Binder1 july 3, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Thursday, July 3, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 135

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Fuel imports threatened as subsidy debt hits N300bn

lPayment is being processed, says Finance Ministry Adeola Yusuf

he importation of fuel for the second quarters is being threatened by a cold war brewing between

the Federal Government and fuel importers over delay in subsidy payment. A source told New Telegraph yesterday that oil marketers had threat-

ened not to bring in their cargoes if the current outstanding fuel subsidy payment standing at N300 billion was not paid. “Eleven batches of fuel

supply by these marketers are standing on the way of the smooth operations of the second quarters fuel importation,” the source said.

He added that the Ministry of Finance was yet to clear the batches since November 2013. Quoting a document from the ministry, the source disclosed that the backlog of payments as

at yesterday included five batches of payment – Batch R/13 to V/13– for product discharges in 2013, amounting to over N100 billion. “In addition to this, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Soyinka: B’Haram has made Nigeria’s unity more crucial lFG says military ‘inching’ towards rescue of Chibok girls Emmanuel Onani

obel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has said Nigeria is less likely to breakup now, unlike before, as a result of the terrorist activities of Boko Haram. Although he acknowledged that the nation is suffering greater carnage at the hands of the terrorist group than it did during the civil war, he is more optimistic about the unity of the country in the wake of the insurgency. Soyinka, in an interview with Reuters in Abeokuta, published yesterday, said the horrors inflicted by the militants had shown Nigerians, despite their religious and ethnic affiliations that sticking together might be the only way to avoid even greater sectarian slaughter. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Import duty on cars remains 35%, says FG }3

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L-R Former Managing Director, Peugeot Auto Nigeria (PAN) Limited, Alhaji Shehu Sani Dauda; Chairman, Alhaji Munir Jafaru; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga; former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; Managing Director, PAN Limited, Ibrahim Boyi; Director, Tajudeen Datti Ahmed, former Managing Director, Dr. Haroun Aliyu and PSA Regional Director, Mr. Eric Maydeiu, at the launch of Peugeot 301 production in Kaduna...on Tuesday

Edo Assembly crisis: APC lawmakers move sitting to Govt House Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly took a new turn yesterday as lawmakers elected on the platform of the All

Progressives Congress (APC) moved their sitting to the Government House. APC is the ruling party in the state. The legislature has

not been able to sit in the last few weeks following the crisis which pitted the APC lawmakers, who are in the majority, against their Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts. In the heat of the crisis, the lawmakers on June 25 held parallel sessions in front of the

main entrance to the assembly complex as some of the PDP lawmakers who had been suspended insisted on joining their colleagues for the normal legislative business despite a court order CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Cement: Reps recommend 42.5mpa grade for building

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FG says military ‘inching’ towards recovery of Chibok girls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The bloodshed was now worse than during the 1967-70 Biafra war when a secessionist attempt by the Igbos nearly tore Nigeria up into ethnic regions, he added. “We have never been confronted with butchery on this scale, even during the civil war. “There were atrocities (during Biafra) but we never had such a near predictable level of carnage and this is what is horrifying,” he said in the interview conducted on Tuesday. A million people died during the Biafra war, though mostly through starvation and illness, rather than violence while Boko Haram’s activities have claimed the lives of about 14,000 people in the last five years. The sect in April, kidnapped some 274 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, triggering a global outrage. The military said yesterday that it was close to rescuing the abductees, but provided no further detail. Boko Haram’s five-yearold struggle to carve out an Islamic state from its bases in the North-East has become increasingly bloody, with near daily attacks killing many thousands.

The conflict’s growing intensity has led commentators to predict it may split the country, 100 years after British colonial rulers cobbled Nigeria together from their northern and southern protectorates. “I think ironically it’s less likely now. For the first time, a sense of belonging is predominating. It’s either we stick together now or we break up, and we know it would be not in a pleasant way,” the laureate stated. Soyinka said fewer people were shrugging off Boko Haram’s menace, adding: “It’s almost unthinkable to say: ‘well, let’s leave them to their devices.’ Very few people are thinking that way.” “The (Boko Haram) forces that would like to see this nation break up

are the very forces which will not be satisfied having their enclave. We are confronted with an enemy that will never be satisfied with the space it has,” he added. Soyinka blamed successive governments for allowing religious fanaticism to undermine Nigeria’s secular constitution, starting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo who allowed some states to declare Sharia law in the early 2000s. “When the spectre of Sharia first came up, for political reasons, this was allowed to hold, instead of the president defending the constitution,” he said. Soyinka, who described both Christianity and Islam as foreign impositions, said: “We cannot ignore the negative impact which both have had

on African society. They are imperialist forces: intervening, arrogant. Modern Africa has been distorted.” He added that while the leadership of Boko Haram needed to be “decapitated completely”, little had been done to present an alternative ideological vision to their “deluded” followers, driven largely by economic destitution and despair. Soyinka’s optimism on Nigeria’s unity came just as the Federal Government gave assurances that the Chibok girls would soon be rescued. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had on Monday, announced the arrest of a key suspect in the abduction saga, Babuji Ya’ari, who headed “a terrorists’ intelligence cell”. Addressing journalists

yesterday at the National Information Centre (NIC), the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, assured the world that soon, reprieve will come the way of the girls.. While responding to a question on the state of the schoolgirls, Omeri, who doubles as the Coordinator of NIC, said: “All efforts are geared towards rescuing our Chibok girls and restoring peace in Nigeria. We are inching towards where we want to go.” On Tuesday’s bomb explosion in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Omeri condemned the act and also commended “the prompt action of our security forces that rapidly secured the area in an effort to prevent further attacks.”

32o C 23oC Thunder Storms

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KANO

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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: Ministerial nominees, Dr. Abdul Bulama; Prince Adedayo Adeyeye; Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau and Dr. Steve Oru, before their screening by the Senate, in Abuja…yesterday

Fuel imports threatened as subsidy debt hits N300bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

there are another six batches of payment from A/14 to F/14 amounting to over N150 billion pertaining to January –April 2014 that are yet to be paid,” he said. Some marketers, who craved anonymity because of the implications of commenting on these developments would have on their businesses, said they were now in “difficult time.” One of them said: “What do you expect a businessman to do in this kind of situation? You have a bank loan, which you are finding difficult to service. “The banks are running after you and you have money, running into N300 billion, which you can use to do business

hanging somewhere. “Do you expect us to still be executing the allocations when you are not even given a commitment on payments? “Our members have already turned down their offer for the third quarters allocation for the supply of petrol into the country due to non-availability of funds and increase in the interest rate charged by banks,” a chief executive officer of one of the oil trading companies said yesterday. Besides, he added that banks were reluctant to give marketers fresh loans due to their failure to settle outstanding debts. New Telegraph gathered that most of these payments had been pro-

cessed by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and forwarded for payment to the Ministry of Finance. The delay in the settlement of subsidy debt, it was learnt, had also affected the payment of the equilisation fund of transporters at the Petroleum Equilisation Fund (PEF) due to the failure of fuel marketers to settle the equalisation fund to the board. Some marketers have already expressed worries over the huge backlog, which is affecting the supply of the fuel into the country. Responding to New Telegraph enquiry on the matter, spokesperson for the Coordinating Minis-

ter for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, in a statement, said: “Only marketers whose claims have been cleared after they have gone through the verification processes are paid. This is to ensure that the unpleasant experiences of the recent past with regard to wrong and irregular payments are not repeated. “The process for the latest batch of payments totalling N45 billion is currently on and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has confirmed that some marketers who have submitted letters of indemnity to the OAGF have already been paid. Other claims are being attended to.”

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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FG to shut Abuja airport’s runway for repairs Wole Shadare

he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) will on Saturday shut down the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja in preparations for the rehabilitation of its runway. The airport has only one runway and it is riddled with potholes that have severally endangered airplanes, crew and pas-

sengers. The closure, which will last for two days, may force foreign airlines that come in or fly out of Abuja to reschedule their operations. Domestic air passengers and airlines may not be badly affected because the repairs will take place late in the night and the airport will be reopened by 5am before airlines begin their operations at 6.45am.

Just last year, the runway of the airport underwent several rehabilitations without much solution as pilots keep complaining of the danger the state of the runway posed to airline operations. FAAN spokesman, Mr. Yakubu Dati, in a statement yesterday said the airport would be closed to traffic from Saturday and reopened on Monday. Dati stated that already,

aviation stakeholders and intending passengers had been notified of the impending closure. He explained that the facility upgrade, which is in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) approved safety and Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), will further elevate safety and

security to greater heights. Just last year, the Abuja airport was shut for 18 hours after a Saudi B747 cargo aircraft which landed, veered off the runway and ran into the maintenance area. The incident had elicited calls for the construction of a second runway for the busy Abuja airport to forestall a recurrence. There are indications that many airlines would

count their losses for the period the airport will be closed to traffic. The Federal Government had five years ago planned to build a second runway for the Abuja airport. It was later discovered that the N64 billion earmarked for the project was said to have been overinflated after the House of Representatives raised the alarm over the alleged scam.

Import duty on cars remains 35%, says FG Anule Emmanuel Abuja

T L-R: Wife of the former National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hajia Fatimah Tukur, her husband, Bamanga and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, during the presentation of letter of credence to Tukur as ambassador at large in Abuja...yesterday

Senate confirms Shekarau, Adeyeye, two others as ministers Chukwu David Abuja

he Senate yesterday confirmed the nomination of former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye from Ekiti State, Dr. Abdu Bulama (Yobe State) and Dr. Stephen Oru (Delta State) as ministers. President Goodluck Jonathan had on June 4 forwarded their names to the Senate before it proceeded on its end of the third session recess for confirmation as ministers. The four nominees were successfully screened and confirmed without any opposition from any of the senators representing their states. Responding to questions from the lawmakers on how to tackle the problems of unemployment, poverty and criminality in the country, Shekarau, who it was learnt was being tipped to head the Ministry of Education, suggested that skills acquisition should be reintroduced to school cur-

riculum. This, he said, would enable students to be trained to acquire certain skills that would help them to be self reliant when they leave school. He identified unemployment as the major menace confronting the country, adding that it was the fundamental cause of indiscipline, agitation and violence in the country. According to him, skill acquisition programme was initially inculcated in the 6-3-3-4 system of education, but regretted that the frequent military intervention in politics never allowed it to work. He implored government to revisit the 6-3-3-4 system of education and ensure its full implementation in order to get the desired result. He also stressed on the need to improve on power generation as a pragmatic step towards boosting the industrial sector, stressing that the manufacturing sector could never be developed without adequate power supply. Also responding to

questions from the senators, Bulama described education as the key factor for national development and integration, urging government to make education number one priority for national transformation. On the electronic voting system being proposed for the 2015 general election, he said though the system was good, Nigeria should not rush into applying it in any major election until it had been tested for a long time to avoid causing political confusion. He advised that the evoting system should be implemented in phases to allow it incubate and mature. During his screening, Adeyeye, while commenting on the 13 per cent derivation for oil producing states, urged the National Assembly to come up with a legislation that would compel the states to allocate part of the funds to host communities. On education, he called on individuals and religious bodies to establish more private universities

to reduce the current congestion in the system. He also urged government to introduce civic education into the nation’s education curriculum, noting that it would help reduce violence on the long run. Oru, who spoke on the discrimination between Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates and Bachelor’s degree holders, urged the Federal Government to abolish the dichotomy because there is no justifiable reason for it. At the end of the screening, Senate President David Mark charged Shekarau and others to make Nigeria their constituency and not their states or political parties. “We hope that whenever they are given portfolios, they will see Nigeria as their constituency and not their states or political parties,” he said. With their confirmation and forthcoming inauguration during which the president will assign them portfolios, only Kwara and Anambra are without representatives in the cabinet.

he Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday deliberated on the new auto policy and the tariff on imported cars, which is already generating controversy. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, told reporters after the weekly FEC meeting that contrary to report that the import duty on cars has risen to 70 per cent under the new automotive policy, it remains 35 per cent. He said: “I briefed the council on one of the misleading articles in one of the newspapers (not New Telegraph) on the auto policy. And we thought it necessary to make sure the misunderstanding is properly understood and cleared with the Nigerian public. “The article had claimed that the duty on used cars is now 70 per cent from yesterday (Monday), that is incorrect. It is 35 per cent . It also claimed all used cars now coming into the country would pay a duty of 70 per cent; that again is incorrect. “For all those in the auto policy programme, the policy is that they would be able to import cars to meet the gap when you look at production and the demands in the country. They would be able to import those cars at 35 per cent, so it is not 70 per cent. “It is only for those who are putting strain on our foreign reserves who have no intention to create jobs who want to continue to remain traders that the 70 per cent applies to and this is to discourage trading. It is to encourage local assembly and job creation and unnecessary pressure on our foreign reserves. “So it is an economic issue and it is very deliberate. And we don’t expect that at all because there is no point. Why would you import cars

at 70 per cent while others are importing at 35 per cent ? So we do not expect to see anyone importing cars at 70 per cent. It was just a measure to encourage people to go within the policy group.” Aganga said the Federal Government had secured the understanding of manufacturers and assemblers of cars, including companies like Stallion and Coscharis that they would not increase their prices. “The policy as it is should not lead to any price increase if they are being fair to Nigerian consumers that are critical to us,” he added. According to him, the government, bearing in mind the socio-political environment in the country, resisted pressure to ban used cars in order to give an alternative to those who cannot afford the new cars. “It (Nigeria) will be the first country out of all the countries that have implemented the auto policy that has refused to ban used cars at the time of implementation because of the interest of the Nigerian people,” he said. He said the auto policy was already making progress, adding: “We should be proud of the progress we have made since that policy was introduced in October.” Aganga explained that the country was spending too much on the importation of used cars. “Today, we spend more than $3 billion every year on importing cars; we spend another $3.2 billion and $3.4 billion importing used cars and spare parts. “With every importation, we are creating new jobs in other countries, why should we as a country continue with that policy when we have high level of unemployment in our country,” he said. The FEC also approved N5.6 billion for the completion of a dam project in Plateau State.

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CBN: No going back on N35m capital base for BDCs Simeon Ogoegbulem and Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may not back down on the N35 million new capital base for bureax de change (BDC) operators, New Telegraph learnt yesterday. A top official of the central bank said the decision would not be reviewed notwithstanding the current agitation against it. BDC operators had protested against the decision, saying it will kill their business and lead to job losses. The National As-

sembly has also waded into the matter with a directive to the CBN to suspend the implementation for now. But the source said CBN would not back down on the policy as “the new measures were aimed at checking lapses in foreign exchange management by operators of BDCs in the country.” According to the source, the central bank is determined to curb all lapses noticeable in the BDC segment of foreign exchange management. He stated that the central bank had briefed relevant authorities before coming up with the new policy. The central bank

while announcing the new policy measure, decried the avalanche of rent-seeking operators whom it said were only interested in widening margins and profits from foreign exchange market, regardless of prevailing official and interbank rates. It accused the BDCs operators of weak and ineffective operational structure, resulting in the sub-sector completely abandoning the objectives for its establishment, depletion of foreign reserves in view of the unusually large number of BDCs and financing of unauthorised transactions with foreign exchange pur-

chased from CBN window. Other infractions allegedly committed by BDCs include gradual dollarisation of the Nigerian economy with attendant adverse consequences on the conduct of monetary policy and subtle subversion of the cashless policy. With the new regulation, CBN said the objective of having a structured BDCs effectively regulated and well capitalised to perform the role of BDCs as expected in the economy would be realised. CBN had last week announced far-reaching measures in the operations of BDCs, top of

L-R: Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Chike Edozien; Sales Manager, Globacom, Delta State, Mr. Aaron Johnson and Omu of Anioma, Matha Dunkwu, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Anioma people and Globacom for the sponsorship of Anioma festival in Asaba…on Tuesday

Impeachment: Adamawa CJ gets order to probe Nyako, Ngilari Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz Yola

he Adamawa State House of Assembly yesterday ordered the state acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mamadi, to constitute a seven-man panel to probe allegations contained in the impeachment notice raised towards the removal of the Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako and his deputy, Mr. James Ngilari. The lawmakers gave the order despite a court order restraining

them from going ahead with the impeachment. At a plenary sitting yesterday, 20 out of the 25 lawmakers, including the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, endorsed the motion for the constitution of the inquiry panel. After adopting the rules of proceedings, the lawmakers directed Justice Mamadi to constitute the panel and to report back within one week. The setting up of the panel followed weeks of intrigues by Nyako and the lawmakers to outwit

one another in the impeachment saga. The impeachment motion was moved by the member representing Numan Constituency and Deputy Speaker of the House, Kwamoti Laori, who said he was spurred by the alleged financial recklessness of the Nyako administration to push for his removal from office. In a 20-count charge levelled against the governor, the lawmakers, among others, accused him and Ngilari of gross financial misappropriation.

But while reacting to the lawmakers’ order to the chief judge, Ayo Akanmu, a member of Nyako’s legal team, said: “It’s contempt of the order of the court because the order is supposed to elapse today (yesterday) as it was made on June 26, 2014 and it was made to last till today (yesterday). “If they go ahead to pass a resolution to ask the chief judge to constitute the seven-man panel that will be a violation of the court’s order,” Akanmu stated.

which is the raising of the capital base from N10 million to N35 million. The apex bank also increased the manda-

tory cautionary deposit which it jacked up to N35 million, the amount CBN said would be deposited in a non-interest yielding account in the CBN.

Edo Assembly crisis: APC lawmakers move sitting to Govt House CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

restraining them from doing so. At yesterday’s plenary presided over by the Speaker, Uyi Igbe, the lawmakers impeached the suspended Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, and elected Victor Edoro, representing Esan Central constituency as a replacement. The motion for the impeachment of Ebea was moved by the member representing Owan East Constituency, Folly Ogedengbe and seconded by the member representing Akoko Edo 11, Olorotunba Bamidele. The lawmakers in a letter accused Ebea of gross misconduct and leading the forcible entry into the chambers to usurp the functions of speaker. They also accused him of “high handedness.” Curiously, one of the three APC lawmakers who recently left the party for the PDP, Abdulrazaq Momoh, representing Etsako West 1, was among the 16 lawmakers that signed the impeachment letter against Ebea. The Majority Leader, Philip Shaibu, also moved a motion for the temporary relocation of the assembly proceedings to the Government House, citing the ongoing renovation work at the assembly complex as a reason. Defending the relocation of the legislative proceedings to the Government House, Igbe said: “We are covered by section 92 sub section 2d of the 1999 Constitution and our House Rules Order 72, 1A gave us the privileges to do what we have just done”. Shaibu said the speaker had on Tuesday visited the assembly complex and it was agreed that renovation work should commence, adding that that was why the House decided to relocate temporarily to the old chamber which was used in 1992. “Flowing from the is-

sues that have been happening in the state House of Assembly, we are all aware that the four lawmakers and their cohorts who were suspended damaged the doors and windows within the chamber, which has led to complete renovation of the chamber. And following the inspection of the complex by Mr. Speaker, it was obvious that the place needs to be renovated. “I move that the House now temporarily sit in the old assembly chamber. We are all aware that this chamber was where the House sits before we moved to Ring Road; and for me, I see it as the return of the natives, back to our root. I want to urge the House for the purpose of why we were elected and for legislative work to move on. We have a lot of committee reports to consider. I want to move that the House now sits in the old hallowed chamber of the assembly until the new chamber is refurbished and ready to be used”. The house later adjourned until Monday. But it appears the lawmakers resolved to shift their sitting to the Government House following the decision of the police not to allow any of the two factions into the legislative chambers except they have resolved their differences. The 15 APC lawmakers and the nine PDP members, including Ebea have been locked in a fierce battle since June 9 when the APC legislators suspended indefinitely three PDP lawmakers and Ebea who is yet to declare for the opposition party in the state. The lawmakers were suspended for alleged gross misconduct and for undermining the leadership of the house. The suspended lawmakers kicked against the decision and held a parallel sitting after they broke into the hallowed chambers and also suspended Igbe and Shaibu.

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Arisekola's widow dies in auto crash Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

fifteen days after Bnessarely the demise of the busimogul and the Dep-

uty President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao, another tragedy yesterday befell the family. One of the late Arisekola-Alao’s wives, identified as Jelilat, aged 63, was involved in an auto crash, which reportedly claimed her life. The ugly incident happened as sympathisers and family members were

planning the 40th day burial rites for the philanthropist. New Telegraph investigation revealed that the deceased was buried according to Islamic rites at her Apata residence by 2.00pm yesterday. According to a source very close to the family, the woman was involved in an accident when coming from Ilorin, Kwara State. After the accident, she was said to have been rushed to a hospital, but died later due to shock. Until her death, the deceased was dealing in textile materials, checks revealed.

Be wary of fraudsters, Lagos tells retiring workers Muritala Ayinla oncerned by the frequent cases of retirees falling victim of fraudsters, the Lagos State government yesterday urged the 1,200 workers who are retiring from the state public service to be wary of fraudsters who might approach them for business ideas. Director-General of the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mr. Rotimi Hussain, who gave the advice at the sixth pre-retirement seminar, said it was organised to broaden the knowledge of the workers in order to prepare them for retirement even as they access their benefits under the Contributory Pension

Scheme (CPS). Hussain, who spoke in Ikeja, said the retiring workers must ensure that they venture into businesses they are familiar with so as not to become victims of fraudsters, who might approach them over business ideas. The director-general urged the workers to ensure that their Retirement Savings Accounts are up to date with payment of the statutory monthly contributions. He also highlighted two exit options of programme withdrawal approved by the Pension Fund Administrators and the annuity provided by the insurance companies as provided by the Lagos State Pension Reform Law 2007.

Insecurity: Groups want synergy among South-East governors Uwakwe Abugu

Awka

wo groups based in the South-East geo-political zone of the country yesterday expressed concern over the growing insecurity in parts of the area, caused by perceived attempts by Boko Haram insurgents to attack the region. One of the groups, the Progressives Leaders’ Organisation International (PLOI), led by Chief Emmanuel Ezeume, has called on governors in the region to come up with a strategy that would tackle alleged threats of possible attacks by the Boko Haram sect in the region. The group said there is no auspicious time for the governors to use their security votes effectively than now, when the fear of the unknown literally holds the people of the area hostage. Another group, the Amalgamated Union of Public Co-operations, Civil Service Technical and Rec-

reational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), during a seminar in Awka, Anambra State, called on their members to be wary of the current security situation, ensuring that as public servants, they remain on the side of caution in the face of the security challenges. PLOI lamented the serious security situation in the country, expressing fear that the insurgents have infiltrated many remote settlements across the South-East and that it appears that nothing has been done to check it. The coordinator, who spoke with newsmen in Awka said; “They have been causing lots of havoc - killing, maiming, abducting and raping people and engaging in wanton destruction of property, especially in parts of the country. “These insurgents are already in the other parts of the country, including the South-East, planning to unleash mayhem on innocent and harmless citizens,” he said.

Executive Vice-Chairman, Proton Energy, Mr. Oti Ikomi (left) and Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, during a meeting with the governor on the development of a 500MW power plant in Delta State

Boko Haram: Reps want refugee camps for victims HOMELESS

Millions rendered refuges by insurgency do not have a place to lay their heads Philip Nyam

Abuja

he House of Re p re s e n - t at ive s yesterday asked the Border Area Development Commission (BADC) and the National Refugees’ Commission (NRC) to establish camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, who have been victims of Boko Haram attacks. The House made the request after adopting a motion brought by Hon.

Abdulrahman Terab (APC, Borno). Terab had in the motion noted that the destruction of lives and property in the three North-East states had assumed an alarming level. The lawmaker said the United Nations Office in Nigeria had recently reported that about six million people are directly affected by the crises in the three states. According to him, the number of towns and villages being deserted as a result of the attacks by the terrorists and the subsequent displacement of the Nigerian citizens in these areas has been on the increase. He, however, said that statistics available to him indicate that the number of displaced persons was four million, saying; “These inter-

nally displaced persons among whom are women and children and the vulnerable are lacking basic healthcare, sanitation, shelter and food. “Despite the vulnerability of people around these three states, there is no official refugee camp to settle them, forcing them to squat in unimaginable environments. “Due to lack of data and necessary information about the displaced persons and the scale of the crisis, the number of such people is growing daily and some of them even gave birth in open spaces or under trees, where they are currently being kept, but no effort has been put in place for better health facility and accommodation. “This has made them vulnerable to various

hazards such as snake bites and other diseases like cholera and diarrhea, more especially children and women,” he said. While supporting the motion, Hon. Jerry Mamwe (PDP, Taraba) said if the agencies saddled with the responsibility of taking care of displaced persons have been doing their job, such motion would not have come up. Three other lawmakers spoke in favour of the motion. Although, Hon. Bitrus Kaze (PDP, Plateau) opposed the motion, arguing that keeping displaced persons in camps would endanger their lives as insurgents always target crowded places, majority of the lawmakers supported it and the motion was passed.

...Seek establishment of cement fund …recommend 42.5mpa grade for building

Philip Nyam

Abuja

House of RepresenTthehe tatives has called for creation of a cement

fund from contributions of N10 per 50kg bag of cement produced in Nigeria and N20 only per 50kg of cement imported into Nigeria for the establishment of stateof-the-art laboratories in all the geo-political zones within the period of three years. The call was part of the recommendation the

House made yesterday after adopting the report of Hon. Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi)-led adhoc committee, which investigated the incidence of collapsed buildings in the country. The cement fund is to be managed by a task force to be set up by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Nige-

rian Institute of Building (NIOB). The lawmakers also recommended that the passage of the National Building Code Bill should be expedited and strictly enforced when passed into law to check quackery, use of substandard building materials and to serve as a tool for the regulation of the informal downstream sector of the industry. In order to arrest incidences of collapse building in the country, the House also recommend-

ed the usage of 42.5mpa grade cement for standard construction works in Nigeria, saying it is less susceptible to misapplication as most stakeholders will prefer it to 32.5mpa. The lawmakers urged that SON's governing council should ensure that all cement manufacturers in Nigeria retool and upgrade their production lines to start producing the 42.5mpa grade within a reasonable time considering the cost of social dislocation.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Best students in Mathematics emerge in Cowbell competition inners have emerged in W this year’s Cowbell National Secondary Schools

Mathematics Competition. With a total of 87 per cent,, Master Akintokun Adegboyega, a student of Ota Total Academy, Ogun State was adjudged the best candidate for the Senior Secondary Schools category. With the 41 scored in objective questions and 46 in theory, the 13-year old Adegboyega came first out of over 29,000 students

who participated in the competition from different senior secondary schools in Nigeria. For the junior secondary category, the 13-year old Miss Adesina Deborah O of Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State led the pack of over 15,000 other students who competed with her. Adesina scored a total of 81 per cent - 35 in objective and 46 in theory questions – to emerge successful.

Ekiti election: Police debunk APC's claim of partisanship Emmanuel Onani he Police High Command yesterday, took exceptions to an interview it said was granted to a national television by the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Alhaji. Lai Mohammed. Mohammed was said to have accused the Police, Army and the Department of State Service (DSS), of

operating a "Strike Force" during the June 21 Gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the APC had claimed in the said interview, that an unnamed politician held a meeting on the eve of the election, with a “Strike Force.”

Yero visits blast site Ibraheem Musa

Kaduna

Muktar Yero of Gtheovernor Kaduna State has blamed media for over blowing

the minor bomb blast that occurred in Kaduna around 9pm on Tuesday, describing the reportage as unfortunate. The governor, who made the remark yesterday, when he visited Askolaye area of

Kaduna South Local Government, where the bomb blast occurred, said that the media should help restore peace and not be agents of destabilisation. "The minor blast, which happened around Asikolaiye area of Kaduna metropolis claimed no casualties, except for two persons, who sustained minor injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment," he said.

Traffic gridlock along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Mile 2, Lagos …yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Confab divided on political structure, state creation Onwuka Nzeshi

ABUJA

roposals for a restructuring of Nigeria polarised the National Conference yesterday as some delegates demanded changes in the structure of government while others preferred that the present structure of government be maintained. The disagreements during the consideration of the recommendations contained in the report of the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government and revolved around the issues of having a federation where the states are the only federating units,

creation of new states and the autonomy of the local government councils in Nigeria. The Committee, cochaired by General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd) and Hon. Mohammed Kumalia, had recommended that the states rather than regions should remain the federating units but that states which desire to merge could do so without prejudice to the states being the recognized unit that should relate with the centre. The report also said that the merger of states could take place only if 75 per cent of the eligible population endorses it in a referendum conducted

Hausa community takes Stop politicising census – Aliyu measures against infiltration Dan Atori

Minna

Governor of Niger Thashe State, Babangida Aliyu, warned Nigerians against politicisation of the census exercise, saying that previous head counts failed to achieve the desired results because it was poorly handled. Aliyu gave the warning in Minna on Wednes-

day when he received the report of the National Population Commission at government house presented by the National Commissioner, Alhaji Aliyu Datti. He said: “We need to know the population distribution of the country. The whole idea is to plan purposely and properly we have politicized census for too long and this should stop”

Overseas trip: Obiano, legislators draw flaks Tony Okafor

Awka

he trip embarked upon by the Anambra State House of Assembly members and the State Governor, Willie Obiano to the United States of America has attracted negative comments from the citizenry. The New Telegraph learnt that while the legislators travelled on Jun 28, the governor joined them

two days later. A contractor (names withheld) who briefed the press yesterday on the matter in Awka, the state capital, described the trip as misplaced priority. He contended that the trip would certainly cost the state government millions of naira, especially considering the claims by the state government that it is passing through financial difficulties.

Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

he Hausa community in Tmarket, Lokpa Umuchieze cattle Umunneochi Local

Government Area of Abia State, has taken measures to check possible infiltration of the community by Boko Haram insurgents. The measure is against the background of the arrest made recently in the state by the army and threat of attack by the group in the South East zone of the country. Alhaji Sale Aligare, Chairman of the cattle market said that top on his agenda as the new chairman of the market after the recent

demise of the former chairman, Alhaji Bishara Musa, was to ensure that the insurgents do not enter the market. He said he intends to make the community safe for residents and patrons. To that end, the community leadership has concluded plans to issue identification cards to members of the community to make it easier to identify infiltrators. In addition, Aligare said his leadership would liaise with security personnel to help guard the market. The Chairman disclosed the measures when the member representing Umunneochi state constituency, Prince Ikedi Ezekwesiri, visited the community.

Dikko for burial tomorrow Republic MinStheecond ister of Transport, late Alhaji Umaru

Dikko, who died in London on Tuesday it to be buried tomorrow. His burial was earlier fixed for yesterday.

The late Dikko's younger brother, Alhaji Lamido Dikko, told reporters yesterday in Kaduna that the minister's body would arrive on Friday for burial in Zaria, his home town.

in the states that wish to merge. According to the report, the local government councils should be removed from the constitution as the third tier of government to put them firmly under the states, but their funding should be from a proposed State Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (SRMAFC). In that light, any state would be free to create as many local councils as it desired and could afford to manage. Some delegates proposed that the federal system of government should be retained but states should be allowed to have their own constitutions. Similarly,

there were those who canvassed for a unicameral legislature, arguing that it would be more economical as funds meant for the bogus legislature could be deployed to development of basic social infrastructure. For mer Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana noted that the federal system of government was the right system for the country. Gana said that "those who meet the criteria should be considered, because it would resolve so much of the contestations and pressures on the system that seem to be dividing most sections of the country.

Igbeke replaces Akunyili at confab Lateef Ibrahim

Abuja

Minister of InFatORMER formation and delegate the on-going National Conference, the late Prof Dora Akunyili, who died last month in India, has been replaced at the Conference by Senator Alphonsus Igbeke. The Chairman of the Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, has already admitted Igbeke as a replacement for late Akunyili.

Igbeke's name was formally announced to the plenary yesterday by Kutigi. Igbeke, who represented Anambra North Senatorial District on the platfor m of the Peoples Democratic Party at the National Assembly in the last political dispensation, was sighted by journalists on Tuesday evening when he came to finalize his documentation with the Conference Secretariat.

Oyo APC slams FCT Minister he All Progressives TState Congress (APC), Oyo chapter, has urged

the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ms. Jumoke Akinjide, to desist from playing politics with issues that have to do with the lives and well being of the people of the state. The party made this known in a release issued by the State Chairman of the party, Chief

Akin Oke, while reacting to a statement credited to the minister on the recent flood situation in the state. Akinjide had been quoted to have asked the state government to spend the Federal Government’s N400million intervention fund on the Apete Bridge in Ibadan which was flooded a few days ago and reportedly took the lives of some passers-by.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

LIES

Lai Mohammed, APC mouthpiece descends on ex-Aviation minister Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode not only lied but distorted facts to reach a conclusion on the party's comments concerning the proscription of Boko Haram by the Federal Government. APC, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed also said Fani-Kayode's emotional response to an earlier statement by the party failed to wash off the thick mud he splashed on himself when he returned to his vomit, repudiated everything he ever said, he stood for and

APC: Fani-Kayode is a liar

..Your responses belated, says Fani-Kayode made himself available to be used to castigate the opposition on the altar of glaring exigency. ''On June 9th 2013, the ACN issued a statement in which it said in the opening paragraph 'The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said that the recent proscription order against Boko Haram and Ansaru, desirable as it may be in tackling the terrorist organisations, violates the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians'.'' ''Any person, especially one who supposedly had the benefit of a sound education, who interprets this statement as a condemnation of the proscription

GBP125m

The total amount by which players’ wages in the English Premier League rose in 2013. Source: Goal.com

itself is either acting out of deliberate mischief or has failed to take advantage of his good education, perhaps in a desperation to escape justice at all cost. ''What the statement means is that in as much as the Federal Government may have done a desirable thing in proscribing the terrorist groups, a section of the proscription order violates the constitution by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. ''We then went ahead to quote that offensive section of the Proscription Order as Section 5 (1), which prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years 'for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or in-

160,000

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

directly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group'. ''We said 'support, as defined by the Order, includes 'incitement to commit a terrorist act through the Internet, or any electronic means or through the use of printed materials or through the dissemination of terrorist information. We said this section is in conflict with Chapter II Section 22 of the Nigeria constitution which says 'The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media, shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people'.

15.19

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

But in a response yesterday, Fani- Kayode described the APC’s explanation as belated, wondering why the party has decided to dedicate energy towards responding to him every day. He said that he still wonders what the APC would do if it manages to get to power. “I shall ignore the childish name-calling coming from a supposedly seriousminded political party that

NEWS

is looking for power. One wonders what you would do to your perceived enemies if, God-forbid, you ever get that power. Needless to say your belated explanations and attempted rationalisations about what you said last year about the Government's proscription of Boko Haram and your opposition to it makes no sense. It changes nothing. I repeat you are a pernicious liar and a shameless coward and your party is filled with such people. The truth is that you are not fit to hold power.”

Group alleges plot to destabilise Ogun nmental Daniel era with a view Ainnon-gover organisation based to stalling the ongoing Ogun State "THE RE- development of the state. BUILDERS" have alerted of a plot by some opposition political figures in the state to destabilise the State House of Assembly by removing both the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Suraj Isola Adekunmbi and his Deputy, Hon. Tola Banjo. The group’s coordinator, Comrade Sheriff Alani Adebayo, in a statement, said the plot was to re-enact the forced shutdown of the state house of Assembly during the former Governor Gbenga

He alleged that the opposition figures were not comfortable with the peace and tranquillity being enjoyed by citizens of the state as well as the level of successes so far recorded by the Sen. Ibikunle Amosun-led administration. Adebayo revealed that in the latest plot, a princely sum of N150m and a brand new Toyota Prado Jeep were being dangled before members of the state assembly to buy into the plot.

Babatope eulogises ‘Young' Umaru Dikko Temitope Ogunbanke ormer Minister of Ftion, Transport and AviaChief Ebenezer

L-R: Past President, Nigeria Society of Engineers, Chief Akintunde Zedomi; Vice Chairman, Association of Profession Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Angelique Ikwuka; Deputy Manager, GTB Plc, Mrs. Olubunmi Labiran and Chairman, APWEN, Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Nimot Muili, during the Association’s 2nd quarter Professional Development Training Workshop in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Strike: Teachers warn Suswam against tampering with salary Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

rimary school teachers in Benue State, who just brokered a truce to end their eight-monthold strike over non-implementation of their new national minimum wage, have warned the state government against tampering with the 27.5 per cent increment. It was a major condition for the suspension of the strike. They teachers threatened to go back and continue with the industrial dispute if the government fails to honour the agreement, particularly now that they have resolved to end the strike.

Speaking with newsmen in his office in Makurdi yesterday, state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers NUT, Comrade Godwin Anya, said the state government had agreed to pay them the 27.5 per cent pay rise which they were contesting as applied to other civil servants in the state, adding that the union is poised to resist any attempt not to honour the terms of agreement. "We are not praying for that anyway because I know that the issue of strike is what has worried the state government as well; and so, reaching an agreement and coming back not to honour

it at this critical period, I don't think it's going to be so. But if in any case, it doesn't bother the government, we will still have an option". "You know, what they brought as the minimum wage we would have rejected it and that was why the strike had to continue. So, what government has agreed to pay us is what they are paying other workers, and in our own case, it’s going to be the Teaching Service Board (TSB) chart, which carries 27.5 per cent and that is what we are going to take; nothing short of that", said the NUT boss. Comrade Anya who expressed concerns over

the plight of the pupils and teachers during the impasse, explained that the state Ministry of Education was working out modalities to draw up an academic calendar that will begin from July 7, the date earmarked for their resumption, to bridge the gap for the period lost. He maintained that the union will not subject its members to another round of screening exercise before commencing payment because such exercises were conducted in the past and ghost teachers purged off, and further flayed the linkage of the death of their members to the intractable strike.

Babatope, has described the death of late Second Republic Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, as a big loss to Nigeria, noting that a great Nigerian has passed into eternity. Babatope, in a statement made available to New Telegraph also described the late Dikko as an active political mind during the Second Republic. "I received the news of the death of Alhaji

Umaru Dikko's death with great shock. During the Second Republic politics, the two of us crossed political swords. While Dikko was a frontline leader of the NPN, I was of the UPN led by the late Papa Obafemi Awolowo. "Alhaji Umaru Dikko was an active Political mind. He was a loyalist of former President Shehu Shagari. As a student politician in London in the early 60s, he was such a colourful student activist that his friends and supporters nicknamed him 'Young Umaru Dikko.'

Community radio excites Danjuma Buhari Bello Jos

he Sole AdministraTGovernment tor of Jos North Local Council,

Dr Sanda Danjuma, has called on the Federal Government to grant community radio licensing to local governments in Nigeria. He spoke to journalists in Jos during the campaign for switch-over set-up boxes by the Minister of Information and Communication, Hon. Labaran Maku with Plateau as pilot state.

The council boss said that licensing constitutionally still remains the sole responsibility of local government because of the high number of patronage of people at the grassroots level. He added that local government should be mandated to be responsible for providing license for digitalization in the country. Danjuma described the exercise as a great achievement, giving special kudos to Governor Jonah Jang for the support he rendered.

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THURSday, JULY 3, 2014

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Joblessness pushes me to drug trafficking, says suspect DESPERATION A 30-year-old man is in NDLEA net because of his desperate search for job Juliana Francis

suspected drug trafficker has told operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) that he chose to smuggle methamphetamine because the drug barons who recruited him, promised to get him a juicy job in Malaysia. The suspect, Osita Chukwu Michael Orurno, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. He was arrested in possession of a kilogramme of methamphetamine. According to the suspect, he was to be paid $3,000, if he had succeeded in getting the illicit substance to the agreed destination. “I was to be paid $3,000 when I get to Malaysia with the drug. I work as a labourer in Enugu State. I am single and searching for a job. I was excited when they offered to sponsor my trip to Malaysia and pay me $3,000. This is my first time in Lagos and they promised to assist me in securing a job in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the drug was found in my bag,” Oruno said. According to the Head, Media and Publicity, NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, the suspect concealed the drug inside the pockets of jeans trousers in his bag. He said: “Officials detected the drug during the outward screening of Egypt Air passengers to Malaysia.” Juliana Francis

etectives at the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos, have smashed a childselling syndicate in the state by posing as buyers. The suspects are identified as Fausat Ogidan, Abibatu Oresanya, Idiatu Abbas and Bola Obidiruwa. The Officer in Charge of SARS, Superintendent of Police, Abba Kyarri, with his men had been interacting and haggling with the child-sellers on how they would sell the nine-year-old girl. The police bought the child for N650,000. They arranged for the sellers to meet them at Gbagada Mobil Filling Station. Determined not to give them a leeway of escape from prosecution, the policemen had met with the women on the final day of transaction with marked money. But immediately they collected the money and handed over the child, and were walking away, police flipped out their identity cards and told them they were under arrest. The women were said to have almost fainted. According to a police source, the

Orurno

The drug

The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar, said that the arrest was due to the diligent search conducted by the officers. He said: “It took the diligent search by the officers during screening of passengers to detect the drug. The drug tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 1kg. Six parcels of the drug were found in the pockets of three pairs of jeans trousers inside a bag belonging to the suspect. The case is under investigation.” The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, urged members of the public to be cautious of tricks employed by

drug barons. He added: “Members of the public should avoid being used by drug barons to smuggle drugs abroad. They use so many tricks such as promising job opportunities abroad and assuring them that they will not be caught.” The NDLEA boss added that every arrest and drug seizure made was a victory for the country’s anti-narcotic campaign. He urged his men to remain vigilant and prevent the airport from being used for drug trafficking. Ofoyeju said that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

Assembly probes N78m fraud at KOSACA State House of AsKitsogi sembly has directed Committee on

Health to investigate the allegation of N78 million fraud rocking the state Action Committee on Aids (KOSACA). Idris Wada, Kogi Gov. A human rights activist, Comrade Idris Miliki, had through a television programme, accused KOSACA of purchasing N5 million women condoms and awarding contracts to non-existing Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), out of the N78 million donated to it by the Word Bank. But in a swift reaction, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Hajiya Rahina Bala, said the allegation lacked substance. Bala said that the agency followed due process in the disbursement of its funds. Speaking through the Project Manager, Dr Gabriel Musa, she debunked all the allegations. Although Bala said the agency had not received such allegation, she assured that all activities carried out by the agency were always guided by due process. She said: “Money does not come to us; it goes directly to Project Financial Monitoring Unit (PFMU). The World Bank gave out the HIV/ AIDS Fund 1 (HAF1), money and a lot of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) got money on a platter of gold and the World Bank discovered that they did not get value for their money. “The N17 million KOWEN got was even small compared to other states. Let me tell you why they have that money, they are into buying rice, beans and other nutritional food stuffs. That is what they have been doing and they carry money around for purchase.” Meanwhile, the rights activist, when contacted, insisted that he stood by the allegations he raised. Miliki further alleged that money disbursed to KOSACA was diverted into private pockets, while persons with AIDS were suffering in silence.

Undercover police bust child trafficking syndicate

L-R: Ogidan,Oresanya, Abbas and Obiduruwa

trailing of the syndicate started after police received a tip-off on June 6. Ogidan, 51, said that the child, whose name was Yetunde, but called renamed Blessing by the

women, was given to her by one Bola Obidiruwa aka Iya-Alaje residing at Agege. When Obajuruwa was arrested, she said that Yetunde was given to her by one Idayat Abbas aka Iya Ghana.

Abbas on the other hand disclosed that the girl was given to her by her elder sister, Abibat Oresanya, 48, aka Iya Lanre living at Ibafo, Ogun State. When Oresanya was apprehended, she fingered someone in Ibadan, who is presently at large. Speaking with journalists, Yetunde said she did not know the names of her parents. Investigation showed that Yetunde was given to the first suspect, Ogidan by Bola for N350,000, while Ogidan decided to sell her for N650,000. Ogidan said: “I’m a divorcee. I have three children. I’m a traditional healer. The police arrested me because I wanted to sell the child for N650,000. I collected the child from Bola Obidiruwa. Bola said I should pay N350,000. This is the first time I am doing such a business. I told the person that a man wanted to buy the child because his wife did not have a child.” Oresanya, who sells wine, said: “One of my friends gave me the child. The name of my

friend is Adenike aka De Gold. She lives in Ibadan. She said that I should find somebody whom the girl would work for as house help. I gave her to my sister Idiyat to give to my friend Iya-Alaje to help her do house help work because Iya-Alaje said she needed house help. She paid me N100,000 through my sister. It is about two years now since I bought her.” Abbas, 40, married to a Ghanaian, explained she rushed down to Nigeria, after receiving a frantic call, that there was a juicy business. The call was from her friend. She said: “When I got here, police arrested me. It is because of the child I gave to Bola. Bola paid me N105,000. I gave my sister Abibat N100,000. It was only N5,000 I collected from the money.” Obidiruwa, 48, a mother of four, who sells herb in Agege, said that Abbas bought Yetunde from her for N105,000. It was gathered that SARS operatives have embarked on a manhunt for the suspect at Ibadan and search for Yetunde’s parents.

