support of community leaders in protecting electricity equipment in their domains”. Responding, IKEDC’s Managing Director/CEO, Engr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje, commended all security agencies in Lagos, adding that the company continues to engage in ongoing community relations to carry its customers along

in the process of ensuring equitable power supply. “We have established various channels for resolving customer queries and we encourage customers to take advantage of our open door policy. We want to put it on record that we appreciate the support of customers who continue to give us the privilege to serve them through ongoing infrastructure upgrade and capacity building initiatives.

Content board critical to petroleum devt –Minister he Nigerian Content DeThe minister, who was re- board was one of the greatest TBoard velopment and Monitoring ceived by the Executive Secre- achievements of the President (NCDMB) is a critical tary of the board, Mr. Ernest Goodluck Jonathan's adminiselement of petroleum development in the country, Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, has said. The minister insisted that establishing the content board had propelled Nigerians to participate actively in the petroleum industry. Allison-Madueke, who spoke at the weekend while visiting the office of the board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said the Nigerian content had been deployed in other sectors of the economy.

Nwakpa, and other board members, said other ministries had indicated interest to copy the idea from the petroleum ministry. "Within Nigeria, the success of the Nigerian content is incredible and the fact that it is being deployed in different parts of the economy and other ministries as well want to copy and learn from the ministry of petroleum is something we should be very proud of", she said. Passing a vote of confidence in the board, she noted that the

tration. She said: "This is one of the great strengths of the oil and gas sector in Jonathan's administration and we are very pleased with it and think that gong forward it will lend itself in the most critical way for the progress of the economy of Nigeria. "It is also good for the progress of the indigenes of this country in terms of the knowledge and technical know-how, capacity building and employment generation that it is bringing to the economy."

BUSINESS | ENERGY

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

650m scuf gas target will be met by December –FG BACK ON TRACK NNPC said that full supply had resumed many months ago to Escravos-Lagos line Adeola Yusuf

he federal government at the weekend expressed optimism that its target of 650 million cubic feet dom3estica gas production would be met by December. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said this adding that the target is achievable. The corporation said in a statement on its website that it

is already producing 1500 million scuf per day from various fields. The statement quoted Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engineer Andrew Yakubu, to have said that the corporation is the largest producer of gas for domestic use; producing over 400 million scuf per day. He said; “Between when Mr. President came in, we were producing just about 300mscuf per day and within the current fiscal regime, we have been able to move to 1500mscuf per day; this by any global standard is impressive and we also intend to continue to build on that. “Today, NNPC is the largest producer of gas for domestic use; we produce over 400mscuf per day and plans are underway by the end of the year to also jack that up by another

250mscuf per day; there is a lot that is going on in terms of gas supply investment and particularly gas-to-power investment, which is very key component of Mr. President’s transformation agenda and our minister of petroleum resources has been very aggressive in driving us so hard. “And I can assure you that we will exceed where we are today because we were 300 just five years ago but today, we are 1500, this gradient by any global standard is very impressive.” The link was actually weaker before, according to Yakubu. He however, said because of tremendous efforts and backing of government, the NNPC has been able to tie a number of the knots and the links are getting stronger. He said: “I can assure you

that one of the major challenges that we have had was the commercial framework; gas is a capital intensive, if you put in so much but cannot break even to recover your costs, then you can see why people have been reluctant to go into it. “But commercial framework has been put in place and gas price is one major factor in gas investment today because gas investment price driven and we have a good framework now than what we had before, are we there yet, no, not yet but we are working with all the relevant agencies to ensure that the right environment is there. “Majorly, it started with attacks on the oil and gas facilities purely for the sake of stealing the products but unfortunately the gas pipelines that were

never areas of attack came and Escravos-Lagos-Warri pipeline was attacked last year and that was clearly a case of sabotage because there was no way you could steal gas. “We have engaged the security agencies and the state governments and relevant stakeholders are fully involved and after we fixed the last damage, so far, we have not had any threats yet and we believe that stakeholders intervention is working and will continue to work. “Supply has resumed many months ago and we have full supply now to Escravos-Lagos line and we also have some of our projects that were hitherto stalled by this coming on stream and we are going to ramp up production to meet the domestic gas requirement.”

Winners of NNPC quiz contest emerge today inners will today emerge W in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) annual national quiz competition. The corporation, which said this in a statement, maintained that the finalists are drawn from Akwa Ibom, Federal Capital Territory, Imo, Kaduna, Ogun, and Taraba States. The statement, which was signed by NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, the 12th edition of its annual national quiz competition, would take place at the corporation’s headquarters in Abuja. “The national quiz competition, which started 13 years ago, is aimed at encouraging secondary school students in science based subjects and is

usually competed for from the grassroot level, state, zonal, national and the grand finale, which takes place at the corporate headquarters,” the statement said. “This year's finalists are drawn from Akwa Ibom, Federal Capital Territory, Imo, Kaduna, Ogun, and Taraba States. They are expected to compete in English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and General Knowledge. “The Corporation will continue to do all within its powers to make Nigerians benefit from the abundant hydrocarbon resources and this explains why the various Strategic Business Units of the NNPC also donate laboratory equipment and books to various schools around their areas of operations.”

Gas plant

Eco Atlantic to farm-out stake in block 2012A OPERATORSHIP Eco Atlantic will remain operator until the Second Transfer, at which time, Tullow will be appointed as operator of the Cooper Block

co (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd. (Eco Atlantic or the Company) announced at the weekend that it had executed a Farm-out agreement with Tullow Kudu Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tullow Oil plc. (Tullow), pursuant to which Tullow has agreed to acquire up to a 40 per cent working interest in Block 2012A, situated in the Walvis Basin, offshore Namibia (the Cooper Block or the Block). This Farm-In, in conjunction with Eco Atlantic’s prior Farm-Out to Azimuth for 20 per cent, nets the Company a 100 percent carry of all costs on an expanded 386 square mile (1,000

square kilometer) 3D seismic survey and interpretation (the Seismic Programme). The Seismic Programme is expected to commence the fourth quarter of 2014. Dependent on the establishment of a target from the Seismic Programme, Tullow has also committed to a full carry of cost to drill an exploration well on the Block. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will initially transfer a 25 percent working interest in the Cooper Block to Tullow in return for a carry of the Company’s share of costs to execute and process the Seismic Programme, and the reimbursement of 25 percent of the Company’s past costs in an amount to Eco Atlantic of approximately $1 million (the First Transfer). Following the First Transfer, if Tullow elects to participate in the drilling of an exploration well on the Cooper Block, Tullow will be transferred an additional 15 percent working interest in the Block, in return for a full carry of the Company’s share of costs to drill an

exploration well on the Block (capped at $53 million) and the reimbursement of an additional 15 percent of the past costs (the Second Transfer). Eco Atlantic will remain operator until the Second Transfer, at which time, Tullow will be appointed as operator of the Cooper Block. The completion of the First Transfer and the Second Transfer are subject to a number of conditions, including the approval of Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy and various approvals of the other Block participants. AziNam Limited, an existing Block 2012A partner with 20 percent working interest, has given their approval to the transaction and expanded work programme. Dundee Securities Europe LLP acted as financial advisor in relation to the Agreement. Eco Atlantic currently holds a 70 percent working interest in the Cooper Block, AziNam Limited holds a 20 percent working interest, and NAMCOR, the Namibian national oil company, holds a 10 percent working interest. Following the

First Transfer, the Company will hold a 45 percent working interest in the Cooper Block, Tullow will hold a 25 percent working interest, and AziNam and NAMCOR will retain their respective working interests. Gil Holzman, president and CEO of Eco Atlantic, stated: “We are extremely happy to complete this farm-out deal with one of Africa's preeminent and successful oil and gas explorers – Tullow Oil. This provides the requisite financing to progress activities on the Cooper Block, and further validates our exploration work and findings to date. Our strategy is one of identifying, acquiring and derisking our prospective acreage while attracting worldclass partners to progress the exploration process. “We are delighted to welcome Tullow to partner with us on this block, and to join our other partners - AziNam and NAMCOR. Now that Cooper’s exploration is funded, we will continue to review further partnerships across our portfolio. We also wish to thank our Block partner AziNam for their positive

support of the process as well as to our financial advisors, Dundee Securities. Colin Kinley, COO and director of Eco Atlantic comments: “Eco has taken a very strategic approach to the exploration of its Namibian assets; each well drilled in this frontier basin has helped to further define our targets. “Our approach, specifically to the Walvis Basin is simple. The mechanics are all there and the region is generating oil and gas, we know that for a fact. The Cooper Block has been analysed closely by multiple parties – all resulting in acute interest. Attracting Tullow, who is one of Africa’s most successful explorers as a partner, who now has well over 100,000 barrels a day under its belt, is exciting for us. “We have a highly credible team of upstream industry experts already within our own members and partners in AziNam and NAMCOR, and now we are bringing fresh eyes into the block who have the unique interpretation strength to find oil, drill wells and bring it on line quickly and economically.”

32 BUSINESS | FAMILY-RELATED WEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

America's wealthiest families revealed: 185 clans all worth over $1.2trn F rom the Kennedys to the Kochs to the Waltons, the list is made up of 185 families, some famed for their historic and dynastic wealth, while others are simply American success stories and have only relatively recently become fabulously rich. The staggering collective wealth of the 185 richest families in the United States is $1.2 trillion dollars and all the names on the list reveal at least some link to either industrial heydays long gone like the Rockefellers or successful brands still in operation such as Hallmark, Budweiser, Mars and Getty Oil. The list from Forbes also reveals that the richest family in America is the richest family in the entire world, the Waltons. Worth an incredible $152 billion, which is $63 billion more than the second richest family, the controversial Koch brothers, the Walton family includes the three living children of Wal-Mart Stores founder Sam Walton, the wife of his son John and the two daughters of his brother James Walton. Sam and James Walton founded the store in Arkansas in 1962 and it has since gone on to become the largest supermarket chain in the world. Forbes also discovered through their exhaustive compilation that the three richest families are worth a combined, $301 billion, which is one fourth of all the 185 families put together. Forbes differentiated this list from their more famous Forbes 400 of America's richest, which like their World Billionaires list, focuses on individual wealth. America's Richest Families combines the collective wealth of generations of each family, which can range from the just two brothers to the 3,500 members of the Du Pont banking

family. Forbes began compiling their list by looking at members of the Forbes 400 and then descendants of former or deceased members of the Forbes 400. The magazine counted stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art and cash as assets and obviously subtracted any perceived debts. Breaking down the list to count up the states that boast the richest families it was found that New York unsurprisingly leads the list with 26 families with a total wealth of $159 billion. The Hearst publishing family is New York's richest with a combined $35 million held by the 64 surviving members. Also living within the Empire State are members of the Newhouse media family who boast wealth of $17 billion and members of the cosmetic giant Lauder family who are worth $15 billion. Of course the iconic Rockefellers feature as part of New York with a fortune of $10 billion. The state with the second highest total wealth is Arkansas with $158 billion, but that comes from only three families, the Waltons, with $152 billion, the Stephens with $3 billion and the Tysons with $2.8 billion. The Waltons are almost as rich as New York State combined, which is not surprising considering Wal-Mart Stores employs two million people and is worth $245 billion. Coming in third for the combined wealth of families is Texas with $105 billion which is drawn from 20 oil and gas tycoons and their relatives. As the second richest family in the United States, the Koch family is worth $89 billion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is $15 billion more than the combined net worth of all the billion-dollar families in California, which is $75 billion. Proving that the American

Wealthiest: This portrait of Sam Walton, his wife and children, decades before his heirs became the wealthiest dynasty in American history, hung in the Wal-Mart Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas

dream is still alive and well, Forbes have discovered that 17 of the richest families in the US today date their fortunes back to a foreign-born ancestor. Fifteen of those came from Europe, such as the Du Pont banking family of Pittsburgh now worth $15 billion. Others such as the Busch and Coors families brought German beer to the masses. German-born Adolphus Busch began brewing Budweiser in 1876 and the family are now worth $13 billion through the huge popularity of their brew. Slightly less successful is the Coors family, who were brought to Colorado from Prussia by Adolph Coors . Today, 70 members of the Coors family share their $2.9 billion beer fortune. And fascinatingly, bringing politics into the matter is instructive as to who supports which of the two main parties.

Just make the list: Kennedy family members Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI), Sergeant Shriver, Jean Kennedy Smith, Eunice Shriver, Victoria Kennedy, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Kara Kennedy pictured in 2006. The Forbes list of the richest families in the USA listed the Kennedy's combined fortune at $1 billion

According to Forbes of the 50 richest families, 28 mainly donate to Republicans and only seven contribute mainly to Democrats. Not all families vote

strictly one way or the other â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 15 support candidates from both parties. Source: Forbes Magazine

Top 10 on the list: Rank:

Name

Net Worth

Family Members

Walton family,

$152 B,

Six,

Koch family,

$89 B,

Four,

Mars family,

$60 B,

Three,

Cargill-Mac $43 B,

Nine,

Johnson family,

$39 B,

Four,

Hearst family,

$35 B,

64,

Cox family,

$32 B,

Three,

Pritzker family,

$29 B,

13,

S.C. Johnson family,

$25.5 B,

11,

Duncan family,

$25.4 B,

four,

Millan family, 5

(Edward)

Source of Wealth

Headquarters

Wal-Mart,

Bentonville, AR

Diversified ,

Wichita, KS

Candy,

McLean, VA

CargillInc.

Minneapolis, MN

Money management,

Boston, MA

Hearst Corp,

New York, NY

Media,

Atlanta, GA

Hotels and Investments,

Chicago, IL

Cleaning products,

Racine,WI

Energy,

Houston, TX

PROPERTY&ENVIRONMENT PAGE 33, Tuesday, July 22, 2014

APPREHENSION Investors are wary of the forthcoming general elections Dayo Ayeyemi

Political milieu, insurgency raise real estate risk

he current unpredictable political environment in Nigeria where soldiers are being deployed for election monitoring and governors under impeachment threat, is weighing down on real estate investment and activities. Besides, the fact that the current state of insecurity is not encouraging for any potential investor is another inhibiting factor to the sector’s growth. The sector is experiencing lull in the second half of the year, according to industry practitioners, owing to what they described as ‘real estate risks.’ Delays in investment are also encouraged by market uncertainty due to the current antagonism between the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC). In recent times, operators in the sector have blamed low investment in real estate on lack of enabling environment, dearth of long-term finance, high interest rate, government’s bureaucracy, high cost of title and building approvals, incessant policy summersaults and political instability, among others. Currently, apart from financial difficulties, the real estate activities have slowed in the second half of 2014 as investors are cautiously watching unfolding events. Aside from locations such as Victoria Island, Lekki and Ikoyi in Lagos, and Abuja where pockets of construction activities are going on, other states, especially the Northern part, are experiencing downturn as developers have vacated construction sites, while no new real estate investment is being contemplated. Experts’ fear Describing the situation, housing expert and Lagosbased estate surveyor, Mr Akin Olawore, said that it is dicey for the country now, adding that people, especially foreign investors, have been watching as events unfolded. He said: “I had discussion and plan with some foreign investors recently, they told me that they want to watch the election before they put down their money. With what happened in Ekiti State and with Boko Haram insurgency, investors want to stay back and watch.” On the Ekiti situation, Olawore stated: “It looked as if it was militarized at that time, and this is due to the fact that government thought there would be problem during the election and there was the need to nip it in the bud by sending military and

One of the modern estates in Lagos

nation, the successors change things. So, developers must be careful, ensure that your transaction is within circle and structure yourselves. You must position yourself for continuity in business, and be ready to spend official money,” Afolayan said.

Jonathan

Afolayan

Olawore

policemen there. That means, there may be problem in other states.” The effect of these happenings, the real estate analyst said, has been creating a lot of lull in terms of real investment in Nigeria. Olawore lamented that the local cash flow is getting tighter, saying: “We are not seeing money the way we should have seen it ordinarily during election year.” He blamed the Boko Haram insurgency for cash squeeze in the economy, pointing out that money that would have gone for real estate investment is being concentrated on security issues. “How stable will the economy be when there is insurgency? Most of the money will go into defence and when this happens, other areas of the economy will suffer. At government level, concentration is towards fighting the insurgency. It is almost like state of emergency, like a war situation,” he said. In his July report on the out-

look of real estate sector during the second half of the year, analysts at the Financial Derivative Company Limited, stated that real estate activities may slow down as investors may be reluctant to invest due to the volatile political environment According to the report, the need for quick cash by investors may likely lead to a decline in price, while politicians would want to sell as the elections approach, increasing the pressure on home prices Aside, the report pointed out that the new lending rules by the United Kingdoms (UK) would also dampen demand.

restrain when initiating and executing projects as the political campaign for 2015 kicks off. While cautioning developers to be careful about the way they roll out projects in the election year, REDAN President, Chief Olabode Afolayan, pointed out that instability associated with general election would definitely affect real estate business as successors would not like to associate with the projects initiated by their predecessors and, as such, slow down activities. He appealed to developers to ensure that their transactions are within circle, adding that they need to structure themselves to ensure that they are indispensible ‘evils.’ Besides, he urged on the need for developers to get all legal documents as regard their projects and do the right things, enjoining them to perfect outstanding issues, adding that “this is the best time to plan your future, titles and documents. “We expect continuity, but because of peculiarity of the

Caution Recently, practitioners under the auspices of the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria (REDAN) expressed apprehension over the heightened momentum of re-election activities especially in Ekiti and Osun states in 2014 and 2015 general elections. They expressed the need for

Solutions Olawore urged would-be investors not to be dampened by all the happenings in the country, saying that this is the right time for them to invest. According to him, 40 per cent segment of the middle income earners in need of accommodation present a huge opportunity for investment. He tasked them to invest in building technology, set plan for alternative technology such as drywall, saying that they can never get their fingers burnt if they heed to the advice. On insecurity, a lecturer in the Department of Estate Management, University of Lagos, Professor Timothy Nubi, said: “It is either government build houses or continue to buy armoured tanks.” According to him, it is only when construction is going on that the whole nation is mobilised, pointing out that construction of houses remain the solution to the country’s dilemma. He urged that real estate practitioners must come with construction innovation that will make them relevant always, saying that housing must be seen as an industry. “It is only when we mass produce that we can bring down cost because our cost is too high. There is the need to invest in research and do away with wet houses,” Nubi said.

property & ENVIRONMENT

CUTTING EDGE This is to allow seamless transaction without leaving ones comfort zone

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Ondo simplifies issuance of C of O

Babatope Okeowo Akure

eaching a four-year old child the law of thermodynamics could be easier than getting a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for your parcel of land in any part of Nigeria. It used to be a very rigorous and cumbersome process that many who have experienced it said that “it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a prospective applicant to obtain a C of O anywhere in the country.” This development has led to the low number of holders of C of O with its attendant effect on the socio-economic status of landowners across the country. As important as this document is, the process of obtaining it used to be so tedious that some applicants often times abandon the process midway, while some land/property owners are not even interested in applying, no thanks to the tortuous process. Worried by this development and determined to effect a sustainable change, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State established the State Lands Record Bureau, (LRB) in 2012 and saddled it with the responsibility of addressing delay in land titling process and management, as well as make the process more transparent. The bureau has in the last two years recorded laudable feats which include the issuance of over 15,000 C of O, creating a platform for online application for C of O without leaving ones comfort zone, and e-archiving of over 750,000 legacy land documents spanning over ten years, among others. The man who sits atop the bureau, Olawale Adeleke, who also doubles as the Senior Special Assistant to the governor

H.O.B. Housing Estate, Akure

on Land Matters, said that as part of efforts to make the process more flexible before the end of the year, prospective applicants can obtain a C of O in Ondo State from anywhere in the world through the online process. Adeleke said that when the bureau’s website is fully deployed, prospective applicants can do online land title (C of O) search, online land title application and self-assessment of consent fee. Which means that one can apply for C of O online without downloading any form, and check the status of the application online without going to the bureau’s office, thereby placing Ondo on the pedestal again as the first state in the country to have deployed such platform. His words: “Our process is very different. It is a very transparent system, which is why we are trying to make it possible through our website, such that when you have a land and wish to obtain a C of O, you need to come to us just once, and you will be able to do everything online, including self-assessment, so no one tells you how much it will cost you, as you will be able

to do e-payment, so you won’t have to go and waste time at the bank.” Reeling out some of the achievements of his agency in the last two years of operation, the governor’s aide said: “We have been able to demarcate 15,000 parcels of land and issue C of Os for all the 15,000. There is no state in Nigeria that could boast of issuing more than 3,000 C of Os in a year, but here in Ondo State, we have done 15,000 in two years. We have also done e-archiving of over 750,000 land documents spanning over ten years.” Adeleke also noted that the agency has embarked on Systematic Land Title Registration (SLTR) in three pilot local government areas of the state (Akure South, Akure North and Ifedore), which will soon be extended to other local government areas in the state. The SLTR, which is in collaboration with the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform (PTCLR) and the UK Department for International Development (DfID) GEMS-3 programme, is a very flexible and cheap process of obtaining C of O by those in the rural

communities. The process involves government agents from the LRB going to the rural communities to issue C of O to land owners there at very cheap rate, without paying neither service nor application fees. According to Adeleke, “this is the first time any state government will be doing this in Nigeria.” In this part of the world where land is considered a major source of wealth acquisition, one would expect that poverty should have been eradicated to the barest minimum considering the fact that majority of those languishing in poverty are owners of expanse of land either inherited or acquired as a gift. Unfortunately, such land, no matter how expanse it may be, is a dead capital until a title has been obtained for it, which is the reason many people still find it difficult exploring the full benefits of being a landowner. Thus, the only way to translate such land into a working capital to generate wealth according to land experts is to obtain a title, which is why the Ondo State government has

