Binder1 may 21,2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 92

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CBN frets over excess liquidity, fiscal buffer depletion lLeaves MPR, CRR unchanged Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday expressed concern

over the surge in liquidity and depletion in fiscal buffers, which may exert pressure on foreign exchange and consumer prices if not controlled with the desired

policy instruments. Consequently, the banking watchdog kept the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 12 per cent, the level it has been since No-

vember 2011, stressing the need for stability in the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting before the incoming Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, assumes duty on June 1. MPR is the benchmark

rate by which the CBN determines interest rate and it indirectly influences other interest rates in the economy, The decision to leave all the policy measures unchanged matched the

forecasts of the economists surveyed by New Telegraph. Rising from the 95th session of the MPC, which ended yesterday in Abuja, acting CBN Governor, Dr. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 5

118 killed in Jos twin bomb blasts lJonathan, Tambuwal condemn attacks lPresident orders repair of Chibok school, Shettima donates N150m to escaped schoolgirls, families Page }2 l10 die in Boko Haram attack as police arrest two over Kano explosions

Scenes of the explosion in Jos …yesterday.

Some of the victims being taken to the hospital…yesterday

Senate ratifies emergency rule extension Chukwu David and Philip Nyam

he Senate yesterday unanimously ratified the request by Presi-

dent Goodluck Jonathan to extend the state of emergency imposed on the crisis-prone states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe for another six months.

The approval, however, came with nine conditions, which include a monthly briefing of the Senate by service chiefs, the National Security Adviser and the

Minister of Defence; the presentation of supplementary budget to enable the military combat insurgency; adequate welfare of the troops; provision of in-

tervention funds for the affected states and special recruitments into the armed forces of screened and vetted youths, particularly C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

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118 killed, 64 injured in Jos bomb blasts Buhari Bello, Musa Pam, Anule Emmanuel, Ahmed Miringa and Shola Adefuwa

series of blasts yesterday shattered the relative peace in Jos, the Plateau State capital, killing no fewer than 118 persons. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Coordinator (North-Central), Alhaji Abdulsalam Abubakar, confirmed the figure late last night and also put the number of the injured at 64. Earlier, the police, which put the number of injured at 45, had said 46 people died. The blasts occurred in densely populated parts of the town, raising speculations that the death toll may be higher than the 46 confirmed by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe. Already, a report by Agence France Presse (AFP) quoting a source put the death toll at about 200. Notwithstanding the figures, the state government said it was not in a hurry to confirm how many people died in the incident. The incident attracted instant condemnation from President Goodluck Jonathan who has also

ordered the repair of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, where about 274 students were kidnapped over a month ago. House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, also denounced the attack on Jos. The first explosion had gone off in the centre of the market around 3.28 p.m., while the second followed about 14 minutes later. “The casualty figures have not been ascertained because the figures are still being collated from various hospitals,’’ the state’s Commissioner for Information, Olivia Dazyam, told reporters in Jos. She however said the figures would be made available “as soon as possible”. The commissioner said security agents had been drafted to the scene of the blasts and advised hospitals to accept the victims and begin treatment immediately. “Full investigation has begun on the incident. But we want people to be calm and pray, especially for the victims. “We also want everyone to support the authorities

in these trying times,” she said “The first IED (improvised explosive device) was in a truck. The second was in a minibus,” said Kingsley Egbo, of the military State Task Force (STF) in the state. “The market was really crowded,” he added. “We are having a problem of crowd control… The emergency services have evacuated the casualties,” he told AFP. Commander of the STF, Maj-Gen. Dave Enetie, also confirmed the blasts but did not give further details. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted an eyewitness, Peter Amine, as saying the first explosion went off in the centre of the market, while the second followed about 14 minutes later, adding that the incident occurred during peak business hour. “We were inside the market when I heard a loud explosion at about 3:28 p.m. “Before I knew what happened, a vehicle part landed just by my legs,’’ he said. According to him, a thick dark smoke engulfed the scene, thus compounding the already chaotic sit-

uation as horror-stricken persons ran in all directions. NEMA, however, said the casualty figure was catastrophic. “I can’t tell you the figure of those killed by the blasts now, because we are still evacuating bodies from the scene. “The only thing I can say is that the casualty figure is very massive. It is a catastrophe,” Alhaji Abdulsalam Abubakar, the NEMA Coordinator (North-Central), told NAN in Jos. Abubakar said both explosives were loaded in parked cars. “The bombers parked the cars and left the explosives to detonate. It was in the market and at a peak period. So, you can only imagine what could have happened,” he said. He said dead bodies and mutilated human parts were being deposited at the old and new Jos University Teaching Hospitals, as well as the Plateau Special Hospital. “There are also a massive number of people injured. We have conveyed some to various hospitals,’’ the NEMA official said.

He said that an idea of the number of casualties was only possible after the rescue operation. “We will have to first finish the operation and then visit the various hospitals. For now, we are only picking dead bodies all over the place,’’ Abubakar added. Condemning the blasts, the president who unfolded fresh plans by the Federal Government to combat terrorism, expressed sadness over the incident. Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, briefing State House reporters yesterday, also said Jonathan had approved the rebuilding of the Chibok secondary school where the schoolgirls were kidnapped Her explained that the Federal Government will also fortify security in Borno schools and other parts of the country vulnerable to terrorists activities. “The Federal Government of Nigeria will rebuild the Chibok School and fortify security in schools. In collaboration with the UN SecretaryGeneral’s Envoy on Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

35oC 24oC Partially Cloudy

PORT HARCOURT

24oC 12oC Partially Cloudy

KANO

41oC 24oC Mostly Sunny

ENUGU

34o C 24oC Thunder Storms

IBADAN

31oC 23oC Storms

CALABAR

33oC 24oC Storms

MAIDUGURI

42oC 26oC Mostly Sunny

ONITSHA

33o C 24oC Thunder Storms

L-R: Managing Director, Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria Plc., Mr. Peter Eshikena; Chief Executive Officer, Friesland Campina, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mr. Gregory Skikas; Chairman of the company, Mr. Jacobs Moye-Ajekigbe, and Mrs. Oyinkan Ade-Ajayi, during the 41st Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Senate ratifies emergency rule extension CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

those in the ‘Civilian JTF’ who will receive emergency training and deployed in the troubled zone to beef up the strength of the troops and win the hearts of the locals. The Senate approval came five days after the House of Representatives had approved the president’s request to extend emergency rule in the three states that have become the epicentre of

Boko Haram insurgency in the country. House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, however, shed light on why the lawmakers agreed to extend emergency rule in the three states. This came as Nigeria opened another flank in its efforts to mobilise the world against Boko Haram, with a request to the United Nations to blacklist the terror group, which among other atroci-

ties, kidnapped over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State and has been fingered for the abduction of some 10 Chinese workers in Cameroun. As a result of the abduction of the Chinese workers, believed to have been brought to Nigeria, China yesterday expressed concern about the incident and urged authorities to protect its citizens in their domain. However, contrary to

expectations of a stormy session in the Senate following the opposition to the president’s request by northern senators, the request to elongate the martial rule in the state had a smooth sail. This was however made possible by a series of meetings held by the Senate leadership with senators before the matter was formally considered at a plenary session. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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

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IG orders nationwide security audit of boarding schools Emmanuel Onani

he Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered commissioners of police of state commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to carry out a detailed security audit of boarding schools nationwide with a view to preventing any terrorist attack on them. The order, made public in a statement yesterday by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Frank Mba (CSP), came against the backdrop of the abduction of over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State that has attracted international attention to Nigeria and weekend’s purported letter by Boko Haram to attack Government College and Mount Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School both in Makurdi, the Benue State capital. Mohammed told the police commissioners to carry out “security audit and threats analysis of all boarding schools nationwide.” The outcome of the security audits, according to the statement, will assist the police and other security agencies to develop strategies to ensure safety and security in the schools.

“It is equally expected that the result of the consultations, threat analysis and the attendant security awareness campaigns will help in reducing the vulnerability of the schools and strengthen an otherwise soft terror target,” the statement added. To ensure the success of the security exercise geared toward intelligence gathering, the statement said the police commissioners will “work in conjunction with other security agencies, the ministry of education of the various states across the country, the management and staff of the schools, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), the host communities and other stakeholders.” The IG however reassured the citizens that the police, along with other security agencies, will spare no effort in protecting the lives and property of Nigerians. Meanwhile, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, has branded Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the schoolgirls in Chibok as “despicable.” “In a deep sense, the actions of Boko Haram represent the complete

antithesis of the values inherent in education,” Lagarde told a gathering of women leaders at the National Democratic Institute in Washington on Monday. “For their action degrades the dignity of the human being, while education uplifts, enflames, and

ennobles the human spirit. “This is why groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, which kidnap and sell into slavery young girls who simply want to go to school, are despicable — they themselves should be found and forced to go to school for life,” a report by the Agence France Presse

(AFP) yesterday quoted her as saying. Lagarde joined the global call to free the girls, who were snatched from their school at gunpoint over a month ago. “Let us join our voices to the voices of the world, and let loose an impassioned plea: bring back

our girls, bring back our girls. Respect our girls,” she said. The extremist Islamist group has faced global condemnation over the abduction while several countries, including the United States, France and Britain, have offered Nigeria help to find them.

L-R: Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, presenting a souvenir to the UNDP Country Director, Dr. Pa Lamin Beyae, during a visit to the governor in Minna…yesterday

64m

The number of girls that are child brides worldwide in 2013. Source: Unwomen.org

N2.4bn

The internally generated revenue of Yobe State in 2011. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

94%

The percentage of male internet users in Norway in 2012. Source: Itu.int

Senate ratifies emergency rule extension with nine conditions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Principal officers of the Senate first met with senators from the affected states and later went into a closed session that lasted about two-and-a-half hours. When the chamber was opened to the public after the closed-door session, the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, read the motion for the extension of state of emergency in the three states as earlier requested by Jonathan. Leading debate on the motion, Ndoma-Egba noted that the Senate had earlier on November 7, 2013 considered and approved the extension of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. He explained that by virtue of the provisions of Section 305 (6) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999, the proclamation would elapse after the period so approved, except the period was extended by the National Assembly. He stated that the Senate recognised that the security situation in the three states remained daunting in the face of

persistent attacks by Boko Haram on civilian and military targets with alarming casualty rates. The Senate Leader therefore urged the Senate to approve the extension of the state of emergency as contained in the emergency powers (General) Regulations, 2013 effective in the affected states. Ndoma-Egba said by the Senate approval, the emergency rule would remain in force for another six months in accordance with the terms, conditions, content and context as earlier passed by the National Assembly. Senate President David Mark commended his colleagues for their cooperation and pains taken in the discussion that took place and the subsequent approval. He said: “Let me also say emphatically here that we have requested that certain issues be resolved as quickly as possible. “We stand shoulder to shoulder behind our colleagues from all the states affected. We take this in the same vein that we are all equally affected and that this is a national issue

and not a sectional issue in any form.” However, before a vote was taken on the president’s request, the senators gave the nine conditions that formed part of the prayers contained in the motion which was later approved without any opposition. These include the Federal Government expanding the military cooperation and collaboration with the international community on the rescue of the Chibok girls to the overall arrest of the ugly incidence of terrorism in Nigeria; ensuring proper kitting and arming of the armed forces deployed to arrest the insurgency and adequate care of troops; full military operation be undertaken on sustained basis to root out the insurgents and the Federal Government in conjunction with state governments should come with an Economic Marshal Plan to revive the economically and educationally backward parts of the country. Briefing journalists after the plenary, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Af-

fairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, said the Senate held a closed-door session in order to arrive at a consensus on the issue. He added that some senators, who initially had reservations about the extension, were able to table their grievances which were addressed, resulting in the unanimous passage of the emergency rule. Also speaking on the position of the House on the emergency rule, Tambuwal explained that the need to provide a legal framework for the war against terrorism and to consolidate on the successes recorded in recent past informed the approval given to the president’s request. Tambuwal told the Botswana High Commissioner in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Louis M. Fisher, who visited him yesterday in Abuja that the approval would also assist all foreign countries that have indicated interest to help Nigeria find the abducted girls and to overcome other security challenges confronting the country. He said the House was working closely with oth-

er arms of government to ensure the rescue of the schoolgirls. Meanwhile, Nigeria has formally asked the UN Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee to blacklist Boko Haram. A report yesterday by Reuters quoted U.N. diplomats as saying that if there is no objection by the 15-member council committee, which operates by consensus, Boko Haram will be sanctioned tomorrow. “It’s difficult to object to such a request by the concerned country,” said one of the council diplomats. Until recently, Nigeria has been reluctant to seek international assistance in combating Boko Haram. The document submitted by Nigeria to support its blacklisting request references a bomb attack on the United Nations’ headquarters in Abuja on August 26, 2011 that killed 24 people, diplomats said. It also described a “campaign of violence against Nigerian schools and students” by the group and references other attacks on schools last year, ac-

cording to diplomats. Earlier this month, the UN Security Council threatened to take action against the insurgents and the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, urged the body to work quickly to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group. Also yesterday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “highly concerned” that suspected Boko Haram rebels from Nigeria had abducted Chinese workers in Cameroun, and urged authorities there to step up protection for its citizens. “We are maintaining close communication with Cameroun and other relevant governments and request that the relevant countries carry out the rescue efforts of Chinese businesses,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, told a daily news briefing yesterday, according to a report by Reuters. “We also request that the relevant country’s government earnestly safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel in the area and increase their protection.”

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Sanusi loses bid to overturn suspension lCourt declines jurisdiction to hear suit

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

uspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, yesterday lost his bid to upturn his suspension as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declined jurisdiction to hear his suit challenging the powers of President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend him from office. The trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, however transferred the case to the National Industrial Court for adjudication. In declining jurisdiction, the court held that the CBN is a creation of the National Assembly and by that it is an agency of the Federal Government in line with Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Kolawole further held that Sanusi by inference is an agent of the Federal Government and that the issue of his suspension has become a labour-related matter. The court, however, invoked Section 24(3) of the National Industrial Act NIC 2006 and thereby transferred the case to the Industrial Court for adjudication so that all the issues raised by both parties can be resolved there. On the Inspector General of Police’s inclusion in the suit, the court held that the plaintiff has no cause of action against the IGP. The court therefore struck out the name of the IGP as a party in the suit. Justice Kolawole further held that the plaintiff was able to establish a cause of action against President Goodluck Jona-

than and the Attorney General of the Federation. Sanusi, after his suspension, had approached the court to challenge his suspension. He had joined President Jonathan, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the IGP as defendants. The plaintiff in his argument, through his counsel, Kola Awodein (SAN) submitted that the president lacked the powers to unilaterally suspend the CBN governor despite his alleged offence. He argued that the president’s exercise of the executive powers provided in the constitution was subject to the Act of the National Assembly. He contended that the president was expected to exercise his power to remove the CBN governor

in accordance with the provision of the CBN Act. Defence counsel, Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Solomon Umoh (SAN) had while arguing the preliminary objections, urged the court to strike out the suit because it was employment-related and that the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter. They argued that by virtue of Section 254(1)(c) of the Constitution, the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdictional powers to hear the case. The defence counsel further argued that the plaintiff’s claims were caught by the exclusivity conferred on the National Industrial Court by Section 254(1)(a) of the constitution. On the main suit, they argued that the suspension of the plaintiff by the president was within his powers. They contended

L-R: Nnenna Ukeje; out-going Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Nigeria, Rasheed Aldhahari, and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, during a visit to the National Assembly, Abuja… yesterday

CBN frets over excess liquidity, fiscal buffer depletion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Sarah Alade, said members expressed concerns over internal risks faced by the economy, which include security risk, anticipated high elections spending in the run-off to the 2015 general election. Alade, who presided over the last MPC in acting capacity, said the committee unanimously retained all policy measures. The MPR was left at 12 per cent, Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) on public sector deposit retained at 75 per cent and CRR on private sector deposit at 15 per cent around +- 200 basis points. CRR is a portion of banks’ deposits kept by banks with the CBN. She said the committee resolved to retain the fundamentals due to relative

stability that had endured in the economy. “The committee noted with satisfaction Nigeria’s overall domestic economic environment, which has remained stable. The key challenge for policy, in the committee’s view, was that of sustaining and deepening the outcomes of existing policy and also seeking to bolster Nigeria’s foreigncurrency reserves,” she added. The nation’s foreign reserves have slumped 15 per cent this year, adding to speculation that the midpoint of the currency peg may be lowered from N155 per dollar. Reserves at about $38 billion covers nine months of import requirements, Alade said. The acting CBN gover-

nor noted that core inflation has continued to send unfriendly signals since January 2011 and if the upward trend continues as observed in April 2014, it could be a major factor in the upward trend in prices. An erosion of fiscal buffers “has accentuated the regime of persistently high interest rates, elevated demand for foreign exchange and declining reserves accretion,” she said. The naira weakened 0.6 per cent to N163.48 against the dollar as at yesterday, taking its decline this year to 2 per cent. The MPC “remains rightly concerned about the erosion of fiscal buffers,” Head of Africa Research at Standard Chartered in London, Razia Khan, said in e-mailed

comments. It “will need to remain vigilant, watching emerging risks closely, with a preparedness to act in the future.” Speaking on her brief tenure as acting governor, Alade described it as a turbulent start but noted that stability endured at the end. “In the past two months, especially from the last MPC and from February when we had that turbulent period, we have observed stability in the foreign exchange market, the money market has remained stable and we can also see what is happening in capital market. I think we have achieved stability, which the committee is very pleased about,” she said.

that the CBN was an agency of the executive arm of the Federal Government, whose powers as contained in Section 5 of the Constitution is vested in the President. They contended that the plaintiff is a public officer and an employee of the Federal Government by virtue of his appointment, and so was not immune to the control of the President. They argued that the President, in suspending Sanusi, did not terminate his employment, but merely asked him to step aside to enable the Financial

Regulatory Council of Nigeria (FRCN), a statutory body, perform its role of investigating allegations of procedural and financial breaches raised against him. The defence counsel noted that the suspension was intended to enable an unbiased investigation of allegations that Sanusi awarded contract of about N163billion, amounting to 63 per cent in excess of the CBN’s authorised share capital. They urged the court to hold that the president acted within his powers and dismiss the suit.

118 killed in Jos twin bomb blasts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

and the private sector, the government will launch the “Safe Schools Initiative” which will address security issues; re-build the destroyed schools; and provide equipment and materials” he added. According to Abati, “The programme will ensure rapid deployment of relief assistance to the affected local government areas and communities. This will include provision of food supplies, medical supplies, basic relief commodities, and conditional cash transfer programmes for affected households.” The president also directed relevant government agencies to begin the distribution of emergency relief assistance, including intensification of ongoing relief assistance programmes by NEMA in partnership with donor agencies. Tambuwal also condemned yesterday’s multiple bomb blasts and described the attacks as acts of cowardice that have no place in civilised societies. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal urged security agencies to redouble their efforts s to fish out perpetrators of the attacks. He equally appealed to members of the public to provide the security agencies with useful information that will help investigations. He urged Nigerians not to despair, saying the current security challenges bedeviling the nation will soon be over. Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, yesterday said the doubt over the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls and the theory that his government staged managed it was as painful as the actual abduction. The governor, who ap-

proved N150 million for the rehabilitation of the 53 schoolgirls who escaped from the abductors and for the traumatised parents of all the abducted schoolgirls, said it was a sad narrative that Nigeria was paying more emphasis on politics than finding solutions to the nation’s numerous problems. He spoke just as Boko Haram struck again, killing some 10 persons and burning several houses in Shawa village of Damboa Local Government Area of the state. A resident, Usman Shawa, told New Telegraph on phone that the gunmen who came on motorcycles invaded the village on Monday. He said: “The gunmen who came at about 6p.m. yesterday (Monday) and opened fire on anybody they met and also setting houses, shops and market stalls on fire, killing at 10 people after looting our foodstuffs and fled unchallenged.” The state Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was not available to confirm the story as calls to his phone were not going through. It was also learnt yesterday that two men have been arrested in connection with a suicide car bombing in Kano that killed four. “Two suspects are now in custody in connection with Sunday’s bombing in Sabon Gari,” Kano police spokesman Musa Magaji Majia told AFP. Majia said the pair were arrested by people at a bus station in the city that was previously attacked by Boko Haram militants after they overheard them talking about the bombing. “They were apprehended and the police station there alerted, which led to their arrest and transfer to the police headquarters,” he added.

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PDP accuses APC of stalling President's visit Stories by Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is planning to disrupt President Goodluck Jonathan's visit to the state on Thursday. In a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, in Ado-

Ekiti yesterday, the party alleged that the APC, having failed to stop the PDP from holding its mega rally, was now planning to disrupt the event. He alleged that the antics of the APC government in the state was to cause confusion to dissuade people from coming out en masse to welcome the President. According to the statement, the APC and Governor Kayode Fay-

LG workers assure governor of support THUMBS UP

Local Govt workers say they are backing Fayemi who is a 'promise keeper' Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

ocal government workers in Ekiti State under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) have assured Governor Kayode Fayemi of their support in the coming election in the state. The workers gave the assurance at a meeting with the governor, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ado-Ekiti yesterday. The local government workers, who spoke through their representatives, stated that they knew Fayemi as a promise keeper, who had remained true to all the promises he made to them during the 2007 electioneering and in the various meetings the workers have had with him since he assumed office in 2010.

Speaking at the forum, Mr Itadare Leke, said the council workers were desirous of continuous partnership with the governor beyond 2014 because Fayemi would not reverse many of the good welfare packages he had provided for the workers when reelected. While explaining that the reforms made by Fayemi in the local government system were painful at the initial stage, Itadare said the reforms had now paid off with the Fayemiled government lifting many bars that had hindered the council workers from having career progression. He said: "We are desirous of staying with you. We know that Kayode Fayemi will never say what he will not do. We know he will not reverse the various policies he has put in place: The appointments of administrative secretaries, cancellation of the of bar for officers on level 16 to progress to level 17; readmission of sacked workers and overseas training opportunities are some of the things we have benefitted under Fayemi. We are convinced these will continue when he is re-elected."

Group chides Bamidele

head of the June 21 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, a pressure group, Ekiti Good Governance Forum, EGGF, has criticized the candidate of the Labour Party and member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, over what it described as his poor performance in the National Assembly. They also questioned his inability to make his salaries available to the constituents as pledged during his campaign. The group, in a press statement made available to New Telegraph, signed by its Coordinator, Kola Adeleye, said all the claims of good performance in the National Assembly by Bamidele, was

false, adding that visits to sites of his acclaimed projects have only revealed lies “as nothing is found on ground.” Adeleye challenged Bamidele to identify 10 persons he assisted throughout his 12-year tenure in the administration of Lagos State, saying he was always avoiding anyone in need of his help, “especially his Ekiti men and women.” He said: “Without sounding malicious, all Honourable Bamidele has been claiming is nothing but blatant lies to deceive and confuse unsuspecting members of the public to curry their favour during the June 21 governorship election in which he is the candidate of the Labour Party.

l You are raising false alarm-APC emi had mobilised thugs and members of their party to foment chaos in Ado-Ekiti to create an erroneous impression that the president was not welcomed and that the PDP was unpopular in the state. In its reaction, the APC, through its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Segun Dipe, said the PDP was

678,309

only raising a false alarm. "Ekiti PDP is becoming frivolous and Ekiti people are getting tired of their frivolities. Our pact is with the people not with PDP. Rather than coming up with phantom allegations all the time, they should make their campaign issue-focused by telling the people what they had done before and what they in-

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

tend to do again," he said. The PDP also alleged that the APC leadership recruited about 1000 thugs, to dislodge PDP chieftains from the state before the June 21 election and were also to move around the capital of the state on the eve of the president's visit to cause crisis. The PDP further alleged that the Wife of the Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi had been instructed

$US88bn

The total expenditures of Western Pacific region on diabetes (20 – 79 years) in 2013. Source: Idp.com

to organise a 'bring our children back' street walk in the state capital as part of the grand plan to scuttle the president's visit. The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Yemi Adaramodu, was said to have recruited and given thugs being accommodated in a hotel along Ilawe-Ekiti Road, substantial amount of money to cause trouble in the state on the eve of the rally.

3.88m

The total population of Los Angeles, United States in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Ekiti State Labour Party governorship candidate, Opeyemi Bamidele, at a township rally in Ogotun Ekiti, Ekiti South West.

Fayose challenges Fayemi on street popularity

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has challenged the State Governor, who is also the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the coming election, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to a street-walk in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Fayose, who threw the challenge in a statement issued by the Director General, Ayo Fayose Campaign

Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, yesterday in Ado-Ekiti said; "the street-walk will show to the public, who is more acceptable to Ekiti people and who has been rejected by the people." The PDP candidate said the walk should start from Fajuyi-Park, running through Ojumose, Oja-Oba, Old-Garrage, Ijigbo, Ajilosun, Ekute road, Atikankan and Okeyinmi areas of Ado-Ekiti.

"We have challenged Fayemi to an open debate on the education sector and we are again challenging the governor to a street-walk in Ado-Ekiti. "Let the governor test his popularity and acceptability on the streets of Ado-Ekiti, and let the PDP candidate also test his own. "Fayemi should choose the date for the street-walk and he should take off from Fajuyi Park first, while we

follow after ten minutes, without supporters of either of the party. "Let us now see who will be booed and who will be hailed by the people of Ekiti State. "Let us also see who has been rejected by the people of Ekiti between Fayemi and Fayose, and we hope Fayemi will accept this challenge that we have thrown at him, if he is so sure of his popularity and acceptability among Ekiti people."