METRO

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Mimiko seeks legal teeth for cocoa revolution overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State GHouse has concluded plans to forward to the of Assembly for legislative assent,

a bill to give the state Cocoa Revolution Project legal teeth. This is part of the government’s on-going revolution in the agricultural sector. The Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said this while addressing journalists. This was as the legislators have registered their readiness to pass the bill as soon as it got to the Assembly. Akinmade said Mimiko would soon present the Cocoa Revolution Bill that would authorise the state Cocoa Revolution Project, to the legislators thus, enabling government actualise its decision to make cocoa farmers reap the fruits of their labour. He said government would not allow cocoa farmers to be ripped off any longer, adding that by the time the bill became operational, cocoa business would naturally receive a boost and the farmers would be encouraged to do more. The commissioner said the concept of Mimiko to revamp cocoa production through the Cocoa Revolution Project was a good vision that would be another landmark in boosting revenue of the state. He added that the project and all matters connected therewith would be encompassed in the bill for the sustainability of the project. The commissioner added that the bill would soon be presented to the House of Assembly for its quick passage.

Stop extorting money from motorists, Edo warns fake VIOs

do State Government has threatened to deal ruthlessly with some people parading themselves as Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) to extort money from unsuspecting motorists. The Commissioner for Information, Louis Odion, issued the threat while addressing journalists after the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) meeting. Odion recalled that some men in Pink TShirts who had been harassing motorists were stopped by the state government a few weeks ago. Beside the fake VIOs, scores of other traffic officers said to be operating on behalf of local governments in the state have been extorting money ranging from N5,000 to N30,000 from motorists travelling across the state on the guise of collecting revenue for the councils. The fake officers, numbering at least six per group, stop motorists with spikes forcing them to a halt before making various demands. “The exco (SEC) met today and it was observed that whereas there was a clear directive two weeks ago that men wearing pink uniforms should desist from harassing motorists on our roads, in the last few days there has been a proliferation of men wearing white and black uniforms on our roads purporting to be Vehicle Inspection Officers or agents or volunteers working with VIOs,” Odion said. He added: “The exco strongly condemns this and considers it unacceptable. The Commissioner for Transport, Mr Orobosa OmoOjo, has been directed to communicate with the VIO unit of the Transport Ministry withdrawing such unit and formations from our roads and they are to desist from their activities of either purporting to inspect vehicles or the streets or highways “By this announcement, the Special Enforcement Unit set up by the government has also been mandated to, beginning from tomorrow, commence patrol on our roads and anyone found wearing uniforms purporting to be VIOs would be apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law. This applies to other forms of extortions in the state either on behalf of any of the Ministries, Department or Agencies.”

Oil spill: Youths besiege Mobil facilities, demand urgent clean-up

File picture of an oil spill

Tony Anichebe Uyo

bout 1,500 youths yesterday besieged Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) Unlimited facility in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, thereby preventing staff of the company from going to work. Hundreds of youths sat in front of Mobil Airstrip, Mobil Housing Estate and the admin-

istrative block, drumming and singing war songs. The youth in the four core oil communities of Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno and Onna mounted road-block, which affected vehicular movement in the area. Reacting to the development, Mr James Atakpa, the leader of the group, said the youth decided to mount road blocks in respect to the fresh oil spill which occurred on June 28 from Mobil facility.

Atakpa said that the oil spill had brought untold hardship to the four core oil communities in general and Akwa Ibom State at large. He regretted that the oil spill had damaged all the aquatic life including fishes, saying that the oil spill had caused scarcity and increase in the prices of fish in the state. Atakpa appealed to Mobil to urgently clean up the environment, saying that up till now

the company had not deemed it fit to clean up the environment. He said: “What we are saying is that Mobil should come out and pay for former oil spill and negotiate on how much they will pay for the fresh oil spill.” Akpata also called on Mobil to employ the youth of the core oil communities for the mopping up of the oil spill in the area. He said: “We want the company to employ 2,000 youths each in the core oil communities in mopping of the oil spill.” The Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), Ibeno, Mr Akaninyene Esiere, announced that about 12 barrels of crude oil spilled into Nkpana community in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom. Esiere accused the youth of denying the management of Mobil access to mop up the recent oil spill in the area. He said: “The youth have denied us access to Nkpana community to clean up the oil spill. When they allow us, we will go into the community and clean up the oil spill.’’ Esiere promised to employ the youth in the affected community for the mopping up exercise.

Computer Village, others shut as Olu of Ikeja dies Camillus Nnaji and Muritala Ayinla

usinesses, shops and stalls were closed down yesterday in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State following the news of the death of the Olu of Ikeja, Oba Rauf Adeniyi Matemi Amore. The monarch was said to have died on Monday evening at the age of 68. Shops and businesses at Alade market, Computer Village, Olowu auto parts market were shut. A businessman, who was standing by his shop at Alade, told NT Metro that all markets in Ikeja and environs were shut as a mark of honour the late monarch. A trader, who identified herself as Iya Somolu, said it was a traditional thing in Yoruba land for markets to close to pay respect to a departed monarch. Another trader at the Computer Village, who gave his name as Ahmed Awere, added that the entire market community was mourning monarch because he brought peace to the market. The palace spokesperson, Prince Oyemade Apena, confirmed Amore’s death. He said the monarch gave up the ghost on Monday adding that he left a legacy of education, peace and community development in Ikeja. He said: “Kabieyesi was an educationist himself. He promoted learning and encouraged a lot of youths in the area to embrace education. He was a patron

Some of the closed shops at the Computer Village, Ikeja.

of peace and development. He checked the menace of ‘area boys’ and brought it under control. “He improved on the community infrastructure already in place in Ikeja and of course he led the people with patience. “Oba Amore used to consult on issues before giving judegment. He ruled between August 27, 2005 and July 1, 2014.” On what becomes of the palace after Amore’s demise, the spokesman said everything would be done according

Disaster managers harp on improved rescue operation Muritala Ayinla he United Nation Office for Titarian the Coordination of HumanAffairs (UN-OCHAN),

the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) have called for improved response operation across the country. The call was made on the

heels of frequent attacks by terrorists in parts of the country. The agencies made the call at a three-day workshop held at Primal Hotel, G.R.A, Ikeja, Lagos. The workshop aimed at intensifying and educating the SEMAs, especially those affected by insurgents. Participants at the workshop included SEMAs from Bauchi, Adamawa, Plateau,

to tradition. “Normally, the community will appoint a regent from the family of the king. The regent must be an experienced and responsible person full of wisdom. He will work hand in hand with the community chiefs,” Apena added. Relatives, sympathisers and traditional rulers from different Yoruba land were trooping to the Olu of Ikeja palace on Amore Street, Ikeja.

Gombe and Nasarawa states. They deliberated on issues bothering on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), education, health and information management, preparedness and response strategies for response in the context of insecurity and insurgency. Speaking at the workshop, the General Manager/CEO, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, explained that it would afford everybody the opportunity of in-depth review of individual and collective roles in disaster

prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery in affected states. Osanyintolu, however, expressed optimism that the workshop would surely engender a platform for developing the sub-national coordination, mechanism, preparing contingency plans and simulations with the participative and interactive concept. He also noted that the workshop would help SEMAs to play leadership roles in emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and coordination and become self-sustaining.

osun 2014

12 NEWS

No bomb blast in Osun, says police boss •PDP, APC in blame game Adeolu Adeyemo

Osogbo

sun State Security Council yesterday debunked the rumour that Boko Haram has imported its terror activities into the State following the alleged blast in Ile-Ife on Tuesday. Addressing the press on behalf of the council, the Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Maishanu described as false a report in the media of an alleged bomb blast in Ile-Ife on Tuesday, thereby insinuating that the Boko Haram terror group has made incursion into the South-West state. Other security chiefs at the briefing include the Director of State Services, Commandant Nigerian Army Engineering Construction Regiment Ede Brig General Gbenga Adeyemo, and Sector Com-

mander FRSC Muhammed Hussein. Maishanu said the detachment of police that went to the spot of the alleged explosion only found a banger and not a deadly explosive or bomb as was earlier reported, which explained while no live was lost nor injuries recorded. But the Osun state Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the All Progressive Congress (APC) led government in the state of being the brain behind the explosion. The party in a statement made available by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi in Osogbo, charged the police to get to the root of the matter, saying whosoever found to be connected with the incident should be brought to book and punished accordingly.

The statement read: "We want to call the attention of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar to the growing incidence of insecurity in Osun state. "Since the assumption of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Osun state, the frequency of bomb blast has been on the increase and this is contrary to the peace the state has enjoyed over the year. The latest bomb blast occurred yesterday in Ile-Ife and one begins to wonder what the intention of these anarchists are. "More worrisome is the fact that the Area Commander of Ife Police Command, ACP, Lanre Jimoh who is expected to expose crime and criminal acts and punish culprits to serve as deterrents tried to cover up the dastardly act." Maishanu however said the banger went off in an

area predominated by miscreants and hoodlums, who use such means to scare people before dispossessing them of their belonging. He said there is no threat to lives and property as the state still remains one of the most peaceful states in the country. He enjoined people in the state to go about their lawful activities without let or hindrance as police are ever ready to protect them in all nooks and crannies of the state. The statement reads in part:"Our attention has been drawn to screaming headlines in a section of the media, alleging bomb blast in Ile-Ife and surreptitiously mingling it with other reports of bomb blasts in Borno and Kaduna States, indicating acts of terrorism and the handiwork of Boko Haram. This is false and misleading.”

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Governors embarking on antidemocratic action, says Akinwusi he governorship canTcratic didate of Social DemoParty (SDP) in Osun

State, Mr. Olusegun Akinwusi has stated that he will immediately put in place arrangements to conduct Local Government (LG) elections in the state if voted as governor in the August 9 polls. He also affirmed that the incumbent governor would fail woefully in the governorship election because of his anti- people policy. He described his policies as against democratic principle which a true democrat should not follow and maintained that the electorates would not even consider him as a candidate to be voted for in the forthcoming election. The SDP candidate during an interactive session with Concerned Ijesa Forum who paid him a visit in Osogbo, the state capital on Wednes-

day, said appointment of Caretaker Committees by governors to head the third tiers of government “is anti-democratic” and against the spirit of the nation’s constitution. He regretted that the incumbent administration of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has failed to conduct local government elections since 2010, describing this as unfair to people at the grassroot who deserved democratic representation at the local government levels. “This is a bad precedence. This is democracy and not a military regime. We have not suspended our constitution which stipulates that each local government area be administered by a Local Government Council consisting of a Chairman who is the Chief Executive and other elected members who are referred to as Councilors.

APC flagbearer charges electorate Adeolu Adeyemo

Osogbo

state governor, OgOhassun beni Rauf Aregbesola appealed to electorates

Speaker, Jigawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Ahmad Adamu Sarawa, addressing some indigenes released from Abia at the NYSC Reorientation Camp Fanisau Dutse, Jigawa State

The percentage of domestic use of water in low and middle-income countries. Source: Unesco.org

95.6%

The percentage of English players (22 of 23) in Brazil 2014 World Cup who currently ply their trade in the domestic league. Source: Goal.com

763,000

The total number of internet users in Kyrgyzstan in 2007. Source: Blatantworld.com

in the state not to mind his political detractors, always running him down in the name of August 9th governorship election in the state. Ogbeni Aregbesola who made the appeal at his campaign rally held at Ibokun of Ijesha North Federal constituency on Tuesday, affirmed that by the grace of God, he would get his political enemies disgraced at the poll. He also charged them not to allow themselves to be bought over saying, "let's be ready to vote with all that we have during the August 9 election. Let's put in everything that we have; no matter what the opposition does, we shall stand and vote. I thank you for your support and by the grace of God, come August

10, we shall be triumphant and happy. "We (his administration) shall continue to take over the Government House and Office. You (electorate) have not seen anything yet, we shall do more." He charged electorates in the state to see themselves as one despite their religious difference. "Do not allow opposition parties in the state to create disharmony among you as the election approaches. In August 9, the ruling All Progressive Congress will emerge victorious and would continue the developmental projects my administration has already embarked upon in the state. "The opposition parties are liars from the pit of hell and they want to use religious difference to discredit me and it would not work for them."

Adeyeye: Aregbesola is a good product

Akinbode: Our governor is too weak

Adeolu Adeyemo

Osogbo

he Director-General of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola re-election Campaign Committee in Osun State, Sen. Sola Adeyeye yesterday described the governor of the state as the best product to sell before the electorates, saying he would have no problem in coming back as the state governor. Professor Adeyeye who said this in a press conference held with newsmen in Osogbo, said the performance of the incumbent governor during his first term in office has spoken a lot about his ability and capability in governance and maintained that what

happened in Ekiti state would not happen in Osun. He described Aregbesola as a grass root politician whose political tentacles cut across all the nook and cranny of the state, adding that he was popular among the electorates and that there is no cause for alarm in his re-election. “If we have our way, we will say we will not campaign again because our product is a credible one with outstanding pedigree and impeccable character. He has demonstrated his ability in governance and he has no blemish character. We all know that politics is about character of the person you want to field as your candidate and Aregbesola has all what it

takes to distinguish himself as a committed and viable leader”, he stressed. Adeyeye said: “I am supremely confident that what happened in Ekiti state can never happen in Osun. In fact, the situation in Osun could warrant it that we should go and sleep but even despite the fact that we know that our opponent form the PDP is weak, no matter how weak he is,, we will not sleep with our two eyes closed because, if you do so, your mandate could be stolen. “The people of the state have already demonstrated their love for Governor Rauf Aregbesola with the turnout at the mega rallies held at Iwo, Ikire, Ikirun

and Ibokun. It was clear demonstration of the support of the people to Aregbesola’s second term bid. They are even now more committed to him following his outstanding performance in his first term in office. “The mega rallies held so far and the remaining ones that would hold in the remaining federal constituency headquarters are designed to demonstrate the strength of the party.” The senator, who advocated for a return to Parliamentary system of Government practiced in the First Nigerian Republic, condemned the Presidential system of Government that the country is operating currently.

Adeolu Adeyemo

abour Party guberLOsun natorial candidate in state, Alhaji Fatai

Akinbade yesterday said Aregbesola is too weak to re-claim the seat of governance in the state. Alhaji Akinbade who said this in a statement by his Director of Media, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, pointed out that the incumbent governor is a puppet in the hand of his political father, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and maintained that he cannot reason by himself unless he takes directive from his political mentor. Akinbade, the former SSG in the state, stated that Aregbesola does not

have the mind of his own and argued that with this, good policy formulation could not be executed by him. He however said that if voted into office, his administration would place more premium on industrialization and mechanization of agriculture. He added that it would lead to generation of enduring jobs for thousands of job seekers and maintained that the state would witness an unprecedented turn-around through industrialization and massive agricultural development. “We shall use industrialization and agriculture as the planks to turn around the fortunes of our state.

2015: KWANKWASO MORE QUALIFIED THAN JONATHAN, SAYS DANTIYE / PAGE 14 | IORNEM: I LEFT APC TO PUNISH AKUME / PAGE 15

POLITICS

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PRESIDENTIAL TICKET WON’T CAUSE CRISIS IN APC –FALEKE

p-17

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

How confab will crash, by Okorie

me said we thought he would have gone the day before, that we would not miss him because of the system we are running.

Founder and National Chairman of United Progressive Party, (UPP) Chief Chekwas Okorie, in this interview with LEO SOBECHI regrets that the ongoing National Conference will flop, pointing out that major issues like restructuring, revenue generation and citizenship have been shoved to the background. Excerpts:

What is your summation on the ongoing National Conference? The ongoing National Conference held an initial promise but I can tell you right now that the hope of most people who really desired to have a National Conference has been dashed. That conference has turned out to be the jamboree that the detractors of the conference had predicted. It’s unfortunate. If you look at it, the fear of the core issues has made the conference to push to the back burner, the core issues that made the convocation of the conference desirable in the first place. Look at the issues they are debating and using voice vote to pass; these are issues that normal constitutional amendment by the National Assembly could make. But the core issues are pertaining to the structure of this country, the nature of our federalism, the issue of our citizenship, how is our revenue allocated, is it fair, does it give merit to people that have worked to generate the revenue? There are so many things; fiscal federalism for instance. These major issues whenever they come up, that conference will be torn apart; because the voice vote will not work and 70 and 30 per cent condition given will lead them nowhere. If it had been simple majority that they admitted that the majority will have their way after the minority has had their say, that is democracy to me. But in this situation, it is the tyranny of the minority because 31 per cent will have their way, 69 percent will only have their say! That is the simple meaning of 70 per cent will pass a provision in the National Conference. So if you have 69 per cent passing a provision and 31 percent says no, 31 per cent will carry the day! It is such an absurd arrangement and unfortunately the government set the stage by giving 75 per cent and when they convened, they could not start until about two weeks debating about the percentage and the North deliberately conceded another five per cent and they now said 70 per cent. They have not shifted anywhere. So that is where the thing will fail not that they

Okorie

don’t know what is fair and what is not fair. But those who are enjoying the status quo want the unfairness to continue. Do you allude to the idea of self-determination that was shot down… In fact the normal thing would have been to allow an exit clause for any section that wants to opt out of the federation to use. That clause is in the constitution of Ethiopia and since then nobody has opted out because each person sees the reason why they should stay to-

gether. But the mere fact that those at the helm of affairs know that any section that wishes to opt out cannot opt out, will now moderate their behaviour and so there would be mutual respect for one another. All these born to rule and these kinds of attitudes that affect national brotherhood and nationality would not happen. I remember hearing one traditional ruler, Lamido of Adamawa saying if he was provoked, he would carry his people to Cameroun. Quite frankly, people like

CROSSFIRE If you compare what’s happening in Nigeria to what happened in Ireland some years ago, you had Sinn Fein on one hand and IRA on the other... Boko Haram could well be described as the armed wing of the opposition today -Fani Kayode

It is common knowledge that Fani-Kayode has been charged with money laundering... It is, therefore not impossible that he may be seeking to ingratiate himself by using media platform to destroy APC -Lai Mohammed

As a frontline political actor, what would you say played out in the Ekiti governorship election? What played out in Ekiti is simply the power of the people; the power of the people to decide who should rule over them. I must commend INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) for a transparent, credible electoral process that empowered the people to have their votes count. What the winner of that election, Fayose, said also made some sense to me. He was commending President Goodluck Jonathan for insisting on primary election and that it was that primary election that threw him up because the people who were delegates wanted him to run. It reflected on the people who were voters on the field, who wanted him to rule over them. If it was not for a credible process of selection, he said the powers that be in PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) wanted a consensus candidate and he would have lost in that consensus arrangement. But President Jonathan insisted on open primaries and that he had no problems with that. INEC provided a credible, transparent process and the man of the masses won. So, I say to INEC, may Ekiti election not be a fluke. May it be the beginning of things to come! Let us see Osun State reflect the wishes of the people and then let 2015 be even better because our clamour for electronic voting was only to ensure that the people’s votes were made to count. If the thing is this transparent, we have no complaint with the method used so long as it is transparent. And we know that if you allow people to have their votes count, there would be so many upsets in 2015. People who thought that certain offices are theirs for keeps would be swept aside. Having said that; I want to commend Governor Fayemi. He has shown that his love for his people is greater than his office. Now, I know whatever his party, APC (All Progressives Congress) may wish to do, Governor Fayemi said he may not go to the court to challenge it. So Fayose will have full time without distraction to deliver, failing which the people will have themselves to blame because he is their choice. And they can only wait for him for another four years for them to show their anger. This is democracy par excellence! Talking about consensus and internal democracy at party primaries, are you saying that what APC did at their national convention does not mirror their avowals or that it affected the outcome of Ekiti election? I am not a member of APC, I was not there, but the protest of so many top APC CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

14 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

2015: Kwankwaso more qualified than Jonathan, says Dantiye of states within the Nigerian nation but in Africa, and in the world. You can see that things are happening here. Look at the over N6 billion flyover and the other one at Murtala Muhammad Way which is over N10 billion. Look at the IPP project which is over N14 billion. Look at the road projects; you were here when two roads contracts were awarded at the cost of over N800 million. If we had not saved money, where are we going to get the fund to finance the projects? Look at the over 2,000 post graduates students that we sent abroad; this is besides the over 3,000 we sent for degree programmes to universities across the globe. Today, if you go outside the country, you will see Kano people all over and Governor Kwankwaso told them that if they get a job there, they should stay and do it. So, we are everywhere in the world, in about 15 countries. We sent over 100 students to train as pilots, another 100 for maritime studies, not to talk of medicine and nursing. You can see that the governor is building a future for the state. Nobody can ever come to Kano to say we are backward in education, or to say we are a dirty. The state is becoming more of an European state, with roads and all that, no more begging in Kano or thuggery. So, the money that is been saved is really being used judicially for the common man, and another area is that when Kwankwaso came on board in 2011, the revenue base of the state was less than N400 million monthly, but today we are generating more than N2 billion monthly. People are convinced that their money is not been wasted and that is why they are paying taxes. So, there is no room for anybody to accuse the government of anything, and people who talk about not taking money or getting money are those who have always siphoned the state’s treasury.

Alhaji Halilu Baba Dantiye is the Director of Press to Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State. In this interview with MUHAMMAD KABIR, he speaks on some critical issues including the governor’s interest in the 2015 presidential election. Excerpt How has it been working with Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his Director of Press? It has been a very busy office, we are working for about 18 to 20 hours daily and any time you have like five hours, you will be happy that you will have some good rest. But thank God, it is for good, because you are putting the time for the benefit of the people. So, it has been quite challenging. Of course it is not something new for me having come from Triumph Newspapers. In all, it has been good, an experience worth it and I am happy that one has learnt a lot in terms of determination, commitment and ensuring that results are produced out of what one does. You were a former president of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, does that give you an edge in running your office? I think working with Governor Kwankwaso or anybody and the ability to manage it starts from ones upbringing. My upbringing taught me how to live with my seniors, leaders and any other people. Moreso, if your father is used to people, you are bound to learn how to manage people and situations. When my father was alive, our house was like a city centre. People came to him because he was man of the people. From there, we were taught how to respect others and also how to protect our dignity. Then as a newsman, managing the office and the governor pose little problem because I have been relating with various groups of people, ranging from politicians to the people at the grassroots. So, working in this direction as I told you will not be in any way tedious for me. You know that here we even gives captions, we sometimes make editors to use our headlines may be if they are in a hurry because we truly see the place as a newsroom. We give everybody right to operate, we relate with ourselves as collogues even though in the newsroom you have the editor. The editor here is of course the Director Press, who does the final editing, final proofreading, and perhaps approves and suggests headlines before we send them out. We see our reports not only here in Nigeria but even in foreign countries and I appreciate that. Governor Kwankwaso is one person, who is hard to understand. How do you manage to work with him? I think human perception depends on who you are talking about. Of course you can say he is a complex person because he is somebody in a hurry; in a hurry for so many reasons because he is conscious of time. He understands the important of time in life or anything he does, so he hardly misuses his time. He makes sure that

Dantiye

he uses the best of his time because when the clock clicks, it never comes back. He also makes use of time consciously, so he pushes a lot. He pushes the staff, contractors. He is the supervisor, the initiator. He does everything because he is conscious of the result, he wants everything to be right and must get it right. So many things were going wrong before he came to power, and it is like correcting one thousand problems at a go. So, you can see the passion and determination. We have problems with road traffic, problems with people coming late to offices, people doing their job and waiting to be paid, people misusing public funds and so many crises that needs his attentions. Cases that were created by the previous administration that need to be corrected, people demanding money before they pay their dues, so you could see the kind of person one is working with, somebody with zeal, courage, determination and aspirations to deliver within the shortage time available. The position you inherited was a flamboyant one in the last administration, how do you manage it now? I have not really gone into history on how previous directors managed the place, but one thing I know is that I am okay. I don’t have any complain. One thing you should understand is that Kwankwaso is a man, who wants to be convinced that public funds you are requesting are justifiable. If you request something that you cannot de-

fend, certainly you will not get what you are looking for. You can see how we run the office: everything we demand, we do get and I am satisfied with the way things are going, because we cannot be like others. As a government, we are also conscious of the fact that public funds should be diligently used for the betterment of the people and not for anything else, and you should know that Kwankwaso is one person that detests wasting public funds. If truly you want to work with him, you should get prepared for prudent management of resources. One area that people frequently talk about Kwankwaso is his refusal to dish out money. What is your reaction to that? People can say anything about Kwankwaso, but you can justify the fact that in Kano, it is something else. We are today very proud of our selves; we are today a state that should be reckoned with not only in the comity

if he decides to contest, he is qualified and he has his reservations on so many things that are going wrong in this country

What are those things that you have learnt working with Kwankwaso? The commitment, the courage, the no-nonsense attitude and the true person in the governor, and above all, the hard work. This is a man who always want to see results, and you should be on your toes and alert to every situation. This is a man who believes in factuality; you should be upright and fearless. I have learnt a lot. Do you see Governor Kwankwaso contesting the 2015 presidency? You should know that he is extremely qualified because he has passed through the rigours of life. He has managed virtually everything that matters that would give him enough strength to contest for the office of the president. He has been governor from 1999 to 2003, minister, special adviser, and so many others, and now a governor. So, you can see that he is qualified more than even the person on the seat now. So, if he decides to contest, he is qualified and he has his reservations on so many things that are going wrong in this country; insecurity, killings and lack of peace. He will certainly try in his capacity as president to be there when Nigerians need him not now that nobody is there for Nigerians, people cannot go to churches and mosques, they can’t even go to viewing centers to watch football matches. So, with Kwankwaso, Nigerians would be guaranteed of all the things that are missing now.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 15

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Iornem: I left APC to punish Akume decision to leave a party that one built over years but where we are going, we are going to find space to promote the same ideas that we were promoting in opposition because what was opposition is now worse than any other party in Nigeria. And PDP is by far better organized than the APC. We are not afraid to have made this decision. We are very confident and we want to thank the leaders of the PDP from the national level, particularly at the state level and the governor.

Prof. David Iornem was Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) governorship candidate in the 2011 governorship election, Prof. Steve Torkuma Ugba. He recently defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the APC state congress in Benue State. In this interview, he gives reasons why he left the APC and speaks on other sundry issues. CEPHAS IORHEMEN brings the excerpts You were a celebrated opposition member in Benue State, but today you have defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Why did you leave the APC? I have been in the opposition for the past 22 years. So, based on principle, I refused to work with them. It is not as if I am tired of being in opposition, no. I know that opposition politics has its own merit, and special role, and I believe that even those who have been in government appreciate what I have being doing here, being the voice of opposition. We have played a very important role and I have enjoyed it. I brought the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) here in Benue State together with Sen. Iyorchia Ayu. We toured the state and established the party. And the party has been doing very well and in the last election, it almost seemed as if we were going to take over. But that has now become history. I was not going to quite opposition politics, I was not going to quit APC but some significant things happened within the party that has made me to decide. First of all, the ACN that merged with other parties to form the APC had principles and we were working on those principles. We brought in, collaborated with some politicians who were not originally members of AC to run an election and at the end of it, the party, the APC that has emerged, the amalgamation is no longer promoting the principles that I and my followers stood for. What are those principles? We believe in fairness, we believe in keeping promises, we believe in democracy, we believe in dignity of the individual and those beliefs are very, very important in an opposition party because there is very little that you can give to people that are following you. We had a very serious situation and I think it was manipulated whereby people went out for ward congress and they waited there from morning to night. In my particular ward, we went to the venue. By eight O’clock, I left Makurdi here so we got there we already saw people but the officials to conduct the elections were not yet there. So we passed and went to my village where we had breakfast. And we sent somebody to be monitoring when election materials will come so that we will come back. We waited and waited. We had lunch at 2:30pm and we continued to wait. Then we decided to come ourselves to check. We came and the materials were not there. I was here in Makurdi and phoning and monitoring. In my own ward, the materials got there at about nine pm. Just imagine an old woman

What do you think people will say about your integrity as you have left APC? Well, you know if you believe in principle, you can practice them everywhere, anywhere, any time.

Iornem

that loves our party, an old man that loves our party and even the young one that has strength, will just go and sit there in endless wait just to decide who will lead the party at the ward level. That is not acceptable. It is anti people practice and I find it distasteful. That was replicated at LG congress, it was also done at the state congress and why they were delaying the materials, they wanted to sit somewhere and write names of party leaders. And they succeeded in doing that in the majority of local government areas and they did it at the state level. I find that unacceptable. And when we complained Akume told us that when people are not happy with an election, they petition. We should go and petition like Ugbah petitioned. It hurt. So, that’s one of the reasons. Another reason, although I was an official of the SDP that produced Moslem/Moslem ticket that sold in the 90s, I am sensible enough to know that the situation in Nigeria today is not the same as what existed that time. Today, everybody is on edge; the Christians are on edge, the Moslems are on edge and it is more sensible when talking about presidential ticket to have a balance of the faith. If you have a Christian that is the presidential candidate, it is more sensible to have a Moslem as a running mate, and vise versa. In APC, they have thrown a kite that Moslem/Moslem ticket will still work today and people who love APC have written mountains of commentaries in newspapers, and the leadership of APC is reticent; their body language is not very clear. It seems that they can promote a Moslem/Moslem ticket in this present day Nigeria. I will not accept that and I believe that many, many Nigerians will not find that acceptable. These are very, very important reasons that have made me to decide (to leave the party). When I took the decision that I wanted to quit, a lot of my supporters said I should bring them to another party and what they meant was that I should bring a fresh party that they will build like they built the ACN. But I didn’t think it was very practical. So I decided on a very practical thing. I have left the APC because I want to punish Akume. Yes, I want to punish that leadership. If you build a party so well like we did, the ACN and then the APC and people are looking up

We are leaving APC enmass and we will leave it as an empty shade. When we do that, even Akume would be afraid to stand election on APC platform to it and one individual comes to take it to run it like a personal property, or private company, sitting somewhere, deciding who should be a ward chairman, ward secretary, that kind of thing. If somebody is doing that definitely he has damaged what you have built. The person deserves punishment. So we are leaving APC en-mass and we will leave it as an empty shade. When we do that, even Akume would be afraid to stand election on APC platform. That would be a big lesson to other leaders who may wish to think that they can attempt such a reckless kind of act. I don’t want to punish myself by going to build another party, I will go to another party that is opposition to APC so that I can squarely face him and dish out punishment that he deserves. So to me, PDP is a platform for that to be achieved. Nigeria is at risk, Benue is at risk, Tiv people are at risk. This is a time when we should come together and work for the security and progress of our people and I see in PDP, a conglomeration of leaders that I can join and make concrete contribution to the quality of development in Benue State, and in Tiv land in the context of the global or the bigger Nigeria, if you join PDP, you can make an input into what will happen in Nigeria. And so I am joining to contribute in the security, progress and development of Benue State, the Tiv nation and to find a platform with credible leaders to make an input into national development. When I made my intentions known, I was overwhelmed with the welcome that I received from His Excellency, Dr. Gabriel Suswam. I have been received very well and I have been assured that I will have room; I will have space to make a contribution in what will happen in Benue and what will happen in Nigeria. So I am assuring my followers and my supporters that it was a very difficult

Can you comment on your case with the ICPC? The issue of my court case or frozen account, I tell you, the matter is in court, I will not want to comment very much on it but the case is not connected with PDP. The case is with NUC and ICPC and if you want to know, this is a case that started in 2005 and I started it. The NUC wrote me a letter that the things I do as a consultant representing foreign institutions are illegal. I asked them what makes that kind of thing illegal. And they say they are illegal that’s all they are telling me. So I went to court. There is a court process called originating summons. Every one of you can go to court and ask the court to invite somebody, to summon somebody to come and answer things that you don’t understand. Because they say the things I was doing were illegal. I told them to explain to me and they said they had stated it and that is all and then they attempted to close down my office. So I went to court through originating summons asking NUC to come and explain. They brought a circular which was meant to inform all civil servants that from that time they wrote the circular, anybody who studied by distance learning at home and presents the certificate, they will not recognize it. Is that a law? A circular, is it a law? Now that you have joined the PDP do you think your chances in the party are bright? Governor Gabriel Suswam has assured me that I will have space to contribute, and the other leaders in the party; the party chairman, the deputy governor, and other very senior members of the party, people who hold office in the government of Gabriel Suswam, people who hold office in PDP at the national level, they have welcomed me enthusiastically and I have no reason to doubt that I will find space to make a contribution. Some of us will be thinking differently and we will respect ourselves, we will respect our views and positions. And I’ve been trusting that I’ll be able to make my own contribution to the running of the country. What happens if you no longer feel comfortable with the PDP? When we reach the bridge, we will cross it. You cannot cross before we get there. I have looked at the environment, at what exist now; I have taken a decision based on what exist now. Let me tell you sincerely, PDP is by far a better democratic party than APC as constituted in Benue State and the state is important to me because I am a grassroots politician. So even if there is democracy at the national level in APC, it doesn’t concern me. What concerns me is here and what bothers me is the practice of sitting in one Judges Quarters’ house and writing names of people who will be leaders of the party at the ward. What kind of thing is that?

16 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

NATIONAL CONFERENCE President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Mr. Udengs Eradiri in this interview with FELIX NWANERI, speaks on recent developments at the ongoing National Conference, particularly the insistence by Northern delegates that status quo be maintained on resource control. Excerpts:

Eradiri: S’South delegates haven’t lived up to expectations for some time and everybody keep blaming the manner at which were brought together for the problems; I had expected that Nigerians will take advantage of the opportunity created by President Goodluck Jonathan to see how they can agree on the terms that will ensure that they continue to live together. Unfortunately, a few individuals are behaving as if Nigeria belongs to them. If they continue to go that way, we will tell them that nothing says that we must stay together. Like some people have argued; the amalgamation of 1914 has expired. They say that by the amalgamation law that set up Nigeria, the country is an expired entity now that it has clocked 100 years, and I think that this argument was part of the reasons the President set up the National Conference. We must consolidate our unity, but if some people feel that it is not what they want, there is nothing wrong in calling it a day.

Recently the remains of foremost Niger Delta activist, Isaac Adaka Boro were exhumed and reburied at the Ijaw National Heroes Park in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital. What prompted the Ijaw nation to take such decision? It would be an abomination for the remains of a hero like Isaac Adaka Boro to be lying somewhere else other than Ijaw land. So, we commend Governor Seriake Dickson for making sure that Boro’s remains were identified at the Ikoyi Cemetery, Lagos and eventually brought back home to rest. For me as the president of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), I feel so elated that it was in my time as the president of the council that such feat was achieved; that our hero, who we came to hear and read about, was brought home. It is a great achievement that our hero, who planted the seed of the struggle for the emancipation of Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta, has finally come to rest in his home land. Some people believe that the struggle, which Boro started has been hijacked by some elements in the Niger Delta, who are using it for personal gains. How do you react to that? The truth is that you find fifth columnists in situations like the one in the Niger Delta, but that should not be used to judge the overall advantage of the agitation. In every struggle, you will find people who would want use it to enrich themselves, but the agitation must remain on course. Boro stood for a just Niger Delta. He also stood for one Nigeria; a Nigeria that would be just and prosperous. Unfortunately, it is not what we are seeing today. Boro didn’t particularise his struggle. You will recall that when he felt sad with the way things were going then, he declared a republic and the then government arrested, prosecuted and jailed him. However, he was freed during the civil war and reintegrated into the society, and he fought for one Nigeria. So, if you look at history, you will realise that Ijaw people have always fought for a just Nigeria and the unity of this country. To me, Boro lived a fulfilled live and it is left for people like us, who took over from him to sustain those ideals that he laid his life for by ensuring a just society; that we stamp out corruption and render selfless service to this country. The Bayelsa State government has immortalised the late Boro by naming the state college of education after him. Is your council planning something in that direction? The IYC doesn’t have the capacity of taking such decision, we can only advise the government on such matters. But we have a made a recommendation to the state government to declare May 16 of every year a public holiday to further honour Boro, because he is the icon of Ijaw land and we will fall short of nothing to celebrate him. The various committees of the National Conference have been submitting their reports, and there are indications that the South-South is likely not to achieve total

Don’t you feel that such position would be justifying the prediction by a U.S study group that Nigeria will cease to exist by 2015? We are already justifying that prediction with the way the country is going. How can people be playing politics with the kidnap schoolgirls? How can people be playing politics with the lives of innocent people? What do you make of the senseless killings, especially in the North? To me, the prediction is as good as coming to pass.

Eradiri

control of its resources, which was top on its agenda. How is the zone likely to react to this? It is unfortunate that some of the South-South delegates have been dishonourable in their approach to the presentation of the position Niger Delta at the National Conference. They have fallen short of the position of our people by playing second fiddle to some people from other sections of the country. They have replayed the master-servant relationship which the North had always insisted on. But the North should realise that the essence of the National Conference is not the South against North. It is about the various ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria coming to the table with issues that concern them for us to deliberate on them and come up with a position that will make Nigeria great. We advocate that there should be resource control because it will ensure a healthy competition among the zones; jobs will be created and our economy will grow. We must make it emphatically clear that resource control is not about oil; it is about capacity to harness resources within each of the country’s geo-political zones. So, it is unfortunate that the confab is going as if it is them against us. It is equally unfortunate that our delegates have fallen short of the position of the Niger Delta people. Do you see the people of the South-South rejecting the outcome of the conference should their ambition to have control over their resources fail? Of course we will; but we will soon meet to review developments in the polity as regards the National Conference, 2015 general election and security situation in the country and come up with a roadmap on how we can make progress as a nation because Nigeria is stagnant at the moment. What would be your advice to the Southern

It is unfortunate that some of the SouthSouth delegates have been dishonourable in their approach to the presentation of the position Niger Delta at the National Conference. They have fallen short of the position of our people delegates at the conference against the backdrop of the insistence by the North that status quo be maintained on critical issues of resource control, restructure of government and devolution of power? The South-South should consolidate its position with that of other zones in the South; South-East and South-West in order to speak with one voice. We don’t want a situation where we will have a divided house. If the North has a mindset coming to the National Conference, we should make them realise that we have the right to determine our future in this country. Should the confab fail to address those critical national issues that it was convoked for, what do you see as the future of Nigeria? For me, I feel that the National Conference was an opportunity for us to rewrite our history. If we look at the pains that we have gone through, believing that we were forcefully conscripted as a nation without the various ethnic nationalities being consulted, and owing to the fact that security, economic and political challenges have bedeviled the country

Are you not worried over what Nigeria’s disintegration portends for Africa given the country’s position in the continent? It will not portend anything. Rather I see it encouraging growth in Africa. The way Nigeria is today; much as that President is trying his best to encourage investment, and to make the economy grow; if you look at the situation holistically, you will find out that some people are still weary to invest in this part of the world, especially over the level of insecurity in the North. But I must suggest that if some people don’t want to make progress because of their religious belief, which they are entitled to, they should be left alone. They should not be allowed to hold the rest of the country back. The truth is that Nigeria should not continue to exist by force. Like Isaac Boro and others in the past did their best to keep the country one, we are only trying to see if we can manage the situation because there is nothing wrong in going our separate ways. It has happened before in the former Soviet Union and recently in Sudan. Not too long ago, the people of Crimea (part of Ukraine) decided their fate. So, it is not going to be a new thing if such happens in Nigeria. Some people believe that rather than disintegrate, Nigeria is better restructured along regional lines. Do you subscribe to such option? That should be our fallback position, believing such will give us the opportunity to compete among ourselves, but some people don’t see it that way because they have stolen more than enough and invested parasitically in other peoples resources. So, there is this general fear that if we restructure, they will lose all what they have stolen as well as lose control of the oil that does not belong to them. It is this fear that they are capitalising on to hold this country to ransom.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 17

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Hon. James Faleke represents Ikeja Federal Constituency in the house of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview, he speaks on the ongoing national conference, the perceived crisis in his party, his performance at the National Assembly, among other issues. WALE ELEGBEDE reports. Several issues and propositions seem to be emanating from the ongoing National Conference. Do you think the confab can take us to our Eldorado as a nation? Well, we said it from day one that for us there is nothing that we will need to achieve as a nation that cannot be achieved at the National Assembly. You see, the way and manner members of the conference were selected won’t also give credence to whatever is going to come out of it. If you are having a confab and you want Nigerians to stick by its resolutions, I think you should allow them to decide on who represents them. When you monitor discussions at the confab, you also discover that so many of them actually don’t even know what they are saying. They have the visions, they know the issues but for me how are those issues and recommendations going to be implemented? Is it through a referendum, or are they going to bring them to the National Assembly? We are waiting to see how the president wants to push the recommendation of the confab. Electing people to go to the confab would have been the best rather than choosing people. You will also discover that most of the issues that have been discussed; some very sensitive, some have been good, some have been outside reality, we (National Assembly) have talked about almost everything on the floor of the house that even the president himself has refused to acced to. For me, I want to see what they want to do with the result of this confab. Do you support the push for amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect? If they come forward and are identified like some of these Niger Delta people were identified previously, why not, if they decide that they want to lay down their arms. But for me, let’s start from those families that have been detained and use them as first source of negotiating with Shekau and then we move on from there. It seems your party is already in the heat over who becomes its presidential candidate come 2015. Does this suggest that the APC is in crisis? I don’t think so. I haven’t seen where an outsider would be thinking about what is happening within our own house. It is funny the way the Peoples Democratic Party and others want to discredit us and continue to throw stone into the house to disorganise us. They don’t know that the way our leaders and members think is different from the way they think outside there. They started by saying that we can’t merge successfully that we are strange bedfellows, but against their wish, we merged successfully. They said we cannot conduct credible congresses, but we conducted congresses successfully with firm internal democracy. Now that they have seen that we are moving forward against all their expectations, they are talking about the presidential candidate. Is it their business? Let them wait until we present our presidential candidate and they will be surprised. It is

Presidential ticket won’t cause crisis in APC –Faleke

Faleke

normal to have internal juggling among aspirants. It is normal for underground current to flow here and there. If that is what they see as internal crisis, then they have missed it because that is what is called, competitive democratic movement, for me it is not a crisis. Issue of presidential candidate won’t cause any problem in our party. Chief Tom Ikimi lost out during your party’s convention, since then he has said a handful of odd things about the APC and some of your leaders. What is your take on this? Honestly speaking, Chief Tom Ikimi is an elder statesman that I would not want to malign his person at all, but that is not to say that those of us coming behind cannot read between the lines of actions between the past and present. When you look at his activities and the way and manner he left PDP, you will know that it is more on personal grounds. When he came on board to APC, we in the younger generation thought that we were aligning with some people who we don’t share similar beliefs and ideologies with. For me, I give thanks to God that he didn’t win the election. He didn’t even come out to contest any longer. He withdrew when he saw that he was going to lose the election. Rather than coming out in the open to contest. He saw the loss coming and withdrew tactically. Now, he’s coming out to talk against the same party he joined others to form. If he knew that Tinubu was controlling the party, why didn’t he opt out since then and join Labour Party or go back to his vomit, PDP? He should have opted out earlier. Why wait till the last day of our convention, when he knew that he was going to lose an election before talking against the party. It is rather unfortunate. For me, I have a lot of respect for elders and I think he lost my own respect. The race for who succeeds Governor Babatunde Fashola is already on and many names are already flying around. Can we take the hint from Oba Rilwan Akiolu’s endorsement of one of the aspirants to be the direction your party will head in 2015? Fashola will be leaving next year;

he cannot be there for life no matter how good he is. The way he has run the state, the way he has developed it, improved on the legacies left behind by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, somebody else will have to come and take over from him. The people should just wait for the party to take its final decision after conducting our party primaries You said Oba Akiolu not APC. Oba Akiolu, of course, is our father, he has the right to say this is where I want Lagos to go, it is now left for the party to take a decision on those candidates. What is important that I stand for is the zoning arrangement that the party indirectly has done. We have had it in the West Senatorial District, Central is about finishing and I think it’s just proper for the East to have it. Anybody that they are bringing up from the East, should be able to improve on what Fashola has done. Three years down the lane, can you give an overview of your activities in the lower chamber? I think the first thing to say is to thank the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency for considering me worthy to represent them at the House of Representative and since my getting their nod for representation, I have made it a point of duty to represent them very well. In terms of community projects, I have brought a lot of community projects to my constituency. The motions that I have moved on the floor of the House includes the construction of overhead bridges which is ongoing on

All their expectations, they are now talking about the presidential candidate. Is it their business? Let them wait until we present our presidential candidate and they will be surprised

along Lagos-Abeokuta Express Road. I also moved the motion for an overhead bridge at Berger. The Federal Government ministries execute constituency projects. We have done lots of solar powered street lights and boreholes. We have done lots of empowerment programmes for our people and most importantly to our people are employment opportunities that we have opened up for them. As at today, I have been able to secure employment for about 38 youths into federal employment. In terms of motions, I moved motions for the amendment of the National Youths Service Corps, (NYSC) Act. The amendment is to allow for life insurance coverage for corps members. I a moved motion regarding LagosIbadan Expressway which is under construction, ban of sales of military and para-military uniforms in the open market. We brought bills to amend the code of conduct act to allow for people who already have accounts, overseas account to declare it for the purpose of that declaration rather than say you cannot have foreign account. The subsidy probe, as bad as it has been painted through the activities of Farouk Lawan and the clerk of the committee, I contributed immensely to the extent that we are able to expose the imminent frauds that were involved in the subsidy scam and I can say that so many of the people we exposed have been prosecuted in one way or the other while unfortunately those who assisted the contractors in government to siphon the funds from the national treasury have never been dealt with. This is the irony of fighting corruption. What effort sare you putting up to ensure that these sets of people are also prosecuted? For me as chairman, House Committee on Anti-Corruption, I have written and I think it is only right to prosecute those who aided these people and those who actually took part in it. We have written and we are waiting for action to be taken. Again, we have carried out our lawmaking oversight, which is part of our duties, we have done our bit.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