Affordable houses: Nigeria partners Iran Dayo Ayeyemi

n a bid to reduce the nation’s housing deficit estimated at about 17 million, the Federal Government has expressed readiness to collaborate with the government of Iran on the production of mass housing. Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, stated this when Iranian Minister of Industry and Mines, Mr Mohammad Nemetzadah, led a delegation to the ministry to seek partnership on the delivery of affordable and qualitative mass housing in Nigeria. The partnership, according to the minister, is expected to result in the construction of about 10,000 housing units across the country before the end of this

year. Eyakenyi stressed the importance of adopting new technologies in the construction of houses in bringing down housing costs, noting that it would also create employment opportunities for the teeming Nigerian populace. She explained that the partnership targets new construction technologies with the aim of making houses affordable to both the low and middle-income earners. According to her, government is ready to partner with any willing investor by offering free and unencumbered land for the provision of mass housing. She, however, added that such land would be retrieved from any investor who is found unwilling or incapable of utilising

it within the stipulated period. She assured that her ministry would ensure that there are up-takers to purchase the houses through the revitalisation of the mortgage system. In his remark, Nematzadah said that the delegation was seeking areas of possible partnership with Nigerian government in providing affordable and qualitative housing in the country. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has stressed the need for the development of a comprehensive framework to effectively address factors militating against the development of the housing and urban development sector, with a view to bridging the housing gap in the country. Jonathan who stated this re-

cently at the 4th Building and Construction Roundtable, organised by the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) in Abuja, said that the country would not be able to bridge the housing deficit gap without addressing the underlying factors militating against the sector over the years. The president who was represented by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Akon Eyakenyi, said that the Federal Government has articulated enabling policies, plans and strategies to re-invigorate the housing sector. He said that government had identified four priority areas to work on in its drive to remove all impediments to housing and C O N T I N UE D O N PA G E 3 5

adopted the SLTR system as a way of empowering the people at the grassroots, as well as help turn their land from a dead capital into a working one. Also, one of the major challenges manufacturers face when introducing a new product, according to economists, is; for whom to produce? This is however not limited to manufacturing alone, as it is equally a major challenge for government at all levels. This perhaps explains why despite the question of who becomes the beneficiaries of government policies and programmes was one of the major headache before the Ondo Land Records Bureau at inception, the Bureau is not leaving any stone unturned in providing the right answer, and has commenced property identification exercise to ensure that government gets adequate data for planning purposes. According to Adeleke, for government to plan effectively, data on the number of houses, type of structures, and concentrations in different parts of the state are very essential information. Adeleke also maintained that the bureau has embarked on issuance of digitalised C of O, which some states refer to as regularisation, adding that while the paper version of the C of O has not been totally phased out, the digital format is also being issued to applicants for proper security. This idea, is supported by an ICT expert, Dare Iwalekun, who said that the best form of security for documents is a digital format. He hinged his argument on the fact that in the case of fire incident or other damages, paper can easily be destroyed, while a digital file can always stand the test of time and can be accessed anywhere, anytime. With this innovation in land titling, the state has recorded another first, which has been described as another commendable innovation that should be adopted by other states in the country to democratize access to Certificate of Occupancy.

property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

No growth without constant human capital devt, says Hamzat Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, in this interview with journalists,emphasised the importance of physical and social infrastructures development in Lagos through unrelenting human capital development. He also stressed the need to collaborate with the private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the delivery and maintenance of the needed infrastructure. DAYO ADEYEMI was there. Excerpts

Hamzat

What do you think of the infrastructure challenge of Lagos? Lagos, like any other megacity, has more than its fair share of challenges to contend with. To help us reach our destination, we need good men and women – ordinary citizens, civil servants, politicians and entrepreneurs, to accept the challenge that our ambitions and aspirations demand of us, to roll up our sleeves with tenacity and great resolve to work together to realise our dreams and aspirations for the city of Lagos. The physical and social infrastructures that we are building are designed to enable our people achieve their goals. Without these infrastructures, Lagos cannot function properly, serve its increasing number of inhabitants or compete on a global scale. The roads and bridges that we build will connect businesses to their markets, people to jobs, sick to the hospitals and tighten the fabrics of the family unit. The water works we provide must deliver a reliable, usable water supply that supports our health and well–being and that of our families. The power solutions we put in place

must provide the electricity we need to grow our businesses, do our jobs, educate our children and live our lives. Infrastructure is, without doubt, the most visible and impactful development deficit we have today. The amount of money required to meet the needs of an increasing population is more than $50 billion over the next 10 years. Raising this vast sum of money will not be easy and requires us to collaborate with the private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the delivery and maintenance of this much-needed infrastructure. When we consider the value of these PPPs, we must assess them against our own benchmark, which takes into account the needs of the people that will drive our development. In terms of human capacity development to meet infrastructure demand, how has the government gone about this? While addressing our ‘hard infrastructure’ needs, we must, in tandem, address our soft infrastructure needs. And by soft infrastructure I mean human infrastructure, our most distinguishing feature and the true asset of Lagos State. There can be no sustainable infrastructure development without sustained human capital development. It is the combination of the simultaneous investment in these two areas that will impact positively on Lagos States’ development trajectory, creating an enabling environment for this approach to development requires an integrated and pragmatic approach to policy formulation and implementation. It requires us to build on the giant leap embarked upon by the current administration to place the state in an enviable position among cities around

the globe. We must focus on more than just feeding the ‘stomach infrastructure’ of our people, or just concentrating on physical infrastructure. We must, in essence, address how physical infrastructure affects stomach infrastructure. We must focus on the full breadth of our human infrastructure requirements. Increasingly, it is clear to me and others that we must, as a people, focus on some key issues, which relates tosustaining the socio-economic development of Lagos State. These issues are very close to my heart and in my view holds the key to continuing on current path of turning Lagos into Africa’s model mega city, and the economic heart of the continent. This is important for me as someone who has over eighteen years private sector experience and also as a public servant in Lagos State for the past 10 years in different capacities. It is therefore easy to view Lagos from different prisms. Suggestion on future improvement… To my mind, there are four themes that we must work on over the next decade. These are service delivery, which is ensuring that we continue to build the infrastructure to meet our needs today, and for the future while focusing on efficient revenue generation and the best use of public funds. Second is job creation, meant to provide the opportunities that our people need to fulfill their ambitions. Closely related is knowledge and skills, by which to enhance the ability of our people to improve themselves and build an economy and workforce that meets our future needs in order for our youths to employ their God-given talent, and lastly, health and well-being. We must, as a matter of fact ensure that our people have access to health services and can live in an environment that enables all of us to be and do the best that we could for ourselves and our families, and of course the great state of Lagos. The target is clear: We must build a state that our children will be proud to live and work.

UNEC students ponder on future of architecture Dayo Ayeyemi

hen students of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), practicing architects and other professionals in the built environment gather next week in Enugu, Enugu State capital, their discussions shall focus on the best ways to shape the future of architecture in Nigeria. Organised by the Architecture Students Association (ASA) of UNEC, the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen,

an architect, is expected to deliver a keynote address on the “Future of Architectural Education and Practice in Nigeria,” at the maiden edition of ASAFEST 1.0. Also expected at the event is the Enugu State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Victor Okolo, also an architect. The four-day event which commences on Wednesday, July 23 and end on July 26. Related professionals as well as manufacturers and distributors are also expected

at the event that will feature lectures/discussions, exhibition, product presentations and quiz competition. In a statement, president of the association, Mr Chika Maduako, said that this would provide the students the opportunity to interact with architecture students from other schools, architects and other stakeholders in the construction Industry. “This event will also provide all participants and partners excellent opportunities to dis-

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

urban development and assured that his government would continue to focus on four areas of priority to ensure sustained transformation of the housing and urban development sector. He said: “As agreed at an enlarged forum of key stake-

holders during the presidential retreat on housing and urban development, which I convened in November 2012, the four priority areas are: Improved land administration and management (especially land titling); affordable mass housing; housing finance and urban and regional development.

“The aim is to significantly reduce the national housing deficit and ensure the transformation of our town and cities into liveable, productive, inclusive, and environment-friendly human settlements, as well as drivers of socio-economic growth and sustainable national development,” he stated.

cuss and exchange ideas on the future of architectural education and practice in Nigeria. During the ASAFEST 1.0, students will have several opportunities to interact and establish bilateral ties as well as followup contacts with other schools of architecture,” he said. Already, about 10 schools of architecture have indicated willingness to attend the programme, which holds at the main auditorium of Architecture Department of the University at its Enugu Campus. These include Enugu State University of Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State University of Science and Technology and Yaba College of Technology, among others. He stated that the four-day event aims at bringing together professionals of the construction industry to discuss burning issues in the industry and create an environment to showcase new technologies ap-

plicable to the industry as well as provide networking opportunities for students and professionals in the industry and provide a learning and development platform for students in tertiary institutions. There will be exhibitions of construction materials from the construction industry and allied professions with the aim of addressing end users and improving the quality and standards in the sector. Maduako stated that apart from the Head of Department of Architecture UNEC who is the chief host of the event, other guest speakers have been lined up to speak on different issues including the Second Vice President, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) Adibe Njoku, the past Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeazor Akaraiwe, as well as the state chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), E. C. Onoh, among others.

36 property & ENVIRONMENT FINANCE This is to enhance access to homeownership among the people Stories by Dayo Ayeyemi

n a bid to meet the dream of its citizens in need of accommodation, Ogun State government plans to access a N2 billion loan from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for the Kemta Housing Estate project in Abeokuta, the state capital. Disclosing this to journalists, Special Adviser to the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Ogun eyes N2bn FMBN loan for Kemta Housing project Governor on Housing Development and the General Manager of the Corporation, Mrs Jumoke Akinwunmi, assured that the state would definitely access the fund for the housing scheme despite all odds. She said: “Accessing funds from the Federal Mortgage Bank is not as easy as people may think. This is not the first time the corporation will be

accessing it, we have done it before successfully and we are positive of getting it.” She explained that the corporation had been perfecting all processes to access the loan, part of which was the submission of corrected drawings in Abuja, saying: “We are extremely anxious to start the Kemta Housing Estate project and it will be another landscape

changing project for Abeokuta.” Meanwhile, the housing corporation has begun a massive channelization project to prevent flooding in Laderin Workers’ Estate, which would be of benefit to the larger community and, by extension, Abeokuta and the state as a whole. Mrs Akinwunmi disclosed this while intimating the press on the progress of the workers’

Presidential Mandate housing estate, Abeokuta. INSET: Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun

Apapa traffic jam: LAWMA embarks on night services by the recent traffic until further notice,” it read. Iparked gridlock experienced in ApaAccording to the Managing Wharf and its environs as Director of LAWMA, Mr Ola a result of long line of parked trailers and other articulated vehicles. The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has shift its operations to night time. The Authority, according to a statement, arrived at this decision after a thorough assessment of the situation, having observed that PSP trucks find it difficult to access these areas. “For this reason, management of LAWMA decided that waste collection and disposal services in Apapa, Wharf and its environs will be carried out by the assigned PSPs at night

Oresanya

Oresanya, the agency has established various programmes to consolidate on the job of waste management in the state and these include the introduction of additional mini-trucks to cater for the needs of inner communities in the state, establishment of safety corps marshals for road sweepers, involving the youths in business of waste management and lots of others. Despite the current unpleasant traffic situation, the managing director said that the authority would not relent in its resolve to deliver efficient waste management services to the people of Lagos no matter the circumstance. He said: “LAWMA pleads with the people affected to bear with the authority in the face of this discomfort as modalities are being put in place to ensure that the situation is properly managed and normalcy returned in the services rendered.” Meanwhile, the organisation implores all to desist from patronizing cart-pushers or any form of indiscriminate dumping of refuse on major highways and drainage canals. The authority also pledged to give prompt response to complaints lodged through its customer care toll free lines on 5577 or 07080601020.

estate project in Abeokuta. She expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the housing project, saying that it was going to be a fully integrated community with the provision of basic amenities that would make living an enjoyable experience for everyone. The General Manager said that her corporation was currently working on the provision of appropriate water and power supply through the construction of bore holes. “We have been mandated to provide borehole so that water would not be an issue at the estate,” she said. She noted that the housing projects had impacted positively on the lives of the people as it had boosted the economic and business activities in the area. “It gladdens our hearts that people have been engaged and would continue to be engaged as we are currently doing the layout of the second phase of the estate,” she remarked. The general manager assured that with the determination of the state government and the right skills to implement, the second phase would be ready before the end of the first term of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

46 European banks to sell $795bn real estate assets A

ccording to Cushman & Wakefield’s Corporate Finance team, European banks and asset management agencies have a gross exposure of ¤584 billion ($795 billion) to non-core real estate which is subject to disposal or work-out strategies. The findings, published this week in the firm’s European Real Estate Loan Sales Market H1 2014 update according to report from World Property Channel, reveal that despite the record volume of commercial real estate (CRE) and real estate-owned (REO) sales seen so far this year, the deleveraging process throughout Europe is far from over. Cushman & Wakefield Corporate Finance carried out extensive research into the non-core real estate exposure of 46 banks and asset management agencies throughout Europe for the in-depth report. The nine European 'bad banks' analysed hold over 46 per cent of the total gross exposure to non-core real estate, indicating their importance in the CRE loan and REO sales market in the next few years. The publication details eight ‘mega-deals’ - those with a face value over ¤1 billion - which have closed in H1,

while another four are currently being tracked. These ‘mega-deals’ accounted for 71 per cent of the total H1 loan sale volume; this is up from 40 per cent in H1 2013. Contrary to the trend observed across Europe in 2013, the average size of loan sale transactions has increased in H1 2014 to ¤621 million from ¤346 million in the same period last year - this makes it even more difficult for smaller investors to participate in the sales process. Large US investors such as Lone Star and Cerberus continue to grab the headlines, accounting for 77 per cent of all European CRE loan and REO acquisitions in H1 2014. Frank Nickel, Executive Chairman of Cushman &

A bank in the United Kingdom

Wakefield’s EMEA Corporate Finance group said: “US investors have raised an enormous volume of capital targeting opportunistic real estate. ‘Mega-deals’ prove popular to these buyers since they offer a chance to gain large exposures to key assets and markets in one transaction, saving on both costs and time.” Following a record first quarter dominated by IBRC, Q2 saw activity spread to Southern Europe as vendors look to take advantage of increasing investor appetite in the region. As a result, Cushman & Wakefield’s Corporate Finance team estimates ¤16.3 billion of sales completed in the three months to July, over six times the volume closed in Q2 2013 (¤2.5 billion).

Why airplanes are safe

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

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Yola International Airport

So many airports are springing up in Nigeria. There is, however, mixed feelings over these projects that many said would bolster economic development of the areas these aerodromes are sited. Some are of the view that the facilities are not desirable especially when they are left dormant, writes Aviation Editor, WOLE SHADARE

ommercial airports in Nigeria are critical infrastructural assets that are important components of the country’s transportation network. They enhance the movement of people, goods and services throughout the country and around the world, allowing the economy to operate more effectively and efficiently. Contribution to GDP Using data from Oxford Economics, the Nigerian aviation industry is said to have contributed N119 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013. While N59 billion directly came from airlines, airports and ground services, N34 billion came indirectly from supply chain; N26 billion from employees consumption and supply chain and N78 billion in catalytic benefits through tour-

Why Nigeria continues to build undesirable airports ism, representing 0.4 per cent according to Oxford Economic. These are significant contributions to the national economy. Commercial airports are often economic engines that drive the local, state and national economies. Airports are valuable assets that contribute to the growth of jobs and economic output across the country. Commercial airports have a vast economic impact in the country in Nigeria. The airport themselves, especially the viable ones, are also significant generators of economic activity. They help to support employment and total economic output. Airports are economic engines and most of all, a reflection of the communities they represent. Passenger traffic also reflects levels of economic development, demographics, business activity and tourism. The recent trend in Nigeria now is the prolifiration of airports without a corresponding rise in traffic. For a country with over 160 million people, it is quite disturbing that both domestic and international traffic figure for 2013 was a little over 12 million. While the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is financially constrained to run these aerodromes, several state governments are currently building their own airports.

State airports spring up The states are Akwa Ibom (partly completed); Anambra State Airport to be sited in Umueri (proposed); Bayelsa Airport (Yenogoa); Asaba Airport (not yet completed); Ekiti Airport (proposed); Lekki International Airport, Lagos State (proposed); Minna Cargo Airport (reconstruction proposed); Ogun State cargo Airport (proposed). Others are Osun State Airport, Ido Osun (under construction); Jalingo Airport, Taraba (under construction); Zamfara Cargo Airport, Gusau (proposed). Other jurisdictions Building of more airports is not synonymous with Nigeria. China recently announced it will build 82 new airports and expand 101 existing ones during the current five-year plan, the 12th, which ends in 2015. By then, China will have 230 airports, up from the current

Many of Nigeria’s airports are sinkholes. Last year, virtually all of them lost huge amount of money

182, according to Huang Min, Director of Infrastructure at the National Development and Reform Commission. Most of the new facilities will be feeder airports in the central and western portions of the country. About 80 per cent of the population will be within 100 kilometers of an airport by the middle of this decade. Additional building is projected to increase that percentage nine points by 2020. Beijing justifies the ambitious building program on several grounds. The justification points to China’s aviation industry’s three decades of double-digit growth and suggests that is just the beginning. China’s aviation market, according to central government officials, has the biggest potential for expansion in the world. In comparison, the United States has 19,000 airports. Even Brazil and South Africa have more of them than China. And China’s airports are a booming industry. Last year, they earned 4.6 billion yuan. Sounds compelling, doesn’t it? The case gets stronger still. An airport can produce an output eight times its cost for a local economy. Does China need all these new airports? The answer is yes, considering the population of the country which is put at over a billion people and the high capital per income of many Chinese. Does Nigeria

need these new airport, the answer is no, considering the proximity, for instance between Ogun and Oyo or Lagos State. The other question is, how many people can afford to travel by air even at a ridiculously small fare as little as N6,000 to Ibadan from Lagos? They would rather choose to go by road for just an hour trip that would cost them less than N600. Again, what is the traffic to many of these aerodromes with revenue that can barely be enough to run generators in these airports? Experts’ perspective An airline official who spoke to New Telegraph on condition of anonymity said that in reality, the case for more airports is not as clear as some state governments make it out to be. According to him, “for one thing, many of Nigeria’s airports are sinkholes. Last year, virtually all of them lost huge amount of money. It is even more pathetic as most of them are run as charity with no audit. FAAN is run like a secret cult without anybody knowing how much they generate or lost. A government official, last week, made the argument that these facilities were money losers because Nigeria has many of them that are not profitable. “It’s like planting trees. One tree will die, but if you plant C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 9

BUSINESS | AVIATION

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Dutse Airport costs N11.5bn – Consultant FLAG-OFF The runway is three kilometre in length while the width is 60 metres Wole Shadare

he cost of the newly built phase one of the Jigawa State Airport has been put at N11.5billion, according to a consultant who handled the project. This is just as the company disclosed that second phase of the project will start immediately after the completion of the first phase. Speaking to reporters at the airport, the Consultant, El-Mansur Atelier Company, Mr. Victor Obatu, said that the construction and usage of the airport will further create job opportunities for Nigerians, boost the economy of the State and the country as a whole. Obatu disclosed that the airport construction, which began in February 2013 has the capacity to handle a Boe-

ing 747 aircraft. He said that the runway is three kilometre in length while the width is 60 metres, adding that with such capacity, the airport is one of the best in the country. According to Obatu, the first phase included the construction of the terminal, runway, control tower, two ambulances, two fire tenders, conveyor belt, ticketing and malls and lounges for VIPs, VVIPs among others. He explained that the second phase will include the expansion of the apron wing and installation of airfield lighting for night operations, which he said had already been awarded by the government. He said, “The project was the brainchild of the current governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and it’s one of the noble projects you can lay hands on anywhere in Nigeria. This project was completed in a record period of 18 months, having begun in February 2013. The governor himself has been bent in delivering the project on time and as you can

see today, it’s a reality. “The airport complex has a very functional control tower with all the Air Traffic Services in place, the fire station is equipped with two fire tenders full scale category two firefighting tenders, the runway navigational aids are also installed. As it is, it can accommodate a Boeing 747 aircraft.” On the cooperation with other aviation agencies, Obatu informed that officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN through the Aviation Security, AVSEC, are working with it to ensure that standards are not compromised. On security, he said, “There is internal fence to ward off people from penetrating the airside. You still have the overall perimeter fence, a gate at the beginning of the airport. Other security agencies have also been deployed to strategic places within the airport.”

L-R: Head, Business Development and Marketing, Sanya Onayoade, Managing Director/CEO, Kayode Oluwasegun-Ojo, Executive Director, Operations, Norbert Bielderman, all of NAHCO Plc and Customs Area Comptroller, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Mr. Tajudeen Olanrewaju at the official commencement of the 24-hour cargo process at NAHCO's warehouse in Lagos

Emirates boost SA’s connection with new J'burg departure E mirates Airline has said it will introduce a fourth daily flight between Dubai and Johannesburg effective October 26th 2014, lifting to seven the number of daily flights to South Africa. The addition boosts Emirates’ total number of scheduled flights between the two countries to 49 a week, reaffirming its position as one of the largest flight operators into South Africa. In addition to Johannesburg, Emirates also services the popular cities of Cape Town and Durban. Linking South Africa with

Emirates’ global network, the seven daily flights demonstrate the importance of the South African market for Emirates. “We are introducing our fourth daily service between Dubai and Johannesburg to meet the growing passenger demand for flights between these two important business and tourism hubs. “The increased frequency gives our customers greater flexibility in their travel plans and enhances connectivity to other flights on the Emirates network through our Dubai

hub,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates senior vice president, commercial operations, Latin America, central and southern Africa. Emirates and South African Airways will extend its codeshare partnership to include the brand new service between Dubai and Johannesburg – currently South African Airways code-shares on all Emirates flights to and from South Africa. The expansion of the codeshare agreement reflects the successful and long-standing partnership between the two carriers.