Ekiti police ready for Jonathan, Buhari’s visit

he Ekiti State Police Command has said it is battle ready for the visits of President Goodluck Jonathan; former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and other top politicians to the state this week. Disclosing this in a telephone interview in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Felix Uyanna, said antibomb experts have been deployed in and around places where the people

would visit. President Jonathan and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders are expected in the state on Thursday to formally present the party's candidate in the coming poll, Ayodele Fayose, to supporters and the people of the state. Also, leaders of the All Progressives Congress including Buhari are expected in the state on Wednesday to also present the APC can-

didate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to the people of the state. Uyanna said his men had also been deployed in strategic points across the state to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order. The two rallies are to hold at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in AdoEkiti, the state capital. Uyanna, who spoke through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Victor Babayemi, added that his men had

also commenced a stopand-search operation on all vehicles to prevent any explosive device from being brought to wreak havoc on the people. The CP stated that the command was quite aware of the enormity of the President’s visit and the calibre of people that would visit the state, assuring that the two rallies would be devoid of rancour and breakdown of law and order.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

INDICTMENT

Federal Government not sincere in fight against terrorism, party alleges Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Federal Government of insincerity in its fight against terrorism and efforts at rescuing the over 250 school girls in Chibok, Borno State. That was even as the leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said that Nigerians would want the girls returned alive. The APC, however, said it remained committed to a non-partisan approach to end the scourge of Boko Haram. Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday at the end of the party’s 10th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, APC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the insincerity by the Federal Government has manifested clearly since the tragic abduction of the school girls. He lamented that the government has refused to reach out to the APC on how to forge a common front against the terror

Boko Haram: FG not taking us along-APC T

Commerce Secretary leads US mission to Nigeria, Ghana Tony Okuyeme

l Tinubu demands release of abducted girls group, despite the party’s incessant efforts to reach out to the government. His words: “We make bold to say that the Federal Government has been very insincere in its persistent call for national unity to combat the despicable Boko Haram sect. “This has been manifest, perhaps more than at any other time, since the tragic abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok over a month ago.” But while speaking to journalists separately, Tinubu, while leaving the venue of the APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting stressed that all options must be taken by the government to bring the girls back alive quickly. “We want them alive; you know it is a national thing that we have said several times. All options must be examined to bring them back quickly alive and out of the trauma. It’s a national tragedy” he said. Speaking on the call for extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe

and Adamawa states, the APC leader queried the effectiveness of the previous emergency rule in those states. He argued that what Nigerians want from the Federal Government is sincerity and commitment to protect their life and properties noting that he has not really understood how the emergency rule has achieved its goal. His words: “Extension of emergency rule: I don’t know what it has fetched us, how effective it has been? What we want is security for this nation from bottom up and transparent manner which to protect lives and properties of all citizens. Whether martial law or emergency what has it produced till date? We have had a second round of emergency; is it ceremonial, is it intentional? What have we achieved with previous declarations of state of emergency? We just want it in a gazette. The result justifies the means. It is not the state of emergency; it is the ac-

tion, commitment and effort to achieve the goal. The goal of this country that is important. Safety first; security; we have every member of the armed forces involved is committed to the unity and safety. So what is an emergency about is what I have not been really able to dissect and understand that this emergency has effectively delivered the goal. It has not” On the involvement of international community to rescue the girls and combat terrorism, Tinubu welcomed the involvement saying “the offer by the international community to help is welcomed. “It is very good if we utilise it effectively to enhance the capacity of our armed forces, to equally learn new things and then improve the security around our various institutions particularly the school system. That is about the limit of it. We would have to do things, learn things and be able to develop ourselves transparently. "

Tambuwal asks UAE to unravel Toba’s death Philip Nyam Abuja

peaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, has urged authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to do everything humanly possible to find the killers of Toba, son of popular Nigerian sports presenter, Aisha Folade. Toba was allegedly murdered in the Middle-eastern nation. Speaking when he received the outgoing UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Rasheed Aldhaheri, Tambuwal told the envoy to ensure

that justice was done in order to serve as deterrent to others that may be planning to perpetrate such an inhuman act in the future. Tambuwal said Nigeria and UAE have had a long standing relationship as such; both countries must strive to strengthen it. He called for more investment and participation of businessmen in the UAE in Nigeria so as to ensure that the relationship existing is beneficial to the two countries. In his remarks, Ambassador Aldhaheri said so far, he has not received any official communication from the Ministry of

ABUJA

ormer Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has dragged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to court over an alleged malicious and defamatory publication against him. Also included in the case filed at an Abuja High Court were PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh and ThisDay Newspaper. El-Rufai, who is the also the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressive

Party (APC) is claiming the sum of N1.5 billion from the defendants as general damages for injury, embarrassment and distress he suffered in respect of the loss of reputation and goodwill as a result of the said publication But PDP in a reaction said it will not be intimidated and is ready to meet el-Rufai in court. The party's National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo said the party is ready to defend its integrity and Nigerian's nascent democracy. The Plaintiff, in his statement of claim, told

the court that the defendants in the said publication dated March 17, 2014, unlawfully, maliciously and recklessly caused to be published that "there was sufficient evidence to show that states controlled by the APC and its chieftains had benefited from the financial recklessness of the suspended governor (of the Central Bank). "Specifically, PDP cited the issuance of an APC chieftain, ostensibly, the former Minister of FCT, Nasir El-Rufai, who collected N1.5 billion diverted to APC to enable it open offices across the federation".

he U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, is leading 20 American companies on an Energy Business Development trade mission to West Africa, specifically to Ghana and Nigeria. Secretary Pritzker arrived in Lagos yesterday for a three-day visit. According to a statement from the U.S. Consulate General, Public Affairs Section, this Trade Mission will promote U.S. exports and expand U.S. companies’ presence in Africa by helping American

firms launch or increase their business in the energy sector. It added that the firms joining the mission have the expertise that will help African countries develop and manage energy resources and systems, as well as build out power generation, transmission, and distribution. “In line with President Obama’s U.S. Strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa, this mission is an opportunity to connect U.S. company products, services and expertise to support Africa’s enormous power potential,” said Secretary Pritzker.

SARS to quiz suspected mad man found with arms Juliana Francis

he Lagos State Police Command has arrested a suspected mad man in possession of arms and ammunition. It was gathered that the man was apprehended at Gowon Estate area of Egbeda by a group of youths. Residents said the suspect had been known for long in the community as a mad man, thus the youths were shocked after a nylon bag in his

possession fell down and guns were noticed. The youths grabbed and took him to the police station. A source said that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Gowon Police Station, while interrogating the suspect, discovered that his words were incoherent. Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, adding that the man was arrested on Saturday.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA FEDERAL MINISTRY OF LANDS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT MABUSHI, ABUJA

Foreign Affairs in relation to the alleged murder. He said he can only act upon the matter if a formal complaint has been filed by Nigerian authorities. According to him, investors from his country are willing and ready to do business in Nigeria, but so far technicalities in trade agreements were standing in the way of possible dealings. He, however, expressed confidence that very soon, a bilateral agreement will be agreed upon to open a new window of opportunity for citizens of the two countries.

Defamation: el-Rufai sues PDP for N1.5bn Onyekachi Eze

RE: INVITATION FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL TENDER FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 2014 CAPITAL PROJECTS

REF: FMLHUD/PROC/TA/56/I EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR BID COLLECTION/ SUBMISSION/OPENING Interested Bidders and the General Public are invited to refer to the Ministry’s: • Advertisement Published in the Daily Trust Newspaper of Thursday, March 27, Thisday Newspaper of Friday, 28th March, 2014 and Federal Tender Journal of 7th April, 2014; • Addendum published in the Daily Trust/Thisday of Monday, 5th May, 2014 and Federal Tender Journal of Monday, 5th May, 2014; (Please, note that the reference to the Tender Journal of 31st March in the Addendum is regretted); and • Corrigendum published in the Daily Trust and Thisday Tuesday, 6th May, 2014, and to note that Deadline for Bid collection/submission of Departmental Projects has been extended to 12.00noon Thursday, 5th June, 2014, while Bids opening commences at 12 noon same day and • Bid Collection/Submission of MDG Projects has been extended to 12.00noon Thursday, 19th June, 2014, while bid opening commences immediately at 12 noon, same day. • LOT D51:- The title of Lot D51 has been modified as in the Bid Document. Bid submission closes at 12.00noon, Friday 6th June, 2014 while Bid opening commences immediately at 12 noon same day. Every other instruction/information remains unchanged. The Ministry regrets the inconveniences this may cause the bidders.

Signed: PERMANENT SECRETARY

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

PDP takes over Adamawa Assembly Ibrahim Abdul

Yola

he political structure Tyesterday in Adamawa State suffered a

setback with three members of the state House of Assembly defecting from the All

Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Those who defected are Hon. Wafarninyi Theman of Hong Constituency, Hon. Simon Issa of Song Constituency and Hon. Abubakar Jarengol of Mubi North Constituency.

Announcing their defection yesterday under matters of personal explanation, the lawmakers, who were elected under the platform of the defunct ACN and CPC, said after consultation with their constituencies, they were advised to move to the PDP.

Bulem declares governorship ambition in C’River Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR) and civil society groups protesting over Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) in Lagos…yesterday PHOTO:SULEIMAN HUSAINI

NURTW: Balogun condemns Ajimobi’s disparaging comments Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

of the Peoples Aandchieftain Democratic Party (PDP) Ibadan High Chief,

Senator Lekan Balogun, yesterday flayed Governor Abiola Ajimobi over what he called disparaging comments made against him in some newspaper reports on Sunday. Described as the “un-

founded and disparaging allegation against him,” Senator Balogun said he strongly suspected that the misinformed position of the governor might have been reinforced by his recent intervention in the face-off between the present Chairman of the NURTW in Oyo State, Taofeek Oyerinde and Mukaila Lamidi, a factional NURTW chairman, who was last week arrested by

police from the Lagos State command. The governor had on Sunday in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, expressed shock that “a top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in the state, Senator Lekan Balogun, who is also the Osi Olubadan, should descend so low as to be the spokesman of the wanted man.”

Release of Chibok girls, not negotiable – Women group Sola Adeyemo s the search for the over 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, continued to gain global attention, a group, ‘Women for Change Development Initiative,’ Oyo State chapter, has said that the release of the girls was not negotiable.

Coordinator of the group, Chief (Mrs.) Yetunde Ajibola, made this known yesterday at a prayer session to end the seven-day fasting and prayer programme for the release of the abducted girls held at its secretariat in Ibadan. According to Ajibola,

the fasting and prayer programme was to further sustain the tempo on the call for the release of the girls and to seek divine intervention.” She said they would not get tired until the girls are released, adding that the Boko Haram group was ignorant to have thought of advancing terrorism.

Lagos needs 5000mw for stable power supply Muritala Ayinla agos State government yesterday said it would require nothing less than 5,000 megawatts of electricity to attain power stability in the state. Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, who made the disclosure at

the 2014 Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja, also decried the poor energy conservation in the state, saying the state loses N1 billion to poor power conservation. He said the figure on the megawatt needed in the state was a result of a power audit recently conducted

by the state government to ascertain the exact power requirement to guarantee stable power. Tijani, however, pointed out that only 1, 000 megawatts was being supplied from the national grid, blaming the deficit for the inadequate power supply in the state.

Osun Assembly appeals to striking workers to resume Adeolu Adeyemo

OSOGBO

isturbed by the refusal Dtertiary of workers of the four institutions in Osun State to suspend their three-month-old strike despite the directive of the state government to that effect, the state House of Assembly yesterday appealed to them to comply

with the directive. The Assembly said the legislative arm of the state has set up a high powered committee headed by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Akintunde Adegboye, to bring all parties in the crisis to the negotiation table. The legislators, in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butika,

in Osogbo, said the state Assembly took the step to resolve the industrial dispute between the workers of the two state polytechnics and two colleges of education. They, however, charged teachers and non-teaching staff of the four institutions in the state to suspend the strike as the state would work on their demands.

Clement James

Calabar

frontline politician AChief in Cross River State, Francis Bulem, yesterday declared his intension to run for the governorship of the state,

promising to concentrate on entrepreneurship. Briefing newsmen in Calabar on Monday, Chief Bulem said his decision to come out was prompted by his desire to continue from where Governor Liyel Imoke stops.

He said: “After consulting people across the length and breadth of the state, I have discovered that a lot of goodwill has been generated. Yes, I had the desire, which translated into intension, which has finally led to my formal declaration.

‘How ‘Wonder Bank’ operator swindled me’ Joseph Onyekwere witness yesterday told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos that a ‘Wonder Bank’ operator, Fortune Etaba, defrauded him of over N2 million, in the guise of money doubling.

The witness, Matthew Chukwu, is also a complainant in the suit against Etaba. He was giving evidence at the resumed trial of Etaba, charged with N9.8 billion fraud. Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr. Effiong Auquo, the witness told

the court that he came in contact with the accused in 2009. He said an agent of the accused; one Amos had approached him in his place of business at the Alaba International Market, on November 28, 2009, with an offer of business promotion.

APGA crisis in Awka degenerates Uwakwe Abugu

Awka

member of the House Arepresenting of Representatives Awka

South and North federal constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Emeke Nwogbo and 19

ward chairmen of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are squaring up with some notable stakeholders of the party in the area. The party members were led by Chief Austin Ndigwe, recently passed a vote no confidence in the legislator.

The stakeholders had also purportedly suspended the 19 chairmen of wards in the federal constituency as they also accused the National Assembly legislator of under-performing in his representation of the people of the area.

Battle of supremacy: Taskforce, LASTMA clash in Lagos Muritala Ayinla n what could be described as another looming crisis between the Federal Government and the Lagos State government, a new traffic personnel under the name SURE-P Federal Taskforce yesterday took over major roads in the

state, sacking the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) personnel from managing traffic on the roads. The development caused confusion among the motorists and commuters in the state, wondering which was the more authentic of the two traffic agencies.

The personnel of the federal taskforce, who were dressed in grey and black uniforms, also invaded some of the strategic points in the state, taking over traffic management from LASTMA personnel, who had been managing vehicular traffic in the state since 1999.

INEC ready to distribute permanent voters’ cards in Taraba Sabiu Mustapha

JALINGO

he Independent National T(INEC) Electoral Commission yesterday said arrangements have been concluded for the distribution of the Permanent Voters’ Cards

(PVC) to registered voters in Taraba State. It said it will also commence Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) for non-registered voters in the state. INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Taraba, Austin Eni Oko-

jie, who announced this at a stakeholders’ meeting explained that the distribution of permanent voters’ cards will begin on Friday, May 23, 2014 and end on Sunday, May 25, 2014 at the polling units where the voters earlier registered.

2015: Amaechi, Wike in war of words

$16bn Gas City crisis: Uduaghan inaugurates committee

Joe Ezuma

ASABA

Port Harcourt

he running battle between Governor Chibuike Amaechi and the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, is gradually assuming dangerous dimension. Wike at the weekend accused Amaechi of

corruption. But Tony Okocha, Chief of Staff to Amaechi and immediate successor to Wike in Rivers government House ,berated the minister for descending to base level to be personal in his outbursts against the governor. Addressing chiefs from Ogu Divisional Council of

Chiefs, in Ogu/Bolu Local Government Area, who visited him at his home in Port Harcourt , Wike said that Governor Amaechi was not as transparent and devoid of corruption as he wants the public to believe, alleging, “Amaechi is corrupt and running a government that is also corrupt”.

Dominic Adewole

elta State Governor, Dr Dyesterday Emmanuel Uduaghan, inaugurated a

21-man peace committee to interface in the crisis rocking the host community, Ugborodo, and the Federal Government on the $16 billion Delta Gas City project located

at Ogidigben. Inaugurating the committee in Asaba, the state capital, the Governor charged its members to immediately lay foundation for the truce between the host community and the Federal Government. While handing over the peace process to the offices of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) to maintain his neutrality and give credibility to the process and its outcome, he disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan, as part of his transformation agenda, was committed to the successful completion and takeoff of the Ugborodo Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and would be flagging it off soon.

news

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

GROUSE Crisis in APGA may have stopped the Maxi Okwu faction from making the National Conference Leo Sobechi he All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has complained against what it called the clever exclusion of the party from the ongoing national conference. The party said despite the clarifications made by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on the status and APGA’s leadership, its nominees are yet to occupy their

APGA petitions Jonathan over exclusion from confab seats at the confab. In a petition signed by Chief Maxi Okwu and Dr. Sagir Auwal Maidoya, national chairman and secretary respectively; APGA informed President Goodluck Jonathan that; “It has become necessary to request for your intervention on the exclusion of our great party, APGA, in the ongoing national conference.” APGA further revealed that it was duly invited and requested to nominate two delegates, saying that

though it complied with the request by sending in the names of Chief Chris Uche and Dr. Maidoya, which were consequently published in national dailies, the nominees are yet to regain their seats. The party said it was inviting the President to intervene in the matter, because the party’s leadership dispute, which questioned the nomination of APGA delegates, has been resolved by both the Federal High Court, Abuja and the Court of Appeal,

which rejected the former chairman’s application for stay of execution of the judgement that threw his committee out of office. Part of the letter titled; “Request for your intervention on the exclusion of All Progressives Grand Alliance in the on-going national conference’ reads: “We are on notice that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation advised the authentic National Chairman of APGA, Chief Maxi Okwu and our erstwhile Chairman, Chief

Victor Umeh, to resolve the leadership disagreement in the party vis-à-vis the nomination of delegates to the national conference. “…While the Federal High Court presided by Justice Abdulkadir AbduKafarati, upheld Chief Maxi Okwu as the authentic national chairman of the party on 15th January, 2014, the court also dismissed Chief Umeh’s application for a stay of execution of the judgement on 14th April, 2014. “On 29th April, 2014, the

Court of Appeal dismissed Chief Umeh’s application for a stay of execution of the Abuja Federal High court judgement. The appellate court has reserved judgement in the matter.” APGA further contended: “It is trite that Chief Maxi Okwu is the authentic national chairman of APGA, whose nominees should be allowed to participate in the national conference, aimed at addressing critical issues and challenges affecting our great nation."

NNPC yet to remit N3trn to Federation Account – Kwara govt Biodun Oyeleye

Ilorin

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; Principal, Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu/ Best Principal, Senior Secondary Award winner, Mrs. Abiodun Ogunniyi; Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga and Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Margaret Solarin, during the 8th Merit Award ceremony 2013 of Lagos State Government Education District ll in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

6.78m

The total population of Togo (representing 0.1% of world’s population) in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

51.4m

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

1.4%

The estimated percentage prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in girls and women (15-49 years) of Cameroon in 2004. Source: Blatantworld.com

he Kwara State government yesterday alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has not remitted N3.083 trillion into the federation account from 2011 to March 2014. The development, according to the Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Ademola Banu, is already impacting negatively on the capability of several states of the federation to meet their monthly obligations to workers and contractors. He said Kwara State alone has suffered about N10 billion deficit in allocation due to this development, calling on politicians to prevail on the Federal Government to do something on the issue before it cripples the affairs

of some states. The commissioner also spoke with newsmen yesterday after the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting with local government chairmen in Ilorin. He said the non-remittance of the money into the federation account by the NNPC for distribution to states and local governments had been having a negative impact on them. Banu said the latest incident had forced the state government to augment the allocation to local government councils by some N210 million extracted from the excess crude account that was meant for capital projects, saying otherwise the councils might not be able to meet the salary obligations of their workers.

Catholic diocese, LGAs educate Nasarawa CP wants cooperation Tax: Plateau govt threatens between media, police citizens on voters’ register to seal off MDAs, others Uwakwe Abugu

Awka

he Catholic Diocese Tgovernment of Nsukka and local councils in

the state have embarked on measures to educate the people about the coming voters’ register revalidation exercise scheduled for next week. This followed the outrage that greeted last week’s revelation that some 621 polling booths, having the names of about 40 percent of the voters are missing in the voters’ register for Enugu State. While the church has commenced the enlightenment exercise using the priests in the 144 parishes and two worship centres in Nsukka Catholic Diocese, all local government councils in the state have been directed to hold

public enlightenment exercises in response to the emergency situation. Most of the stakeholders were believed to be bracing up for protests should the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insist on giving the state only four days within which to go for the revalidation of the names of the people in the register. They would want nothing less than two weeks; “Because you can see that whatever caused this huge embarrassment, it is capable of robbing our people of their voting rights if not handled firmly now,” said a source at the Nsukka Catholic Diocesan secretariat, after a meeting of the Diocesan Political Enlightenment Commission that specifically addressed the development.

Ahmed Tukur

Lafia

asarawa State Police NIbrahim C o m m i s s i o n e r, Idris, has called

for synergy between the media and the police for effective crime prevention. The police commissioner made the call in a chat with the leadership of the correspondents chapel and some selected elders of the chapel in his office in Lafia. Idris said both journalists and the police should collaborate to ensure effective policing that could reduce crime rate in the country. He particularly urged journalists to put behind them the issue that led to the arrest of one of their colleagues, so that they can both work for peace in the society.

“Journalist will do a lot of good if they crosscheck their facts before going to the press, because inaccurate information can mislead the public and create confusion.” He also called for closer cooperation between the police and the general public in a bid to ensure effective policing. He explained that public involvement in security was crucial to the curtailment of criminal activities. “The police would cooperate fully with any organisation or group that added value to its service.” He added that the present leadership of the Nigerian Police was prepared to work with any group towards ensuring the protection of their lives and property of its citizens.

Musa Pam

Jos

State government Pseallateau yesterday threatened to off the offices of federal

MDAs and other corporate organisations over the N10 billion tax liabilities owed it between 2005 and 2010. Chairman, Plateau State Internal Revenue Service (PSIRS), Mr. Samuel Pam, revealed this to New Telegraph in Jos. According to Pam, the liabilities were so huge that the service had to take drastic legal steps to recover them after spirited efforts had failed to yield result with only N1.2 billion recovered last year. The chairman said the liabilities were categorised into first, second and third of N700 million, N200 million and N8.7 billion respectively. He noted that aside the

prosecution of defaulters in court, the service had resolved to embark on sealing off their offices after obtaining court orders against them. “We normally get in touch with the various MDAs to let them know that the time period that was given towards recovering such liabilities has been exhausted; if they don’t do anything about it, we will be constrained to carry out such legal steps. Pam reiterated the resolve of the service to be on the offensive until the defaulters demonstrate more seriousness in settling their liabilities to it. He maintained that the service launched an offensive approach last week with the sealing off of the office of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and would spare no defaulter in the state.

10 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Osun Speaker alleges circulation of fake voter's cards Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

peaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, yesterday alleged that fake voter's cards have flooded the state. He therefore appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to choose the option of voter's card reader machine if the security device of the permanent voter's card is genuine and datacaptured. In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Goke Butika, in Osogbo,

the Speaker said, "I make bold to say that we have gotten some fake INEC voter's cards from our field workers; we are factually informed that the state is flooded with fake cards. How those cards were fabricated is unknown to us now, but it is certain that the target is the forthcoming governorship election, and that makes the INEC to be left with the option of the card readers for the election. "Besides, if the leadership of the INEC is interested in proof, we shall make all fake cards retrieved by our field workers available to them."

Shekarau visits Kano bomb scene, leads prayer for peace Muhammad Kabir Kano

ollowing the bombing at Sabon Gari, Kano on Sunday, which claimed five lives and injured many, former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau, has counselled residents of the area, who are mainly non-indigenes, not to lose heart. Shekarau who led a Peoples Democratic party (PDP) delegation to the scene of the bombing at Goal Coast Road, Sabon Gari Tuesday, noted that only barbaric people engage in killing fellow human beings. He said, the people of Sabon Gari have, over time, demonstrated that

they are people of peace and development who mainly engage in their businesses of spare parts and other important trades, and so should not be target of inhuman attacks. Shekarau who is the Sardauna of Kano added that he and all the members of the PDP are with the Sabon Gari people. Both Islam and Christianity, Shekarau noted, forbid violence and killing of innocent lives, as such perpetrators are just terrorists. He subsequently led a 15-minute prayer for the repose of the souls of those that lost their lives and adding that the Sunday blast be the last in Kano.

L-R: Supervising Minister, National Planning Commission (NPC), Amb. Bashir Yuguda; Executive Secretary, Mr. Ntufam Ugbo and Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD, Amb. Fidelia Njeze, at the conference of Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics in Minna, Niger State…on Monday

150,000

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Yemen in 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com

2.5bn

The number of people without access to improved sanitation in 2011. Source: Unesco.org

10-20%

The rate by which a woman’s earnings can increase with an additional school year. Source: Un.org

NEXIM MD sues CNPP scribe for N600m Foluso Ogunmodede

AYS after he allegedly described the managing director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian-Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Roberts Ungwaga Orya on the internet as ‘misfit’, asking him to quit his post over a non-existent N200billlion fraud, the Secretary General of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu may

pay N600million in damages. Orya had initiated a suit at the Abuja High Court, asking it to compel Ezegwu to pay him N600m in damages on what he described as the ‘most vicious malicious and vitriolic attack on his integrity and reputation via ‘the defendant’s personal electronic mail (e-mail) address as portal’. Besides, NEXIM bank’s MD is asking the

court to bar Ezegwu, whether by himself, his servants, agents, privies, associates, friends or otherwise from further publishing or causing to be published any defamatory words against him pending the final determination of the substantive suit. Ezugwu had accused NEXIM bank MD of ‘dereliction of duty, gross abuse of office and misapplication of the N200bn stabilization

and loan guarantee fund advanced the agency by the CBN’. Specifically, Ezugwu said: “The conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) , has called for the immediate suspension of the MD of NEXIM bank, Mr Robert Orya, for alleged dereliction of duty, gross abuse of office and misapplication of the N200bn stabilization and loan guarantee fund advanced the agency by the CBN.

Maps'll help rescue Chibok girls - NIS Court rejects Access Bank, directors’ OFFER

Nigerian surveyors put in professional but often overlooked tips on search and rescue Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he Nigeria Institute of Surveyors (NIS), has expressed its readiness to work with the country’s security outfits in the efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls and other security matters. Members of the body made the declaration yesterday in an address by the national president of the body, Bode Adeaga, at the 49th Annual General Meeting and Conference with the theme: “Connect and Collaborate: Creating opportunities and awareness for spatial intelligence”, in Benin, the Edo State capital. He stressed the need

for effective collaboration between members of the body and core security operatives in spatial infor mation gathering to deal with the security challenges bedevilling the nation. According to him, the world and Nigeria in particular, are faced with daunting challenges on the environment and security that often appear intractable and therefore require a strong foundation of infrastructure and structures that would guarantee a developed and safe society. He warned that a society that plays down the importance of maps and mapping will only enmesh itself in failure in key sectors, including the management of national security. “Without wanting to sound morbid, a nation that refuses to address the need for spatial knowledge and capacity acquisition and use, will atrophy and die. It is a statement of fact that the best developed

nations of the world are the most mapped.” The body expressed sadness that the last meaningful mapping exercises done in the country were in the days of ordinance survey of the colonial era and that no significant attempt has been made since then to map the country. Members therefore expressed readiness to partner with government to address the paucity of spatial information in the economic and development planning matrix. “We have started this collaboration in ongoing relationship with the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform on its mandate to deliver land titles to all land owners in Nigeria with a view to empowering them by turning their seemingly dead capital to assets that can be used to access for investments and other developmental needs,” Adeaga stated.

request to stop FRCN investigation

Foluso Ogunmodede

Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday turned down the request of the managing director of Access Bank Plc., Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and a director of the bank, Herbert Wigwe, to halt plans by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) from probing the acquisition of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc. by the bank. The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, refused to grant the prayers by the Access Bank directors or make any preservative order on the grounds that his jurisdiction was already being challenged. Former managing director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank, Dr. Erastus Akingbola, had petitioned the FRCN, alleging complicity and fraud in the acquisition of the defunct bank by the Access Bank. But Aig-Imoukhuede

and Wigwe initiated a suit before the Federal High Court, Lagos urging it to determine the FRCN’s power to investigate Akingbola’s petition with regards to the acquisition of the defunct bank by Access Bank. In the suit initiated on their behalf by the law firm of Paul Usoro and Aluko & Oyebode, the directors sought an order restraining the FRCN and its agents, from entertaining, investigating, looking into or sitting over any matter relating to or connected with or ancillary however, to the acquisition of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc. Besides, the application was seeking to restrain FRCN from passing or making any judgement, administrative or any recommendation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in terms of the organisation’s letter of invitation sent to the bank official, pending the hearing and final determination of the

substantive suit. Dissatisfied, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), who represented FRCN, filed a notice of preliminary objection, to challenge the court’s jurisdictional powers to hear the suit and counter-affidavit in opposition to the plaintiff ’s affidavit in support of the court process. Although the Federal Government agency, however, did not file any court process in opposition to the plaintiff ’s application for injunction on the grounds that the jurisdiction of the court was being challenged, Access Bank directors headed for the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, having been dissatisfied with the court’s ruling on the matter. Also, Access Bank and its directors had approached the lower court, urging it to grant an order directing FRCN to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and final determination of their appeal.