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

leaders especially people like (Chief) Tom Ikimi and others in his category indicate that what happened was not transparent and credible. There was an imposition; there was excessive use of money. That is the kind of process that came out and quite frankly it is not that I have any business being adviser to (Bola) Tinubu, but I would like to have viable parties put up good performance so we don’t have a winner-takes all situation which PDP had been enjoying till this time. As much as we are growing UPP to be formidable; we don’t want APC to be a flash in the pan. Therefore I will advise Tinubu to review his leadership approach. Being carried away by the enormous wealth around him is hurting the party. In Ondo State, he imposed a candidate on his former party ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) and the people of Ondo State believed that it was some sort of neo-colonialism by somebody like Tinubu. And those who were not even in Labour Party like Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae; all came out to advise their people to resist what they called neocolonialism. And that was why there was a landslide victory for LP in Ondo State. The same thing happened in Ekiti even when Fayemi is an incumbent governor. The way Tinubu has been throwing himself about, flexing muscles here and there, installing who is what and where, affected Fayemi negatively. I can tell you that the people of Ekiti State more than anything felt that they needed some kind of liberation from the strangle hold of Tinubu. The leadership of a race like Yoruba or Igbo or any other is not by force. You earn it. (Chief Obafemi) Awolowo did not use money to buy leadership of Yorubas, (Dim Emeka Odumegwu) Ojukwu did not use money to buy the leadership of Igbo, (late Dr. Michael) Okpara did not use money to buy leadership. You don’t use money to buy respect. So, I will advise him to let that party grow; I am not saying he should resign but he should review his leadership approach. Coming down to South-East, what do you think will play out in 2015 given the prevailing consciousness among voters? Amongst the Igbo people, I am little circumspect when I talk of South-East where Igbo people live, they live all over the country. They have more population outside the South-East; in fact they have doubled their population outside the South-East. So I like to address Igbo on a matter like this. I can say that the people have what you might call righteous anger burning in them now. And you know that naturally and traditionally, Ndigbo are both sentimental and emotional; that was why they followed Zik in NCNC, (National Council of Nigeria Citizens). The party was not registered by Igbo people but immediately Zik entered the party and became the standard bearer, all Igbo organizations, Igbo unions and town unions; every group came to join. The same reason, when all the stalwarts in Igbo land who had money and fame came into NPN, (National Party of Nigeria); he came out late and took the flag of NPP, Ndigbo coalesced there and swept the polls in the entire SouthEast, even though there were only two states then and extended their hand to Plateau State who had comfort in their company. Now, 20 years after, when it was as if everything had died, I was used by God to produce the party called APGA. And we had a candidate whose credential was grassroots following. He had no money; we had the most austere political campaign that I have ever seen in any presidential election in my life. But at the same time we came third, we swept the polls in the Igbo area. We won Suleja Federal Constituency without a candidate because Ndigbo

There’ll be upsets in 2015 –Okorie

Okorie

went and voted for the party symbol without minding who the candidate was. We won two federal constituencies in Lagos state, Amuwo Odofin and Ojo federal constituencies; without candidates. So, this is the extent of Igbo sentimentality when it comes to taking decisions on whom to follow. So, 12 years after that will be 2015, and even without Jonathan saying he is going to run, the two factions of APGA have all adopted him. It is almost like selling their birth right. But thank God we were able to produce UPP. And of the 26 political parties registered in Nigeria by INEC today, only UPP has zoned its presidential candidate to the South-East, so the Igbo would fly the presidential flag. And Igbo will not do anything from what they had done in the past. They are going to coalesce there; they are going to take control of their destiny. They are going to negotiate with whoever has respect for them. Zik negotiated using NCNC with the North, the benefits are numerous. Part of the benefit people have not yet appreciated is that it was that coalition that made him (Zik) President and the NPC (Northern Peoples Congress) became Prime Minister with executive powers. It was that coalition that made the ruling power to approve the plebiscite in Benin and Delta provinces that made the creation of Midwestern region possible. And it was NCNC that led that; so two provinces became a region when West had nine provinces but now with two carved out they remained seven. So, he had his mind focused on the benefits that could accrue to his people if we had a platform with which to negotiate. That was repeated in the second republic. Could it have been possible for a ruling party to have a vice president from Igbo land and have the speaker of the House of Representatives also from Igbo land? It would not have been possible but with that accord, the Speaker was the share of the NPP ( Nigeria Peoples Party), the vice president was the joint ticket that NPN used to run for the Presidency. So we benefitted vice president and Speaker. After then, have we seen another Speaker? So everything points to the fact that Igbo People are better off when we have our own platform to negotiate with. And that brings to mind what Zik said in rationalizing his joining NPP at

I can tell you right now that the hope of most people who really desired to have a National Conference has been dashed. That conference has turned out to be the jamboree that time when it was a very small party compared to the two others. He said that ‘our people were better off in majority in a minority party where their voice was heard than being minority in a majority party without strength’. That was his observation and it has made meaning to me up till today. So I see a major political equation playing out. Four major political parties are going to float presidential candidates to jostle for the votes of Nigerians. PDP is stock with the incumbent, APC will float one from the North; I see another very top presidential candidate emerging again from the North. APC will screen him out, no need mentioning his name now. He has put all the machineries for a presidential campaign in motion, so these timbers from APC won’t stop him. And we know that he can latch on other platforms to use, others have done it in the past. And then there is UPP that is sure coming with a presidential candidate. When these four presidential candidates lock horns, what I see coming out is a situation where there would not be a clear winner. What I see coming out is that the government of 2015 will be formed by at least two or more coalition of parties. That is the situation in Britain today! That is the situation in Germany today, the situation in Israel today; that was the situation in Zimbabwe! So this is what is current; democracies are more stable when it is not winner takes all. Because when it is winner takes all, it tends towards tyranny and impunity. Talking about these schemes and designs for 2015, recently the Appeal Court in Abuja ruled on Victor Umeh’s appeal against his

removal by the Federal High Court; as the founder of APGA how do you think this affects the new direction you talk about? Well, the struggle for the soul of APGA continues; even though I had said I took the soul away and that it is very much in UPP, there is still something they are fighting for. And the Appeal Court judgment is not acceptable to me at all because I know everything that has transpired in APGA. I know the travesty of justice that we went through in almost eight years. I know that the judiciary has not discharged its role creditably in the APGA matter. This is the third time APGA matter is going to the same Supreme Court of Nigeria. It has gone perhaps more number of times to the Appeal Court and about 23 times to the trial courts. Up till today, the judiciary has not been able to resolve the APGA leadership crisis. What is so difficult that the judiciary cannot resolve? Up till today, the judiciary has not made any pronouncement even if in one sentence that Victor Umeh is chairman of APGA including the Appeal Court judgment. It is always going on technical grounds to set aside judgment earlier granted. And in that setting aside by technical grounds, you can hardly find avenue to now say the person who has procured such judgment is declared chairman because that issue has not been before the courts in terms of Umeh. Now, they are back in Supreme Court, it did not bother the court that the person who is an appellant in that case has been in office for the last 10 years. That would have at least made the court to consider whether the judiciary can assist somebody to perpetuate himself in office beyond the constitutionally approved tenure under the cover of technicality. It would appear to me that the Appeal Court does not care that it is perpetuating unconstitutionality of somebody claiming leadership on the altar of technicality. If I was in that situation, I will go to the Supreme Court. There was clear travesty of justice; the law was put upside down. As far as I am concerned, I have read the judgment. Maxi Okwu has so many grounds to go to the Supreme Court to obtain justice. Nigerians including myself have strong faith and confidence in the ability of the present Supreme Court to do justice. Because justice is not technicality at all; it is only when a set of judges, or a court wants to justify whatever it has been induced with that it starts looking for technicality to circumvent justice. So, I want the Supreme Court this time to resolve the APGA leadership crisis once and for all. Because the type of judgment this time created room for further litigations; if any court has declared Umeh chairman, contrary to his claims on the pages of newspapers, Umeh would have advertised that judgment in all the newspapers including the online media. Everybody knows that; because he has to get money from the state government all the time. But he has gone to tell the world that the court affirmed him chairman. Where is the sentence? Which pronouncement of court, where is the straight declaration of court that made you the chairman of the party? So it is this time that it is going to the Supreme Court; if I may suggest, because of the intractable nature of the APGA leadership crisis, I will actually request Justice Aluoma Moukhtar to preside over the panel that will take the matter and I can sleep with my two eyes closed. And whatever she comes out with as the pronouncement will be taken as the justice of the matter because she has proved herself as an incorruptible jurist.

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EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

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

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

THURSday, JULY 3, 2014

Chibok and a government’s moral burden

or eighty days now, 219 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok remain captives of the Boko Haram insurgents. At the same time there is growing frustration about the rescue operation. A clear indication of the unfortunate situation was the revelation by the United States last Friday that it had no idea of the girls’ location, and that it had decreased its surveillance flights in the area. This development further contradicts the previous claim by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh that the military knows where the girls are being held hostage. The longer the girls remain in captivity, the more the moral burden grows on the Jonathan Administration. The abduction and rescue operation have been characterized by a series of official blunders, all because of the leadership’s inability to depoliticize the issue and accept constitutional responsibility for protecting the Nigerian populace. The latest blunder is the $1.2 million deal with the U.S. public relations firm, Levick, in conjunction with Perseus Strategies, a law firm, to change the local and international media narrative about the abduction and other issues related to the Boko Haram insurgency. The simple fact is that no amount of image laundering will compensate for rescuing the girls

especially through a negotiated process, or replace the need for government to do more in funding a more effective counter-insurgency programme. It is rather unfortunate that we do not have a sense of history as a people. Gradually people are forgetting that some young girls are still in captivity. Yet, those at the corridors of power, who swore to protect and uphold the constitution, which expressly states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of governance, are busy popping champagne and living in excessive luxury and opulence while the Chibok girls are being exploited and dehumanized as sex slaves. There is no doubting the fact that the government has failed these girls and obviously disappointed itself. If not for a small group of Nigerians and the international community who have kept the fire of optimism burning and putting pressure on government to do something fast to get the Chibok girls back to their parents, the government would have consigned the whole saga to the dustbin of history as it has continued to blame its political enemies for the unfolding tragedy. A government must always inspire hope and confidence in her people, and it must show concern at all times for the welfare and wellbeing of the people. If it does not, it means the government

just exists for itself and is not truly bothered about what becomes of the citizenry. It would be recalled that, during the Day of the African Child anniversary, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown had urged the world not to forget the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. “Thousands of people have come together united with one cause: safe schools for every girl and boy,” the former prime minister of Britain said as the world celebrated the African Child Day. “While the global community has failed to deliver safe schooling, young people are demanding safe, quality schools for all children everywhere and stand in solidarity with the northern Nigerian girls of Chibok and all those around the world who face these struggles.” Over two months after 287 girls were kidnapped from their school, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education has also praised young people around the world as they mobilise to demand education for all. Young people, schools, teachers, and faith groups from across the world united and dedicated the Day of the African Child 2014 to the delivery of quality education and safe schools. Speaking further, the UN special envoy said: “Young people throughout the world have dedicated today, Day of the African Child, not only to education, but in solidarity with

the 287 school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Thousands of people have come together united with one cause: safe schools for every girl and boy.” The point is that if the international community is showing so much concern about the abducted school girls, what is the Nigerian government doing? Should the government not have frequent media briefings detailing how it is trying to get the girls back as soon as possible? If the children of those in government were amongst those kidnapped, would they apply the same snail speed approach in the rescue mission? These questions are very crucial because some of the abducted girls that escaped claimed they were gang raped 15 times a day, yet the government has shown so much aloofness in the matter. Well-meaning Nigerians demand that the government must squarely and promptly address the issue of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, rescue them and give all the support they require to integrate them back into the society. This is the proper direction for money to be invested and not in a ridiculous overseas public relations exercise that won’t make the government look any better in the eyes of the outside world. The government must come to terms with the moral burden on its shoulders and deal with it appropriately now. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Deputy Managing Director/DEIC SULEIMAN BISALLA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board GEOFFREY EKENNA News Editor PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

OPINION Reversing trend of attacks on viewing centres Frank Mba

here is no argument that Nigerians are coming to terms with the realities of terrorism, but what many do not know is that their seemingly safest haven may be the softest target of terrorists. This ignorance can be understood; after all, one is still puzzled at what terrorists intend to achieve by killing religious worshippers, football fans or viewers or even ordinary citizens in their lawful businesses. These unprovoked attacks are the symbolic signs of radicalized terrorists, now gaining repulsive notoriety in Nigeria. Since the history of Boko Haram insurgency, there has been a sustained shift in its modus operandi and target selection. Most often, they delight in soft targets that can give them maximum reach in the number of fatalities. Evidently, attacks that can result in a large number of civilian casualties are now top on the agenda of terrorists. This type of attack, which is the bait that catches the attention of the media, earns the terrorists maximum publicity and cheap media coverage which has become the very oxygen that sustains their nefarious activities. Terrorists have the penchant to induce fears and doubts in people about their personal and collective security. The attacks are most times intended to make the citizens lose confidence in government as well as all symbols of authority of the state, including the Military, the Police and other security forces. Today, leisure facilities such as football stadiums and viewing centres, which attract large crowd, are now making the list of terrorist targets. Terrorists see these places as easy killing fields where they can record mass deaths. The recent attack at a viewing centre in Damaturu, Yobe state is a good example of the kind of war terrorists are waging against our national unity. A similar attack as this had taken place in Jos, Plateau State, though unsuccessfully. Nigeria is not alone in this kind of terrorist enterprise. Over the years, terrorist has attacked leisure centres in Russia,

Since the history of Boko Haram insurgency, there has been a sustained shift in its modus operandi and target selection. Most often, they delight in soft targets that can give them maximum reach in the number of fatalities USA (Boston Marathan), Kenya and Germany (the 1972 Munich Olympics when Palestinian terrorists abducted Israeli athletes), among others. The reasons for targeting these places are very clear. Football and other sporting activities are unifying factors which keep the adherents of all religions and political divides in Nigeria together. Boko Haram does not want this. Football is also associated with Western Culture, which Boko Haram claims to detest. Sports are tools for projecting national creativity, pride and the Olympian spirit of friendship, love, tolerance, competitiveness, inclusivity and togetherness which are clearly repugnant to the terrorists’ ideologies of extremism and hatred. Like other terrorist agenda, Boko Haram wants to shift attention from the electrifying atmosphere of sports to their condemnable acts of terror. For instance, as far back as 1972, during the Munich Olympic Games, the Palestinian terrorists struck and kidnapped Israeli athletes and in this way shifted and monopolized the attention of the global audience. Now instead of discussing sports, the attention of the world shifted to that singular act of terror. This piece, therefore, intends to educate citizens on terrorist attacks with tips that can help improve their safety in these places, and in this way build natural resilience against terrorism. Much as this educative guide has not set out to cow citizens into the closet, it

is strongly advised that Nigerians opt for safer places in viewing or watching football. Doing this at home is more preferable as this will even create opportunities to bond with family members as entrenched in our culture. It is also cost effective and health-friendly as it saves the cost of alcohol and protects one from being exposed to passive smoking and other unhealthy circumstances. Where viewing Centres are the only option, there must be individual and collective effort to improve and strengthen security and safety around the Centres. In other words, operators of these Centres and managers of football stadiums and other sporting facilities must employ the services of security guards who will properly screen patrons or customers to these places before allowing them into the facilities. Having this security measures will reduce the vulnerability of these leisure Centres to terrorist attacks. Similarly, operators of viewing Centres and managers of stadiums should not allow vehicles to be parked close to these areas; vehicles should be parked within the range of 50metres to 100metres to avoid fatal impacts in an unforeseen circumstance. In doing this, operators of these Centres should advise their patrons and habitués to dress light to the Centres, while handbags and other items that can be used to conceal improvised explosive devices (IEDs) should be disallowed into these places. In order to ensure compliance to safety standards, government must put measures in place to regulate the operation of Viewing Centres. Much as the indiscriminate banning of the Centres is far from the position of this piece, the states or local governments in regions where these attacks are prevalent may consider this option in the interest of public safety, particularly where the operators of such Viewing Centres fail to take basic safety and security precautions necessary for safeguarding the lives of the patrons. The message, therefore, is for all to be security conscious, as this is the surest way to prevent terrorists from achieving their aim. • Frank Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police is the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Nigeria Police Force.

Obiano’s 100 Days of action and vision Emeka Ozumba

he journey to the first 100 days in office of any democratic government is universally regarded as a milestone and a great interval to pause and evaluate the level of progress made by the new government in the implementation of its programmes. By the same token, it affords the government the opportunity to either refocus its plans or consolidate on the gains made in its first 100 days in office. Since 1933 when the 32nd American President Franklin Roosevelt used the period to lay the foundations of his presidency, many astute and proven world leaders have seized the chance to reshape their government in line with their own agenda and vision. Just like the American statesman, the 4th democratically elected governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano has kindled the spirit of Ndi Anambra with his prompt and vigorous actionoriented approach to governance during the first 100 days. Governor Obiano hit 100 days in office as Governor of Anambra State on Tuesday last week; that is, June 24. Once sworn in on March 24 this year, he practically hit the ground running. With a flurry of activities in the first week, from the Government House Awka to other parts of the state, the former banker and AGIP auditor announced that he meant business. He anchors his strategic economic blueprint on Four Pillars of Development, namely agriculture, oil and gas, trade and commerce and industrialization.

Today, the Joint Security Task Force otherwise known as Operation NKpochapu, equipped with modern communication and operational gadgets has nabbed 77 Kidnappers and destroyed their dens in some parts of the state For a government driven by a vision to make Anambra State the investment destination of choice and the most preferred location to site new industries; for a government out to create a socially-stable businessfriendly environment that will attract both indigenes and foreigners to seek wealth-creating opportunities in the state, the priority attention to security and other enablers of economic development like roads, youth and sports, women, power, environment, health, education, housing, among others, is a clear demonstration to Ndi Anambra that the promise of continuity made by the governor was not a mere electioneering campaign gimmick. Today, the Joint Security Task Force otherwise known as Operation NKpochapu, equipped with modern communication and operational gadgets has nabbed 77

Kidnappers and destroyed their dens in some parts of the state. Similarly, they have also nabbed hundreds of armed robbers and other criminal elements while many others have fled the state to the delight of residents of major cities like Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi. In three months, Governor Obiano has flagged off the construction of 14 new roads, totaling some 167.494 kilometers across many communities whilst completing others previously under construction. The education sector has seen the building of human capital to meet the challenges of the century. In partnership with Microsoft, ICT facilities have been deployed to 256 secondary schools while a train-the-trainers workshop on ICT is going on with 52 ICT demonstrators in schools across the state. Infrastructures are being improved while partnerships with the church and donor agencies are being strengthened. To institute a regime of agricultural transformation, Obiano set-up a 14-man Committee headed by an agronomy professor with a clear mandate to produce a template for mass production of rice, maize, cassava, and fish in parts of the state. Today, a blueprint to spearhead the revolution is ready and largescale agriculture has birthed with the likes of Coscharis Farms, Anaku leading the way in clear demonstration of public-private sector partnership. Modalities for land acquisition by government have been streamlined by another Committee thus avoiding unnecessary friction with communities over land, thereby encouraging interests by investors in the agriculture sector.

Trade and Commerce is on the verge of being redefined while a 10-Year industrial development plan is underway. The Oil and Gas sector now has the attention it deserves with a bridge across Umueje to enable access to the Orient Petroleum rigs. A cargo airport is planned to serve the Orient Refinery and facilities even as effort is ongoing to ensure that Anambra is listed as the 10th oil producing state in Nigeria. The fourth Pillar of Industrialization is promoting industrial clusters with major hubs in Nnewi and Onitsha. All these efforts are geared towards creating and providing jobs for the teaming youths of Anambra state. The Anambra environment is fast changing with OPERATION KEEP ANAMBRA CLEAN discouraging indiscriminate disposal of wastes while tree planting is ongoing to beautify cities and check erosion. Meanwhile, local government administration is not left out as Chief Obiano has put a local government staff pensions board in place and also paid the last tranche of arrears of pensions and gratuity owed to 644 pensioners totaling over N946 million. All told, it may just be 100 days, but the race is a marathon which requires constant refreshing and support of well-meaning citizens. Thankfully, the enormity of the task ahead is not lost on His Excellency Governor Willie Obiano, and it has been one hundred days of accomplishments and he goes on working. Willie is indeed working! • Ozumba, Special Assistant Media to the Governor of Anambra State writes from Awka.

HEALTH THURSday, JULY 3, 2014

EXERCISES, 21 PHYSIOTHERAPY KEY TO TACKLE SCOLIOSIS

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/health

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

Steady rot puts LUTH on the cliff Lack of operational materials, obsolete working tools, poor infrastructure and others have contributed to whittle down quality care provision in the once prestigious teaching hospital, writes APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

s early as 7.30a.m, few patients that were not aware of the oneday warning strike announced the previous day, came to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba, Lagos with different ailments seeking medical solutions to their affliction. Some made their way into different departments - Dental Department, Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department , ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) Department , etc, depending on the type of condition they experience. Relations of Mr. Dauda Olayeni, a 65-year-old patient earlier diagnosed with Lassa Fever was similarly driven to the Emergency Department of LUTH on the same day. Prior to his arrival in LUTH, he had accessed treatment in a private hospital where he had become unconscious, warranting his referral to the teaching hospital. Sadly, LUTH which relations of Olayeni had looked up to to save his life, failed to rise to one of its major responsibilities - the provision of care. More than eight hours after Olayeni was brought into LUTH, there was no hospital staff in sight to attend to him . By the time, his relations got the clearance from a consultant medical doctor and management staff, to wheel their brother in for care, he had died. Olayeni became another victim of the incessant strikes which has become the usual feature in LUTH. The following day, patients with serious medical conditions returned to LUTH, hoping to get needed care and succour but many missed out again. One of them was three-year-old Adaora Lewechi whose severe measles was showing signs to damage her eyes. Her mother who brought her took her turn and after being called in to see the doctor at 1.10p.m, there was a further delay. There were no gloves to examine her. She was sent out again while the doctor made frantic effort to get gloves from other sections of the hospital without success. So, the waiting for Mrs Lewechi continued. She cried her eyes out. "Will Adaora leave the hospital without treatment? What will happen to her daughter if the doctor did not get the glove? As she thought over the possibilities and what could become of her ailing child, she prayed fervently to God to touch the doctor. Despite her endless cry, the doctor, out of pity managed to conduct a haphazard examination and hurriedly prescribed some drugs. At the end of the exercise, the doctor sought water to wash his hands, the tap was dry. In fact, there was no

Osubogun

LUTH main gate

water. These are typical scenes that play out among medical doctors and their health care practitioners colleagues in LUTH. “There is chronic shortage of basic needs and sometimes, complete non availability of writing sheets, patient folders, investigation forms, gloves, reagents, soap, syringes, etc, according to a joint position paper issued recently by the staff of LUTH under the auspices of Joint HouseUnions and Associations. Comrade Kehinde Adegoke, Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSATHRIAI) a member of the JointHouse Unions and Associations, said, “The situation is so bad that sometimes, nurses on night duty do not have light round the clock especially in the wards. Nurses and other staff work with touch light from their telephones. Adegoke said, “At times, you see a worker, tying telephone handset to her head so that he/she can see with the phone light. We are supposed to be using sunction machines with light and when there is no light, we cannot use sunction machine even if a patient needs it. “What type of quality care service do you expect somebody working in the dark to deliver when that person is using one hand to hold the phone for light and we still expect this worker to do his/her best”. The importance of constant supply of portable and clean water cannot be emphasised in a hospital setting, but the situation in LUTH is alarming as the supply of water is epileptic. During the last indefinite strike in June, the health workers noted, “All departments in this hospital are suffering from the effect of lack of facilities. Many of the required equipment are either not available, broken down or out rightly obsolete.

According to Adegoke, incessant power supply outage and water supply to the wards, clinics etc. have become malignant in LUTH. Non availability of water when needed is a contributory factor to the non cleanliness of some areas within the hospital. It is very bad for workers not to be able to wash hands, pre and post procedure, patient not being able to have their bath or flush toilet is unacceptable considering the high risk of infection. The availability of water and electricity supply is one of the reasons for cancellation of most surgery, he lamented. The House-Unions Associations has called for the installation of inverters in all the wards, units/ departments. Before proceeding on the June strike the chairman of SSATHRIAI said, “We appeal to the management to do its best so that we can provide the best care.” He appealed to the government to

Non-availability of water when needed is a contributory factor to the non cleanliness of some areas within the hospital. It is very bad for workers not to be able to wash hands, pre and post procedure, patient not being able to have their bath or flush toilet is unacceptable considering the high risk of infection

increase funding to healthcare and as they are increasing the funding, they should monitor it to the grassroots. "Once this is done, we are sure that top Nigerians that are going to assess care outside the country even for ordinary malaria in South Africa, United Kindom (U.K) while we have top professionals in the country, will stop." The last strike called by the HouseUnions Associations in June which coincided with an indefinite strike by the Association of Resident Doctors (LUTH-ARD),was suspended after officials from the Federal Ministry of Labour waded in and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Joint House Unions and Association and the management of LUTH. LUTH agreed to meet the demands of health workers between two to four months. The Chairman of NANNM, Comrade Olugbenga Ajala told New Telegraph Health that the hospital is expected to restore power supply, provide water supply, consumables in the next one month. In the next two months, the hospital will place health care personnel in its employment in the right cadre, an issue that has been pending for years while generating tension between both parties. Similarly, the result of the 2014 promotion exercise will also be released to assuage frayed nerves. Furthermore, the unemployment of more staff to reduce excessive workload on those in service would also be addressed in the next four months. It remains to be seen how the management of LUTH will rise to the occasion to enable it put to rest once and for all these issues that has been pending. Reacting to the demands, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), LUTH, Prof. Akin Osibogun in an interview claimed that many demands of both the resident doctors and health workers are being addressed. “It is not true that LUTH is in bad state as being painted by the various unions”. He noted that as a tertiary hospital, majority of the cases coming to LUTH are complex one that could not be handled by primary health care and secondary facilities. Hence, because it requires expert manpower, skill and other imputed factors, the cost would be high, he reasoned, adding that it was better to provide care that would save lives than non service.

V y h -

22 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Seven African countries get GSM mobile health scheme

with Dr. Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe

ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

STDs may lead to lung infection, blindness in newborns

Good nutrition

Jonah Iboma igeria is among seven countries that will start a new crossecosystem partnership designed by the GSM Association (GSMA) to provide a range of mobile Health (mHealth) services to women and children, with a particular focus on nutrition across SubSaharan Africa. The scheme was developed by GSMA’s Mobile for Development mHealth programme expected to be launched in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia in September. The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide and spanning more than 220 countries. Initial launch partners for the initiative include Gemalto, Hello Doctor, Lifesaver, Mobenzi, Mobilium, MTN, Omega Diagnostics and Samsung. Collectively, the partnership will reduce barriers to handset ownership and connectivity for consumers and health workers by committing to offer discounted Samsung handsets and tablets to consumers and health workers across Africa. It will also provide access to the Samsung ecosystem (e.g. music, video and other value-added services) to be used as an incentive to drive health usage. There will also be a preembed a Smart Health application that provides a range of professional applications, information and services on 80 million Samsung handsets; Make innovative diagnostics like the Omega Diagnostics Visitect HIV CD4 point of care solution more affordable and accessible via mobile integration. GSMA said the programme could have farreaching impact, noting that its intelligence unit had discovered that there is a total annual, addressable market of 15.5 million pregnant women and mothers with children under five years of age. “This new mobile ecosystem partnership, developed by the GSMA, is committed to connecting the mobile and health indus-

tries to develop commercially sustainable mHealth services that meet public health needs,” said Tom Phillips, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA. “The companies in this partnership are working to deliver the objectives of the United Nations Every Women Every Child Global Strategy, as well as the Global Nutrition for Growth Compact, in the areas of nutrition and maternal and child health. We call on mobile ecosystem players, health providers, governments, NGOs, civil society and others to work with us to launch life-saving mobile health services.” The partners will jointly launch services in the seven countries from September 2014. Phase two, which commences in 2015, will incorporate additional partners and services and will address four more countries - Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. “This partnership heralds a new era in the delivery of health care in SubSaharan Africa, where currently access to even the most basic of health services remains the worst in the world. MTN is therefore proud to be part of this collaborative effort, which will deliver solutions that harnesses the expertise of some of the leading companies in the world, to improve access to health care for many of our customers across the seven launch countries,” said MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer, Pieter Verkade. “Current lab based static diagnostics tools are unable to meet growing patients’ needs as countries step up their HIV treatment programs in conjunction with the decentralisation of CD4 testing. Multi-layer partnerships for mHealth smartphone applications are poised to become an essential foundation in the bridge to augment the continuum of care to the neediest patients, whilst also providing management information and real time surveillance data,” said Andrew Shepherd, Founder and Managing Director, Omega Diagnostics Limited.

TRANSMISSION Correct condoms usage greatly reduces chance of infection

exually transmitted diseases (STD) are infections acquired from having sex with someone who has the infection. The causes of STDs are bacteria, parasites and viruses. There are more than 20 types of STDs including human papilloma virus (HPV), syphilis, trichomanas, herpes simplex, gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV/AIDS. Most STDs affect both men and women but in many cases, the health problems that come with them are more severe for women. If a pregnant woman has a STD, it can cause serious health problems for the baby. If a STD is caused by a bacteria or parasite, it can be effectively treated with antibiotics or other medication if detected on time but if the STD is caused by a virus, there is no cure, but the disease process can be kept under control with medications. Correct usage of condoms greatly reduces but does not completely eliminate the risk of contracting or spreading STDs. HIGH RISK GROUPS: 1. ADOLESCENTS are more likely to have multiple sex partners, be unconcerned, affected more by peer pressure and try to belong. 2. Homosexual men or women. 3. Prostitutes. 4. Teenage runaways 5. Immigrants trying to survive and integrate in a foreign land. 6. People that live along the coasts and ports of entry. TRANSMISSION PATH Most are by sexual intercourse and are transmitted by body secretions like blood, urine, body fluids such as semen ejaculated during sex, and vaginal fluids that come with (wetness before sex, wetness with orgasms), mucus membrane, the smooth soft tissues that line the mouth, throat, vaginal walls, inside the penile walls and skin opening like open wounds and blister on the mouth. Other transmission part are (giving oral sex without condom when the giver has sores in his/or her mouth and putting one’s finger inside an infected person’s vagina, with your finger being in contact with her body fluid, when you have an open wound in your hand. HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE TYPES PAINLESS OPEN GENITAL WOUNDS (ULCERS): Early stage of syphilis, granuloma inguinale, lymphogranuloma. PAINFUL GENITAL ULCERS: G\herpes genitals, trichomonas and chancroid. NON-ULCER STD: These include gonorrhea, second and third stage of syphilis, HP, HI, Hepatitis B, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory diseases (PIDs).

Most common symptoms are penile or vaginal discharges after sex and spotting painful sex (mostly for women). TYPES OF STDS: CHLAMYDIA is the most common STD and it is six to 10 more times common than gonorrhea. It has no symptoms in female teenagers for a long time, thereby escaping treatment for a long time. Some of its symptoms are bleeding after sex in women, vaginal odourless drainage with pus and lower abdominal pain in men. It may not show any symptoms at all in about 99 percent of the men and in the few cases that it shows, might be very mild to moderate, clear or whitish drainage. A simple urine test can detect chlamydia. It can also be detected through a penile/or vaginal swap and blood test. A onetime treatment with antibiotics eradicates it 99 percent of the time. If untreated, some of the complications it causes can lead to infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which is (infections that affect all the female reproductive organs) and preterm labour in pregnancy women. If a pregnant women with STDs is untreated and delivers her baby through natural process, she can pass the infections to the newborn, leading to a serious lung infection (pneumonia) and eye infection that might lead to blindness if not aggressively treated. Treatment: All sexual partners need to be treated and there should be no intercourse until treatment is completed. Besides, seven days after treatment, in addition, re-screen for new re-infection within three to four months after treatment. It is recommended that affected persons should treat for gonorrhea at the same time because both go hand in hand. GONORRHOEAE: This is less common than chlamydia but second it is the most common, highly contagious infection and coexists with chlamydia 50 percent of the time. It is most common in women between ages 15 to 35 years. One of the risk factors to getting

All sexual partners need to be treated and there should be no intercourse until treatment is completed. Besides, seven days after treatment, in addition, re-screen for new re-infection within three to four months after treatment

Impact of sexually transmitteddisease on a child

infected are drug use, prostitution, men who have sex with men, multiple sex partners, inconsistent condom use and prior history of STD. It affects newborn babies with mothers with substance abuse problems, babies that mothers did not receive prenatal care, new born babies that did not receive antibiotic eye drops immediately after delivery. Apart from being infected through intercourse, it can also be transmitted through oral sex. It is (more common in men who have sex with men). Oral gonorrhea is as severe as sexually acquired gonorrhea. Some of the signs might appear like a UTI (frequency, urgency and painful urination). Green-yellow discharge is the (most common presentation). It can manifest five to10 days after infection and there may also be vaginal bleeding/ spotting, and swollen vaginal glands and when gonorrhoeae has reached into the body system/blood, it causes high fever. rash (with pus inside the rash) and this can start bleeding, affects the joints, causing arthritis , the heart and can go to the brain causing deadly meningitis. In young women, it can lead to PID causing infertility. If passed on the newborn, it affects all body parts especially the eyes. Treatment: One time antibiotic injection can eradicate the bacteria 99 percent and if one is allergic to that antibiotic, a three week by mouth therapy can be used instead. Sexual partners need to be treated and a test for re-infection should be done within three to six months after treatment. This is recommended for both partners. TRICHOMONAL VAGINITIS: This is transmitted by a parasite not bacteria that is sexually transmitted. Men do not have symptoms 90 percent of the time but can cause irritation inside the penis and women do not have symptoms 45 percent of the time. It is often transmitted with gonorrhoeae and chlamydia . It manifests with lots of yellow-green or grayish green discharge, fishy odour, frothy discharge, vaginal itching and painful urination. In addition, it gives a vagina a bright red/or strawberry color. Partner needs to be treated too, and treatment contains a five day treatment for complete eradication. BACTERIAl VAGINITIS: This condition accounts for 35 to50 percent of inflamed vagina and is caused by combination of multiple organisms.

HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Strengthening brain with prayer If there had been doubt about the potency of prayer or carefree attitude about praying activity, then now is probably the time to become prayerfully active. Scientists however, found that not only can prayer be measured as brain activity, it has been scientifically proven to help reduce stress and lower high blood pressure, OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI, tells us why

or those who want to improve their memory and mental function and enhance their daily problem solving ability, prevent mental decline, dementia and alzheimer’s, and live longer, healthier and happier lives. Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of Mryna Brind Centre for Integrative at Thomas Jefferson University in his 2014 study of the effectiveness of Prayer on brain, said “we are not promoting any specific religion or spiritual practice. Rather, we wanted to see what Neuroscientists learned from their laboratory tests and controlled double-blind medical studies regarding these questions. He listed the benefits of prayer to include, boosting resistance to illness and disease. He said, it neutralise harmful negative emotions. It enhances memory and mental function. It prevents demential, alzheimer’s disease. It reduces suffering from pains and gives a healthier longer and happier life. Reduces stress and increases peace of mind, improves immune function. Furthermore, it reduces risk of death from heart attack and stroke in addition to reduction or elimination of panic attacks, anxiety and depression. He added that it reduces impact from chronic pain. “It gives a more positive happy outlook on life and a healthier longer and more fulfilled life.” However, strengthening the brain could come through various types of prayer activities depending on the type best suitable for individuals. He defined prayers as mental activities that include: traditional prayers practiced by people of religious faith such as making petition to God or expressing gratitude for God’s goodness, meditation or contemplative reflection on a power greater than oneself, which can be God the universe or all life. Focused positive thinking, such as speaking affirmations setting worthwhile goals and maintaining positive thoughts and speech. Attending a church or synagogue service and praying and singing with congregation, “of course, if you are a

Side view of human brain

person who prays regularly, you already know that prayer has brought many positive benefits to your life”, he said. The act of praying helps an individual get better result according to Newberg. But the question is, what specific amount of prayer time per day can help prevent memory loss mental decline and dementia and Alzheimer? He answered that to get good result, one

needs to pray for at least a specific number of minutes per day or longer. He said he observed that praying for just few minutes per day had no significant impact on the frontal lobe of the brain. What matters most is what goes on in your brain while you’re praying that actually improves your physical and mental health,” he said. The group of researchers illustrated

that the brain is affected in four major areas namely, frontal, anterior cingulate, parietal lobe, and the limbic system. “Each of these areas plays an important role. Two of the four parts are much more important to your health and happiness especially as you age,” they stated. Newberg delved further on the methodology of the research. He said his team carried out the research by monitoring the brain waves in the frontal lobe of his subjects(praying nuns) as they prayed. He discovers that prayer stimulates the frontal lobe; helps keep it healthy and prevents age-related shrinkage. He explained that frontal lobe which is located just behind the forehead is activated when the individual focuses on attention, plans, reasons, reads or speaks. “This area is very important because they are things done every waking day. But the danger is that the frontal lobe shrinks with age which is associated with memory loss and mental decline,” he said. While the anterior cingulate, he said, distinguishes human being from animals. Newberg said it helps individual feel compassion for others and a loving connection to God. Parietal lobe gives, his team stated, gives a sense of isolation and loneliness, self-awareness and ego. The limbic system, he explained as the real troublemaker of the brain. Limbic system otherwise called primitive area is also known as reptilian. It is this limbic that produces negative emotions, like anger, fear, and resentment as well as anxiety, depression and pessimism. He argued that some of these emotion were necessary for the fight or flight against response our ancestors needed to survive but have far less value in our modern civilized society especially when one is mature and living a stable life. Pastor Timothy Eguwowu of the Mountain and Miracle Ministry, MFM, told New Telegraph Health that, even though he didn’t know about the scientific proven side of prayer, it’s no surprise to him because prayer gives him a great sense of peace.

Malaria parasite ‘can manipulate body odour of mice' Oluwatosin Omoniyi esearchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have suggested can cause body odour. They found the altered scent persists at a critical time when mice have no symptoms but remain infectious. They believe parasites may change odours in order to help them with a key stage in their reproduction. They are working on further trials to determine whether parasites can affect human smell too. Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University in the United States (U.S) studied the odour of mice with and without malaria for 45 days. They found the scent of infected mice was markedly different to non-infected ones. The parasite did not completely alter the smell of the individual - instead it changed the level of compounds already present in mouse odour . And this was particularly noticeable in mice which were still infectious but no longer showed any symptoms of the disease - corresponding to a crucial time in the life cycle of the parasite. Prof Consuelo De Moraes of Pennsylvania State University and one of the lead

authors of the research said: "There appears to be an overall elevation of several compounds that are attractive to mosquitoes." The study showed mosquitoes were most attracted to mice when the parasites in their bodies were at a key point in their development - a stage when they needed to be passed back to a mosquito in order to reproduce. Malaria parasites have a complex lifecycle with several stages. They need to develop and mature in both humans and mosquitoes. Scientists believe parasites may manipulate the host's smell in order to ensure continued survival. Researchers are now working on trials to see if this pattern of odour change can be traced in humans too. Professor Mark Mescher of Pennsylvania State University who was also involved in the research said: "One of the major potential values of this research is if it can help us identify people who do not show symptoms of the disease. "Without symptoms people carry the disease without treatment and still transmit it. "But there is still a long way to go. In mice we have a very controlled environment. In humans there are so

A mosquito feeding on its host

many different factors at play - from diverse environments to diverse genes." Dr James Logan of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the research said: "This is one of the first convincing studies that demonstrates a significant change in odour compounds from malaria-infected

mammals can affect mosquito behaviour. "The strength of this paper is in the experimental approaches used, combining analytical chemistry, statistical analyses and mosquito behaviour. "However, this demonstration is in an animal model which may or may not relate to human beings infected with malaria."

24 HEALTH DISABILITY Measures to attain inclusive society Shola Adefuwa edical Director of the National Orthopeadic Hospital Igbobi (NOHI), Lagos, Dr. Olurotimi Odunnubi has advised Nigerians suffering scoliosis to engage in regular exercises and do physiotherapy to prevent the condition or stop it from getting worse. He disclosed this during a walk to mark the 2014 World Scoliosis Day which was organised by The Scoliosis Focus, a non governmental organisation (NGO) focusing on awareness on scoliosis including early detection. Although, there are different causes of scoliosis, the most common cause which is called the ‘geopartic’ means that, it just occurs although it can run in some

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

‘Regular exercises, physiotherapy prevent scoliosis’ families but it tends to get worse as the person is growing up and tends to stop growing for males about the age of 17 to 18 years and for females about age 16 to 17 years. Scoliosis that progresses so fast needs to be operated on to stop them from progressing, he said, adding that for those that are not too deformed from it, facilities are available locally for surgical intervention but for the very serious ones, supporting preventive facilities are not available in Nigeria. “Support facilities to support scoliosis costs between N250,000 and N400,000,” he said, urging NGOs to take up the challenge.” I don’t think we should depend on government, for everything because government has a lot of things it is handling at present”. Odunnubi said the condition can be present from birth, but usually manifests more between eight to 12 years and when there is rapid

growth, then there is observation that the spine is bending. In his remarks, Dr. Akintan Adejuwon, founder of The Scoliosis Focus, said when scoliosis is detected early, surgical intervention can prevent it. To prevent surgery, we do early brazing. We also raise fund for some for surgery, he said. According to Consultant Spain Surgeon at NOHI Lagos, Dr. Alimi Mustapha, scoliosis is a well known problem globally but in this environment, people have been hiding it somehow, and the problem is here with us and it is real. “It is reasonably preventable but early recognition is what makes it easily treatable. Once it is recognised late, then the treatment becomes something that will require surgery which is reasonably much more expensive. So, the whole idea is to let people know that there is nothing to

P&G, WWW educate schoolgirls on hygiene and healthy living

be ashamed about the people who have it and when they recognise that they have it, they should come to the hospital for early intervention. That’s the idea in the celebration of the World Scoliosis Day.”

View of a girl's back with scoliosis

MDG: Enugu MNCHW boosts mother, child survival Leo Sobechi espite the failure of local government council chairmen in Enugu State, to pay their counterpart funds for the first round of 2014 Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week, (MNCHW), the programme recorded an impressive turn out of pregnant mothers and under-5 (U-5) children at different health centers across the seventeen council areas of the state. At various health centres visited by journalists while monitoring the exercise, health workers especially those in Enugu North, Nsukka, Uzo-Uwani and Igboeze North Local Government areas lamented that they were not well motivated to give the programme their best because the council chairmen could not pay their counterpart funds. Though the health workers praised the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) for its commitment, support

Always Hygiene Nurse/Instructor, Nurse Adebayo Blessing Omolola of HDI Youth Marketers mentoring students of Wesley Girls Senior Secopndary School, Yaba Lagos, on how to keep good hygiene and healthy living while growing up to womanhood, held in Lagos

rocter & Gamble Nigeria (P&G) in partnership with Women Who Win (WWW) has educated Nigerian school girls on good hygiene, healthy living and hard work on the way to womanhood. The team visited the Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School Yaba, where they mentored the teenage school girls, speaking on important topics varying from maintaining good hygiene to what it takes to be successful as a woman. On hand to receive the team consisting of P&G and WWW, a not-for-profit organisation established to inspire girls and women through mentoring sessions and by providing intellectual, emotional, psychological and recreational support, is the school principal, Mrs. Y. T. Ogunsulire and several teachers. Mrs. Ogunsulire commented on the visit saying that, “we are particularly happy to welcome WWW and P&G to our school premises. She admonished the children asking them to pay attention to what the team had come to share. “They are here to inspire us to become women we can all be proud of tomorrow” she said. Mrs. Ogunsulire hailed P&G Nigeria Limited for what she described as the company’s “strong commitment” to growth and

well being of Nigerian children. “They (P&G Nigeria Limited) have been contributing a lot in uplifting children. What P&G and WWW are doing here today

will, in no doubt, have a positive influence in the lives of the students. It will help them to grow up as the future leaders that they really should be.”

GE uses advanced technology to simplify healthcare delivery lIntroduces silent MRR scanner to address load noise Appolonia Adeyemi

eneral Electric (GE) is developing additive technology to simplify, automate, and speed up the ultrasound transducer manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing technology can eliminate traditional time-consuming and costly processes such as lamination and cutting to enable more affordable and more accessible ultrasound systems for doctors and their patients. This was disclosed in Lagos at an interactive session organised by GE as part of activities lined up for the three-week promotional phase of GE Nigeria Manufacturing Garages - an innovation and manufacturing centre where aspiring makers and entrepreneurs can go to develop new skills

and learn about advanced manufacturing technologies. Speaking on the role of technology in Healthcare delivery in Nigeria, the General Manager of GE healthcare, Mr. Alex CanforDumas said GE was committed to the use of advanced technology and innovation in patient care and management. He disclosed that the silent MR Scanner is one of the latest technologies by GE to address the horror of the load noise usually experienced by patients undergoing MRR scans. Mr. Canfor-Dumas said no longer have to go through the ordeal of repeating MR examinations due to lack of cooperation from patients as the new technology has helped to humanise MR examinations. GE is the first to accomplish this great task in healthcare globally.