AIR RAGE

WITH

Wole Shadare

Why airplanes are safe

he frequent plane crashes recorded globally would make air travellers to doubt the title of this write up. They could also see it as trying to make a case for the moving house. No! That is not the intention of the writer. Safety is an accumulation of knowledge about risk converted into practice, and no other mode of transportation has been as expansive as flying in incorporating what we know about the fallibility of humans and machines. As a result, the act of hurtling through the air at 500 mph six miles above the ground is less likely to result in your demise than almost any other type of travel. From the plane seats to the cabin air to the course and altitude of the flight, every decision in commercial aviation comes after careful consideration of its impact on safety. Here, in broad strokes, are the most significant. Next time you climb into a taxi to make the trip from the airport to your final destination, consider this: What do you know about the cabbie in whose hands you have placed your life? How well has that car been maintained? Look out the window—are all the signal lights working? Is the road in good shape? What about the other motorists? Where did they learn to drive? How conscientious have they been about getting enough sleep and avoiding alcohol?

the flight deck. Satellite global positioning, advanced displays and telecommunication have enabled a level of flight precision impossible in earlier eras of air travel. “During the 1950s and 1960s, fatal accidents occurred about once every 200,000 flights,” says Julie O’Donnell, a spokeswoman for Boeing. “Today, the worldwide safety record is more than 10 times better, with fatal accidents occurring less than once in every two million flights.” The devices in the cockpit considered to have had the most impact on those improved statistics are the ones that warn pilots of approaching terrain or potential conflicts with other airplanes. But you’ll find more than gadgets behind the improvements in piloting.

Airplane design In the past 50 years, the world’s commercial airliners have racked up nearly one billion flight hours, providing an industry meticulous about record keeping with a steady stream of information that is used to constantly improve the design of airplanes and engines. “We’re getting better,” says Bill Bozin, vice president of safety at Airbus Americas, explaining that all this information gives engineers a truer understanding of the machine’s limits.

Perfectly appointed cockpit Selecting the right pilots is key, but so is assuring that their work environment enhances their performance—even the biggest jetliners are flown from cockpits scarcely larger than the average-size car. The flight controls and displays are compact, multipurpose and tested to make sure they provide necessary information in an easyto-see, easy-to-operate package, according to Julianne Fox Cummings, a pilot and human factors engineer who worked with Boeing on the 787 Dreamliner displays.

Cockpit Technology Many contemporary jetliners have seen their traditional mechanical controls replaced by electronic ones. These planes, called fly-by-wire, include the Boeing 777 and the 787, as well as the Airbus A330, A340 and A380. As planes transition from machine to computer, the day of “the brawny guy” pulling on the yoke is over, says Missy Cummings, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot. “We don’t need Chuck Yeager anymore.” The modern pilot is a manager of information, and technology plays the muscular role on

A certain kind of pilot Airlines know the importance of good pilots and good training, which is why so much effort goes into selection and schooling. Matthias Kippenberg, a former captain with Lufthansa, is in charge of Lufthansa’s Airline Training Center Arizona, where many of the German carrier’s five thousand pilots made their first flights. Starting out on single-engine Bonanzas, students learn how to manage multiple streams of information, how to follow established routines and how to work with others.

Air traffic control The pilots and the airplanes may be the stars of the show in commercial aviation, but behind the scenes, a new, almost Star Wars–like air traffic system is being built where airplanes guided by GPS will fly self-programmed routes, communicating with each other and with the ground. This is very different from the days when maps, blackboards and pencil and paper calculations were used to direct airplanes. With more than 28 million flight departures last year, it takes a pretty sophisticated process to safely and efficiently manage a huge—and still growing—number of aircraft.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Wole Shadare

t is not yet clear who becomes the Minister of Aviation. Everything points to the direction of Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). He has been tipped to be named Minister of Aviation in the next few days by President Goodluck Jonathan after he scaled the screening hurdles of the Senate, last week. Previous suggestions Before now, various groups in the sector had suggested that a technocrat should be appointed to occupy that position. Their argument could not be faulted going by the alleged near calamity of what the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, did to the industry. While she held sway, financial scandal rocked the sector, propaganda and financial recklessness combined to almost wrecked a sector that is life dependent There were lots of permutations on who should be appointed substantive minister of a troubled Nigerian aviation industry. While many suggested that a technocrat should be appointed this time around to see if there would be changes to the way things were done in the past, others said it does not matter who is brought in to oversee the affairs of the industry. They based their arguments on the fact that at that level, what is needed is a good manager of people and resources; one who has passion for the sector and not one that is driven by greed or one that is so much obsessed with material wealth, one who grabs everything for himself or herself at the expense of a sector. Banana peels If eventually Chidoka is handed the portfolio, he needs to be very careful of an industry that is full of banana peels and sycophants who are always lurking around the ‘corridors of power’ to set the sector backward. There are also emergency media consultants and propagandists who contributed largely to the fall of Stella Oduah. This is an industry that ruined the career of many promising Nigerians. Some, like the sacked minister of aviation are yet to get over the ignominy of the shame that followed after they were unceremoniously removed from office. The many hurriedly organised awards to polish their image have left them more traumatized going by the way people view the awards ‘dashed’ to these former office holders. Former minister's regime To say the truth, Oduah who was appointed in July 2011, came to the sector with a lot of promise, as she bulldozed her way and sought to transform the place. She got all the support she

Chidoka: From road to air needed to turn things around and she initially wanted to do so. Along the line, she was misled and reportedly did things that were in contrast with what she aimed to achieve when she assumed duties. Allegations of corruption were too humungous to be ignored. Experts in aviation said they were unprecedented in the history of the sector. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) lost its autonomy. Its autonomy only existed on paper. The Director- General, against his will, was turned to an errand boy and where he stamped his feet, he was ostracised. The NCAA became an extension of the Ministry of Aviation. The Bible says pride comes before a fall. The impunity without recourse to lay down rules extinguished whatever remained of the hope people had for the industry. Oduah’s foot soldiers destroyed every reasonable opposition against the former minister and embraced people who sang her praise, people who told her what she wanted to hear. However, whoever is succeeding Oduah must avoid her pitfalls and totally rebuild the sector. Advice for Chidoka Chidoka must be a man of strong character who must not have his or her eyes on every pie. He must also have the ability to listen to professional advice from the many experienced aviation professionals in the country. The new minister, who must combine both native intelligence with sound education and exposure, must shed weight in all the agencies that are carrying the excess loads forced on them in the immediate past, as many people who have no business in those agencies are there. Those who are relevant must be trained in the modern art and science of aviation operations to make them meet the challenges of the 21st century, while those who are not relevant to the workings of the agencies must be

Equally worrisome is for him to look at the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) funds and all the air pacts that are in favour of international airlines

Building undesirable airports C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 7

more, it will become a forest, and the trees will grow higher and higher.” The imagery does not make sense, but his concrete example was helpful. He noted that virtually all the airports in Nigeria were profitable due to the “network effect.” Building a network is logical if the traffic will support it. Yet despite what some aviators and leaders tell us, the aviation market in Nigeria has the potentials, but corruption and lack of good policy has stunted growth in the sector. The aviation market may not be there for Nigeria, which has based its projections on an ever-expanding economy.

A travel expert, Mr Adelanwa Johnson, who is based in London said, “The plan must consider future development space and not waste money on useless infrastructure. “Unfortunately, Nigeria’s recent record on adding airports is mixed. Nigerian airlines, for instance, are concerned about what will surely be the biggest project in the sector, the plan to build so many airports. The latest airport-building binge is bound to waste central government and local money, but most officials probably see that as an advantage. To them, it’s all about stimulating the economy, no matter how inconvenient that will be for the airlines and their passengers.

shown the way out. Besides, Oduah’s successor must respect all the agreements signed with various concessionaires in the aviation sector, seek legal advice on every of their provisions before taking informed decisions that will be beneficial to both govern-

Chidoka

ment and the concessionaires. This is one of the areas Oduah failed. The Ministry of Aviation under her was too confrontational on issues that would have ordinarily have been settled peacefully without setting the sector on edge. He must hit the ground running to reposition the sector, make people have confidence in air travel, just as he needs to engage people who will add value to aviation rather than leeches who are lurking around the corner to milk the sector dry. He should be more of a listener than a talker. Where there are issues of disagreement, in the various agreements linked with concessionaires, such should be resolved using the mechanisms provided for in the agreements in order not to put the sector in jeopardy. The new minister must be a highly detribalised Nigerian, who must be ready to break the cycle of ethnic appointments that had been sustained in the aviation sector for a long time now, putting round pegs in round holes, irrespective of where such pegs come from. Also, the new minister must not interfere in the affairs of the aviation agencies, an act frequently perpetrated allegedly under Oduah. The agencies must be allowed to perform their duties of policing the sector as is the standard practice the world over. With this, many Nigerians and the international community will again start having confidence in the sector. Such a successor must review all the contracts that were not transparently awarded for the remodeling of the airports; find out whether they followed the due process and scrutinise the jobs already done whether they are of standard quality, and report whoever is found to have contributed to the circumvention of the process to the relevant anti-graft agency. FAAN's debt The allegation that the Federal Airports of Nigeria (FAAN) is indebted to the tune of N174billion is not only surprising but startling. Nobody, not even the Senate Committee on Aviation, led by Senator Hope Uzodinma, could fathom why an organisation described as the cash-cow of the aviation sector in

Nigeria, fell into such humungous debt. Could the debts have resulted because of the airports remodelling projects at some of the airports, which many had described as not commensurate with the enormous funds sunk into them? How come FAAN is so massively indebted when there was enormous money made available to the Ministry of Aviation? There is the need to look into the books of FAAN, to ask questions as to why the proverbial cash cow of the sector was plunged into huge debts. This will help Chidoka to know the health of not only FAAN but the health of other aviation agencies. Aviation analyst, Olumide Ohunayo said, “The Minister should endeavour to complete ongoing infrastructural projects across the country with a proviso, which is the reassessment of the cost and quality of job done. This is necessary considering the huge expenses incurred in maintaining those that have been commissioned and the quality of materials used for others. BASA funds Equally worrisome is for him to look at the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) funds and all the air pacts that are in favour of international airlines with a view to remedying the situation. Nigeria airlines are in serious financial dire straits and they have been seriously hampered by imbalance in BASA partly because they do not have the financial muscle to compete with foreign airlines. The way the country was opened up to foreign carriers by his predecessor should be curtailed to give Nigeria airlines the opportunity to benefit from the crumbs that fall from the table of foreign carriers on the Nigerian routes. The minister should also take a critical review of placements, appointments and concessions that are not regular, inappropriate and transparent enough to sustain professionalism, integrity and profitability. He should also take away the running of the ministry and agencies from the media. This has become a recent malaise had never been seen in the industry.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

BREATHTAKING The city is notable for its architecture, culture, music scene, media links, scientific and social impact Wole Shadare

hen the opportunity to attend a familiarization trip to Manchester, United Kingdom put together by Virgin Atlantic Airways came recently, it was irresistible. It was a once in life opportunity to visit a city, which houses my favourite football club, Manchester United Football Club. I have been an ardent supporter of Manchester United since the team won a treble in 1999. Virgin Atlantic Airways decided to take few journalists to the city following the commencement of the carrier's operations to the city as part of its expansionist programme to cater for its numerous domestic passengers on the busy London-Manchester route. Marketing Manager for the carrier, Mrs. Kudirat Scot-Igbene got everything ready for a tour that would linger in the memory of the travel reporters that went on that educative journey. Having studied the itinerary of the programme, I was excited about the trip as such trips offer me the opportunity to take time off my busy schedule in Lagos and equally offer me the opportunity to relax in the best possible way. We landed at the London Heathrow Terminal 3 Airport at past 4pm. From there, we proceeded to Terminal One enroute Manchester. It was a short journey of less than an hour, but we checked into a restaurant to take our meals and to while away the time as the connecting flight was scheduled to depart London at 8pm. At some minutes past 9pm, the Virgin’s airplane landed at the Manchester Airport to the joy of everybody, particularly the writer who was already tired from the journey. All what raced through our minds was to go to the hotel to catch some sleep. A bus took us to The Lowry Hotel; a five star hotel that had

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The scenic beauty of Manchester Press of Venice. The Ryland Library Papyrus is believed to be the earliest extant New Testament text. The library holds personal papers and letters of notable figures, among them Elizabeth Gaskell and John The architectural style is primarily neo-Gothic with elements of Arts and Crafts Movement in the ornate and imposing gatehouse facing Deansgate which dominates the surrounding streetscape.

T R AV E LO G U E hosted many world leaders, celebrities. It was told that Manchester United players usually have their meals in the hotel before football matches. The next day, we were taken round some historical places. The Museum of Science was our first point of call. Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England. It is the sixth largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 514,417 in 2013. The local authority is Manchester City Council, and the city's inhabitants are referred to as Mancunians. The city is notable for its architecture, culture, music scene, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Known through time as a hotbed for radical ideas, Manchester was the site of the world's first railway station and is where scientists first split the atom, and developed the first stored program computer. The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) It is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology and industry with emphasis on the city's achievements in these fields. The museum is part of the Science Museum Group, a nondepartmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sports, having merged with the National Science Museum in 2012. There are extensive displays on the theme of transport (cars, aircraft, railway locomotive and rolling stock), power (water, electricity, steam, and gas engines), Manchester's sewage and sanitation, textile, communication and computing. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH - the European Route of Industrial Heritage and is situated on the site of the world's first railway station - Manchester Liverpool Road railway station - which opened as part of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in September 1830.

Museum of Science and Industry, Machester

Manchester United stadium, Old Trafford

The train station frontage and 1830 warehouse are both Grade I listed. The museum also offers steam train rides at weekends and on bank holidays. The museum was originally called the North Western Museum of Science and Industry when it opened in 1969 in temporary premises on Grosvenor Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock. In 1978, the Greater Manchester Council purchased the earliest part of the former Liverpool Road Station from British Rail which had been closed in 1975. The council paid the nominal sum of £1 for the site. The museum opened at this site on 15 September 1983 and later expanded to include the whole of the former station. John Rylands Library The John Rylands Library is a late- Victorian neo-Gothic

building on Deansgate In Manchester. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands. The John Rylands Library and the library of the University of Manchester merged in July 1972 into the John Rylands University; today it is part of the University of Manchester Library. Special collections built up by both libraries were progressively concentrated in the Deansgate building. The special collections, believed to be among the largest in the United Kingdom, include medieval illuminated manuscripts and examples of early European printing, including a Gutenberg Bible, the second largest collection of printing by William Caxton and the most extensive collection of the editions of the Aldine

Tour of Old Trafford (Theatre of Dreams) The imposing Old Trafford is a delight to any visitor to Manchester. It is one of the most visited attractions in the city. We were taken round many areas. Tourists from all over the globe mingled and took pictures in the players’ dressing room. People soaked up the atmosphere of the home team dressing room, followed in the full steps of giants down the tunnel, took the manager’s seat in the dugout. Go behind the scenes at Old Trafford and see the stadium through the eyes of Manchester United greats themselves. From the dizzy heights of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, to the atmosphere soaked players’ dressing room, every moment seemed to carry the roar of 76,000 fans in your ears - none more so than the ultimate honour of emerging from the players tunnel and following in the footsteps of so many legendary reds. The Manchester United Red Café is the perfect place to kick back and relax after your Museum and Tour experience. With a fantastic range of meals, from succulent snacks to leisurely lunches, there's plenty to feast your eyes on... but be sure to keep glancing at the door. You never know who might walk in. The Manchester United Red Café is located on the third floor of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand at Old Trafford. It is open to the public every day, except on match days when the restaurant is reserved for the club's Matchday VIP Hospitality Packages.

South African Airways wins ‘customer satisfaction' awards

outh African Airways (SAA) has been named Best Airline Africa for the 12th

consecutive year. Feedback from SAA’s customers also ensured that SAA walks away

South African Airways aircraft on the tarmac of OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg

with the Best Airline Staff Service Africa award for the third time. The awards were presented at the Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony in London. “The fact that these awards are directly based on customer surveys makes them the benchmarks of airline excellence,” says Monwabisi Kalawe, CEO of SAA. “Customers are undoubtedly the heartbeat of any business, and Excellent Customer Service is one of the five strategic objectives of our long-term turnaround strategy, Gaining Altitude: to be rated so highly by our customers testifies that we are on the right flight path.” The awards are based on a

consumer satisfaction survey conducted each year by Skytrax, an independent aviation research organisation. This year, the survey elicited responses from 18-million business and leisure air travellers from 160 countries, covering more than 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to smaller domestic carriers. The online survey is open for a 10-month period, giving passengers an opportunity to rate their experience in the air and on the ground. It measures satisfaction across 41 key performance indicators of airline front-line product and service including check-in, boarding, on-board

seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, inflight entertainment and staff service. “SAA is the airline with the most awards across the whole of Africa; for example, in January we retained the Skytrax 4-Star Airline ranking, for the 12th year in a row. SAA is the only carrier on the African continent to achieve this high level 4-Star Airline rating, which certifies the good quality of the service we offer across all travel categories,” concludes Kalawe. “But to be singled out directly by our customers is worth everything to us, and a great foundation on which to build an even better airline.”

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE 41

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Lagos spends N580m on Eko Bridge –Commissioner problems due to the damaged bearings of the facility. He said the bearings were replaced and the bridge was raised up a bit. He recalled that when so much noise was made about the Third Mainland Bridge, N1.1billion was spent on repairs in 2012 by the Federal Government, while Eko Bridge and others, which were also in a state of disrepair, were left unattended to. Currently, he stated that the state government is doing structural studies on Apapa Bridge, Masha Bridge and the rest in order to ensure their stability and prevent collapse. Before now, Hamzat noted the Lagos had spent over N59billion on federal roads in the state, adding that, though the Federal Government agreed to N51 billion, which is yet to be paid in the last five years after assessment. Asked about the interest

MAINTENANCE This is to prevent total failure of the bridge and its negative impacts on people and business Dayo Ayeyemi

bout N580million has been spent to rehabilitate Eko Bridge, the Lagos State Government has said. Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state, Dr. Hamzat Obafemi, disclosed this to journalists yesterday. He said the money was spent to replace all the damaged bearing joints of the bridge. Hamzat explained that after a survey was carried out, it was discovered that all the expansion joints of bridge have

of the state in spending N580 million to rehabilitate Eko Bridge when it is yet to get compensation for agreed N51 billion expended earlier on Federal roads, Hamzat said: “ The bridge is in Lagos, and if it collapses, Lagos economy and people are going to suffer since our people don’t want to know which bridge or road is federal road.” He hinted that Lagos is building more roads and bridges to impact the life of citizens, adding that Ikorodu road, Epe road and Badagry express roads’ expansion are ongoing to sustain Lagos. Eko bridge and its landward extension of 1,350 metres were constructed in phases between 1965 and 1975. It serves as the preferred access point for vehicular traffic approaching Lagos Island from the Apapa and Surulere areas of Lagos. Speaking on the danger posed by the bridge if not re-

Naira slips 0.21%

he naira eased 0.21 per cent against the US dollar yesterday, after some importers took advantage of its recent appreciation against the greenback to lock in rates, dealer said. The local currency eased after last week's gains, closing at N162.25 to the dollar yesterday after closing Friday at N161.90. Dealers according to Bloom-

berg said some importers had set limit orders to buy hard currency and were in the market after recent gains. Italy's local unit of Eni sold $11.5 million, but that was not enough to lift the naira. Nigeria relies on imports for around 80 per cent of what it consumes. "We expect the naira to strengthen this week because

of possible dollar sales by some oil multinational companies," one dealer said. Oil companies in Nigeria sell hard currency to obtain naira to fund their local obligations. The local currency traded around N161.45-161.90 to the dollar last week, lifted by dollar flows from oil companies and offshore investors buying local debt.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

He advised the government to always ensure that maintenance exercise is carried out on all the bridges in Lagos, adding that such infrastructure has just 50 years lifespan.

Expert to FG: Grow SMEs sector INFRASTRUCTURE Provision of power, good roads and other other amenities will enhance the growth of SMEs Godson Ikoro

he Federal and State Governments have been urged to redouble efforts at growing the nation’s Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) by solving the problem of infrastructure and building of capacity through the training of youths. A Chemical Engineer and consultant in industrialist operations, Engr. David Kayode Ojo, made this call at the Eminent Persons’ chapter of Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship (FGBMF) breakfast meeting held at the Crystal Sapphire event centre, Lagos, at the weekend. Speaking with the New Telegraph on the growth and industrial development of the country, Ojo, who was the erstwhile Executive Director of Doyin Group, said that, if he were the minister of industries, his priority would have been to grow the SME sector because that is where Nigeria has a chance of touching lives. Citing countries such as China, India, Brazil and Taiwan, as countries that had developed because of the sophisticated and functional nature

of their SMEs, Ojo argued that if all the three tiers of government could focus on building the SMEs, they would touch more lives faster than any other sector. He said that the sector would remain the economic bedrock of the Nigeria. He called on the governments to fast-track the rehabilitation of infrastructure and develop new ones, stressing that if constant power is restored, it would impact on many artisans as the welders, the tomatoes grinders, corn millers and other artisans who depend on electric power, will contribute more to the nation’s gross domestic products (GDP). According to him, the sporadic failures SMEs nationwide should not be blamed on lack of funding. He argued that lack of Ideas is the most critical thing to worry about rather than funding. He advised prospective entrepreneur not to delve into sectors where they are not qualified to be a supervisor, stressing that people should try and develop themselves before establishing an enterprise. The expert argued that the youths who are being thrown into the labour market should be retrained for functional relevance to run SMEs, emphasising that capacity building will help to boost the SME sector. Ojo argued that although the budgetary allocation to the industrial sector was far below the challenges facing the sector, he contended that even the amount allocated should be judiciously utilised.

StanChart partners etranzact on mobile payments

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

paired, former President of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers, Mr. Victor Oyenuga, said: “Any facility that is not maintained will deteriorate and fall”.