News

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

We won’t mortgage our loyalty – Jigawa PDP Chairman Dahiru Suleiman DUTSE igawa State leadership of JParty the Peoples Democratic (PDP) yesterday said

it will not mortgage its loyalty to the state governor, Sule Lamido, or the party. The party leadership said no amount of intimidation with regard to the purported handover of the affairs of the party to former Governor Saminu Turaki in any way would weaken its loyalty to the governor. Addressing a press conference shortly after the emergence of Jigawa State PDP stakeholders, Hon. Bashir Adamu, a member representing Kazaure federal constituency said; “Even though such insinuations are baseless, all I know is that our party, the PDP is intact, and we are very loyal to both our Governor Sule Lamido and our party, the PDP and its leadership.” Sources close to the PDP National Headquarters, Abuja, have indicated that arrangementsareintopgear

by the national secretariat to handover the affairs of the party in the state to former Governor Saminu Turaki. Investigations also revealed that some prominent cabinet members of Governor Lamido are in Abuja,holdingconsultations, meetings and perhaps lobbying the Presidency and the PDP national secretariat in a move to reverse the party’searlierarrangements. Asked what was discussed at the meeting, Adamu said the least among the items discussed was the issue of filling the vacant positions of some elected officers, who either because of death or securing higher political positions forfeited their earlier positions. Others, he said include calling for concerted efforts among members to work tirelessly for the success of the party in next year’s general elections, as well as discussing about a proposed rally to showcase the party’s success and achievements in the seven years that the governor has being in the saddle.

Herdsmen/farmers clash: Fulani group embarks on peace tour Ibrahim Abdul

Yola

orried by the recent W herdsmen/farmers’ clashes in parts of the coun-

try, the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has commenced nationwide tour of the country to mobilise members on the need for peaceful coexistence. National President of MACBAN, Alhaji Muhammadu Kiruwa, made this known while speaking with newsmen yesterday in Yola. Kiruwa said the team has so far visited Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba and Adamawa States, where it held meetings with

governments and other stakeholders. “WehavevisitedNasarawa, Benue, Taraba and today we are in Adamawa. “InBenue,wemetwiththe governor, who linked us up with Tiv representatives. We alsohadfruitfuldeliberations with the governors and people of Taraba and Adamawa States,” Kiruwa said. The president said MACBAN would commence nationwide registration of its members, who would be issued identity cards as a way of checking the activities of its members. Kiruwa lauded the Federal Government’s plan for grazing reserves, saying members would accord the plan maximum support.

NDE trains 300 women in fabrics production Dan Atori

MINNA

National Directorate TinheofNiger Employment (NDE) State said it has

commenced the training of over 300 women in the production of bags and shoes, using fabrics popularly called Adire and Ankara. The training scheduled to last for one week, aims at getting women to be self-employed through various activities of the NDE in the state, most especially those that require little capital to commence business.

This was contained in a statement issued in Minna and signed by the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Mrs. Helen Abu, yesterday. She said such businesses would not affect the women’s domestic responsibilities in any way, but would boost their economic base, which will positively impact the lives of their families. In an interview with one of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Adams Oluwatoyin, she said such training would go a long way in enhancing their financial status and make them more productive even at home.

L-R: Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Princess Chinwe Nwaebili; Governor Willie Obiano, and Commissioner for Works, Callistus Ilozumba, during the flag-off of a road project in Ekwulobia, Agwuata Local Government of the state...yesterday

70%

The projected percentage of global food demand by 2050. Source: Unesco.org

4.4

The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of developing countries in 2010. Source: Itu.int

13%

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

I’m not a religious bigot, says Nyako DAMAGE CONTROL Adamawa governor Murtala Nyako moves to paint self clean Ibrahim Abdul

Yola

damawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, yesterday d i s m i s s e d allegations leveled against his government that Christians in the state were being discriminated against. The governor said such allegations were untrue as he was never a religious bigot. Governor Nyako said since he was governor, “all religious beliefs in the state were given equal

rights to practice their belief without let or hindrance as provided by the constitution.” He added that the allegation that Certificateof-Occupancy (C-of-O) by any Christian group in the state were refused assent by him was false. Governor Nyako’s position was made known yesterday in a press statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs Mallam Ahmad Sajo. He noted with concern, what he described as the deliberate falsehood being promoted by a group called ‘Christian Elders' Forum of Northern States,’ which postulates that the government of Adamawa State was discriminating against Christian minorities in the state. “This is not only bla-

tantly false, but a clear indication that the group has motives other than the promotion of peace and peaceful co-existence in our state. Their assertion is totally at variance with realities on ground in Adamawa State,” the statement said. It added that the use of minorities in the state was a misnomer as the 21 local governments in the state have large and fair distribution of Muslims, Christians and other religions. “The term Christian minorities is a misnomer in Adamawa State, because we have 21 local government areas and about 1/3 are predominantly Moslem populated, about 1/3 predominantly Christian dominated while the remaining 1/3 have nearly equal populations of both. The statement further

noted that; “The first eight years of the current democratic dispensation had a Christian governor in the state.” “The first four years of Murtala Nyako’s leadership had a Christian Deputy Governor and a Christian Speaker of the House of Assembly as well the Secretary to the State Government and Head of Service all being Christians. We have eight first class traditional rulers in Adamawa State four are Muslims and four are Christians. “We are not aware of any outstanding C-of-O of any Christian group in Adamawa State. As a matter of fact, Governor Murtala Nyako had even given his personal piece of land to a Christian group while serving as governor.”

Congress: Kogi APC protests imposition of candidates Yekeen Nurudeen

Abuja

embers of Kogi State M chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

yesterday disrupted the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party at its national secretariat in Abuja as they staged a protest alleging the imposition of candidates in the recent congress held in the state. The party members under auspices of ‘APC Loyalty Forum,’ Kogi State chapter, also called for immediate disbandment of the state executive committee and a complete reversal

of congresses held in the state. The aggrieved party members, according to a statement circulated by them at the party’s National Secretariat during the protest, a copy of which was obtained by New Telegraph, condemned the Prince Abubakar Audu’s leadership of the party in the state. They accused the former governor of organising a charade and selection in place of congresses. The statement, which was signed by 25 members of the party from the state, among whom were

Chief A. G. Umar; Hajia Obah; Hon. Abdullahi Isa; Engineer A. Shehu and Mr. Yunusa Amadi, contained a number of allegations against the former governor. They also asked the national leadership of the party to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the romance between Prince Audu and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state before APC is sold out. “It is on record that members of the APC in Kogi State, especially the legacy party members were disenfranchised, marginalised, sidelined and deliberately denied

the opportunity to participate in the congresses in the state. “No ward, local or state congress ever took place, instead the cabal organised selection of some people into the various party offices without due process, due diligence or consultation with party members or leaders. This was championed, organised and executed and led by Prince Abubakar Audu at his residence in Lokoja with the conspiracy, collaboration and assistance of the congress committee,” they alleged.

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

Wednesday, may 21, 2014

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The recovered gun and ammunition

Auxiliary (left) and Amao

I’m being persecuted for not dumping PDP for APC – Auxiliary RIVALRY

Arrested NURTW chieftain blames his travails on political rivalry between APC and PDP Taiwo Jimoh

chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo State, Mukaila Lamidi alias Auxiliary, said he

was being persecuted because he refused to work for some politicians. Auxiliary spoke during his parade yesterday by the police in Lagos for unlawful possession of fire arms and a series of murder in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The NURTW chieftain was declared wanted by the in 2012, with a ransom of N500,000 placed on him and the immediate past Chairman of the union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola alias Tokyo, for the murder of the National President of the Nigerian Medical Students Association, Bala Usman Shanono, a 500-level medical student of the Ah-

madu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. Shanono and other travellers were caught in crossfire at Iwo Road, Ibadan, while waiting for night buses to their destinations. Auxiliary and Tokyo were also declared wanted for their alleged roles in the bloody clash between members of their factions which claimed dozens of innocent lives, along with the wanton destruction of property. The NURTW chieftain was arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command led by the officer in-charge, Abba Kyari, at Olodo area of Ibadan, while

Female banker defrauds Kano Emir, appears in court Muhammad Kabir Kano

Kano State High Court yesterday fixed June 12 for the arraignment of a female banker, Amina Magaji, for allegedly defrauding the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. Magaji, who was accused of forging 25 bank cheque leaflets belonging to the emir, sometimes last month, was apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

(EFCC). The defence counsel, Mr Tajuddeen Funsho, urged the court to adjourn the matter in compliance with the Kano State Criminal Procedure Practice Direction, which provides days for the accused to hear charges before proper arraignment in court. Funsho argued that his client was served on May 14, which is seven days from the date they received the charge from the prosecution. He argued that the matter was not

yet ripe for arraignment as such he prayed the court to adjourn the case to allow for all possible avenues that would be detailed. The EFCC counsel, Mr Sa’ad Hannafi, did not object to the request of the adjournment. Presiding judge, Justice Farouk Lawal, granted administrative bail to the accused on the grounds that she would be reporting to EFCC Kano office every Monday before the date of the arraignment.

driving his car with registration number 647 KSF. Items recovered from him are one English pistol marked 150533, two loaded magazines with 15 rounds each and one packet of 9mm live ammunition containing 50 rounds. Auxiliary said the pistol was mainly for his personal protection when his life was being threatened by the NURTW faction. He said: “I bought the pistol for N350,000 from one Abdulazeez Amao who lodged in my hotel. After buying the pistol, I kept it in my apartment for my personal protection. “I did not use the pistol to kill anybody during the NURTW crisis in Oyo State then, as being insinuated from some quarters.” Auxiliary also said that he was being persecuted for refusing to dump his party for another. He said: “I am a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and

I was invited gress (APC) success duri “I decline swore to an PDP alone th ent governm cused of bein ing trouble in Amao wa March for gu He said: “I when he told protection. B sold the pisto “The two g he bought fr automatic to bers of his N Manko sa woposi, still would soon b He said t turned to Oy for further in

7,281 landlords flou Muritala Ayinla agos State Government said L7,281 yesterday that it had identified structures for contravening approved building plans and violating other building laws. The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Toyin Ayinde, who made the disclosure while briefing journalists on the activities of his ministry in the last one year, said the government had served the owners contravention notices. Ayinde also said that no fewer than 1,939 buildings had been sealed out of which 232 were identified as defective. The commissioner said 395 of the sealed buildings were later unsealed after compliance. Ayinde also said that 94 seals were discovered broken by recalcitrant building developers, adding that 16 of the identified distressed buildings were demolished. On the proposed cable car, the commissioner explained that the government had identified 22 locations to cite cable car stations and towers, as part of efforts to develop a multi-modal transportation development. He said: “It is designed to facilitate public transportation, complementing other modes. Presently a total of 22 locations have been identified for both stations and towers. It is important to report that the project promoters have taken possession of all identified sites for construction to take place.”

On the devel model city plans state, Ayinde said was the recently c view of Ikoyi-Vic Model City Plan. He said: “The came necessary to respond posit physical, demog tural and socio-ec namism prevalen “The final dr review is propos public presentat weeks from now Further effort completion of Model City Plan Ifako-Ijaiye M Plan. The Apa

Two men

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

rate youths ye Icaught ablaze two me with se

skulls at Adagb kayongo in Gwe ernment Area of This ignited te area as some resi fear that it could attack by Fulani One of those reported to ha one Bem Abelag sessed him of hi after which he

Defection: How PDP won the supremacy battle / PAGE 41 | How Reps approved emergency rule extension / PAGE 17

POLITICS

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Nigeria has failed to mount effective campaign against insurgency –Friend

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WEDNESday, May 21, 2014

p-14, 15

Anambra: Suspense as Obiano awaits Supreme Court’s decision T he events of May 7 at the Anambra Governorship Election Petition Tribunal presented crucial moments for Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State who has in the past two months faced battery of legal fireworks at the panel. Apart from two opposition parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governor has also had a petition from a faction of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) starring him in the face at the tribunal. Hence, on that Wednesday May 7, the tribunal headed by Justice Ishaq Bello decided to stretch the trial far into the day, perhaps, to wind up hearings and pave the way for a later date when all parties would adopt their addresses. For about eight hours on that fateful day, Obiano was not only robbed of the comfort of his office as governor but he was pinned to the witness box for that length of time. The governor was in the dock from 9.58a.m. till 5.47p.m. and maintained before the court, as he had done during his previous appearances, that contrary to his petitioners’ claims, he was at no point in time involved in double registration. It was the trial of the petition filed by the PDP and the party’s standard-bearer in the November 2013 governorship election, Mr. Tony Nwoye, that kept the governor in the dock for the greater part of the day. And he was severally led in evidence and cross-examined by counsel on the sides of the petitioners and respondents. At a point, some of his aides buckled under in utter exhaustion. Before ending the marathon session of that day, the tribunal gave all the counsels 12 days within which to file their final written addresses while the counsels to respondents (Obiano, APGA, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC) were given additional two days to reply to the final addresses on point of law. Incidentally, the tribunal gave a long adjournment date of May 23 after daily bouts of legal fireworks without let for about four days. All the principal dramatis personae including Senator Chris Ngige, who flew the APC flag during the gubernatorial poll, Nwoye of the PDP who came second in the contest and Dr. Chike Obi-

As parties in the Anambra State governorship dispute file their written addresses on Friday, May 23, before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Governor Willie Obiano’s hope rests on the Supreme Court, which he has approached over allegation of multiple registration. UWAKWE ABUGU reports

Obiano

Ngige

digbo who claims that he was the APGA candidate for the election and not the governor, had also taken their turns to be in the witness box at various times before that day. Supreme Court holds the ace Arguably, hearing of the petitions against Obiano has presented circuitous outcomes that have kept lending themselves to unpredictability in a seeming frustrating manner for the various parties. Not even the judicial panel may have been spared the ordeals foisted by the said somersaults occasioned

by pronouncements at the tribunal, reversals and half-reversals at the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division and the present shift to the Supreme Court. That Governor Obiano has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the recent ruling of the Enugu Division of the Appeal Court which ordered the Anambra Governorship Election Tribunal to hear the merits of allegations of multiple registration as a voter brought against him by his rivals has been somewhat kept closely to the chest of his lead counsel. But it is clear that the battle has

CROSSFIRE

Sometime, people want the President to go to Chibok. If the President goes to Chibok today, it does not solve any problem. The problem facing the President and indeed the Nigerian government is how to get these girls from wherever they are -Goodluck Jonathan

shifted to Abuja where the governor is said to be canvassing his case on the two main issues his team is taking up with the jurists at that level. The issues are centred on the knotty allegation of multiple registration brought against the governor by all the petitioners. The tribunal had earlier during pre-hearing trials rejected exhibits offered by the petitioners against Obiano, including the APC and its candidate, seeking the nullification of the election on the basis that the governor effected multiple

A President and Commander-in-Chief who is afraid to visit any part of his country has betrayed the very people who voted him into office. In the case of Chibok, he has shown that the residence of the town should not expect to be seen as compatriots -Lai Mohammed

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

POLITICAL NOTES

Excessive political aides a curious move seemIhisningly carried out to outdo contemporaries, Gover-

nor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State last week appointed 1,086 additional aides that cut across the 11 local government areas of the state. The new appointees are to assist him in running the affairs of the state. A Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Publicity, Umar Alkali who made this public in a statement, stated that those appointment included one senior special assistant, 85 special assistants and 1,000 personal assistants (grade I, II and III) Though such appointment of aides by public office holders, especially governors, has become commonplace in the polity, it was hoped that with the outcry over the cost of governance at different levels, such officers would dwell more on ways to reduce recurrent expenditures, and free more funds for capital projects that would benefit the people more. Would the new aides generate the funds to pay their salaries and allowances, not to talk of imprest for their various offices, or would they also draw from the already overstretched budget of the government, in view of the fact that a good number of states, only depend on allocations from the federal purse to run their affairs, with little or no monies generated internally. It is time government at all levels device ways of empowering ‘the boys’ by providing infrastructure and enabling environment for the economy to thrive, rather than making them a burden on the administration. Given the closeness of the 2015 elections, which are less than nine months away, one is wont to ask why the governor deemed it fit to make such appointments now. Or could they be returning officers in waiting ahead of the coming elections. As things stand, the governor should have at least one assistant for every segment of the Gombe society, meaning every sector will receive adequate attention from the government. One only hopes that such will translate to adequate development in every sector of the state’s economy.

14 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

#BringBackOurGirls… Piqued by the abduction of more than 200 female students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, the United States Senate Foreign Relations Sub-committee on African Affairs on May 15 organised a public hearing where state officials briefed the committee on efforts at rescuing the

The U.S. Senate Intervention

schoolgirls. Officials of the Department of Defense, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, gave testimonies of their efforts towards tackling insurgency in the Northern Nigeria at the hearing. It is interesting to note that the only

thing the Nigerian National Assembly has done since the abduction saga of April 15 was just condemnation and approval of extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. But the U.S. Senate did not only condemn the development, but conducted a public hearing on the development.

Menendez: Nigeria’s response unacceptably slow in dealing with the Boko Haram threat. I’m pleased to see that Senator Coons has added an additional witness, Ms. Lantana Abdullahi who has worked in Nigeria on interfaith violence prevention and community reconciliation issues and has brought together civil society groups, government leaders, and security forces to prevent human rights abuses in Nigeria. Let me close by emphasize the importance of elevating the issue of sexual violence and violence against women in general to the international arena. I call on my colleagues in Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women’s Act that Senator Boxer and I introduced last week. The world is watching and the time is now. My thanks to all of our panelists today. Welcome to the Committee.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is the Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He recently participated in the #BringBackOurGirls campaign in New Jersey. He delivered this opening remarks at the sub-committee hearing on Thursday, May 15, addressing the threat of Boko Haram and examining the kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls.

e are all appalled at the plight of nearly 300 young women abducted in Nigeria by Boko Haram – which means “education is forbidden” – a phrase counterintuitive to those of us who care about the future of our young people. Right now, these girls are separated from their families and – no doubt – are terrified. I have seen the video released by Boko Haram this week and my thoughts – as a father – are with the missing girls and their parents. Frankly, in my view, the fact that incidents like this are happening at all in the 21st century should be deeply troubling to every human being. We must reaffirm and recommit ourselves to the fundamental rule of law everywhere. As parents – as human beings – we must insist women and girls be treated with dignity and allowed to live and learn in safety from extremists everywhere. As Nick Kristof pointed-out in the New York Times on Sunday: “The greatest threat to extremism isn’t drones firing missiles, but girls reading books.” Sadly, while the scale of this incident is staggering, the Boko Haram threat is not a new one. They have led an escalating campaign of atrocities against their own people for five years. They are extremists with a gangster-mentality who represent no interest but their own – targeting young women, young men, churches schools. They do not represent Islam and, in my view, their actions cannot go unanswered. The mothers, activists, and concerned citizens who have taken their outrage and grief to the streets of Abuja, London, and Washington, and the electronic highways of Twitter and Facebook deserve credit for focusing the world’s attention on this crisis and insisting that the Nigerian government bring them home. Just this past Friday, I joined the outraged citizens in my own state of New Jersey who added their voices to the chorus and took up the cause on social media. That said, despite offers of assistance from the United States and other international partners, the Nigerian government’s response to this crisis has been tragically and unacceptably slow. I have called on President Jonathan to

Menendez

demonstrate the leadership his nation is demanding. My understanding is that the team of U.S. technical advisors is now on the ground, supporting existing teams, conducting aerial surveillance, and sharing commercial satellite imagery with Nigerian authorities. Beyond what is happening on the ground as we speak, I look forward to hearing our witnesses discuss a plan of action for coordinating with Nigeria over the coming days and weeks.

Finally, from the thirty-thousand-footview, the rise of groups like Boko Haram does not occur in a vacuum. Nigeria has a long history of division along ethnic and religious lines – tensions that terrorists capitalize on creating more distrust and more tension. But, as much as we are appalled by the actions of Boko Haram and their tactical effort to use societal fissures to create chaos and distrust, we should also be troubled by a record of excessive force and human rights abuses by Nigeria’s military

Despite offers of assistance from the United States and other international partners, the Nigerian government’s response to this crisis has been tragically and unacceptably slow

Nigeria has failed to mount effective Principal Director for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, Ms. Alice Friend, partly put the blame of the rise of insurgency in Nigeria at the doorstep of Nigerian government. She spoke at the public hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Sub-committee on African Affairs on efforts to rescue the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls

hairman Coons, Ranking Member Flake, Members of the subcommittee, thank you for calling us together to address the deeply disturbing recent abductions of over 270 schoolgirls in Northern Nigeria by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram. People of good will across the globe have been horrified by this barbarous act and are rightly demanding that the Nigerian authorities take immediate measures to recover the girls and are asking what those of us in the international community can do to support Nigerian efforts. Last Friday, the United States dispatched a multi-disciplinary, State Department-led team of experts to Abuja to provide the Government of Nigeria with the specialised advice and expertise it needs to respond to these abductions. Department of Defense (DoD) has provided four subject matter experts from USAFRICOM

headquarters to augment 10 DoD personnel already assigned to our embassy in Abuja as part of this interagency team. In addition, two military officers with extensive experience supporting the counterLord’s Resistance Army mission in Uganda also have been temporarily relocated to Abuja to provide advice and assistance. In total, 16 DoD personnel with medical, intelligence, counter-terrorism and communications expertise have been assigned exclusively to the mission of advising the Nigerian security forces’ efforts to recover these girls safely. Their initial efforts have been to work with Nigerian security personnel to analyse Nigerian operations, identify gaps and shortfalls, and otherwise provide requested expertise and information to the Nigerian authorities, including through the use of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support. We are also working closely with other

international partners, including the UK and France, to coordinate multilateral actions and maximise our collective assistance efforts. Our intent is to support Nigerian-led efforts to recover the girls and help catalyse greater efforts to secure the Nigerian population from the menace of Boko Haram. The Department of Defense stands ready to do what we can to help the Nigerian government, but both the immediate and the long-term solutions to the threat Boko Haram poses to the people of Nigeria must be implemented by the government of Nigeria if a sustained security is ever to be reached. Mr. Chairman, that threat to Nigeria from Boko Haram has grown over the past five years and mutates day-by-day, extending its reach, increasing the sophistication and lethality of its attacks, and growing its military capacity. It has now proven on multiple occasions – for example, through its successful attack on a Nigerian air base in which two of the Nigerian air force’s helicopters were destroyed, as well as the coordinated, methodical and highly successful attack at Giwa barracks – that it is now capable of directly and successfully engaging Nigeria’s armed forces. Its expanded reach was also convincingly and tragically demonstrated when over 70 innocent Nigerian citizens were killed in a

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#BringBackOurGirls…

The U.S. Senate Intervention

How U.S. is helping to tackle Boko Haram –Jackson Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Robert P. Jackson, addressed the United States Senate Foreign Relations Sub-committee on African Affairs on efforts being made by the U.S. Government to tackle the growing threat of Boko Haram. Excerpts:

another night-time attack, this time at the Buni Yadi Federal Government College on February 18 of this year, at least 59 people, including boys ranging in age from 11 to 18, were killed. The Department has been deeply concerned for some time by how much the Government of Nigeria has struggled to keep pace with Boko Haram’s growing capabilities. Recognising this threat and the need for Nigeria to adopt a whole-ofgovernment approach to defeating it, over the past two years the United States has made a concerted effort to assist Nigeria in its counter-Boko Haram efforts. For its part, DoD has undertaken a number of initiatives. For example, we have supported the establishment of counterIED and civil-military operations capacity within the Nigerian army in order to make C-IED an integral part of Nigeria’s security doctrine. The concept is to build Nigerian institutions so that C-IED skills are organic and can be maintained and passed along by the Nigerians themselves. We have also supported the establishment of an intelligence fusion centre in an effort to promote information sharing among various national security entities and, overall, to enable more effective and responsible intelligence-driven CT operations. More recently, we have CONTINUED ON PAGE 43

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

Given Nigeria’s importance, Boko Haram cannot be allowed to continue its array of bloody tactics: murdering police officers, snatching children, destroying churches, burning schools, attacking mosques, driving people from their homes, and challenging the government’s authority

t has now been one month since Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 girls from the town of Chibok in North-Eeastern Nigeria. At the time of the kidnapping, these brave girls had returned to their high school in order to complete examinations that would allow them to attend university. By seeking knowledge and opportunity, they represented a challenge to Boko Haram in the heart of its area of operations. As the world now knows, Boko Haram opposes democracy and formal education. It has attempted to crush the kind of faith in the promise of education and prosperity that families in Chibok showed. Boko Haram, the terrorist organisation that kidnapped these girls, has shown it has no regard for human life. It has been killing innocent people in Nigeria for some time, and the attack at Chibok is part of that long, terrible trend. This year alone, Boko Haram has murdered more than 1000 innocent people in vicious attacks on schools, churches, and mosques. Since 2013, it has targeted and systematically kidnapped women - including these girls – seeking to deny them the education and opportunity they deserve. The abductions in Chibok fit into this larger pattern of violence. Throughout North-Eastern Nigeria, innocent civilians are terrified by gunmen who come in the night to kill young men and teachers and steal away young women.

ram cannot be allowed to continue its array of bloody tactics: murdering police officers, snatching children, destroying churches, burning schools, attacking mosques, driving people from their homes, and challenging the government’s authority. Mr. Chairman, a peaceful and stable Nigeria is crucially important to the future of Africa, and we cannot stay on the sidelines if it stumbles. Nigeria has the continent’s largest population and biggest economy. We look to Nigeria as a partner in our quest to help Africans lead lives free of violence and filled with possibility. As an engine of growth, a fountainhead of art and industry, and a political giant, Nigeria is vital to the success of President Obama’s 2012 Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa. As we implement that strategy, we are focusing on building a democratic, prosperous, and secure Nigeria. Since Boko Haram came to the world’s attention with a massive uprising in 2009, we have been working to help Nigeria counter this threat. We provide Nigeria with security cooperation, which goes toward professionalizing the Nigerian military, investigating bomb sites, improving border security, and carrying out responsible counterterrorism operations. As we hear reports of Boko Haram cells in neighbouring countries, we have increasingly placed our response to Boko Haram in a regional context. Through our Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and our bilateral relationships with Nigeria’s neighbours, we are encouraging greater information sharing and border security efforts. At the same time, we have been urging Nigeria to reform its approach to Boko Haram. From our own difficult experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, we know that turning the tide of an insurgency requires more than force. The state must demonstrate to its citizens that it can protect them and offer them opportunity. When soldiers destroy towns, kill civilians, and detain innocent people with impunity, mistrust takes root. When governments neglect the economic development of remote areas, confidence can falter. We share these lessons with our partners in Nigeria, urging them to ensure that security services respect human rights; officials end a culture of impunity; people see the benefits of government; and diverse voices are heard and represented in the capital. We have seen some signs of reform – we were encouraged in March of this year to see National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki announce his “soft approach” to countering violent extremism, though Nigeria needs to follow through on implementing this strategy. We have also worked through our Counterterrorism and Conflict and Stabilisation Operations Bureaus to promote narratives of non-violence in Nigeria, and we are working broadly to protect civilians, prevent atrocities, and ensure respect for human rights. At the same time, we are providing law enforcement assistance, including by training Nigerian law enforcement officials on basic forensics, hostage negotiations, leadership, and task force development. To counter the spread of violent extremist ideology, we support programmes and initiatives – including job training and education – that create economic alternatives for those vulnerable to being recruited by terrorist organisations. All of this is part of a coordinated effort to help strengthen Nigeria’s ability to respond responsibly and effectively to these challenges in a way that ensures civilians are protected and human rights are respected. We have also joined the international