Garages Nigeria will run till July 11 at GE’s regional headquarters in Lagos, and will feature curated speakers sessions and workshops amidst a fully equipped fab lab. Participants can work with technical experts and use advanced hardware and software to bring their ideas to life, using equipment like CNC mills, laser cutters, 3D printers, and electrical engineering kits to quickly and collaboratively create new parts and prototypes. In partnership with the Dangote Foundation and other local partners, Garages Nigeria will expand into a program dedicated to training skilled entrepreneurs, employable workers and creating employment opportunities amongst service suppliers within the growing Power Generation sector.

and encouragement towards the bi-annual exercise, they said the local government was sadly missing even as they commended the State Ministry of Health for making the exercise a huge success. But speaking during the flagoff of the MNCHW at Uwani District Hospital, Enugu; the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. George Eze, tasked families to ensure that they take advantage of the free preventive interventions to boost the health of their family especially the U-5 and the pregnant mothers. In his remark, UNICEF Assistant Representative, Mr. Charles Nzuki, disclosed that his agency was pleased with MNCHW innovation that was recently endorsed by the National Council of Health, saying it is “aimed at delivering in an integrated manner, newborn and child interventions, twice annually”. “UNICEF,” Nzuki noted, “is delighted by the high level commitment shown by government at all levels in the delivery of better health outcomes for children and women in Nigeria; in the past three years, MNCHWs have been a platform through which millions of children, mothers and pregnant women have received life-saving interventions for improvement towards the achievement of health Millennium Development Goals (MDG 4 and 5 and 6”. His words: “The overall goal of the MNCHW is pivoted on providing universal access to preventative and pro-motive care to women of child bearing age as well as every newborn baby and all children under-five during this one week period in health facilities and communities through outreach services. “Maternal and under-five mortality still remains the two principal indicators for assessment of the survival of women and children as captured in the MDGs focus. It is therefore very critical that all stakeholders under the leadership of the government should continually put more effort to address issues of child and maternal health.”

LAW THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

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Daudu, Olanipekun to Confab: You can't usurp National Assembly's power Should the delegates at the ongoing national confab have their way, a new Constitution that would replace the 1999 Constitution would emerge. But their wish may be a tall one if lawyers’ view is anything to go by. JOSEPH ONYEKWERE, TUNDE OYESINA and APPOLOS CHRISTIAN report

“W

e are proposing a new constitution. At least we are rooting tirelessly for a new constitution that would emerge from the outcome of the conference even though we did actually aware of the fact that the process by which a constitution comes into being is more important than the content of the constitution itself”. With these words, delegates at the ongoing confab have concluded a plan to ensure that a constitution that would replace the 1999 Constitution will emerge at the end of the talk shop, although the planned ‘new constitution’ is generating ripples among delegate already. A member and chairman of a sub-committee on legal framework of the conference, Chief Mike Ozekhome, had hinted the New Telegraph that the committee had brainstormed on how to replace the 1999 Constitution through a people’s oriented Constitution that would address issues of devolution of powers, state police, fiscal policy and restructuring. Specifically, Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria assured Nigerians that his committee would not disappoint the nation as it had perfected a series of legal frameworks that would legitimize the ‘new constitution’, harping on the outcome of the confab. He said: “I am the chairman of the subcommittee of the legal framework of the entire ongoing national conference. Presently as the chairman of this committee, I and some other people have submitted memoranda, and in the memoranda, we recommended a ‘new constitution’ which will be subjected to the people of Nigeria in a national referendum for debate. “The matter was debated very hotly in our committee for two days and eventually, we recommended that the outcome of the conference of which some of it could be used to amend the exiting constitution but that the conference’s outcome itself should lead to an emergence of a brand new constitution, subject to Nigerians for public opinion or referendum. “So, we in the committee

Olanipekun, SAN

therefore propose a new constitution”. Already, the ‘new constitution’, being proposed by the Ozekhome’s committee had run into a stormy water as Northern delegates simply tagged it as the confab’s ‘hidden agenda and plotting to foist on delegates a new constitution’. But can a new Constitution emerge from the conference under whatever decisions arrived at especially when the confab’s legitimacy is still being questioned? Can an illegality produce legality? Or can something be built on nothing? All these, lawyers said no. According to them, since the conference was not a creation of law, it would end up as a complete farce . The lawyers, Joseph Daudu, Yusuf Ali, Godwin Obla , Jubrin Okutepa, Wole Olanipekun, Yemi Candide-Johnson and Olu Daramola, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria were unanimous that nothing would come out of the conference lest to talk of a ‘new constitution’. For instance, Daudu, the immediate past president of the lawyers’ umbrella body, simply dismissed Ozekhome’s ‘new constitution’ proposition with a wave of hand, saying the conference could not produce a new constitution as said by Ozekhome. Instead of a new constitution, Daudu said the conference was not only a complete farce, but would end up as a disappointment. He said: “The Conference was conceptualized initially as a Sovereign Conference then as a National Conference and finally as just ‘Conference’. These terminologies have different constitutional and political connotations. With the coming into effect of the

JB Daudu, SAN

1999 Constitution, all political, legislative and judicial authority took its root from that hallowed document. Some may have argued that the Constitution was not sufficiently autochthonous and that it told a lie against itself referring to the preamble which declared that the Constitution was bequeathed to the nation by the People, when it was bequeathed by the military, yet the same critics took benefit from the Constitution in the guise of high political offices, etc. “Thus, it is my humble view that any political change must come at this point of time from or within the framework of the said Constitution. It borders on treason and political adventurism to seek political change outside the four walls of the 1999 Constitution. However, the Constitution provides for freedom of expression and association, so it is permissible for people to come together and review or chart a way forward for the nation. So, any group of people can meet to discuss the direction of the nation or even discuss our problems. But the real question is what is the business of government to organise a Constitutional Conference which people expect will lead to a positive change for the nation? “The scenario can be lik-

Conference is incompetent to produce a brand new constitution and if there is a referendum as has been widely touted, it is only the National Assembly that can tie the outcome to areas of the constitution which require alteration

Candide-Johnson, SAN

ened to squabbles by the wives of a rich permissive polygamist. Daudu was echoed by Ali, who simply said: “ What do those who setup the conference want to do with the conference’s report in the end? “My position had always been that I believe the conference is a talk-show because nothing will come out of it. Clearly the high point of what they are doing there is just recommendations. And I don’t see anyone doing anything with the recommendations of this conference. Already politicking has started. Anything that comes out of it supposes to go to the national assembly, and the national assembly already have too many things on their hands which they have not concluded. And from the two to twenty utterances of the leaders of the national assembly, it appears they are waiting in ambush for the outcome of the confab. So, It’s not a no win either way. But the report of the confab will probably go back to the shelf as the other before it. To Obla: “If the answer is no, then there will be no need for it. As long as we have a National Assembly, the outcome of the conference can at best be advisory for purposes of either policy or law making or constitutional amendment by the duly elected members of the National Assembly”. Kutepa said: “There is nothing they will say that Nigerians have not heard before. What we need is leadership, we need social amenities, we need to reduce waste in government as the modalities have shown the intention of the government, it is bound to fail". “These are conditions precedent to legitimising both the Conference and its decisions. While one can assume or argue

that the President took the initiative of convoking the Conference upon calls and agitations by Nigerians for same, events unfolding after the announcement or broadcast of Mr. President, from the government circle as well as from the Conference sittings and proceedings do not encourage anyone to assert that the Conference would yield much fruitful or positive dividends. “It might turn out to be another circus show and a picnic of a sort. The National Assembly is even treating the Conference with contempt by purporting to be going ahead with its amendment of the constitution without awaiting the outcome of the Conference. Awa Kalu said: “What this means is that the Conference on its own is incompetent to produce a brand new constitution as your question implies. If there is a referendum as has been widely touted, it is only the National Assembly that can tie the outcome to areas of the constitution which require alteration.” Yemi Candide-Johnson declared: “Legally, the report of the conference will be nothing more than another well intentioned study of the Nigerian situation. Lacking legal authority and being of questionable political legitimacy it is only likely that some of its ideas will become political currency and that done or other legitimate power or authority might borrow from them. “Since none of the ideas are new, it will be proved by history to have been a waste of resources and a distraction from the urgency of proper governance and dedicated visionary leadership”. Daramola said: “Pardon me if I am not as optimistic as the delegates that a new constitution will come out of the conference. "

26 LAW As an activist lawyer, how would you assess the level of human rights protection in Nigeria? I will say there is a mark of improvement generally since the return to democracy. There used to be a series of hiccups during the Obasanjo regime, I mean he was a military man, so there was a carry-over of military background mentality. We should say in earnest that during the advent of the Yar’adua administration, it commenced amnesty programme to douse tension in the Niger Delta. After him, the Goodluck -led administration also continued from where the Yar’adua administration stopped in the sense of human rights. But it’s not good enough as we are yet to see any appreciable improvement since 1999 of Nigeria’s democracy. There have been reports of human rights abuse by the JTF in the ongoing struggle against the Boko Haram sect and I must confess that why I don’t expect the JTF to go with bare hands to confront the insurgents, is that even while the president was declaring the state of emergency in those areas, he said the rules of engagement must be complied with. So, I say to the JTF, if you go to a house suspecting it is occupied by the militants or Boko Haram sect and you see women and children, you can’t just start firing and killing them under the pretence that you are looking for the Boko Haram, that is against the International Law. If I have such facts with me I will sue the JTF and take them to court and get redress for those findings. There is a proper rule of engagement at the military, they are in a state of war and Nigeria is signatory to a convention that has to do with warfare and we expect them to abide by those convention. It may be true that when you have state of emergency, some provisions of the Constitution have been suspended for other purposes. If you look at the Fundamental Rights in Chapter 4 of the Constitution, some of which would have been suspended, like the freedom of movement would have been curtailed and that is why we have curfews. That’s to tell you that whether we like it or not, the declaration of a state of emergency means or presupposes some forms of curtailment of some of the rights, but there is one right that must not be tampered with even in the state of emergency, that is the right to life. A man cannot be put to death except by the process of law. I should say generally fair, not too good enough. A lot of work still needs to be done in the area of human rights abuses in the country. Some people have said that constitution review is not what we need now, but effective implementation of the existing one. What is your take on this? My take is that the constitution we have today otherwise, Decree 24, 1999 was a document being midwifed by the military in 1999 and I should add hapharzardly that there is so much in the document that needs a review. You will agree that there is no constitution anywhere in the world that, even the American constitu-

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

We still have rights abuse under Jonathan, says Akpan He is an activist lawyer and titled chief. Nkwereuwem Akpan in this interview with TUNDE OYESINA appraises human rights protection in the country, especially in the last 15 years of democracy.

Akpan

tion has been going through a series of reviews as required by the present circumstances of the American people. In the same sense, Nigerian constitution must be reviewed from time to time in line with the dictates of the time to bring in conformity with the reality of the moment. The National Assembly have no power to amend the Constitution, unless they have had a proposal proposing that amendment supported by at least 2/3 majority of all the Houses of Assembly of the state of the federation. The National Assembly have no power to start the process until they have received proposal from us. Sections 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution have laid down a process to amend the Constitution, that process had never been followed by the National Assembly. The National Assembly who were supposed to make laws for the peace, order and good government as provided for, I think under Section 4 of the Constitution, the National Assembly have been in the vanguard of following the same provision which they have sworn to an oath to defend. The makers of our Constitution knew what they were doing when they said before you take any proposal to amend the constitution, that

motion must be supported by 2/3 majority of the members of the House of Assembly of the federation. It didn’t say amend and send it back to the state for approval, it didn’t say amend and then send money in Ghana-must –go to the governors to help you do the bidding. I can forgive Senator David Mark because he has a military background, but history will not forgive Senator Ikweremadu, the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee of the Senate in particular who is a lawyer and knows that what they are doing is unconstitutional by putting the cart before the horse. Let us look at delay in criminal trial, this has caused prison congestion. What do you think is the way out? The way out will depend on the kind of delay. We have three types of delay; Administrative delay, Procedural de-

National Assembly have never followed sections 8 & 9 in the amendment of the 1999 Constitution

lay and Technical delay which lawyers employ to play on technicality. The Administrative delay could be where a judge has done a matter and parties have been cross-examined and re-examined, then adjourned for judgment, suddenly the judge is retired, promoted or God forbid but when it happens, the judge dies, when this happens, that matter is being transferred to another judge or reassigned to another judge to start de novo that simply means afresh. That is administrative delay. Sometimes lack of stationery, machine breakdown or the judge is on leave we are not going to type the ruling. These are within the realm of administrative delay which are caused by usually certain errors. The worst delay which you cannot do without is procedural delay. I mean, these are delays that are to do with the rules of the court. If am in court and you send me a process, say an affidavit or a counter affidavit to my motion, I have at least 48 hours to respond, even if I can respond to these files there and then, the law entitles me 48 hours, I can say my Lord I insist on my 48 hours, that is the matter of procedure and the court cannot say no. Then you have the Techni-

cal delay and the most annoying one. For example, the anticorruption agencies; ICPC, EFCC, etc want to go after a public officer or an officer who is an agent of the Federal Government, instead of filing the charge in the Federal High Court, deliberately and connives with the man who is being charged, they take him to the FCT High Court or the High Court of the state. On the day of judgment they now raise a preliminary objection, and say my Lord, we are sorry we are going to return to the Federal High Court because this matter ought to have begun at the Federal High Court and not in this court. So, these are Technical Delays and these are things lawyers must have to fight and come out strongly against. So what is the way out? The way out is when a lawyer comes to court with his sole purpose of taking a date, the judges should refuse it. Adjournment should attract cost, like any other application before the court, should be given on merit based on the task. If a man says he is sick, he should tender his medical record or history to show that he is ill. But for those that have to do with stationaries, you have to blame the various judicial council of the various states for non-provision of basic stationeries. Financial independence is the key aspect of judicial independence and the Constitution is clear, it didn’t say that they should be giving money to the governors and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, but says that “any money standing to the credit of the judiciary should be given to them in bulk.” And I urge the Federal Government and state governors to abide by that provision to ensure judicial independence. With that, those administrative delays bordering on lack of materials and stationeries would have been cut if not eliminated completely. Also, the remuneration and welfare of judges should be taken serious. The CJN should earn the same salary as the Senate President; they should have the same security detail. This is because as the senate president is the head of legislature so also the CJN is the head of the judiciary. On human rights, one can hardly pick up a newspaper without reading about a case of rape. What is the judiciary doing to curb the menace? Some of these issues are cultural, and each time you want to go in they say no, our religion says this and that. You remember what happened in the senate about the child’s marriage some people turned it into a religious war and said their religion allows them to marry somebody from the womb. Like Female Genital Mutilation ( removal of the clitoris),

LAW 27

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Court to hear pensioners' suit against FG, others Oct 27 ENTITLEMENTS Aggrieved pensioners in legal battle with President Jonathan over unpaid pension arrears Joseph Onyekwere

Akpan

Justice Talba, who was suspended for one year. I have a contrary view, as I do not agree that he did something wrong to be suspended in some communities this is done, by the time a child is 2 or 3 years they open her legs and cut off the clitoris, and we have seen what girls during child birth have come to suffer. So, these are cultural issues and we have done our bit by going to the wards, talking to people and addressing them. These are prejudices against the female child. For instance, if a man has 10 girls and a boy, it is the boy he concentrates on and send to school, as far as he is concerned, the girls are commodity, once they attain puberty he sends them away, before you know it they end up in a 70 year -old man’s house. I go to pay millions of naira paying fines to remove people from prison, all the offence they committed was selling pure water. If they have good jobs they won’t be hawking on the streets. If you are in any state and your rights are being trampled with, you can go to any of the NBA branches and seek for any lawyer who does human rights, by that you get legal service or they will direct you to a Legal Aid Council, which is a body. What is your assessment of the judiciary under the leadership of the outgoing CJN? Let me first and foremost congratulate my Lordm, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, as the first female to attain that, and no matter how we look at it, we must commend President Jonathan despite the pressure from certain quarters, he put his foot down and said the promise I made to women that 30 per cent affirmative action must be given out. Women have never had this good, the number of women ministers are in double digits. Her time is too short to have been there to be able to assess that, but we

can look at a few instances. First, the issue of the appointment of judges because there are some people who insist on state of origin to the Court of Appeal. My worry is you know there is this policy we have on Federal Character in the country, and women do take their state of origin until they get married, by that time they begin to take state of origin of the husband. This so called Federal Character has robbed us of the best minds to serve us. You are appointing ministers when a particular state has enough professors to run all the ministries in this country, but because of Federal Character you go to a state that does not have a single professor and give the job of a professor, the man becomes a square peg in a round hole. This is not good for us. We should leave the issue of Federal Character and go for merit. The CJN should be commended for that, because she refused to swear in the woman and said she should go and clarify the issue of origin and I said that shows she was very meticulous in that and I commend her effort. There was this issue of Justice Talba, who was suspended for one year. I have a contrary view, I do not agree that he did something wrong to be suspended. I look at the law under which the accused person in the pension scam was tried before Justice Talba, and the provision states clearly that the judge has three options, being the judge was given three options by the criminal code, and within any of the options, he has done nothing wrong. My take on that is that he is being merely suspended shows that there is no proof that he did something wrong. So, on that I do not agree with the CJN on the suspension of Justice Talba. So, as an activist, I say we are coming down hard on public officers for doing the wrong thing, but when we find out that they have been caught in the web, we should ensure that innocent persons should not be made to suffer unjustly. So, if you look at these cases you will agree with me that the CJN has done a fair job and needs to be encouraged as the first woman on the job, and be fair in our criticisms. So, in the judiciary it is fair and a lot of work still needs to be done.

he National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos has fixed hearing in the suit filed by 29 pensioners against the President, ministers of finance, establishments and management services, Head of Service and the Accountant General of the federation to October 27 and 28. The first claimant, Gabriel Obahiagbon according to his amended statement of claim said he retired in November 1993 from the Civil Service of the Federation in the position of deputy director, Accounts, after he worked for 35 years in the Service. He also stated that the rest of the claimants retired at various times between 1981 and 2002 from the Federal Civil Service in one capacity or the other. According to Obahiagbon, while in service, they had several undeclared amounts held back from their negotiated wages by the defendants and lodged in the consolidated revenue fund for pension payment in future. They stated that due to that arrangement whereby a part of the wages were held back, the pension scheme was dubbed ‘non-contributory’ such that the salary structure published from time to time reflected only the take home pay of the affected civil servant without revealing their contribution and the federal government contribution.

“This practice continued until the promulgation of the Pension Reform Act in 2004 when a new scheme was introduced for those still in service while the plaintiffs who retired well before 2004 and who were in the non-contributory pension scheme continued to labour under the old pension regime,” they said. Others joined in the suit are the Director-General, National Pension Commission, Pension Transition arrangement Department, Federal Civil Service as well as the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice. The claimants therefore seek a declaration that the defendants as functionaries and representatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria are in flagrant violation and contravention of their statutory duties under the 1999 constitution of the country and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights regarding pension matters. They sought the claim because, the respondents failed to pay the pension of the plaintiffs as and when due and have thereby caused untold suffering and hardship to the plaintiffs all of whom are elderly and aged people. “A declaration that the 5th defendant as the chief accounting and investment office for the federal government has failed to perform his statutory function under the finance (control and management) Act by reason of his failure to invest the deferred wages of the plaintiff and his donors, thus depriving them of the necessary investment income and the necessary funds from which pensions could be paid as and when due”, they prayed.

In addition to other prayers, they are asking for N1billion general, exemplary and or aggravated damages for the defendants failure to pay them their respective pensions as and when due and for failure to properly perform their functions and duties as regards pensions matters, thereby causing them untold hardship and suffering. In response, the defendants denied most of the claims. They stated that they did not lodge in, neither did they authorize the lodging in nor is any part of the claimant’s negotiated wages lodged into the consolidated revenue fund for any future payment of pension or any other reason. They averred that the amounts declared by the federal government are paid to the retired Civil Servants as monthly pension. “That there is no wages held back by the defendants and therefore no obligation under any law requiring the 5th defendant to invest a nonexistent wage into an interest or income yielding transaction. There is nowhere in the Pension Reform Act 2004 or any other law where the defendants admitted nonfunding of any pension scheme. “That all the Federal Civil Service Pensioners who were entitled to Pension claims under the auspices of the office of the head of service of the federation have been paid all their entitlements to date, excluding ghost claimants and those who neglected to participate in the May – July 2010 Biometric Capturing of pensioners mentioned above and those who have not done so till date”, they stated, urging the court to dismiss the suit as misconceived, speculative and gold-digging.

L-R:- Former President of FIDA, Chief (Mrs.) Stella, Ugboma; Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Justice Amina, Adamu Augie; NBA presidential aspirant Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN); Prof. Animi Awah of NIALS and renowned broadcaster-turned-publisher, Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, among others, cutting the FIDA 50th anniversary cake at NIIA, Lagos

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Ayorinde: Alternative dispute resolution is best for all

is father, the late Justice Timothy Adebayo Ayorinde, was a former Chief Judge of Oyo state and chancellor, the Diocese Ibadan, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the New Telegraph his background this way: “ I was born into the Ayorinde family of Ajimajasan Compound, Agbokojo Ibadan. My father was the Honourable Justice Timothy Adebayo Ayorinde, a former Chief Judge of Oyo State and former Chancellor, Diocese Ibadan, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and my mother is Chief Mrs Christiana Adetokunbo Ayorinde. I attended the Sacred Heart Private School, Ring-Road, Ibadan for my Primary School Education from where I proceeded to the famous Government College, Ibadan in 1974 and obtained a W. A. S. C. E. Ordinary Level Certificate”. However, Ayorinde also attended the International School, University of Ibadan, Oyo State in 1979 and obtained his G. C. E. Advanced Level Certificate, International Baccalaureate, A Levels Certificate in 1981. At International School, he was made the Head Boy, that is, the Senior Project of the School between 1980 and 1981. In September 1981, he proceeded to the University College Buckland, Oxfordshire England, in the United Kingdom for his university education where he obtained the University of Oxford, G. C. E Certificate [Law] Intermediate LLB) in 1983. In 1983, Ayorinde proceeded to the prestigious Holborn Law Tutors, Roupell Street, London for his University of London, Bachelor of Laws LL.B Hons Degree Certificate and graduated in 1985. He proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos in 1985, where he obtained the Council of Legal Education Certificate of Call to Bar in 1986. Shortly after his call to Bar, Ayorinde answered a national call when he was posted to a Lagos for firm for his National Youth Service Corps in 1986 where he cut his legal teeth. “I had my National Youth Service Programme in 1986, when I was Posted to Lagos State and attached to the Private Law Firm of Messrs Akin-Delano, Legal Practitioners at No. 6, Alegeh, SAN Ijora Causeway, Lagos. During this period as a Junior Counsel in the firm of Akin-Delano, Legal Practitioners with Offices in Ibadan and Lagos, I worked directly under the Principal, Chief Akin – Delano SAN and in 1989, I was seconded to take charge of the Lagos Office. I was with the firm until 1990 when I set up the Law Firm of B. Ayorinde & Co with offices in Lagos and Ibadan and now Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory and Port-Harcourt. Ayorinde was appointed a Notary Public for Nigeria on November 25, 1994 under the Notaries Public Act Cap 331 by

He is the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and Deputy Chancellor, Church of Nigeria Diocese of Ibadan, Anglican Communion. Also, he doubles as a member, Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM). Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria speaks on judges’ appointment and their retirement age, de novo cases, ADR and sundry issues. JOSEPH ONYEKWERE, met him. Honourable Justice Mohammed Bello, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria. De novo and justice system Chief Ayorinde has great ideas when it comes to proffering suggestions on how to make the judiciary better. With his wealth of experience as a practicing lawyer and distinguished advocate place him in such a pedestal. He shared a few of such ideas on the issue of court cases starting de novo any time there is a change in a judge. The learned silk explained: "There are three circumstances that gives rise to de novo matters and they are where a judge leaves the service, elevated or where a judge is deceased. In the first two situations where a judge is elevated, the judge is still in service. But when the judge reaches the age of retirement, he can leave the service. But we can design a process whereby the judge that is being elevated, let's say from the High Court to the appeal court; despite the fact that the judge now begins to sit as a Justice of Court of Appeal, he must still be able to have a special fiat to conclude cases which he had started, particularly cases which has reached the trial stage. If the case is still at the interlocutory matters, another judge can take it. But where a judge has heard evidence, heard final addresses and is about to deliver judgment and you take him to Court of Appeal, at that point you allow him to finish the case that he is taking in the High Court. That is done in England. He sits as a Justice of Court of Appeal and at the same time, he finishes his High Court cases, so that would save that situation. The same thing can apply to where a judge is retiring. It does not stop being able to function mentally on the day he is retiring. We can also amend our procedures, rules and even our laws and allow a judge who has begun a trial to finish that trial even though he has reached the mandatory retirement age. So that would take care of the first two. But when a judge is deceased, you cannot bring him back. These days, there is so much advancement in technology and I always advocated that trials should not only be recorded through audio means, it should be video recorded so that a new judge taken over that trial will have the benefit of seeing proceedings because the reason why they say start de novo is that they expect the judge to be able to look at the demeanor of the witnesses. If a trial is video recorded, a new judge will have the opportunity of studying the video; reading the records, looking at the witnesses and hearing

them. So, this de novo thing, I think should become a thing of the past." Judges and retirement age In the case of a retiring judge, his retirement should be deferred to enable him conclude them before leaving. He added that it is improper to assign fresh cases to judges whose exit time from the Bench is very close. "When a judge is 62 or 63, you stop assigning cases of such nature to him. You give it to younger ones. So by the time the judge is getting to 65, the work load would have reduced and whatever he or she has left can be taken care of in a few months after the compulsory retirement age of 65". Notwithstanding his propositions, Ayorinde believes that the issue of raising the retirement age bar is neither here nor there. According to him, some people are very strong and agile until they are about 80 years old while others would want to quit at 65. He strongly advocated that the age bar be raised to at least 70 years with an improviso that at 65, a judge would be in position to take a decision whether to retire or carry on. "We have judges who have decided to go before the mandatory retirement age. That happened in the case of Justice Akanbi, former president of the Court of Appeal and former chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC). He served to a point and decided to leave the Bench and go and do other things. So I think that 65 should be discretionary and 75 for the judge to go", he stated, adding that the age bracket of judges should be taken into account any time they are being elevated to higher courts. "We have had instances in this country where Supreme Court Justices have served for one year or two years. We don't get the best out of such brilliant minds. We need to get them in early so they can deliver", he said.

I would encourage lawyers to update their knowledge of ADR because it is the way of the future

Ayorinde, SAN

AYORINDE AT A GLANCE Infrastructure and personnel As a litigation lawyer and chairman of the Board of the Legal Aid Council, Ayorinde is conversant with the speed of justice delivery in the country. In his esteemed views, there is still lip-service to justice delivery in Nigeria. "We need to have the political will to improve on infrastructure and personnel. In this modern day and age, I see no reason why we still run the kind of registry that we run. I think the court registry should be outsourced. If you have a private company coming to run the registry of the he High Courts that we have now, you will see the difference because there is a lot of income coming into the courts when you file in your papers. If you give that to a private organization, looking at your rules designed the filing to assigned cases; cases should be assigned by computers in these days and age. So, we are paying lip-service to it. We need to move away from where we are. It is a very drastic move. We need to retrain the staff in the registry. We need a private involvement. In England, they have private companies bringing in offenders from the prison to the courts. You have a court system that is a mixture of public and private involvement. So, if we do not do that, we will be living 25 years or 30 years behind", he advocated, insisting that all over the world, there are people who are involved in the administration of Justice that are not government organisations. He maintained that the argument about confidentiality or secrecy does not obtain for cases that have been filed before the court as they are public documents, adding that there should not in any way be any secrecy in a matter that is filed before the court. Appointment of judges Expressing his thoughts on

• He had a stint in the firm of Messrs Akin-Delano, Legal Practitioners • He is the chairman Governing Board of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria • He is the Deputy Chancellor, Church of Nigeria, Diocese of Ibadan, Anglican Communion • He is a member, Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) • He is a Notary Public • He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2005 • He is an alumnus of the University College Buckland, Oxfordshire England, United Kingdom • He is a former Pro-Chancellor, Chairman Governing Council, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State • He is a former Chairman, Oyo State Committee on the Decongestion of Prisons. • He specializes in General Civil Litigation, Commercial litigation, Company Law, Family Law, Property and Land Law, Banking, Insurance & Liquidation law, Arbitration, Maritime and Shipping Law, Public Advocacy and Parliamentary Counseling Services. • He is an author of : “Securing and Enforcing Maritime Claims: Juriscope 1st Edition-2001 Series”, Wills and Testamentary Disposition”, “Sovereign Immunity and the Trials of Augosto Pinochet”, “Judicial Precedent, Law Reporting and the Need for Regulation”, “Judicial Bias and Justice Delivery”, A Commentary on the Independence of Electoral Umpire in Nigeria”, “Boko Haram, Terrorism and Fundamental Human Rights; the Challenges that concern us”, “Criminal Justice System in Nigeria”, “53, Years after Independence: the many facaes of Judicial Riot”, “Nigerian-Any Strength in Adversity”, “A Reformatory Approach to the Criminal Justice System in Nigeria”, and “The Rashidi Yekini Case and the State of Mental Health Law in Nigeria” . • He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Bar Association (IBA) Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce, NigerianBelgian Commercial Information and Documentation Centre and Commonwealth Lawyers Association * He is a Council Member, Section on Public and Development Law, (SPIDEL) of the NBA, Chairman Finance Committee, Nigerian Bar Association

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the appointment of judges in the country, he stated, that we might not really be getting the worst of judges. His words: "I don’t think we are getting the worst, but we could really do better than we are doing currently. I think we should take the issue of judicial appointment very seriously. We should try to go for the best within practicing barristers, from the academia and sometimes from the corporate world. If you bring somebody from the corporate world, who, is extremely knowledgeable in company law, if he comes, it would be a good addition to the bench. It is just like you have people being brought in just because they have deep knowledge of sharia law and they get all the way to the Supreme Court. I think we can do better. We ought to fine tune the process so that we can get the best. There is no one stalk solution to all these problems. I am always amazed that we don't have what they call royal commission in England. Royal commissions are appointed and they work day in day out, produce report every couple of years to improve the system. We need that at the federal and state levels. It is not a static thing. We don't wait like the rules of practice, or our laws; after ten years we think we have a problem and sit down and tinker and want to amend. We should have sitting Commission that will include very seasoned lawyers and administrators who will sit down and look at what we are doing and where we are going and the practicability of the changes that are happening everywhere around the world and how we can use it to our local advantage. It is a continuous process." However, Ayorinde frowned at the situation where almost all the cases go all the way to the Supreme Court. According to him, a lot of cases should end at the High Courts. He said: "The issue of leave once it is considered by the High Court and the High Court says no, it is unnecessary for this to go to the Supreme Court. In some certain jurisdiction, you cannot even appeal against the refusal of leave to appeal, it ends there! So we must look at our constitution in that regard. It is not all cases that should go up. Once we do that, we will find out that justice would be very local. But these days, litigants see the High Court as stage one". Ayorinde is also a good arbitrator. He equally shared his thoughts about the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (ADR) especially the fears by lawyers that embracing it might put food out of their tables. "If you look at all the ADR forms, it substantially involves the need for lawyers. If you go into mediation, arbitration or conciliation, you will find out that you still need lawyers to prepare you to go into it. What you just have is a less formal atmosphere where you decide on the problems. So, lawyers would still be needful, I don't think any lawyer should be fearful about that. It would rather help their practice. So, I would encourage lawyers to update their knowledge of ADR because it is the way of the future. I think problems would still end up in court, but ADR is not a threat to the practice of law", he declared.

Ojukwu family sues firm over alleged illegal possession of property Joseph Onyekwere

jukwu Transport Limited (OTL) has initiated a suit at the Lagos High Court against a multinational firm, Clear Essence Spa, for allegedly occupying its 13, Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos property illegally. OTL was established by the late Sir Lious Odumegwu Ojukwu, father of the former Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to manage numerous assets he acquired in Lagos State and other parts of the country. However, Clear Essence Spa, according to papers filed by OTL operates hotel, 'fine dining', spa, events and others even though the original lease granted it was for residential purposes. OTL in the suit is demanding possession of its property, N100m damages, N140m 'back rent', setting aside of 'unauthorized' tenancy agreement and an injunction restraining Clear Essence from interfering with OTL's possession of its property. The massive former JAMB office location is one of the properties the company is seeking to reclaim from Bianca, the widow of the late Biafran leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu. In a related development, Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja, has heard suit No. LD/922/12. In the suit, West African Offshore Limited (started by Chief Bayo Kuku), an occupant of another OTL Property at 30, Gerrard Rd.,Ikoyi, Lagos seeks to pay 'disputed' rent of N24m to the court’s custody. But Ojukwu family sources alleged games, feet dragging and delay by the West African Offshore Limited and Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, Bianca Ojukwu alongside her ‘unrecognized agent', Mr. Emmanuel

Ojukwu

Omuojine. Current directors of the OTL are Prof. Joseph Ojukwu (Chairman), Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Mr. Lotanna Ojukwu, Dr. Patrick Ike Ojukwu, Arc. Eze Ojukwu,Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Jr. and Mr. Akajiora Lotanna Ojukwu. The late Biafran leader and Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Ojukwu was among the directors of the company. Several cases had been instituted in court by the directors over the controversial leasing of the properties by the late Ikemba Nnewi with a view to recovering them or have the rent reviewed. Besides, the directors claimed that rents running into millions of naira from the properties in Lagos were being collected by Bianca through an Estate Management firm engaged by her late spouse and run by Omuojine without remitting same to the company. Bianca is party to most of the cases now pending in court over the properties. The court documents indicated that the disputed lease was entered into on behalf of OTL by the late Ikemba Nnewi with the ‘Diplomat Investment Limited’ which claimed that the Clear Essence Spa is their business,

in 2004 for a period of 20 years. The lease was amended in 2005 at N5 million per annum and the company allegedly paid Ikemba N50 million upfront. The OTL directors claimed that Ojukwu was not a director of the company when he leased the property to Diplomat Investment Limited as his letter of acceptance as Director of OTL obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Abuja was written in 2010. The firm also threatens to sue the Lagos State Government as a result of the discovery in the lease agreement that an unnamed Lagos State Commissioner of Science and Technology signed the document approving the lease between Ojukwu (OTL) and Diplomat Investment Limited on behalf of the state governor. “The purported approval in 2008 by the Lagos State Commissioner of Science & Technology on behalf of the Governor is being scrutinized and legal action is being considered,” said a member of Ojukwu’s family, who explained that 13 Ojora Rd, Ikoyi which is also 13 Alexander and the location of Clear Essence Spa, was the last residence of late Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu in Lagos. OTL directors insisted that the property never belonged to the late Ikemba and was not willed to him by their late father, stressing that the N5 million rent per annum on the property was a big joke as “the going rate for the location and size of such property is N60m to N100m or more.” Due to the demise of Ikemba Nnewi, his recognized eldest son, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Jnr, has been appointed a director in OTL as the rightful person to secure his father’s share. As a result, he had been joined in as plaintiff in some of the suits.

NBA election: Yoruba lawyers threaten fire over zoning formula Foluso Ogunmodede

gbe Amofin, an umbrella group of lawyers of Yoruba extraction warned at the weekend, that a leadership crisis was imminent in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) should the association ignore the 12-year-old zoning arrangement for its presidency. The group, which rose from a crucial meeting at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Ibadan, threatened that it would no longer honour 'the gentleman’s agreement’ if its presidential aspirants were not given prefered slot at the NBA Presidency come July 15. Its revered leader, Chief Bandele Aiku (SAN) who spoke against the backdrop of requests by some aspirants from other regional fora for endorsement by the group, said the Egbe Amofin would only support such aspirants if their regional fora respected the right of the South West to produce the next NBA president. Aiku, who traced the genesis of the NBA presidency

zoning arrangement for the NBA, being rotated among the three former regions of East, West and North, said the group would not hesitate to protest the planned jettison by other fora on the arrangement of which the latest rotation cycle started which produced the incumbent President, Okey Wali, SAN. His words: “The East started two years ago. This time around, it is essentially the turn of the South West. But there has been a lot of row as to whether the Midwest should come in as a forum.” He disclosed that leaders of the Midwest met with their South West counterpart about two years ago, adding: “what we said to them was that it was not the position of the Midwest to present a candidate for the office of the president of the NBA in 2014. They said they would take that position of the South West back to their people in the Midwest.” This, Aiku said nothing up till now was heard from the Midwest Bar Forum as its leaders never reverted to the South

West. Aiku said: “The position taken by the representatives of the Midwest as at that time which was about two years ago - in a meeting held in my house was that they would take our decision back home. We have not heard from them as the only thing we heard from the Midwest was the nomination of a presidential candidate that would represent them come July 2014.” The Egbe leader said the group has written to other regional fora, “informing them of the position of the South West - that it is the turn of the South West to present a candidate or candidates for the office of president and not the Midwest. I hope you will carry that message back to your respective fora, that we still stand by that decision. And I am sure that by the information we have given to you now, I hope you will assist the cause of the South West. The position is, scratch my back I scratch your back; if you assist our cause, we are prepared to assist your cause.”

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

FIRST DAY IN COURT

Nervousness took the better part of me

is an associate Punuka AtHtoldetorneys. Damola Adewale the New Telegraph on his

first day in court shortly after he was called to Bar. He said: “My name is Damola Adewale, an associate Punuka Attorneys. I was doing a private practice immediately after my service. So, there were clients coming to me because you know that law is a noble course. The day I entered the court alone without a principal guiding me; what I did was that the previous day, I had met an experienced lawyer and asked him the procedure I would take. He told me that if I enter the court, that I must mention the key words which is "your honor" because it was a magistrate court. So I didn't want to make a mistake. Apart from that, he also told me the chronological way I should go about it. In spite of everything, when I entered the court, I became too nervous because other lawyers were there. That was because I had the anxiety of avoiding a mistake so the other lawyers would not point out my error and become embarrassed. Number two, the client I went on his behalf was also there. So, I didn't want to mess up. I didn't want him to feel disappointed. So, I was nervous! My mouth was dried such that I had to lick sweet to get it wet. When I rose up, I just said: "May it please your honor, Damola Adewale for the plaintiff". So, when I crossed the first stage, he said, okay move on. I said: "we have an application before your honour, an application brought pursuant to so.... so...so and then we are praying for the order of the court to do this and that. Immediately, the defendant’s lawyer rose up. Luckily for me, the case was coming up for hearing. So, by the time I moved my motion, the defendant too concurred. The court said then the case has been adjourned to this particular date. My principal then gave me the file three days earlier. He had filed all the necessary documents. He just called on me and said I should be going to the court that day. He was appearing at the Court of Appeal.

Adewale

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

Caveat emptor and the need for pre-contract investigation in sale of land

Umar Abdulkadir

FredLatimore Oghenesivbe

ases of land disputes in Nigeria are becoming alarming which is why it is very necessary for a buyer to take precautionary measures of ensuring that he or she is not buying a law suit in sale of land transactions. The principle of “Caveat Emptor” (meaning buyer beware) is to the effect that the buyer of a piece of land or real property is duty bound to first carryout proper investigation before the contract of sale of land is executed. It holds that a seller is under no duty to communicate to the buyer the existence of defects, even hidden ones. The first step to take is to engage the services of a Solicitor whose professional responsibility it is to do searches on the property which the buyer intends to purchase. It is trite that the purchaser’s Solicitor must ensure that his client gets a good title by developing a comprehensive check-list of terms to be negotiated and agreed upon. He is to ensure that all contractual restrictions are complied with. Failure to carryout proper searches on the property may result to grave cost to the purchaser as the principle of caveat emptor suggests that the buyer will not be able to recover damages from the seller for defects which rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes or in a case where this serious dispute over the property. The purchaser’s solicitor could act as his agent to investigate the property as to its suitability for the purpose for which the purchaser intends to buy it, nature of the property, the capacity of the vendor (to verify if seller is a beneficial owner, legal representative, family head, mortgagee or legal owner), compliance with description, physical negotiations as to price, conditions, terms, et al. Other essential duties of the purchaser’s solicitor may include; investigate the traditional evidence that established title, that is, genealogy of family in respect of family land, conduct a search in the lands registry, corporate affairs registry, court registry, probate registry, study the documents of title, conduct a physical investigation and or inspection of the land or property itself and where there has been litigation concerning such property, to conduct a search into the court records. In Kojo II v Bonsie (1957) and reaffirmed in Idundun v Okumagba (1976), the Supreme Court of Nigeria stated the five ways by which title or ownership of land can be proved. These are; by traditional evidence (at least 40 years history under the Conveyancing Act 1881 or 30 years history under the Property Conveyancing Law 1958, which are usually contained in the recitals in Deed of Transfer or Assignment), by the production of document of title duly authenticated and executed, by acts of possession extending over a sufficient length of time numerous and positive enough to warrant the inference of ownership, by acts of long possession and enjoyment and proof of possession of connected or adjacent land in circumstances rendering it probable that the owner of such connected or adjacent land would in addition be the owner of the land in dispute. It is trite that a party who successfully proves any of the five ways by the authority of Idundun v. Okumagba and

Adekoya: Golden Girl of Nigerian Bar

The principle of “Caveat Emptor” is to the effect that the buyer of a piece of land or real property is duty bound to first carryout proper investigation before the contract of sale of land is executed Kojo LL v. Bonsie is entitled to the ownership of the land in dispute. Similar decisions were handed down by the courts in Elegushi v Oseni (2005) and Mogaji v Cadbury (Nig) Ltd (1985). Also section 4 of Statute of Fraud 1677, Section 5 (2) Law Reform Contract Act of 1961 and section 67 of Property Conveyance Law of 1959, provides that the vendor shall prove his title, contract for sale of land must be in writing while transfer of interest in land must be by deed. Section 22 of the Land Use Act 1978 also provides that the State Governor in the jurisdiction where the land is situated (in an urban area) must give his consent to legalise such transfer of interest in land. This is so because by virtue of Section 2 of the Land Use Act, the Governor holds land in trust for the citizens and must give his consent before any land can be properly and legally transferred. It is therefore necessary that a buyer should employ the services of a solicitor to diligently carryout comprehensive searches on the property to ensure that there is no inexplicable break in the chain of devolution of the property, no exception, reservation, restriction and caution endorsed any of the documents relating to the vendor’s title. He must take a step further to ensure that description in the title deed fits the land being purchased, where undeveloped, to check the beacon numbers in the landed property against the coordinates in the attached plan, ensure technical accuracy of details on the face of the conveyance, for example, to confirm that the document was properly executed by the appropriate parties. He is to look out for patent defects and to ensure that all developments comply with statutory and/ or legal control regulations, letter of allocation if state grant with the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), et al. Searches and investigation carried out by purchaser’s solicitor at the precontract stage will certainly reveal encumbrances and defects (if any) on the property, eliminate constructive notice, easement and restrictive covenants so as to purchase a good title because the principle of caveat emptor is to the effect that the purchaser cannot repudiate the contract because of non disclosure of patent defects. Once a contract of sale is signed by the parties, the risk is transferred to the purchaser who now holds equitable interest in the property while the vendor becomes a trustee of the land for the purchaser pending when legal interest will be transferred or assigned through a signed, sealed and delivered Deed with Governor’s consent upon payment of certain fees, stamp duties, appropriate taxes, et al. TO B E CO N T I N U E D

s the tenure of the incumbent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), President Okey Wali (SAN) gradually winds down and NBA delegates warm up to elect the next president of Africa’s largest Bar come July this year, one of those said to be eyeing the coveted seat is a foremost lawyer and litigator, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN). Acclaimed as perhaps Nigeria’s leading arbitrator, Funke - as she is fondly called – has traversed the nation’s legal landscape with the poise, panache and persistence of a true amazon. There is no gainsaying that Funke’s ‘marriage’ to law was made in heaven, having worshipped at the temple of justice for an unbroken 40 years since her call to the Nigerian Bar in 1975. Born into the family of Chief Magistrate and Mrs. G. O. Sholu, Funke received her Bachelor of Laws degree in 1974 from the University of Ife. Indeed, it was at Ife that her brilliance shone. Not only did she top her fiercely competitive class, having graduated with a Second Class Honours (Upper Division), Funke was also a Faculty Scholar and triple prize-winner in her graduation year. If there were any doubts that Funke is a first-class brain, this was eclipsed by her performance at the Harvard Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA where she graduated in 1977 with a Master of Laws degree in flying colours. Not done, she again headed to the United Kingdom for the tortuous Solicitors’ programme. Unsurprisingly, she again excelled and was in 2004 admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales. She has maintained a practising licence in the United Kingdom ever since, enabling her to stay current with legal developments and issues in that highly influential jurisdiction. Appointed Notary Public in 1986, the highly cerebral and vigorous litigator ascended the pinnacle of her legal career when she was adjudged in 2001 as only the fifth woman to be elevated to the exclusive rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. If there is any area where virtually all analysts are agreed, it is that Funke’s stellar stewardship to the Nigerian Bar has gone largely unsung and unrequited. Not one to blow her trumpet, she has at every turn diligently and selflessly given of her time, energy and resources towards the service of the Nigerian Bar. Formerly 1st Vice President of the NBA, the respected lawyer has been recruited by virtually every NBA President to date for one assignment or the other. Expectedly, and notwithstanding her excruciating schedule leading one of Nigeria’s foremost law firms, the respected lawyer has always obliged the Bar. She is currently the Chair of NBA’s Branch Capacity Building Committee. Not one to shy from tackling issues and proferring solutions on the way forward, Funke is convinced that the time has come for many NBA’s branches to rise to the onerous duty of shaping the fate of their union. According to her, the NBA is designed as an association where the national body should be implementing programmes and suggestions initiated at the branch level through resolutions at branch general meetings. “It is the branches that should drive NBA activities,” she insists. She is Co-Counsel for NBA in the AGF/CBN Case (SCUML Case). As then 1st Vice Chair in-charge of the NBA Human Rights Committee, she immediately conscripted her counterparts at the branch level into her programme to decongest the prisons. Accordingly, the astute lawyer charged 1st Vice Chairmen in the branches to key into the programme, engage in prison visits and file reports to her for onward transmission to NBA NEC at its meetings.