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

tandard Chartered Bank yesterday announced that it had expanded its African coverage of Straight2Bank Wallet, the Bank's mobile wallet service platform, by launching mobile payment services in Nigeria and adding mobile collections capabilities in Kenya. In Nigeria, the bank has partnered with etranzact International PLC to provide mobile payment services through its Straight2Bank Mobile Wallet. This according to a statement, is in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN's) Financial Inclusion strategy to the unbanked and semi-banked population. The new mobile payment service enables clients such as development organisations, international organisations, non-bank financial institutions, agricultural companies and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies to make payments to both banked and unbanked individuals such as aid workers, trainers, policy holders, farmers and other beneficiaries.

In Kenya, the bank also added collections services to its "Straight2Bank Wallet" mobile capabilities, which will enable corporate clients to effortlessly collect monthly contributions or fees from individual clients via Safaricom's MPESA mobile service. This according to the statement, is geared towards eliminating the need for individuals to visit bank branches to make payments through manual instructions and cash. The end-to-end mobile transaction service ultimately helps boost efficiency in working capital management as it significantly lowers operating costs and risks associated with managing cash, and shortens the debt collection period for the Bank's corporate clients. According to Gautam Jain, Global Head of Client Access, Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered; "Mobile phones are revolutionising financial services in Africa as the region is the second most connected with the fastest growth in mobile subscriptions in the world.”

42 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

21-Jul-14

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 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

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 18-Jul-14

9.25 4.00 13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

100.00 535.00 515.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 220.15 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 35.00

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

0.19 0.76 2.07 2.77 3.02 3.11 3.86 4.94 5.26 7.52 9.65 14.36 14.84 15.33 16.01 19.99

10.63 10.75 11.05 11.00 10.96 10.97 11.03 11.17 11.18 11.87 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.25 12.25

9.84 10.02 10.97 10.94 10.84 10.85 10.93 11.10 11.10 11.82 12.11 12.14 12.14 12.13 12.20 12.21

99.69 95.20 103.60 109.50 97.21 95.81 98.97 117.95 83.68 122.05 111.35 118.91 102.06 74.65 84.40 99.27

99.84 95.70 103.75 109.65 97.51 96.11 99.27 118.25 83.98 122.35 111.65 119.21 102.36 74.95 84.70 99.57

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,479.99

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,576.87

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

Description

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

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

978.35 24.56 3.30 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.28 0.84 1.45 2.39 2.75 2.96

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.72 13.36 13.08 12.95 11.96 11.96

96.85 89.68 105.45 100.26 98.89 96.50

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

0.04 0.24 1.11 0.71 1.24 1.24 2.75 1.79 3.45 2.42 4.21 2.62 2.62 3.00 3.07 5.34 3.13 3.75 6.35 6.45 3.93 3.96

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

12.01 13.98 15.16 13.99 15.21 14.23 16.55 11.89 12.78 12.75 12.05 11.95 15.73 11.96 11.96 12.21 13.71 12.02 12.49 13.46 12.47 12.98

100.05 99.89 97.33 99.88 98.86 101.59 85.96 103.00 103.28 102.75 106.23 105.63 96.62 106.14 108.98 108.76 102.57 107.86 104.30 106.49 105.98 105.90

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,265.15

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

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 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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds

501.10 513.15

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR

LAFARGE WAPCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014

Aa/Agusto

GTB µ NGC

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

Nil

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

*FLOURMILLS

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

NAHCO

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

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

FSDH

A/GCR

13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

*C & I LEASING *DANA#

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

*TOWER *TOWER

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

*DANA NAHCO

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

07-Oct-11

11.50

11.80

07-Oct-14

0.21

1.00

11.66

99.89

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.41

5.21

15.98

98.97

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.45

8.71

19.50

98.91

17-Aug-10

10.00

5.29

17-Aug-15

0.59

4.88

15.67

96.31

09-Dec-10

12.00

13.62

09-Dec-15

0.90

1.00

11.71

100.62

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.98

2.63

13.33

100.78

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

2.19

1.00

11.95

101.93

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

2.26

1.34

12.29

103.72

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

3.20

1.00

11.97

102.61

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.73

30-Nov-17

2.01

1.88

12.83

109.98

09-Apr-11

16.00

7.20

09-Apr-18

1.97

3.48

14.42

103.01

09-Sep-11

18.00

3.27

09-Sep-18

2.14

5.20

16.15

103.60

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.90

09-Sep-18

2.14

5.06

16.01

101.88

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

4.17

1.35

12.40

105.05

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.70

18-Oct-18

2.24

2.29

13.24

105.07

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.45

17-Feb-19

2.32

6.11

17.06

100.04

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.45

2.16

13.15

107.67

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

6.32

2.76

14.24

104.06

11-Feb-18

3.56

1.00

12.00

94.89

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

143.81

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

147.30

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

12.00 11.39 Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.81

4.67

110.72

111.57

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.11

3.87

103.68

104.58

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.19

5.07

108.42

109.32

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,614.11

Corporate Eurobonds B-/S&P; B/Fitch B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.71

2.96

111.45

112.64

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.96

4.17

104.35

105.76

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.07

5.78

99.74

100.80

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

8.70

8.26

94.20

95.57

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

4.89

4.14

113.38

114.74

6.25 APR 22, 2019

100.66

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

B/S&P; B/Fitch

FIDELITY BANK PLC

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

AFREN PLC

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.39

6.09

99.41

B/Fitch; B/S&P

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

9.04

8.81

98.86

99.73

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

DIAMOND BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.26

6.56

103.42

105.92

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.45

5.12

104.50

105.84

ZENITH BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,660.00 3,778.26

**Treasury Bills DTM 10 17 24 31 38 45 52 59 66

FIXINGS Maturity 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 28-Aug-14 4-Sep-14 11-Sep-14 18-Sep-14 25-Sep-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.15 10.10 10.20 10.20 10.20 10.50 10.50 10.60 10.60

Offer Discount (%) 9.90 9.85 9.95 9.95 9.95 10.25 10.25 10.35 10.35

Bid Yield (%) 10.18 10.15 10.27 10.29 10.31 10.64 10.66 10.78 10.81

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.5000 12.2369 13.3486 14.2637

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.50

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M 6M

162.15 162.39 162.65 163.24 164.43 165.68 169.33

162.25 162.65 162.99 163.90 165.62 167.31 172.93

O/N Tenor Call 1M 3M

REPO

Rate (%) 10.25 12.54 13.23

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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

978.35 24.56 3.30 112.22 116.70 66.49

RETREAT

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

Investment value dips as market speculators take profits

Stories by Chris Ugwu

he Nigerian stock market opened the week yesterday on the negative track TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE with the oil and gas shares TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION slowing the momentum, givCorporate Bonds the enablement ing the bears AA/GCR LAFARGE toA+/Agusto; sustain stronghold inWAPCO the Aa/Agusto GTB Nigerian capital market. NGC Nil Seplat Petroleum along Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC with Forte Oil, Conoil and A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS BB+/GCR other blue chips shed weight, *CHELLARAMS A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO dragging the market south. A-/Agusto FSDH This was due to profit takA/GCR UBA ing by investors in the wake of BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING µ

BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR

AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR A/Agusto; A/GCR

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR BBB/GCR

11.72 13.36 13.08 12.95 11.96 11.96

96.85 89.68 105.45 100.26 98.89 96.50

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS 43

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

0.04 0.24 1.11 0.71 1.24 1.24 2.75 1.79 3.45 2.42 4.21 2.62 2.62 3.00 3.07 5.34 3.13 3.75 6.35 6.45 3.93 3.96

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

12.01 13.98 15.16 13.99 15.21 14.23 16.55 11.89 12.78 12.75 12.05 11.95 15.73 11.96 11.96 12.21 13.71 12.02 12.49 13.46 12.47 12.98

Oil & Gas stocks drag down equities the cautious optimism that has prevailed in the market in the recent time. The twin market performance measures, the NSE ASI and market capitalisation, dropped by 0.25 per cent as the market tempo lowered. At the close of trading, 33 stocks appreciated, while 35 others constituted the losers’ table. The twin market indicators, 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 the All-Share Index dropped by 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 107.52 basis points or 0.25 per 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 cent 42,891.82, the previ10.00from UPDC 17-AUG-2015 ous to close at 42,784.30, 12.00day FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 while the market capitalisa13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 tion fell by N35 billion or 0.25 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 per cent, from N14.162 trillion 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 to18.00 N14.127 trillion. C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

*DANA#

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

Further analysis of the day’s trading showed that Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc topped the day’s gainers table with N15.83 to close at N170.33 while Total Oil Plc added N6.00 to close at N186.20. PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc followed with N1.01 to close at N39.00 per share. On the flip side, Seplat Oil led losers with a drop of N26.95 to close at N675.05, while Forte Oil Nigeria Plc shed N11.00 07-Oct-11 11.50 share. to close at N227.00 per 18-Dec-09 13.50 Conoil followed with N3.28 to 01-Apr-10 17.00 close17-Aug-10 at N62.32 per share. 10.00 On09-Dec-10 the activity chart, the 12.00 06-Jan-11 Banking sub-sector14.00 dominated in29-Sep-11 volume terms 13.00 with 203.4 25-Oct-13 14.25 million shares worth N964.2 30-Sep-10 13.00 million in 1,659 deals. The sub30-Nov-12 18.00

sector was enhanced by the activities in the shares of Skye Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc Insurance sub-sector also of financial services sector, boosted by the activities on the shares of Wapic Nigeria

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

100.05 99.89 97.33 99.88 98.86 101.59 85.96 103.00 103.28 102.75 106.23 105.63 96.62 106.14 108.98 108.76 102.57 107.86 104.30 106.49 105.98 105.90

Plc followed with 78.3 million units worth N67.9 million in 244 deals. In all, investors exchanged a total of 535.07 million shares worth N4.4 billion in 5,862 deals.

NB records 16% Q2 earnings growth

501.10 513.15

igerian Breweries Plc has posted a 15.5 per cent leap 11.80in its post-tax 07-Oct-14 0.21 profit during 13.17 18-Dec-14 0.41 the half year ended June 30, 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.45 2014. 5.29 17-Aug-15 0.59 According09-Dec-15 a notice to the Ni13.62 0.90 0.60 0.98 gerian Stock06-Jan-16 Exchange (NSE), 15.00company’s 29-Sep-16 the net earnings2.19 was 5.53 25-Oct-16 2.26 N23.871 billion up 15.5 per cent 20.00 30-Sep-17 3.20 from N20.66330-Nov-17 billion in the same 0.73 2.01 period of 2013. 09-Apr-11 16.00 7.20 09-Apr-18 1.97 09-Sep-11 18.00 3.27Similarly, 09-Sep-18 pretax profit 2.14 rose 09-Sep-11 16.00 0.9014.4 per cent 09-Sep-18 by to N33.8822.14 bil22-Sep-11 14.00 35.00 lion in the 22-Sep-18 half-year of 4.17 2014 18-Oct-13 15.75 2.70 18-Oct-18 2.24 our available power generation from N29.60717-Feb-19 billion in the2.32 cor17-Feb-12 17.00 0.45 capacity , diversify and increase responding period 01-Apr-14 16.00 4.50 01-Apr-19 of 2013.3.45 15.25 2.05Revenue 14-Nov-20 6.32to scale14-Nov-13 of our agribusiness and also increased exploit opportunities within the 143.81 N141.495 billion compared with oil and gas industry. We expect 147.30 N133.815 billion reported in the steeper growth rate for the rest corresponding period of 2013. Analysts at FBN Capital Reof the year as our turnaround 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.56 search believe that the results strategies take firmer root”. Transcorp had announced 12.00 were largely reflective of seaits first quarter 2014 earnings 11.39 sonal trends, as historically, with a 278 per cent growth in the Value Q2 quarter is the second Outstanding Issue Date Coupon (%) Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) (N'bn) profit after tax. strongest quarter for beer deThe group’s profit after tax mand after Q4. (PAT)07-Oct-11 grew by 278 per6.75 cent from 500.00 “In addition, we believe 28-Jan-21 4.81 N834 million to N3.15 billion. unit volumes also received a The group’s profit before Tax 500.00 slight boost 12-Jul-18 from strong 4.11 beer 12-Jul-13 5.13 (PBT) stood at N3.77 billion for demand on the back of the 12-Jul-13 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.19 period under review as against world cup event, which startN1.31 billion achieved for Q1 1,500.00 ed in the second week of June. 2013, which represents 187 per 1,614.11 Based on the results, we esticent increase from correspond- mate that unit volumes likely grew by around 5 per cent y/y. ing period. 01-Feb-11 01-Feb-16 Gross earnings for11.50 the group 450.00 “In terms of outlook,3.71al19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 stood at N11.15 billion, indicat- though the mainstream 4.96 beer 08-Nov-13 6.00 6.07 ing 152 per cent growth from Q1 400.00 brands are 08-Nov-18 still under pres25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.03 2013 results of N4.42 billion. sure from competing value 09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.70 Total assets also grew by 16 300.00 brands that 08-Apr-19 are growing their 08-Apr-12 10.25 4.89 per cent from N149.646.25 billion to 500.00 unit volume22-Apr-19 by double digits, 22-Apr-14 6.39 21-May-14 8.75 200.00 21-May-19pre-election we expect that N173.61 billion. 9.04

Transcorp reports 122% half year profit growth Corporation Mr. Obinna Ufudo said: “Our Thasransnational of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) half year results for 2014 conposted 122 per cent growth solidates the significant growth A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

1,265.15

Sub-National Bonds Sanctity of Truth

0.28 0.84 1.45 2.39 2.75 2.96

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

A/Agusto A-/GCR Tuesday, July 22, 2014 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

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

spending ahead of the 2015 general elections will be sup1.00 11.66 99.89parportive of volume growth, 5.21 15.98 98.97 ticularly in the second half of 8.71 19.50 98.91 the4.88 year. 15.67 96.31 “Notwithstanding, in Q1, 1.00 11.71 100.62 13.33 of Heineken 100.78 the2.63 management 1.00 11.95 101.93 guided to unit volume growth 1.34 12.29 103.72 coming in at slightly below 1.00 11.97 102.61 double-digits,” they said. 1.88 12.83 109.98 They said14.42 they would 3.48 103.01 ex5.20slight upward 16.15 103.60 pect revisions 16.01 101.88 to 5.06 consensus full year PBT 1.35 12.40 105.05 forecast, adding however, that 2.29 13.24 105.07 potential downside risks aris6.11 17.06 100.04 ing2.16 from higher 13.15 input costs 107.67 in 104.06 in the2.76 event of 14.24 a global spike the prices of key raw materials such as barley and any adverse foreign exchange movements could considerably 1.00 12.00 94.89 impact negatively on costs as the company still imports a substantial proportion (c.40%) of its raw materials. Offer Yield (%) Bid Price Offer Price Nigeria’s brewing giant had posted per cent growth Pricesa&6.8 Yields in revenue in its first quarter 4.67 110.72 111.57 result for the period ended March 31, 2014. 3.87 103.68 104.58 Revenue of the brewing 108.42 5.07 firm grew moderately 109.32 6.8 per cent from N64.573 billion in the Q1 of 2013 to N68.976 billion in the review period of 2014. Profit before tax (PBT) also 2.96 111.45 112.64 increased 8.3 per cent from 4.17 104.35 105.76 N13.588 billion in the first 5.78 99.74 100.80 quarter of 2013 to N14.710 bil6.41 100.59 102.30 lion in the same period of 2014. 8.26 94.20 95.57 Similarly ,113.38 profit after tax 4.14 114.74 went cent from100.66 N9.416 6.09 up 6.8 per 99.41 billion to N10.059 8.81 98.86 billion99.73

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

*DANA NAHCO

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.26

6.56

103.42

105.92

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.45

5.12

104.50

105.84

OUTSTANDING VALUE inTOTAL profit for the half year endTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION ed June 30, 2014. The group in a filing with Supranational Bond the Nigerian Stock Exchange AAA/S&P (NSE) posted Profit IFC Before Tax TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE (PBT) of N8.02 billion for the six TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION months ended June 30, 2014, a 122 per cent increase from N3.61 Rating/Agency Issuer billion achieved during the corresponding period in 2013. FGN Eurobonds The group’s operating profit BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P for half year 2014 was N9.75 bilBB-/Fitch; lion, an increase of 145 perFGN cent BB-/S&P from corresponding period in BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P 2013, while gross revenue for the TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Group stood at N21.21 billion, TOTAL represents MARKET CAPITALISATION which 177 per cent growth from the previous years’ Corporate Eurobonds N7.67 billion. B-/S&P; B/Fitch AFREN PLC I Total assets grew by 6 per GTBANK PLC I cent from N149.64 billion for full B+/S&P; B+/Fitch GTBANK PLC year 2013 to N158.18billion for B+/S&P PLC six months ended 30ACCESS JuneBANK 2014. B/S&P; B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC Commenting on the results, B/Fitch AFREN PLC the President and ZENITH Chief ExB+/Fitch; BB-/S&P BANK PLC B/Fitch; B/S&POfficer, Transcorp, ecutive DIAMOND BANK PLC

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

achieved in first quarter 2014 and firmly sets us on course for the attainment of FY 2014 financial targets. 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 “We are very pleased with the continued growth in capacity and output at our Ughelli Power plant. The plant’s availDescription able capacity and output peaked at 453 MW during the period, up from the 160MW when we took 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 over on November 1, 2013. We 12, 2018our tarare on course5.13toJUL reach get available capacity of 715MW 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 by end of the year. “In addition, our flagship hotel, Transcorp Hilton Abuja achieved strong revenue growth through increased traffic from its suc11.50 FEB 01, 2016 cessful hosting of the World 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 Economic Forum for Africa NOV 08, 2018 event in May6.00 2014”. 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 He added:6.88 “Overall, we reMAY 09, 2018 main focused on08,achieving 10.25 APR 2019 our medium-term 6.25 APR 22, objectives 2019 8.75 May 21, 2019expand to develop new hotels,

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

3,660.00 3,778.26

21-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 **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) the FMDQDTM OTC PLC Terms of Maturity Use and Disclaimer Statement. Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%)

10 31-Jul-14 10.15 17 7-Aug-14 10.10 24 14-Aug-14 10.20 FGN Bonds 31 21-Aug-14 10.20 38 28-Aug-14 10.20 45 4-Sep-14 10.50 Issuer Description Rating/Agency 52 11-Sep-14 10.50 59 18-Sep-14 10.60 9.25 28-SEP-2014 66 25-Sep-14 10.60 4.00 23-APR-2015 73 2-Oct-14 10.60 13.05 16-AUG-2016 80 9-Oct-14 10.40 15.10 27-APR-2017 87 16-Oct-14 10.50 94 23-Oct-14 10.30 9.85 27-JUL-2017 101 30-Oct-14 10.50 9.35 31-AUG-2017 108 6-Nov-14 10.45 10.70 30-MAY-2018 115 13-Nov-14 10.50 16.00 29-JUN-2019 NA NA 122 20-Nov-14 10.30 7.00 23-OCT-2019 136 4-Dec-14 10.30 16.39 27-JAN-2022 171 8-Jan-15 10.35 185 22-Jan-15 10.25 14.20 14-MAR-2024 199 5-Feb-15 10.25 15.00 28-NOV-2028 213 19-Feb-15 10.30 12.49 22-MAY-2029 227 5-Mar-15 10.15 8.50 20-NOV-2029 262 9-Apr-15 9.90 10.00 23-JUL-2030 276 23-Apr-15 10.05 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 290 7-May-15 9.95 *from the Amortising bonds, VALUE TOTAL OUTSTANDING # the average life is is acalculated Risk Premium combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums

9.90 9.85 9.95 9.95 9.95 10.25 Issue Date 10.25 10.35 28-Sep-07 10.35 23-Apr-10 10.35 16-Aug-13 10.15 27-Apr-12 10.25 10.05 27-Jul-07 10.25 31-Aug-07 10.20 30-May-08 10.25 29-Jun-12 10.05 23-Oct-09 10.05 27-Jan-12 10.10 10.00 14-Mar-14 10.00 28-Nov-08 10.05 22-May-09 9.90 20-Nov-09 9.65 23-Jul-10 9.80 18-Jul-14 9.70

10.18 10.15 10.27 10.29 10.31 10.64(%) Coupon 10.66 10.78 9.25 10.81 4.00 10.83 13.05 10.64 15.10 10.77 10.58 9.85 10.81 9.35 10.78 10.70 10.86 16.00 10.67 7.00 10.71 16.39 10.88 10.81 14.20 10.86 15.00 10.96 12.49 10.83 8.50 10.66 10.00 10.88 12.1493 10.80

Tenor O/N 1M 3M Outstanding 6M

(N'bn)

AMCON

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) Porfolio Market Total Outstanding 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 1,029.64 968.07 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 1,146.66 951.30 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 744.42 811.72

TOTAL OUTSTANDING

<3 ***LCRM 3<5 >5 VALUE Market

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

2,920.72

10.25

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

O/N

10.50

Spot 7D 14D Offer1M Yield (%) 2M 3M 9.84 6M 10.02 1Y

162.15 162.39 162.65 163.24 Bid Price 164.43 165.68 99.69 169.33 95.20 177.11

REPO Tenor (%)(%) TTM (Yrs) BidRate Yield Call

10.25

1M 12.54 0.19 10.63 3M 13.23 0.76 10.75 6M 13.88 2.07 11.05 10.97 2.77 11.00 10.94 NOTE: 3.02 10.96 10.84 :Benchmarks 3.11 10.97 10.85 * :Amortising Bond 3.86 11.03 10.93 µ :Convertible Bond 4.94 11.17 11.10 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 5.26 Government of11.18 11.10 FGN: Federal Nigeria 7.52 Mortgage Bank 11.87 11.82 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria IFC: International Finance Corporation 9.65 12.16 12.11 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.36 12.17 12.14 NAHCO: 14.84 Nigerian Aviation Handling 12.18 Company12.14 O/N: Overnight 15.33 12.19 12.13 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company 16.01 Africa Portland12.25 12.20 WAPCO:West Cement Company 19.99 12.25 12.21

Offer ($/N)