Jackson

Boko Haram has also retained its ability to target Abuja, as we saw with two recent bombings at the Nyanya bus depot outside the capital. And we’re concerned by the expansion of the group’s operations beyond Nigeria, including in Cameroon where it has also conducted kidnappings. The group is not just a Nigerian problem; it is a regional security problem. We join the world, the people of Nigeria, and the parents of these children in expressing our outrage at Boko Haram’s shocking acts and its perverse ideology. Young people, in Nigeria and across the globe, deserve the chance to pursue their dreams without suffering the predations of violent extremists. What happened in Nigeria resonates around the world, and pleas to free the kidnapped schoolgirls have come from First Lady Michelle Obama, from Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, and other champions of women’s right to an education. This tragic kidnapping demands that we redouble our efforts to defeat

a Foreign Terrorist Organisation that has troubled Nigeria for more than a decade. World leaders, including President Obama, have pledged their full support to the government and people of Nigeria as they seek the safe return of these brave girls. We acted swiftly to carry out the President’s pledge. By Monday, May 12, the U.S. Government had deployed an 18-member interagency team to provide military and law enforcement assistance, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. We have provided commercial imagery and are flying manned and unmanned ISR aircraft over Nigeria to support the search. We are working closely with international partners on the ground, including the UK and France, and we are pressing for additional multilateral action, including UN Security Council sanctions on Boko Haram. As the President has directed, we will do everything possible to support Nigerians in their efforts to find and free these girls. But we won’t stop there. We can and must continue to work closely with Nigeria to prevent Boko Haram from harming any more innocent people. Given Nigeria’s importance, Boko Ha-

campaign against insurgency –Friend We cannot ignore that Nigeria can be an extremely challenging partner to work with. In general, Nigeria has failed to mount an effective campaign against Boko Haram

Friend

vehicle-borne IED attack just outside the national capital of Abuja. These most recent attacks are especially unconscionable because they were perpetrated against innocent girls and because of the sheer scale of the attack in Chibok. Unfortunately these kidnappings are only the most recent outrages

in a growing portfolio of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram in its war against education. On June 16-17, 2013, seven students and two teachers were killed when Boko Haram members attacked the Government Secondary School in Damaturu, Yobe State. This was followed on July 6, 2013 by an attack on the secondary school in Mamudo village, in which 29 students were killed, including reports that some were burned alive when their dormitory was deliberately set on fire. On September 28-29, 2013, upwards of 40 students were slaughtered in a nighttime attack by Boko Haram on the Yobe State College of Agriculture. And in yet

16 POLITICS

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#BringBackOurGirls…

The U.S. Senate Intervention

Boko Haram attacks undermine Northern Nigeria, says USAID

he United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partners around the world to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies, while advancing our security and prosperity. Our work in Northern Nigeria highlights the nexus between security, stability and poverty reduction. We are committed to working with Nigeria to build a peaceful society that promotes inclusive economic growth and lifts its citizens out of poverty. One month ago, Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 250 young girls from their school in an attack so shocking it mobilised the world behind returning these girls to their families. But this latest brutality was not an isolated incident. For years, Boko Haram has terrorized the people of Northern Nigeria through bombings, kidnapping, and sexual violence. For decades, development in the Northern part of the country has markedly lagged behind the relative progress made in the South as is evident through comparison of development indicators in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. In the three Northern zones, per capita incomes are significantly lower than the national average. Literacy in the South-West zone is around 80 per cent for girls, while in the North-East it is only 15 per cent. Health statistics paint a similar picture of disparity. Immunisation coverage in the North-East is only about eight per cent, while in the South-South it is closer to 36 percent. In recent years, Boko Haram has attempted to exploit Northern Nigeria’s low level of infrastructure, public services, and security. Boko Haram attacks have affected all aspects of life, from economic growth to access to basic services, and resulted in the North’s growing isolation. Commercial activity in Kano, once a national economic hub, is estimated to have decreased by 50 per cent in recent years, due in large part to the stream of businesses that have left Northern states like Borno and Kaduna for the stability of the South. The conflict has caused decreases in agricultural production, price spikes, and serious concerns about food security both in the North and neighbouring states, particularly import-dependent Niger. In Nigeria, nearly 4.2 million people are at risk of food insecurity, and continued unrest will likely have long-term impacts on nutrition, agriculture, and trade. Access to health care has dramatically declined in the hardest hit conflict areas; in Borno State, doctors are fleeing and clinics are closing, forcing the population into neighbouring Cameroon for basic health services. Boko Haram has also been targeting cell phone towers so people in the region have less access to communications. As violence began to escalate, the Government of Nigeria declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states in May 2013. In early 2014, attacks carried out by Boko Haram militants killed more than 1,500 people. According to the UN, violence had displaced more than a quarter million people to neighbouring states by March 2014 – 70 per cent of them women and children. An additional 61,000 people, including returning migrants, have also fled to neighbouring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, where they are living in host communities In communities hosting internally displaced persons, the presence of additional families is straining local re-

Earl Gast is the Assistant Administrator for Africa of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He also gave testimony at the May 15 hearing organised by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, detailing how insurgency in the North is undermining development and education. Excerpts:

These attacks undermine Northern Nigeria’s already precarious educational system by destroying schools, forcing others to close, and keeping thousands of students and teachers out of the classroom

Gast

sources, including already-stretched water systems and basic commodities. Increasing numbers of female-headed households is forcing widows to become the sole providers for their families. Such households and widows are exposed to additional violence within host communities. In the absence of their husbands, widows also lack access to financial resources, exacerbated by inheritance laws, and systems that limit women’s ownership of property. Due to insecurity, presence of aid workers in the most affected areas is very limited and we do not yet have a comprehensive picture of the overall humanitarian situation. To determine the extent of the crisis, the UN along with key international nongovernmental organisations are currently conducting a multi-agency, multi-sector needs assessment. Last week, a team of humanitarian professionals from the UN and NGO’s travelled to the areas in states of emergency (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa) as well as three bordering states (Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba) that have received the most internally displaced people. This team is currently interviewing state and local officials and meeting with internally displaced persons and other community members to establish the number of displaced people, where they live, and their level of access to food, income, health care, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene. The team will also evaluate food security, nutrition, and protection services, identify humanitarian actors still on the ground, and develop the most effective approaches to deliver relief and identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of state governments and local partners to monitor displacement, report, assess, and coordinate delivery of relief. USAID humanitarian experts have been involved in the assessment process since the beginning, working to help define indicators and processes. USAID humanitarian experts are currently in Nigeria and will continue to support

the work of the UN and other agencies. USAID will use the results of this mission to shape the provision of humanitarian assistance in partnership with implementing organisations to meet urgent humanitarian needs among affected families. Assistance may include providing food, shelter, and household items for displaced populations; safe water in communities whose resources have been overstretched because of an influx of new families; support to emergency treatment of acute malnutrition; or community-based psycho-social support and programs targeted at the prevention and treatment of sexual and gender-based violence. USAID is also exploring opportunities for collaboration with key Nigerian agencies, the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency, local emergency response actors as well as supporting efforts to increase food security data collection and analysis to inform potential response options. Once completed, the UN and USAID assessments will give us a better understating of the situation and how best to respond, taking into account the operational realities of programming in Northern Nigeria. An attack on education Exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, Boko Haram’s assaults on youth seeking education has become ever more brazen over the past two years. A good education is a global public good, and a necessary ingredient for economic development and poverty reduction. Education enables people to live healthier and more productive lives, allowing them to fulfil their own potential, as well as to strengthen and contribute to open, inclusive and economically vibrant societies. Boko Haram’s attacks on schools had consisted of destroying empty school buildings at night, but more recently has shifted to targeting Muslim and non-Muslim students and staff with guns, knives, and explosives. The group has killed or wounded hundreds of students and teachers since June 2013. The mass abduction of female students in Chibok marked a frightening shift: While in prior attacks, Boko Haram generally instructed female students to flee, they are now publically calling on girls to abandon Western education or be taken as slaves. Boko Haram is also seeking to perpetuate child marriage as an acceptable

practice and is using it to sow fear, intimidation, and coercion. These attacks undermine Northern Nigeria’s already precarious educational system by destroying schools, forcing others to close, and keeping thousands of students and teachers out of the classroom. School attendance in the region, already well below the national rate, most likely will continue to suffer. USAID assistance USAID has active programmes in nearly all of Nigeria’s Northern states, with a particular focus on Bauchi and Sokoto. Through our education programmes in the North, we have increased access to basic education services for over 15,000 orphans and vulnerable children, strengthened the capacity of 24 education-related non-governmental organisations to responsibly manage their finances, and influenced Nigeria’s Educational Research and Development Council to include reading as a part of the education curriculum. Through our economic growth programmes, USAID has built the capacity of export firms, helped medium-sized, small, and micro enterprises gain access to loans, and supported the development of a new customs and excise management act to reform and modernise the Nigerian customs service. At the same time, the Feed the Future programme has helped Nigerian farmers more than double their yields in maize, rice, and sorghum, and leveraged millions of dollars in credit for thousands of beneficiaries and for numerous private sector partnerships. USAID has also helped the Sokoto and Bauchi State Houses of Assembly pass public procurement and fiscal responsibility laws, trained over 900 government officials in public procurement and financial management practices, and assisted with the passing of the federal freedom of information act and its adoption at the state levels. USAID’s conflict mitigation programme – active in six states in the North, including Borno, the state most affected state by Boko Haram’s violence – has funded numerous community training programmes on conflict mitigation, reconstituted and trained Conflict Management and Mitigation Regional Councils, and carried out phone-in interfaith dialogues on radio and television programmes. Regionally, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, which USAID implements alongside the Departments of State and Defense, includes a regional Peace for Development programme in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad – areas that are vulnerable as they may become fertile ground for the expansion of violent extremist groups. This initiative applies a holistic, community-led approach that has reached nearly 3.8 million people from at-risk groups through youth-led community mobilisation activities, radio programming, and training in management skills, budgeting, leadership, vocational trades, and conflict resolution. In other areas of the Sahel, USAID supports a vocational education programme in Mauritania and has expanded our program to counter violent extremism to key areas of Northern Mali. Given the immense size of the Sahel, interventions are limited to communities with the highest risk factors, which have been identified through assessments conducted by the project. A number of those target communities are in areas of Niger and Chad that border Nigeria. These programmes have led to a noticeable rise in community action. This week, a local youth organisation in Bamako, Mali, is sponsoring a mass demonstration and public outreach around the issue of the kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls. Today our thoughts are with the schoolgirls, their families; and the millions of Nigerians forced to live under the threat of Boko Haram’s violence every day.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

After initial reservations, the House of Representatives, in an almost unanimous vote, endorsed the extension of emergency rule in the three North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. PHILIP NYAM reports on how it was debated and approved

How Reps approved emergency rule extension

hen the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal read a communication from President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, May 12, seeking for an extension of the subsisting state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, the atmosphere on the floor of the lower chamber became charged. There were mixed feelings amongst the lawmakers. Hardly had the speaker dropped the letter than Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (APC, Kano) raised a point of order, citing Standing Orders of the House, Rule 47. Madaki, an outspoken and radical lawmaker had apparently intended to kick against the request from the president coming under the cover of ‘matter of personal explanation’. This was a signal that the request may encounter some hitches especially considering the often hostile relationship between the Presidency and the House on issues. Sensing danger ahead of the point of order, Speaker Tambuwal tactically ruled Madaki out of order by asking the lawmaker to instead convert his observations to writing and submit to him for further consideration. The opposition to the request was evident as another lawmaker from Kano and chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Aminu Suleiman (APC, Kano) told journalists after the plenary that he shared the views of many Nigerians who believed that the state of emergency has achieved nothing so far. The debate The battle line was drawn the next day (Thursday) as the lawmakers at a marathon session that lasted about four hours engaged one another in a war of attrition and legislative scrutiny. House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP, Oyo) had set the ball rolling with the motion on the need to approve an extension of the 12 month-old emergency rule in the affected states. She advanced various shades of argument ranging from the credibility of government, to the determination to curb insurgency in the face of international solidarity and support; to legal and constitutional provisions jettisoning the necessity of imposing an emergency rule to fight insurgency. The leader’s presentation opened a floodgate of contributions with 25 members supporting the motion and only six rejecting it. Leader of the Borno Caucus, Hon. Muhammad Monguno (APC, Borno) was the first to line behind the House Leader. He told his colleagues that while they may not be averse to extension of the emergency rule in Borno, it was important for the Federal Government to adequately fund and motivate the military because, from evidence available, the state of emergency has failed to yield the desired results. According to him, “One year of emergency rule has failed woefully due to the ill-equipment of our military who are always left helpless to challenge any attack by Boko Haram. There was a time insurgents attacked a town and the commander asked his men to launch a counter-attack and they refused, saying that they would not be led to their early graves because they don’t have the necessary equipment to face the fire power of Boko Haram.” Monguno was joined by Hon. Titsi Ganama, Kaka Kyari Gujbawu and Ali Yakubu, all from Borno. In spite of the arguments put for-

From left: Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu, Chief of Naval Staff (CONS), Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Major General, Kenneth Minimah and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar during a meeting on the proposed Extension of State of Emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe at the National Assembly, Abuja, recently.

ward, some of the lawmakers were not convinced. Hon. Goni Bukar Lawal (APC,Yobe) led the pack declaring that he was opposed to any extension. “The emergency rule has only succeeded in breeding more terrorism in Yobe State,” lawal said. For Hon. Emmanuel Jime (APC, Benue) and the minority leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) there are legal and constitutional provisions empowering the President to deploy the military in crisis situations without declaring a state of emergency. Jime asked: “Has a state of emergency solved any incidence of insurgency anywhere in the world?” The approval On Thursday, the House granted President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for the extension of emergency rule. The approval came after a three-hour meeting between the lawmakers and the Service Chiefs. The Service Chiefs led by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Genenar Kenneth Minimah had at the meeting which began at 2.08p.m. till 4.26p.m. told the lawmakers that the nation was at war hence emergency was needed to put to rest the menace of terrorists in the North East. Others present were Chief of Naval and Air Force Staff, DirectorGeneral of the State Security Service (SSS) and Inspector General of Police. The Chief of Defence Staff was said to be on official assignment abroad. Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (APC, Kwara), had explained that the primary responsibility of every government is to protect life and property and the House had to support the military to end the insurgency. Giving details of what transpired at the meeting with security chiefs, the House spokesman disclosed that lawmakers probed into the capability of the armed forces bordering on equipment, welfare and morale booster and were giving assurances that they are equal to the task. “We had a session with the service chiefs on the progress reports on the emergency extension as to how far it has gone and what are those things that

The Service Chiefs... told the lawmakers that the nation was at war, hence emergency was needed to put to rest the menace of terrorists in the North East have been defaulting their operations. Having listened to them for the interest of stability and stable nation, we have decided as the House voted unanimously for the extension of the emergency in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe for another period of six months. “We were told that there are progress that has been made in the last extension which will soon be crowned with success, especially that they have foreign collaborators who are helping in fighting this terrorism. “As a responsible institution, we decided to give them approval to be able to get the desired result. It is their responsibility to provide us with the security of lives and property. We know that this is the only way we can end this terrorism. We tried to probe into whether they are adequately equipped and the armed forces seems to be on top of the situation. We have all the assurances from the Service Chiefs that they are on top of the situation,” Mohammed informed. Another member, Hon. Tukur Ibrahim El-Sudi (PDP, Taraba) who joined Mohammed in explaining the rationale behind the approval explained that the House had no option but to approve the emergency extension to give security agencies time to nip Boko Haram in the bud because the nation was virtually at war. According to him, “Section 180 (3) provides that if the federation is at war as the service chiefs had told us emphatically that the country is at war, it can be civil war or insurgency war; if the federation is at war, the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to

hold election, the National Assembly by resolution shall extend the period of four years from time to time. And no such extension shall exceed the period of six months at any one time.” El-Sudi explained that: “One fundamental issue that was raised by the Security Chiefs is the facts on the Chibok girls and the international community like the US, Britain, China coming to assist us. One of the primary demands of these countries is that they want a legal framework, as at now we don’t have any domestic legal framework to accommodate these people. The only legal framework we have is section 305, the emergency rule, where by the rules and the regulations we can amend to accommodate them. “And they practically made it clear to us that operational framework are the international treaties, this is where the US and the other countries are coming, but as you know, section 12 for the avoidance of doubt, I would read it to you for Nigerians to understands: No treaty between the federation of another country shall have the force of law except the extent where the treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.” Allaying fears of governors of the affected states that there might be no election with the emergency extension, El-Sudi disclosed that should there be no election, the tenure of the governors would be extended by six months since by virtue of section 180 (3) of the Constitution, their tenure can only be terminated by impeachment, incapacitation or death. “Coming to the issue of election and the fears being alleged by the affected areas, that they will be disenfranchised, the institution is not silent about it; we made them to understand that section 4 (2), section 105 (2), section 135 (3) that deals with President, particularly section 180 (3) which talks about the tenure of the governors and it says that the tenure is four years, unless they are impeached, permanent incapacitation or death.” This marked the first time in the recent past where the House has treated a request from the Presidency with prompt dispatch. The critical nature of the issue at hand paved the way for this urgency and cooperation.

More stories on Pages 40-44

ARTS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

LITERATURE

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/arts

TONY OKUYEME

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

“Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Sense, sound, sundry issues in Ipadeola’s Testaments Title: The Sahara Testaments Writer: Tade Ipadeola Publisher: Hornbill House of the Arts, Lagos. Page: 184 Year of Publication: 2012 Reviewer: Ebere Ameh

ade Ipadeola’s third collection of poetry is philosophically and elegantly crafted to depict the joys, the pains and the harrowing challenges, not only of Sub-Saharan Africa, but by extension, that of the continent. With the Sahara as a metonym, he portrays the vicissitudes of experiences of the people, capturing all in a sequence of 1000 quatrains he has called The Sahara Testaments. The mention of sahara always bring the image of the Sahara Desert to mind. In an interview on the book, Ipadeola disclosed that among other triggers, he was inspired to write about the geography and prehistory of the Sahara after he crossed the desert at noon en route a reading in Dehli. “Even from 36,000 feet in the air you can see the features of the Sahara because it is so hot that the clouds generally are thinner.” A desert as it were, sahara signifies deprivation and lifelessness. The poet used the Sahara allegorically to highlight the challenges, the geography, history and future of Africa. Starting every chapter with a quote, the poet opens and enriches the mind of his readers challenging them, with his remarkable narrative and lyrical presentation, to decipher the wisdom inherent in the lines. From the rich and diverse languages in the region, the beauty of the African continent, to environmental pollution due to oil exploration and production activities, inflation in Nigeria, the wars, the terrorism, to religious hypocrisy and intolerance, common folks and personalities, among other topical issues, Ipadeola wrote, transcending the past and the present to prophetically delve into the future. On the degradation of the continent due to oil exploration and production activities, the poet notes its effect on nature in one of the poems. He ended it by remarking that it is only by going green that the land will be restored: “The decorous chameleon of my continent / Rouses to incantations from gas flares / And a millennium of sand turns pertinent / In as sea-bound spill of harried hectares.” As if in prophesy of the current situation in the country, one of Ipade-

Because of the poet’s penchant for detail, he tenaciously maintained an abab rhyming scheme for the quatrains, relaxing only in the Remnant of Music, where he cared little about rhyme ola’s poems, though written two years earlier, discusses the horror, the agony and pain of mothers who lose their children and loved ones to violence and terror. “It took a desert’s heat to revisit the sorrow / Of mothers. Those for whom the world entire / Was Ramah. Women for whom no tomorrow / Offered lasting solace. Whose tears tire; Not. It did not matter, saint or

courtesan / If son or daughter could not be found / In the wake of a slaving raid, as one woman / They mourned freeborn children now bound.” No wonder James Russell Lowell, an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat wrote that “Poets are the forerunners and prophets of changes in the moral world. …we love to go back to the writings of our old poets, for we find in them the tender germs of many a thought which now stands like a huge oak in the inward world, an ornament and a shelter.” With his firm control of poetic language, he artistically portrayed his thoughts, blending both sound and sense. Though he has the elite in mind due to his philosophical nuances, he still remembers the not very lettered, writing a couple out of the over 200 poems in pidgin English. With some as short as just a quatrain, and others

have more, spanning two pages, the poet allowed his imagination to roam flawlessly. His flow of thought is marvellous, starting with the First Breath, made up of three quotes, he followed it with 106 poems contained in five chapters before the Atlantic Interval, which has only four poems. Infinite Longings follows with 38 poems before the Mediterranean Interlude, a philosophical and poetic write up spanning a whole page, without any form of break or period. He ended the collection with Remnant Music, a compendium of poems, numbering 69, with only asterisks used to separate one from the other. Because of the poet’s penchant for detail, he tenaciously maintained an abab rhyming scheme for the quatrains, relaxing only in the Remnant of Music, where he cared little about rhyme. Though a lawyer, Ipadeola is not new to Literature. He has published three volumes of poetry. A Time of Signs, which was published in 2000 and The Rain Fardel , which came out in 2005. His short stories and essays have also been published in diverse media. Winning the Delphic Laurel in Poetry in 2009 with his poem Songbird in Jeju, South Korea, he also won the NLNG Nigeria Price for Literature with his third volume, The Sahara Testaments. Having patiently studied the beauty of this great work, we observed that assigning a title to each chapter and each poem would have made the work more reader friendly - helping in ease of identification, study and referencing. Though deliberately planned and presented that way, the poet did not consider the youths, the leaders of tomorrow, who would have reveled in the rich wisdom that fills the book. Because of its richness in discussing both serious and contemporary issues, a couple of the poems could be chosen by the West African Examination Council or any other body for study by the students but with numbers and asterisks and no titles, it would be difficult. Outside the lack of title, the book is a brilliant work. It is therefore not surprising that Rotimi Babatunde, Caine Prize Winner and Jumoke Verissimo, author of I am Memory described it as “remarkable in its blending of elements from two traditions of the epic - the broad sweep of the narrative and the intellectual rigour of the philosophical with the haunting immediacy of the personal lyric.” and a “...literary accomplishment that posterity may use as a reference point...” respectively.

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EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 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

WEDNESday, MAY 21, 2014

A long-awaited Taskforce for children

he inauguration by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, of a National Joint Task Force for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Violence Against Children in Nigeria is very commendable. The membership drawn from MDAS and other relevant stakeholders including; Nigeria Law Reform Commission, National Human Rights Commission, NAPTIP, Legal Aid Council, Public Complaint Commission, Ministries of Information, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Education and Health as well as the Nigeria Police, NOA, and the Christian and Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria, reflects an understanding of those who can make the long-awaited intervention worthwhile. Hajiya Maina noted that whenever there were insurgencies or natural disasters, children became easy targets for perpetrators to kill, maim, or abduct. She also pointed out that, “when there are economic problems in the family, children are made to hawk in the streets where they are exposed to all kinds of hazards including child sexual abuse.” Citing the recent abduction in Chibok, she said: “The continuous and recent terror attacks and abduction of children from schools in the NorthEast of the country are a clear demonstration of the extent of violence meted to the Nigerian child. “This callous act highlights the need for government to employ a multi-sectoral approach to

tackle the scourge that is eating deep into the fiber of the country.” The mandate of this taskforce thus is crystal clear and instructive. Its establishment will provide a unified platform for government agencies and the civil society to jointly respond to child sexual abuse and violence against children in a coordinated manner and reduce drastically the menace in the country. It will also look into the circumstances surrounding their long suffering and make an attempt through recommendations to address this cankerworm. Fortunately, membership of the teamincludes people who are conversant with, and concerned about ,children’s issues. It is expected that they would bring their wealth of experience to bear on the assignment and critically assess all the underlying factors militating against the development and survival of children in Nigeria. In that same manner, it would draw up a list of all current problems and evaluate them pragmatically and make recommendations devoid of biases, taking into consideration our diversity. Their recommendations should incorporate prevalence rates, risk factors for perpetration and vulnerability and protective factors for potential victims. There is no doubt that they would perform their assignment with credibility and diligence as experts from diverse disciplines. The Minister deserves great credit for setting up the committee and admitting there is increase in sexual

abuse and violence against children, even though it is long overdue, considering new dimensions of violence. Such insights will gear up the team. The scale of violence against children is appalling. Insights indicate a depressing state of affairs in a country that considers itself civilized. Although factors such as poverty, poor legal protections illiteracy, large family size, and unemployment create an enabling environment for violence against children, from all perspectives, there is absolutely no justification for debasing children. Indeed, no explanation is acceptable. It is nearly unthinkable, but every year thousands of children become victims of crimes such as kidnapping, rape, violent attacks, sexual abuse, and lately abduction (spoils of war). Sexual abuse of children is commonplace and takes place in a variety of settings, including home, school, or workplace (while trying to eke out a living). Child marriage is one of the main forms of child sexual abuse. According to UNICEF, it “represents perhaps the most prevalent form of sexual abuse and exploitation of girls.” The taskforce needs to be reminded that sexual abuse, kidnapping and abduction are among the most destructive experiences afflicting children. The wide prevalence of such violence takes an enormous toll on the lives of individual victims as well as the larger society through innumerable health, psychological,

and economic consequences such as depression, anxiety, trauma and physical injury. We urge the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to take the issues of sexual abuse and violence against children seriously and mount a concerted campaign to address them with all the seriousness this problem deserves. Perpetrators of crimes against children should not be allowed to walk the street free under any circumstance, considering the gravity of the offence. Children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults and we condemn any such action by any adult. An adult who engages in sexual activity with a child is performing a criminal and immoral act, which must be punished. It is also its responsibility to ensure that the Child Rights Law is domesticated by all states and enforced to the letter. What to do in this circumstance is to go back to the drawing board and re-strategize on how best to deliver on improving the lot of the Nigerian child, go beyond paying lip service to their welfare and taking appropriate remedial actions. We believe the terms of reference are achievable within the stipulated time frame, and if the recommendations are properly harnessed, the outcomes would be more than a soothing balm for Nigerian children, who are routinely deprived of their fundamental human rights by those who are supposed to protect them. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief IKE ABONYI Deputy Managing Director/DEIC FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Managing Editor, South 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

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

OPINION

Udom Emmanuel: Key to transparency and accountability (1)