Adekoya, SAN

Funke commenced her legal career in Kaduna in 1975 with the firm of Abdullahi Ibrahim & Co. Having completed her Master of Laws programme, she returned to the firm in 1977 until 1980 when she got married to her heartthrob. She then moved to Lagos to set up the firm’s office as Head of Chambers. Ten years later, she was made a Partner. In 1990, after 13 years of endearing loyalty and service to the law firm of Abdullahi Ibrahim & Co, the affable and self-effacing mother of two boys established O. Adekoya and Company, a dispute resolution practice. In July 2004, in pursuit of her vision to raise the standards of legal services in Nigeria, Funke merged her practice with three other law firms to form AELEX. Not only was she the pioneer Managing Partner for an initial term of two years, Funke also doubled as Head of Dispute Resolution Department. In recognition of her uncommon managerial and interpersonal skills, the Board of Partners unanimously extended her tenure by a further term of two years. The firm has been rated the “Nigerian Law Firm of the Year” by Who’s Who Legal in 2009 and 2011. Commenting on the state of the nation at the AELEX Annual Lecture, Funke asserts that “we need to focus on the state of the nation. We have very obvious challenges facing us. There are storms on the horizon. I am not sure we are giving these issues as much attention as they should get. Unless we address these problems frontally and discuss them, this country may be torn apart.” Even among her peers, Funke is reputed as having a best-in-class experience in commercial litigation and corporate dispute resolution. She represents clients before courts and tribunals, and provides legal opinions on complex legal issues. She also appears as expert witness in courts in England, the United States and Turkey. Funke participated in the Consultative Assembly on the Reform of Company Law in Nigeria. She was a member of the Editorial Committee which produced the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 1990, and took part in drafting the pioneering High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004. She is an Officer of the IBA’s Bar Issues Commission and a member of its Policy Committee. She is also a Life Member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and a Trustee of Child Life Line, a non-governmental foundation that rehabilitates street children. Funke is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, having attained its Chartered Arbitrator status in 2006. She was appointed Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK (Nigeria branch) in December 2010. She is a member of the Legal Committee of the National Council on Privatisation. TO BE CONTINUED

BUSINESS Thursday, July 3, 2014

What's news Stock market gains N1.7trn in Q2 Investors in the Nigerian capital market gained about N1.7 trillion between March and June this year, investigations by New Telegraph have revealed.

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Purchasing Index: New orders picked up in June Driven by medium scale and small companies, new orders picked up marginally last month, according to FBN Capital Research Purchasing Managers’ Index report.

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Combating menace of inferior ICT products in Nigeria Some decades ago, it was commonplace to hear Nigerians say that they will not purchase products labeled ‘Made in Taiwan.’ This was due to the belief that such products were of lesser quality compared to those locally made or imported from the Western world, especially Europe and America.

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Nigeria, Kenya top ICT start-up grant seekers Applicants from Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana topped the lists of intending technology entrepreneurs seeking financial grant from possible investors at DEMO Africa 2014, the launchpad for emerging technology and trends.

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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

31 NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

}p-34 ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

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

Nigeria, India among 24 worst countries for workers –Survey WORKERS’ GLEE Denmark, which is grouped together with 17 other countries, ranked 1 and is world’s best country for workers

global survey of working conditions in 139 countries has revealed that Nigeria, India, China, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Bangladesh, are among the 24 worst countries in the world for workers. Others are North Korea, Zimbabwe, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Fiji, Guatemala, Swaziland, Zambia, and Belarus. The survey titled: Global Rights Index: The world’s worst countries for workers, also indicted the Word Bank labour standard and recommendations. A World Bank report “Doing Business” had said, “driving down labour standards is good for business.” The survey noted that the World Bank’s recommendation was unacceptable for an organisation that claims to be committed to poverty reduction. It was compiled by the Geneva-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) based on information from its network of affiliates including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations during the survey period from April 2013 to March 2014. In the survey, countries were given a ranking of between 1 and 5 – with 1 representing the best and 5 the worst. The ranking is based on how countries scored against a checklist of 97 indicators that look at incidences of violations of workers’ rights and their severity. A special ranking of 5+ is given to countries where “the rule of law has completely broken down and workers get no protection whatsoever.” Eight countries received this lowestof-the-low ranking: Central

L-R: Director, Mr. Michael Richard Alexandrer, Chairman, Dr. Ambrosie Bryant Orjiako, and CEO, Austin Avuru, at SEPLAT's AGM held in Lagos.

African Republic, Libya, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. The survey also said that, of the 139 countries surveyed, only one country managed to clear all the indicators on their checklist. Denmark, which is grouped together with 17 other countries ranked 1 and is world’s best country for workers. While the worst ranked countries may have been expected for some, it’s disconcerting to note that a few developed countries are ranked very low

in the survey. One shocking entry was the US, which only got a ranking of 4, embarrassing especially when compared with archrival, Russia, which ranked 2. While a few of the 18 countries ranked 1 are known to have a good rights track record – Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands – they also revealed the surprising fact that neither a high level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) nor technological advancement is

DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor Abdulwahab Isa, Finance Editor Chuks Onuanyin, Energy Nnamdi Amadi, Reporter JOHNSON ADEBAYO, Asst. Production Editor

a necessary prerequisite for the protection of workers’ rights. Other findings by ITUC while conducting the survey give cause for concern. The report said: “In the past year, governments of at least 35 countries have arrested or imprisoned workers as a tactic to resist demands for democratic rights, decent wages, safer working conditions and secure jobs” and that laws and practices in at least 87 countries exclude certain type of workers from the right to strike.”

KPMG: Digitisation'll create more jobs than broadband DEVELOPMENT Developing countries should adopt newer technology trends to facilitate further economic growth

Jonah Iboma

report by leading professional services firm, KPMG, has said that effective digitisation of broadcast services by emerging markets such as Nigeria, will have much more positive impact on economic development than pervasive broadband adoption. According to the firm, digitisation creates jobs; with a

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor

Obi Ezeude: Setting the pace in biscuit manufacturing, CSR

10-point increase in the digitisation score leading to a 1.02 per cent drop in the unemployment rate. This, it noted, is almost five times greater than the effect that the widespread adoption of broadband has on reducing unemployment According to the KPMG research, which was revealed on Tuesday, digitisation will also CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE April 2014...............................7.9% March 2014............................7.8% Feburary 2014 ........................7.7%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at June 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N167.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N284 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N227.50 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • External reserves US$ 37.27 billion as at 26/6/14

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at June 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N265.21 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N211.95 Source: CBN

BUSINESS | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Stock market gains N1.7trn in Q2 IMPROVEMENT The stock market showed signs of recovery on improved regulatory environment Chris Ugwu

nvestors in the Nigerian capital market gained about N1.7 trillion between March and June this year, investigations by New Telegraph

have revealed. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) market capitalisation grew by 12.2 per cent to close at N14.027 trillion at the close of trading on Monday from the N12,312 trillion opening at the beginning of trading on April 1, 2014. According, the NSE All Shares Index rose by 9.77 per cent for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014, from 38,331.78 points it opened during the beginning of trading on April 1, 2014, to close at 42,482.48 points last Monday. The index measures the per-

formance of the stock market and also reflects how prices of stocks have moved, which in turn, determines how much investors made as gains or losses. The listing of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc and Caverton Offshore Group Plc – one of the leading oil and gas service firm providing marine and aviation logistics during the quarter, boosted the NSE’s market capitalisation. While Seplat contributed about $1.9billion (N295.4 billion) to market capitalisation, Caverton Offshore Group raised the

market capitalisation by N32 billion ($198 million), a move believed to have buoyed market confidence especially on local level. The Exchange had recently said that more investors were returning to the capital market, increasing domestic participation. Executive Director, Business Development, NSE, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, said this in Lagos at the 2014 ‘Putting Investors First’ Day organised by the Exchange in partnership with the CFA Society of Nigeria. He said that although the Nigerian capital market showed signs of improved investor confidence, the Exchange still has work to do. Jalo-Waziri said: “Year-todate 2014, local investors participation in our market outweighs foreign participation. It can be recalled that as of end of first quarter 2013, local investors accounted for close to 60 per cent of transaction value in the

Nigerian capital market, while foreign investors were responsible for about 40 per cent. “This turn of events contrasted sharply with the circumstances between 2009 and the first half of 2012 when local investors eschewed the market on account of losses they sustained in the aftermath of the near meltdown of 2008 with transaction values being controlled by foreign investors to the tune of 80 per cent in certain instances.” The NSE executive director also said that improved regulatory environment and performance of quoted companies from 2012 till date had positively impacted on stock market prices and overall market indices. Also, the average daily value of shares traded had also risen significantly. He explained that the investor programme was part of the NSE’s financial literacy activities, which it started in 2012 in order to protect investors.

Digitisation'll create more jobs than broadband CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

L-R: Former President of the Lagos Business School Alumni Association, Sir Demola Aladekomo; Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi and President, Lagos Business School Alumni Association, Mr. Wole Oshin, at the 20th President’s dinner of LBSAA held at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Purchasing Index: New orders picked up in June Siaka Momoh

riven by medium scale and small companies, new orders picked up marginally last month (June), according to FBN Capital Research Purchasing Managers’ Index report. The report said: “Our take from this latest report is that the sub-index for new orders picked up marginally to 56 in June. The medium scale and small companies drove the improvement.” It also noted that the reading for the workforce slumped below the water to 47, with declines reported by all three company sizes. Rather than a one-off, this combination could reflect a cautious stance ahead

of the elections due in February 2015, FBN Capital noted. This index is based on the responses of a number of manufacturing companies to set questions on core variables in their businesses. It is unweighted. In the model chosen (the ISM’s), respondents were asked whether output, employment, new orders, suppliers’ delivery times and stocks of purchases have improved, are unchanged or have declined. The sample is a representative blend of large, mediumsized and small companies. The report said it has seen several pronounced swings since FBN Capital launched its index in April 2013. “In our view these are consistent with Nigeria’s frontier market sta-

tus. Changes in the operating environment such as access to electricity, fuel and credit, as well as swings in business confidence, help to explain these movements. Electricity generation at end-June, for example, was about 500 megawatts lower than one month earlier on a point-to-point basis. The challenges are the greatest for the small firms. “This latest headline reading is out of sync with the growth in the manufacturing sector of between 5.2 per cent and 8.4 per cent y/y in the ten quarters through to Q3 2013. These rates are drawn from the old series of the national accounts. The NBS is due to publish quarterly data in the new series through to Q1 2014 shortly,” the report added.

Nigerian’s changing diet unveils a market of 170m achel Amos remembers to shop for items like Nestle SA- ing power, that are prompting Ra diet growing up in Lagos on made cereal and Unilever’s Close foreign investors to look past the of mashed unripe ba- Up toothpaste at a Spar Interna- militant attacks in the African nanas and a homemade pudding of maize, sugar and water. To her, buying food in grocery stores was something only rich people did. Amos, now a 24-year-old tailor, according to Bloomberg news, has moved into the ranks of supermarket patrons. She has turned away from buying from street vendors, choosing instead

tional outlet near the shantytown she lives in. “Supermarkets are better,” Amos told Bloomberg, as her twoyear-old daughter, Joy, wheeled a shopping cart through Spar’s aisles. “They sell original things, it’s neater and there are no flies.” It’s people like Amos, whose saga captures the potential for growth in Nigerians’ purchas-

nation’s northern region and pile into consumer-focused stocks. In Nigeria, they see semblances of the consumer boom that swept through Brazil, China and India over the past decade: an underdeveloped country home to a population of about 170 million people that is consistently posting annual economic growth above six per cent.

positively impact unemployment rates, Gross Domestic Growth (GDP) growth, as well as the literacy levels of countries, thus narrowing the gap between developing and developed economies. “In fact, it is estimated that digitisation will bring about a further drop in telecommunications carriage fees and drive growth in ARPUs (average revenue per users), thereby increasing profitability and allowing content producers to focus on better material,” said Joseph Tegbe, Partner in Management Consulting Advisory, West Africa Lead – Technology, Media and Telecommunications at KPMG Nigeria. “Digitisation will not only impact the telecommunication industry but also the film industry, financial service, agriculture, healthcare, consumer market and education sectors.” He explained that analysis had revealed that an increase of 10 per cent in a country’s digitisation score fuels a 0.75 per cent growth in its GDP per capita. “As an economic accelerant, digitisation therefore is 4.7 times more powerful than the 0.16 per cent average impact of broadband deployment on per capita GDP,” added Tegbe. He stated further that the economic effect of digitisation accelerates as countries move to more advanced stages of the process. Tegbe said: “Digitally constrained economies receive the least benefit, largely because they are yet to establish an ICT ecosystem that can capitalise on the benefits of digitisation.” Digitisation has become an issue in the front burner in Africa in recent times, especially with a global deadline set for countries to migrate from analogue systems to digital formats by June 17, 2015. KPMG noted that transition from analogue to digital technology would mean an

increase in data and information and would see the African economy shift more rapidly to a knowledge economy. The firm noted that type and extent of the impact that digitisation has on a sector of the economy is determined mainly by the interaction of four areas of the sector namely: business models, go-to-market strategy, production and operations. “Digitisation is fundamentally reshaping business models. It is lowering barriers to entry and expanding market reach for enterprises. In terms of a go-to-market strategy, it is changing how companies build brands and products, communicate and provide services to their customers. Companies are increasingly relying on social media to build brands. Close to 40 per cent of those online use the web to research items that they buy in physical outlets. Digitisation is also enabling companies to create products tailored to customers’ tastes.” he said. Tegbe, however, added that it is not through digitisation alone that Africa will grow in the future, noting that it must ensure that broadband is also adopted. “Broadband creates an enabling environment for businesses and governments. Therefore, it improves overall productivity and creates jobs. Jobs such as the construction works, trenching, laying of fibre-optic lines and installation of wireless towers will increase as broadband penetration increases,” said Tegbe. “Broadband penetration will help promote and fund entrepreneurship and IT Initiatives and allow for a more skilled workforce that can take up outsourced IT jobs in major institutions. It also creates a knowledge economy to support e-health care and e-education provision, which are managed by content providers of such services.”

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Investment in palm oil to drive Fact File key industry inputs’ price INVESTMENT SURGE Current stout investment in the palm oil sector is good news for manufacturers who need this commodity and related ones as inputs Stories by Siaka Momoh

ecent robust private sector investment in palm oil is set to bring down prices of key industrial inputs, Oxford Business Group (OGB) has said. Foods like noodles, vegetable oil, biscuits, chips, margarines, shortenings, cereals, baked stuff, washing detergents and even cosmetics use palm oil as input. Some of the items listed are inputs in some industries too. The report, quoting Alex Osunde, group managing director of Nosak Group, a local conglomerate that has invested in palm oil, says: “There are a lot of players getting into palm oil refining; the huge demand and supply gap of close to two million tons is driving the rush to invest in the sector.” The report says that PZ Cussons, for example, launched a joint venture with Singaporean firm, Wilmar, to develop a 50,000 ha oil palm plantation. “In five to six years, the land is expected to produce about 300,000 tons of palm oil annually, a key ingredient in soap and other products,” the report notes. It further notes that with this drive, “PZ Cussons will be able to reduce its imports from 80 per cent of inputs to 45 per cent. If the oil refineries come back on line, the firm could reduce its imports to just 30 per cent.”

Oil palm plantation

Olam and Wilmar also have a joint venture production relationship in Nigeria and Africa generally, according to OGB. This is part of the robust investment in palm oil in question. In focus are management (upstream) and manufacturing (midstream) capabilities of Wilmar in the edible oil supply chain with Olam’s skills in downstream management, including distribution, its country, market and credit risk management skills and its deep market insight and contextual knowledge of Africa. Olam and Wilmar plan to undertake further investments in integrated plantations and agro-processing operations in

Africa through this JV. Wilmar is Asia’s leading agribusiness group, world’s largest integrated processor of palm oils, leading consumer pack edible oils producer and refiner in China. It is one of the leading cooking oil brands in the Indian market and one of the largest edible oil refiner in India and the largest palm bio diesel manufacturer in the world. Olam has strong origination and distribution capability: Upcountry procurement infrastructure in over 40 origin countries, including deep presence in 18 countries in West, East and South Africa; strong risk management systems and controls.

Both Wilmar and Olam strongly believe that Africa is the next frontier for agricultural production as it offers exciting prospects for setting up plantations and integrated agri-business operations. The joint venture investment is valued at $208.70 million at 50 per cent apiece for both partners. According to industry experts, 90 per cent of palm oil is consumed by food industry and the remaining 10 per cent used by the non-food industry. Noodles industry alone consumes 72,000 metric tons of imported palm oil and the leading, domestic palm oil producers fail to meet this demand.

Entrepreneurship: African countries high in fear of failure evaluation

ndividuals in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries, on the average, scored higher than those from other regions in respect of entrepreneurial perceptions relating to opportunities, capabilities and fear of failure, New Telegraph has learnt. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report (GEM) 2013, “it is interesting to note that sub-Saharan countries exhibit, on average, the highest evaluation in these three perceptions. In these countries, entrepreneurship rates tend to be high, suggesting that they see opportunities

and believe they are capable of starting a business. On the other hand, European countries, mainly European Union (EU) countries, show the lowest rates.” The perception of entrepreneurial opportunities reflects the percentage of individuals who believe that there are opportunities to start a business in the area they live. Perceived capabilities reflect the percentages of individuals who believe that they have the required skills, knowledge and experience to start a new business. The measure of fear of failure (when it comes to starting

your own business) applies to those who perceive opportunities only. For all three measures, individuals in various countries are likely to have different kinds of businesses in mind. The results show that high variations across high prevalence rates of perceived opportunities are not always associated with high prevalence rates of perceived capabilities. The GEM survey shows that perceived opportunities and capabilities tend to decline with greater development levels. For example, perceived opportunities and perceived capabilities measure are almost

twice as high in factor-driven economies, 60 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively, than in innovation-driven economies, 33 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. Fear of failure is higher in the Asia Pacific and South Asia region, with Vietnam having the highest rate of 56 per cent, followed by Japan and Thailand with 49 per cent. EU countries also exhibit this. It is important to note, however, that these perceptions may reflect different businesses one generally has in mind, showing the value of GEM CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Removing the obstacles to regional trade integration in Africa would be particularly beneficial for poor women, as they literally carry most of the small-scale, crossborder commerce that happens within the Region. The potential benefits are huge and obvious: better food security, faster job creation, more poverty reduction, and less gender discrimination. This is a win-win-win-win reform agenda that is ready for action. Policy makers typically overlook women’s contribution to trade and the challenges they face. This neglect reflects, in part, the lack of data and information on women and trade in Africa and also the underrepresentation of small traders and rural producers in trade and trade policy discussions. African countries have enormous potential for trade with the global market and for more intensive trade among themselves. Regional trade in Africa can play a vital role in diversifying economies and reducing dependence on the export of a few mineral products, in delivering food and energy security, in generating jobs for the increasing numbers of young people, and in alleviating poverty and promoting a shared prosperity. The access roads to the Lagos Port and its environs are a national embarrassment. Hence, part of the 7% Port Development levy, which is collected by NPA should be allocated for the development, control and maintenance of the Port Access Roads. Entrepreneurship rates differ among economies at similar stages of economic development. It is also true regions sharing. The same level of economic development may not share the same rates of entrepreneurship. Moreover, not all entrepreneurial efforts appear to have the same impact on economic development.

BUSINESS | INDUSTRY

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

I n d u st ry C h i e f ta i n

Obi Ezeude: Setting the pace in biscuit manufacturing, CSR Obi Ezeude is president/chief executive officer, Beloxxi Industries Limited located in Agbara Estate, Ogun State. Beloxxi Industries is a biscuit manufacturing company, commissioned a few years back by President Goodluck Jonathan. Obi Ezeude, who studied Banking and Finance, started business in 1994 as a trader and walked into manufacturing in 2003, less than nine years after trading.

produce in Nigeria. And I decided to prove to them that manufacturing was not nuclear science.” When he found out that they would not bulge, his business instinct made him decide to work on his plan B, which was to do it and go it alone. He applied to US Exim Bank and got $2.2 million facility, and got an Italian firm to supply him machineries. The business kicked off in Ikeja in June 2006, in a rented warehouse. “We installed our machine and by late 2006, we rolled out. January 2007, we hit the market. In one month, the demand overshot our capacity. People were waiting two/three months to get our products. With that little signal, I knew that God had answered our prayers. By December 2007, after watching the market trend, we started this Agbara project,” he said.

Siaka Momoh

Competition There are people making crackers, but Ezeude believes Beloxxi is not competing with them at all. “What they are making is not top quality, internationally branded products. They are just mixing flour and sugar and giving it to our people. But by the time we came in with international raw materials, international packaging, with all the technicalities for pricing and marketing, the battle cry changed.

zeude was one of the largest importers of cream cracker in Nigeria, importing about 600 containers every year from Malaysia by the year 2000. Armed with this robust import business portfolio, he entered into discuss i o n with his Malaysian suppliers to join him to set up shop in Nigeria bu t they backed out. Said he: “They told m e one million reasons why they would n o t

Ezeude

Food and beverages Ezeude argued that Nigeria has the population and with a big population, people must eat first before thinking of buying electronics. “No matter how bad things are, we must eat. There is therefore every reason for the food and beverage sector to do well,” he said. Challenges The major problem anybody would tell you, according to Ezeude, is multiple taxation by states and local governments. “The other problem we have is energy. Another is the prices of raw materials which change without warning. Another is the clearing time at the ports. No matter what we do, 80 per cent of our raw materials are local. But the micro additives which are very critical are imported. And the international brand makers have agents in Nigeria who make use of these

ports. Our logistics become a nightmare when these agents become victims of unfavourable clearing time at the ports.” Beloxxi Industries Limited has since embarked on one of the most ambitious expansion programme in the history of biscuit industry in Nigeria with a N2 billion fund provided by Skye Bank and Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM). The fund, according to Obi Ezeude, was obtained at 8 per cent interest rate and has a tenor of 10 years with two years moratorium. It is for additional two production lines. The fund, according to him, will create over 1,500 factory jobs, 120 fresh graduate positions in Administration and Engineering and Allied sciences, improve the standard of living of our people, reduce poverty and disease, reduce crime but most importantly, make Nigeria a better place with a modest addition to GDP.” Beloxxi’s move has been described by industry stakeholders as a welcome one in this era of job losses and the dear need to conserve foreign exchange. Its linkage with the flour milling industry underscores the argument of these stakeholders. Practical training for business development and entrepreneurship assumed a new meaning at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) thanks to the business simulation laboratory (BizSimLab) endowed by Beloxxi Industries in partnership with the African Institute of Business Simulations (AIBS). The laboratory, which was one of the five projects inaugurated by former Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufai, in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the university recently, would help students practicalise the business theories learnt in the classroom. It is housed in the Business Administration Department of the university. The BizSimLab is an initiative of AIBS founded by Mr Richard Obire to equip undergraduates of tertiary institutions, starting with UNILAG, with business and entrepreneurship skills in preparation for life after graduation. Using digital tools, the students learn to manage various aspects of businesses in a simulated environment. The endowment of the laboratory cost Beloxxi Industries N30 million.

Nigeria, Pakistan target $1bn trade volume

P Nigeria, others exhibit highest evaluation C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 3

measures of necessity versus opportunity motives, industry participation, growth orientation and so forth. The survey says that motivations to start businesses differ vastly across the globe. Individual drivers are traditionally captured within the GEM framework with a simple contrast between necessity-driven motives and opportunity-driven motives. It explains that a necessity driven entrepreneur is one who indicates in the GEM Adult Population Survey that she or he started the business because there were no better options for work, rather than because she or he saw the startup as an opportunity. The GEM data collection offers entrepreneurial profiles of economies along three important dimensions. En-

trepreneurial attitudes and perceptions reflect the degree to which individuals in economies tend to appreciate entrepreneurship, both in terms of general attitudes and in terms of self-perceptions: How many individuals recognize business opportunities, how many believe that they have the skills and knowledge to exploit such opportunities and how many would refrain from exploiting such opportunities through fear of failure? Entrepreneurial activity measures the observed involvement of individuals in different phases of entrepreneurial activity. It also tracks the degree to which entrepreneurial activities are driven by opportunity and/or necessity. Discontinuations of entrepreneurial activity (and the reasons for doing so) are also estimated from GEM Adult

Population Surveys. Finally, entrepreneurial aspirations are very important in addressing the (socio) economic impact of entrepreneurial behaviour. Entrepreneurs that expect to create jobs, to be involved in international trade and/or to contribute to society by offering new products and services are of particular interest. One of the key purposes of GEM is to provide reliable data on entrepreneurship that will be useful in making meaningful comparisons, both internally and between economies, over time. For this reason, all participating economies make use of standard research instruments and methodology. The GEM data are gathered yearly and are derived from two main sources: Adult population survey and national experts’ survey.

resident Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigeria and Pakistan will work together to increase the bilateral trade volume between them from the current $70 million to $1 billion within the next five years. Jonathan spoke during the Nigeria-Pakistan Trade and Investment Forum, organ-

ised by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Abuja. The President noted that the current trade volume between Nigeria and Pakistan did not reflect the strong political and economic ties that existed between the two countries, adding that both countries would work together to address the anomaly.

Govt praises Chinese investor’s interest in steel Permanent Secretary, steel central in the industrialTtry,he Federal Ministry of Indus- ization process of the country Trade and Investment, which is aimed at addressing Ambassador Abdulkadir Musa, has commended PAN Steel Corporation of China for taking advantage of Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) to invest $5 billion new steel plant in Nigeria. He stated this during a courtesy visit by the President of the PAN Steel Group Corporation, China, Mr Zhang Dade to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. The Permanent Secretary who represented the minister, Olusegun Aganga, at the occasion, said that NIRP has made

the issue of manufacturing sector in Nigeria. “The intention is to give boast to industrialization in Nigeria especially in the manufacturing sector, create employment among Nigerians and reduce our import bills based on the products we could have produce in the country”. He added: “Steel industry in Nigeria is quite open and transparent and we welcome people who want to participate in the development of steel in Nigeria.”

BUSINESS | INDUSTRY 35

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Enterprise with

Strokes

Siaka Momoh

siakamomoh@yahoo.com 08061396410

Passion, a great energizer

A scene in one of Nollywood movies

Sweet Nollywood, but can do better

In terms of revenue, Hollywood remains the world’s most valuable while Nollywood is Africa’s most valuable film industry, generating $590 million annually. But we can do more, reports SIAKA MOMOH

he figures are lovely. They are figures - hard facts, any investor will smile at and will want to be part of any day. The hard facts: Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, is now estimated to be worth about N853.9 billion ($5.1 billion), about 1.2 per cent of the revised GDP number. An average of 966 films was released per annum between 2005 and 2011. Nigeria’s average release was only surpassed by India’s during the same period as the 1.2 billion population country churned out an average of 1,202 movies. Nigeria dominates Nigeria dominates the African movie industry. Nigeria’s movie industry, Nollywood, is reported to be the second largest in the world. Only India’s Bollywood releases more movies than the Nigerian movie industry. In terms of revenue, Hollywood remains the World’s most valuable while Nollywood is Africa’s most valuable film industry, generating $590 million annually. Can do better Agreed the figures look attractive, but we can do better. Current FDC Economic Monthly argues this view. It adds that there persists a huge funding gap between Nigerian film production and those of the Indian and American markets. “This result in the classification of Nigerian movies as semi-profes-

sional by global films industry standards, with most productions reflecting an industry of almost vestigial quality,” it says. FDC argues that the quantity of production is not an issue in Nigeria since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) classified as “very high” movie production levels of 200 or more between 2005 and 2011 with an “average” classification given for production levels between 20 and 79. Nollywood, with over 900 movies produced on average during the specified period, far surpasses production levels of the majority of industries.

Need for improvement But FDC notes that the relatively poor quality of what is produced highlights the need for significant improvement. It says that better quality movies would not only improve the perception of the domestic industry and the country’s image, thus attracting foreign investors, but also the revenue accruing from the industry. “As a result, tax receipts are expected to increase whilst provisions are made for better-quality jobs for Nigeria’s growing populace. This further corroborates the need for the Nigerian government to do all within its capacity to drive this initiative,” it says. Lack of seriousness FDC’s concern reminds one of the speed with which all sorts of film makers rush to locations (you can always predict the locations) to shoot films or soaps. Festac Town, Lagos is one popular one. Magodo is another. And you find them always using some particular individuals (socialites) homes. You can predict the end of Nigerian movie from the opening. What you find in them are poor structure and poor production quality. Music sector’s meteoric rise FDC notes that on the other hand, the music industry has

witnessed a meteoric rise in recent years as the quality of music and marketing techniques continue to improve. It explains that the ubiquitous nature of technology employed in the industry and increased Internet penetration has contributed significantly to this progress, providing relative ease to industry entrants. “Mobile channels like the ‘MTN Callertunez’ platform provide musicians with an added revenue stream. Harrysong recently made millions on commissions that accrued from sales of caller-tunez of his hit song “Mandela”, a dirge celebrating the life of the late African leader. P-square, D’banj, Flavor, 2face Idibia and Davido have become household names, raking in millions for entertaining not just Nigerians, but global citizens on and beyond the domestic shore,” it says. Comedians doing well “And music producers command thousands in any currency for their services on songs and earn royalties as these tunes attain higher levels of success. The lucrative nature of the creative arts industry is not limited to musicians and actors alone,” it notes, adding that “comedians earn millions putting smiles on the faces of disgruntled Nigerians, giving them a short reprieve from the challenges faced on a daily basis. In addition to engaging their talents, entertainers also exploit their increasing celebrity status, resulting in income from endorsements of companies from a range of industries. The creative arts industry holds the potential to enrich Nigerians of all ages but also provides the much needed therapy to help soothe the social woes that plague this developing nation.” Lackluster productivity statistics FDC draws attention to the

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 6

ohn C. Maxwell, author of several books on leadership has studied the subject of success for 30-plus years. He is therefore a qualified success story advisor. Said Maxwell in an article he wrote for Success magazine: “Over the years, I have watched and listened to successful people and I have discovered a common thread: They know why they are here. Knowing their purpose in life gives them stability. And when others around them start abandoning their causes and jumping ship when life gets tough, these people use this assurance to steady the boat to ride out the storm because they have a true North Star. It becomes an anchor in their life – a confidence based upon knowledge of purpose.” For him, passion is the great energizer. He thinks there are two paths we can take to discover our purpose. The first, he says is passion. He argues passion is not 100 per cent foolproof, “but it will get you into what I call the location, the area, the neighbourhood of what your purpose really is.” Passion for him is a wonderful thing; the great energizer. He is right. When you are involved in something, in an endeavour you have passion for, you find yourself bubbling with energy. The passionate writer typifies this very well. Writing is a job you cannot do well if you do not have passion for it. Yes, you need to have a flair for writing, but you also need to have passion for this business of putting words together. In fact, if you do not have passion for writing, you cannot stay in journalism because there is no big money to be made in journalism. I remember Fulbright Professor Desanto (a Mass communication professor from the U.S. telling us in the journalism class at the University of Lagos decades back, “If you are in journalism in search of big money you better check out now because there is no big money in it”. So it is the enthusiasm for writing that can

When you are involved in something, in an endeavour you have passion for, you find yourself bubbling with energy. The passionate writer typifies this very well

keep you in it. Some of us left it for greener pastures but found our way back. There is something spiritual about passion. The word enthusiasm which is synonymous with passion has its roots in the Greek word entheos, which means “to be filled with God”. This by extension means to be filled with the spirit. And when you are filled with the spirit, you are naturally inspired and passionate. Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet will tell you “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success (you will recall Maxwell calls passion an energizer). When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” When you are enthusiastic about something, when you are passionate about an object, you cannot wait to get it done…” Maxwell’s second path is what he calls your Strength Zone Path. He says what you have got to do is to find a path that enables you to answer the questions: What do I do well? What are my strengths? What is my giftedness? What is the talent, the uniqueness that sets me apart from everybody else? He believes everyone has uniqueness in himself or herself, that if this can be finetuned and grown, it can set the individual apart. For Maxwell, it is ‘No’ to average because people do not pay for average. He tells you being average does not catch anybody’s attention, being average has never helped anyone rise above the crowd. So, to succeed, you must go the extra mile. Maxwell’s advises for you to succeed you should stop working on your weaknesses. Looks strange, isn’t it? He believes that if you are weak in a particular endeavour, subject, profession, task, etc, it means you are not good in it and so you should dump it for that which you are good at. If you are good in sports and weak in academics, go for sports; do not bother yourself about academics. If you cannot put words together but good in dancing, go for dancing and hit the roof. There is need to redefine your time if you want to make it big. Dan Sullivan, founder and president of the Strategic Coach tells you, “The world is entering a new time zone, and one of the most difficult adjustments people must make is in their fundamental concepts and beliefs about the management of time.

36 BUSINESS | INDUSTRY

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Cottage factory for gem clips, staple office pins OPPORTUNITY An investment opportunity with a robust market locally and globally

taple pins, gem clips and office pins are used for holding papers and other suitable materials either permanently or temporarily. They are very much in use and in high demand in homes, offices, design and industrial outfits and commercial houses, among others. They are usually used once and then thrown away and so have high repeat-purchase tendency. The plant under consideration is a small-scale one and is capable of using the same machine to produce both office pins and gem clips. Because of the safety of the machines and to ensure their long service (by avoiding frequent breakdowns that will result from changing certain machine parts), it is advisable to use a separate machine to produce each of the gem clips, office pins and staple pins. The plant can also be operated on a medium and large scale depending on the wish and financial capability of the promoter. Production output The machine for staple pins can produce about 800 pieces of different sizes per minute using wires with gauges of 0.6 mm to 4.5 mm while that for office pins produces 300 pieces (0.5” and 1.5” long) per minute. It uses gauges of 19-22 S.W.G. Gem clips machine, on the other hand, can produce 150 pieces of different sizes and C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 5

fact that Nigeria continues to underperform relative to its potential and the severity of this is reflected in its lacklustre productivity statistics. The statistics: Over 60 per cent of Nigerians remain in abject

Film-makers in action

shapes per minute from wires of gauges 19-22 S.W.G. too. Machinery and equipment The machines needed for each production line are simple to operate, long lasting and require very little space. The average space for each of them is three square metres. Some of the accessories are used commonly by the three production lines. The equipment suppliers are quite willing to train free of charge a technician each to man the office pins, gem clips and staple pins producing machines. Raw materials and sourcing The raw materials needed are wires of gauges 0.6mm to 4.5mm for staple pins, and 19-22 S.W.G. for both office pins and gem clips, cardboards for packing and tinning chemicals, sodium bicarbonate, tin chloride and cream of tartar. Most of these are obtainable locally and their supply is assured and steady. This conforms to government’s policy directives to industrialists to search locally for raw materials input. Market for pins and clips Office pins, gem clips and staple pins are used extensively in homes, offices, hospitals, schools, garment manufacturing and tailoring concerns, professional offices and industries. Demand for the items increase in direct proportion with the establishment of small and large-scale businesses, industries, consultancy firms and fashion houses. Each office that is opened no matter its level of operation or size needs some packets for clips, staples and pins.

The products have high export potentials and to export gem clips, office pins and staple pins, and indeed any products, profitably and successfully, one needs to have at his fingertips all it takes to get into export market trade, how to finance it from the various financial institutions, the necessary good quality measures needed, the names and addresses of honest, reliable and genuine buyers, dependable local sources of good quality products, how to source a confirmed order that is backed up with genuine payment, how to repatriate and use the export proceeds, etc. Any serious and interested investor can pick up from this writer for the asking a copy of “Understanding Export Trade And Finance” Implementation A determined investor could start off the project on his own or could approach any

of the banks for assistance after he has done a thorough techno-economic study and prepared a report on it. A careful market research is essential to determine the relevant marketing factors. Funding structure Generally, this will be a combination of equity contribution, term loan and overdraft. The term loan, which is expected to be sourced at the prevailing commercial interest rate, could be repaid in two years while the bank overdraft could be repaid during the first year of commercial operation. One can also consider leasing the equipment. Project cost On a small scale and using only three machines and no haulage vehicle (delivery can be contracted out), the following cost will be incurred in establishing this project.

N’000 Machinery and equipment 2,850 Pre-operation expenses 550 Office furniture and equipment 45 Utilities 525 Working capital 300 Contingency 400 Total 4,670 Profitability It is possible while working on a shift of seven hours a day and for 250 days in a year to obtain the following result in the first year of commencing commercial operation taking into consideration the peculiarities of our manufacturing environment. Sales N28, 750,000 Profit after tax N7, 976,250 % return on sales 27% % return on investment 170% Payback under one year

DON ABRAHAM’s contact: Email: talk2dco@yahoo.com

Office pins

Sweet Nollywood, but can do better poverty and a conservative 24 per cent of the country’s labour force remains unemployed. About 50 per cent of the Nigerian population, estimated to be greater than 160 million, fall within the ages of 15 and

period

54 years. It says the majority of participants in the global movies industry also fall within this age range, highlighting the benefits to be attained if the domestic movie industry were to realise its ambition.

“Already a major contributor to jobs created in recent years, Nollywood remains that ‘diamond in the rough’ that when refined would be worth all invested. Now is the ideal time to proceed with the necessary investments,” it adds. NEXIM and loan management For FDC, one must not conclude that government has refused to contribute to the success of Nollywood, citing government’s effort, through the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), which manages the Nigerian Creative Entertainment Industry Stimulation Loan Scheme (NCEILS), an initiative aimed at enabling the entertainment industry to produce more movies, more hit songs and provide more jobs. FDC however adds a caveat: “For the industry to inch closer to its potential, government needs to ramp up its commitments. The number of movies produced may increase, but these have to be of high quality; to achieve this, better production equipment and funding is required. As the industry grows, more funds would have to be

committed to greater marketing and distribution of the movies to reach as large an audience as provides the most returns.” Cinema infrastructure It notes that cinema infrastructure in the country continues to improve, but is far from sufficient to self-sustain the domestic industry, and thus remains a limiting shortfall for the industry. It notes that with the necessary cinema infrastructure in place, moviemakers can secure returns on their investments from the box office before proceeding to the DVD retail market, which is largely dominated by piracy. As at 2011, according FDC, Nigeria had only 55 indoor cinemas, a far cry from the 5,827 indoor cinemas in the United States! It argues that the industry has already hinted at its promise and is internationally competitive despite relatively little financial input. It noted that investments need to be made to improve the quality and marketing of movies, but also enable the establishment of a self-sustaining domestic cinema industry.

BUSINESS 37

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

W it h

Combating menace of inferior TECHTalk Jonah Iboma ICT products in Nigeria

Dealing with dormancy in telecom

Low quality mobile phones, computers and their accessories are now very commonplace in Nigeria, despite repeated claims by government that it is working towards ridding the country of such products. JONAH IBOMA examines the risks such products pose and efforts being made to combat the trend

ome decades ago, it was commonplace to hear Nigerians say that they will not purchase products labeled ‘Made in Taiwan.’ This was due to the belief that such products were of lesser quality compared to those locally made or imported from the Western world, especially Europe and America. However, today, the reverse is the case as low quality products now perverse virtually all aspects of the Nigerian economy. An industry where this is particularly prevalent is the information and communication technologies. Mobile phones, computer, phone accessories and other electronic products that are of questionable qualities now permeate almost all sales outlets in the country. External attractiveness These products, especially mobile phones and their accessories, usually come at very low prices and very attractive packaging. This makes them easily affordable to buyers and many low-income individuals. However, buyers often face the stark reality about the quality of such phones as they usually develop problems almost immediately after their purchase. Although many of such mobile phones are equipped with many attractive functions and applications, such as camera, video recording, FM radio and Bluetooth, these functions often prove to be useless because the quality of their output leaves so much to be desired. Aside that, a good number of them generates high-level heat in the course of usage, impact negatively on network quality and have a very short lifetime of use. Anyone who has used such phones would have found out that the keys on the mobile phones give way easily, the battery life may be short, and in some cases, the phones explode. Regulator's warning The NCC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, said that the use of substandard handsets by subscribers was one of the reasons responsible for poor network services in the country. He said, “Substandard phones have contributed to the level of poor services because there is a certain required power in cell phones that would enable it to transmit signals. If the requirement is not met, then it will create problems in the network and that is why when people call a particular

08050498516

number they are unable to reach the number.” However, despite these problems, such phones are found easily in the Nigerian market due to the continued investment by some businessmen in such products. Aside the negative impact such sub-standard products have on quality of network, sub-standard mobile phones are also said to pose health risk to users due to the high amount of radiation they generate. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have all warned against the influx and use of subs-standard ICT products in Nigeria and have taken some steps towards addressing the problem. The Director-General, CPC, Emmanuel Amlai at a roundtable conference on counterfeit products noted that products counterfeiting had become so prevalent that on a daily basis, the lives of consumers are threatened and national economy and security were jeopardised due to the use of these products. He said the influx of fake and substandard products, had been a source of concern to the federal government and as the apex consumer protection agency, the issue had compelled it to come up with an interventionist programme such as the establishment of joint task force, in conjunction with the SON, NESREA and market associations on fake and sub-standard electrical and electronic products.

The inferior mobile phone business appears to have taken a foothold to the detriment of consumers and manufacturers

Checking counterfeiting It will be recalled that both NCC and CPC have been pursuing a policy of ridding the country of fake technology products, especially phones and their accessories and have often resorted to raiding popular outlets of such products such as the computer Village and Alaba international market both in Lagos NCC Public Relations Officer, Mr. Reuben Muoka, said earlier in the year that the commission was conscious of the health implications of fake cell phones on the populace and would continue to take steps towards limiting their entry into the country. He said the commission would ensure that only certified phones and phone accessories found their way into the nation’s markets. In the quest towards solving the problem, NCC partnered with the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) and the Phone and Allied Dealers Association of Nigeria (PADAN) to limit entry of such fake products. “Checks have revealed that major dealers in the Nigeria ICT market also engaged in the sale of unapproved phones. The NCC condemns this in complete terms because of its health implication and effects in the quality of services delivery. We have warned phone dealers to secure an approval for any type of communication equipment before importing them to the country,” he said. Muoka added the commission would penalize any dealer who sells or installs any communication facilities without obtaining approval from the NCC. He said approval meant to ensure that all communication equipment complies with international standards before it could be used in the country. Economic impact But despite governments efforts, little appear to have changed and based on this reality, Nokia Nigeria recently CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

ne of the problems currently bedeviling Nigeria’s telecommunications industry is the increasing number of inactive operators in the sector. According to details released by the Nigerian Communications Commission, the nation’s telecoms umpire; there are now about 14 inactive operators in the country. The list comprises the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), its mobile arm, MTEL Limited, Starcomms Limited, Zoom Mobile (formerly Reliance Telecoms), Intercellular Nigeria Limited and MTS First Wireless Communications. Others are Disc Communications, Witel, O’duatel, Rainbownet, Monarch, XS Broadband, Webcom and IPNX. This number is certainly alarming, considering that it cuts across mobile network operators, fixed wireless access firms and internet service providers. The problem of operators failing in their business pursuits in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria has been gradually growing over the years. Aside NITEL and Mtel, whose failings were clearly due to government’s interference, others were due to bad business decisions, regulatory changes and other reasons. A time there was when over 200 companies applied and successfully got licences as Internet Service Providers, but today, apart from a few that understood what ISP business was all about, all others have simply vanished from the scene without ever commencing operations. However, this current inactivity is clearly different from the case of ISPs. The difference is that the companies that have been listed as dormant had in the past been actively serving subscribers in several parts of the country. For anyone that knows the telecoms sector very well, it is on record that these firms have invested billions of naira in the sector. Aside that, they had also employed tens of thousands of people, who did different sort of things for these firms and also kept many citizens happy. Therefore, for this firms today not to be in service is not good for the economy in general. It is generally seen that the Nigerian technology sector, especially the telecommunication sub-sector, is one of the best performing areas of the economy. However, for many firms to be falling short of expectation and completely becoming bankrupt, industry shows that something must be definitely be wrong. That is why the current exercise by NCC to award more licences, especially fixed wireless access services may not be safe to embark upon at this time without looking at the wider implications and why many firms are failing. I will suggest that a stakeholders’ conference is held to fully determine the reasons for the current situation and how they can be overcome. It is not just right for these companies that have put in a lot of efforts to be allowed to run out of steam without any form of intervention from government. One thing that must be considered is the fact they have invested a lot of money and they could not have envisaged that things will suddenly turn sour for them. Although, NCC might argue that it had made some effort in terms of encouraging merger of the CDMA firms, this cannot be said to be adequate considering that the sector is very critical to the economy. Stakeholders meeting could help in preventing future failures if properly convened.