Price

162.25 162.65 162.99 163.90 Offer Price 165.62 167.31 99.84 172.93 95.70 184.10

103.60 103.75 109.50 109.65 97.21 97.51 NA :Not Applicable 95.81 96.11 # :Floating Rate Bond 98.97 99.27 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 117.95 118.25 83.68 †: Bond rating expired 83.98 122.05 122.35 111.35 111.65 118.91 119.21 NGC: 102.06 Nigeria-German Company 102.36 UBA: United Bank for Africa 74.65 74.95 84.40 84.70 99.27 99.57

4,576.87

Description

Modified Duration Buckets FMBN

OBB

4,479.99

Issuer

Agency Bonds

Value

Rate (%) 10.5000 12.2369 13.3486 14.2637 Maturity Date

100.00 28-Sep-14 NITTY 535.00 23-Apr-15 515.27 16-Aug-16 Tenor Rate (%) 452.80 27-Apr-17 1M 10.2850 2M 10.6327 20.00 27-Jul-17 3M 10.6460 100.00 31-Aug-17 6M 10.8709 300.00 30-May-18 9M 10.9076 351.30 29-Jun-19 12M 11.1920 233.90 23-Oct-19 600.00 27-Jan-22 220.15 14-Mar-24 NIFEX 75.00 28-Nov-28 Current Price ($/N) 150.00 22-May-29 BID($/N) 162.0725 200.00 20-Nov-29 OFFER ($/N) 162.1725 591.57 23-Jul-30 35.00 18-Jul-34

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills Rating/Agency

NIBOR

Bonds

Issue Date

2,731.09

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

28-Dec-11

Weighting by 24-May-10Vol Outstanding

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 35.45 20-Apr-12 34.83 06-Jul-12 29.72

100.00

0.00

Weighting by Mkt 0.00 Value

17.25 0.00/16.00 35.25 0.00/16.50 39.26 0.00/16.50 25.49

100.00

978.35

Bucket24.56 Weighting

3.30 112.22 0.35 116.70 0.35 66.49 0.30

1,301.621.00 1,265.15

Maturity Date

31-Oct-14

% Exposure_ 24-May-15 Mod_Duration

03-Apr-17 09-Dec-1617.36 20-Apr-17 35.40 06-Jul-17 47.24

100.00

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

0.28

Implied 0.84Yield

1.45 2.39 11.02 2.75 11.65 2.96 12.22

11.81

# Risk Premium (%)

1.00

Implied 2.63Price Portfolio

2.27 2.00 118.1573 1.00 134.2229 1.00 100.4482 118.4899

Valuation Yield (%) 11.72

INDEX 13.36

13.08 12.95 1,122.25 11.96 1,136.55 11.96 1,171.81

1,125.53

Indicative Price 96.85

YTD Return 89.68 (%)

105.45 100.26 12.2253 98.89 13.6548 96.50 17.1810

12.5528

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

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

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

14.00 14.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00

17.00 6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00

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

0.04 0.24 1.11 0.71 1.24 1.24 2.75 1.79 3.45 2.42 4.21

1.56 3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00

12.01 13.98 15.16 13.99 15.21 14.23 16.55 11.89 12.78 12.75 12.05

100.05 99.89 97.33 99.88 98.86 101.59 85.96 103.00 103.28 102.75 106.23

Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

Daily Summary (Equities)

44 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014

Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

Sanctity of Truth

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 1.10

Symbol INFINITY RESORTSAL

No. of Deals 3 4 7

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 104 39 437 54 3 51 121 809

Tuesday, July 2014 Value22, Traded

Quantity Traded 1,885,811 1,885,811

2,071,047.00 2,071,047.00

Current Price 1.60 0.50

Quantity Traded 39,900 20,000,000 20,039,900

Value Traded 63,832.00 10,000,000.00 10,063,832.00

Current Price 3.31 3.96 15.62 4.21 0.51 27.13 2.19

Quantity Traded 14,033,545 1,673,739 16,060,439 2,011,858 153,140 835,425 11,599,691 46,367,837

Value Traded 46,545,214.30 6,523,420.88 252,730,511.90 8,549,607.66 78,101.40 22,677,431.32 25,625,276.59 362,729,564.05

350,068,277

1,407,015,763.51

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 21, 2014 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Daily Summary (Bonds)

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal

Bond Name 16.00% FGN JUN 2019 16.39% FGN JAN 2022 Federal Totals

Symbol FG9B2019S3 FG9B2022S1

DEBT Board Totals

No. of Deals 2 1 3

Current Price 118.80 102.30

Bond Activity Totals

Quantity Traded 200 100 300

Value Traded 239,498.46 110,314.00 349,812.46

300

349,812.46

300

349,812.46

Daily Summary (Equities)

Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production Daily SummaryOKOMU as of 21/07/2014 OIL PALM PLC. Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO Symbol DailyLIVESTOCK Summary

Activity SummaryTotals on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. CHELLARAMS PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © JOHN HOLT PLC.

TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014Construction Totals

Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Real Summary Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals Activity on Board EQTY

Current Price 33.01 38.01

Quantity Traded 51,755 121,000 172,755

Value Traded 1,728,900.80 4,620,184.00 6,349,084.80

No. of Deals 32 (Equities) 32

Current Price 3.08

Quantity Traded 679,900 679,900

Value Traded 2,068,074.00 2,068,074.00

852,655

8,417,158.80

No. of Deals 8 4 3 614 37 666

Current Price 1.39 3.95 1.16 5.70 62.00

666

Quantity Traded 64,967 77,449 Page 105,402 93,629,027 356,883 94,233,728

Value Traded 91,794.48 291,208.24 1 of 13 122,158.28 550,267,221.61 22,139,284.13 572,911,666.74

94,233,728

572,911,666.74

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 21 21

Current Price 1.20

Quantity Traded 536,238 536,238

Value Traded 647,199.88 647,199.88

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 21 21

Current Price 63.00

Quantity Traded 136,958 136,958

Value Traded 8,593,293.26 8,593,293.26

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 17.56

Quantity Traded 268,550 268,550

Value Traded 4,710,878.30 4,710,878.30

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 9,750.00 9,750.00

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

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

No. of Deals 15 11 26

Symbol AGLEVENT CHELLARAM JOHNHOLT TRANSCORP UACN

1 1

9.95

Page 942,746

62 No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,000 10,000

Value Traded 5,000.00 5,000.00

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB

No. of Deals 2 45 16 119 182

Current Price 10.17 197.50 29.50 177.09

Quantity Traded 5,000 238,715 112,560 1,138,336 1,494,611

Value Traded 48,350.00 47,107,107.14 3,231,806.00 201,344,855.49 251,732,118.63

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

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 100.03

Quantity Traded 24,918 24,918

Value Traded 2,617,032.29 2,617,032.29

No. of Deals 46 55 44 27 (Equities) 2 36 5

Current Price 8.08 9.25 77.87 4.30 0.50 10.70 20.50

Quantity Traded 346,085 2,243,899 118,778 221,005 3,245,618 2,645,594 89,500

Value Traded 2,797,783.87 20,711,002.41 8,932,883.45 953,025.49 1,622,809.00 28,823,534.22 1,743,720.00

DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR on MILLS PLC.EQTY Activity Summary Board

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR Daily Summary MULTITREX NASCON NNFM

Page

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Packaging/Containers

NATURAL RESOURCES Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC Mining Services Totals

No. of Deals 48 89 137

Current Price 74.25 1,125.00

Quantity Traded 72,582 172,796 245,378

Value Traded 5,253,508.51 193,912,342.37 199,165,850.88

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 21 4 25

Current Price 4.35 1.44

Quantity Traded 399,114 480 399,594

Value Traded 1,693,442.44 657.60 1,694,100.04

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Personal/Household Products Totals Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 49 52 101

Current Price 39.00 50.14

Quantity Traded 1,718,360 1,136,937 2,855,297

Value Traded 67,065,884.73 57,045,484.38 124,111,369.11

13,952,277

644,916,229.39

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals Current Price 193 81 65

9.80 6.40 16.62

Quantity Traded 12,792,779 3,463,042 881,228

Value Traded 125,499,871.98 22,059,527.47 14,633,867.93

Symbol No. of Deals FIDELITYBK 116 GUARANTY Daily Summary (Equities) 352 SKYEBANK 111 STERLNBANK 42 UBA 192

Current Price 1.95 30.01 3.28 2.37 8.01

Quantity Traded Page 36,570,465 7,351,966 53,401,407 1,553,303 9,458,878

Value Traded 4 of 13 70,516,877.86 220,588,404.76 186,231,840.02 3,685,046.44 75,789,088.42

No. of Deals 62 24 134 287 1,659

Current Price 9.23 0.50 1.21 24.95

Quantity Traded 218,055 41,777,259 28,414,149 7,539,305 203,421,836

Value Traded 2,018,255.80 20,888,629.50 32,919,985.06 189,359,398.96 964,190,794.20

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AFRINSURE 2 AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO 29 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE 12 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. GUINEAINS 1 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS 19 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LAWUNION 1 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD 8 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT 18 N.E.M NEM 68 Daily Summary as ofINSURANCE 21/07/2014 CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NIGERINS 7 Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE 6 SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC SOVRENINS 2 Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STACO 2 STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. STDINSURE 2 Daily Summary (Equities) UNIC INSURANCE PLC. UNIC 1 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC WAPIC 66 Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 244 Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Current Price 0.50 0.80 1.12 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.55 0.54 0.83 0.50 0.54 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.89

Quantity Traded 2,500 3,178,763 437,620 250,000 930,000 8,000 703,839 3,339,289 11,432,126 1,248,225 49,468 Page 39,000

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

Page

Value Traded 6,000.00 65,590,758.44

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

1,200 54,000 1,744 56,677,119 78,352,893

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals Current Price 16 1.10 16

Quantity Traded 1,885,811 1,885,811

Value Traded 2,071,047.00 2,071,047.00

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

Symbol INFINITY RESORTSAL

No. of Deals Current Price 3 1.60 4 0.50 7

Quantity Traded 39,900 20,000,000 20,039,900

Value Traded 63,832.00 10,000,000.00 10,063,832.00

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

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals Current Price 104 3.31 39 3.96 437 15.62 54 4.21 3 0.51 51 27.13 121 2.19 809

Quantity Traded 14,033,545 1,673,739 16,060,439 2,011,858 153,140 835,425 11,599,691 46,367,837

Value Traded 46,545,214.30 6,523,420.88 252,730,511.90 8,549,607.66 78,101.40 22,677,431.32 25,625,276.59 362,729,564.05

350,068,277

1,407,015,763.51

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

2,735

Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Integrated Oil and Gas Services Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published byAND The Nigerian Stock Exchange © OIL GAS

Current Price 2.30 3.06 68.99

Quantity Traded 73,280 596,200 11,425

Value Traded 169,182.00 1,814,858.00 759,003.10

Symbol MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 13 10 1 2 62

Current Price 1.75 1.18 7.36 1.57

Page Quantity Traded 156,460 156,000 4,625 200,430 1,198,420

7 of 13 Value Traded 273,240.20 184,080.00 32,375.00 314,675.10 3,547,413.40

62 Symbol COURTVILLE

3,547,413.40

No. of Deals 6 6

Current Price 0.56

Quantity Traded 270,840 270,840

Value Traded 151,381.20 151,381.20

Symbol CWG NCR

No. of Deals 2 3

Current Price 5.00 14.44

Quantity Traded 5,500 110,866

Value Traded 26,840.00 1,600,905.04

Symbol TRIPPLEG

No. of Deals 1 6

Current Price 1.88

Quantity Traded 1,333 117,699

Value Traded 2,386.07 1,630,131.11

Symbol ETRANZACT

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 2.21

Quantity Traded 2,000 2,000

Value Traded 4,200.00 4,200.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

14 Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER WAPCO

No. of Deals 83 4 17 83 25 6 34 252

390,539 Page

1,785,712.31 of 13

Current Price 33.00 9.00 40.10 12.04 240.50 1.20 119.00

Quantity Traded 2,281,186 10,620 136,490 4,763,444 326,811 31,905 176,223 7,726,679

Value Traded 75,296,108.81 94,527.52 5,441,581.78 57,157,209.03 78,562,033.50 40,130.34 20,956,007.07 237,547,598.05

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

Quantity Traded 306,000 306,000

Value Traded 577,140.00 577,140.00

Quantity Traded Page 7,500

Value Traded 9 12,675.00 of 13 104,028.80

CUTIX

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

7 7

1.89

No. of Deals 1 3 4

Current Price 1.69 16.30

6,080 13,580

263 Symbol MULTIVERSE

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

116,703.80

8,046,259

238,241,441.85

Quantity Traded 50,000 50,000

Value Traded 25,000.00 25,000.00

50,000

25,000.00

1 Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 58 58

Current Price 0.55

Quantity Traded 6,775,583 6,775,583

Value Traded 3,727,790.65 3,727,790.65

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 728 728

Current Price 26.00

Quantity Traded 47,329,337 47,329,337

Value Traded 1,201,605,281.74 1,201,605,281.74

Symbol

No. of Deals 45 30 81

Current Price 62.32 4.09 227.00

Quantity Traded 321,707 1,066,764 190,228

Value Traded 20,004,559.84 4,383,002.04 43,329,794.67

Daily Summary (Equities) CONOIL ETERNA FO

Page

Symbol MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 93 19 36 304

Current Price 170.33 61.99 186.20

Quantity Traded 495,922 488,755 155,395 2,718,771

Value Traded 83,595,396.13 29,231,237.77 29,176,328.00 209,720,318.45

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

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 675.05

Quantity Traded 57,160 57,160

Value Traded 39,559,307.00 39,559,307.00

56,880,851

1,454,612,697.84

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Courier/Freight/Delivery Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC IKEJA HOTEL PLC Activity Summary Totals on Board EQTY Hotels/Lodging

1,110 Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 1.05

Quantity Traded 99,468 99,468

Value Traded 101,441.63 101,441.63

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 45 45

Current Price 5.19

Quantity Traded 3,227,621 3,227,621

Value Traded 16,115,478.90 16,115,478.90

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

Quantity Traded 6,000 500,000 506,000

Value Traded 25,680.00 363,200.00 388,880.00

CAPHOTEL IKEJAHOTEL

1 11 12

4.50 0.76

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 3 16 22 41

Current Price 1.71 1.57 4.30

Quantity Traded Page 1,700 1,000,251 401,210 1,403,161

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 29 29

Current Price 0.89

Quantity Traded 1,647,840 1,647,840

Value Traded 1,456,622.90 1,456,622.90

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

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 4 47 51

Current Price 2.23 5.00

Quantity Traded 24,400 1,278,377 1,302,777

Value Traded 53,734.00 6,386,899.07 6,440,633.07

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

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 24 24

Current Price 6.40

Quantity Traded 274,065 274,065

Value Traded 1,754,361.90 1,754,361.90

212

8,460,932

29,520,411.59

EQTY Board Totals

5,862

535,076,684

4,374,954,616.87

Equity Activity Totals

5,862

535,076,684

4,374,954,616.87

LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

SERVICES Totals

Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

1,198,420

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

SERVICES

600.00 27,000.00 872.00 50,420,964.04 67,960,526.26 of

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

Value Traded 1,250.00 2,592,576.30 492,011.90 125,000.00 465,000.00 4,000.00 1,796,712.90 1,803,216.06 9,561,507.10 624,112.50 26,203.46 5 19,500.00 of 13

No. of Deals 9 16 11

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

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

Symbol UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH

Daily Summary (Equities)

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Quantity Traded 12,000 8,922,479

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

ICT Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 DN MEYER PLC. LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC.

Current Price 0.50

ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI

IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC

Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY

No. of Deals 2 217

679

2,735

HEALTHCARE Totals Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 ICT Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Processing Systems E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC Processing Systems Totals

Symbol UTC

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. BANK PLC EQTY ActivityDIAMOND Summary on Board Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016 FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC

HEALTHCARE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Pharmaceuticals MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

ICT IT Services TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Food Products U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY NIG. PLC. GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER

Activity Summary onPLC. Board EQTY NCR (NIGERIA)

2 of 13 13,961,121.44

Symbol DUNLOP

Daily Summary as of 21/07/2014 Food Products Printed 21/07/2014 15:14:16.016

Exchange Traded Fund Name

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

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 1 4 5

Current Price 2,067.00 19.44

Quantity Traded 9 Page 251,100 251,109

Value Traded 11 of 13 2,857.00 1,574,434.07 1,685,702.12 3,262,993.19

Value Traded

12 18,603.00 of 13 4,883,814.50 4,902,417.50

ETF Board Totals

251,109

4,902,417.50

ETP Activity Totals

251,109

4,902,417.50

FEATURES

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

Some of those arrested and detained in Abia State on the suspicion that they were Boko Haram members recount tale of sorrow and anguish, reports DAHIRU SULEIMAN

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

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

Terror allegation: Travellers’ nightmarish experience

“I

f not for God, none of us believed that we would be freed alive, going by brutal, inhuman, treatment humiliation and intimidation we experienced in the hands of the military during our two-week detention as suspected Boko Haram members.”

This was the lamentation of Malam Shehu Miga, an indigene of Jigawa State. He was one of the 486 northerners arrested in Abia State recently. Miga spoke with our correspondent shortly after regaining his freedom at Fanisau NYSC Orientation Camp, Dutse, where the released Jigawa indigenes were camped before they departed to their various places of abode. The over 200 people brought to Dutse in batches arrived the state capital amid tight military escort. They were driven straight to the NYSC Camp in Dutse. On arrival, most of the people looked worried. They looked like refugees or captives of war. They all had a sad tale to tell of inhuman treatment by the military who denied them access to food, water and good shelter. According to them, the Muslims among them were not allowed to observe the five times daily prayers during their stay in the barracks. Miga, 45-year-old commercial driver, who has spent 15 years driving to the East conveying northern merchants, said he never dreamt of what he went through in those two weeks. He said: “I never dreamt of facing humiliation like what I experienced in the hands of the Sojas (soldiers) that humiliated us for unknown reasons. “As an experienced driver, who is very familiar with the eastern part of the country, I know most of their business tycoons and some of their security agents, especially those at checkpoints. But to my utmost surprise, on our arrival this time around, we met new faces at most of the checkpoints, who stopped and checked us one after the other, in the 33 lorries.

A cross section of the suspects during their arrest in Abia State.

“To God who made me, our travelling was not in convoy as earlier speculated, each of the 33 vehicles conveying the above number of people to the eastern part of the country was on its own. “The security men stopped us individually and arranged us as a convoy. It was done only to execute their mischievous aims.” Miga said after stopping them, the soldiers asked them to come down and searched them thoroughly. He said: “After the search, we taught we would be allowed to pass as usual, since none of us was found with anything incriminating such as knives, guns, swords or other dangerous weapons. “They ordered us to drive down to a military barracks under security watch. There in the barracks was a hell. We were beaten and asked to crawl like lizards. We faced all manners of military brutality and inhuman treatment.” According to him, between 15 and 35 people were lumped inside a room which had no crossventilation. He added: “It was inside there we urinated and defecated. We were fed with a wrap of moi-moi once a day, no water to drink. We were forced to use our urine as drinking water. If you say you were thirsty, the guard would

tell you to drink your urine. “That was how we managed our life in that terrible condition. “A bride, Hajia Aisha Birniwa, who was terribly sick on our arrival at the camp, almost lost her life. She was rushed to hospital.” Addressing the victims the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Ahmad Adamu Sarawa, assured them that the government was committed to the protection of lives and property of its citizens at all costs. He said: “That was why we resolved to act appropriately right from the time we heard about your arrest up to the time of your release.” “As elected leaders, at our own level, we are committed to uphold our social responsibilities in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the electorate at all levels,” he said. Also speaking, the state Chief of Staff, Malam Aminu Ringim, commended all the victims for their good moral conduct. He said: “After careful investigations, government is fully convinced that you are all good citizens of Jigawa State, since you are exonerated from fictitious claims of being members of Boko Haram.” But to 13-year-old Sani Auyo, the experience was barbaric. He said: “We were extremely

humiliated and tortured by the military to the extent that we taught we won’t be set free alive. “Therefore, we are grateful to our governor for rescuing us from further military harassment. “I have been to the East several times in search of job. I go there because we used to get more money there than here. For everything you do you get money, big money. It is not the same here with our people. There the people pay for hard work unlike in the North where our people depend on cheap labour. Here you suffer for peanuts. That is why we prefer going to the East or Lagos for jobs.” Another of the victims, Bara’u Kiri Kasamma, said he was going to the East because of necessity. He said: “My government has neglected agriculture. Had it been that the government supported agriculture with all it takes and encouraged us to engage in farming, we won’t have the dream of going to the East. We would have stayed in our domain, farm, feed ourselves and our nation.” But Sani Zai of Dutse Local Government Area, who is a large scale farmer, disagreed with Kasamma’s submission.

46 FEATURES

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Delta: Setting the pace in agro-industries, ICT, employment Delta: The State Government is forging ahead with efforts to grow its economy through youth empowerment and job creation, writes DOMINIC ADEWOLE

Buses acquired by the government for the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project

he oil-rich Delta State has intensified efforts to provide food for local consumption and export, raw materials for agro-industries, employment for its teeming graduates as well as alleviate poverty across its 25 local government areas. Since Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan took over the mantle of leadership from former Governor James Ibori on May 29, 2007, he has remained unshakable in his plans to shift the attention of the people of the state from over dependence on oil. Since 1990 whne the state was carved out of the defunct Bendel State, agriculture has remained its largest employer of labour, with about 75 per cent of its people depending on it for livelihood. The sector has equally contributed approximately 13 per cent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), after oil which constitutes 79 per cent. Although Uduaghan’s plans suffered a set-back in 2008, a year after he assumed office, when 950 youths of the state origin duped the state of N600 million, dumped agriculture as a profession, alongside some ‘fraudulent’ farmers, having been trained in Songhai-Amukpe via 25 Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture (YETA) cluster sites, and empowered with starter-packs. That year also, the governor approved and released another N600 million to boost the programme, which added up to N1.2 billion. A total of 3,921 farmers - 2,221 crops farmers, 500 poultry farmers, 200 pig farmers and 1,000 fish farmers - enlisted under the Farmers’ Support Programme (FSP) allegedly justified the N600 million soft-loans shared to them, the 950 youth, on the other hand, fled. It was not the first time a thing like that had occurred in the state. Between 2000 and 2003, during Ibori’s era, the Live and Own A Farm (LOAF) programme he inaugurated to make farmers specialise in poultry, fishing, piggery and snailry, was defrauded of over N850 million.