Emmanuel Nicholas

onesty is the channel of truth between the soul and the mind. Those who nurture it are imbued with enormous power: the power to see, the power to know, the power to differentiate, the power to reflect, the power to choose, the power to speak the truth, and ultimately the power to grow. Dishonesty is never the way to authentic power. Dishonesty leads to less real power. When you are honest, however, you are in alignment with the source and you maintain your positioning in the Divine Design for Harmony where your experience is one of real ease and joy and true power. When you are aligned and in the flow and coming from Love, whatever you say or do in honesty is an empowering blessing, even if it ruffles someone’s ego. Your honesty moves all who choose to be, back into the Flow. It is helpful to consider why you would ever find yourself in a situation where you would feel you need to be dishonest. Yes—that’s right—those situations are created by ego, which can’t see the Whole, and often thinks it needs to manipulate circumstances to its advantage. When you are dishonest, it is a sign that your ego is at the helm, as only ego has any interest in manufacturing information, or rather, disinformation, with which to manipulate. Remember that ego does not exist in Prime Matrix, so when ego takes over, you know you’ve moved into duality, which is not the realm of ease and joy. When you are in duality, you have stepped out of the flow of Life Force and into lower frequency, where problems and turmoil manifest. Honesty, then, is not a moral issue, but an energy and power issue. When you are dishonest, you are opting into problems and turmoil and opting out of energy. In order to

move back into the Flow, out of the realm of turmoil, and into authentic power, simply employ the power tool called “honesty.” Most people are dishonest in an attempt to eschew their power. They live as victims, strapped into the childhood ruts their parents lovingly beat them into. They lie not only to their closest intimates but to themselves. Their inner truth is dangerous because it connects with all their years of buried pain and rage and sadness and hurt. If it were to explode it would crush their fragile external lives – and force them to realize just how unloved they are by themselves and their present intimates and how unloved they were in their childhoods by those entrusted to guide their existences. For Akwa Ibom State to take its rightful place and be more relevant in today’s world, it needs bold, inspiring and visionary leadership, devoid of corruption and cronyism, and Udom is the key of such leadership. Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel Nkenang Stands for honest, trustworthy, scrupulous, conscientious, high-principled, Selfless, contentmen, anticorruption, proper, correct, honourable, upright, upstanding, high-minded, righteous, right-minded, moral, ethical, good, virtuous, just, noble, respectable, decent and all above prudent. With Udom, Akwa Ibom State will have chosen a leader who is not corrupt, and who will place people over his personal needs. In this world, to be competitive in all aspects, it demands radical socio-economic transformation and Udom with knowledge gathered in this field will usher in the economic change. Akwa Ibom State needs a leader that has a vision for the State; one that can inspire the people, and one that can be bold to fight corruption, mismanagement of the State’s resources, cronyism and recklessness in

governance. This State cannot go on doing things as usual. We must elect people who have a passion and commitment for rapid development, as well as the well-being of the people and delivery of this kind of government is Udom’s vision. Udom’s Government will be confident, assertive, and innovative and committed to promoting and defending the interest of the people first. We may have the oil and other natural resources, but he will place more emphasis on developing the human resource of the State, instead of just focusing on the natural resources, hoping that when we develop the natural resources, we can have our loot. Udom considers the people’s interest and development must be placed above our politics and natural resources. Above all, Udom is prepared to seek solutions from within, and adopt the philosophies and practices that will deal with the various challenges that the State face, and develop ideas to propel our State towards the best that it deserves, and not just the better.’ Deacon Udom Emmanuel will operate an open government that has integrity in its actions and is really good at managing its information. These are the foundations upon which government accountability is built and corruption is reduced. Now just to be clear, integrity in Udom’s context means that an open government follows the rule of law and that it works to establish a culture of integrity amongst its representatives and employees. This integrity pervades all aspects of an open government which reduces corruption and creates internal accountability, where government holds itself accountable. To be continued • Emmanuel Nicholas (whitebombom@yahoo.com)

Willie Obiano and Anambra’s expanding frontiers of excellence (1) James Eze

wo months after the inauguration of Chief Willie Obiano as the governor of Anambra State, the word on the street is that a wind of change is blowing across the state. From the sprawling commercial city of Onitsha to the industrial hum in Nnewi and from the rich agricultural belt of Ayamelum and Anam to the increasingly ambitious spread of Awka, the frenzy is the same; Anambra is on the rise! It is fascinating how a state that was once a resting place for dying dreams has suddenly emerged as Eastern Nigeria’s new garden of hope. We shall examine all that but first; the hard truth! Until former governor Peter Greg Obi wrestled victory away from the talons of power mongers in 2006, Anambra State dominated national and international headlines for the wrong reasons. For a state that has produced some of the best storytellers on the continent, Anambra corporate narrative found expression between the bizarre and the grotesque. For some strange reasons, the state that produced the great Zik of Africa

(Right Honourable Nnamdi Azikiwe) and some of black Africa’s most iconic figures seemed not to know what to do with itself. Of course there were occasional sparkles of individual excellence here and there as Anambra’s many gifted sons and daughters never cease to astonish the world, but group aspirations and cohesive pursuit of common goals were non-existent. The absence of a strong and purposeful leadership at the center for almost 20 years of the existence of the state was glaring. In the aftermath, Anambra began to wear the sordid looks of a dysfunctional sphere where kidnappers, armed robbers and all people of duplicitous inclinations plied their trade without restraint. Lawlessness grew in scope and variance in Onitsha and environs as visitors dreaded finding themselves in the ancient commercial city for whatever reason. As a result, the state took a plunge from the socio-economic ladder. Trade and commerce which once boomed alongside promising industrial clusters began to shrink. A climate of fear hung in the air! There was a collective wringing of hands in utter exasperation as Ndi Anambra wondered where the rain be-

gan to beat them. But with the emergence of Peter Obi, Okwute Ndigbo, as governor, Anambra State began a bold climb out of the abyss. In a rather poignant way, Obi’s landmark struggle to retrieve his electoral mandate from the courts redirected the attention of Ndi Anambra to the importance of seeking redress through the right organs of state. Remarkably, the former governor was to follow up this trail-blazing effort with a solid achievement in laying the institutional and structural foundations for the emergence of a new Anambra State. Of all his legacies, however, the one that posterity will probably never forget Governor Obi for will be his role in ensuring a peaceful handover of power in the state and also in restoring the missing sense of equity and balance by working for the emergence of a governor from the hitherto neglected Anambra North senatorial constituency. But if morning tells the day, Ndi Anambra will most likely thank Governor Obi for choosing Chief Willie Obiano as his successor. The reason for this is simple. Since he took the statutory oath of office on Monday, March 17, 2014, Chief Willie

Obiano has left no one in doubt that he was not only in office but in power. His surefooted strides as the 4th governor of democratic Anambra have restored the confidence of the people in the ability of government to play its overriding role as the protector of its citizenry and the father of all, regardless of political and ideological leanings. Obiano showed immediate signs of a competent leader who had been mulling over the task on his hands long before he assumed power when he named a cast of competent Anambrarians as his principal staff. Among them are the former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, Howard University professor, Joe Asike and mercurial banker and economist, Mr. Willie Nwokoye who were named as Secretary to the state government, chief of staff and principal secretary, respectively. With the trio, Obiano took up the gauntlet of drawing a new paradigm for his fast-paced campaign to reposition Anambra State for the leadership of the south East region that had waited for it all this while. To be continued • James Eze (eziokwubundu@gmail.com) is the Media Aid to Anambra State governor.

Experts canvass review of varsities' curriculum }p-23

Children’s Day is to rekindle kids’ hope –Lipede }p-25

CAMPUS

Chibok: Students protests against school girls’ abduction }p-27

EDUCATION

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/education

KAYODE OLANREWAJU, Editor, EDUCATION

kayode.olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com kayolanre@gmail.com

Education should bring to light the ideal of the individual. - J.P Richter

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

The school building

One of the vandalised buildings

FUTO, host communities trade words over land CRISIS

Wike

Steve Uzoechi Owerri

he age-long feud between the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State and its host communities over ownership of the university landed area has taken a new twist, resulting to damage of the university property by the irate youth in the communities. The sour relationship, two weeks ago, reached a crescendo, when angry youths from Umuchima, Ihiagwa and Umuanunu communities in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state, besieged the university, held it in the throat and allegedly vandalised some of the universities facilities and structures. The communities, which are at a crossroads with the university, are accusing the latter of encroaching on their ancestral land beyond the university (FUTO) boundaries. However, efforts by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Federal Ministry of Education and the Imo State Government to resolve the issue amicably were said to have been allegedly frustrated by FUTO. Now, the communities have vowed not to let go their land,

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and its host communities are at loggerheads over the disputed land the communities alleged that the university acquired without adequate compensation. and that the university will know no peace until their ancestral land which has been encroached by the university is returned to them. The youths who had besieged the university are demanding immediate relocation of the institution from their ancestral land, threatening in anger, to raze the institution if their demands were not urgently addressed. On the May 7, the management of the university, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chigozie Cyril Asiabaka raised the alarm that the university had been attacked by youths from its host communities, leaving in their trails destruction of the university’s property. However, while conducting journalists on inspection tour of the institution to ascertain the level of damage carried out by the angry youth, the Vice-Chancellor described the invasion of the university as unprovoked and barbaric. Asiabaka recalled that the university had been in a cordial relationship with the host communities until the recent de-

mand by the communities that part of the land legitimately acquired by the Federal Government for the university be ceded to the host communities. But, the Vice-Chancellor stressed that the management has no powers to cede the university land to any community. Apparently taken aback by the incident, the Vice-Chancellor said: "FUTO is not at loggerheads with the communities, why should they vandalise our properties? The damage they unleashed on the university is massive and unprecedented. FUTO land belongs to the Federal Government, and I can say for certain that we have not encroached on any ones’ lands.” The Vice-Chancellor explained: “Their demand that the university should return part of the land to the communities is impossible because nobody here (university) can approve that except the Federal Government. We have convened an enlarged management meeting and certain far reaching decisions were taken, which include among others the immediate perimeter fencing of the university to forestall further encroachment on the university land.” However, the counsel to the host communities dismissed with the wave of hand the university management claim, in-

sisting that FUTO authorities are the invaders in this case and not the host communities. According to Mr. Sam Anukam, who incidentally is an indigene of one of the aggrieved communities, “if we allow this invasion, encroachment, forceful and illegal acquisition of our land by FUTO to stand, a community like Ihiagwa would eventually be swallowed up by the university and confined to extinction”. While tracing the genesis of the raging crisis, Anukam recalled that the university had only paid compensation for just 1,000 hectares of land out of the 4,580 hectares belonging to about 11 communities. He expressed dismay over what he described as fraudulent practice of the university management, saying the landed area acquired by the university was not clearly demarcated and made known to the indigenes as at the time of the acquisition. “Consequently, this has adversely affected the people’s areas of habitation and farm lands, hence we cannot come to terms with the unproven claims that our forefathers surrendered all their ancestral lands to FUTO,” the counsel declared. Anukam recalled efforts made by the Governor Achike Udenwa’s administration to re-

Acquisition of land belonging to the communities is ultra-vires, null and void and of no effect

Asiabaka

solve the issue, which according to him, exposed the physical boundary of the portions of the land acquired by FUTO by a committee set up by the former governor, which report was surprisingly rejected by the university. He insisted that the continued acquisition of land belonging to the communities is ultra-vires, null and void and of no effect, stressing that “it did not comply with the relevant provisions of the 1978 Land Use Act Section 28, even as Anukam dismissed claims by the institution of having paid full compensation for the land acquired, as a fraud. “We have contacted our team of lawyers and it was discovered that the land acquisition did not meet the three essential ingredients of a successful land acquisition, which are lack of direct service directly to the individual families, owners of the land; non-declaration by the acquisition notice of the public purpose for the acquisition in line with Section 28 of the 1978 Land Use Act; and non-completion of compensation payment on the land acquired. “Since these relevant ingredients have not been met by FUTO, the acquisition is null and void and of no effect and FUTO is a CONTI NUED ON PAGE 22

22 EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

...Battle over land

Gov. Okorocha CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

trespasser on our lands,” the Counsel said. Anukam added: “The continued occupation of land that belongs to the host communities compelled the people to commence a legal action against the university management at a court which has since issued an injunction restraining FUTO from taking possession of the disputed landed areas pending proper hearing and determination of the motion on notice.” He, however, regretted that despite the injunction, the university management in the most brazen display of impunity violated the court order. His words: “Apart from violating the court order, the univer-

sity Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Emma Enemuo invited the traditional rulers, women and youth leaders in the communities on April 10, to a meeting where he addressed them on the rift between the institution and the people. “But rather than resolving the rift, he ended up compounding the crisis by suppressing all popular opinions. "And indeed, all efforts by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Federal Ministry of Education and the Imo State Government to resolve the issue amicably had been frustrated by the university.” In his swift reaction, the ProChancellor, however, accused one of the traditional rulers of the host communities, Eze James Muruako of Ihiagwa of inciting the youths to destroy the university properties. The Pro-Chancellor alleged that during the last meeting with the university Governing Council, the monarch had requested that salaries should be paid to the traditional rulers in the communities, while the youths should be offered employment opportunities by the university. The Pro-Chancellor also alleged that the monarchs are making fresh demands for com-

pensation. According to Enemuo, the refusal of the university to enter into fresh negotiation with the monarchs on behalf of the communities, led to the attacks on the institution’s properties. Meanwhile, the Pro-Chancellor argued that the latest destruction of the university buildings and gate would not the first time such attacks would be carried out on the institution, recalling how the youths had on December 20, last year, stopped the dredging of the Ottamiri River by the university, and destroyed the electricity transformer to FUTO in January 15, this year. He noted that the land the institution is presently occupying was legitimately acquired, adding that the university has no power to re-negotiate with the communities, while he advised the aggrieved communities to take their grievances to the Federal Government. In his reaction, Eze Muruako insisted that the communities are only demanding for their rights as the university’s host communities, maintained that FUTO have occupied about 5,000 acres of their land with little or nothing done to employ their youths.

Muruako, who denied inciting the youths said: “We deeply regret that the Pro-Chancellor could be that petty in his allegations in a serious matter such as the communities’ persistent demand for fair treatment and justice in the land that belong to them. The truth of our situation is that successive FUTO management, especially the present administration and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, have failed to acknowledge and recognition of their rights in the payment of compensations for less than half of the land the university is claiming today.” On the Pro-Chancellor’s allegations, the monarch (Eze Muruako) challenged him to

publish the communities’ demands as contained in the position paper he presented on the April 10 meeting. He said: “In that meeting, I presented a three-page statement, as the spokesman of my people, which was circulated to the Pro-Chancellor and other university officials at the meeting. We challenge the Pro-Chancellor to publish our statement. It is very unfortunate that he could sidetline such important matter and resorted to trivialities. According to the monarch, the communities had been crying since 1993 over the questionable manner in which the over 4,000 hectares the university is claiming today was acquired. The traditional rulers recalled that the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha acknowledged the injustice in the acquisition of the land and thereby cancelled certain part of the acquisition to allow peace to reign between the community and the institution. Therefore, Eze Muruako pleaded with the federal and state government to intervene in the matter with a view to passionately looking into the demands of the communities, regretting the threat by the Pro-Chancellor to repress his people using the Federal Government might.

for the indigenes. There is even a subsisting court injunction limiting FUTO to certain areas, but instead of building and developing areas inside the school that is about 4,000 hectares of undeveloped land, Asiabaka and Elemuo are interested in building in the disputed areas that are within the boundary. And they are doing it with grave impunity and arrogance. When they wanted to commence the building of the staff quarters and student hostels at the disputed areas, near the university main gate, Umuchima people reminded them of the court injunction restraining them from venturing into that piece of land. In protest against the university defiance, the community even dropped two coffins at the disputed land are during the protest. But what did Asiabaka do? In defiance, he recruited the services of police and soldiers and started building at the site at jet speed, without deeming it necessary to consult the protesting land owners. As the President-General, I attended a

meeting convened by the university Council with the Ezes and other officials of the host communities. It was at the meeting that the Chairman, Governing Council, Elemuo told us (the host communities) that we are not FUTO landlord, but their neighbours. He also threatened to use the military on any community that continues to protest against FUTO policies, even if they are making genuine demands. As the Chairman Governing Council of FUTO, he ought to have read the history of Ihiagwa and known that Ihiagwa people are not cowards, but hardworking people that have made their marks in every field of human endeavour. We have eminent sons and daughters within and outside the shores of this country. President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has been battling to contend with the activities of militants and insurgents, and people like Elemuo, by his actions and utterances, seems bent on creating more militants for their employer with their careless and provocative statements, which is, to say the least demeaning and very unbecoming of a principal officer in the capacity of a Governing Council Chairman. What do you think is the way forward of the current sour FUTOhost community relationship? The first thing is that FUTO management should recognise the plight of my people and our genuine demand. And what we are asking for is not out of this world. We want a boundary demarcation to stop this unrestrained incursion into our homesteads based on their notion that every undeveloped piece of land in Ihiagwa belongs to FUTO. FUTO should implement the policy that 60 per cent of all employment from levels 1-6 should come from the host communities.

Okojie

FUTO ought to recognise our sacrifices, says leader The face-off between the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and its host communities degenerated abysmally last week. In this interview with STEVE UZOECHI the President-General of Ihiagwa autonomous community in Owerri West LGA, Emeka Nkwoada, speaks on the face-off and how to resolve the crisis. A community recently invaded FUTO and destroyed properties worth millions of naira, what’s your reaction? Firstly, the village in question is Umuchima village, and incidentally that village is where I come from. Secondly, and to the best of my knowledge, the village did not invade FUTO, but had embarked on a peaceful demonstration to drive home their demands. It may interest you to know that our mothers, women, men and youths participated in the demonstration. The women even wore black attires. But unfortunately, the protest was hijacked by youths from a neighbouring community, who I learnt also have some issues to settle with FUTO. So, what really happened and what are the issues in contention? Like I said earlier, Umuchima people embarked on a peaceful demonstration to protest the arbitrary acquisition of their land by FUTO management. This became necessary after several efforts made to settle the matter amicably with FUTO management failed. I can say authoritatively that contrary to what the management of the university has been feeding the public since the incident occurred. Ihiagwa

people wholeheartedly gave out their ancestral land to FUTO. For your information, about 80 per cent of FUTO land is situated in Ihiagwa and without mincing words 80 per cent of the Ihiagwa land belongs to Umuchima. What that implies is that Umuchima people known for their agrarian tradition no longer have land as farm land; Umuchima people no longer have place they can build houses to accommodate the expansion of their growing families. What the FUTO management ought to have done is to recognise the sacrifices made by the people and even the inherent love in accommodating their students. Rather, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chigozie Asiabaka and the Chairman Governing Council, Engr. Emmanuel Elemuo are busy making statements, provoking the entire community and insulting the sensibility of Umuchima people. But the FUTO management said they are unable to meet your community’s demand, since they lack the power to cede part of FUTO land to your people… This is another lie being propagated by the FUTO management to mislead the public. We are not asking the management

Nkwoada

What that implies is that Umuchima people, known for their agrarian tradition, no longer have land as farm land to cede any part of FUTO land to us. FUTO by the quantity of land acquiesced to them, which extended up to eleven autonomous communities in Owerri West Local Government Area, can be said to be the biggest university in Africa in terms of its land mass. But what Umuchima people are saying is that our forefathers cannot give FUTO all our lands including our compounds and bedrooms, as they are claiming. We are asking them to establish a boundary demarcation so that we know where their land stopped and the little remaining

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Experts canvass review of varsities' curriculum Emeldah Ogene Abuja

f members of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) have their way, the university accounting curriculum should be reviewed in order to meet global trends. The call was made at a workshop organised in Abuja by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in collaboration with the White Knight Consulting (WKC), ANAN, and other stakeholders. The talk-shop was entitled: "International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) Practical Implementation Guides for Nigerian Universities.” A member of the association and lecturer at the Nigeria College of Accountancy, Dr. Friday Wada said there was the need for the review so

as to conform to global trends, since accounting language has become universal. Wada, however, noted that with the current global advancement in all sectors of the economy, it was necessary for Nigeria's financial statements to be readily understandable and acceptable in global markets. He said this could only be achieved if upcoming professionals were trained from the universities based on curriculum that conformed to the current global standards such as IFRS and IPSAS. According to him, the workshop would offer opportunities for accountants to keep abreast with global trends and for them to come up with financial statements that would contribute to the development of their organisations and the country at large. Meanwhile, the Managing Consultant of

WKC, Dr. Adebayo Adejola, said a new curriculum that encompasses current financial language will equip accountants with the relevant information for transforming the economic sector. Adejola further noted that accountants all over the world were expected to speak the same language and the workshop was that needed tonic to enable them stand at par with their counterparts anywhere in the world. In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, hinted that the commission was committed to ensuring the development of the university system. Okojie added that the challenge had been the inability of scholars to take advantage of the opportunities offered by workshops and trainings such as this to boost their capacity in imparting knowledge and skills.

Sterling Bank unveils Children’s Day programmes for pupils Kayode Olanrewaju

etermined to improve the education sector, the well-being of the pupils and to appreciate the Nigerian child, Sterling Bank Plc, has spoken of plans to make this year’s Children Day remarkable to the children. Towards this end, the bank in its commitment towards improvement of the education sector has rolled out some strategic programmes that will make the 2014 Children’s Day, a day the children will never forget in a hurry. The programmes, according to the bank, include: a Mathematics competition for pupils in primary schools; My One Bank’ competition among students; Mother and Child Expo; and a Children’s Day Party. The mathematics competition, according to the bank, is in line with its “One Sterling Education” initiative aimed at adding value to the Nigerian child in the area of education. “One of its major goals is to encourage students to embrace Mathematics which is often considered a difficult subject,” it said. To participate in the competition, interested students have begun to obtain free forms at all the branches of the bank nationwide to register for

Sterling Bank has, over the years, played a key role in supporting education of the youths the competition, which entry and submission of completed forms to the bank is expected to close on May 21. The bank added that the students would after registration obtain an examination slip from the branch to allow them sit for the examination, which will hold at the Dola Hall of Caleb International College, Lagos on May 24. On the modalities of conducting the competition, the bank noted that 100 successful students would be alerted via SMS two days after the examination inviting them to the award ceremony which will hold on May 29, 2014 at the same venue. The bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola said that the bank’s various activities in the education sector, are based on the need to invest in “our collective future and create the society we want by investing in our youth.” To ensure transparency, an independent educa-

tion personality from the Lagos State Ministry of Education will provide oversight on the conduct of the examination and prize winners will have their winning funds paid into their respective Sterling Bank accounts. As part of the reward system, some of the students will be entertained at Sterling Bank’s Children’s Day party on May 24, at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. Brands including Fan Milk, Chi, Farmer’s choice sausages and Ruff ‘n’ tumble, are partnering with the bank on the party. Also, Sterling Bank will introduce its ‘My One Bank’ competition among students between the ages of five and 17, as well as its Mother and Child Expo, while participants at the ‘My One Bank’ competition would be given the opportunity to draw a bank of their dream. “This will cover the structure, the types of products they will offer and identify their potential customers. The project will run for three months starting from May 24,” the bank said. The Mother and Child Expo, which will hold between May 24 and 25, at The Haven, Ikeja is to encourage a financial culture among children and their mothers.

Participants and officials of the Ministry during the award presentation ceremony.

College wins World Environment Day quiz Emeldah Ogene Abuja

eachers and pupils of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Lejja, Enugu State are still savouring the outstanding performance of their school in the just concluded quiz competition, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education to mark the 2013 World Environment Day. Chidera Ugwu, who represented the college, emerged the overall winner of the competition among the 17 pupils that participated in the grand finale held in Abuja. Speaking at the prizegiving ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala, said by celebrating World Environment Day, “we remind ourselves and other Nigerians of the importance of caring for our environment.” “Given the enormous poor lifestyles and the resultant devastating effects on the environment, the 2013 theme: “Think, Eat Save” encourages us

to become more conscious of the environmental impact on the food choices we make and empowers us to make informed decisions,” he said. The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by the Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Daniel Uwaezuoke, said the annual World Environment Day has brought to fore the negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation, with a view to addressing them. According to him, the day is marked all over the world in various ways, with activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, poster competitions, quiz and essay writing competitions, among others. The Director, Technology and Science Education in the ministry, Mr. Michael Ofor said that conserving the environment should not be left in the hands of the government and environmentalists alone, but rather it is the responsibility of everyone. “The ministry appreciates the importance of

the environment and has, therefore, resolved to create the awareness among our students and their teachers,” he noted. The quiz competition, organised to mark the 2013 World Environment Day, he recalled had since begun at the zonal level held in all the six geo-political zones of the federation since June, last year, while the grand finale is being held today. He stressed that the competition is one of the several ways of raising the consciousness of the people on the importance of preserving the environment. Ofor, however, presented some of the schools environment observing equipment earlier pledged by the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike. Some of the benefitting schools include Queens’ College, Yaba, Lagos; Federal Government College, Ikom; Federal Government Girls’ College, Umuahia; Federal Government College, Keffi; Federal Government Girls’ College, Bakori; and Federal Science College, Sokoto.

Why Ondo's free school shuttle is successful

ndo State Government has given reasons why the implementation of its Free School Shuttle initiative for school children in the state is successful. The free shuttle initiative introduced by the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko and which became operational immediately will be two years on June 12. Addressing journalists in Akure, the state capital, the state Information Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Akinmade and his counterpart in the Transport Ministry, Mr. Nicholas Tofowomo, said the free school shuttle programme has been successful because of the political will of the governor

as well as the operational mechanism which made it civil-servant driven. “The programme is basically a social responsibility effort of the government and one of the caring heart programmes of Governor Mimiko,” Akinmade said, adding that “it is one of the ways the government has been able to demonstrate its sincerity to serve the people and justify its mandate." According to Tofowomo, the free school shuttle began its pilot phase in Akure, with drivers with a minimum of school certificate who are civil servants. He said: “They were trained to maintain the vehicles in case they break down. We have transport

operations in the ministry with a director who drives the concept.” He explained that the free school shuttle buses system for the school children throughout the state is in response to the government’s vision of guaranteeing safety on its roads, as well as allow the children feel the impact of meaningful transportation system.

24 EDUCATION | INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Children’s Day is to rekindle kids’ hope –Lipede

FUTA don wins World Bank grant

Adeyeloye Lipede is the Managing Director, Solution Media & Infotech Limited, a hi-tech multimedia company providing entertainment, event support services and educational programmes, especially the annual children’s day. He spoke with OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI on his firm’s educational programmes. What exactly is your organisation’s programme to mark this year’s Children’s Day celebration? May 27 is the children’s day all over the world. For the second time running this year we are bringing together not less than 6,000 kids and sizeable number of teachers for appreciation which is taking place at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, where every Nigerian child that is in school, will come out and compete in a free style manner and show their creativities. We want to showcase their skills to the outside world. We are also appreciating teachers because without the teachers, we can’t train the children. We are appreciating 15 teachers, who are going to receive various awards. Five of them are retired already, while the rest are still in active service. What are the criteria for the selection of the teachers? The names of the teachers were given to us by the Lagos State Ministry of Education. We have no input in their selection. We received resume for each one of them and their contributions to the schools. One of them joined a school when the pass rate of the school in Physics was merely 10 per cent in external exams. But since he took over, they have been recording about 90 per cent pass. How do you also select the schools? It is in partnership with Lagos State Government which gave us the list of public schools. The state has six education districts and they gave us schools from each district; primary and secondary schools. We also invited some private schools. So, all togetherOkebukola we have over 100 schools. What is the reward system like? Last year, the overall winner went to Dubai and this year, we are partnering with the Canadian High Commission for the winning school. Luckily, the Deputy High Commissioner was here to hold meeting with us and to see what we do. He has promised that they will facilitate the visas and introduce us to some places of interest in that country. Maybe, next year, we will go to Europe. The main aim of this programme is that we want to offer Nige-

rian child the opportunity of being appreciated; that the future is bright; as well as avail them the opportunity to compete favourably worldwide. And, the best way is to expose them to other countries. Let them see the culture and appreciate other people’s culture. It is shocking to find out that many people have no international passport. Last year, we had to secure passport for many of them, which means that they had not travelled before. We acquired it for them and we think they appreciate it. What security measure have you put in place in view of the level of insecurity in the country? I think getting the kids engaged and harnessing their talents is a major way of combating criminal activities. The event will hold between 9am and 4pm because we want the children to leave the venue on time and get home before it is late. Of course, there will be adequate private security arrangement and the police will also be on ground. But some of them will not carry arms, in order not to scare the children and the guests. We are going to have ambulances and even fire fighters on ground. We are going to have a game’s arcade - where we have provided games for the children. The children are not just coming to compete, but also toMBHS have fun, relax and enjoy gate themselves. We are looking forward to about 6,000 pupils. We will give them breakfast and lunch around 12 noon. So, the parents do not need to feed their kids. Transportation is also important. So, we have made arrangement with LAGBUS to transport them from some designated centres. What we have done is that for every four pupils, we will have one teacher assigned to them. So, if we request for 25 children from a school, we are talking of six teachers. And we are giving the teachers honorarium. They are not just coming. I think that will also motivate them to come. There will be free shirts for the children and their teachers; so that we would be able to identify those with us and those who are not. Any plan for scholarship for these kids?