BUSINESS | ICT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Nigeria, Kenya top ICT start-up grant seekers ENTREPRENEURSHIP African countries increasingly looking into technology entrepreneurship Stories by Jonah Iboma

pplicants from Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana topped the lists of intending technology en-

trepreneurs seeking financial grant from possible investors at DEMO Africa 2014, the launchpad for emerging technology and trends. According to VC4Africa, the host of the event, 27 African countries are represented this year, which is billed to hold in Lagos for the first time. Founder VC4Africa, Mr. Ben White, revealed that the areas that attracted the highest number of applications were Communication, Retail and Media

& Entertainment DEMO Africa allows startups from all over Africa to meet venture capitalists, investors, technology acquisition specialists, IT buyers and media from across the region and around the globe. The startups are given an opportunity to launch their products to a tech eco-system under the following categories namely agriculture, health, education, manufacturing, retail and several other key sectors of the global economy.

L-R: Zonal Business Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Lagos, Olawale Alao; Chief Executive Officer, Easy& Quiet Limited, Mohammed Mutiu Anthony; Manager, Lagos Showrooms, Grace Henshaw and Airtel’s Regional Operations Director, Femi Oshinlaja at the launch of the Airtel Express Shop at Festac, Lagos recently.

NCC set to inaugurate corporate governance code NCC put a Corporate Gover- a corporate governance code ll now seems set for the launch of a sector-specific nance Working Group together for the Nigerian telecommuniAcorporate governance code for in the last quarter of 2012 and cation industry was necessary the communication technology industry. According to details released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), a formal unveiling of the code is billed for Lagos on Thursday. The code is coming against the background of a growing call that telecom firms must enlist on the local capital market in Nigeria and considering the potency of an argument of prevalent poor corporate governance within the Nigerian economy.

worked it through to the publication of a document in December of 2013. Dr. Christopher Kolade, renowned player in public and private governance, and Dr. Fabian Ajogwu, a Senior Advocate who chaired the Working Group, will be talking around the framework and growth potential of the entire initiative and its deliverables. In a foreword to the Code, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, argued that

to address the peculiarities of the sector that are not typically dealt with under broadly-aimed Codes. Experts, however, have said that there is nothing in the codes that makes a peculiarity case for the telecom industry except that it is a good effort all the same. According to Mr. Titi OmoEttu of Telecom Answers Associates, “It reads like a code that makes itself non-enforcing.”

Combating menace of substandard ICT products CONTINUED from PAGE 37

warned that the country’s technology risked being ruined by the uncontrolled influx of fake phones and accessories. According to Silvin Sinan, Head, Care Centre at Nokia West Africa, fake phones and accessories were among a number of issues that threatened the survival of the industry, as they are abundant. “One of such is the abundance of fake and substandard goods and accessories, a situation that has eaten so deep into the fabric of the sector and may destroy it if unchecked. The influx of fake and substandard products cut across all segments of the sector,” he said. But why do people continue to purchase such products? Sinan blamed this on ignorance

and the quest by some people to just get phones, no matter what they offer. He said consumers were so ignorant about products in the market, such that they find it difficult to differentiate between fake and real products, and often end up purchasing sub-standard products due to their lower prices. “Incidentally, mobile phones and their accessories are not different as many consumers opt for substandard devices because they are cheap and look like the original,” Sinan said. “In spite of the efforts made by government agencies to combat substandard devices, the business appears to have taken a foothold to the detriment of consumers, manufacturers and government alike.” To stem counterfeiting in

the ICT industry, Sinan said genuine manufacturers need to work together and in partnership with the government to educate the general public on how to identify fake devices. Sinan noted that the interesting thing about the trade in counterfeit devices is that it is a buyer’s market. This means that it is the demand for them that encourages the supply.” We believe that if the average consumer is aware of the potential hazards that he exposes himself to, every time he purchases a counterfeit device, chances are that he would have a rethink, the more people are aware of these dangers, the less vulnerable they become and the cheap prizes of these devices become less and less attractive,” he stated.

The applications will be vetted by an executive panel comprising experts in business and technology. The panel is tasked with the responsibility of shortlisting the best forty from the applications submitted from across the region. Before launching, the startups will undergo a one and a half month coaching and mentorship programme organized by DEMO Africa and the US State Department. The programme will be coordinated by Dr. Susan Amat, Chief Executive Officer, VentureHive and will include both local and international mentors and coaches. The jurists who have been hand-picked based on their experience and contribution to the start-up scene in Africa include; Dele Akinsade-Nigeria, Stephen Gugu-Kenya, Bob Mbori-Tanzania, Victor Okigbo-Nigeria, Ali HusseinKenya, Rebecca EnonchongCameroon, Moses Sitati- Kenya, Kevin Schuster-Ghana, Martin Burtler-South Africa, Muchiri Nyaga-Kenya, Lukonga Lindunda-Zambia, Toby Shapshak-South Africa and Richard Tanksley-Ghana Harry Hare, the DEMO Africa Executive producer, exuded confidence in the group. "The jury is composed of highly experienced individuals and I am positive that they will pick the best by global standards."

Harry added. Commenting on his role in the jury, Ali Hussein one of the judges from Kenya, expressed optimism in the applicants. "Having been a judge in the previous DEMO Africa, I know there is a tough task ahead. The applications are usually very competitive. It's not easy to decide who makes it to the final forty. However, our decision will be based on the ability to link creativity, innovation, effectiveness and scalability". In just two years of running, the DEMO African alumni have generated over $8 million in either investment, business or partnerships from the unique mix of positioning, opportunity (networking, fundraising), training and exposure that our launch pad offers. This has been a real motivation and we are proud to participate in pushing technology in Africa to greater heights As has been witnessed in the previous events, the September event is expected to attract top notch African investors. This year's event is being organized in collaboration with the LIONS@FRICA partners (Microsoft, Nokia, US State Department, DEMO, USAID, African Development Bank, VC4Africa among others) and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies.

Phase3 Telecom urges technology innovation N igerian technology professionals have been urged to be very innovative inn order to meet the challenges of the times, the Chief Executive Officer, Phase3 Telecom, Mr. Stanley Jegede has said. Speaking of the heels of his firm’s sponsorship of the Africa ICT Professionals Conference 2014, organized by Association of Telecommunications Professional of Nigeria (ATPN), he noted that one of the quickest ways whereby the world will be take note of the professionalism ICT experts in the content would be through the delivery of content relevant to the reality of the times. “We are in the age of technology and there is no part of the continent that is immune to its influence and impact. So Africa ICT professionals must understand the needs of the local market and deliver solutions that address them,” he said. Jegede noted that applications that many successful technology applications and solutions that are changing the entire world were the result of painstaking thoughts and innovations, encouraging technology professionals within the country to put in their best efforts as well into what they do. He noted that Phase3 would also play its roles towards en-

suring that its leadership position in the Nigerian ICT space impacts the lives of people and the wider ICT industry positively. “Phase3Telecom, because of our frontline role in the Nigerian and Africa ICT market place chose to be a professional supporter of ATPN via sponsorship of this year’s ICT professional conference because we want to demonstrate our company’s commitment to always encouraging initiatives and programmes that promote or advocate the continued development of the ICT sector,” he stated. ATPN is a non-profit professional association; an umbrella body representing all the professionals in the Nigerian/IT industry as well as other private and public sector establishments nationwide. Phase3 telecom was a lead sponsor of the 2014 conference. ATPN was formed by industry experts in response to the urgent need to bring practicing Telecommunications/IT Professionals in Nigeria and beyond together for knowledge-sharing with a view to building human capacity for the continual development of the fast growing industry in Nigeria as well as recognizing ICT Professionals for their excellent and exceptional contributions in the Nigerian ICT Industry and Africa as a whole.

BUSINESS | ICT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

ITU promotes global adoption of mobile money DEVELOPMENT UN body seeks to promote better life for all through mobile phones Stories by Jonah Iboma

he International Telecommunications Union has established a new Focus Group on digital financial services to promote financial inclusion using information and communication technologies (ICT) in response to a proposal from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The move follows the reality that over 2.5 billion adults globally do not have access to

a formal bank account, most of them in developing economies. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a member of ITU's Standardization Sector (ITUT), and ITU says it believes internationally standardized ‘mobile money’ platforms will increase financial inclusion to the benefit of socio-economic development worldwide. According to the global telecommunications regulatory body, digital financial services are capable of improving the delivery of basic financial services. Standards, it says, will drastically reduce the costs of these services to service providers and their customers, thereby opening the door to remote and underserved communities. “The extraordinary impact

of mobile money solutions in developing countries has highlighted that ICTs are at the heart of innovation in financial services,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré. “What is lacking is an international standard that will allow interoperability between the services offered by different operators.” “Poor people lead incredibly complex financial lives. Cut off from even the most basic banking services, they are trapped in a cash-based system that is risky, expensive, and inefficient – a system that prevents them from buffering against risk and investing in their futures,” said Rodger Voorhies, Director of the Financial Services for the Poor team at the Bill

& Melinda Gates Foundation. “Having a strong partner like ITU working to advance financial inclusion in developing countries and emerging markets by harnessing the power of digital technologies will be instrumental in helping to create opportunities for people to build better lives.” The Focus Group, which is open to participation by any interested party, will develop an international standardization roadmap for interoperable digital financial services as well as a regulatory toolkit to help national policymakers and regulatory authorities encourage the adoption of these services. The Group will identify the technology trends in digital financial services expected to

emerge over the coming years and how the roles of various stakeholders in this ecosystem will evolve in response. In its work to pinpoint successful use cases for the implementation of mobile money in developing countries, it will pay particular attention to the associated benefits for women. A multi-disciplinary study, the work will encompass technical requirements – such as the required architectural frameworks for digital financial services and the security of mobile transactions – as well as questions surrounding policy and regulation, consumer and fraud protection, and the business models able to drive sustainable growth of the nascent mobile money industry.

Phone review

BlackBerry Q10

he BlackBerry Q10 is the first BlackBerry 10 phone with a physical keyboard. It stays true to the BlackBerry of years past and several reviewers have concluded that it will attract the fans of the brand everywhere. The BlackBerry Q10 boasts a superb physical keyboard, the latest BlackBerry OS (version 10.1), smooth performance and long battery life. The BlackBerry Q10's keyboard is the star of this show. With a full four rows and 35 keys, the device's QWERTY layout is exceptionally comfortable. There is not much spacing between keys, but the buttons themselves are large. In fact BlackBerry claims the keys are 30 percent bigger than those on previous models. It offers a larger and more spacious QWERTY keyboard and builds on the greatness of past BlackBerry messaging machines, yet blends this with modern smartphone software powerful enough to run multiple apps at once without skipping a beat. It also surfs Web sites perfectly and although the BlackBerry ecosystem lacks a wide app selection, the Q10's hybrid approach should satisfy traditional BlackBerry addicts. Build/ Design The BlackBerry Q10 offers a multitouch screen with a hardware keyboard. The phone looks a lot like the Bold 9900, BlackBerry's last flagship hardware keyboard phone. It has rounded edges and retains the classic B l a ck B e r r y

look. The phone comes in black and white colour variants. A deep and luscious allblack, the slablike Q10 has an appearance that's all buttoned up and ready for business. If you have used a BlackBerry Bold or Curve, the BlackBerry Q10 will feel like an old and familiar friend. Measuring 4.7 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide, the BlackBerry Q10 is shorter and more compact than many of today's big-screened phones. BlackBerry has made some changes to the operating system in order to add support for the QWERTY keyboard and include some new features that make full use of the hardware. The BlackBerry Q10 sports a solid metal frame on the sides that has a brushed silver finish. On the right side, are the volume rocker keys with a mute key sitting between. The micro-HDMI and MicroUSB port are located at the left hand side. The 3.5mm headset jack and the power/ screen lock key sits at the top while a speaker grill is located at the bottom edge of the phone. However, the screen's 1:1 ratio makes watching videos feel awkward as most HD videos have a 16:9 ratio, and appear smaller.

L-R: Lecturer, University of Abuja, Dr. Aminat Shobowale; President Association of Telecommunications Professionals of Nigeria (ATPN), Mr. Adede J. Williams and Head, Corporate Communications, Phase3 Telecom, Mrs. Morayo Nwabufo, at the ATPN conference in Abuja on Friday

Samsung, MTN to boost healthcare through special handsets M TN Group and Samsung are part of a partnership that is expected to drive a scheme the GSM Association (GSMA) to provide a wide range of mobile Health (mHealth) services to women and children, with a particular focus on nutrition, across Sub-Saharan Africa. The scheme will leverage existing and new MTN SIMs to allow free access to health content, health registration and data collection via the Smart Health application. It will also provide simplified access to MTN mobile money, advertising and billing capabilities. Collectively, the partnership will reduce barriers to handset ownership and connectivity for consumers and health workers by offering discounted Samsung handsets and tablets across Africa. There will also be a pre-embed a Smart Health application that provides a range of professional applications, information and services on 80 million Samsung handsets; Make innovative diagnostics like the Omega

Diagnostics Visitect HIV CD4 point of care solution more affordable and accessible via mobile integration. “Healthcare in Africa has benefited greatly from advancements in mobile technology. Simultaneously, the healthcare industry is moving towards a delivery model that is more patient-centered, value-based and accessible in even remote environments. In this regard, Samsung is perfectly positioned to add value to this digital evolution in healthcare, as our devices are both at the cutting edge of innovation and available widely across the continent. These capabilities provide the much needed healthcare support in Africa, ensuring that we are aligned with the Millennium Development Goals as set by the United Nations,” said Thabiet Allie, Head of Content and Services at Samsung Electronics Africa. Using mobile technologies to improve the living conditions of people has been a major focal point of the GSMA in recent years. The fact that close to 5 bil-

lion mobile phones are now in circulation globally has made the group to seek for how to use it to connect people to better financial services and also getting out information on several areas of interests. It is on this basis that the body set up the Mobile for Development mHealth programme to connect the mobile and health industries, with the aim of developing commercially sustainable mHealth services that meet public health needs. GSMA noted that there were many mHealth services in the market today, but few currently demonstrate scale, replication or significant impact. It noted that a study it conducted, reviewing almost 700 mHealth services, showed that less than 1per cent of these significantly impact health outcomes. Four key barriers were identified – fragmentation of service delivery, lack of scale across the full reach of mobile networks, limited replication and misalignment of the value proposition between mobile and health stakeholders.

FEATURES

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/entrepreneur

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

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

Idi-Araba: A hotbed of tribal clashes

di-Araba is a densely populated slum in the mainland of Lagos State. Though, this neighbourhood is a mixture of several tribes from different parts of the country, it is mainly populated by the Fulani/Hausa ethnic group, who, upon arriving in the megacity several years ago, settled and established their businesses in the locality. Incidentally, many of the inhabitants of this ghetto intermingle and share an eight-by-10-foot room together. The houses have rectangular concrete-blocks, squeezes seven or eight people into a single, mosquitoinfested room. Other occupants manage the bunks or the floor, along a narrow corridor of opposing chambers. This arrangement is known as “face me I face you”. One compound can contain 35 people or more, even as residents coexist uneasily. But, over the years, the occurrences of violence and the propensity towards recourse to it have escalated to frightening and extremely destructive levels. The losses also have been quite immense. A repeat of similar incident was averted two weeks ago by the prompt intervention of policemen from the Mushin Division. Trouble started midnight on Friday, June 20, when hoodlums, who had been terrorising the volatile neighbourhood, decided to unleash mayhem on the hapless residents. According to the residents of the area, the suspected criminals, who specialise in duping and raping innocent dwellers of the quarter, were irked by the resolve of the youth to invite the police to investigate and help put a stop to their atrocious activities. Somehow, the rogues got wind of the plan and moved against the youth leaders. With this, the hoodlums beat up one Aliu Ismail, who they suspected to be the arrowhead of the youth wing in the community. As they were dealing with Ismail, his mother, Memunat, got wind of it and rushed down only for them to also descend on the poor old woman and gave her the beating of her life. “As that was going on, some rumour-mongers went to town to broadcast that a Hausa man had been killed. And knowing the implication of such a rumour, we quickly put a call through to the police from the Mushin Division, and they promptly responded. But the ‘idiots’ fled before the police arrived. “But for their timely response, the volatile neighbourhood would have erupted once again,” said Shobowale Ayoade, one of the community youth leaders in the area. Ayoade’s assertion was corroborated by his Hausa counterpart in the community, Muzani Bala. “The police ransacked the area and confiscated some fake dollars recovered from the suspected criminals’ hideouts. “After that, the police organised a meeting of all nationalities in the community with the aim of resolving the issue of criminals in the neighbourhood once and for all. It was necessary to do that because we are aware that these criminals do not reside among us; they just come and wreak havoc and retreat to their other hideouts,” Bala said. A Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) from Mushin Police Station, Akeem

Idi-Araba, a sprawling neighbourhood of over 100,000 people of mixed ethnicity, is a suburb of Lagos, the Centre of Excellence and Nigeria’s economic nerve centre. It almost erupted recently on its bustling streets. That would have been a repeat of similar occurrence on the night of February 2, 2002, but for the prompt intervention of the police, reports ISIOMA MADIKE

Bag of fake confiscated dollars

Members of the community during the meeting with the police

Memunat and Ismail

Adedeji, who led the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) to the scene, confirmed these assertions and added that two arrests were made from the community. He said: “These criminals have been a torn in the flesh of Idi-Araba community. No day passes without a complaint from the leaders and youths of the area. We gathered that the hoodlums usually trick their victims into parting with huge sums of their hard earned money after hypnotising them with charms. “In most instances, the women are raped. It was quite pathetic to hear some of these women speak about their ordeal in the hands of these criminals. Most of them are mothers, who openly confessed to having been gang-raped by these criminals after dispossessing them of their money. Some lost as much as N600,000 while others lost various sums. “So, when we got the distress call from their leaders that night, we had to move in quickly to avert what could have snowballed into eth-

The room used by the hoodlums

nic clashes again. Don’t forget that such has become one too many in that neighbourhood.” On the night of February 2, 2002, a crisis of similar nature between the Hausa and Yoruba ethnic groups exploded over a certain boy, who allegedly squatted over a gutter on one of the streets to defecate. The incident that night led to a brawl. And almost immediately, the surrounding compounds emptied out, and the streets filled with Yoruba and Hausa, armed with machetes and guns. The fighting lasted four days and was ended only by the military occupation of the neighbourhood. By the time the fracas ended, more than 100 residents had been killed, with thousands fleeing the area, and hundreds of houses burnt. That violence marked the 40th recorded ethnic clashes in Nigeria since democracy returned in May 1999. Across Nigerian neigbourhood, there had been an upsurge of violent conflicts, many fuelled by armed ethnic militias, established by virtually every major ethnic group in the coun-

try. In Idi-Araba, ordinary Nigerians were always caught in the cross-fire of these avoidable clashes. Whenever it happens, victims rarely return home. Their recourse is often refugee camps, which had always been breeding grounds for ethnic militias to recruit ever new and aggrieved members. However, many have described IdiAraba as a microcosm of ethnic relations in Nigeria. It is a community in a state that is the most heterogeneous in the country, where every ethnic group is represented. This may have been why the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu said, “whatever affects Lagos has an impact on the entire country. It is obvious that anyone who wants to cause mayhem in Nigeria and destroy our fragile democracy will begin by destabilising Lagos State”. He also argued that outbreaks of clashes in Idi-Araba were often the handiwork of faceless “criminals,” engaging in a “calculated and systematic attempt to undermine the stability of the state”.

business | MONEY LINE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Excess charges: Resolution timeline now 30 days –CBN tions to set up and/or expand their existing ATM help Desk to handle the customer complaints and resolve same within 14 days, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed that 14-day timeline for the resolution of all excess charges and loans has been inadequate. “Consequently, the CBN has approved an extension of the timeline for the resolution of all categories of complaints excess charges and loans from fourteen days (14 days) to 30 days. This circular takes effect from June 30, 2014.” The circular titled “ The extension of timeline for the resolution of all categories of complaints on excess charges and loans from 14 to 30 days,” and signed by CBN’s Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Mr Kelvin Amugu, said the three institutions “should be guided accordingly.” Complaint on debits through the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) with cardholders not

COMPLAINTS CBN moves to ease tension between customers and banks Ayodele Aminu

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has extended timeline for the resolution of all categories of complaints on excess charges and loans from 14 to 30 days. The banking watchdog, which made this known in a circular to banks, discount houses and other financial institutions, said it observed that the 14-day timeline was insufficient. The circular with REF: DIR/ CIR/04009, dated June 30, 2014, stated:” Further to our circular referenced FPR/DIR/CIR/ GEN/01/020 dated 16th August, 2011, directing Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Discount Houses and Other Financial Institu-

getting value as well as excess charges have been like a recurring decimal in the banking industry. These had prompted the banking watchdog to compel lenders to refund the excess Commission on Turnover (CoT) they charged their customers . Just last month, the CBN had ordered banks to refund illegal fees charged customers over a period of one year. The order, contained in a circular dated June 12, was signed by the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, CBN, Mr. Franklin Ahonkhai. Specifically, the apex bank said some banks had been overcharging customers on the CoT in the last few months, while some lenders had also imposed illegal maintenance fees on the CoT-free accounts. The CBN gave all the banks 30 days to refund the excess charges or face severe penalties. The circular, posted on the central bank’s website, was titled, ‘Implementation of the revised guide to bank charges

Naira eases slightly against US dollar T

of Royal Dutch Shell, sold an undisclosed amount of dollars, its second sale this week, while Italy's Eni sold about $15 million toward the close of market. "We expect the naira to strengthen in the near term because of the expectation of dollar sale by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in a few days time," one dealer

he Naira eased marginally against the US currency yesterday after strong demand for the greenback countered the effect of dollar sales by some oil companies, dealers said. The naira according to Reuters, was N162.90 against the dollar at the close of trade, compared with N162.80 the previous day. Traders said the local unit

said. NNPC, which sells hard currency to banks on a monthly basis, accounts for the bulk of dollar traded on the interbank in Africa's biggest economy. The naira has traded within a tight range since last week, due to dollar sales by oil companies, supporting the local currency within a band of N162.85-162.90.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

-Commission on Turnover’. The circular read, “It will be recalled that the CBN, in conjunction with the Bankers’ Committee, issued the revised guide to bank charges (the guide) on March 27, 2013. The guide sought to standardise charges for various products and services offered by banks. “Section 3.1 of the guide provides that Commission on Turnover is negotiable subject to maximum of N3 per mille in 2013; N2 per mille (that is N1000) in 2014; N1 per mille in 2015; and that no CoT will be charges from 2016. Information available to the CBN indicates that some banks are still charging the CoT at the rate of N3 per mille, which was the

agreed rate for 2013.” The circular further stated, “The CBN hereby reiterates that the maximum CoT allowed by the guide for 2014 is N2 per mille. Consequently, all banks that have charged excess CoT since the effective date of the guide are hereby required to refund same to the affected customers not later than 30 days from the date if this circular. “Our attention has been drawn to the practice by some banks of charging fees which are alien to the guide. For example, some banks offer accounts that are supposedly CoT-free but impose a maintenance fee or similar fee – a fee not covered by the guide.”

NDIC to banks: Float consumer complaint desk Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

anaging Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, has advised all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to establish consumer complaint desk in their banks' corporate headquarters and branches to handle complaints. A statement by NDIC said Ibrahim gave the advice in Abuja while receiving on courtesy visit, the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc., Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo. He said the corporation has established a toll-free Help Desk to handle public complaint and urged banks to do it. The NDIC boss also informed the meeting that a Complaints Unit had been established in the Bank Examination and Special Insured Institutions Departments of the Corporation to cater for the customers of Deposit Money Banks and Microfinance/Primary Mortgage Banks (MFBs/PMBs). He tasked the insured banks, as members of the Bankers’

Committee, to show more commitment towards the adoption and promotion of initiatives such as Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Banking to engender confidence in the entire financial sector. The NDIC boss said that NDIC examiners would continue to uphold global best practices through proper conduct and practices in their supervision of banks, adding that the NDIC would not condone any form of unethical conduct by its bank examiners. He also said that the Management of the Corporation would welcome feedback from the banks on their conduct. Earlier, the Managing Director/CEO Fidelity Bank PLC, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, emphasised the need for the banking industry operators and regulators to work together as partners in order to move the industry forward. He stressed the need for banks to see examiners as “helpers and enablers” who would always add value to the banks and commended the NDIC for its contribution towards the stability of the nation’s financial system.

Ecobank to invest $100m in kenyan business an-African financial instiPinvest tution, Ecobank plans to Sh8.8 billion ($100 mil-

lion) in its Kenyan business over the next two years. This is expected to increase its strength locally and enable it competes favourably with rivals in the country. The capital injection, according to Venture Africa, will come in instalments, with Sh2.2 billion ($25 million) already pumped into the business. “We have strengthened management and injected $25 million of additional capital into Ecobank Kenya,” said Albert Essien, Ecobank Group chief executive officer. The group CEO said the bank plans to further capitalise the Kenyan business in 2014 so as to make it a strong hub or Ecobank operations in the region. The bank, which operates in

over 30 African countries, has grown to become one of the largest financial institutions on the continent. Fortunes have dwindled in Kenya lately, with a loss of Sh881 million (posted in 2013, with rising operating expenses making its increasing net interest income insignificant. Essien however, said the new capital would help the bank expand and help Ecobank Kenya stay in compliance with Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)’s Sh1 billion minimum capital requirements. The investment will also help Kenya maintain its position as the hub for regional operations in East Africa. Having commenced operations in Kenya in 2008, Ecobank is poised to grow its presence across East Africa by investing Sh22.44 billion ($150 million) as capital, even as it strengthens its Kenyan operations.

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014

Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

42 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET Daily Summary (Bonds)

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 2, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

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

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

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 41 31 72

Current Price 32.40 37.00

Quantity Traded 404,419 203,879 608,298

Value Traded 13,170,644.88 7,596,830.93 20,767,475.81

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 35 35

Current Price 3.10

Quantity Traded 1,065,657 1,065,657

Value Traded 3,275,543.68 3,275,543.68

1,673,955

24,043,019.49

Quantity Traded 54,200 200 10,000 30,370,821 466,299 30,901,520

Value Traded 69,070.00 800.00 11,000.00 159,184,766.39 31,114,784.67 190,380,421.06

30,901,520

190,380,421.06

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries

Daily Summary as LEVENTIS of 02/07/2014 A.G. NIGERIA PLC. Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

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

107 Symbol No. of Deals AGLEVENT 5 CHELLARAM 1 JOHNHOLT 5 TRANSCORP 402 UACN 66 Daily Summary (Equities) 479

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONGLOMERATES Totals

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other Published byCOSTAIN The Nigerian Exchange © (W Stock A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Current Price 1.31 3.95 1.15 5.30 67.85

479 Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 1.45

Quantity Traded Page 1,629,877 1,629,877

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 26 26

Current Price 69.00

Quantity Traded 299,709 299,709

Value Traded 20,809,679.70 20,809,679.70

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 17.56

Quantity Traded 174,711 174,711

Value Traded 3,118,065.36 3,118,065.36

2,104,297

26,205,475.81

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. IPWA PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044 Building Materials Totals

Value Traded of 13 2,277,730.75 2,277,730.75

GREIF NIGERIA PLC Packaging/Containers Totals

NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. Chemicals Totals

No. of Deals 3 74 (Equities) 18 1 92 188

Current Price 10.17 192.02 29.01 2.58 172.20

Quantity Traded 80,000 381,159 359,919 2,000 1,694,646 2,517,724

Value Traded 778,100.00 73,141,877.62 10,475,913.19 4,920.00 291,691,262.98 376,092,073.79

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 64 64

Current Price 102.53

Page Quantity Traded 178,741 178,741

2Value Traded of 13

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

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM UTC

No. of Deals 39 64 31 35 49 2 5 225

Current Price 8.00 9.50 78.00 4.07 11.05 19.75 0.50

Quantity Traded 336,192 1,856,114 121,847 603,806 457,440 5,300 108,320 3,489,019

Value Traded 2,719,995.24 17,677,407.68 9,457,821.51 2,467,472.24 5,088,122.78 105,165.00 54,160.00 37,570,144.45

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

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 44 36 80

Current Price 78.00 1,145.00

Quantity Traded 412,813 48,227 461,040

Value Traded 32,071,373.26 54,415,368.32 86,486,741.58

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 25 1 26

Current Price 4.25 1.44

Quantity Traded 2,267,157 154 2,267,311

Value Traded 9,309,238.05 210.98 9,309,449.03

Symbol PZ

No. of Deals 42

Current Price 36.55

Quantity Traded 395,887

Value Traded 14,366,474.35

Symbol UNILEVER

No. of Deals 55 97

Current Price 54.00

Page Quantity Traded 317,847 713,734

3Value Traded of 13 17,191,090.91 31,557,565.26

CONSUMER GOODS

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

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 Household Durables Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products Activity Summary Board EQTY PZ CUSSONSon NIGERIA PLC. CONSUMER GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange Personal/Household Products © UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 DIAMOND BANK PLC Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. Activity Summary Board EQTY UNITED BANKon FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC.

684

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

19,592,105.45 19,592,105.45

No. of Deals 14 17 263 1,305

Current Price 0.50 0.98 25.15

Quantity Traded 2,106,792 1,135,771 12,131,239 95,787,593

Value Traded 1,053,396.00 1,106,480.18 307,051,397.20 1,174,551,323.85

No. of Deals 39 7 1 1 16 3 1 3 16 28 3 4 2 7 2 (Equities) 1 1 81

Current Price 0.81 1.06 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.60 0.54 0.85 0.50 0.50 0.52 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.78

Quantity Traded 4,089,083 2,043,100 5,000 500 Page 1,465,310 224,401 200 72,400 3,039,500 26,516,793 511,398 480,000 77,342 2,600 2,000 1,300 2,400 19,684,758

Symbol

No. of Deals 216

Current Price

Quantity Traded 58,218,085

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

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.80

Quantity Traded 110,000 110,000

Value Traded 88,000.00 88,000.00

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Symbol ABBEYBDS ASOSAVINGS INFINITY

No. of Deals 2 2 6 10

Current Price 1.30 0.50 1.61

Quantity Traded 1,000 10,000,250 36,000 10,037,250

Value Traded 1,360.00 5,000,125.00 57,477.00 5,058,962.00

Symbol No. of Deals AFRIPRUD 55 CUSTODYINS 19 FBNH 622 FCMB 84 ROYALEX 9 STANBIC 23 UBCAP 63 Daily Summary (Equities) 875

Current Price 3.27 3.90 16.12 4.40 0.50 27.20 2.32

Quantity Traded 714,055 283,617 72,539,768 60,630,277 552,126 485,790 2,298,490 137,504,123

Value Traded 2,354,459.49 1,097,642.24 1,171,835,843.78 266,751,106.51 276,263.00 13,014,045.10 5,355,230.21 1,460,684,590.33

301,657,051

2,687,039,053.08

FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 FCMB15:25:44.044 GROUP PLC. Printed 02/07/2014 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST GUINEAINS INTENEGINS LASACO LAWUNION MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS OASISINS PRESTIGE REGALINS STACO Daily Summary STDINSURE UNIVINSURE WAPIC

Activity Summary on Board FINANCIAL SERVICES TotalsEQTY HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

2,408 Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN PHARMDEKO

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals IT Services

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

No. of Deals 8 16 29 23 12 1 1 90

Current Price 2.43 3.10 68.00 1.67 1.38 7.36 1.50

Page

Quantity Traded 200,152 324,000 Page 498,094 649,400 281,906 2,846 100 1,956,498

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

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

SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

Value Traded 46,656,176.90

Value Traded 479,797.27 6 981,356.80 of 13 33,014,234.29 1,100,974.60 384,804.08 19,922.00 143.00 35,981,232.04

1,956,498

35,981,232.04

Value Traded 167,006.50 10,548.68 177,555.18

245,765

294,505.18

No. of Deals 75 13 18 35 33 1 1 9 39 224

Current Price 28.65 9.00 40.01 11.45 240.00 1.11 0.50 5.17 111.00

Quantity Traded 1,019,713 52,551 200,350 394,493 334,110 21,170 1,837 406,159 139,568 2,569,951

Value Traded 29,477,102.37 462,042.81 8,028,513.21 4,523,551.06 80,184,904.18 24,557.20 918.50 2,155,070.67 15,518,540.18 140,375,200.18

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 1.90

Quantity Traded 361,438 361,438

Value Traded 681,816.58 681,816.58

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 2

Current Price 16.59

Quantity Traded 275

Value Traded 4,404.75

Symbol VANLEER

No. of Deals 1 3

Current Price 12.08

Quantity Traded 100 375

Daily Summary (Equities)

Page

235 Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 5.76

Value Traded 1,268.00 5,672.75

2,931,764

141,062,689.51

Quantity Traded 4,400 4,400

Value Traded 24,640.00 24,640.00

4,400

24,640.00

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 79 79

Current Price 0.55

Quantity Traded 5,078,492 5,078,492

Value Traded 2,798,419.57 2,798,419.57

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 724 724

Current Price 27.50

Quantity Traded 19,701,061 19,701,061

Value Traded 553,381,233.13 553,381,233.13

Symbol

No. of Deals 34 55 189 24

Current Price 65.40 4.62 207.00 137.31

Quantity Traded 55,428 1,603,489 627,356 60,955

Value Traded 3,447,435.54 6,964,614.12 127,667,095.50 8,376,061.75

Symbol MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 38 9 349

Current Price 63.18 173.00

Quantity Traded 166,933 32,784 2,546,945

Value Traded 9,541,357.99 5,757,781.00 161,754,345.90

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 22 22

Current Price 720.50

Quantity Traded 75,175 75,175

Value Traded 53,356,446.58 53,356,446.58

27,401,673

771,290,445.18

CONOIL Daily Summary (Equities) ETERNA FO MOBIL

Page

1,174

Symbol AFROMEDIA

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 4,000 4,000

Value Traded 2,000.00 2,000.00

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 22 22

Current Price 1.05

Quantity Traded 1,116,513 1,116,513

Value Traded 1,171,486.21 1,171,486.21

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

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 45 8 (Equities) 53

Current Price 5.00 2.07

Quantity Traded 2,101,070 133,804 2,234,874

Value Traded 10,743,314.07 273,643.88 11,016,957.95

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 41,181

Value Traded 20,890.50

Employment Solutions Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol

No. of Deals 3

Current Price

Quantity Traded 41,181

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.80

Quantity Traded 121,000 121,000

Value Traded 96,800.00 96,800.00

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

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 2 2 14 18

Current Price 1.71 1.50 4.69

Quantity Traded 16,478 30,010 477,921 524,409

Value Traded 27,488.70 47,115.70 2,157,659.98 2,232,264.38

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 0.90

Quantity Traded 643,028 643,028

Value Traded 565,206.55 565,206.55

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 3 47 50

Current Price 2.45 4.98

Quantity Traded 1,100 2,408,363 2,409,463

Value Traded 2,640.00 12,003,211.79 12,005,851.79

No. of Deals 60 60

Current Price 5.64

Quantity Traded 2,162,988 2,162,988

Value Traded 12,063,544.92 12,063,544.92

R Tas BRISCOE PLC. Daily Summary of 02/07/2014 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

SERVICES Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Value Traded 3,295,929.95 2,148,444.00 2,500.00 250.00 4 734,639.99 of 13 112,200.50 100.00 188,345.00 1,593,230.00 22,314,127.34 255,699.00 240,000.00 40,044.42 1,300.00 1,000.00 650.00 1,200.00 15,726,516.70

Quantity Traded 35,154 5,611 40,765

Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER IPWA PORTPAINT WAPCO

OIL AND GAS Totals

Employment Solutions Activity Summary on Board EQTY C & I LEASING PLC.

Value Traded 77,326,604.90 50,278,094.20 12,122,320.60 32,809,511.45 516,490,153.80 42,511,343.34 1,959,981.61 125,416,137.60 6,425,902.97

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. Published by The Nigerian StockENERGY ExchangeINSURANCE © INTERNATIONAL COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014CO (NIG) PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE Printed 02/07/2014 NIGER15:25:44.044 INSURANCE CO. PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC Activity Summary on Board WAPIC INSURANCE PLC EQTY

Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

560,616,430.06

Quantity Traded 7,892,976 7,974,408 737,756 16,258,283 17,704,290 12,697,560 840,314 15,660,947 647,257

Symbol UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Integrated Oil and Gas Services

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 OANDO PLC Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

Current Price 5.00 1.97

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

Current Price 9.71 6.30 16.50 2.01 29.06 3.36 2.34 7.99 9.95

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

Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 121 DIAMONDBNK 104 ETI 59 FIDELITYBK 94 GUARANTY 245 Daily Summary (Equities) SKYEBANK 124 STERLNBANK 37 UBA 192 UBN 35

9,644,270

No. of Deals 4 2 6

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Value Traded 8,350.50 8,350.50

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Packaging/Containers

Activity Summary on Board EQTY BETA GLASS CO PLC. INDUSTRIAL GOODS

Quantity Traded 16,701 16,701

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS Daily Summary INTBREW JOSBREW NB

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Published byPackaging/Containers The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Current Price 0.50

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

Symbol CWG TRIPPLEG

ICT Totals

No. of Deals 4 4

Daily Summary of 02/07/2014 DN as TYRE & RUBBER PLC Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044 Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

Symbol DUNLOP

ICT IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 Transport-Related Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY Support and Logistics Totals

Daily Summary

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol CAVERTON

SERVICES SERVICES Totals

230

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

EQTY Board Totals

Page

9,257,456 Page

Value Traded 20,890.50

4,476,112,913.71

Quantity Traded 1,157,530 1,157,530

Value Traded 1,481,638.40 1,481,638.40

1,157,530

1,481,638.40

ASeM Board Totals

1,157,530

1,481,638.40

Equity Activity Totals

5,488

388,936,179

4,477,594,552.11

5,484

CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 4 4

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2014 Printed 02/07/2014 15:25:44.044

Exchange Traded Fund

Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF

Exchange Traded Fund

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Name Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Current Price 1.28

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol NEWGOLD

No. of Deals 1 2

Current Price 2,088.00 19.45

Quantity Traded 7 110,597

Symbol

No. of Deals 3

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 110,604

DailyVETGRIF30 Summary (ETP)

Value Traded 14,616.00 2,151,111.65 12 of 13 Value Traded 2,165,727.65

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 0.59

Quantity Traded 205,000 205,000

Value Traded 116,950.00 116,950.00

ETF Board Totals

110,604

2,165,727.65

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

ETP Activity Totals

110,604

2,165,727.65

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

Symbol COURTVILLE

Page

39,175,002.30 11 of 13

387,778,649

Daily Summary (Equities)

business | FINANCIAL MARKET 43

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

2-Jul-14

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

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

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

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

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

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

0.24 0.81 2.12 2.82 3.07 3.16 3.91 4.99 5.31 7.57 9.70 14.41 14.89 15.39 16.06

11.15 10.82 11.32 11.23 11.17 11.17 11.19 11.28 11.27 11.81 12.14 12.17 12.17 12.18 12.24

10.52 10.13 11.24 11.17 11.05 11.05 11.09 11.21 11.19 11.75 12.09 12.13 12.13 12.13 12.19

99.49 94.84 103.15 109.10 96.63 95.23 98.47 117.65 83.25 122.50 111.50 119.02 102.13 74.66 84.40

99.64 95.34 103.30 109.25 96.93 95.53 98.77 117.95 83.55 122.80 111.80 119.32 102.43 74.96 84.70

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

4,375.01 Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

Description

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

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

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.33 0.89 1.38 2.44 2.80 3.01

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.75 13.41 13.18 13.18 12.17 12.17

96.28 89.04 105.34 99.13 97.78 95.39

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

0.09 0.29 1.16 0.77 1.29 1.29 2.80 1.84 3.50 2.47 4.26 2.67 2.67 3.05 3.12 5.39 3.18 3.80 6.41 6.50 3.98 3.84

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

12.03 13.99 15.25 14.06 15.33 14.35 16.76 12.11 12.97 12.98 12.19 12.17 15.95 12.17 12.17 12.29 13.91 12.18 12.50 13.46 12.63 13.14

100.12 99.89 97.12 99.81 98.54 101.32 85.32 102.59 102.82 102.31 105.81 105.13 96.09 105.71 108.51 108.49 102.07 107.42 104.27 106.51 105.49 117.45

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

0.27 0.46 0.50 0.64 0.96 0.80 2.24 2.32 3.25 2.06 2.02 2.19 2.19 4.23 2.30 2.38 3.50 6.37

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

11.67 16.11 19.65 15.77 11.76 13.45 12.18 12.52 12.17 13.06 14.67 16.38 16.24 12.54 13.47 17.29 13.34 14.26

99.87 98.84 98.80 96.27 100.44 100.56 101.52 103.33 102.11 109.58 102.61 103.24 101.94 104.61 104.64 99.68 107.24 104.01

11-Feb-18

3.61

1.00

12.18

94.32

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,304.32

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

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

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

572.90

Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; AA/GCR Aa/Agusto Nil Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto BB+/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/Agusto A/GCR BBB-/GCR BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR A/Agusto; A/GCR Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR BBB/GCR A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

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

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

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

180.17

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.87

4.72

110.47

111.35

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.11

3.91

103.70

104.48

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.28

5.16

107.79

108.69

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

Corporate Eurobonds AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.77

3.11

111.62

112.71

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.97

4.27

104.44

105.72

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.14

5.88

99.47

100.45

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

8.68

8.27

94.21

95.49

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.06

4.33

113.27

114.62

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.38

6.19

99.45

100.25

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.11

6.69

103.99

105.50

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.64

5.37

103.79

104.89

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

ACCESS BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

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

FIXINGS Maturity 10-Jul-14 17-Jul-14 24-Jul-14 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.10 10.10 10.00 10.15 10.20 9.90 9.90

Offer Discount (%) 9.85 9.85 9.75 9.90 9.95 9.65 9.65

Bid Yield (%) 10.12 10.14 10.06 10.23 10.30 10.02 10.04

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.7917 12.4900 13.5377 14.3845

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.46

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.71

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

162.78 163.05 163.31 163.94 165.08

162.88 163.31 163.65 164.62 166.27

O/N Tenor Call

REPO

Rate (%) 10.58

06-Jul-12

0.00/16.50

66.49

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

06-Jul-17

3.01

1.00

12.17

95.39

1,304.32

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

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 LAGOSthe 22-NOV-2019 day14.50 , while market capitali14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 depreciated sation of equities 14.75 OSUN II by 30-SEP-2020 marginally N1billion or 0.007 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 per13.50 cent as market sentiments 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 turned red. 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 Meanwhile, a turnover of 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

05-Aug-09 14.00 15-Oct-09 14.00 31-Aug-10 12.50 30-Sep-10 13.00 30-Jun-11 14.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 30-Jun-10 13.75 30-Dec-10 14.00 30-Sep-11 14.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 12-Dec-13 14.00 14-Feb-12 15.50 02-Oct-12 15.50 22-Nov-12 14.50 875 deals. 12-Dec-12 14.75 Volume in the sub-sector was 30-Sep-13 14.75 largely driven by activity in the shares27-Nov-13 of FBNH Plc and13.50 FCMB Plc. 31-Dec-13 15.00 Also, the banking sub-sector 31-Dec-13 14.50 of the06-Jan-14 financial services 15.00 sector,

business | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

REGRESSION

Equities drop in value over profit taking

17.00 05-Aug-14 0.09 6.00 15-Oct-14 0.29 8.50 31-Aug-15 1.16 16.50 30-Sep-15 0.77 13.00 30-Jun-16 1.29 18.50 30-Jun-16 1.29 57.00 19-Apr-17 2.80 50.00 30-Jun-17 1.84 25.00 31-Dec-17 3.50 50.00 30-Sep-18 2.47 9.00 04-Oct-18 4.26 20.00 09-Dec-18 2.67 12.00 12-Dec-18 2.67 27.00 14-Feb-19 3.05 20.00 02-Oct-19 3.12 80.00 22-Nov-19 5.39by Mobil Nigeria, strengthened 30.00 3.18 N20.50, N7.0012-Dec-19 and N0.31 to close 11.40 30-Sep-20 3.80 respectively, at N720.50, N207.00 87.00 27-Nov-20 6.41 and N137.31 per share. Also, fi5.00 31-Dec-20 6.50 nancial services stocks, Stanbic 5.00 31-Dec-20 3.98 IBTC Holdings and Guaranty 5.00 06-Jan-21 3.84

1.56 12.03 100.12 3.29 13.99 99.89 4.44 15.25 97.12 3.23 14.06 99.81 4.46 15.33 98.54 3.48 14.35 101.32 5.59 16.76 85.32 1.00 12.11 102.59 Thursday, July 3, 2014 1.79 12.97 102.82 1.80 12.98 102.31 1.00 12.19 105.81 1.00 12.17 105.13 4.78 15.95 96.09 1.00 12.17 105.71 1.00 12.17 108.51 108.49 ria,1.00plunged 12.29 by N7.45 to close 2.74 102.07 ceat N69.00 per13.91 share, while 1.00 107.42 ment makers,12.18 Lafarge Cement 1.00 12.50 104.27 WAPCO and Ashaka Cement, 1.94 13.46 106.51 dipped by N1.01 and N0.35 to 1.44 12.63 105.49 close 1.95 at N111.00 13.14and N28.65 117.45per Sanctity of Truth