But Uduaghan refused to be distracted, he held on to his policy thrust on “achieving agricultural growth and development, thereby, improving the socio-economic status and development of the state”. In line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal Government being co-sponsored by several international financial donor agencies such as the UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, IFAD, USAID, UNIDO etc, and other local donors such as in NDDC, BOI and CBN, the state swiftly keyed into them through payment of counterpart funds on FADAMA III, Root and Tuber Expansion Project (RTEP), CommunityBased Natural Resources Management Project (CBNRM) and Animal Traction and Hand Tools Technology Programme. It also attracted a number of agricultural development projects to the state for the benefit of the farmers. The government embarked on institutional strengthening and capacity building of community groups, substantive livelihood development and small-scale community infrastructure. Through the Special Adviser to the governor on Science and Technology, Mr Sunny Ofili, the agricultural sector approved the training of Master-Bakers two years ago in collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), saddled with the responsibility of isolating, researching and showcasing the existing raw materials, to realise the blending of cassava flour mixed with wheat flour to make cassava bread, training workshops were organised in the area of agro-processing for Delta indigenes, specifically plantain processing into chips and flour. Shortly after, over N7 million, Ofili said, was spent between 2007 and 2011 to purchase computer sets and other accessories for the state secondary schools. He added: “N1.3 billion was incorporated into 2012 budget to build the state’s ICT Park for sustainable development.” The target audience, according to

him, includes students in Senior Secondary Schools (SSS). He said: “The park, when completed, will in its first three years, create about 15,000 entrepreneurs in the ICT sector and another 10,000 jobs for those who will support this new industrial base.” Ofili added that the park would provide rentable, lease out spaces for business process outsourcing, software development, IT training and services, business incubation and other services. In the last seven years, Uduaghan, according to the special adviser, has pursued his three-point agenda of peace and security, human-capital and infrastructural development, with unfettered spirit, and has developed other strategy tagged: “Catch Them Young”, for the teeming youth. “In realising this, the governor approved N9 million for Young Farmers Clubs, thereby organising trainings and sponsorship of quiz competitions in 45 secondary schools across the state and provided seeds, sprayers, tarpaulin ponds, fingerlings and fish feeds, to stimulate interest in the young farmers to promote agriculture,” Ofili said. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Misan Ukubeinje, corroborated Ofili’s views. He said: “Today, 10,314 persons madeup of 5,516 males and 4,798 females in 616 FADAMA Users Groups (FUGs) in 75 FADAMA Community Associations across 17 local government areas have benefitted, to the tune of N300,594,421,68. “Most of these enterprises have started yielding returns on their investments as they have run their full circles. The IFAD/NDDC funded programme i.e. the Community Based Natural Resources Management Programme (CBNRMP), which commenced in 2007, with three council areas, have improved the quality of life and raised the standard of living of at least 400,000 rural poorest of the poor households in the Niger Delta region, even as approximately 44,444 poor rural households are targeted.

“Delta State has been chosen as a pilot state for this programme. It is basically an agricultural programme aimed at wealth creation through agricultural production/value chain. The programme is to be executed in the 25 local government areas of the state. Each council will execute approved agricultural programme where it has a comparative advantage. We are pleased to host this pilot project on the continent of Africa.” Although, Ukubeinje agreed that hi-tech fraud rocked the N973,800,000 the state accessed via Commercial Agriculture Credit when some farmers attempted to swindle their colleagues of their cheques, he, however, said 926 farmers benefited through cooperative societies from the money, even as he said N21,654,000 was paid for the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Scheme. The Federal Government via the Central Bank Agriculture Loan Scheme (CBALS) provided the loan to states across the federation to boost food production and assist farmers to go beyond their subsistence farming into commercial agriculture, which over 934 cooperative societies benefited from in the state. Although the governor presided over the disbursement and warned the beneficiaries against diverting the loan to unproductive ventures such as marrying new wives and buying of cars, the beneficiaries still disregarded his warnings. While some ghost farmers were said to have forged certificates to access the loan, others made frantic efforts to steal other farmers’ cheques. Despite this, Ukubeinje said the state recently excelled in its Public-PrivatePartnership (PPP) initiative. Aside the Feed Africa Project (FAP) which the state initiated with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and designed by the Human Security Centre, the state has partnered the Obasanjo Farms Nigeria (OFN) with N3 billion Commercial Poultry Production and Processing Complex established at Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area. The project has since taken-off and absorbed over 246 people with the catchment area having the highest number of employees. Over 75 per cent egg distributors, according to the commissioner, have registered in the system. He said the intention of the governor to finish strong next year with the establishment of 10 firms to promote Medium and Small Scale Enterprise across the state, was not jettisoned. At a town hall meeting with owners of SMEs last year, Uduaghan listed the firms as four Fish Feed Mills and six Cassava Processing Plants. To that effect, the governor assembled some German partners on Youth Development Programme where the youth would acquire technical skills on various fields of endeavour. He said: “We have appealed to Germany when the ambassador came, to assist us in training our talents in technical and vocational skills.”

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sokoto commissioner resigns Umar Danladi Ado

Sokoto

State CommisSals,okoto sioner for Solid MinerMallam Dahiru MaiS-

hanu, has resigned his membership of the state executive council with immediate effect. This was contained in a statement signed by the former commissioner and made available to newsmen in yesterday in Sokoto. He said in the statement: “In pursuit of my future endeavours, I have decided to channel my ability to other life’s callings.” The statement said that

the former commissioner thanked Governor Aliyu Wamakko, for the opportunity given to him to make his humble contribution to the development of the state in the service of the people. Contacted on the issue, Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Nasiru Danladi Bako, said he was not in the position to comment as the resignation was beyond him. A source close to the former commissioner revealed that he resigned to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to oppose the APC led state government.

Harmony Ventures & Supplies gets new MD Biodun Oyeleye L-R: Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama and Managing Director, Presco Plc; Mr. Uday Pilani, at the inauguration of Presco Plc's Biogas Plant in Benin City…yesterday

300,000

The number of adults and children estimated to be living with HIV in Botswana in 2007. Source: Blatantworld.com

0.2

The number of fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Africa region in 2010. Source: Itu.int

43%

The percentage of population of Nigeria under 15 years of age in 2012. Source: Un.org

Confab: Kinsmen put South-South delegates in tight corner Gabriel Choba Ughelli

takeholders in the Niger Delta region yesterday called on delegates to the National Conference from the region not to return home unless the interests of the region are protected at the conference that is still ongoing in Abuja. The stakeholders had accused delegates from the South-South region of not protecting the interests of the region.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders yesterday, the Country Director of Network for Good Governance, Mr. Sunny Onuesoke, expressed dissatisfaction over the inability of South-South delegates to pursue the collective interests of the people of the region. He said: “As a people, the South-South has suffered enough degradation and deprivation. We have sacrificed enough for the nation and it is time for

us to have at least 80 percent of our resources. So it is either 80 percent or nothing, because the 18 percent recommended is unacceptable to the people of the South-South.” He continued: “We don’t expect less from our delegates at the national conference. As a matter of fact, they should not return home at the end of the conference should they fail to achieve the minimum, which we have pegged at 80 percent.

“South-South delegates should not return home unless they achieve the aspiration of the people on derivation formula.” Onuesoke further frowned on the recommendation of five percent for the north under the guise of rehabilitating areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. “You cannot continue to deprive the people of the South-South of their God-given resources in the name of one nation,” he concluded.

Abia doles out N24m to 12 graduates, as 200 others get cars Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

o fewer than 12 unemployed graduates were yesterday empowered with N2million each to start a business of their choice even as 200 other youths benefited from Governor Theodore Orji’s Youth Empowerment Programme for Arochukwu, Bende and Ohafia local government areas of Abia State. The governor has so far distributed about 2,000 vehicles since the programme began in 2012. Speaking at the ceremony in Bende Local Government, Governor Orji said the era of empowering

youths with shovels, head pan, wheelbarrows and palm seedlings was gone. He said the empowerment programme targets the suffering masses as a fulfillment of his campaign promises to change the fortunes of the youth and unite political gladiators. According to the governor, in addition to providing financial incentives to begin their businesses and empowerment as agro-entrepreneurs and owners of brand new vehicles; “We have also made available to our youths other numerous items to improve their lives and the comfort of their families.

“Our skills acquisition centre in Umuahia has trained 800 people to date in a six months intensive programme in tailoring, sewing, fashion designing, fish farming, interior decoration, photography, GSM operation, among others.” Also the government through the empowerment programme has equipped the trained youths with items of their trade, including power generating sets and computers, among others. Governor Orji said: “Many Abia youths have found their voices and have become strong forces to be reckoned with in the deepening of our democ-

racy and the security of the state,” he added that; “ I am very proud to say that this is one legacy of change that we are leaving for the people. For me, empowering our youths is like a personal dream, a promise and a covenant fulfilled.” Orji said those who criticised the programme initially have realised that it was strategic in tackling restiveness among youths as it has made the beneficiaries responsible citizens, who are now contributing to the development of peace, security and commerce in Aba in particular, where the first programme was held.

Ilorin

to focus on Dandetermined the company’s strength expertise in critical

areas of its operations and corporate growth initiative, Harmony Holdings Limited has approved the appointment of Mr. Saliman Abdullahi, as the new Managing Director/CEO of its new subsidiary, Harmony Ventures & Supplies Limited. A statement signed on behalf of the company by Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Tunde Abodunde, said the appointment took effect from July 7, 2014.

An indigene of IlorinWest Local Government of Kwara State, Abdullahi is bringing to his new portfolio a wealth of experience and knowledge, having served for close to two decades in business development, strategy and research with various financial institutions. Prior to his new appointment, Abdullahi had served as Acting Head, Business Development and Strategy, Harmony Holdings Limited, where he was instrumental to the generation of new businesses, including the supplies and ventures business, which he now manages as well as expansion of existing ones.

Anambra to shut down 486 exam centres Tony Okafor

AWKA

o fewer than 486 ‘magic’ NAnambra examination centres in State would be

shut down, Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha, has said. The commissioner said the exercise was part of measures to curb examination malpractice in Anambra State. Omenugha spoke yesterday during the 10th anniversary of St. Joseph’s Academic Award for 2014 in Awka. She said such miracle centres had been aiding and abetting ex-

amination malpractices, especially in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) examinations. The commissioner said the plan to shut down the magic centres had become necessary due to the way their operators had fashioned them to swindle unsuspecting candidates. According to her; “We have government schools and approved private schools that are saddled with the responsibility of training our children to become functional members of our society."

Ramadan: Youth leader sues for peace Hassan Jirgi

DAMATURU

Coordinator of the TinheJonathan for 2015 agenda the North-East and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Leader in Yobe State, Alhaji Ado Adamu, has enjoined Muslims in all parts of the country to embrace peace in the interest of Nigeria. He called on Muslims to use the month of Ramadan to pray fervently for peace and tranquility in the nation, nothing that only a peaceful

atmosphere could engender development. Adamu gave the advice while speaking with newsmen shortly after he distributed bags of rice as are gifts to members of Yobe State correspondent chapel over the weekend in Damaturu. The youth leader enjoined all Muslim Ummah, especially in this month of Ramadan, to pray for the peace and unity of the country. "Everybody should pray and thank God and this time I am sure God will answer our prayers," he added.

Osun 2014

48 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Aregbesola administration is bogus, says Omisore FIRE It is more grammatical fireworks as politicians battle for power Adeolu Adeyemo

OSOGBO

he governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, yesterday described the Rauf Aregbesola administration as fraudulent and frivolous. Omisore in a statement by his Director of Publicity and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi in Osogbo, said the present administration has brought untold

hardship to the state through many unpopular projects. According to him; “Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme of Rauf Aregbesola is a big fraud, though the programme seems as if it was meant to empower the farmers, but beneath it was high level fraud perpetrated by the officials in charge. “The case of Osun State cannot be different as it is predominantly an agrarian economy, where more than 80 percent of the population resides in the rural areas and more than 70 percent of this rural population is basically into agriculture and agro-allied enterprises. “Therefore, it is an understatement to say that agriculture is very important and as such, any serious government should

not handle it with levity. “From our investigation, the leadership of the APC in Osun has used its agricultural development agenda tagged; Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP), to fraudulently enrich themselves to the detriment of the wellbeing of the resource-poor farmers of the state. “Despite the about N4billion this government claimed it has spent on agriculture in the last three and half years, there is still nothing commensurate on ground,” Omisore said. According to our findings; “OREAP is an agenda in the right direction, but was being implemented by a group of persons that are bereft of integrity. The programme focuses on four areas, which include farm estate

development, agricultural land expansion, cooperative strengthening and agricultural investments and partnerships. “For instance, under the farm estate development, the infrastructure of the farm settlements and other popular areas of agricultural production were supposed to be upgraded. The infrastructure, which includes rural roads, primary health centres, potable water, electricity, etc. were budgeted for year in, year out, but the question we should ask this government is, how many of the farm estates in Osun has been provided with these facilities? “Or better still, we should ask the good people of Osun how many of this infrastructure has been provided in your

villages or settlements? “The quantum of whatever this government has done is not commensurate with what they have budgeted for as

well as the financial support to agricultural development the state received from development partners, donors and international agencies.”

AP warns politicians against bloodletting ccord Party governorAState, ship candidate in Osun Hon. Niyi Owolade, yesterday warned politicians against shedding of innocent blood before, during and after the August 9 governorship election. Owolade, who gave this warning at a press conference held at the NUJ Press Centre, Osogbo, said whosoever that kills by the sword would definitely die by the sword, advising them to shun bloodletting and acts that could lead to the termination of innocent lives and the destruction of property all in the name of politicking. The Labour Party flag bearer further warned against money bag politics, saying it would only destroy

the political structure of any given society. He charged politicians to do away with acrimony, violence and antidemocratic process that could truncate the current democratic experiment. While calling on security agencies to be at alert to their responsibilities before, during and after the election, Owolade described their presence as indispensable to fight electoral malpractices by desperate politicians. He, however, charged them to perform their lawful duties as expected and see that law and order are duly maintained by the electorate, politicians and all other stakeholders that may be present on the election day.

Parents endorse governor for second term Adeolu Adeyemo

OSOGBO

of pupils and Pandarents students of primary secondary schools

A cross section of the mammoth crowd at Aregbesola's re-election campaign at Unity School, Ejigbo, Osun State…yesterday (INSERT) L-R: Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; former Governor Isiaka Adeleke; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi at the occasion

5.1%

The percentage rise of capital importation of Nigeria in 2010 over the preceding year. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

9.99m

The male population of Angola in 2012. Source: Un.org

4.64m

The total population of Costa Rica (rep. 0.07% of world’s population) in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

in Osun State under the auspices of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), yesterday unanimously endorsed the reelection of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, for a second term in office. The parents, who endorsed his second term bid during the presentation of awards to some selected teachers in the state, described Aregbesola as a trustworthy leader, whose administration has touched the life of the people. They described his achievement as intimidating and the

cynosure to all eyes, charging the electorate to vote him again on August 9. They said the governor has the ability and capability to steer the ship of the state to the promise land. Speaking at the playing ground of Government Technical College, Osogbo, the Chairman of the body, Dr. Ademola Ekundayo, said the over 200,000 parents were glad to endorse Aregbesola based on his achievements in the education sector in his first term in office. He remarked: “We are convinced that Aregbesola would serve the state better than he has done if given the second term and that is why we are endorsing him to be reelected as the governor.

LP to introduce procurement law

AD promises free education for indigent pupils

OSOGBO

Adeolu Adeyemo

sun State Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the August 9 election, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, yesterday assured people of the state that his administration would reintroduce the procurement law to ensure transparency and accountability in government. Akinbade, who made the pledge in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo through his Media Aide, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, said: “LP government immediately after inauguration, will ensure the passage of

a Procurement Act to serve as a guide for the execution of all government projects. “When the cost is moderate and competitive, the government will be able to spread development within available resources.” He added that; “Labour Party would ensure that the local content policy that would sustain the economy was adhered to, while contractors and investors alike will be made to source for personnel and materials within the state to a very large extent. “Only materials that are not locally available will be brought from outside the state. This is

one of the ways we want to curb capital flight, with a view to improving the standard of living of our people.” Akinbade then implored the electorate to be focused in their resolve to see him emerge in the coming election as their new governor. The Labour Party flag bearer, who observed that the over N300 billion that has accrued to the state was enough to transform the state if the Rauf Aregbesola administration had put it to judicious use, noted that this did not include loans and other credit facilities running into several billions of naira already obtained by the government.

OSOGBO

he Osun State candiTDemocracy date of the Alliance for (AD) in the

August 9 governorship election, Hon. Sunday Fajinmi, has said that if elected governor, his party would provide free and functional education that would lay a solid foundation for pupils in public schools across the state. Fajinmi, who made the promise in an interview with newsmen in Osogbo after a political meeting, added that his administration, if electerd, would retrain teachers to enhance their knowledge base and also

ensure that students are not made to trek more than seven kilometres to schools from their residences. He assured that all his promises would be fulfilled, but charged the electorate to cast their votes for the AD in the next election, saying the party is the only party that belongs to the masses. Fajinmi, who described the security vote of governors as tantamount to corruption, promised to get it discarded if voted as the governor. The AD flag bearer argued that security votes meant for the security of lives and

property of the citizenry had been diverted at the helms of affair to arm political thugs while converting some to personal use. “Many governors, rather than utilising security votes for the purpose it was meant for were used to arm political thugs while diverting security votes to personal use. “If elected as governor in the coming poll, I will agitate for the outright abolition of security votes as such funds should be used to address challenges in the educational sector, health and provide durable infrastructures for the people.”

NEWS 49

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Jega tasks INEC public affairs officers Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday charged Public Affairs Officers of the commission to adopt different strategies in educating the people about the activities of the commission. The chairman, who

spoke at the opening of a four-day workshop organised for INEC Public Affairs officers by the United States Embassy in Abuja, said the people need to be reached out to with regards to the method best suited for any purpose. "It reverberates with our thinking that the commission needs to reach out to a majority of our people who live in the rural areas, who are largely illiterate and who need to be educated

about the electoral process in an elaborate, clear and sustained manner. "We think that different strategies and platforms need to be deployed to reach out to them rather than the elitist and highbrow ones we are used to", Jega added. He noted that INEC has put in place measures to improve on the capacity of its staff to deliver elec-

tions that are superior in terms of integrity and transparency, stressing that well-trained staff are most likely to exude confidence in performing their tasks competently. The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said the training was part of the United States' support to INEC for the conduct of elections.

Entwistle explained that America supports free, credible, inclusive and peaceful process in which democratic principles are adhered to by all parties, candidates and institutions. The process, according to him encompasses all stages in the run-up to elections, including preparation of voter registers, electioneering campaigns,

the voting process and any other problem that might arise afterwards. He congratulated INEC and other election stakeholders for conducting a successful election in Ekiti. "Positive momentum builds up, and I believe you will carry this forward into the August elections in Osun, and hopefully into next year," he said.

NEMA: Over 15,000 homeless in Damboa, Maiduguri Chikwar Kir, Bomburatai and Sabon Kwatta. He said the agency has Maiduguri concluded plan to take relief materials to the displaced persons. "NEMA is he National Emer- going for camp managegency Management ment in the aforemenAgency (NEMA) on tioned locations to cater Monday said 15,204 for the needs of the IDPs." According to him, inipersons have been displaced by insurgency tial assessment indicates attacks in Damboa local that the IDPs require basic government area of Bor- household items including no state. plates, spoons, towels, cups, Speaking to journalists clothings, beddings, food in Maiduguri, the North- items, blankets, mosquito east information officer nets and sanitary pads. of the agency, AbdulKadir NEMA spokesman said Ibrahim said the internal- the new IDPs have added ly displaced persons (IDP) up the initial figure of 149, are presently seeking ref- 903 persons that the agenuge in Biu, Maiduguri and cy have had to attend to Goniri in Gujba local gov- from January, 2014 to date. ernment area of Borno He said the Director and Yobe states. General of the agency, Ibrahim said the num- Alhaji Mohammed Sani ber of displaced persons Sidi had to sacrifice his in Biu as at Monday stood proposed visit to Saudi at 10,204 with 3000 in Mai- Arabia for lesser hajj to duguri and 2,000 in Goniri. supervise efforts at servHe added that the dis- ing the emerging humaniplaced people were not tarian crisis as a result of only from Damboa town the capture of Damboa by but from surrounding lo- the insurgents and subsecations of Kimba, Mada- quent mass exodus of inragrau, Mandafuma, digenes.

Ahmed Miringa

FRSC: Chidoka blows own trumpet in Awka Tony Okafor

Awka

utgoing Corps Marshal OSafety of the Federal Road Corps (FRSC), Mr

Osita Chidoka has scored the organization high in delivering its mandate in safety motoring in the country, noting that the Corps is even exceeding its expectations in that respect. Chidoka made the observation in Awka yesterday at the inauguration of an office complex for the Anambra Command of FRSC and the number plate producing plant. The corps marshal explained that the Anambra sector command office was the first of all the prototype offices proposed for construction across the country to be inaugurated. Chidoka emphasized

that the number plate factory, with a capacity of 7,000 pairs of number plates per day, will serve the entire South-East and South-South geo-political zones. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the inauguration of this factory; that of Gwagwalada and Lagos, we now have a capacity to produce 20, 000 number plates per day. We consume about 15,000 to 20, 000 plates monthly across the country. Chidoka commended the state government for donating the land as well as contributing N17 million towards the construction of the complex. He expressed hope that the partnership between the corps and the state government will be sustained, especially towards reducing road crashes on Enugu-Onitsha and Onitsha-Owerri expressways.