Lipede

A lot of us believe that when we send the children to school, that is the end of it all Well, you just mentioned that and I promised that we will look into it. The programme is just two years old. Maybe, next year, we will include scholarship, probably to the university level. Though, university education is not a right. What the government owns you is the primary and secondary education which is why we are looking strictly in that aspect. How are you funding this programme? We have corporate bodies that are part of it. Some donated drinks, snacks, foods and some cash. Initially, they were skeptical because they didn’t understand what we are doing. Luckily, there are many companies that are showing interest this year, so that has reduced our financial burden. Already, 13 organisations are partnering with us. How do you intend to sustain this vision? As time goes by, the cost of holding the event for us will be reduced since we already have the most of the equipment the pupils will use. We also use the opportunity to

display what we have and people will always come back to ask. You don’t expect us to provide these things for free. Definitely, corporate organisations will come in whenever they see it moving. We are getting a lot of responses this year. Schools and their teachers have been calling to say they want to participate. But we keep telling them that it is not all about winning, but about participating, which means they meet other people and enjoy the fun. What can you say about the nation’s quality of education? The problem is that when we talk of the failing standard of education, what have we done as parents or stakeholders to improve the level of our children? A lot of us believe that when we send the children to school that is the end of it all. Some parents do not even know whether their children come back from school with homework, or not. The following day, such child goes back to school with it undone. It is not just the teachers or the school that should teach children. The parents have a role to play in it. When we were growing up, and when we came back from school, our mothers would ask us, what did we do in school that day? Even though, she is not educated, she knows you must have been given homework. So, I think we need to talk to ourselves and realise that we cannot leave everything to the government. We are also the government.

Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SEET), Dr. Ayoola Olalusi, has become a recipient of N10.2 million World Bank Research Grant. Olalusi, according to a statement by the university, qualified for the grant through his proposal entitled: “Development and Evaluation of a Floating Fish Feed Extruder,” which was presented through the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria). The research, which is to be conducted by the lecturer, is said to be a WAAPP/Agricultural Council of Nigeria’s initiative under the auspices of the World Bank. According to the university, the letter that conveyed the news to the institution and signed by the National Project Coordinator, WAAPP-Nigeria, Professor D.O. Chikwendu read in part: “Your project proposal entitled: “Development and Evaluation of a Floating Fish Feed Extruder”, has been approved for funding by the World Bank. This is consequent to your submission of more detailed proposal, in line with the concept of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D).” Responding to the lecturer’s stride, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, said the World Bank Research grant won by Olalusi has further confirmed FUTA’s leadership ability and competence in cutting edge research.

Ajasin varsity don becomes CDE secretary

ean of Faculty of Education of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof. Sunday Amuseghan, has been named the acting General Secretary of the Committee of Deans of Education (CDE) of Nigerian universities. Amuseghan was said to have been appointed at the Committee’s meeting held on April 23, at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State. In a related development, another don at the Department of Philosophy, Dr. Dada Itanrin, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration (ICA) of Nigeria. ICA is an amalgam of all professional administrators who occupy supervisory, managerial or leadership positions across public and the private sector. The acting Council Chairman of the institute, Dr. G. C. Onyekwere said in a statement to Itanrin: "I write to convey the approval of your nomination for the conferment of Fellowship Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Educational Administration by the Governing Council of the Institute." According to him, Itanrin was honoured in recognition of his dedication to service, upwardly mobility and visionary approach to administrative matters, and professionalism in the public spiritedness.

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Nestle equips Oyo pupils' skills in nutrition, hygiene Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to the society, Nestle Nigeria Plc has sharpened the skills and knowledge of some primary school pupils across the 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo state at its maiden Nestle Healthy Kids quiz competition' programme. Tagged: “Creating Shared Value (CSV),” the programme was organised in four states including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo, in 113 primary schools. The beverages firm, last week gathered 33 schools in the 33 Local Government Councils of Oyo state at the Civic Centre, Idi Ape, Ibadan, where three of the schools emerged winners. The project was organised in collaboration with the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Centre for Health Education, Population and Nutrition (CHEPON), led by its Director, Dr. Olabisi Atinmo. The participating schools are Irawo-Ile Primary School; Agunpopo Primary School, Oyo; Alapo Community Primary School, Randa, Ogbomoso; Modeke Primary School, Igboho; Army Children School, Oyo; Basic School, Okaka in the Itesiwaju Local Government Area; Baptist Primary School, Iwere-Ile in Iwajowa Local Government Area, among others. Speaking with New Telegraph, Nestle Creating Shared Value Officer, Bola Audu said: "The main objective of the programme is to teach children basic nutrition, hygiene, water hydration and physical activity. We are looking for innovative ways to help to transfer this knowledge in these four areas mentioned. Audu said: "Before now, the pupils have 45 minutes lesson with their class teachers, basically, classroom implementation programme. But we are trying more innovative ways like this quiz competition. We are already in Ogun, building educational gardens where chil-

dren can plant and learn how to grow vegetables. We will begin construction in Oyo this week in two schools as pilot scheme. One is in one primary school near the University of Ibadan and the other in Fiditi". He, however, explained that the programme was limited to only Primary IV pupils based on the fact that Primary Six pupils were already preparing for common entrance examinations, and hence it will be a distraction. Still on the rationale for selecting Primary IV pupils, Audu added that Primary V was eliminated from the programme since there is going to be evaluation of the project after one year of its implementation, as the pupils would have already been in Primary Six by the time such evaluation is to be carried out. The programme is in its second year, he noted, speaking about plans by Nestle to extend it to many other schools and states of the federation. On the funding of the project, Audu, who declined comments on how much the company is spending on the programme, said "we are providing educational materials free of charge to all the participating pupils and we are providing remuneration to monitors who visit the schools weekly to ensure that the project is properly implemented". His words: "We have discouraged huge financial or monetary benefit in order to discourage age cheating, introduction of mercenary in to the programme. We want to make it as fun as possible. "We provided trophies, refund of transportation fare to all schools participating in the programme. We are lodging schools as SUBEB advised us are far away from Ibadan, who may not be able to make it early to the venue. "Apart from the trophy and certificate of participation, we are also giving N40,000 to the winning school; N30,000 to the second place and N20.000 to third place winners to motivate them.”

Pay our bursary allowance now, Lagos State students tell Fashola Victoria Ewoh

tudents of Lagos State origin under the aegis of the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) are demanding payment of their outstanding bursary. The students had last week staged a peaceful protest at Alausa, Ikeja, the seat of government, urging Governor Babatunde Fashola-led administration to pay their outstanding bursary without further delay. Speaking during the rally, the President of the association, Medemakun Abayomi, lamented the poor welfare programme of the Lagos State Government especially towards the students and youths, who are indigenes of

the state. Abayomi said: “We have watched with keen interest the policies of the state government over the years as they affect indigenes of the Lagos State. Indeed, we have come to the conclusion that this government has decided to make us second class citizens by denying us our inalienable rights, including affordable and qualitative education, scholarship opportunities and bursary allowance.” Abayomi, who noted that the state government had refused to pay bursary to them in the past four years, added that the association would make the state difficult for all elected officials of the state until their requests are met.

Osun spends N521m on students’ bursary O Mojeed Alabi

sun State Government has said that N521 million has been disbursed so far for payment of bursary to students of the state origin studying in various higher institutions across the federation, including the six Law Schools. This was revealed by the state’s Director of the Bureau of Communications and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, while explaining the state’s efforts at building a sound future for the people of the state, especially the younger generation. “In furtherance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration’s determination to ensure that education is available to all indigenes irrespective of their financial conditions, the state has continued to invest heavily on the education sector as the bedrock for national development,” Okanlawon said. He added: “It is less than four years that this revolution started. The results are

Aregbesola

already showing. The surest way to change the society is to change the way people are educated which this government has challenged itself to achieve. "For instance, the Federal Government has now realised the need to introduce the school meal programme. This is one programme that has increased school enrolments in Osun. It alleviates poverty and creates jobs for local food vendors and farmers. The ripple effects are just simply tremendous."

Giving the breaking down of government expenditure on education, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, explained that a sum of N275.7 million was paid to final year students of the state origin across Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2012/2013 academic session. He added that a special grant to the tune of N17.3 million has also been paid to students of the state origin in the nation’s six campuses of the Nigerian Law School for the 2012/ 2013. Oyeniran stressed that N208.6 million was paid to 20,215 final year students in 74 institutions and N18.5 million to 185 Law School students in five campuses in the previous academic session. According to him, what the government has done with the payment of bursary to the students is in compliance with one of Aregbesola’s six-point integral action plan that focuses on the provision of functional education.

A cross section of some of the participating schools at a competition in Ibadan.

OAU approves 5 courses for Adeyemi College Babatope Okeowo Akure

fforts of the management of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo to improve the college’s academic development, have received a boost with the approval of five new courses. The academic programmes were approved by the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the college’s parent institution. The courses, according to the Chairman of college’s Governing Council, Ambassador Ahmed Musa Jen, are Guidance and Counseling, Social Studies, Integrated Science, Mathematics and Yoruba. This development was revealed at a meeting of Chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country with the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr

Nyesom Wike to proffer solution to the almost 10 months industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and its Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) counterpart. Jen disclosed this at a press conference to herald the 50th anniversary and 33rd convocation ceremony of the college, saying the strike action embarked upon by polytechnic and colleges of education lecturer is regrettable and that a workable solution would be found. This unsavory development, he said made the Chairmen of the Governing Councils of the affected institutions to have a retreat with the Minister, last week, where decision to engage the unions in useful and productive dialogue was taken. According to the Council Chair, all relevant stakehold-

ers including parents, students and the unions “feel uncomfortable” with the prolonged duration of the strike has lasted and are ready to end the industrial action. No fewer than 5,147 students of the college including 1,622 will be awarded the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) and 3,459 with First Degrees in various fields with different grades during the ceremony. According to him, the combined convocation covers the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions. Among the graduating students, he said include four First Class; 416 Second Class Upper; 1,831 Second Class Lower and 102 Pass. He, however, noted that all relevant stakeholders in the college’s project are working assiduously towards ensuring that the institution secures a full-fledged university status.

26 EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

ASUU traces insecurity to Students hail governor on varsity’s status irresponsive governance Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

ational President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nassir Fagge, has blamed the security challenges bedeviling the country on inability of the leaders to provide responsible governance and quality education in the country. Fagge disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 18th national delegates conference of ASUU held at the University of Ibadan (UI), where he also called for the overhaul of the country’s economic model, which he said allows for wholesale stealing under the guise of privatisation. He said: "The political landscape is increasingly becoming intolerant and desperate. This is unhealthy for the polity. We believe that the Nigerian people are not being presented with sufficient options to choose from. The same crop of people

is recycling themselves from one party to another to scramble for powers. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different result. "The ruling elites have systematically edged-out the people from governance equation. This crop of looters in garb of rulers pretending to be leaders cannot create the Nigeria of our dreams. We have a huge burden of responsibility to raise the consciousness of the people to demand for power through a legitimate and transparent electoral process." According to Fagge, the socio-economic inequalities arising from mindless and merciless corruption have bred all sorts of tendencies and subcultures alien to the country. His words: "Why is it that our rulers are not only taking us for granted but are openly contemptuous of us? Why is that none of the arms of government gives a damn about corruption and recklessness

in our land? Why is it that every major corruption, fraud or open thievery case is always swept under the carpet and sometimes buried with bigger and grander scandal which in turn is also buried? Why is it that whenever a corruption case dominates the news media it disappears from both the airwaves and the newsstands within a couple of days?" He listed the menace of Boko Haram, the dangerous highway robberies, the traumatic kidnappings and militancy, the senseless tribal and religious scuffles, and the avoidable electoral malpractices and ensuing violence as problems tearing the country apart. The ASUU leader, however, called on the people to demand and insist on protection of lives and property rightly entrenched in the Constitution, adding that the menace of insecurity ought to have brought Nigerians on the streets demanding answers.

tudents of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, ijebu-Ode in Ogun State have lauded the decision of Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to revert his administration’s plans to merge the institution with the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye. The governor, who announced this at the 80th birthday celebration of the Awujale and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikru Kayode Adetona in Ijebu-Ode, disclosed that the institution will continue to exist as a full-fledged university and not as an institute under OOU. Amosu had on assumption of office as the governor of the state conducted an audit of tertiary institutions in the state, and announced plans to merge the pioneer education university in the country with the Olabisi Onabanjo University’s Institute of Education. The students were said to be on a solidarity visit to the Governor's Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, last week, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “SIA is indeed a Governor”, “SIA we appreciate your leadership spirit”, “TASUED says thank you” and “We need more of you”,

among others. The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), TASUED chapter, Okikiola Ogunshola, said the assurance from the governor portrayed him as "a father and caring governor with interest of the young ones at heart." Receiving the students on behalf of the governor, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, noted that there was no time that government decided to scrap the institution, but was holding discussion with stakeholders with a view to establishing its viability or otherwise. He said: “There was no time that the Ogun State Government decided to scrap TASUED. It was just a misconception. It was a mere rumour.” The SSG disclosed that a Governing Council would soon be constituted for the institution, assuring the students that their other demands, including provision of buses, would be met as soon as possible. The governor urged the students to take their studies seriously, and warned them to resist attempts by politicians who might want to use them for their selfish ends.

DVC charges female dons on gender research, mentorship

A Participants at the Students For Liberty East Africa Regional Conference held at Catholic University, Nairobi, Kenya

Ogun restates readiness to invest more in education O gun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela, has reiterated the readiness of the state government to invest more on the education sector in view of the pivotal role the sector plays in the overall development of the economy. Odubela disclosed this during his presentation at the ongoing 2014 Ministerial Press Briefing of the ministry, as part of activities marking the third year anniversary of the Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in Ogun State. According to the Commissioner, apart from the free qualitative and affordable education the government provides in the state public primary and secondary schools, it has also given free textbooks and other instructional materials to the pupils, renovated schools and constructed model schools, among others.

Odubela noted that the government has continued to pay running cost to school principals since the inception of the administration, saying subvention to higher institutions across the state has always received government attention. He said: “The state government had in the past and even up till date been making everything free in all our primary and secondary schools. These, we shall continue to do as part of our responsibility to make life more bearable for the entire citizenry of Ogun State." On the on-going strike by members of academic staff of Tai-Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Omu-Ijebu, the Commissioner said the industrial action is a national strike by the umbrella union of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), but however noted that the institution has been enjoying

prompt release of running cost from the state government. Apart from its regular payment of subvention to the college, Odubela recalled that the Amosu-led administration had increased the subvention of the college from N45 million to N85 million.

Amosun

dekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, has counseled women to mentor their subordinates, and hold a common front in order to make their leadership aspirations attainable. Ajayi gave the advice at the one-day seminar organised by the university's Women Studies and Development Centre (WSDC) for members of senior female staff of the university as part of activities marking this year's edition of the International Women's Day celebration. He said: "There is also the need for women to mentor their subordinates and assist them to climb the corporate ladder without compromising competence, hard work, commitment and other kernels of leadership." The DVC, who described the theme of this year’s celebration: "Inspiring Women for Leadership positions", as timely considering the dearth of women in leadership positions in the university, also charged the organisers to engage in gender research in line with the vision of the university management. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor noted: "Part of the mandate of the Centre is to engage in research on gender studies and I don't think you have any factor limiting you. I, therefore, urge you to engage in research on gender issues. You can go all the way to generate your proposals and forward to the university management. And we will be most willing to support that aspiration." According to Ajayi, the man-

Mimiko, VC

agement is well disposed to having a crèche on campus to take care of your babies to allow them to concentrate on their job. While saying that "we are already thinking of giving you a new accommodation for crèche, he added that by the time the community relocated from the Western Campus to the new Senate Building (Central Campus) there will be adequate space for a crèche." Ajayi, who expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for his passion for the advancement of women course, said: "Our commitment to equal opportunities for women in leadership positions is unwavering because we believe very strongly that it is high time the male-dominated top became equitable for both male and female for a more balanced and progressive society. The university shall always assist the Centre in all its efforts and programmes to give women and women leaders a place and a voice."

CAMPUS | EDUCATION 27

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Chibok: Students protest against school girls’ abduction Sikiru Akinola, Kemi Busari and Oluwafemi Ogunjobi OAU

tudents and members of staff of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), last week trooped out en masse last week to lend their voice against the abduction of the school girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, which they described as a heinous crime against the girls and humanity. This is following similar protests in several campuses overseas, which joined the global mass protests against the abduction of students by the dreaded Boko Haram sect. The students, who had earlier gathered in their hundreds for the protest, were joined by female members of staff, who dressed in white and red attires and numbering about hundred, moved round the campus to express their displeasure over the missing children. Led by the Director of the Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, Prof. Funmi Soetan, the women carried placards with various inscrip-

tions such as "#Bring Back Our Girls Now," "Our Staff and Students Condemn the Abduction of Chibok Girls,” "Real Men Don't Buy Girls," among others woor moody faces as they expressed their anger and frustration. Addressing reporters, Soetan said they organised the protest "in order to lend their voice to the national, regional and international organisations’ cries against the abduction of the future scholars who might end up attending OAU." Similarly, the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Lateefah Durosinmi said the protest was to solidarise and show empathy for the parents and families of the abducted girls. "We don't know what they've been eating or what they have done to them. Anybody that has information on how to get these young girls should not hesitate to provide it," the protesters said. ASUU Chairman, Dr. Caleb Aborisade, who was part of the protest, said the union is against the abduction of the girls, while advising President Goodluck Jonathan to resign if he is not capable of govern-

Students urge FG to include private varsities in TETFund allocations

clarion call has gone to the Federal Government to allow private universities to benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocations to public higher institutions in the country. The call was made by students of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State while featuring on a radio programme “Citadel Radio” on Orange 94.5 FM, Akure. The call, according to the students, had become necessary in view of the fact that owners of private universities, who are mainly industrialists and who contribute significantly to the Fund should be allowed to benefit from the funds. They, therefore, wondered why private universities were exempted and denied from benefiting from the funds, arguing that since all universities (public and private) are regulated by the same regulatory bodies and produce graduates for the same labour market, it would be necessary for all the institutions to benefit from the Fund. The students noted that the emergence of private universities in the country, has offered more access to several thou-

Chief Ade-Ojo, Founder

sands of candidates seeking university admission, even as they added that the Federal Government should without further delay conduct an audit of all existing private universities in the country with a view to identifying the ones that are doing well in order to assist them accordingly. They called on Presidency, members of the National Assembly, and indeed all major stakeholders in the education sector to look into how private universities can benefit from the TETFund allocations for their development. Also, the students challenged managers of tertiary institutions and providers of higher education in the country on the need to ensure provision of quality university education that will adequately equip the graduates for the job market. The students, who featured in the radio programme include Gift Silas (200 Level Business Administration), Esther Ezenwoye (200 Level Microbiology) and Iyanu Oluyale (200 Level Accounting). They lamented the poor quality of education being offered in some of tertiary institutions in the country and lauded the management of their institution for engaging world-class lecturers and instructors who have made learning more friendly and interesting at the university. They gave kudos to the founder of the university, Chief Michael Ade Ojo for establishing a world-class university and for creating more access for the teeming Nigerian youth aspiring to acquire university education that the Federal Government has failed to provide.

Some of the protesters at the rally.

ing the country. Speaking on behalf of the students during the protest, the Vice-President-elect of the Students’ Union, Oladejo Funmilola said: “It gladdens my heart to see that ‘Great Ife’ students have come to the consciousness that an injury to one, is an injury to all. We frown at the insensitivity of our government to this issue in particular, and the unemployment facing the youths.” In a similar development, Japheth Omojuwa, Olumayowa Okediran, Odunola Oladejo, Ajibola Adigun, Peter Oluleke and Chukuemeka Ezeugo were recently at the Catholic University, Nairobi, in Kenya, to participate in the

campus’ protest against the abduction of the Nigerian school girls. The young Nigerians were part of more than 400 other students from all over Africa who converged at the university campus for the maiden edition of the Students For Liberty East Africa Regional Conference, where they held placards with the famous ‘#Bring Back Our Girls’ symbol or inscription. They were joined during the protest by Tom G. Palmer, Manu Chandaria, Matt Needham, Calvin Burgess, Ida Nganga, Gabrielle Ward, Kenli Schooll, among others who were guest speakers and panelists at the event.

Manu Chandaria, a Kenyan businessman spoke extensively on the role of young Africans in proffering marketbased solutions to Africa’s challenges, as well as their role as advocates for individual liberty and personal responsibility on the continent of Africa. Nigerian Entrepreneur and Social Media Activist, Japheth Omojuwa, while speaking on the role of social media in creating change, charged the audience not to shy away from using social media to “confront oppressive governments and deal on the future of their respective nations and the need to create the change they want to see and the future they want to live in.”

Day of fun at UNILORIN female hostel

Participants at the eating competition

Hameed Muritala and Wale Bakare UNILORIN

t was all fun and excitement galore, last week, at the Lagos Hostel of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, where the students gathered for this year’s edition of the Inter-Compound Competitions, organised by the residents of the hostel. The event held at the quadrangle of the hostel, was declared open by the Sub-Dean of the university Students’ Affairs Unit of the school, Dr. Abdulraheem Yusuf, who advised the

students to be moderate in their celebration. According to the Hall Representative of the hostel, Ogunbanwo Abimbola, the intercompound competition is put to promote the spirit of love and unity among students who reside in the hostel. The 300 Level student of Department of Sociology said: “UNILORIN has made us a ‘better by far’ family; we therefore wish to use the competition to propagate love and unity among the residents of the hostel.” The competition featured dancing, eating, beauty pag-

eant and cooking, with contestants in the eating competition were each served a plateful of hot-peppered Indomie. Damilola Bello emerged the winner of the eating competition, while Sidiq Omolola came first in the dancing competition and Jimoh Khadijat, who won the cooking competition, was presented with a microwave machine. Abass Oluwafeyisetan and Imam Rahmat were the first runners-up and second runners-up respectively in the cooking competition. They were presented with a standing fan and a blender respectively.

EDUCATION | CAMPUS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Elizade varsity students shine at competition

Emeka Onwudinjo UNIZIK

etermined to ensure that children in Anambra State have access to quality secondary school education irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds, an education oriented group, “Who is Who Centre and Museum (WIWCAM), has offered scholarship to no fewer than 20 pupils who excelled in its maiden annual essay competition. The competition was organised for pupils in public secondary schools in the state as part of the groups’ efforts at inspiring patriotism among the pupils and harness their potentials. While announcing the winners of the competition at Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, Abagana, the Executive Director of WIWCAM, Henryking Onyedikachukwu Adibe, disclosed that no fewer than 151 secondary schools took part in the maiden edition of the competition, adding that some schools were disqualified due to lack of originality, a conduct which the group had seriously warned against. He hinted that the aim of the competition, which was initiated last year, is to collate ideas and fire the imagination of the young minds in Anambra State. The group organised the maiden edition of the annual essay competition during the last year’s governorship and local government elections in the state, with the theme: “Building the Anambra State of My Dream.” Other sub-themes include: “Anambra State Governorship Election: The New Executive Governor of My Dream”, and “My New Local Government Chairman and Ten Things He or She Needs to Do.” Adibe said of the competition: “So, today, we shall award one year scholarship to first, second and third place winners

Members of the Who is Who Centre and Museum (WIWCAM) flanked by some of the students who benefitted from the scholarship.

Group’s scholarship boosts 20 Anambra pupils’ education of the maiden essay competition. We shall also award consolidation prizes to winners who came forth to 20th, while certificates of participation will also be awarded to all other participants.” Expressing delight over the contribution of the group to the development of education in the state, the Governor, Dr. Willie Obiano, complemented the effort of the group by awarding N100,000; N70,000 and N50,000 to first, second and third place winners respectively. Okoye Anthony, a pupil of St. Michael’s Secondary School, Nimo, emerged the overall winners; while Obinna Philip of

Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, Abagana and Nweke Levi Chinonso, a pupil of Community Secondary School, Amanuke came second and third respectively. In their separate speeches, the pupils thanked the Governor and WIWCAM Executive Director (Henryking) for the gesture, which according to them, will further spur them to be more focused in their studies. The Governor, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation, Mr. Chinedu Obidigwe pledged the state government’s support for the group in order

to sustain the group’s tempo towards encouraging the young students. “We shall give the organisation every encouragement and support it needed to sustain the organisation's activities, especially the conduct of the second edition of the programme,” he said. The highpoints of the event were the unveiling of the ideas generated from the essays by the participants, and flaggingoff of the next edition of the competition entitled: “My Hero, My Role Model”, as well as presentation of papers by Pastor Chris Obasi and Mr. Tony Obododike.

wners and students of Elizade University, IlaraMokin, Ondo State are still savouring their institution’s outstanding performance at this year’s Young Economic Summit. The competition was organised by the Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo (WUSTO) chapter of Nigerian Economics Students Association (NESA) for private universities in the South West geopolitical zone of the federation. Participants at this years’ edition of the competition include Afe Babalola University, AdoEkiti (ABUAD); Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State; Achievers University, Owo; and Wesley University of Science and Technology, among others. Each of the representatives of the participating institutions was allocated 15 minutes for their powerpoint presentation. The topic is: “The Effect of Educational Expenditure on Economic Growth in Nigeria”. They were graded on their knowledge of the topic, flow of presentation, communication skills, boldness, corporate dressing and time management. The students were graded by their knowledge of the topic, flow of presentation, communication skills, boldness, corporate dressing and time management. At the end of the competition, Oluyale Iyanu, who represented Elizade University at the competition emerged the overall winner, while Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti came second, and Achievers University, Owo came third respectively. While responding to his victory, Oluyale, who congratulated his co-contestants for what he described as their brilliant performance, said though it was a stiff competition, any of the contestants could have won.