Stock market records minor loss

Chris Ugwu

stronghold in the Nigerian capital market followCorporate Bonds ing marginal drop in both market performance indices, A+/Agusto; AA/GCR LAFARGE WAPCO reflecting profit taking Aa/Agusto GTB amid µ Nil in investment activities. NGC drop Bbb-/Agusto Consequently, the*UPDC All-Share A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS Index shed 1.55 basis points *CHELLARAMS to BB+/GCR close at 42,609.75 as against A+/Agusto; A-/GCR 42611.30 recorded theNAHCO previous A-/Agusto TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

FSDH A/GCR UBA BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *DANA# A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWER# AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER# A/Agusto; A/GCR UBA Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS# BBB/GCR he National Insurance *DANA CorA+/Agusto; A-/GCR poration LimitedNAHCO (NIC), a

387.7 million shares worth N4.4 billion in 5,484 deals were recorded in the day’s trading. 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO services 7-OCT 2014 subOther financial 13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 sector of the financial services 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 sector were the most active 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 during the day (measured by 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 turnover volume); with 137.5 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 million shares worth N1.4 bil13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 lion exchanged by investors in 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 14.00Mr. UBA IIRemi 22-SEP-2018 man, Olowude, said, 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 “Cross-listing of the shares MPR+5.00 II 17-FEB-2019 will leadCHELLARAMS to better visibility, 16.00 DANA IIcompetitive 1-APR-2019 improved edge in NAHCO IImarkets, 14-NOV-2020 increased the15.25 regional

boosted by activity in the shares of GTB Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc, followed with a turnover of 95.707-Oct-11 million shares11.50 valued at 18-Dec-09 in 1,305 deals. 13.50 N1.2 million 17.00 At 01-Apr-10 the close of trading, 35 stocks17-Aug-10 recorded gain,10.00 while 32 others09-Dec-10 shed weight. 12.00 14.00 Oil06-Jan-11 and gas industry players, 29-Sep-11 13.00 Seplat25-Oct-13 petroleum, Forte Oil and 14.25 30-Sep-10 13.00 30-Nov-12 18.00 09-Apr-11 16.00 09-Sep-11 18.00 09-Sep-11 16.00 which22-Sep-11 stipulates that life and 14.00 general business be 15.75 separated 18-Oct-13 17-Feb-12 17.00 into two different bodies. We 01-Apr-14 are going to start the16.00 approval 14-Nov-13 15.25 bodies process of the various

IGI’s subsidiary to list shares on KSE Sunday Ojeme

TOTAL OUTSTANDING subsidiary of theVALUE Industrial share liquidity, better price disand General Insurance Plc in covery, access to a wider pool Supranational Bond Uganda, has concluded plans of both sophisticated and retail 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC on the investors, and better prospects to cross-list its shares TOTAL OUTSTANDING Nairobi Securities VALUE Exchange of raising capital.” in neighbouring Kenya. IGI Plc acquired majority Rating/Agency yesterday Issuer A statement said shareholding Description in the NIC in the decision to be listed on the 2005 after a competitive interFGN Eurobonds Nairobi bourse, East Africa’s national bidding process. IGI most advanced is also the largest single 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 shareBB-/Fitch; B+/S&P capital market, was reached during the 13th holder of SONARWA, the numBB-/Fitch; 5.13 JULcompany 12, 2018 ber one insurance in Annual General MeetingFGNof BB-/S&P shareholders held recently in Rwanda, with a shareholding BB-/Fitch; Kampala, the Ugandan capital. of 64 per cent.6.38 JUL 12, 2023 BB-/S&P The move is part of the strategic The Managing Director of TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE initiatives aimed at giving NIC NIC, Mr Bayo Folayan, said better access to a diverse pool the company intends to change Corporate Eurobonds of B-/S&P; investors its name from National 11.50 FEB 01, 2016InsurB/Fitch and improving AFREN PLC its I competitive edge in the EastPLC Afance Corporation Limited to 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 GTBANK I B+/S&P; B+/Fitch rican region. NIC Holdings Limited. “We 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 GTBANK PLC Explaining the need to cross- are changing7.25 the JULname 25, 2017 of the B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC listB/S&P; to the shareholders, NIC’s company in order separate 6.88 MAY to 09, 2018 B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC Vice Chairman, Dr Martin Alikthe life and non life businesses 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC er,B+/Fitch; who represented the Chair- in line with the law, 6.25 Insurance APR 22, 2019 BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC

Trust Bank, rose by N0.75 and N0.30 to close at N27.20 and N29.06 respectively. 11.80 07-Oct-14 0.27 On the flip side, construc13.17 giant, Julius 18-Dec-14Berger Nige0.46 tion

572.90

2.00 31-Dec-14 0.50 15.00 17-Aug-15 0.64 37.50 09-Dec-15 0.96 1.50 06-Jan-16 0.80 15.00 29-Sep-16 2.24 5.53 25-Oct-16 2.32 20.00 30-Sep-17 3.25 0.94 30-Nov-17 2.06 8.01 09-Apr-18 2.02 3.63 09-Sep-18 2.19 n 1.00a bid to build 09-Sep-18capacity 2.19in terms of technical under35.00 22-Sep-18 4.23 standing of how collective2.30in3.00 18-Oct-18 0.54 17-Feb-19(CIS) works, 2.38 vestment scheme 4.50 Securities 01-Apr-19 3.50 the and Exchange 2.05 14-Nov-20 Commission (SEC) has 6.37 en-

share respectively amid concerns about the recent merger announcement of the various 1.00 11.67 99.87 Cebusiness units of Lafarge 5.21 WAPCO 16.11 ment in Africa.98.84

8.71 19.65 98.80 4.88 15.77 96.27 1.00 11.76 100.44 2.63 13.45 100.56 1.00 12.18 101.52 1.34 12.52 103.33 1.00 12.17 102.11 1.88 13.06 109.58 N10,000 and you invest in a mu3.48 14.67 102.61 tual5.20fund that16.38 invests in103.24 banks, you5.06 have the opportunity of in16.24 101.94 vesting rather 1.35 in several 12.54 banks104.61 than hap2.29just expose 13.47 to what 104.64 6.11to one bank. 17.29 It allows 99.68you pens 2.16 13.34risks,” she 107.24 to diversify your said. 2.76 14.26 Oteh noted that one104.01 thing

Collective investment: SEC tasks retail investors

Chris Ugwu

in Uganda and Kenya,” he said. 180.17 joined retail investors to emThe deadline for all insurance brace the use of experts to take advantage of the scheme. companies is December. 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.61 During the meeting, the The Director General of SEC, 12.00 Arunma Oteh, made this shareholders unanimous- Ms. ly approved the issuing of call at the second quarter meetIssue Datenew shares Coupon (%) Issue Value ($'mm) Maturity Date BidComYield (%) 819,661,942 worth ing of the Capital Market Shs20, 491,548,550 at the current mittee (CMC) held in Lagos. market price as bonus shares He said use of professionals to shareholders who6.75 were on would help retail 07-Oct-11 500.00 28-Jan-21investors 4.87on the register of shareholders on either fundamental analysis or 18-Dec-09 5.13 to the 500.00 12-Jul-18 and also June 20, 2014. According technical analysis 4.11do company’s 2013 annual report, stock picking. 01-Apr-10 6.382013 by 500.00 5.28to premium increased in According12-Jul-23 to her, for one 22 per cent from Shs7.83 billion 1,500.00 understand the workings of colrecorded in 2012 to Shs9.52 bil- lective investment scheme, one lion as at December 31, 2013. should first and foremost get technical advice on the benefits Total01-Feb-11 assets grew by 11.503.6 per 450.00 01-Feb-16 3.77 cent from Shs82.053 7.50 billion in from are experts 19-May-11 500.00 people who 19-May-16 4.97in 2012 to Shs85.04 billion, the 08-Nov-13 6.00 while 400.00field. 08-Nov-18 6.14 underwriting profit7.25also in- 350.00 “For instance, if you are7.03do25-Jul-12 25-Jul-17 creased by 34 per cent, from ing your day job, you can take 09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.68 Shs4.36 billion in 201210.25 to Shs.5.5 advantage of08-Apr-19 the knowledge 08-Apr-12 300.00 5.06 billion22-Apr-14 in 2013. of somebody22-Apr-19 else. If you have 6.25 500.00 6.38

that she was very excited about was that the Fund Managers Association of Nigeria have put 1.00 12.18 together a strategic plan,94.32 which she believes the Capital Market Literacy Committee would help Offer Yield (%) Bidunderstand Price Offer Price people better what it means to take advantage of Prices & Yields the capital market. She noted that the 111.35 capital 4.72 110.47 market would see more Nigerians3.91 participate in mutual funds 103.70 104.48 going by the efforts being put in 107.79 5.16 to drive place activities108.69 in the scheme. “When I see what is happening in India or what is happening3.11 in the US111.62 where 40 per cent 112.71 of Americans even after105.72 the cri4.27 104.44 sis 5.88 invest in mutual funds either 99.47 100.45 for6.41 their children’s education, 100.59 102.30 for8.27 health challenges in 95.49 the fu94.21 ture, there is no reason why it 4.33 113.27 114.62 should here.100.25 6.19 not happen 99.45

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.11

6.69

103.99

105.50

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.64

5.37

103.79

104.89

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

3,460.00

2-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 **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) to the FMDQ OTC PLC Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement.

DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) 8 10-Jul-14 10.10 9.85 15 17-Jul-14 10.10 9.85 FGN Bonds 22 24-Jul-14 10.00 9.75 29 31-Jul-14 10.15 9.90 36 7-Aug-14 10.20 9.95 Issuer Description Rating/Agency Issue Date 43 14-Aug-14 9.90 9.65 50 21-Aug-14 9.90 9.65 9.25 28-SEP-2014 28-Sep-07 57 28-Aug-14 10.10 9.85 4.00 23-APR-2015 23-Apr-10 64 4-Sep-14 10.45 10.20 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16-Aug-13 71 11-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 15.10 27-APR-2017 27-Apr-12 78 18-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 9.85 27-JUL-2017 27-Jul-07 85 25-Sep-14 10.55 10.30 9.35 31-AUG-2017 31-Aug-07 92 2-Oct-14 10.75 10.50 10.70 30-MAY-2018 30-May-08 99 9-Oct-14 10.45 10.20 NA NA 16.00 29-JUN-2019 29-Jun-12 106 16-Oct-14 10.80 10.55 7.00 23-OCT-2019 23-Oct-09 113 23-Oct-14 10.80 10.55 16.39 27-JAN-2022 27-Jan-12 120 30-Oct-14 10.80 10.55 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14-Mar-14 127 6-Nov-14 10.75 10.50 15.00 28-NOV-2028 28-Nov-08 141 20-Nov-14 10.60 10.35 12.49 22-MAY-2029 22-May-09 155 4-Dec-14 10.55 10.30 8.50 20-NOV-2029 20-Nov-09 190 8-Jan-15 10.35 10.10 10.00 23-JUL-2030 23-Jul-10 204 22-Jan-15 10.45 10.20 218 10.45 10.20 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 5-Feb-15 232 19-Feb-15 10.35 10.10 246 5-Mar-15 10.40 10.15 281 9-Apr-15 10.30 10.05 Description Rating/Agency Issuer 295 23-Apr-15 10.25 10.00 309 7-May-15 9.95 9.70 Agency *from theBonds Amortising #bonds, the average life is 0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) AMCON Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills FMBN 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 NA 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 ***LCRM 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

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

Porfolio Market Total Outstanding 14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 1,010.03 953.07 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 1,148.30 951.30 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 683.45 756.74 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 2,841.79 2,661.11 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

Bid Yield (%) NIBOR 10.12 Bonds 10.14 Tenor Rate (%) 10.06 O/N 10.7917 10.23 1M 12.4900 Outstanding Value 10.30(%) 3M 13.5377 Coupon Maturity Date (N'bn) 10.02 6M 14.3845 10.04 9.25 100.00 28-Sep-14 10.26 4.00 535.00 23-Apr-15 10.65 13.05 500.27 NITTY 16-Aug-16 10.93 15.10 452.80 27-Apr-17 10.95 Tenor Rate (%) 9.85 20.00 27-Jul-17 10.82 1M 10.2427 9.35 100.00 31-Aug-17 11.05 2M 10.4261 10.70 300.00 30-May-18 10.75 3M 10.9676 16.00 351.30 29-Jun-19 11.15 6M 11.0094 7.00 233.90 23-Oct-19 11.17 9M 11.1861 16.39 600.00 27-Jan-22 11.20 12M 11.2966 14.20 165.17 14-Mar-24 11.17 15.00 75.00 28-Nov-28 11.05 12.49 150.00 22-May-29 11.04 NIFEX 20-Nov-29 8.50 200.00 10.94 10.00 591.57 23-Jul-30 11.10 Current Price ($/N) 11.15 BID($/N) 162.8100 4,375.01 11.08 OFFER ($/N) 162.9100 11.18 11.19 Issue Date Coupon (%) Issue Value (N'bn) 11.18 10.87

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

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

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

Weighting 14.00by Mkt Value 14.00 12.50 13.00 35.54 14.00 40.41 15.50 24.05 10.00 100.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50

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

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX 1,304.32

Weighting 05-Aug-09by Outstanding Vol 15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 35.81 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 35.75 30-Jun-09 28.44 19-Apr-10 100.00 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

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.46

Tenor

10.71

Spot 7D Offer Yield 14D (%) 1M 2M 10.52 3M 10.13 6M 11.24 1Y 11.17

O/N

TTM (Yrs)REPO Bid Yield (%) Tenor Call 0.24 1M 0.81 3M 2.12 6M 2.82

Rate (%) 10.58 11.15 12.35 10.82 13.31 11.32 13.88 11.23 3.07 11.17 11.05 11.17 11.05 NOTE: 3.16 3.91 11.19 11.09 :Benchmarks 4.99 11.28 11.21 * :Amortising Bond 5.31 11.27 11.19 µ :Convertible Bond 7.57 11.81 11.75 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 9.70 12.14 12.09 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 14.41 Mortgage Bank 12.17 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 12.13 14.89 12.17 12.13 IFC: International Finance Corporation 15.39 Contractors Receivables 12.18 12.13 LCRM: Local Management 12.24 12.19 NAHCO:16.06 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company O/N: Overnight UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company # Risk Avg. Life/TTM Maturity Date Premium (Yrs)

(%)

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

%05-Aug-14 Exposure_ Mod_Duration 15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 17.81 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 36.42 30-Jun-16 45.77 19-Apr-17 100.00 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

0.33 0.89 1.38 2.44 2.80 3.01

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

0.09Yield Implied 0.29 1.16 11.27 0.77 1.29 11.64 1.29 12.22 2.80 11.84 1.84 3.50 2.47 4.26 2.67 2.67 3.05 3.12 5.39 3.18 3.80 6.41

Implied 1.56 Portfolio Price 3.29 4.44 117.0064 3.23 4.46 133.5146 3.48 98.7413 5.59 117.7138 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00

Bid ($/N)

Price

Offer ($/N)

162.78 162.88 163.05 163.31 163.31 163.65 Offer Price Bid Price 163.94 164.62 165.08 166.27 99.49 99.64 166.35 167.99 94.84 95.34 170.02 173.63 103.15 103.30 177.83 184.84 109.10 109.25 96.63 96.93 95.23 95.53 98.47 98.77 NA :Not Applicable 117.65 117.95 # :Floating Rate Bond 83.25 83.55 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 122.50 122.80 111.50 111.80 †: Bond rating expired 119.02 119.32 102.13 102.43 74.66 74.96 84.40 84.70 NGC: Nigeria-German Company UBA: United Bank for Africa

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

11.75 13.41 13.18 13.18 12.17 12.17

96.28 89.04 105.34 99.13 97.78 95.39

12.03 INDEX 13.99 15.25 1,111.32 14.06 15.33 1,130.55 14.35 1,151.90 16.76 1,118.16 12.11 12.97 12.98 12.19 12.17 15.95 12.17 12.17 12.29 13.91 12.18 12.50

YTD100.12 Return (%) 99.89 97.12 11.1323 99.81 98.54 13.0550 101.32 15.1897 85.32 11.8155 102.59 102.82 102.31 105.81 105.13 96.09 105.71 108.51 108.49 102.07 107.42 104.27

NEWS 45

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Yuguda swears in new caretaker committees Yuzarsif Alhassan Bauchi

overnor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, yesterday swore-in 20 newly appointed caretaker committees and Director General, Boundary Commission. The governor, during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House executive chamber in Bauchi, charged the caretaker committees of the 20 local governments to ensure dedication, accountability, as well as avoidance of misappropriations of the local government funds. Yuguda disclosed reasons local government elections have not taken place in the state, saying that the north-east was totally in siege considering the security challenges devastating the region. He also called on them to shun corruption and cooperate with security agencies with a view to providing peace and stability for the rural dwell-

ers, saying that peace is the bedrock of every meaningful development to humanity. According to him, the state government would not tolerate any misconduct or financial embezzlement by any caretaker chairman. His words “I urge you to discharge your duties, apply your talents and effort to run the affairs of your people. Provide and ensure that revenue is fully generated, because the state government is currently shouldering the huge populace of internally displaced persons totalling over one million due to regional crisis of our neighbours in the North East” “It is with little we have that the state government is taking care of theInternally Displaced Persons that the state government is taking care of them through the provision of water, health, education shelter and other projects for the people in the state.

NMA strike: Unical CMD urges FG, doctors to reconcile differences ROUNDTABLE

UCTH boss again calls on doctors to parley with government Clement James Calabar.

he Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Dr. Thomas Agan, has appealed to the Federal Government and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to return to the round-table in order to resolve the impasse that led to the current strike action by

44.41

medical doctors. He spoke yesterday while addressing some Journalists in his office. Agan said he was worried that Doctors had to go on strike given the sensitive nature of the profession and appealed to them to reconsider their stand in the interest of the patients. “Though, the issues raised are germane, it is important for the Federal Government and the Nigeria Medical Association to return to the roundtable and revisit the issues that led to this strike action in the interest of the public,” Agan pleaded.

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of United States in 2012. Source: Itu.int

He appealed to the striking doctors to put themselves in the position of patients and give peace a chance while urging the Federal Government to carefully address their grievances. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Cross River State branch, Dr. Callistus Enyuma, has vowed that the association will not return to work until all the 24-point demand of the association are met. He listed some of the demands as creating the office of a Surgeon-General of the Federation, as well as reviewing

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

Doctors’ salary scale “to reflect relativity in international best practices.” Others include reserving the position of the Chief Medical Director of a Federal Hospital exclusively for Medical Doctors and ignoring the agitation by paramedics to become Consultants, among others. “Until these demands, which I must tell you are 24 are met, we will not admit new patients. However,all the patients who have been in the hospital and whose cases are serious would be taken care of effectively,” the state NMA boss promised.

2.8m

The total population of Changchun, China in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

2015: Human rights commission goes public Joe Ezuma

Port Harcourt

he National Human T(NHRC) Rights Commission and some Civil Society Organisations yesterday began a twoday public hearing on the need to institutionalize an enduring democratic culture in the nation's polity by ensuring popular participation , especially in 2015. The event was under the general theme of ''Electoral Accountability''. In his welcome address, Prof. Bem Angwe, Executive Secretary of the NHRC, explained the public hearing was part of the Commission's project titled: Fair trial and the Right to Effective Partici-

pation in Government: ''An Independent Review of Evidence of Violations of the Rights to participate in government and fair Trial through the Election Petition process in Nigeria'' Setting the tone for the hearing, Angwe said the focus includes among others, perspectives, to identify and review issues perpetrating electoral crimes in Nigeria, to stimulate debate on the findings and recommendations in the Electoral Accountability initial Report, and to enhance the ability of individual voters to challenge election results that have been obtained through fraud or corrupt or illegal practices.

CSOs: Aregbesola, not a terrorist Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he Coalition of Civil SoTcondemned ciety Organizations has the allegation

of terrorism against the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola. The group also condemned the proposed plans to deploy soldiers in the state for the governorship election slated in August this year. The group, in a statement at a press briefing in Abuja, signed by Alhaji Musa Mohammed, National Coordinator, International Network against Corruption and Mr. David Ikem, Chairman, Coalition for Civil Society Groups, extolled the virtues of Aregbes-

ola as a leader, committed to the unity of the country. On the issues addressed, the Coalition said, "After thorough investigation on the allegation against the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, linking him with terrorism and sponsoring the most dreaded group in Nigeria today; the Boko Haram, we wish to state very categorically as thus: The allegation is without facts, untrue and unwarranted, therefore should be discarded. "The allegation is an outright expression of core hatred, envy and jealousy by the enemies of government that do not mean no well for the people of Osun State.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Teledom Group, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; President, Nigeria Information Technology Reporter’s Association (NITRA), Emma Okonji; Mr. Bako Wakili of NCC and Chief Executive Officer, Signal Alliance Limited, Mrs. Adanma Onuegbu, during the inauguration of NITRA in Lagos

Plateau orders demolition of buildings on waterways Musa Pam Jos

overnor Jonah David Jang has given a matching order to demolish all buildings that are standing on water ways in the state. He said it was part of a deliberate effort to curb cases of flood disaster in the state. Jang frowned at people who build illegally on water ways, thereby subjecting the state at the risk of flood, urging the commissioner of Housing and Urban Development to take off any building that is an obstacle to the smooth passage of water in the state. The governor gave the directive yesterday in continuation of his

inspection of State Projects at the New Government House, Rayfield Jos. According to him; "One thing I have observed in the Utonkon road and here at the Secretariat Junction, is people building right into the water ways, and I have given directive to the Commissioner of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that all these houses are demolished. They are illegal structures; they don't have any building plan. "I wonder if they have Certificate of Occupancy but if the Ministry of Lands and Survey did their usual thing by given them Certificate of Occupancies in those areas and we will have to find out from the files,

who issued those certificates and they will be disciplined accordingly. These are illegal structures. I don't expect to pay any compensation before demolishing them. "This serves as information to the owners. They will be written and they will be given a little time to pack out, so that we can clear the water ways; we can see the course of change in the whole weather, rainy days are here and these areas have started flooding" he lamented. Speaking on the construction of New Government House that has gulped over N5 billion, Jang said, " I have been putting a lot of pressure on them because we want to move the govern-

ment house there before the termination of this administration. We want the new administration to take over from that new government house and they have brought the work to the timing that we want" Jang warned; "Let me say it again. Plateau is one of the first states that was created in this country and it will surprise people that this is the first time we are building a government house. Where the governor used to stay was built as Presidential lodge and we don't have anywhere the President could stay when he comes to Jos. We used to have a green house out there, where anything could be thrown from a truck.

46 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Enugu appeals removal of board's chair Leo Sobechi arely two weeks after an Enugu High Court presided over by Justice C. I. Nwobodo, declared as illegal and unconstitutional the removal of Chairman of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Mrs. Ethel Nebo-Ezeabasili, the state government has filed an appeal. In the appeal brought before the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, the government through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Anthony Ani (SAN), picked holes on

104

the June 18, 2014 judgement, saying that it disregarded facts and law. The former ENSUBEB chairperson was removed from office in November 2012 for gross misconduct and was allegedly accused of embezzling N230, 245, 000.00. However, in a suit she filed at the High Court, Nebo-Ezeabasili described the reasons as spurious, illegal and unconstitutional. The court not only upheld her claims, but also awarded her damages against the government. But, in its grounds of appeal filed on June 30, 2014 the Enugu State government through the

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

chief law officer, Ani averred that the trial judge not only erred in law, but also failed to resolve the fundamental issue of jurisdiction before going into the substantive case. The government also argued that since the first and second defendants, who are its officers namely, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo (Chief of Staff, Government House) and Mr. Amaechi Okolo, (Secretary to the State Government); were sued in their official capacities by Nebo-Ezeabasili, they were entitled to three months pre-action notice. While noting that the precondition was not

4.3%

The percentage of Ghana’s players (1 of 23) in Brazil 2014 World Cup who currently ply their trade in the domestic league. Source: Goal.com

fulfilled before instituting the action, the Attorney-General asserted that: “The learned trial judge erred in law when she held that the appellants, being political appointees, are not entitled to the pre-action notice mandatorily provided for public officers under the State Proceedings Law.” In further grounds of appeal, the AttorneyGeneral noted that there were contentious issues of facts before the parties, which made the proceedings ‘hostile,’ pointing out that that practically necessitated trial by “ordinary writ of summons, pleadings and oral evidence.”

29.1m

The population of Afghanistan (representing 0.42% of world’s population) in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Wole Soyinka Prize grand finale to inspire students Kayode Olanrewaju ll is set for the grand finale of the fifth edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, billed for Saturday July 5, where some select pupils from secondary schools across the country with interest in literary arts will have a golden opportunity of meeting and interacting with literary icons. The award ceremony, billed for the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, is sponsored by Globacom, a leading national telecommunications carrier. Literary icons, including Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and a renowned Ghanaian author, who is also a former Education Minister in Ghana, Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo, are among other distinguished and eminent writers that will speak with the students at the event. Expectedly, the selected pupils, who will participate at the event are from Unique Heights Senior and Junior School; Halifield College; First Harvard School; Dowen College;

Victoria Island Senior Secondary School and Kuramo Senior Secondary School, all in Lagos. According to a joint statement by Globacom, the main sponsor of the prize and Lumina Foundation, the organisers of the award, the idea of inviting students to the grand finale is to avail them the opportunity of meeting their literary idols, so that their imagination can be fired to inspire them to seek and attain greatness. The authors - Othuke Ominibohs, Akin Bello and Toyin Abiodun, will be contesting for the $20,000 grand prize at the event, the statement added, saying the three finalists will also interact with the students. For the award, the finalists (three authors) were selected from a long list of 10 African authors, which include Soji Cole, Comfort Adesuwa Ero, Isaac Attah Ogezi, Moshood Oba, Mayowa Saja, Wumi Raji and Akin Adejumo. They were drawn from a total of 163 entries submitted from 17 African countries in the Drama genre, which is the focus of the 2014 edition.

Ramadan: Fayose tasks Muslims Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

kiti State GovernorEFayose, Elect, Mr. Ayodele has charged

L-R: Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Ude Okochukwu; PDP Chairman, Emma Nwaka; Governor Theodore Orji, his wife, Mercy and the Deputy Governor, Sir Emeka Ananaba, at the swearing-in of the 17 LGA Transition Committee Chairmen in Umuahia…yesterday

Jega defends militarisation of Ekiti gov poll Tunde Oyesina and Onyekachi Eze ndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday explained reasons for the heavy presence of security operatives in Ekiti State during the June 21 governorship election. Jega, who was addressing civil society organisations in Abuja at an interactive session organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), attributed the militarisation of the election to the need to prevent the outbreak of violence following security reports that some

politicians and their supporters had brought in arms and ammunition into the state to disrupt the election. About 12,340 regular and 3,170 riot policemen were deployed in Ekiti State for the election along with 4,280 soldiers and 1,800 officials of the Department of State Security. Another 26 men were deployed from the Canine units of the police were also on ground during the election. Jega however acknowledged the fact that deployment of security was outside his powers as INEC chairman. The INEC chairman, who said he was not hold-

ing brief for the security agencies, added that there were genuine fear for the safety of electoral personnel and materials. But he added that whether the huge deployment of security personnel was justified in the circumstances should be left to individual’s judgment. He confirmed that INEC ballot papers were discovered in Ekiti State by soldiers, adding that they were old ballot papers sold to people for recycling. He said the commission exercised poor judgment in disposing the old ballot papers at that particular period. According to him, the Ekiti election was better than that of Anambra

due to earlier preparations and rigorous training for the commission’s staff. Meanwhile, it was learnt that Jega has ordered the redeployment of the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju, ahead of the August 9 governorship election in the state. He was replaced by Mr. Segun Agbaje who until now was REC in Kogi State. Agbaje assumed duty last Tuesday. But it was not clear whether Akeju was asked to proceed on his annual leave until after the Osun election or he has been redeployed to another state.

Muslims in the state to re-dedicate themselves to the ideals of Islam as they join others to observe this yer’s Ramadan fast. In a statement in AdoEkiti yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, the governor-elect also saluted Muslim faithfuls in Ekiti as they join their counterparts around the world to observe Ramadan. Fayose urged Mus-

lims to use the period to pray for continued peace in Ekiti and an end to insurgency in the country. He also implored Muslims to use the Ramadan period to move closer to God and re-dedicate themselves to God and have sympathy for the less-privileged, which the holy month preaches. Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is now engulfed in crisis over attempts by the leaders to out-do one another in congratulating the Governor-Elect, Mr. Ayo Fayose, on his victory in the June 21 election.

Fashola lectures Lagosians on security

agos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has called on residents to be vigilant and dutifully engage strangers in their community, saying that the task to keep the state secured is the duty of all. Speaking while celebrating his 51st birthday anniversary and the commissioning of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya’s ‘Fountain of Life Church’ ultra-modern auditorium, the governor said the sense of harmony among adherents of various faiths has continue to mystify the perpetrators of reli-

gious violence. The governor said: “We will overcome the challenges by been vigilant and adaptive. By asking questions of things that are not normal. Things that failed to follow the original conduct of human behavior. By asking questions from people who are strangers in our midst, seeking to know where they came from and what their purpose was among us. “We must no longer keep quiet. I am sure that if we do these simple things, all will be well with us.”

NEWS 47

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Makinde blames Ile-Ife blast on desperate politicians explosion

As the source of yoruba origin is bombed, allegations boom Wale Elegbede

member of the national assembly representing Ife federal constituency, Hon. Rotimi Makinde said the explosion that rocked IleIfe in Osun state in the early hours of Tuesday is the handiwork of desperate politicians who are bent on throwing the city

and the state at large into chaos for their personal interest. Residents of Ile-Ife woke up on Tuesday morning in shock following the explosion that rocked two strategic locations at Agbedegbede area of the town. Though no life was lost in the explosion, properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the blast. Makinde, who represents the constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) noted in a statement he signed, that the attack has once again brought to the fore the characters of those aim-

303,000

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Angola in 2012. Source: Itu.int

ing to take over the reins of power from the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, calling on residents to be calm and vigilant of strange faces in their neighbourhood. He said: “In an unprecedented manner, Ile Ife, the cradle of Yoruba race witnessed bomb blast last Tuesday and it is a very bad primacy for the city which prides itself as the Origin of Yorubaland. This attack left one to wonder if this is the kind of origin we are talking about, as Ile Ife now becomes the first in Yorubaland to experience bombing. It is so sad!

4,033

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

“While I appeal for calm among our people, it behooves on us to be firm in our resolve to unite against the enemies of our common heritage posing as an alternative to the present popular government we are enjoying in the state of Osun, ensuring that we stay vigilant and querying strange faces in our neigbourhood.” Appealing to security personnel in the state to unravel the sad incident, Makinde also alleged that the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore has been

89.9

The number of newspaper journalists per 1m inhabitants of Oman in 2006. Source: Blatantworld.com

going around communities in the state with fierce looking, masked gun men, adding that the development has thrown residents into panic, urging the state police command to call Omisore to order. “As a key stakeholder in Osun politics, I found it most preposterous and ridiculous the presence of masked men behind the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore. “My unbiased findings show that these armed and masked individuals or "sects" go about covering their faces during Senator Omisore's campaigns, political gatherings and rallies. They also have a culture of stationing themselves at every strategic junctions of the roads, and more shockingly at notable politician's domains, particularly those of the ruling APC.

“It does not take a genius to know that these are blood thirsty armed bandits with vicious intent and purpose. In their bizarre nature, they shoot into the air sporadically with automatic pump action to cause panic among innocent residents within Osun metropolis. “With all these crass shenanigans and show of shame, I think Nigerians truly need to know who these men are and what they represent. Are they operatives of SSS, Army, Police or NSCDC? This is the first time in the history of our State to see politicians going about with such questionable people and a candidate recklessly using sirens with attendant nightmare of traffic gridlock,” he said. Efforts to speak with Omisore’s media aide, Victor Oriola over the allegation proved abortive as his phone was not available as at the time of going to press.

N78 million scandal rocks Kogi agency he Health Committee of and lacking in substance. TAssembly the Kogi State House of Hajia Bala said the has commence agency followed due pro-

Speaker Edo State House of Assembly, Uyi Igbe (left), congratulating Victor Edoror, after being sworn-in as the new Deputy Speaker in Benin…yesterday

Rivers PDP chieftains embark on shuttle politics Joe Ezuma

Port Harcourt

embers of the Executive Council of the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tuesday departed the State via the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, for a two weeks intensive capacity building workshop abroad.

The State PDP Exco, led by the State Chairman, Prince Felix Obuah, will during the training be taken through the rudiments of maintaining a strong, dominant and virile party as well as sustaining a massive party followership, good governance and leadership. The Party chairman, Prince Obuah, before leaving the shores of the

country, on behalf of other participants, (all members of the State Exco) expressed appreciation for the good and sensitive leadership qualities of the Leader of the party in the State, and Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike for providing an enabling environment and transparent leadership for them to embark on the programme.

He also assured the teeming members of the party in the State to continue to keep faith with the party, as it is poised to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. Although he did not disclose the country where they are to undergo the training, he said they are expected back in Rivers State in two weeks’ time.

FUPRE students for geosciences conference in America Joe Obende Warri

igeria has once again Nnational excelled in the interscene as three

students from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun in Delta State have been nominated to represent Africa in the conference

of Geosciences in the United States of America. This followed their brilliant performance in the 2nd Africa technical conference held in Ghana recently. The students, Anine Lawrence, Eze Stanley and Rose Idoko, would be going to America together with other African

students to represent the continent. FUPRE had come overall second in the contest in which Anine was adjudged the presenter of the best poster while Eze presented the best technical paper. FUPRE Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Ovwata Etu-Efeotor, made this

known when he received members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Warri Correspondents’ Chapel who paid him a courtesy call. In his welcome address, the VC told journalists that since these were tumultuous times, “we have to be careful what we write”.

investigation into the N78 million allegation of financial recklessness leveled against the Kogi State Action Committee on Aids, (KOSACA). A human rights activist in the state, Comrade Idris Miliki had through a Television programme, accused KOSACA of purchasing N5 million women condoms and award of contracts to non-existing NGOs, from the N78 million Naira donated by the Word Bank. But the Executive Secretary of the Agency, Hajiya Rahina Bala, in a swift reaction, described the allegation as watery

cess in the disbursement of funds. Speaking through its Project Manager, Dr. Gabriel Musa, she denied all the allegations, saying the agency has however not received such allegation but assured that all activities carried out by the agency are always guided by due process. Meanwhile the rights activist, when contacted, insisted that he stood by the allegations raised. He further alleged that money disbursed to KOSACA was diverted into private pockets, while persons with AIDS suffer in silence.

Men of God must not play politics, says Akpabio in the country of God not politicize the Ccedelergymen have been asked to inter- church or bring politics so God would bring into the church. Allow lasting solution to the challenges facing Nigerians. Governor Godswill Akpabio made the call during the investiture of the state Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Cletus Bassey as an Archbishop at Destiny International Missions Inc, Uyo. He said such challenges as security need divine intervention. Akpabio further called on clergymen in the state to remain apolitical, but to speak the mind of God on the emergence of next state Governor by 2015, remarking, "Men of God must always speak what God tells them. Let men

God to intervene and produce the next leader of the state because God is a God of justice and not of confusion. "Let us all do justice. We must do all we can to bring peace and harmony to the state. We must take the country forward by teaching our children love, peace and justice. We must all do away with tribalism and ethnic sentiments and we must always remain prayerful", he enjoined. He then urged clergymen to continue interceding for Nigerians through prayers and thanked them for always being supportive to the state through their prayers.

48 NEWS

AGONY

Patients groan as medical doctors refuse to call off strike Igbeaku Orji, Tony Okafor, Appolonia Adeyemi

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Doctors abandon patients in hospital wards away because it was difficult to lift her from the bed or to put her in a vehicle. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Dr. Abali Chuku, was said to be in a meeting when visited for comment. At the Abia State Specialist and Diagnostic Hospital, Aba Road Umuahia, house doctors were attending to patients while senior doctors and consultants were not on duty. The situation was the same at the General Hospital, Amachara and the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba. Meanwhile, private hospitals in the state are having an unusual boom. Patients have no option

than to patronise them. The Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Abia State branch, Dr. Gad Uzoaga, said it was in sympathy with the patients that the NMA did not call out all the doctors. He, however, added: “What is happening in the health sector is a gang up against doctors.” But health workers under the auspices of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) yesterday gave the assurance that their members will provide needed health care services in various hospitals across the nation. National General Secretary of (NUAHP), Comrade O. C. Ogbonna, who disclosed this, said other

ollowing the two-day old strike embarked upon by medical doctors in the country, patients at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, Abia State, have been abandoned at the hospital wards. Though, the patients were asked to leave the hospital, some of them could not because of their condition. One of the patients, who had a surgical operation last Friday, was abandoned at the hospital’s female ward by the doctors. Relations of the patient, who spoke with our correspondent, said they were asked to take The projected rate of Europe Union biofuels the patient home even as constituents of transport fuel in 2020. the wound was still fresh. Source: Unesco.org They further said that they could not take her

10%

health workers, who constitute the Joint Health Union (JOHESU), would also join NUAHP in providing care services in public hospitals so as to mitigate the impact of the strike. Ogbonna, in a statement, denounced the strike, describing it as being politically motivated. “We, therefore, assure members of the public that our members in various hospitals shall be at their duty posts to provide adequate services in spite of the NMA strike. “Therefore, the National Secretariat is appealing to all our members to remain at their duty posts and attend to patients.” In Rivers State, the government said it was

53.68%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Italy in 2010. Source: Itu.int

partnering with eight private hospitals, including the Professor Kelsey Harrison Hospital to give free medical care to patients who registered under the Free Medical Care Programme of the state. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, disclosed this at Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday. He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the government with the private hospitals was a crisis management strategy to alleviate and ameliorate the effects of the nationwide industrial action on Rivers people. Patients in Anambra State yesterday continued to groan under the

35%

The percentage share of China’s arms purchase from Russia between 2005 and 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com

nationwide strike declared by the NMA. Most of the patients in government-owned hospitals were seen in their scores going home. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi and the Guinness General Hospital, Onitsha, many patients were seen parking their belongings and waiting for their relations to take them home. The patients were officially discharged at noon on Tuesday, but most of them were still in the hospital premises as at the time of filing this report. Some of the patients urged government to look into the demands of the doctors in the interest of health care delivery in the country.

Borno hospital free feeding system gets a boost Ahmed Miringa Maiduguri

orno State Hospital B(BSHPFFB) Free Feeding system is to expand

A cross-section of Muslim faithful at the funeral of Alhaja Jelilat Arisekola-Alao in Ibadan …yesterday

Reps empower ICPC to monitor donations to CSOs Boko Haram: Reps approve Philip Nyam voluntary organisation any move to duplicate its volunteers for NEMA Abuja

he House of Representatives yesterday unveiled plans to empower the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor the inflow and utilisation of all monies obtained by voluntary organisations from donor agencies. Under the new arrangement, ICPC is to approve the application and dispose within 60 days from the date of receipt of such application. Chairman of the House Committee on Civil Society and Donor Agencies dropped the hint at a public hearing on; “A bill for an Act to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of financial/material contribution of donor agencies to

and for other matters connected therewith, 2013.” The bill provides that any registered voluntary organisations with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) must also register with the ICPC while subsection 4 (1) provides that; “All voluntary organisations shall make an application for permission to the ICPC in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed. Udoka, who expressed concern over the abuse of the huge foreign assistance channeled through CSOs into the country, however, stressed the need for enacting a legal framework for the effective regulation and ensure utilisation of the aids. But the National Planning Commission (NPC), in its presentation, cautioned the House against

roles of monitoring and regulating the activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria to the ICPC as against the NPC establishment Act of 2003. Executive secretary of NPC, Mr. Ntufan Fidel Ugbo, who represented the supervising minister, said the regulation and monitoring of activities involving NGOs and CSOs has been the responsibility of the planning commission in line with section 71 of the NPC Act of 2003. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday passed for second reading, a bill that would compel private companies, whose total assets exceed N80 billion, convert to public liability companies (Plcs).

Philip Nyam Abuja

House of RepresenTforhetatives yesterday passed second reading an

amendment to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Act, 2004 to empower the agency engage volunteers in rescue and disaster management operations. The bill titled: “A bill for an Act to amend the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Act. Cap N34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, to promote the recruitment, training and participation of volunteers in disaster management and for other related matters” is sponsored by Hon. Francis Onyewuchi (Imo). While presenting the bill, Onyewuchi said the intendment of the amend-

ment was to strengthen the disaster management mechanisms, adding that since the attacks by Boko Haram became pronounced, people are often ready to assist when they strike, but such Nigerians lack the necessary skills to do so. He submitted that if volunteers are recruited and properly trained, they will complement the work of NEMA. According to the lawmaker, NEMA, as it is presently constituted, is only seen as a collector and distributor of relief materials; hence it is not in a position to prevent disaster. The motion received unanimous adoption and was consequently passed for second reading and referred to the Committee on Disaster Preparedness.

its feeding system to more hospitals across the state. Coordinatior of the programme, Hajiya Fati Gambo Dori, said despite the security challenge facing the state, the board is determined to extend its services to government hospitals and clinics across the southern and northern part of the state. Dori said the board is making concerted efforts with the support of Governor Alhaji Kashim Shettima, to improve the standard and quality of food being served in the designated government hospitals and clinics, especially during the month of Ramadan. Speaking to newsmen on the activities of the board yesterday, the coordinator said adequate food and drinks have been procured and are being distributed to all the hospitals’ cooking centres for the patients. According to her, during Ramadan, the board will ensure that enough food is provided not only to the patients, but to other medical and health workers on duty. Dori explained further that the board has concluded ar rangements for the inspection of gover nment hospitals and clinics in Biu, Bama, Monguno, Gwoza, Konduga, Damasak, Gubio and other areas with a view to assessing the availability of feeding facilities and how best to improve them.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

NSA advised against our visit to Chibok – Ezekwesili Johnchuks Onuanyim

Abuja

Chairman, Igbo Leaders of Thought, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (sixth left); Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe and other members, during the 8th Assembly of the group in Enugu…yesterday

N42.7bn

The contribution of air transport to Nigeria’s ‘rebased’ GDP in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

The number of players in Brazil 2014 World Cup who will celebrate their birthday during the course of the world cup. Source: Goal.com

75.6%

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

Bisalla: Zenith Bank, Champion, others condole with New Telegraph Taiwo Jimoh and Mojeed Alabi ondolences from various individuals and organisations have continued to pour in for the management and staff of New Telegraph Newspaper following the unfortunate death of the paper’s Managing Editor (Northern Operations), Mr. Suleiman Bisalla. He was a victim of last week’s violent bomb attack on the Emab Plaza in Abuja,

the Federal Capital Territory. In its condolence message, signed by Corporate Communications Manager, Victor Adoji, Zenith Bank PLC, one of the nation’s leading banks, said the incident was regrettable while calling on well-meaning Nigerians to step up the war against the dangerous insurgents. Similarly, Champion Newspapers Limited, Publishers of Daily Champion Newspapers,

through a letter, signed by its Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, Mrs. Nwadiuto Iheakanwa, condoled with the family of the deceased and management and staff of New Telegraph Newspapers. Meanwhile, the Lagos branch of Igbere Welfare Union, has described Bisalla as a jour nalist of repute, saying his dedication to professionalism was unrivalled. The group in its

condolence message urged the newspapers’ management not to be deterred in its contribution to the ongoing fight against terrorism, saying the development should further strengthen the company. The statement, which was signed by the group’s President, Godswill Okorie, reads in part; “Let this incident make you more determined to the war against terror in your news reportage.”

Niger Delta freedom fighters write Jonathan

Dangote to build 11 health centres in Kano

Chris Ejim

Muhammad Kabir

Yenagoa

cores of Ijaw Youth leaders from the six states of Niger Delta yesterday sent warning letters to the President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the existing political parties in the region against imposition of a candidates of non-Ijaw origin on the states. According to the Youth leaders, under the aegis of the Network of Niger Delta Freedom Fighters, the indigene of the riverine com-

munities of Rivers, Edo, Delta and Ondo states will no longer fold their hands and allow the age-long marginalisation of Ijaws in the political representations in the state. The group, in a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa by the Coordinator, Chief Nengi James, warned that the Freedom fighters in the states of the Niger Delta may be forced to mobilize youths against any plan to impose on the people a non-riverine indigene in states such as Rivers, Delta and Edo States.

Annie Okonkwo to float party Uwakwe Abugu

Awka

ormer National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Annie Okonkwo, who recently resigned from the party, announced yesterday that he plans to form a new politi-

cal party that would wield enormous influence and be counted when matters of Nigeria’s nationhood are being tabled for critical decision making. Okonkwo said in an interview with New Telegraph that he has put behind him all manner of experience he had.