L-R: Student, Ekiti State University, Ayomide Adesanya; Group Head, Marketing and Communications of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Ikechukwu Kalu; Team Leader, Ekiti State University, Dolapo Odupele and another Student, Tade Ayodeji, during the presentation of trophy of the Enactus Nigeria National Competition 2014 in Lagos

Unpaid salaries: Jos Zungeru Dam: FG resolves North LG workers protest to pay compensation Buhari Bello

Jos

orkers of the Jos North W Local Government Council, in Plateau State

yesterday staged a peaceful demonstration over the nonpayment of out-standing salaries, arrears and other entitlements. The demonstrating workers had earlier blocked the entrance of the Council Secretariat, in an attempt to avoid the Council interim chairman and other senior staff of the council from entering it. New Telegraph gathered from one of the council workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that they are not happy with the situation where they are owed two months outstanding salaries. "We are been owed November and December 2013 salaries. We are also been owed three years arrears. There are also other unpaid repatriation entitlements", he stated. The source further said a lot of them have not been

promoted for years, stressing thattheyhavebeencomplaining to the council, through NULGE officials, yet nothing has been done. He said if nothing serious is done, they will continue to pursue their legitimate rights through peaceful means. He explained that the council has a lot of money in its purse, "but the interim chairman has said the money is for project execution." According to him, if Wase Local Government Council that had also an interim chairman has cleared all the outstanding entitlements, "I wonder why in Jos North, we cannot be paid." The Jos North chapter of NULGE, Comrade Yakubu Dung, said: "It is not as if the workers are on strike. But the gathering that you have seen was just to address our congress members." Dung declined further comments over the alleged pending issues raised by his colleagues.

Dan Atori

MINNA

Government TthathehasFederal resolved to ensure adequate compensa-

tion is paid to all affected persons in the communities affected by the construction of 700mw Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Point. Last week, youths from more than 600 host communities of the Zungeru Hydroelectric dam forced the Chinese construction firm, Synohydro company handling the project to stop work on site until compensation is paid. The chairman of the Federal Government Community Relations Committee on the Power Project, Alhaji Isah Jibril gave the assurance at a meeting with the host communities led by Gombo Yusuf yesterday in the area. "The meeting was aimed at examining a common challenge with a view to finding realistic and lasting solution", Jibril said.

Jibrin who accompanied the representative of the Minister of Power, Engr. E. O. Ajayi to the meeting, implored host communities to restrain from any hostile or disruptive activities as compensation money have already been deposited in the banks preparatory for payment. He said: "Having discussed extensively, frankly and ironed out gray areas with representatives of the communities, all parties have now come to a better understanding and would henceforth work harmoniously for the success of the power project. "In the meantime, the committee will adequately inform the appropriate authority of the decision reached and for necessary further action". The representative of the Minister of Power, Engr. E. O. Ajayi in his brief input also appealed for the understanding of all stakeholders and assured that the decisions would be forwarded to the federal government.

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Gaza: Death toll hits over 500, Hamas returns fire

he Palestinian death toll in an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip jumped to more than 500 yesterday, as the United States, alarmed by escalating civilian bloodshed, took a direct role in efforts to secure a ceasefire. Despite growing calls for a halt to two weeks of fighting, violence raged on, with Israel saying it had killed 10 militants who tunneled across the border from Gaza, and Palestinian officials accusing the Israeli army of shelling a hospital.

Israeli jets, tanks and artillery constantly pounded the denselypopulated coastal strip, killing 28 members of a single family at the southern end. Hamas unleashed regular volleys of rockets at Israeli cities, many of them intercepted. A day after he was caught by an open microphone saying sarcastically that the Israeli assault was “a hell of a pinpoint operation”, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Cairo to try to secure an end to hostilities.

“We have serious concerns about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, and that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a ceasefire,” he told reporters at the White House. The Islamist group Hamas, which inflicted the biggest single loss on Israeli forces in eight years when it killed 13 soldiers in Gaza on Sunday, said it would not

lay down its arms until a series of demands were met including an end to a blockade imposed on the territory by both Israel and Egypt. “The world must understand that Gaza has decided to end the blockade by its blood and its heroism,” deputy Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address. At Al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip, four people were killed and 70 wounded when an Israeli tank shell slammed into the third floor, housing operating

theaters and an intensive care unit, the Health Ministry said. The Israeli military, which has accused Hamas militants of firing rockets from the grounds of Gaza hospitals and seeking refuge there, had no immediate comment. Non-stop attacks lifted the Palestinian death toll to 518, including almost 100 children, since fighting started on July 8, Gaza health officials said. Israel says 18 of its soldiers have also died along with two civilians.

Malaysia Airlines: Obama fingers Pro-Russia fighters

resident Obama yesterday, bluntly accused proMoscow separatist fighters in Ukraine of stealing evidence and improperly removing bodies from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and pressed Russia to compel the rebels to stop blocking an international investigation. “What exactly are they trying to hide?” Obama asked in a hastily arranged statement on the south lawn of the White House. “The burden now is on Russia to insist that the separatists stop tampering with the evidence.” The president noted that it has been four days since the passenger jet went down, killing all 298 people aboard. The United States blames a surface-to-air missile fired from territory

controlled by the rebels, who have extensive support from Moscow, including advanced weapons and training. International investigators including an American team have traveled to Ukraine to carry out a full investigation. “Unfortunately, the Russianbacked separatists who control the area continue to block the investigation. They’ve repeatedly prevented international investigators from gaining full access to the wreckage,” including by firing their weapons into the air when the teams approached the site, Obama charged. “These separatists are removing evidence from the crash site,” the president said. “Moreover, these Russian-backed separatists are removing bodies from the crash site, oftentimes

Four year-old boy dies in South Africa carjacking

outh African police yesterday searched for assailants who forced a family from their car and drove off with a 4-year-old boy hanging out of the vehicle. The boy was later found dead in the abandoned vehicle. The boy was with his sister and parents in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, during the carjacking Saturday night, according to South African media. His mother told The Star newspaper that she tried in vain to pull her son from the car. The boy’s head and body may have hit the road as the car sped away, causing fatal injuries. “I asked them to let me pull my child out because his foot was stuck, but they just sped off and ripped him out of my hands,” The Star quoted the boy’s mother, Chantel Morris, as saying.

The newspaper said Morris ran after the car, screaming and pleading, and other people also ran after the vehicle, shouting “The child! The child!” Two or three assailants were involved, according to reports. Authorities offered a reward of nearly $5,000 for information leading to arrests in the case, which has shocked South Africans accustomed to a high crime rate. A South African parliamentary committee that handles police affairs said such an incident undermines South Africa’s gains in curbing serious crime. There had been progress in the past five years, noting an overall reduction in crimes including murder and attacks on vulnerable groups including women, children and the disabled, it said.

Israeli Soldiers carry the flag-draped coffin of their Comerade Amotz Greenberg

Central African leader appeals for ceasefire as talks open in Congo

entral African Republic’s interim president appealed yesterday to Muslim Seleka rebels and ‘antibalaka’ Christian militia to agree a ceasefire at the start of talks in the neighboring Congo Republic. The three-day forum in Brazzaville, mediated by Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, aims to reach terms for a halt to hostilities and disarmament but will not address negotiations for a longer-term peace deal in the former French colony. “This forum which opens today is a major step in the political dialogue and reconciliation between the sons and daughters of Central African Republic,” Interim President Catherine Samba Panza said at the opening of the talks. Samba Panza, whose government will steer the country to elections next year, said the forum would pave the way towards further difficult steps in securing peace, such as intercommunity talks at a grassroots

level. The talks bring together some 169 delegates from the transitional government, civil society and armed groups. Thousands have been killed and more than a million forced from their homes by sectarian violence which erupted after mostly Muslim Seleka fighters seized power in the majority Christian country in March 2013. Months of lootings and killings by Seleka fighters many of them mercenaries from neighboring Chad and Sudan - prompted a backlash by the ‘anti-balaka’ militia that has driven the rebels and tens of thousands of Muslims northwards, effectively dividing the country along religious lines. Clashes between the two sides and reprisals against both Christians and Muslims have continued despite the presence of 2,000 French peacekeepers and 6,000 African troops. The United Nations will deploy a peacekeeping mission in September. Samba Panza

took office after Seleka’s leader Michel Djotodia was forced to resign as president in January under international pressure. Djotodia, who was reappointed as Seleka leader earlier this month, is the target of U.S. sanctions and will not personally attend the talks. Human Rights Watch appealed Sunday for participants in the forum to reject any calls for amnesty for those responsible for serious human rights abuses. “Mediators need to make clear that lasting peace cannot be achieved without justice and that no one is above the law,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. In a sign of the volatility of the situation, several Seleka fighters awaiting disarmament took to the streets of central Bangui on Monday, firing into the air, after one of their number was stabbed by a militia member. Calm returned after French and African peacekeepers deployed to the area.

Federer, Woods world’s most valuable athletes

T Federer

ennis star, Roger Federer, and golfer, Tiger Woods, are the most financially valuable athletes on earth. Forbes Magazine reports that in 2013, Federer and Woods each earned $46 million with their names. It costs tournament organisers more than $1 million just to get a starting guarantee from Federer’s management. Meanwhile, Forbes

reports, that his 10-year contract with Nike is worth a total of $100 million. More than 14 million people are fans of his Facebook account. “Consistency for so many years has benefitted Federer’s brand value greatly. In his case, it doesn’t even matter if he wins another big tournament again,” says Hans-Willy Brockes, the head

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

of Europäische Sponsoring Börse (ESB).

Top 10 Most Valuable Athletes 1. Roger Federer (Switzerland), Tennis – $46m Tiger Woods (USA), Golf – $46m 2. LeBron James (USA), Basketball – $27m 3. Phil Mickelson (USA), Golf – $25m 4. Maria Sharapova (Russia),

Tennis – $23m Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Cricket – $21m Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Track and field – $20m Kobe Bryant (USA), Basketball – $19m Li Na (China), Tennis – $15m Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Football – $13m Lionel Messi (Argentina), Football – $13m

NEW TELEGRAPH

Did you know?

ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS

That Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (6) overtook Cameroon’s Roger Milla (5) as all-time top scoring African player at a World Cup

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

TUESday, July 22, 2014

Keshi

Keshi splits T NFF again

Keshi talking with Musa during one of the Eagles’ matches at the World Cup

Adekunle Salami

lBoard meets Thursday to decide Eagles coach

he decision on whether or not to retain Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, will top the agenda of the Nigeria Football Federation at its board meeting scheduled to hold on Thursday in Abuja. It was reliably learnt that the board members are however divided over the issue which is crucial at this point given that the coach has served out his contract with the team at the just concluded World Cup in Brazil. Shortly after the Eagles crashed out of the Mundial with the 2-0 defeat suffered against France in Brasilia, the coach told the players that he was leaving the national team. Investigations revealed that the NFF members were okay with his decision since their working relationship with the coach had not been too smooth since after the Nations Cup which Nigeria won two years ago in South Africa,

“The board barely managed to cope with Keshi so that nothing would disrupt the World Cup plans of the team in any way. That was why no contract talks were held before the World Cup and that was why he was paid all his salaries upfront before Brazil. Maybe Keshi saw the handwriting on the wall,” our source said. On Thursday, there will be discussions on the Congress holding next month where new officers of the board will emerge, a review of Brazil 2014 and the issue of who handles the Super Eagles will be decided. “There is urgent need for somebody to be in charge. It’s like Nigeria has no coach for now and so there might be a stand-in coach or a definite decision will be taken on Keshi,” the source added. There are strong indications that some powerful people in the country have won over some members of the board who are poised to present a case for Keshi’s continuity on Thursday.

However, some other board members are adamant that Keshi will have to leave since his contract had expired and he ‘signed out’ in Brazil. It is not the first time that the body will be divided over a decision on the coach. Only two weeks ago, the former Mali coach also rolled out conditions that could make him return to the job as the handler of the team. Top on his list was the double pay request, which means he will be earning N10m monthly and not N5m which he was earning up till last month. Our correspondent also learnt that the board could refer the Keshi issue to the technical committee of the NFF headed by Barrister Chris Green. Green however told our correspondent that he was not aware of the meeting agenda and could not speak on the Keshi issue. “I am aware we are meeting but it is a board meeting and many issues will be decided but I don’t know the details.

52 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Top 10 names to look out for in Glasgow

freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200 individual medley, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.

Mo Farah (England): Athletics Somali-born Farah stormed to British acclaim when he won both the 5,000 and 10,000m at the London Olympics, becoming one of the “local” faces that helped set the Games out as one of the most successful ever. He went on to win the double at the 2013 Moscow worlds, but was unsure whether he would actually compete in Glasgow after dabbling into the marathon. After an eighth place in London, he stepped back in distance and Glasgow breathed a sigh of relief.

Usain Bolt (Jamaica): Athletics The towering Jamaican is arguably the biggest name in world sport and his presence in Glasgow, albeit solely in the 4x100m relay, is a huge boost for the Commonwealth Games. The 27-year-old six-time Olympic gold medallist and double sprint world record holder ensures that the world media’s attention will be focused on Scotland. Fans will only be hoping that he might still be able to compete in individual events and really light up the Games.

Nicola Adams (England): Boxing Adams won the first ever Olympic women’s boxing gold medal at the London Games in 2012 when she defeated China’s world champion Ren Cancan. Adams started boxing at the age of twelve and had her first bout a year later. In 2007, she was the first ever English female to earn a medal in a major tournament when she won silver in the European Championships.

Sally Pearson (Australia): Athletics The Australian is rumoured to be going for a double in Glasgow, in her usual 100m hurdles and also the 100m flat. Coming back from injury, the 27-year-old Queenslander has at times struggled this season, but will want, perhaps, to better her outing over 100m in New Delhi four years ago, where she was stripped of the title for a dubious false-start on appeal. David Rudisha (Kenya): Athletics The 800m world record holder has made an impressive long-awaited return from injury, clocking the world’s fastest two laps this season at no lesser place than Glasgow. That appearance was Rudisha’s first since he stormed to his world-record setting Olympic gold medal showing in London in 2012, covering 800m in just over 101 seconds. But he will face stiff competition in Glasgow, notably from his own teammates and Ugandan rivals.

Nicol David (Malaysia): Squash The 30-year-old seven-time world champion and global number one, David completed her collection of major international titles with Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi. In Glasgow, Nicol will also be out to win Malaysia’s first medal in the women’s doubles with teammate Low Wee Wern. David is an eight-time Asian champion and once also enjoyed a 13-month, 51-match winning streak, from March 2006 until April 2007.

Blessing Okagbare The 25-year-old Nigerian heads to Glasgow as one of the medal favourites in the women’s 100m, 200m and long jump events. She has been African champion in the long jump since 2010, and her 100m best of 10.79 seconds is the fastest ever by an African woman.

Alicia Coutts (Australia): Swimming The 26-year-old Coutts has won 21 medals for Australia in major championships over the past four years. That haul included five medals at the 2012 Olympics including one gold. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Coutts was the most decorated swimmer winning gold in the 100m

DJ Forbes (New Zealand): Rugby Sevens The 31-year-old has been with the all-conquering New Zealand rugby sevens team since 2006, the shaven-headed flanker a stalwart of Gordon Tietjen’s squad that has so far won all four Commonwealth Games titles and dominated the IRB world circuit throughout. Forbes’ abrasive defence ties in perfectly with a great linking and supportive game that makes the All Blacks tick, more often to victory.

Bradley Wiggins (England): Cycling The 34-year-old Wiggins made history in 2012 when he became the first British rider to win the Tour de France before going on to take the gold medal in the Olympics time trial. He had already won three track gold in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Knighted for his services to the sport, his record didn’t guarantee him a place at the 2014 Tour de France when he was dropped by his Sky team.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

ome of the athletes who will be representing Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are crying over their condition since their arrival in Scotland over the weekend. With the Games set to kick off on Wednesday, delegates from the participating countries are already on ground and could be seen on the streets of Glasgow, especially around the games village, rightly fitted with track suits bearing their national colours. This is in contrast to the Nigerian athletes, who confirmed that they have not been supplied with kits and as a result they are dressed in different colours. Only those participating in the track and field events have kits, from other events they took part in. Others have no kits, says a senior Nigerian athlete at the Games in an interview with Saharareporters.com. The athlete, who preferred

‘Nigerian athletes living like beggars’

Okorodudu promises three gold medals in boxing Ajibade Olusesan

ational boxing coach, Jerry Okorodudu, is confident that Nigerian boxers can claim at least three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. The coach who spoke with our correspondent before the team’s departure, said he had boxers with enormous potential to do better than last competition in New Delhi when they arrived the country with no medal. “I have looked at our capacity in the various categories in which we are going to participate and I can tell you that we would win med-

lNo kits for Team Nigeria

anonymity, said: “It is embarrassing seeing Nigerian athletes in tatters. Some are even wearing bathroom slippers.” “The athletics team was lucky to have their own personal kits from previous outings. Nobody has been supplied with kits and no one knows whether there will be any.” The athlete also disclosed that since they arrived the games village in Glasgow, there hasn’t been any meeting with any Nigerian official. Issues relating to allowances or even conduct and other logistics that will inform their movements haven’t been discussed with anybody. There isn’t any form of organisation at all. “The morale at the moment is very low and Nigerians are expecting us to show them medals on our return, we have not seen any of our officials and we are not happy with the situation.”

Oshaniwa eyes Russia, Turkey move EmmanuelTobi

Nigerian boxers in action during a recent championship

Oshaniwa

coach Keshi was appointed. I was part of his first camp through qualifiers for the 2013 Nations Cup, winning the AFCON trophy and now given the opportunity to play at the World Cup. I could not be more grateful to a coach who believed in me. “Immediately after our last game at the World Cup, I walked up to him in the dressing room and I poured out my appreciation to him. He replied and told me this was just the beginning of my success and I was really touched by his inspirational words.”

als. I am personally looking at least five medals in boxing and I am sure three out of those would be gold medals,” he said. There have been shoddy arrangements ahead of the competition; in fact, many stakeholders have predicted gloom for the country at the Games because of the level of preparedness of Team Nigeria. But according to Okorodudu, it is wrong to say that the preparations have been shoddy, saying that he is confident that boxers would do well in Scotland because they have prepared very well for the games. “When I said that we would do well in Scotland, it is just because of the level of preparation we have had. These boxers have been exposed to a lot of competitions because of the kind of support we have gotten from the National Sports commission and the boxing federation,” he said.

Weightlifting Federation backs Olarinoye for Commonwealth job T he Nigeria Weightlifting Federation has thrown its weight behind the bid by Dr Steve Olarinoye, a board member of NWF, to be on the board of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation. Election into the board will take place next week during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games which kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday). Olarinoye, a seasoned sports administrator is currently the National Sports Commission (NSC) zonal coordinator for the South West. NWF’s media committee chairman, George Aluo in a statement made available to the media in Lagos disclosed that the NWF board endorsed Olarinoye for the election

based on his experience and the need to have a Nigerian in the international sporting body. “Olarinoye has been involved in weightlifting for over two decades and he is respected by other stakeholders from different parts of the world. We hope he will get into the executive board of CWF in Glasgow. Nigeria will gain a lot from his being on the board if elected,” Aluo stated. Olarinoye is expected to hit Glasgow tomorrow early enough to do some ground work before the elections which will pitch him against opponents from 15 other countries that include Canada, Australia, Malta, Uganda and Bangladesh. One thing going for the Nigerian is

the fact that he had in the past served the Commonwealth weightlifting body creditably. He was appointed into a commission of the weightlifting body between 2008 and 2010. He was also the secretary of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation between 2005 and 2009.

Olarinoye

Gerrard quits international football

till basking on euphoria of his fairly impressive performance at Brazil 2014 World Cup, Super Eagles defender, Juwon Oshaniwa, has expressed desire to consider offers from Russia and Turkey. The Ashdod of Israel star who has several offers, added that his agent is studying all the opportunities. “Football is all about movement and that is why every player seeks for greener pastures. I no longer play for name, but for money. So for now if clubs from Russia and Turkey meet the valuation of my club, I think I prefer to play in these two countries,” he added. The former Sharks of Port Harcourt player praised Coach Stephen Keshi for giving him the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles. “I have been part of the Super Eagles set up since

SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

ngland captain Steven Gerrard has retired from international football after winning 114 caps. Gerrard, 34, won his first cap in a 2-0 win over Ukraine in 2000 and made his last England appearance in a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica at the 2014 World Cup. The Liverpool midfielder said: “I have enjoyed every minute of representing my country. It’s a sad day for me.”

He retires from international duty having scored 21 goals and played at six major tournaments. He ranks third on England’s most-capped player list behind only Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (115). Gerrard skippered England at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil, however it was to end in disappointment for Roy Hodgson’s team after they exited the tournament bottom of the group

Surulere LG boss lauds Airtel Rising Stars initiative Charles Ogundiya

hairman of Surulere Local GovernmentArea,Lagos State, Honourable Tajudeen Ajide, has commended telecoms service provider, Airtel for its pivotal role in the development of grassroots youth football through Airtel Rising Stars. Thechairman,whospoke at the just concluded ARS 4 Zonal Finals, held at the Na-

tional Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, described ARS as an effectivetoolwhichiscapable of preventing youths from taking to crime and other vices. In his words: “ARS is a beautiful initiative. Apart from the fact that it serves as a platform for our youth to enjoy themselves, it also helps us keep the youth off the streets, in the process making the larger society crime-free.

and without a victory. “It was a very difficult decision to make,” said Gerrard. “It’s something I have been contemplating for a long time, not just since the end of the World Cup. “I’ve had to take an awful lot of advice from people who are close to me - players that I still play with, ex-players who I played with a long time ago, managers who I played for years ago.”