VC inducted as Fellow of science academy

he Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Professor Oladipo Aina, has been inducted as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS). Nigerian Academy of Science is the body of Nigerian scientists and science researchers that is committed to the development of science, not only in the country, but also in Africa continent and the world by extension. Aina, a Professor of Soil Physics, is among 10 other notable Scientists honoured at the induction ceremony in Abuja. According to his citation, Aina was said to have graduated with a First Class degree in Soil Science from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in 1972, and obtained his Ph.D in Soil Physics from Ohio State University, USA in 1977. He became a Professor of Soil Physics in 1989. Over the years, Aina is said to have been engaged in Agronomy-Soil investigations, which according to the Nigeri-

an Academy of Science, yielded high quality publications, and has reportedly made notable contributions to the broad field of Physics of Soil

Environment, Soil Processes and Dynamics in relation to tillage-induced changes in soil quality as indicated by soil structure and productivity.

The Vice-Chancellor was described as a scholar, who has extended the frontiers of knowledge beyond the frontiers of the understand-

Aina (middle), being decorated by the Academy's Executive Secretary, Dr. Oladoyin Odubanjo (left) and President of the Academy, Prof. Oyewale Tomori (right).

ing of the responses of soils to land-use and management practices in the tropical agroecosystem. Aina, who was accompanied to the event by his wife, Prof. Olabisi Aina and other family members, staff and students of the university, expressed gratitude to God Almighty for the recognition bestowed on him, saying becoming a Fellow means that all his research and contributions to the field of science had been duly recognised. He pledged to continue his cutting-edge research in science for the benefits of human race. Shortly before the induction, a lecture entitled: “Achieving an end to the Aids Epidemic - Laying the Ground Work,” was delivered by Professor John Alechenu Idoko, the Director-General, National Agency for the Controls of AIDS (NACA). According to the lecturer, AIDS could be prevented or managed through biomedical, behavioural and structural approach.

CAMPUS | EDUCATION 29

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

bafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and the University of The Gambia have endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will assist academic and administrative, as well as professional development at the Gambian university. The University of The Gambia delegation led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Muhammadou Kah enumerated some areas of the collaboration, which required urgent action of the OAU authorities in order to put the 15-year-old university, with less than 5,000 students on a sound footing. The collaboration was informed by University of The Gambia apparent impressive rating of the Obafemi Awolowo University by the Webometric world ranking of world universities, as the best university in Nigeria for the third time running, and the sixth best in Africa. Endorsing the document on behalf of the university, Kah listed the immediate needs that require urgent attention to include provision of academic and administrative staff at senior level cadre, ICT and some instructors, Chief Librarian, Deputy Provost for its School of Medicine, Medical equipment, provision of adequate lecturers for the Faculties Arts and Sciences, Law, Basic Sciences and Agriculture. “The delegation from Banjul requests OAU to assist it in all areas of academic, administrative and professional endeavours,” the statement said. Kah implored OAU management to bring its magic wand and academic excellence to

OAU gate

OAU partners Gambia varsity on academic, endorses MoU bear on their university so that the link between its Faculty of Agriculture and teaching, and research farm, which is specifically for practical and demonstration, would be replicated at the University of The Gambia. He applauded the ‘big brother’ gesture of Nigeria and enjoined OAU to use all resources at its disposal to make The Gambia an educationally solid country. Going down memory lane,

Kah recalled how a Nigerian, Professor Emman Ekpon, the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the university, laid a solid foundation for what is now called the hope and future of The Gambian university education. “He (Ekpon) brought from Nigeria the pioneer Provosts, Deans, the Registrar and a few others to make us have indestructible foundation,” Kah said, lauding the invaluable contributions of Nigeria to the present educational standard

of Gambia. While adding that Nigeria has a tradition and history of university education with abundant intellectuals whose ingenuity could shape the future of Africa for the best, the Vice-Chancellor stressed: "The footprint of Ife (OAU) is far grounded in The Gambia, because all your graduates who are our citizens are doing well, not only in our country, but all over the world.” He added: “We want to see

Celebrating UI VC at 60 Adewole, UI VC

Akinbuluma Ayokami Kehinde

rofessor Isaac Folorunso Adewole is a man to be proud of within the immediate community of the University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria and indeed, the international community. No wonder the celebration of his 60th birthday on Monday May 5, witnessed in attendance academic and business icons from all walks of life, as well as traditional rulers, who were in attendance to pour encomiums on this great scholar and erudite administrator. In few years of assumption of office as the Vice-Chancellor of the university, UI has recorded unprecedented development and countless achievements. Prof. Adewole has raised the

standard of education at UI through his professional qualifications and leadership charisma. One of his objectives, which he has continued to pursue with renewed vigour and vitality, is his determination to make UI a world class institution. In his time, the premier university has witnessed a number of unparalleled achievements, and has become a peaceful haven. The university remains indomitable among the comity of universities in Nigeria and this is evident in the fact that Adewole engages in peerless agenda. He is a brilliant administrator and a father to all students. As students, we salute his exceptional display of humility and unwavering commitment to the service of the university. Professor Adewole has fa-

cilitated the production of UI-Made Products such as UI Waters, UI Bread, UI honey, UI Microfinance Bank, UI fish and UI foods. The creation of UI Fire Service is much noble and laudable. With infrastructural upgrade and revamping of the entire system by Adewole, the university is now much more appealing to private foreign and national investors. The UI Fish Farm, for instance, has attracted national, regional and international delegates who have visited the site. The zoological garden, teaching and research farm have been revived and which is now wearing modern looks. Adewole’s relentless efforts in attaining new heights in academic excellence are beyond description. For the first time in the history of the university, all First Class graduates were offered postgraduate scholarship. That, in my view, was intended to encourage young academic to stay and to attract the best brains into the system. It in his tenure that the 24-hour library services, lecturers assessment and new admission method were introduced, which cut down the number of students being advised to withdraw, as

was the case in the past. The beautiful giant edifice and scenery put in place for effective take-off of the UI Business School is a fabulous and uncommon vision of Prof. Adewole’s administration. It is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria university system. Adewole’s administration promotes partnership with other international institutions in the area of exchange programmes and encourages practical teaching and research. Most impressive was the partnership with Dana Motors to build Automobile Academy in the university. In terms of welfare, the erudite scholar has shown to be more concerned with the wellbeing of both members of staff and students. It is notable that during his administration, payment of staff salaries and other allowances are regular. No wonder, the management team and workers have continued to be more committed and proactive in their service delivery. In keeping with the saying that, ‘Health is Wealth’, the Vice-Chancellor has facilitated medical check-up for all staff of the university. Professor Adewole’s recent appointment as a member of

our students in your campus here and also see your students in the University of The Gambia. OAU has enough resources, materials, academic and financial standing to assist us to attain a world class university.” He expressed the gratitude of The Gambian President, Yaya Jameh over the care and unique leadership which OAU has been providing for other universities in Nigeria and Africa in general. In his remarks, the ViceChancellor of OAU, Professor Bamitale Omole, assured the visiting team of the readiness of the university to ensure the viability of the collaboration through adequate provision of facilities. While reiterating its university readiness, Omole said the management would do all it takes to make the partnership work for the benefits of the two institutions. He expressed strong belief in the uniqueness of Africa and called on those in the Diaspora to contribute towards making the development of the continent rapid.

Omole, VC

Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), attests to his rare leadership style and strategy. I am proud to say that he is the only Nigerian and indeed, West African Vice-Chancellor appointed into the Council. Perhaps the most surpassing and commendable achievements of Professor Adewole, to me, is the active involvement of students in his administration. It is noteworthy that the Students’ Union was resuscitated when he assumed office after many years of proscription. His administration has since inception engaged students in decision making process, project implementation and development plans. He believes so much in students’ sense of dialogue and constructive contributions in the affairs of the university. In all, Professor Isaac Adewole deserves special appreciation and commendation from us students for his openness and democratic principles. His contributions to students’ development are immense and will remain indelible in our minds as we have gained tremendously from his wealth of experience and administrative skills. As he celebrates his Diamond anniversary, I rejoice with him and pray for God’s continuous guidance as he takes the university to the next level. Long Live Professor IFA Long Live University of Ibadan. l Akinbuluma Ayokami Kehinde, General Secretary, Students’ Union

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Stakeholders seek commission for book industry Mojeed Alabi

orried by the myriad of challenges facing the book industry in the country, stakeholders in the sector are making a case for the establishment of a commission for the book industry. Such Commission, according to them, is to address some of the issues stagnating the growth of the industry, which include the newly introduced tariff plan on book importation, constant frictions among key players in the industry and book pricing challenge, among others. Rising to the challenges facing their operations at a well-attended conference with the theme: “Emergence of E-Book and the Survival of Physical Book in Nigeria,” organised by the Nigeria International Book Fair Trust (NIBFT), stakeholders vehemently rejected the new tariff plan of the Federal Government and urged stakeholders to come together to reject what they described as a draconian policy. The conference was organised as part of activities marking this year’s edition of the annual international book fair at the University of Lagos (UNILAG),

Akoka. In her keynote address, the Registrar, Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria, Dr. Victoria Okojie, who described the electronic book, otherwise known as e-book, as a good development, stressed that the initiative would not in any way lead to the extinction or replace physical books. According to her, technology problems and poverty are part of the poor infrastructure in Africa, which she said has limit access to the required gadgets to read e-books. Okojie, who said the challenges facing the book industry in the country and the African continent go beyond the question of technology, also identified the unnecessary rivalry among stakeholders within the sector, noting that “a divided house cannot defend itself against unfavorable policy.” The Chairman of NIBFT, Mr. Samuel Kolawole, who lauded participants at this year’s book fair, said his organisation was prepared and determined to defend the interest of the book industry, while urging other stakeholders to join in the efforts to reclaim the waning reading culture in the country and beyond.

Former Sport Minister, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi (right), and other guests at a lecture at the University of Ilorin.

Retired principal blames education failure on lack of inspection

Gargiulo

Kayode Olanrewaju

retired Principal of Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe-Akoko in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Chief Guy Gargiulo, has expressed dismay over lack of proper inspection of schools in the country. According to him, the current manner in which schools and teachers are being inspected is not only wrong, but could not bring the best out of

the system, or right the wrong in the system. Gargiulo, who spoke with New Telegraph in his Okeagbe house situated on the school compound, lamented the poor standard of education, tracing it to lack of proper monitoring and inspection of school, due to what he described as faulty or lack of inspectorate division in state ministries of education. The former Director of Curriculum Development in Ondo State, however, described teaching as an art and not a discipline as many in the profession have taken it, saying there is glowing lack of interest of many teachers in the subjects they teach. However, the retired Principal recalled how in 1990, he came up with a summary of the National Policy on Education (NPE), which centred on the child, which he proposed to the Ondo State

Ministry of Education. The summary tagged: “The NPE Child”, has as Confidence, Interest, Broad Curriculum and School Assessment, with all focusing on the child at the centre. Gargiulo said: “How can such teachers bring out the best from their pupils. I can only be a teacher and not a lecturer, because they are two different things. A teacher should love teaching, the children and the subjects he or she is teaching, because it is then you can bring out the best from the children.” On the state of school libraries, the retired Principal wondered that many principals and state governments see library as a repository of textbooks, and not as a repository of learning, which it is supposed to be, hence why little or no attention is paid to the development of library nowadays.

EDUPEACE with Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (08066372516, sms only)

As UN says no to sex education… L ast Friday, May 16, 2014, the “Daily Newswatch” newspaper published a report entitled “Expunge sex education from curriculum in Nigeria – UN”. The opening lines of the report are as follows: “The United Nations (UN) has called on the Federal Government (of Nigeria) to remove sex education from the academic curriculum and replace it with another subject that teaches morality. This, the UN believes, will by extension curtail or eradicate moral decadence in the country.” The report was cheery in the sense that sex(uality) education has recently been introduced into our school curriculum. This was informed by the tendency of our policy makers to embrace virtually everything suggested by the West, with the notable exemption of the same-sex marriage which Nigerians almost unanimously resisted. There is this pervasive mentality in Nigeria that anything coming from the foreigners, including counterfeit degrees by bogus institutions, is good for us. It is this type of mentality that made our authorities to make sex education compulsory for all pupils of our schools at a time that religious education became undermined. Our policy makers, through the new curriculum, simply want to let our children know more about sex and sexuality but less about religion and morality. It was due to that development that some prominent Nigerians, last year, demanded that “all Nigerian children must be availed full opportunities to receive religious instruction and training until at least the end of Senior Secondary School. The new curriculum which relegates Islamic Studies/ Christian Religious Studies (IS/CRS) to a part of a subject (up to Junior Secondary School) and which made the subjects optional at the Senior Secondary level should be reversed so that the two are made independent, core and compulsory up to the Senior Secondary level.” No one listened. However, quoting an expert and lecturer/consultant at the University of Lagos, Dr Franca Attoh, the author of the news report under reference further stated, “The onus of the matter is now upon us to ensure that sex education is completely removed from our academic curriculum so that our children would begin to receive the kind of education that will enable us build a strong nation.” She declared that teaching teenagers’ sex education is “unpatriotic” and that “it wanes societal value”. The submission of the lecturer would be appreciated if one considers what is going on in the society. As Ogochukwu Ejinkeonye mentioned in his article, “Teaching immorality in schools”, published by www.saharareporters.com on May 6, 2013, the Teacher’s Guide given to the teachers of sex education requires them to do what would make many parents cringe in utter disbelief. Specifically, teachers are mandated “to teach the children that religious teachings on issues like pre-marital sex, contraception, homosexuality, abortion and gender relations are mere opinions and myths! They are also to teach the students how to masturbate and use chemical contraceptive (designed for

Teaching teenagers about sex can only promote illicit and casual sex as young people are known to be curious and adventurous

women in their 30s). The Teacher’s Guide equally lays a good emphasis on values clarification, this empowers teenage children to decide which moral values to choose since the ones parents teach them at home are mere options.” Teaching teenagers about sex can only promote illicit and casual sex as young people are known to be curious and adventurous. There are enough problems Nigeria is facing and teaching sexuality or sex education in school can only aggravate them as we see in student prostitution. The same method through which our current leaders received their own sex education is still there if parents, the first teachers, are only conscious of their duties. In order to achieve a peaceful and progressive society, our leaders and policy makers should behave like the proverbial adult who stumbles and looks backward, not like the child that looks forward. Like children, in our race to development, we seem to look forward only to the developed countries, their values and foibles alike, because we want to attain their level. However, we are quick to forget to look backward to seek solution in our traditional values and systems. As the United Nations says no to sex education in Nigeria as reported in the opening paragraph above, it is important that we do the needful urgently: expunge sex education from our curriculum. We are reminded that on March 24, this year, through the “58 session of the UN’s document”, that reproductive health has been “removed”, according to the report, “because what we need in our society is sexuality education and not reproductive education”. Sexuality education itself is uncalled for in the classroom as its irrelevance derives from its conceptualisation. Still quoting from the report under reference, sexuality education “implies that a child, either boy or girl should be told about the difference between male and female; necessary information on the implication of sexual activities at underage” while sex education involves “teachings on how to prevent pregnant or abortion” (sic). It is the teachers who routinely abuse female pupils as often reported in the media these days that would be telling children “the difference between male and female”? We should look backward and determine those who provided us “necessary information on the implication” of early sexual activities. This is the role of the family and this is why as either sex education or sexuality education, our classroom should be spared such banality. l Dr Adedimeji is a Senior Lecturer and Acting Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin.

BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

WHAT'S NEWS Dangote Cement gains N1.7trn in three and half years Despite market depression, the stocks of Dangote Cement Plc has recorded an overall growth value of N1.7 trillion since it was listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in October 2010.

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Drug firm snubs Pfizer’s £69.4bn offer AstraZeneca has divided shareholders by rejecting Pfizer’s final £55 per share offer, saying it “falls short” of the AngloSwedish drug maker’s value as an independent company.

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Nigeria Commodity Exchange staff moans over unpaid allowances Staff of the comatose Nigeria Commodity Exchange, formerly Abuja Commodity Exchange, are grumbling over the nonpayment of their allowances by the Abulraheem Yusuf-led management.

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Bitter drinks market: What's Guinness game plan? The Nigeria beer market, no doubt, is the most active among other markets in the country’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, at least going by recent developments.

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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

SECURITY Shipping lines face hard time over cost of security in the Gulf of Guinea

ABDULWAHAB ISA, Finance Editor CHUKS ONUANYIN, Energy

AYODELE AMINU, DEPUTY EDITOR, BUSINESS

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

Piracy costs Nigeria, others N106bn –Report

iracy costs Nigeria, Togo, Benin and other West African countries between $566.47 (N88.4 billion) and $683 million, New Telegraph has learnt. The cost of military operation in the region was also estimated at between $348.06 and $370 million while security equipment cost between $150.9 and $225.4 million, labour gulped $9.19 million. The value of stolen goods ranges between $10.1 and $30.27 million, while $40 million are being used for piracy-related insurance. A report titled: ‘The State of Maritime Piracy 2013,’ published by Ocean Beyond Piracy’s (OBP’s), obtained by our correspondent, also examined the costs incurred as a result of pirate activity occurring both off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea, which it put the cost at $6.64 million. It noted that the prosecution of pirates in West African waters should be, in some ways, less complicated than prosecution of Somali pirates because the presence of national judicial institutions clarifies, in principle, who takes responsibility for prosecuting the criminals. The report disclosed that there had been no prosecutions, to date, of the arrested suspected pirates held in Nigeria, leading to zero costs of prosecution and imprisonment. The report explained that 1,871 crewmembers were exposed to attacks within the areas of interest in 2013, with 1,209 crewmembers on ships boarded by pirates. One of the report’s authors, Jens Madsen, commented: “Last year, 279 seafarers spent time as hostages of West African pirates indicating that hostage rates are up from those reported in 2012. Of these 279 seafarers stated above, pirates abducted 73 for the purposes of ransom. “These crew members were not held for just a brief period of time while the pirates used the vessel for their own ends,

ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Bayo Akomolafe

L-R: Deputy Director, Cassava Value Chain, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Mr. Efuntoye Ademola Titus; Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola; Technical Adviser, Cassava Value Chain, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Mrs. Adetunji Oluwatoyin; and Divisional Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Dr. Nino Ozara, during a courtesy visit to Honeywell by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development team in Lagos

but were deliberately taken off their ships. “Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is fundamentally different from that taking place in the

Indian Ocean. We observe not only a high degree of violence in the attacks in this region, but also the lack of a mutually trusted reporting architecture

and the constantly evolving tactics of West African piracy, making it extremely difficult to CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

‘Africa’s second most attractive investment destination'

ICT, media account for 20% of region’s FDI Jonah Iboma

he African continent has continued to gain global investors’ confidence as it is now rated the world’s second most attractive investment destination. “In less than five years, Africa has risen to become the second most attractive investment destination in the world, tied with Asia,” professional services firm, Ernst & Young. said in its latest report obtained by New Telegraph.

It noted that the continent had become one of the most attractive investment destinations worldwide, with 5.7 per cent of global foreign direct investment projects in Africa, the highest it has seen in a decade. The Africa Attractiveness Survey 2014, accessed by our correspondent also showed that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in technology, media and telecoms projects in Africa received 20 per cent of all FDI in the continent in 2013, growing by 6 points compared to the

average of 14 per cent between 2003 and 2007. The company said this was due to a shift in investment from extractive to consumer facing-sectors. “The average size of FDI projects increased to $70.1 million in 2013, from $60.1 million in 2012. In terms of destinations, while South Africa maintained its position as the top FDI destination, emerging hotspots for investment are Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia,” Ernst & Young said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Rates Dashboard

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

NEW TELEGRAPH

WE WILL HAVE HITCH-FREE TRADE FAIR – DG ABUCCIMA }p-35

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

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at May 16)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N167.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N286 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N231 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $37.54bn as at 14/5/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at May 16)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N261.31 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N216.69 Source: CBN

32 BUSINESS | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Dangote Cement gains N1.7trn in three and half years CONTROLLER Dangote cement calls the shot on the stock market Chris Ugwu

espite market depression, the stocks of Dangote Cement Plc has recorded an overall growth value of N1.7 trillion since it was listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in October 2010. Investors’ confidence boosted the worth of the shares from N2.1 trillion when it was listed to N3.8 trillion as at Monday, May 19, 2014. Checks by the New Telegraph revealed that by this value, the Dangote Cement accounted for about 30 per cent of the total value of the equities listed on the NSE, which stood at N12.848 trillion as at last Monday. Meanwhile, market analysts said the implication of the development is that Dangote Cement determines the direction of the market. There are about 200 stocks listed on the NSE and if only Dangote Cement account for 30 per cent, that means price changes in

the stocks affect the market. “This explains the fact that whenever there is a price movement in Dangote Cement, for instance, it affects the market,” Managing Director Crane Securities Limited, Mr. Mike Eze, said in a chat with our correspondent. “The coming on board of Dangote Cement after the crash of the market enhanced the overall position of total market capitalisation of Nigerian Stock Exchange. So, any time the company coughs, the market index reacts immediately either up or down,” he noted. Chairman, Dangote Cement, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said during the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) that the company’s expansion drive would increase capacity and add nine million metric tons. He expressed satisfaction that the importation of cement into the country has continued to thin out with an estimate of just 1.1 million metric tons imported in 2013 down from 1.9 million in 2012. Dangote noted that the company would stop at nothing to expand because presently most Nigeria’s neighbours are importing cement

from Far East. “And we are confident that Nigeria’s cement will prove more attractive than the imports, particularly within the 15-member ECOWAS.” Said he: “In Ethopia, work is underway, to build 2.5m mtpa plant at Mugher with production expected late in 2014. In Tanzania, we have

Unilever buys co-founder’s family trusts for $1.2bn

straZeneca has divided shareholders by rejecting Pfizer’s final £55 per share offer, saying it “falls short” of the Anglo-Swedish drug maker’s value as an independent company. The American drug giant proposed a £69.4 billion cash-andshares bid, that valued each AstraZeneca share at around £55. This decision sent shares in the Anglo-Swedish drug maker down 14pc to £41.48 in early trading. Pfizer returned to AstraZeneca for the fourth and final time with a sweetened offer. It said that the proposal was “final” and that it would not make a hostile bid should this attempt fail to win over the board. Pfizer offered 1.747 shares in the US company plus £24.76 for each AstraZeneca share, sharply increasing the cash component of the offer. This represented a 45pc premium to AstraZeneca’s closing price on the last day of trading before market speculation over a takeover began. AstraZeneca had however told Pfizer over the weekend it needed a proposed bid of at least £58.85 to open negotiations. Pfizer on Friday approached AstraZeneca with an offer of £53.50 per share, but was told a proposal of more than 10pc above this level would be needed for the board of the AngloSwedish company to recommend a deal. Leif Johansson, AstraZen-

eca chairman, said that the final proposal was a “minor” improvement on the third offer which “continues to fall short of the Board’s view of value and has been rejected.” He said that Pfizer’s approach “appears to have been fundamentally driven by the corporate financial benefits to its shareholders of cost savings and tax minimisation. Shareholders were, however, divided over the board’s decision. One top ten shareholder reportedly said they were as “sick as a parrot” and accused the board of making a “gross miscalculation.” Anne Richards, chief investment officer of number ten shareholder, Aberdeen Asset Management, which holds a 2.39pc stake, said she thought Pfizer “could do better.” Both Alastair Gunn of Jupiter Fund Management, which holds 0.61pc of Astra’s stock, and Richard Marwood of Axa Investment Managers, which holds a 0.73pc stake, expressed “disappointment” with the decision. Gunn said the board “should have at least engaged in a constructive conversation with Pfizer on the details of the offer to assess the opportunities that a combined entity could bring. Meanwhile, consumer goods group, Unilever, has bought co-founder family trusts, William Hesketh Lever for $1.2 billion (£715 million) in a move to simplify the Anglo-Dutch group’s share structure. In the 1880s, William Hesketh Lever and his brother

3.0m tpa, because we are confident there will be sufficient demand both in Kenya and neighbouring countries.” Dangote disclosed that plans were afoot to build import and grinding facilities along the coast of West Africa to receive and process raw materials supplied from Nigeria, Senegal, and elsewhere.

L-R: General Yakubu Gowon (rtd); Chairman, Friends Africa and former GMD, Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Coordinating Minister for Economy/Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, at the Africa Health Innovation Meeting during the World Economic Forum in Abuja.

Drug firm snubs Pfizer’s £69.4bn offer Bayo Akomolafe

begun work on a 3m mtpa plant at Mtwara and would be fully operational in 2015. In Zambia, work is underway on a 1.5m mtpa at Ndola with cement production expected in second half of 2014. “We are reviewing plans for Kenya with a view to increasing the scale of our proposed factory from 1.5 to

founded the English soap company that became Unilever Plc. When he died in 1925, he left a large number of Plc shares in various trusts. The rights are convertible in 2038 to 70.9 million shares of Unilever Plc, or about 2.4 per cent of the combined total of London-listed Unilever Plc and Amsterdam-listed Unilever NV. The reduction in share count will boost full-year earnings per share by two per cent, said the company, whose products range from Dove soap to Lipton tea. In a statement, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, JeanMarc Huet, said that the move was good for shareholders. “It is another step in the simplification of Unilever’s capital structure, making Unilever easier to understand, and eliminating ahead of time the burden of a significant dilution of shareholders’ interests,” Huet said. The price Unilever paid the trusts is equivalent to £10.09 per share and represents a discount of 63 per cent to the closing share price on May 16, the company said. Hesketh Lever founded Lever Brothers Ltd., one of the companies that would later become Unilever, in the U.K., in 1885. Unilever was created in 1930 when Lever Brothers merged with the Netherlands’ Margarine Unie. To avoid punitive taxes, two controlling companies were set up with identical boards and mutual sharing of brands and technology.

‘Africa’s second most attractive investment destination' C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

Specifically, compared with nine other markets, the report showed that Africa had risen from the position of the third 8th most attractive destination for doing business in 2011 to second place in the world by 2014. The report noted that while consumer-facing industries such as telecommunications and media continue to rise in prominence, the share of extractive sectors in FDI projects in Africa had hit an all-time low in 2013. For instance, it identified mining and metals, which between 2003 and 2007 accounted for 13 per cent of FDI, suffering significant negative fortunes by recording only 2 per cent of FDI by 2013. Similarly, coal, oil and natural gas, which accounted for 11 per cent between 2003 and 2007 had come down to 3 per cent by 2013. But aside telecoms and media, financial services, retails and consumer products have also become areas of increased

FDI. Investment in financial services grew from an average of 12 per cent between 2003 and 2007 to 15 per cent by 2013. Similarly, businesses services witnessed a doubling of average investment from 6 per cent to 12 per cent within the same period However, a major problem identified by the report is the perceptions gap between investors currently involved in operations in Africa compared to those not involved on the continent. According to the report, out of the 503 respondents that it surveyed, those whose businesses were already established in the continent believe: “Africa is the most attractive destination in the world,” while respondents not established in the continent view: “Africa is the least attractive destination in the world.” The report added that this stark perception gap between investors must be tackled.

Piracy costs Nigeria, others N106bn –Report C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

isolate it from other elements of organised maritime crime.” The report noted that solution to piracy ultimately lies in building up capacity onshore, but it stressed that relatively little investment has been made towards sustainable solutions. According to Marcel Arsenault, Chairman of One Earth

Future Foundation: “While I am encouraged that more money is spent on longer-term solutions ashore, these still only represent the equivalent of 1.5 per cent of the total annual cost of piracy. “Until we have more economic opportunity and better governance ashore, we risk piracy returning to previous levels as soon as the navies and guards have gone home.”