KANO

he Dangote Foundation has said it will construct about 11 health centres in eight Local Government Areas of Kano State. The move is part of efforts to ensure routine immunization and the general health of the people according to the President of the foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote . He made the pledge during a video conferencing with the state Governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and the CoChair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, on the 2014 mid – year review of the state government, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dangote Foundation Tripartite Partnership on routine immunization, coordinated from the Kano Government House. Alhaji Dangote said

he is encouraged to undertake the project by the level of commitment of the state government towards making life better for the people, assuring that his foundation will continue to work with the government to strengthen its immunization programme. Accordingly, he advised the state government to step up efforts towards removing the bottlenecks impeding the smooth execution of routine immunization, especially issues of funding, capacity building of health workers, community engagement and fixing of broken down cold chain equipment, to ensure total success. He also urged the Federal Government to be more proactive in the supply of vaccines and other consumables so that people coming for immunization would not be discouraged by unavailability of the consummables.

he BringBackOurGirls group yesterday revealed that they were prevented by the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA to the President from visiting the Chibok Community in Borno State, where over 200 Government Girls Secondary School were abducted on April 14. The group also stated that they have been advised by the Nigeria Police Force that they could be target for attack by the Boko Haram insurgents. However, in a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, the group, whose membership has so much depleted, stated that they were ready to die for the movement. Responding to questions on whether the group had visited Chibok, the former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili said no. She went further to explain that they had written to the office of the National Security Adviser on the planned visit to Chibok since May, but till date, they have not got response on that letter. According to her, they were advised that they needed security to visit Chibok and were still

waiting for the security to be approved for the movement. Her explanation was buttressed by the leader of Chibok Community in Abuja, who said the movement was being careful, as it was on record that the Emir of Gwoza, Borno State was killed on his way to the burial of the Emir of Gombe. Ezekwesili, explaining on the visit to Chibok said, “We wrote in May to visit Chibok, but we have not got approval from the NSA. The NSA said visit to Chibok was advised against but we are very, very willing to visit Chibok.” Stating that the movement had not made any presentation to the National Conference on-going on the abducted girls, she stated that the group would continue to elevate the discuss. She said, “We need every stakeholder to join in this rescue. If tomorrow they are not rescued, it becomes a profound sadness to every Nigerian. But if by tomorrow, the 80 day of the abduction they were, it will profoundly increase the confidence the people have in government.”

FJSC places court bailiff on half salary Tunde Oyesina

ABUJA

he Federal Judicial Service Commission, yesterday placed a bailiff of the Federal High Court, Mahmood Idris, on half pay, pending his trial before an Abuja magistrate court. Idris, works with the Abuja division of the Federal High Court. Idris is standing trial before an Abuja magistrate court alongside one Danladi Ademu, said to be a relation to a former Director of Pensions Office at the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, who is facing trial over an alleged embezzlement of N20 billion pension funds. In the Commission's letter of interdiction to Idris with reference number FJRC/5/7/05/19/126 and signed by the secretary, Mrs B. A Bashir, the Commission noted that "following the trial of the court official before the magistrate court on the allegation of forgery of documents, that the Federal Judicary Service Commission, after careful consideration and in accordance with Regulation 52 of the Federal Judicial Service Commission Regulations, that Mr. Idris be

interdicted on half pay pending the determination of his case at magistrate court". Idris was alleged to have committed forgery with Ademu following the bail granted by a judge of the court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, to Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, who is standing trial for alleged embezzlement of pension funds. In an attempt to fulfil the bail conditions, Dr. Teidi's sureties had provided documents purporting to be title deeds for a property whose value is equal to the bail sum. In compliance with the directives of Justice Adeniyi Ademola, the deputy chief registrar of the Federal High Court wrote two letters for verification of the certificate of occupancy submitted by Teidi's sureties with number 42/42/82 dated 4th February, 2002 issued in favour of Engineer Attah Ossian Ahaba in respect f plot number 24, Block V, Federal Gover nment layout, Gwarimpa, Abuja, and certificate of occupancy number 211/24/97, dated 11th August, 2003 issued in favour of Onum Ofitu, in respect of plot number 18, feudal government layout, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

50 WORLD | NEWS

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ethiopia facing flood of S’Sudan refugees, says UN

thiopia is facing a huge wave of refugees from South Sudan, where the spectre of famine threatens to heap further misery on a people already blighted by civil war, the UN’s food aid agency warned yesterday. “The numbers are increasing exponentially in a very short period of time,” said Abdou Dieng, head of the World Food Programme’s Ethiopia operations. More than 158,000 South Sudanese refugees have already crossed the border to reach camps in neighbouring Ethiopia, according to UN figures released yesterday.

At least 1,500 more are arriving every week, and the UN forecasts South Sudanese refugee numbers could double to 300,000 by the end of the year. “The situation is not improving in South Sudan, so we expect that they will continue to come. If there is a famine in South Sudan, as many people think there will be, that will push more people to come into Ethiopia,” he told reporters. All told there are currently almost 570,000 refugees largely women and children in camps in the country. Apart from the South Sudanese, most are from Somalia, which huge numbers

fled amid conflict and a 2011 drought, and Eritrea, where mounting numbers are escaping the iron grip of the country’s regime. “The government has a policy that they call the ‘open-door policy’ for refugees. Ethiopia today is hosting one of the biggest refugee numbers, without talking too much about it,” said Dieng. The UN needs around $20 million (14.6 million euros) per month to help feed refugees in Ethiopia, but is facing a massive funding shortfall and fears that its coffers will be empty by October, he added.

South Sudan only gained its independence from Sudan three years ago after decades of fighting, and has been ravaged by ethnically-tinged conflict between rebels and the gov-

ernment since December. The fighting has driven more than one million people from their homes, meaning that many farmers have missed the planting season.

Egypt nabs militants over bombs claimed by different group

gyptian police arrested yesterday four members of an Islamist militant group over bomb blasts near a presidential palace, although another group claimed it had planted the explosives. Two bomb disposal experts, a police colonel and lieutenant colonel, were killed Monday as they attempted to defuse bombs outside the Ittihadeya palace in eastern Cairo. Security forces “arrested four suspected of being involved in the latest blasts that happened near the presidential palace,” a security official said. They were “among the most dangerous terrorist elements of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem) and are being interrogated,” the official added. Three were arrested at dawn in the southern Cairo suburb of Helwan, while the fourth was detained in the capital’s Nasr City district, he said. Sinai-based Ansar Beit alMaqdis has claimed some of the deadliest attacks in Egypt since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July. But the bombs that exploded Mon-

day were actually claimed by another group, Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt), which had warned on Friday that it had planted them. It said then that it had not set off the bombs to avoid civilian casualties, and warned passers-by to stay away from the palace. The authorities claim that groups like Ansar Beit alMaqdis are linked to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which was blacklisted as “terrorist organisation” in December after a deadly bombing north of Cairo. The Brotherhood denied that bombing as well as all other attacks, saying it is resorting to only “peaceful protests” in favour of Morsi. Attacks by militants have killed almost 500 police and soldiers since Morsi’s overthrow, the government says. Egypt marks the anniversary Thursday of Morsi’s toppling. Since then, it has been roiled by unrest, with a police crackdown killing more than 1,400 Morsi supporters. At least 16,000 others have been jailed, and about 200 sentenced to death.

Suicide bomber kills 11 in Afghan capital Refugees from Sudan pose in a camp called Pladama-Ouaka, 10 km from Bambari

France’s Sarkozy faces corruption probe in blow to comeback hopes

ormer French President Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation yesterday, on suspicions he tried to use his influence to thwart an investigation of his 2007 election campaign, the prosecutor’s office said. The step, which often but not always leads to trial, is a major setback to Sarkozy’s hopes of a comeback after his 2012 defeat by Socialist rival Francois Hollande. The conservative politician denies wrongdoing in a string of investigations where his direct or indirect implication has cast doubt on his viability as a candidate in the 2017 elections. He is due to give a television interview at 1800 GMT. Magistrates are looking at whether Sarkozy used his influence to secure leaked details of a inquiry into alleged irregularities in his victorious 2007 campaign. He is suspected of influence-peddling, corrupting officials, and benefiting from breach of professional secrets, the prosecutor’s office said. The first former president to

spend time in police custody, Sarkozy, 59, was detained for 15 hours on Tuesday before being transferred to appear before investigating magistrates who will run the inquiry. He was then released without bail. Sarkozy “has gone through other ordeals of this nature, he has always known how to fight,” said Paul-Albert Iweins, the attorney for Sarkozy’s own attorney, Thierry Herzog, who is also being investigated for influencepeddling along with a judge involved in the affair. Iweins said the inquiry was weak as it relied on legally questionable phone taps of conversations between Sarkozy and Herzog as well as between Herzog and the president of the French Bar. Sarkozy’s allies cast doubts over the impartiality of one of the investigating magistrates, with Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, telling France Info state radio that Hollande’s government had whipped up “an atmosphere of hate”.Prime Minister

Manuel Valls dismissed accusations of a plot. Investigating magistrates have a unique and powerful role under French law, both gathering evidence and determining whether it is solid enough for a trial. After the inquiry, the magistrate can drop the case for lack of proof or “charge” the accused, sending the case to trial. Influence-peddling can be punished by up to five years in prison and corrupting officials can trigger a sentence of up to 10 years. It was the second time the ex-president, who lost immunity from legal prosecution a month after he left office in June 2012, has been placed under such a judicial probe. The first was in 2013 but magistrates later dropped the case against him. Six legal cases, including this one, hang over the expresident’s head, a shadow that many in his fractured UMP party believe compromises his ability to lead a comeback in 2017.

Taliban suicide bomber struck a bus carrying Afghan military personnel in Kabul yesterday, killing at least 11 people, officials said, as the militants step up their campaign of violence aimed at undermining the Westernbacked government. The bombing came as the country struggles through its first democratic transition of power, with electoral officials announcing Wednesday that the release of initial election results has been postponed until next week due to allegations of fraud. The blast tore through the green bus blowing out the windows and leaving the interior spattered with blood. Afghan soldiers cordoned off the scene as the bus was lifted by a crane to be carried away. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said eight members of the army were killed and 13 wounded in the blast. Three civilians also were killed, according to Kabul’s criminal investigation chief Gul Agha Hashim. Army Gen. Kadamshah Shahim said the bomber was stopped before he could enter the bus, preventing a higher casualty toll. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack via spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Preliminary

results from a June 14 runoff vote between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai had been due on Wednesday. But the Independent Election Commission said they were being postponed until Monday so ballots from 1,930 polling stations in 30 provinces could be audited because of complaints about irregularities. Abdullah won the first round of voting on April 5 by a large margin, but he says his campaign monitors recorded widespread ballot box stuffing and other efforts to rig the vote in favor of his rival. He suspended relations with electoral authorities and said he would boycott results if they were announced before his complaints were resolved. IEC chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani expressed confidence the five-day delay would be sufficient time to ensure the transparency of the process. “We are under no pressure,” he said. The winner will replace President Hamid Karzai, the only leader the country has known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban. He was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Western officials had hoped for a smooth transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. and allied combat troops by the end of this year.

SPORT

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS

kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

thursday, july 3, 2014

Onazi: Matuidi escapes FIFA action lAs Lazio medics examine Eagles star

before the hour mark of Les Bleus’ 2-0 victory in Brasilia. Despite a request from coach Stephen Keshi for measures to be taken against Matuidi, FIFA’s Disciplinary Commission has decided not to take action against the Paris Saint-Germain midfield-

IFA has decided that France’s Blaise Matuidi will face no further action following his challenge on Nigeria’s Ogenyi Onazi during Monday’s round-of-16 clash. Matuidi, 27, was booked for the wild tackle that saw Onazi, 21, stretchered off just

er who will be available for Friday’s quarterfinal against Germany. Meanwhile, the injury sustained by Onazi against France on Monday was not as bad as first feared. According to Italian newspaper, Leggo, Onazi had a consultation with

Lazio medics on Tuesday, and the club has revealed that he suffered an ankle sprain and did not fracture it. For now, the exact length of spell on the sidelines has not been disclosed, but this kind of injury takes between two and four weeks to heal before the player can resume full training.

Eagleswere unlucky–Omeruo Onazi

Nigeria’s Keneth Omeruo tackle Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko at the World Cup

uper Eagles defender, Keneth Omeruo, has said Nigeria were simply unlucky to have lost 2-0 to France in the second round match of the ongoing World Cup in Brazil. The Stephen Keshi led team conceded two late goals at the Estardo Nacional in Brasilia on Monday to crash of the 2014 Mundial. Omeruo however, said the Eagles were destined to lose the encounter based on the efforts they put into it to get a victory. He said; “We did almost everything pos-

sible, but it was tough for us and I believe they were just the luckier side on the day. We had some good efforts saved and we recorded a good goal that was disallowed. “There should have been a penalty in our favour and a red card for them for a bad tackle, but they never happened. Paul Pogba himself was lucky to just be where the ball went after our keeper managed to parry it. So many things went on for France and these are part of the game.” The Chelsea defender stressed that it was not

the end of the world for the Eagles since there are many young players in the team. “The big advantage of our current team is the youthfulness. Most of us are still very young and we are going to take all that happened here as learning process to get better. A better percentage will still be part of the team as we approach the next Nations Cup and also the next World Cup. “We are taking positives from the competition to get better in future for our respective clubs and the national Omeruo team,” Omeruo added.

52 SPORT

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

FIFA WORLD CUP

Even President Jonathan can’t stop me this time, says Keshi For those still in doubt about the decision of Stephen Keshi to quit as the head coach of the Super Eagles after Nigeria’s loss to France in the second round of the World Cup. He spoke with TheCable at the Brasilia Palace Hotel a day after the ouster. Excerpts: have been trying to do over these past months, but I just cannot continue in this job anymore. To start with, my contract ended with the last match and the Federation never approached me for a renewal. What does that say? It says to me I’m not wanted. I am going to rest, spend some time with my family and then hopefully get another job where I am wanted. Keshi

Knowing what you know now, what would you have done as regards the preparations of the team before this World Cup? I would have loved to have had them in camp a lot earlier. The European season made it a little bit difficult as I did not want to have only half of the squad in camp before the others joined. We had less than two weeks to perfect our plans and it showed as it was only when we got to the tournament that we started picking up our rhythm. We had only three friendly matches which are really not enough to get ready for a tournament like this. So, those are what I would have loved to change. Have you really quit your post? Yes. I have done my bit. I am tired of all the intrigues and backbiting and insinuations I get. The criticisms are nothing really because even siblings criticise each other. In this job sometimes it goes overboard and my family and those of my players get called names. I have had to tell the players many times to ignore those criticisms and just focus on the tasks at hand.

After the AFCON win, President Goodluck Jonathan intervened and sorted things out. What if he does this time? As much as I respect and appreciate the number one citizen of the country I am afraid that this time it is going to be difficult. I am totally done with some of these people.

If you were the Sports Minister of Nigeria what is it you will do or try and put in place to make the job of the national team coach a lot easier? Make the federation pay his salaries on time and those of his assistants. Build a training centre and facility for the national team to train. We never had anywhere decent to train. The Abuja National Stadium is filled with sand and the worst kind of sand. That means when someone goes to the ground he will have skin wounds. I and my assistants spend our own money to buy training cones and some of the things we use for training sessions. In most countries of the world when a coach is hired he There are many Nigerians who support you. Many who brings in his own coaching team. Well would like to see you continue the work you started with for two years now I have been told to the team. Can you not change your mind for them? pay the salary of my assistant Valery The same people who were calling for my head after Houandinou, someone who has been the Iran match? That “the World Cup is too big for Kes- with me from Togo through to Mali – hi”? I know there are many who truly support what we where those countries paid his salary as well as mine. In two and half years, I had no official residence. I stayed in a hotel. I had no official car. I thank God for Chief Mike Adenuga for those two cars he gave to me after the AFCON win. However, these federation officials will continue to trumpet that “they gave Keshi everything to succeed”. Mali is one of the poorest countries in Africa, but I was given my place of residence and an official car within three days of my taking on the job. I also had a house in Togo and was never owed salaries.

Keshi in action

What will happen to the young players you have built up into internationals as it means that Nigeria is losing out on the continuity that your staying on would have brought? Well, there is a nucleus of a team to work with there, so a new coach will have the players there. In my mind I could set out two equally strong squads with the players available to me. However, the new coach might

President Jonathan honours Keshi after winning AFCON

Super Eagles celebrating goal at the World Cup

come in and say that these players would not fit into his style and so it will be. Not going to be my problem again (smiles). Clearly your experience with Togo and Mali has helped you at this job? Oh, without a shadow of doubt. God took me to those countries to give me the experience of dealing with people. It is far more difficult to work in your own country I have just found out. When I qualified Togo for the AFCON and the World Cup I got their national honour and diplomatic passport. Such was their gratitude. They make you comfortable and of course results followed. God was awesome in taking me through that route. Did you take a risk with the squad you took to the tournament? I did not take a risk. From the training camp and from the friendly matches I chose the play-

ers I believed would give me what I wanted on the field. People say I took players to sell them and I laugh. Michael Babatunde has not even started playing. Ramon Azeez will be a top player and he has a big heart. It is unfortunate for Reuben Gabriel that he has suffered a lot with injuries because he has all the attribute of a super player. Many Nigerians who are sincere know his qualities. I trust that he will come through. But would you be his or their coaches then? No. My job with Nigeria is done. I just hope who comes in will give them the opportunity to showcase their talents. When I took over, there was no standing team and I had to build from scratch really, but am gone. I have loved serving my country, but I believe I am done.

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

News Updates Last eight a success for World Cup refs unfair Les Bleus – Deschamps to African teams –Toure es Bleus of France Lschamps, coach, Didier Dedenies a

quarter-final exit at the FIFA World Cup would be a failure for his team. Deschamps said he was proud of what his side had achieved so far and believes even a last-eight exit would be considered a successful tournament. “In any case, we haven’t failed at this World Cup. That’s for sure,” he said. “Now we’re here. I am very proud that this team of France is found there. The players deserve it. “With what they did from the beginning. I repeat, it’s a great pleasure for me and my staff to be with them every day. To see them, to direct and accompany them, at times.” France were unable to watch Germany’s 2-1 extra-time win over Algeria due to having to travel. But Deschamps said “comprehensive analysis” would still be completed before the clash in Rio de Janeiro.

Deschamps

aya Toure has told France Football that no-one cares about the ‘injustices’ suffered by African teams at the World Cup. Toure’s Ivory Coast side missed out on a spot in the last 16 in Brazil after suffering a last-gasp defeat by Greece in their final group game. Ivory Coast appeared to be heading into the knockout stages until Greece were awarded a penalty in stoppage-time after Georgios Samaras was fouled by Giovanni Sio. Samaras scored from the spot to send Greece through, but Toure was unhappy with the decision which cost his team. The Manchester City midfielder believes that Ivory Coast should have been awarded penalties earlier in the World Cup, but that people are not concerned by what happens to African teams.

“I desperately wanted the referee to spot the simulation of Samaras,” Toure told France Football. “Once again, the refereeing was not on our side. We had at least two penalties turned down during our game against Japan. This time, one is invented against Greece.

Yaya Toure evading a tackle from a Greek defender

osta Rica goalkeeper, Cfatigue Keylor Navas, said will not be an is-

sue ahead of their FIFA World Cup quarter-final with the Netherlands. The Central American nation takes on their more-fancied Dutch opponents in Salvador on Saturday, having defied the odds to reach the last eight after topping Group D, before a round of 16 shootout triumph over Greece. Navas was the star of the shootout, saving Theofanis Gekas’ wellstruck attempt, as the Levante man continued a stellar personal campaign. And the custodian, who has played all 390 minutes for Costa Rica in Brazil, said he and his team-mates were not tired after their surprisingly lengthy campaign. “We’re fine. In a competition like this it is logical that the player wears slowly, but there are days of rest, massage and oth-

er things to recover and prepare for the next opponent 100 per cent,” Navas said. “I think this will be one of the most beautiful games of our lives, we want to win and although we know we are facing one of the world powers, we have shown how we have to play. We know that anything can happen, but the team is there to win.”

Navas

Belgian coach relieved to survive US scare

coach Marc Messi hoping ‘mother luck’ Fernandinho hoping to Blateelgium Wilmots was scared in his team’s win the United States, sticks with Argentina stop ‘red-hot’ Rodriguez over but feels they deserved rgentina captain, Lionel on their slice of luck as they ernandinho is wary the hosts in Fortaleza. to advance. Acapitalise “We had at least 15 Messi, urged his side to prepare to face Belgium in of the threat James Brazil midfielder Ferscoring opportunities, on their lucky the quarter-finals. break at the FIFA World Cup after setting up Angel di Maria’s 118th-minute winner, as the South Americans edged past Switzerland 1-0 in their round of 16 clash at the Arena de Sao Paulo. Blerim Dzemaili almost forced penalties after Di Maria’s goal, hitting the post with a header and poking the rebound wide. Messi said his team was desperate to avoid a shootout and wants them to capitalise

“Like everybody I was very nervous because we couldn’t score. We knew if we made a single mistake we would have been going home,” he said. “We didn’t want it to go to penalties. We suffered, suffered and suffered, all of us. We started to think it wasn’t going to happen. “But at the end we had luck on our side and now we have to take advantage and move on.”

Klinsmann hails ‘phenomenal’ Howard States coach, Jurgen Klins- ter-finals for the first time since 2002 UTimnited mann, heaped praise on goalkeeper after extra-time goals from Kevin De Howard following the team’s Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku guided round of 16 loss to Belgium on Tuesday. The USA fell agonisingly short of reaching the FIFA World Cup quar-

Howard(left)

“Of course, it does not upset anyone because it only concerns an African team. Who really cares about the injustices of an African team? “This mistake deprives us of something huge. It is a scandal that unfortunately does not seem to bother many people.”

Fatigue not an issue for Costa Rica – Navas

Belgium to a 2-1 win in Salvador. American substitute Julian Green ensured a nervy finish with a 113thminute goal. Despite coming close to a lasteight clash against Argentina, Belgium threatened to run away with the match, if not for the heroics of Howard. The 35-year-old thwarted Marc Wilmots’ men on numerous occasions, making 15 saves - a World Cup record that surpassed the 13 set by Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga in 1978. “I have to say that what Tim Howard did tonight (Tuesday) was phenomenal, outstanding and amazing,” Klinsmann said afterwards. “He kept us in the game. He had an absolutely amazing match and you have to give him all the plaudits. That said we had chances to equalise, but congratulations to Belgium.”

Rodriguez will pose against Brazil, but is confident his side has the mental strength to see off Colombia and reach the World Cup semi-finals. Rodriguez has been one of the stars of the tournament so far and scored twice in Colombia’s 2-0 victory over Uruguay to take his goal tally to five in four games. The 22-year-old Rodriguez, signed by Monaco from Porto for a reported £36million last summer, has scored five goals in four games, and will be looking to carry his form into Friday’s quarter-final against

nandinho has been aware of Rodriguez’s potential for some time and is determined to keep him quiet. “I played against him in the Champions League. It was at the start of his time in Europe and he wasn’t yet a first-choice for Porto,” said Fernandinho. “Already in that game he showed his technical quality with his left foot.” Fernandinho added: “In this World Cup he is showing everyone that the money Monaco paid for him was well invested. The less space he gets against us, the better it will be for Brazil.”

so we deserved to go through, even though it was scary to the very end,” he told reporters. “The players fought hard for this qualification and dug deep. All of Belgium can celebrate this quarterfinal.” Lukaku had a major impact after coming on at the end of regulation time, setting up De Bruyne before scoring himself. “Romelu was going through a difficult time and had received a lot of criticism after recent games, but I had prepared him well for this match,” Wilmots said.

We deserved our victory -Benzema

rench striker, Karim Benzema, on Tuesday said that the Blues were the better side on Monday in the second round match in which Nigeria lost 2-0 to France. Benzema noted that France were clearly better in all aspects and that the Nigerian team was only fighting hard to avoid humiliation. He said; “Nigeria did well but they played

mainly to stop us or reduce the score rather than playing to win the game. It was a matter of time for us to score the goal and it came. “The mistake we could have made is to concede to Nigeria or to be frustrated. We were calm and we controlled the game. After getting the first goal we pushed forward and got the second. We deserved our win.”

On the crucial quarterfinal game against Germany, Benzema said it would be tough for both sides. “At this stage, it is going to get more difficult for all the teams. We have a great team that can go all the way and if one is thinking about trophy, tough oppositions will be on the way. We are going to put in our best to scale the hurdle,” he said.

54 SPORT

Samba notes from Brazil Compiled by Adekunle Salami Eagles disappoint fans

The support given to the Super EaglesagainstFranceattheEstardo Nacional in Brasilia was out of this world. In all my life as a journalist covering football matches, I have never seen such for Nigeria not evenonhomesoil.Braziliansintheir traditional yellow shirts all over the stadiumwereshoutingN-I-G-E-RI-Aallthroughthematch.Theywere also booing the French team. Even afterthematch,therewasastandingovationfortheteamastheplayersacknowledgedcheersandmade theirfinalexitfromthecompetition. So sad that Eagles did not at least get a goal for the massive support they got in Brasilia. The fans were asking questions after the match.

Small cars everywhere

I have been observing the roads andrealisedthatpeoplehereinBrazil are used to riding small vehicles unlike in Nigeria where wealth is displayed on the road with the type of vehicles you ride and how many you have. These people are still riding Fiat and the old Volkswagen that is now off Nigerian roads. The taxi drivers are mainly using Fiat while private owner too are using small cars. Most of them move about in public buses and metro. I have not seen people riding SUVs here. I only see a few parked outside apartments. The vehicles FIFA is using for the ongoing competition for the officials are also small cars in keeping with the tradition of the Brazilians.

Kanu mobbed by fans

The legacy of Nwankwo Kanu in the round leather game is evergreen. On my way to Brasilia, a Brazilian fan spoke to me about his hatred for Kanu. “He denied us Olympic gold in 1996 and since then we are yet to get it. He was too sleeky. You won’t take him seriously but he could hurt you. He is a great player though, no doubt about it. People love him here but I don’t” He is just one out of millions. Many others adore the Nigerian football legend. In Porto Alegre, he was walking into the stadium and when they spotted him, he was mobbed and it took security men some time to help the former player. Our correspondent later learnt the same thing happened in Curitiba shortly before the Nigeria, Iran game. “It has been like that everywhere he goes,” Chief Segun Odegbami said.

Ticket racketeering

Football fans are really going crazy for the round leather game. They are ready to spend fortunes to watch the games. Some desperate fans were ready to pay as much as $5,000 for the Nigeria, Argentina game. Sad enough some of them were fraudsters. A case was that involving a member of the supporters club. He sold his ticket for 3,000 dollars and to an Argentine fan. He was happy and the fan was happy. But just the nest day when he went to the Bureau De change to convert the dollars to Reias, they weresaidtobefake.Hewasheldfor fraud and it took some officials of the body time to save the situation. Atthebusstationandevennearthe stadium,somepeoplewillwearbibs advertisingthatticketsareavailable for sale. Even though it is illegal, racketeers are all over the place.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Brazil: Supporters in political brawl Dan Atori Brazil

he political crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Supporters Club ahead of its election of the new executive board took a new twist, as the incumbent chairman, Vincent Okumagba, got involved in a brawl with two of the supporters of his opponent, Samuel Ikpea, in a Brazilian restaurant on Monday. According to a source, Okumagha was almost physically attacked by two members of the

club whom he advised to board the club’s luxury bus after their refreshment at the Graal Highway Restaurant in Brasillia. One of the members (name withheld) told Okumagba that though he’s the acting chairman he couldn’t order him to go into the bus. ‘Keep your mouth shut; you do not have any right to order me,” he reportedly shouted at Okumagba “You will not win, I will go in when ever I wish, Rev. Ikpea is our Chairman and he will defeat you. You can never be our Chair-

man, I have been looking for an opportunity like this and if you try come near me I will beat you up,” the angry member said. Another accomplice reportedly jumped down from the bus and ignited the feud further when he went straight to Okumagba threatening to give him a slap if he tried to come near the bus. The source told our correspondent that although the feud was resolved that day, some influential members of the club engineered the crisis because of the elections.

AWC: Falcons know opponents July 19 Ajibade Olusesan

uper Falcons will know their group opponents in the next Africa Women Championship as the draw for the tournament holds in Namibian capital, Windhoek on Saturday. According to Confederation of African Football, eight nations are in the draw namely: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Oth-

Okon

ers are Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and hosts

Namibia. The final tournament will be held from 11th through 25th October and will also serve as the continental qualifier for the 2015 FIFA Women World Cup to be held in Canada. Super Falcons have won the tournament a record six times, but will not be heading to Namibia as defending champions after a poor outing at the last edition of the tournament two years ago in Equatorial Guinea.

Brazil 2014 Round of 16 Fixtures Saturday June Saturday June Sunday June Sunday June Monday June Monday June Tuesday July Tuesday July

28 Brazil V Chile 3-2 (P)5pm EstadioMineirao, Belo Horizonte 28 Colombia V Uruguay 2-0 9pm Maracanã, Rio De Janeiro 29 Netherlands vs Mexico 2-1 5pm Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza 29 Costa Rica vs Greece 5-3 (P)9pm Arena Pernambuco, Recife 30 France vs Nigeria 2-0 5pm Estadio Nacional, Brasilia 30 Germany vs Algeria 2-1 9pm Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre 1 Argentina vs Switzerland 1-0 5pm Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo 1 Belgium vs USA 2-1 9pm Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

QUARTER-FINALS Friday July 4 Brazil V Colombia ? - ? 5pm Friday July 4 France V Germany ? - ? 9pm Saturday July 5 Netherlands V Costa Rica ? - ? 9pm Saturday July 5 Argentina V Belgium ? - ? 5pm

Maracanã, Rio De Janeiro EstadioCastelao, Fortaleza Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador Estadio Nacional, Brasilia

SEMI-FINALS Tuesday July

[W57] V [W58]

9pm EstadioMineirao, Belo Horizonte

Wednesday July 9

[W59] V [W60]

9pm Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF Saturday July 12 [L61] V [L62] FINAL Sunday July

[W61] V [W62]

9pm Estadio Nacional, Brasilia

8pm Maracanã, Rio De Janeiro

Transfer Updates Barca, Liverpool meet over Suarez

arcelona have finally made an opening B move in their bid to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool by arranging a meeting with Reds

chief executive Ian Ayre. Speculation surrounding the Catalan club’s interest in the Uruguay international,currently banned for four months for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, has been rife for several weeks. However, following the 27-year-old striker’s apology – in which Barca are suspected to have had a major influence in procuring – the La Liga side has stepped up their pursuit after Ayre met with Barcelona officials in London on Wednesday to listen to their proposals.

Di Maria weighs up EPL offers

ngel Di Maria is weighing up offers from the A Premier League with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all interested in the Argen-

tine winger. The Argentine also has offers from France and Italy with Paris Saint-Germain thought to be slight favourites to sign the player. Of the English clubs, Arsenal are reportedly going to make the biggest push to land Di Maria, while United are at a disadvantage because the player does not fancy living in Manchester. Whilst Chelsea are also known to be interested, Di Maria is indifferent about a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.

Sporting Lisbon sign ‘Baby Messi’

yan Gauld, the Scottish teenager who R has been nicknamed “Baby Messi,” has joined Sporting Lisbon on contract which

has a 60 million-euro buyout clause. The Portuguese club has signed the 18-year-old from Dundee United for an undisclosed fee. The attacking midfielder, who has agreed a six-year contract, is a Scotland under-21 international and reportedly attracted attention from several major English clubs before signing for Sporting. Gauld scored eight goals in 38 games for the Terrors last season, helping them reach the final of the Scottish Cup.

Chelsea announce deal to sign Costa

helsea have reached an agreement to C sign striker Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid, the Premier League side has an-

nounced. The Spain international had long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and now the Blues have confirmed they have met t h e buy-out clause for the 25-year-old. Brazil-born Costa was a prolific scorer for Atletico last season as they won the Spanish title and reached the UEFA Champions League final, which they lost in extra-time to Real Madrid. Costa duly emerged as the leading summer transfer target for the Blues, and it is believed the transfer fee will be in the region of £32 million.

Levante want Atletico to improve Navas’ offer evante have warned Atletico Madrid L that Keylor Navas will not be sold on the cheap and they must improve their

offer for the goalkeeper. 27-year-old Navas has been one of the stars of the FIFA World Cup where he is featuring for Costa Rica, conceding just twice in four matches in Brazil. The Spanish champions have apparently set their sights on a deal for Navas to replace Thibaut Courtois, who is to return to Chelsea after three years on loan at the Vicente Calderon.

Man United launch £30m for Cuadrado

anchester United have launched a M £30m bid to beat Arsenal and Liverpool to Juan Cuadrado. Fiorentina only

recently acquired Cuadrado’s full registration after buying out Udinese’s stake in the winger. But it now seems they could be it ready to try and make a quick profon the Colombian, who has impressed at the World Cup in Brazil. United’s bid is substantially higher than either Arsenal or Liverpool’s who had previously considered making a move for the 26-year-old, but their bid still falls short of Fiorentina’s valuation, according to reports in Italy.

SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ambrose: 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers next target

Ambrose

uper Eagles defender, Efe Ambrose, has urged Nigerians to support the team in the quest to qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup in Morrocco, while pondering on Nigeria’s World Cup outing in Brazil. The defending Africa Cup of Nations champions will begin qualifiers for the tournament in Morocco in September, and will meet South Africa, Sudan and either Congo or Rwanda in their group. “I believe that in time this will be the best team Nigeria will ever produce,” he said. “We have to give ourselves credit for the deter mination, the zeal and the will power to win, we proved a point at the

World Cup. “We will carry on from here; there are AFCON qualifiers and the next World Cup.” Nigeria finished as runners up in Group F behind Argentina to book their third appearance in the knockout stages at the expense of BosniaHerzegovina and Iran. However, as in 1994 and 1998, Nigeria tumbled out at the second round after a 2-0 defeat to France in Brasilia. In their previous two appearances at the global showpiece, Nigeria failed to win a single match and finished bottom of their group which Ambrose, who played every minute in Brazil, believes shows the progress they have made.

Sports Minister tasks NFF on Keshi’s contract

he Sports Minister/Chair, National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy Danagogo has described as untrue the purported resignation of Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi as widely reported in the media shortly after the team lost 2-0 to France at the on-going World Cup in Brazil. In a statement signed by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Patrick Omorodion in Abuja, the minister said, “it is not true

that Keshi has resigned. He France may be his last with told me that he never said them as his contract had exso, that his contract only expired with the World Cup. pired. I expect the NFF to do the needful.” According to the minister, Keshi should be treated with some respect by the football administrators who should first discuss the matter of his contract with him before making it a press issue. Meanwhile, Keshi has also refuted the story, stressing that he only told the players that the match against Danagogo

… As NFF plans to offer improved deal he Nigeria Football FederaTphen tion plans to offer coach SteKeshi an improved deal

that will pay him seven million Naira a month (over $43,000), top officials have revealed. This plan comes amid confusion whether or not Keshi has quit his post. But AfricanFootball.com has also learnt that the NFF has a plan B to hire a foreign coach to be assisted by a local man and this would be if Keshi turned down the new contract tabled by his employers. Keshi however, said he never resigned, but rather

he is now a free agent as his contract ended with the World Cup in Brazil. “I was made to realise that I was still on as long as the World Cup was there. Once the World Cup was over, I was no more there. “No one from the NFF offered me a contract, so what do you want me say? To keep shut? I need to let the world know that I’m a free agent, I can go anywhere until otherwise.” Keshi has since left for the United States of America to reunite with his family.

EagletsexpecttoughgamesinCairo coordinator of the NigeThashe ria U17 team, Prince Udofia, said that the Eaglets ex-

pect to play two tough friendly matches against the Junior Pharaohs in Cairo. The U17 side played two games against the Egyptians in Kaduna, and jetted out earlier on Wednesday for a twolegged return in Cairo. ‘ We are expecting a more difficult game in Cairo,’ Udofia said. ‘ Of course, the Egyptians would want to avenge their last defeats against us but our team has really improved over time.

‘ It is going to be competitive and I think it would be good preparatory matches for our qualifiers against Congo,’ he added. Last May, the Golden Eaglets handed a 3-2 and 3-1 defeats to the Junior Pharaohs in Kaduna and the return leg in Cairo would see the two sides do battle twice again on July 4th and 6th. Before departing Kaduna last time, Egypt’s coach Gamiel Mohammed Ali vowed to avenge their losses and it remains to be seen how plausible that is given the strength of Golden Eaglets at the moment.

Rangers confirm Amapakabo as new coach nugu Rangers have Emediate announced the imappointment

of Imama Amapakabo as the chief coach of the team. The tactician resumed official coaching duties of the Flying Antelopes on July 1st, 2014. Amapakabo has had Nigeria Premier League stints with Sharks FC and Enyimba FC. A top official of the club said: “We are delighted to have brought in someone with Premier League experience to bring out the best in our squad.” “We have a great team and we believe Amapakabo can allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.” When questioned on the current status of John Obuh in the team, the official declined to comment.

Wimbledon 2014 Djokovic moves into semis after beating Cilic

ovak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the fifth consecutive year, coming back to beat 26th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-2 Wednesday. The top-seeded Djokovic, the 2011 champion and 2013 runner-up at the All England Club, has reached at least the semifinals at 16 of his past 17 Grand Slam tournaments. He improved to 10-0 against Cilic, who was in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. On Friday, Djokovic will face No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated defending champion Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Djokovic has won six major titles.

Djokovic

Federer keeps hopes of eighth title alive Federer may never have Ranoger a better chance of claiming eighth Wimbledon title and 18th grand slam after winning his all-Swiss last-eight encounter with Stanislas Wawrinka to move into the semi-finals. With Andy Murray, who had been the defending champion, swiftly following Rafael Nadal out of the tournament, Federer saw to it personally that another of his rivals for the All England Club crown was chalked off the list. Federer came from a set down to see off Australian Open champion Wawrinka 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 33 minutes on Centre Court, reaching his ninth Wimbledon semi-final. He hasn’t Federer lost a single one of them.

Murray tittle defence over ritish and Wimbledon deBMurray, fending champion, Andy will not be retaining

his crown after he was outplayed by Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court in the quarter-finals. Dimitrov, 23, played superbly to win 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in two hours and one minute and reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Murray had been on a 17-match winning streak at Wimbledon and was looking to reach his sixth consecutive semi-final. It is the first time since 2008 that he has failed to make the last four.

Murray

Serena pulls out of doubles with illness her exit in the ladies was clear something was Aberfter single, Women world num- wrong with her from the one, Serena Williams, moment she began trying was forced off the court in the Women’s double due to illness. According to report, it

Serena

to warm up for her doubles match. Serena, the 32-year-old world number one singles player, called the doctor to Court One just after she and Venus had warmed up for their second round women´s doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stephanie Voegele. She broke down in tears as she consulted with the doctor and physio before the tournament referee and supervisor were also called to court in a reflection of her status in the sport.

World Record

On Marble

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

– Confucius

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

Sanctity of Truth

THURSday, JULY 3, 2014

Clear and present danger

igerians have never had it so bad. Of all the challenges the country has faced since independence in 1960, the greatest danger to our collective interests stems from terrorists’ acts which, lately, appear to be too overwhelming for the government. In 2010, a Gallup Global poll rated Nigeria as having the happiest people on earth. Where those behind the poll got their statistics from is still shrouded in mystery because that was the year ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ was forcefully implemented to recognise Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as acting President when those who didn’t want to accept that the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had become too incapacitated to continue in office almost made the country ungovernable. However, the error in the global poll manifested two years later (2012) when the United Nations’ survey on national mood rated Nigerians as the 100th happiest people in the world. Since then, the happiness (if any) in the country has nosedived dangerously. Today, rather than being happy, it can safely be argued that Nigerians are the most endangered group of people because the situation in the country is like what happened in Somalia in 1991 when Siad Barre was overthrown. Some Nigerians, aided by forces of darkness, are killing fellow Nigerians. Pitiably, every mass killing is now attributed to Boko Haram. While that may be true to some extent, the rapidity, intensity and swiftness with which agents of darkness are spreading violence in the country, especially in the North, is a sign that the terror campaign has been hijacked. Even at that, there are many unreported cases of killings, murder, assassinations and other vices. The country is at the receiving end of a demonic onslaught against innocent and defenceless citizens by blood-thirsty maniacs whose only mission seems to be to destroy the Nigerian state. One doesn’t need to be a prophet to know that Nigeria is heading the way of Somalia if something urgent is not done to halt the drift. In this war, nobody is spared. The poorer you are, the more affected you will be. The photograph used in this piece is that of a blind man and his wife sitting in front of their house, burnt by some gunmen who attacked Nahuta Village, Dandanko District, Bauchi on Monday night. Pray, what is the offence of this man and his wife? If there is an example of the senselessness of the current Boko Haram insurgency in the country, this is one. The danger is clear and present. Everybody can feel it. Even if you are not related to victims, at least, you read newspapers. You watch television. You listen to radio. You go on to the internet. Obviously, these killers are not bound by rational constraints that regulate the conduct of men and women in a sane society. Their modus operandi is to continuously unleash mayhem, overwhelm the system and pose significant threats to the interests of the country. To ensure effectiveness and efficiency, their attacks are carried out by small, close-knit groups, difficult to detect in advance, despite intelligence efforts. I am sure that was what happened in the case of the Chibok girls’ kidnap.

N150

TALKING TOUGH GABRIEL AKINADEWO gabyfola@hotmail.com - 08023010222 (sms only)

If the aim is to bomb a strategic location, stealthily, some of their members will plant the explosive and quickly disappear, a la the EMAB Shopping Plaza, Abuja bombing last Wednesday. In this senseless war, schools, churches, mosques, markets have been bombed. Men, women and children have been kidnapped. Politicians, opinion leaders and clerics have been assassinated. A journalist, Northerner, Muslim and Managing Editor (North) of New Telegraph, Suleiman Bisalla, was added to the list of their victims Wednesday last week in Abuja. It is going to be a waste of precious time to list all the terror attacks in the country since 2009 but the latest happened on Tuesday at the busy Monday Market in Maiduguri, Borno State. Many travellers and shoppers were killed. Before the explosion, when people saw the ‘evil’ van, the impression was that it was on a delivery mission because it was loaded with charcoal. What can be done to stop these attacks? In the 1994 spy thriller American movie ‘Clear and Present Danger’ directed by Phillip Noyce and produced by Mace Neufeld, President Bennett said on Colombian drug cartels: “The drug cartel represents a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States”. The capacity of the U.S. to deal with direct or indirect danger to its national interest was shown in the movie as American forces were forceful and merciless in crushing the drug cartel menace. In Nigeria, do we have the capacity to deal with this menace called insurgency?

Khagendra Thapa Magar is the world’s lightest living person. Just 600 grams (21 oz) at birth, he weighs as an adult 5.5 kilograms (12 lb; 0.87 st) and measures 0.67 m (2 ft 2 1⁄2 in) and also considered the shortest living adult.

What can be deduced from the activities of the insurgents is that so far, they have been able to maintain absolute secrecy about their network. They are also, among others, using terror to foster insecurity among Nigerians and drive the populace to them. That was exactly what members of Al-Shabbab in Somalia did, prescribing death sentences on Somali caught watching football matches during the South Africa 2010 World Cup. It was so bad that just a few Somali, in heavily-guarded areas, watched the world cup. Some politicians will only be fooling themselves if they think this insurgency is President Goodluck Jonathan’s problem. Although they are Nigerians, many of those killed so far are not related to the president. The earlier we know that this is a collective problem, the better for everybody. At least, I know that Bisalla was not related to Jonathan. He hailed from Plateau (North-Central), rather than Bayelsa (South-South) where the president comes from and he was a Muslim, unlike Jonathan who is a Christian. Many may not believe it but the insecurity in the land partly borders on the penchant of human beings to do evil. Everybody read in the papers two weeks ago of a so-called spiritualist who buried a mother and daughter alive because of money. Many Nigerians are perpetrating evil everyday all in the name of seeking power or wealth. As churches and mosques are springing up, evil men and women are increasing and God has a way of punishing luciferic people. If you read Judges 9:23,

God Himself sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem because of their wickedness. Also, Amos 3:6 asks: “...shall there be evil in a city (country) and the Lord hath not done it?” Some Nigerians are satanic and the number of political, religious, social, ethnic and business crimes being committed in the country now seem to be geometrical. How many men of God are ‘real’ men of God? Since God has not created anybody He cannot deal with, the earlier people return to God, the better. Also, the army of miscreants, criminals, roughnecks, rascals and unemployed youths in the country is a recipe for disaster. Jonathan does not deserve blame for this, but the failure of previous administrations to address socioeconomic vices for decades. We are in a perilous situation in which millions of unemployed youths, just for a few thousands of naira, are ready to take up arms against themselves and their country. Also, how many security agents are ready to die for their country? How do we treat those mandated to protect us and defend the country against external aggression? Recently, I was in the United States and my children could not believe that the building beside a Mall we visited was a police station. When a governor could say publicly that Boko Haram members were better armed than our security agents, that shows the neglect officers and men have suffered for decades. Without security, there will be no development and vice versa. Now that doctors are on strike nationwide and insurgents have vowed to continue their attack, who will save Nigerians? In the agenda of insurgents and their sponsors, there is something more sinister that Nigerians are yet to understand. May God protect our land.

OmoBaba

2015 ELECTION WILL BE BETTER THAN EKITI SAYS REC - News

– By militarising every nook and cranny?

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