Brazil have fallen behind –Neymar

ifting through the ruins of Brazil’s World Cup campaign, star player Neymar says his team strove hard for glory, but that other countries have moved ahead and they must catch up. While refusing to pin the blame on former handler Luiz Felipe Scolari, Neymar also warned young players to beware the damage some coaches could do to young players’ development. In an exclusive inter-

view with Globo television broadcast Sunday, the 22-year-old said Brazil deserved at best seven out of ten for a Cup showing which ended with a 7-1 semi-final mauling by champions Germany. Asked why Brazil failed Neymar said there were simply things that could not be explained. “We cried because it was our childhood dream (to win it) and had fought hard to get to where we were.”

Transfer Updates

54 SPORT Eagles’ transfer update

Everton end Azeez chase

nglish Premier League side Everton have ended their interest in Nigeria international, Ramon Azeez. Representatives of the Almeria youngster had been in contact with the power brokers at The Tofffees before the start of the 2014 World Cup regarding a summer move for the central midfielder. Ramon Azeez was proposed to Everton as well as teams in France and Spain, not limited to Monaco and Atletico Madrid, but after failing to make any impact at the just concluded tournament, his suitors pulled the plug on his signing. The Everton hierarchy had planned to send Ramon Azeez a contract offer if he had justified in Brazil that the key role he played for Almeria over the course of last season was not a flash in the pan. This is not the first time the 21-yearold’s proposed move to the English Premier League has broken down. After winning the Bronze Ball as the third best player at the 2009 FIFA Under 17s, Azeez had successful trials at both Manchester City and Manchester United, but a move failed to materialise due to work permit issues.

Ibrahim to join Eredivisie

asarawa United striker, Abubakar Nasummer Aliyu Ibrahim, is expected to seal move to one of the former

Dutch Eredivisie champions. Supersport.com has been informed that the Dutch club has been expecting Ibrahim for a couple of weeks now, but some paperwork issues with the Dutch authorities delayed his travel. The documents have finally been authorised by the Dutch authorities and Abubakar is now expected to depart Nigeria in a matter of days, according to GBSAcademymanager,IbrahimAhmed. “IbrahimwillleaveforTheNetherlandsin a few days with his representative. He is goingtoatopDutchclub.Icannotreveal moreuntilthedealissealed.“Abubakaris averyspecialtalentwithagreatmentality. From a very young age our academy coaches identified him as a player with great potential.I am very happy for him,” said Ibrahim to supersport.com. His London-based agent, Tony Harris, confirmed that Abubakar will depart for The Netherlands soon, but refused to disclose any further detail. The Nasarawa United striker, groomed from the GBS Academy which produced players like Ahmed Musa, scored the winning goal for Nigeria against Morocco in the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championship (Chan) in South Africa earlier this year.

Dynamo Moscow sign Valbuena

arseille’s France international Mathieu Valbuena has signed M a €7 million (Dh34.7 million) deal

with Dynamo Moscow, reports said on Monday. The move comes following Valbuena’s participation at the World Cup, where “the little bike” as the pocket-sized 29-year-old is known, helped France reach the quarter-finals. Valbuena joined Marseille in 2006, winning the Ligue 1 title with the south coast club in 2010. He has turned out 38 times for his country, scoring six goals.

Arsenal close to deal for Ospina

rsenal are close to reaching an agreement to sign Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina from Nice for a reported €4 million the French club’s president confirmed on Sunday. “There isn’t an agreement yet, but we’re not far away,” Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere said. The two clubs are understood to have reached a verbal agreement over the transfer, according to a source close to the Ligue 1 outfit, but the move has yet to be finalised. Ospina, 25, has spent the past six seasons with Nice and was part of the Colombia side that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Brazil for the first time in the country’s history.

C Milan boss Adriano Galliani has denied A receiving any bid from Arsenal this summer for Italy striker Mario Balotelli.

Reports on Sunday claimed Arsenal had reached a £15.8million fee agreement with Milan for the 23-year-old, but Galliani stated there had been no bid. “We have not received any offer (for Balotelli) and at this time, there is nothing from Arsenal,” said the Milan CEO. Balotelli is currently in New York on holiday following his World Cup exploits with Italy, but is expected to link up with his club teammates for their US tour early next week.

Borini rejects Sunderland move

he agent of Fabio Borini believes T hisclientwantstostayatLiverpool and fight for his place. The Italian in-

ternational spent last season on loan with Sunderland and the Premier League side wants to make his move a permanent one. Speaking to TMW, Marco De Marchi said that Borini is gambling and wants to remain at Liverpool. He said that they were not worried about the competition for places at the Merseyside club despite Brendan Rodgers being able to pick from player likes Daniel Strurridge and Rickie Lambert.

Spurs, Monaco fight over Griezmann

Palacios´ Qatar move falls through

ilson Palacios’ proposed move W to Qatar Sports Club has fallen through after the Stoke City midfielder

f a i l e d a medical. The Qatar club had revealed last Friday that Ecuador international, Palacios had arrived in Doha to finalise the deal to take him to the Middle East. They have now revealed that Palacios will not put pen to paper on a contract due to a failed medical. The Qatar Stars League club tweeted: “Qatar Sports Club overlooked to sign with Honduras national team player “Wilson Palacios” because he didn’t pass the medical examination.”

anchester United will submit a new bid for Juventus’ Arturo Vidal and urge the player to press for the move to go ahead. Vidal is coming off a good World Cup run with Chile, where he featured in all but one match despite a lingering injury. According to Sport Italia, Manchester United will submit a bid of €50 million for the midfielder in the hope that Vidal will pressure Juventus into accepting, what they deem as, a fair offer.

Vlaar keen on Southampton switch

ston Villa captain Ron Vlaar is keen on a move to Southampton. Vlaar now has less than a year to run on his current deal. The Express & Star says Southampton apparently lead the race to sign Vlaar, which is thought to be his favoured option over Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers if he leaves the claret and blues.

earts have made Swedish striker Osman Sow their eighth signing of the summer on a two-year contract. The 24-year-old, who spent last season with Crystal Palace, scored in the recent friendlies against East Fife and Manchester City. Hearts boss Robbie Neilson told the club website: “I’m delighted to get Osman. He is a tall, athletic player who will add strength to our forward line. “I’ve been impressed with him in training, and in the games he has played, and I’m very satisfied now with the attacking options I have.”

rench star Antoine Griezmann is Fbetween at the centre of a transfer battle Tottenham and Monaco,

according to reports. Both sides are understood to have launched opening £15.8million offers, which have swiftly been rejected by Real Sociedad. Spanish newspaper Marca claims Sociedad are holding out for the whole of Griezmann’s release clause, which stands at £25m – a fee Spurs are reportedly willing to match after missing out on Adam Lallana.

Palace flop set for Italian move

Man Utd urge Vidal to force move

Sow is latest Hearts’ signing

Milan deny Balotelli to Arsenal move

Palace flop Jose Campana is Cyearrystal set to leave the club after just one and move to Italian side Samp-

doria, according to The Express. Campana joined Palace last summer for a fee of around £1.5 million from Sevilla under former coach Ian Holloway, and was marked as a major coup for the club. Despite showing promise in pre-season and in his first couple of outings for Palace, Campana only made six appearances in the Premier League before being loaned out to German side Nuremberg in January, after falling out of favour with new Palace boss Tony Pulis.

Avellino sign AC Milan trio

vellino have brought in AC Milan youngsters Jherson Vergara, Gianmario Comi and Rodrigo Ely. The Serie B side finished in 11th position last season and is hoping to boost its promotion chances with some new arrivals. Tuttomercatoweb confirms the arrival of Jherson Vergara and Gianmario Comi on loan while Rodrigo Ely was purchased outright. All three players spent last year away from the San Siro with new coach Filippo Inzaghi deeming them surplus to requirements.

Madrid reach €88m Rodriguez agreement

eal Madrid have reached an agreement with Monaco for the transfer of James Rodriguez. In an overall deal that should see the Colombia international become the third most expensive footballer in the history of the game, Madrid will meet the French club’s €88 million valuation - the same fee Barcelona paid for Luis Suarez - including performance-related variables. With an agreement reached between the two clubs over the weekend, discussions were scheduled for Monday to iron out the details of James’s personal terms as Madrid aim to make the midfielder their second signing of the summer following the arrival of Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Man Utd in $28 million deal for Hummels

erman World Cup winner Mats Hummels G is on his way to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund. The 25-year-old is sup-

posedly heading to Old Trafford in a $28 million deal. The towering German defender is a man in demand, as United are said to have beaten Barcelona in securing Hummels’ signature with Louis van Gaal aiming to strengthen his central defensive options. With Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera signing so far this summer more new players are needed with less than a month to go before the new season, especially in defense. Hummels scored twice at the World Cup, including the lone goal in Germany’s 1-0 quarterfinal win over France.

Garcia welcomes Torres’ Atletico’s return

tletico Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia says A Fernando Torres would be welcomed back to the Primera Division champions with open

arms if he opts to leave Chelsea, while also playing down speculation that centre-back Miranda will b e the next Rojiblancos player to move to Stamford Bridge. Torres has been linked with a summer move back to Atletico, where the Spain international came up through the ranks to captain the first team before moving to Liverpool in 2007. And despite the striker failing to recapture his explosive form with the Reds since moving to Chelsea for £50 million in January 2011, Garcia insists the 30-year-old would fit right back in at Atletico.

Tottenham hold talks with Betis over Falgue

ccording to reports in the SpanA ish media, Real Betis are targeting Tottenham Hotspur winger Iago

Falgue. The Spaniard has been at White Hart Lane since 2012, but has failed to make the break through into the first team. It has been claimed that Real Betis have already approached Tottenham regarding the availability of the 24 year old. Estadio Deportivo have reported that the Seville club is to target Falque as they look to bounce back to La Liga after being relegated from the top flight of Spanish football last season. The player is currently away with the Premier League side on their pre season tour in the USA, but he is aware that he could again be loaned out in the next campaign.

Terry hopes for another Chelsea deal

Terry will be doing everything Jatohn possible to earn another new contract Chelsea for next season.

While Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole departed Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, Terry signed a one-year extension to keep him at the club until June 2015. The 33-year-old has been warned his only hope of earning another new deal is if he performs consistently in the upcoming season and he has vowed to work hard to convince club officials he deserves an extension.

Everton to sign Atsu

verton have asked about the possibilE ity of taking Chelsea’s Ghanian winger Christian Atsu on loan for the season, as it

appears they will not be able to sign Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku was rumoured to be on the verge of signing for Everton, with the Daily Mail expecting a deal to be completed by the start of next week. However new reports from Sky and the Metro have claimed that Lukaku will in fact be given the chance to stake a claim in the Chelsea squad for next season during the club’s pre season tour of Europe. Lukaku had fuelled rumours about his future during the summer with quotes about his future, however, Chelsea do not appear to be signing as many strikers as anticipated and it seems there is a place for Lukaku in their squad.

Callejon: I’m happy at Napoli

apoli forward Jose Callejon has revealed the club turned down a big N money offer for his services from Span-

ish giants Atletico Madrid this summer - and is pleased they did. Callejon, 27, moved to the Stadio San Paolo last year from Real Madrid and went on to score 20 times in all competitions in his debut campaign. That has apparently led to interest from both Barcelona and Spanish La Liga winners Atletico, who are in the market for a new striker after seeing Diego Costa, David Villa and Adrian Lopez leave the club this summer.

SPORT 55

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

I’ve not quit Super Eagles, says Enyeama Ifeanyi Ibeh

igeria international goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has declared that he has not yet called time on his distinguished international career. The 31-year-old, who has 94 international caps under his belt, hinted that he could be calling time on his time with the Super Eagles following Nigeria’s loss to France at the 2014 World Cup. The Lille goalkeeper has however, come out to state that he still has the desire to man the Super Eagles’ goal for the foreseeable future. “I never said I will not play for the Super Eagles again. I only said I will consult with my family which is a normal thing to do.

I am still very much a national team player,” said Enyeama, who was at the weekend honoured at the Ibom Football Awards, in Uyo. “I am really pleased with this award,” said Enyeama. “I have won many accolades in my career, but to be honoured by my people in Akwa Ibom State is special. “Charity begins at home, so this means a lot to me. I will continue working harder to achieve even more,” he said. Enyeama began his professional career at Ibom Stars in 1999 before joining Enyimba, where he went on to win two CAF Champions League titles, racking up 100 appearances and scoring 10 goals between 2001 and 2004.

69th of the 72 players who made the cut at Royal Liverpool in only his second competitive appearance since undergoing back surgery in March, compared new world number two McIlroy to his great rival, Phil Mickelson. “The way Rory plays is pretty aggressive,” said the 14-times major champion. “When he gets it going, he gets it going. When it gets going bad, it gets going real bad - it’s one or the other.”

John Ogu Congrats to My Bro @OfficialIdeye ...I Always believe in You... Many More Great news like this come bro..Go Shake EPL bro,i Believe You @ogujohnugo Leon Balogun The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me. @LeonBalogun Muhammad Ali One of the happiest and most memorable days of my Alexmeeting Madiba. May his legacy live forever. life was @MuhammadAli Victor Oladipo There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect. @VicOladipo Enyeama jokes with Messi

Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles World Cup star, Kenneth Omeruo, has disclosed that he rejected offers to go on loan to an English Premier League side before accepting to join Middlesbrough because of his desire to play regularly. Omeruo, who is owned by Chelsea, was sought after by a host of EPL sides, including Hull City and QPR, but in the end he opted to return to Middlesbrough. The defender, last season, spent the second half of the

Ideye‘ll overcome EPL rigour - Anichebe Emmanuel Tobi

est Bromwich Albion striker, Victor Anichebe, has predicted success for new signing, Brown Ideye, based on his versatility and ability to easily adapt in different formations, while pleading with the club’s fans not to put their record signing under pressure. The former Ocean Boys striker signed for the Baggies last week in a

deal worth in excess of £10 million, becoming the first eight-figure player in the club’s history. “I don’t think the fans should expect too much, too soon from him. They should forget about the price tag,” Anichebe told the Birmingham Mail. “I know he’s a really good player but the fans need to give him time to adapt, just as it’s taken me time to adapt,” he said. “He’s played so many different ways and is a real team player.”

Ideye

Awoniyi re-joins Flying Eagles T aiwo Awoniyi has teamed up with Nigeria’s U-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, after a short training stint at Swedish club Kalmar FF. The striker trained with the Flying Eagles on Monday morning at the practice pitch of the Abuja National Stadium.

Awoniyi, who turns 17 next month, has signed a precontract deal with Kalmar and he is expected to agree a professional contract in August 2015, when he turns 18. While in Sweden, the leggy striker, who was part of Nigeria’s victorious team at the last FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates,

featured for Kalmar’s U-21 side in an exhibition game. Awoniyi is back in Nigeria to fight for a place in Manu Garba’s Flying Eagles team as they get set to take on their counterparts from Lesotho next month, in a two-legged African Youth Championship final round qualifier.

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Seyi .G. Olofinjana Congratulations @Ideyebrown11 on his move to west Bromwich move. Hope he thrives where others fail. @IYES20

Tiger, Nicklaus hail McIlroy’s win Why I snubbed EPL for Boro – Omeruo

ack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have combined to salute Rory McIlroy’s performance in capturing the British Open title for the first time in his career. “I like his swagger,” said 18-times major winner Nicklaus on his official Facebook page. “I like the way he handles himself. I like his desire to be great. I like his desire to do the things he needs to do. I like that in a young guy. He’s cocky in a nice way.” Woods, who finished

Sport Trending

campaign on loan at the English Championship side, and he said: “It’s difficult to see a 20-year-old defender play week in, week out. And if I go to join a Premiership side I would not be guaranteed regular play. “So, if I would be on the bench in another club, I would rather remain at Chelsea. So, that’s why I decided to go where I am familiar with and guaranteed regular play.” He added: “I spoke with Mike Emenalo (Chelsea Sporting Director) and he said with the plans Chelsea have for me that it was best I continued with Boro.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo I’ll never leave the team and the city of Milwaukee till we build the team to a championship level team.. @G_ante34 Caroline Wozniacki Woohoo!! Title number 22!! So excited! #istanbul @CaroWozniacki Rory Mcilroy Celebrating with the Claret Jug!! Thanks for all the support and well wishes this week! @McIlroyRory Lewis Hamilton Thank you for all the support this weekend! Im so grateful to the team for this car,I really take my hat off to them! @LewisHamilton Chiney Ogwumike To the people that know how to SAY our name! @Nnemkadi30 #YouTheRealMVP. @Chiney321 David Alaba Good morning everybody! Off to Duisburg for a test game! @David_Alaba

Rodriguez volley named Goal of Brazil 2014

here appeared little danger when Abel Aguilar directed a looping header towards James Rodriguez, whose back was to goal on the edge of the box, 28 minutes into Colombia’s Round of 16 game against Uruguay at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. Yet two touches from heaven, and just two seconds later, Fernando Muslera’s net had rippled and the Maracana

had exploded. Rodriguez exquisitely chested the ball over his head, swiveled instantly and unleashed a venomous, dipping volley which crashed in off the underside of the crossbar in front of over 70,000 fans at the stadium. That strike has now been voted as the Goal of the Tournament by over four million FIFA.com users, beating Rob-

in van Persie’s genial header for the Netherlands against Spain into second place. Rodriguez became the third successive South American winner of the award, after Argentina’s Maxi Rodriguez triumphed for his thunderbolt against Mexico at Germany 2006 and Diego Forlan was rewarded for his sublime effort for Uruguay at South Africa 2010.

PBL Fallout: Pillars’ Usman dedicates awards to teammates Ifeanyi Ibeh

ano Pillars guard-forward, Abubakar Usman, has dedicated the two awards he won at the end of the DStv Premier Basketball League playoffs to his coaches and teammates. “I want to dedicate these awards to Almighty Allah, my coaches and teammates,” said the

player fondly called Nda’ Abu. “They all made it possible for me to win these awards.” Modest words from a player who virtually singlehandedly won the title for Kano Pillars in Saturday’s final against Savannah Conference rivals Mark Mentors, who were on the verge of claiming a first ever league title before Usman struck.

With less than 10 seconds left on the clock, and with Kano Pillars trailing 88-86, Usman, after forcing a turnover from Mentors guard, Timothy Kwaor, rather than driving to an unguarded basket for an easy two-point to tie the game, instead kept his cool and dropped a threepointer to hand the reigning champions an 89-88 lead.

World Record

On Marble

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

Sanctity of Truth

– Walt Disney

w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha TUESday, JULY 22, 2014

The World’s shortest war fought between Anglo-Zanzibar Sultanate and the United Kingdom on 27 August 1896, lasted 40 minutes.

N150

Why the ECOWAS accord with the EU is a big deal

t generated fewer headlines that the ongoing Boko Haram standoff and the World Cup drama, but the trade agreement signed just under two weeks ago by 16 west African members with the European Union could turn out to have a much more profound, long term impact on lives in Nigeria than either terrorism or football. The agreement on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) came after a decade of talks over a deal between the EU and the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Under the EPA, the EU will immediately offer full duty-free and quota-free access to its markets to the 16 African signatories – of which Nigeria is clearly the dominant economy. In return, ECOWAS will gradually open up 75 percent of its markets - with their 300 million consumers - to Europe over a 20-year period. The deal was hailed by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, who said Europe was building a privileged economic partnership with West Africa that would be a foundation for long-term growth and future prosperity. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said, “A partnership of equals with Africa has been one of my key priorities,” adding that the pact “will pave the way for sustainable economic growth in West Africa, generating jobs and well-being for our citizens.” West Africa accounts for 40% of total trade between the EU and all the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) regions, with European annual exports worth around €30 billion, and West African exports about €42 billion. Much of the delay in the signing the deal was down to Nigeria, with President Goodluck Jonathan’s government facing opposition to the pact from trade unions and other civil society groups. Although Nigeria has over the past year been the prime mover in ECOWAS, Jonathan’s government has faced recent complaints from opponents that opening Nigeria’s economy to competition from European goods would put local jobs at risk. Most other developing countries have found that opening up to trade helps lift their economies. But for a while, Abuja resisted that line, with Trade Minister Olusegun Aganga, arguing that West Africa was not ready for the competition. It needed time

World View LEO CENDROWICZ Brussels Bureau Chief, New Telegraph

ECOWAS Secretariat

not to subsidise any of its agricultural exports to West Africa. There is another issue inherent in this deal, and it relates to fiscal policy. Most ECOWAS countries rely heavily on a tax system that is excessively reliant on high import duties. A shift to low or no tariffs could collapse government revenue. The EPA takes this into account and will help countries move to a system that relies on domestic taxation, making revenue generation more predictable and stimulating better budget planning and execution practices. The EU will complement the deal with generous development assistance: at least €6.5 billion will be granted for West Africa during 20152020 (a separate but conveniently timed announcement by the EU last week granted N3.4 billion, or €15.5 million to boost solar energy in Nigeria under the Nigeria Energy Support Programme). And the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Programme (PAPED) will play a crucial role in ensuring the EPA promotes trade and attracts investment to West African countries. All this should spell good news for West Africa, and Nigeria in particular, helping integration into the global economy. Cutting tariffs will boost growth, create new jobs and opportunities, and reduce poverty. It may not be noticed by most Nigerians, but it will impact them, and for the better.

OmoBaba

I’M READY TO DEFEND N6 BILLION DEBT ALLEGATION, SAYS NYAKO Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo, ECOWAS President

Barroso, EU President

to industrialise, he claimed, or else the region could be stuck in a quasi-colonial cycle of exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. This echoes wider African complaints that trade agreements leave them exposed to cheap European imports that destroy nascent local industries. But it is not quite as devastating as the rhetoric sounds. There is little direct competition between the two regions. ECOWAS countries mainly import cars, chemicals and other manufactured goods from Europe, while the EU imports raw products from West Africa like oil

and minerals, as well as farm commodities like coffee, cocoa and bananas. Yet there are sometimes overlap and this accord takes that into account. West Africa will continue to shield sensitive farm products from European competition either by keeping tariffs in place or even slapping safeguard measures. A key to the breakthrough was last October’s deal to gradually create a West African customs union that will bring ECOWAS rules into line with countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast that have EU free trade deals. In addition, the EU has also agreed

– Medicine after death!

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