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Electricity firm losses N570m in seven months James Nwabueze Abuja

he Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Egbin Power Plc, Mike Uzoigwe, has disclosed that the company has lost revenue to the tune of N570 million from November 1, 2013 till date due to lack of gas and pre-paid meters. Uzoigwe, who disclosed this to the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, in Abuja, also lamented that although the management has invested about N7 billion in strengthening the plant for optimum services, its experience after privatisation was unpalatable. He, however, said that the situation has made the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to reduce 60 per cent capacity charge for the month for the Electricity Generation Companies (GENCOs). He said: “NERC has tried to encourage the generation companies in mitigating the loss of revenue by allowing us take 60 per cent of capacity charge for the month. We are just accumulating debt.”

Urging the Federal Government to act fast to arrest the situation, the Egbin CEO noted that the current revenue profile of the firm from November 1 to date is a discouraging data for would-be investors. He said: “Our experience after privatisation has been undesirable. Let me just use that mild word because as at the end of last month, our books showed that we were losing revenue to the tune of N570 million doing business from November 1 to date. The revenue profile in the industry is very poor.” Uzoigwe noted that despite the investment of N7 billion in the power plant that has 1,180 Mega Watts (MW) generating capacity, the station can only generate 600MW. He regretted that Egbin Power Plant cannot take advantage of its economic of scale in the industry. His words: “One thing is to have available capacity, another is to have reliability. We have brought Egbin to the point where it is reliable for 1,180MW. But in the last three months, we have been generating only about 600MW and we can’t take advan-

tage of economic of scale in the business we are doing. We are losing revenue continuously.” He noted that if not quickly checked, the development may send a wrong signal to potential investors, stressing that “no business can continue the way it is running now.” Nebo, in his response, admitted that the nation’s power sector is suffering from a huge metering gap to the tune of 2.7 million. “Now, we have an estimated shortfall in meters or metering gap of 2.7 million. How do you do that?” he asked rhetorically. The minister also assured the investors that every effort is geared towards ensuring that enough gas is made available. He said: “I want to assure you that every effort is being made to ensure you have enough gas. I have been able to hold series of meetings with the minister of petroleum resources, and it has come to a place where we said if need be we get some gas from the export portion. And everybody has agreed that every measure must be taken to make sure you have enough gas.

Nigeria Commodity Exchange staff moans over unpaid allowances Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

taff of the comatose NigeSformerly ria Commodity Exchange, Abuja Commodity

Exchange, are grumbling over the non-payment of their allowances by the Abulraheem Yusuf-led management. Some staff of the Exchange who spoke with our correspondent alleged that Yusuf has stopped paying the junior staff of the Exchange all allowances due to them. Some of the allowances, they said, include housing, leave and furniture. They further alleged that while they are being denied their entitlements, the management team still enjoys all those benefits including overseas and local trips even as the place has not been functioning for years. “We are in a fix here and only God can deliver us. While government is dilly-dallying

FG tasks host communities on gas pipeline protection James Nwabueze Abuja

Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, Thashe challenged communities

L-R: Head, Sustainability and Responsibility, Guinness Nigeria, Mrs. Adrianne Nwagwu; Managing Director, Mr. Seni Adetu; Chief Executive Officer, Harrow Park Golf Club, Mr. Tunji Abdul; and Chairman, Stanbic IBTC, Mr. Atedo Peterside, during a dinner organized by Stanbic IBTC at the World Economic Forum in Abuja

James Nwabueze Abuja

he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), during the week, came down hard on the electricity distribution companies over their non-compliance with the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) (2005) which mandates them to regularly report and submit data that would allow for proper network data assessment by the commission. The Head, NERC’s Public Affairs Department, Dr. Usman Abba Arabi, noted in a statement that this is the first

with the privatisation of this place, the management is busy denying junior staff of their allowances. For some years now, they have stopped our furniture allowance and housing, including leave allowance. But the management is enjoying these allowances, including trips. You know this place has not functioned for once in over 14 years and this MD is functioning doing nothing,” said a staff who craved anonymity. New Telegraph findings showed that the annual budgetary allocation to the Exchange has been reduced drastically to include only staff salary. A source familiar with its financial operation said that a meager N270 million was allocated to it last year due to the fact that the place was not functioning. Efforts by our correspondent to get management to respond were futile as spokesperson of the Exchange, Isa Salihu, was not on seat and he refused to pick several calls put across to him.

hosting the Escravos – Lagos Pipe-line System (ELPS) to ensure adequate protection of the gas trunk line. Wakil said that the safety of the gas pipeline would enable government to deliver on its promise of the proposed 1420MW of electricity through speedy completion of the gasfired plant meant for the area. The minister noted that the ministry will diligently perform its over-sight function in making sure that the project enjoys adequate budgetary provision and political will. He assured residents of the host communities of government’s readiness to listen to their genuine concerns.

Wakil also urged them to protect the gas infrastructure in their domain as any infraction will equally affect them, because the gas to fire their own plant will come from the same source. He reminded the committee of the need to work assiduously, as Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda for the power sector is tied to the availability of gas. Permanent Secretary, Power, Godknows Igali, said that the Escravos – Lagos Pipe-line is strategic as it carries gas to most gas-fired power plants and the West-Africa Gas pipeline, hence it must be well protected. He further said that the project will enhance the availability of gas, as the incidence of sabotage would be reduced, thus captive power, in line with expansion plan of government, would be realised.

NERC to sanction Discos for flouting EPSR Act time the commission is assessing the utilities on their Key Performance Indicators since they took over about six months ago. According to the statement, with just three out of the eleven distribution companies adhering to the directive, the commission considered it a total disregard of its directives and warned that it will soon enforce the relevant section of the EPSR Act on reporting obligation. NERC expressed reservations on the compliance level of the distribution companies

in the reporting and submission of data that would allow for proper network data assessment by the commission. The reporting obligation as contained in part 10, section 94(2) of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (2005) states that any person who fails or refuses to furnish a return or to supply information in the manner and time prescribed, or gives false or incomplete information commits an offence and is liable on conviction. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NERC, Dr. Sam

Amadi, said that the CEOs had been told at their April meeting to comply with the commission’s request on submission of baseline statistics on distribution assets they took over. According to Amadi, there is the need for network data assessment, among which is to establish a data bank of all existing distribution assets, to monitor, track and report performance of the distribution companies with respect to strengthening of distribution systems and capacity expansion as well as facilitate expan-

sion and development of the distribution networks. He urged the distribution companies to improve on their performances and make necessary adjustments, adding that a similar exercise with the transmission and generation companies will soon be carried out. “Discos are to note their performances and make necessary adjustments to ensure timely and accurate reporting. Similar exercises would be conducted for transmission and generation companies,” Amadi said.

FCT | BUSINESS WATCH

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

overnment as an institution is increasingly worried by the rising poverty and festering inequality income gap in the society. It is imperative to state that the government did not deliberately institute policies to annihilate larger segment of the society of decent income. However, the government’s seeming aloofness in the past to initiate the right policy that will engender thriving of alternative productive means of income generation contributed to high level of unemployment and poverty. Government’s initiatives By 2002, it began to dawn on the government the consequences of high unemployment and poverty in the country. The Government made a deliberate effort towards arresting the ugly situation with the establishment of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) as a statutory organ to implement and promote SMEs development in the country. To compliment government’s effort in that direction, various stakeholders desirous of promoting SMEs and informal sector have been brainstorming on strategies to deepen SMEs for economic growth. One of such efforts was the 20th conference on SMEs, which held recently in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state in South-south Nigeria. Organised by the World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME) and Africa Rising Foundation (ARF), the conference afforded participants ample opportunity to lay bare, problems bedeviling SME subsector of the nation’s economy. In attendance were the President of WASME, Alhaji Babale Girei, United Nations AIDS Ambassador and Chairman/Co-Founder of ARF Mr. Ndaba Mandela; Director –General Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) Ms. Aruma Oteh , Bayelsa state governor Seriake Dickson, Minister of Trade and Investment and other players in industrial sector. SEC’s viewpoint Addressing participants at the conference, Oteh expressed displeasure over the rising poverty level in the country. While noting that Nigeria is endowed with resources to engage the youths on productive venture, she stressed that this can only be possible through the creation of enabling environment for private sector to thrive. For the SEC chief executive, SMEs are critical importance to the growth and development of a nation especially countries with significant employment and income distribution challenges. She said that SMEs do not only contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and creation of decent jobs, they also enable inclusive growth due to the broad-base population participating in the economy. Globally, she said SMEs account for over 95 per cent of the business population, which constitute 60 to 70 per cent of employment and between 60 to 50 per cent to GDP. Ms Oteh observed that governments worldwide are increasingly recognising that SMEs are drivers of entrepreneurship, growth, job creation and an effective tool for poverty alleviation and inclusive growth. The SEC boss explained that such realisation informed the Federal Government to establish the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in 2003 to promote the development of micro, small and medium enterprises in the economy.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Aganga

Using SMEs to fix unemployment, poverty She commended governor Dickson for according SMEs their pride of place in the state through a number of initiatives such as appointing a special adviser on SMEs and dedicating a special fund of N20billion for small businesses. Oteh said: “I have no doubt that given what we have seen at this 20th annual conference on Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, there is no hesitation that this state will be an example for other states to emulate. The reason is that first of all, you have a governor who is committed to providing the enabling environment for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. He has talked about a fund that has been set up, which is even going to expand, he has talked about partners from the private sector and about providing specialists to provide relevant education to entrepreneurs. “He has a partnership with Lagos Business School, with Niger State University and other partners around the world so that entrepreneurs can get the skills they need to promote their enterprise in a particular sector. We understand that there is a technology incubation center in Bayelsa state. Bayelsa state has a youthful population, so there are things for the older people, there are also things for the younger people to do. “This is a state that God has blessed in many ways with oil and gas but with sea around it. So fisheries are an important sector, agro businesses are also important. There are many areas where you can have many good businesses. So, I am glad that the government is providing this support, and also drawing attention to the business opportunities that you can have in Bayelsa.” She equally identified challenges of SMEs operating in country, which includes lack of robust business incubation systems. She urged states including Bayelsa to move from SME-support to effective business incubation system, which speeds up the process of starting and growing companies and provides entrepreneurs with expertise networks

Globally, SMEs account for over 95 per cent of the business population, which constitute 60 to 70 per cent of employment and between 60 to 50 per cent to GDP. and tools needed to make their ventures successful. She cited the examples of Isreal, United States of America and Brazil as countries where incubation programmes and the ecosystem they engender have helped to diversify economies, commercialise technologies, create jobs and build wealth. Oteh noted that through SMEs, Israel has attracted venture capital all over the world, adding that Isreal, a country smaller than Bayelsa, has more companies listed on NASDAQ than the whole of Europe and invented some of the widely used technologies in the world. Governor's opinion Also speaking at the conference, Dickson identified lack of access to finance and skills as major challenges militating against the growth of small businesses in the state. He announced government’s desire to inject N20 billion into the development of SMEs in the state. The Bayelsa State governor pledged that the SME fund would further be expanded to reach N30 billion in the nearest future. According to him, a bill would be forwarded to the state House of Assembly to provide a legal framework for the establishment of a SMEs Trust Fund in the state. He said that the move is to guarantee the security of the funds for stakeholders

and develop a robust SMEs programme for the empowerment of the people. Dickson, who hailed WASME for granting Bayelsa the hosting right, said the conference was taking place at a period, when efforts were being intensified to diversify the economy beyond the oil and gas era. Aganga’s perspective In his opening address, Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, represented by the Director-General, SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Masari, commended Bayelsa of its various initiatives aimed at developing the entrepreneurship and building the capacity of enterprises in the state. Through SMEs, the Minister said employment opportunities of 32.4 million could be created for Nigerians and stressed the need for all stakeholders to tackle the problems facing the sector. In a key note remark earlier, the United Nations Aids Ambassador and hairman/ Co-Founder of Africa Rising Foundation, Mr. Ndaba Mandela, said his organization was committed to partner with government and other stakeholders to create conducive environment for entrepreneurs to thrive in the continent. “Where opportunities do not exist, the foundation creates them. Africa is rising, has helped to groom young minds, so that their dreams will soar beyond reality and Africa can prosper.” On the sidelines on the conference, SEC organised a clinic where investors had the opportunity to walk in and had their investment issues resolved. The WASME annual International Conference on Small and Medium Enterprise development (ICSME) is a prestigious annual event, which brings together under one roof business support organisations, policy makers, banks and financial institutions, international experts, academics, entrepreneurs, UN and other international and multi-national aid agencies involved in small business development.

FCT | BUSINESS WATCH 35

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

We will have hitch-free trade fair –DG ABUCCIMA The Director General of Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), Mr Joe Idowu Wenegieme, spoke to SIMEON OGOEGBULEM on arrangements for the forthcoming 9th edition of Abuja international Trade Fair and other issues affecting the SMEs sector of the economy. Excerpts With the Abuja International Trade Fair a few months away, what preparation you are making towards its success? You may wish to know that this is the 9th edition of the International Trade Fair, which we as Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA) will be hosting here in Abuja. So far, every edition of the trade fair hosted continues to be better than the former. Right now we are sensitising prospective participant, exhibitors and the general public about the upcoming trade fair. We are telling them that the date has been fixed and that arrangements are being put in place to make the fair more rewarding for all that will visit. Abuja trade fair used to attract participants from diverse sections of the economy but for some time now it seems to have lost steam. What happened? Yes. I am inclined to agree with your thinking that the very big players do not come again. That notwithstanding, I suppose that has to do with the economic situation in the country. You are aware of the erratic situation of power, which has resulted in most of these big companies closing down. Again, you don’t expect that if they are not really doing good business here they would come and showcase their products and services at the fair. Besides, our borders have been so porous that goods are smuggled into the country with ease so most firms that ordinarily would be coming are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with cheap goods that are daily smuggled into the country. You see, most of these smuggled goods are produced at a very low production cost there and with the high production cost here mainly as a result of power challenges, it becomes difficult for our locally manufactured goods to compete favourably. If they know that they cannot compete, there is no need coming to exhibit when they know that the market is not there. However, we still have many of these big companies who still participate in our fairs. Dangote Group of companies, still feature in our trade fairs, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), the big Telecom companies like MTN and GLO still attend, as well as some of the multinational companies like OVALTINE. Innoson Group was at the last fair, which we had at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, where they displayed their manufactured vehicles and plastics. So by and large, the big players have not abandoned our fair. And I want to believe that the forthcoming trade fair will record more participation from the companies. It is only PAN (Peugeot Automobile Nigeria) and I suppose you know some reorganisations have just taken place but I suppose they will come for this fair. They will come. We

invited them to the Nigerian Centenary Trade Fair and they gave their reason for inability to attend. So we are looking forward. This time around we are still going to invite them. Nigeria has tried to reach out to many developing countries in the spirit of South-South cooperation, are you expecting companies from these countries at the fair? Even before this time we have been getting foreign participants at our fairs. At the 7th edition we had about 153 different companies from Ghana alone and all of them were sponsored by the Ghana Export Promotion Commission. Last year, we had about 90 companies from Ghana alone, 24 companies from Taiwan, about five from India. We had two from Germany. We also had participants from Mali, Senegal and Kenya. Well, none from South Africa. So we are having a lot of foreign participation. This time around we have already sent out our brochures and invitations for participation to the various embassies for onward forwarding to their countries. So we are positively expectant that more foreign companies will not only indicate interest, but actually participate in our 2014 trade fair. Over six months after PHCN successor companies were privatised, what feelers are you getting from your members on the power situation? Feelers from our members, particularly operators in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), it appears not much has happened. It is the same erratic power supply. In most cases, you find out that most of these SMEs still rely, to a greater extent, on their generators. For us, not much effort has been made by the new owners. Here in Abuja, you can still see that power supply is still very erratic. Most business owners rely heavily on their power generating sets. The public power supply is placed on standby while generators remain the main source of power supply. So you can see we are still feeling the pinch. Well, maybe in the next few months let’s see what happens, but for now, our members are still not happy with what we are getting from the new owners.

We always have full coverage from security agencies in the country. So there is no fear as security of all participants is fully assured

Do you think that the SMEs and the informal sector that are the bedrock of the economy are getting enough support from relevant authorities? Well, like you said, the bulk of employment in the country is shouldered by the SME sector of the economy. And the SMEs are not asking for much, all the SME promoters want is for government to provide the enabling environment. Let proper infrastructures be put in place, once that is done, things will be easier for them to operate. People are eager to go into business, but if a conducive environment is not put in place, the promoters will not get value for their efforts. As we mentioned earlier, most of these goods that come into this country will not allow our people to really make profits in their own business. Some of these things come through the borders in the name of whatever treaties we have with all these West African countries and some of them are just smuggled in and their condition of production is completely different from ours. They have everything. Government has provided everything that makes life easier for them, but here, under very stringent conditions, they are producing. Cost of living is high, electricity … name it, so at the end, our goods are more expensive than the imported ones. Once government is able to give us a level playing ground, we will even do more than we are doing now. In a nutshell, the SME sector is not getting the right support that it ought to be getting from government at the moment. What is the level of synergy you have with agencies like SMEDAN, NEPC and the Customs? As for our relationship with Customs, there is nothing we can do rather than to cry out to government that this imported goods are making our industries not to grow. We all know about the po-

rosity of our borders. We have over a thousand illegal entry points into this country, I mean it is very difficult for anybody to check but then it is still up to the customs and Federal Government to see what they can do to beef up their surveillance. Besides that, we invite the Customs to our trade fairs. At the Centenary Fair they were there all through to sensitise the public on what to do and how to do it, how to export things from the country, compliance with Customs regulations and all that and then of course for those goods they bring are exclusively for display at the Trade Fair after which if you have to sell, you pay the relevant duties on them. For SMEDAN and NEPC, we have not really done anything closely. These government agencies, for now, we are not really closely synergising with them in any program. What assurances are you sending out to prospective participants at the forthcoming Trade Fair? The assurance I am giving them, because even the last trade fair, there were elements of fear amongst the people outside Abuja because of the security situation in the country, we still assure them that first and foremost we will still have incident-free trade fair. This is the 9th edition and we have not had any incidence here at all. We always have full coverage from security agencies in the country. So there is no fear as security of all participants is fully assured. We are very expectant of the full participation of both federal and state government agencies. The forthcoming fair will be an improvement on what we have had in the past. ABUCCIMA will make sure that all participants will have full value for their money. The signals we are receiving already indicate that the 9th Abuja International Trade Fair will live up to its billings.

BUSINESS | THE INVESTOR

Chris Ugwu

he bond market can be as active and liquid as the equity market if the local investment community understands the critical role the market plays in the economy and more importantly, the stability that the investment product provides to a managed portfolio. However, there is a misunderstanding of the product and the market by many investors including big institutional portfolio managers, pension fund managers, endowment administrators, public accountant generals, corporate chief financial officers, and private wealth bankers. Unfortunately, even principals and agents of some the Primary Dealer/ Market Maker (PDMM) don’t fully understand the nature of these investment products.

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Boosting fixed income market through investors’ awareness

State of bond market This forms part of the reason why even in the face of considerable efforts the regulators made to boost the bond market in 2013, it was stagnant in terms of market capitalisation at N5.85 trillion ($36.61 billion) with four new state and municipal bond issues, one corporate bond issue, one supranational bond issue and one government bond issue. However, in the OTC market, the value of cash transactions for government bonds increased by 25.49 per cent (22.68 per cent in $-terms) from N7.10 trillion ($45.45 billion) to N8.91 trillion ($55.76 billion) as investors continued to satisfy their appetite for fixed-income securities, following the CBN pronouncement to sterilise 50 per cent of public sector funds. Regulators' effort In January 2013, the NSE launched secondary market fixed-income trading, and introduced six fixed-income liquidity providers to provide liquidity in the market but still anticipate on its market outlook for 2014 that the corporate debt market would continue to struggle as the cost of issuing corporate debt (long term) remains higher than accessing short-term debt from the banks. The Nigerian capital markets not only lack the liquidity needed for a sustainable bond market that can fund growth and development in the public and private sectors, but also need to enhance the needed awareness that would galvanize investors to leverage on the economic environment for a vibrant bond market. In an effort to save the Nigerian capital market from its dwindling fortune, investment experts have stressed the need for the regulators and other stakeholders to step up sensitization campaign and investors outreach. Speaking on efforts to enhance the fixed income market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said : “Apart from enhancing the framework for bond issuance and introduction of rules on book building and shelf registration and simplified disclosure rules for fixed income, which are sold to institutional investors and high net worth individuals, every issuance line in the market for bond has been shortened. The price discovery process for securities has also been improved”. The commission noted that it is equally promoting and supporting an over-the-counter (OTC) market designed to attract more companies to the capital market and also provide additional platform for bonds trading.

ment of the market must ensure that the stock market serve as a balanced investment outlet. “The Exchange needs to be drawn to the fact that inactivity of its secondary market bond trading platform has diminished its capacity to serve as a balanced investment outlet. The revival of the bond secondary market is a major task that should engage the attention of both The NSE and SEC. The major factors that can propel profitability of equities are macroeconomic. When domestic fiscal and monetary policies consolidate to force down inflation and interest rates to single digit, reprieve would come the way of equities.” Adonri noted that while the equities market declined by 17 per cent last year; investors are expected to recoup part of their losses this year when dividends are paid. To reduce volatility of the market, he said: “The NSE started the process of product diversification with introduction of derivatives. The Exchange is also in the process of introducing market making and securities lending to address the issues of cash and stocks liquidity. While commending these efforts, attention of The Exchange needs to be drawn to the fact that inactivity of its secondary market bond trading platform has diminished its capacity to serve as a balanced investment outlet”. He listed other factors that can reshape the capital market this year to include the unfolding uncertainties about the global macro economy and escalating domestic terrorism, which

Experts’ opinion However, The Managing Director Lambeth Trust & Investment Company Limited, Mr. David Adonri, said the SEC and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) who are the two main bodies saddled with the growth and develop-

The economy will benefit immensely if the market for bond is developed like the equity market

Trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)

could adversely affect foreign investment flow to the economy. “In periods of strife and uncertainties, equities suffer greatly. If the prediction of slowdown in the global economy occurs and the Nigerian government does not adopt a conservative approach in expenditure or reduce borrowing, fixed income securities may continue their dominance over equity this year”, he added. A senior broker who craved anonymity while speaking in the same vein, said the low patronage being witnessed in the bond market especially on corporate bond is mainly as a result of poor awareness. He noted that the awareness given to bond relative to equities is low. Bond issue should be widely publicised like equities during public offers. Even after the issue, bonds should be listed on the Exchange for trading rather than placing the trading in the hands of some few investment houses that carry out the transaction over the counter only. ”Another reason for the low patronage is that people are usually not aware of the issue and cannot participate in the subscription. After the completion of the subscription, bonds are not quoted on the NSE for trading like equities such that retail investors can have access to them,” he noted. The broker added that the SEC and the NSE had a great role to play in sensitising the public on the benefits of bonds. ”SEC and NSE have a lot of roles to play in this direction in ensuring that bonds are treated like equities and are given adequate publicity for wider participation. The NSE has the right platform for trading bonds but it has not been used. Until this is done and government is educated to appreciate this, bonds to small investors will remain a nightmare,” he noted. On the benefits of a developed bond

market to the economy, he said: “The economy will benefit immensely if the market for bond is developed like the equity market. If bonds are given equal treatment like equities, the economy will be better for it and the capital market will experience greater depth. The bond market, if developed, can complement the development from the equity sector of the capital market to the economy.” He noted that another benefit of a developed bond market to the economy was the financing of domestic debt with issuance of bonds as against the issuance of treasury bills, which were short-term instruments. The Chief Executive Officer, Modus Market Concepts Limited Mr. Brian Ojukwu, speaking in the same vein, said that investment in bond had been less patronised due to high level of ignorance. Ojukwu noted that most investors lack deep knowledge about how investment in bonds works. “Another reason is the fact that bond is less liquid compared with equity. Unlike equity, the secondary market for bond is not as active as equity, where an investor can decide anytime that he wants to sell his shares and get proceeds in a few days. He also added that trading in bonds could be actively done on the trading platform of the NSE. Managing Director, Crane Securities Limited, Mr. Mike Eze, noted that the Exchange currently has the facilities to trade in bonds. This, he said, would create a sustainable secondary market that will enhance transferability and liquidity in bond investment. Besides, he noted that corporate bonds should be encouraged because shareholders, who are satisfied with the performance of a particular company via good returns on equity investment, will be motivated to invest in the corporate bond issued by such company.”

BUSINESS | BRANDS & MARKETING 37

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Bitter drinks market: What's Guinness game plan? NEW TURF Guinness Nigeria Plc finds new love in bitter drink market. Stories by Dele Alao

he Nigeria beer market, no doubt, is the most active among other markets in the country’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, at least going by recent developments. For a very long time, both Guinness Nigeria Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc, have engaged in serious marketing warfare in a battle of supremacy over who controls the liquor and beverage markets. Both have used one product or the other from their stables to out-pace the other in the market. Observers would agree that Harp lager beer from the stable of Guinness Nigeria is positioned against Star, Malta Guinness against Maltina, Malta Guinness Low Sugar against Amstel Malta. Satzenbrau against Gulder, Snapp against Fayrouz. But, none of the competing brands has engaged in a market battle than Guinness stout and Legend stout. However, Guinness, in a surprise move, introduced a product that is in a different category for which the brewery giant is not noted for. The new product, called Orijin, which the company described as an alcoholic blend with the flavours of African herbs and fruits, combined to give a refreshing bitter-sweet taste and wonderful feeling of satisfaction, has been launched in some cities across the country. Below-the-line materials of the new product now adorn some bars and popular relaxation spots. Also, billboards belonging to the brewery company now wear Orijin. Nevertheless, the new product, which comes in two variants of different alcoholic contents of high and low, from investigations, is in the same category with Alomo Bitters, Osomo, Kerewa and many others. The question is: What will make a brewery giant such as Guinness Nigeria Plc, to veer into the bitter drinks market? This is the question some industry observers are asking and needed an answer. A likely possible reason, according to analysts, is that bitter drink market is a huge market. In fact, it is estimated that the market is worth over N32.2 billion ($200 million) annually. Furthermore, analysts have argued that the entrance of Guinness into the bitter drink market might not be unconnected with the rising change in consumer taste that prefers a special drink.

The analysts are also of the opinion that claims that the bitters originate from herbs which contain body purifiers, anti-malaria components and ingredients for improving the virility of man, is an attraction. Reacting to the new product, Chief Reputation Strategist, Upticomm Marketing, Segun Mcmedal, who lamented that the availability of the new product was still poor, reasoned that Guinness Nigeria, in introducing the product, might have exploited the huge market in the lower rung of the market. “There is plenty of money in the lower rung of the market,” Mcmedal said.

Mcmedal, who noted that the television commercial for the product was good, observed that Guinness is pushing the product as a standalone. “I could see they are very silent on Guinness, thereby positioning the product as a standalone and in competition with the likes of other bitter drinks,” he said. Speaking on the product, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Seni Adetu, said that Orijin is a drink that will appeal to the modern African who wants to enjoy the best things of life while still holding on to their African roots. “Guinness Nigeria has a tradi-

tion of continuously delivering great brands to our consumers and Orijin is a quality brand that will not only bring excitement to consumers but also give them the opportunity to connect with their heritage. It is a vibrant, yet rooted brand - a celebration of modern African culture which embodies all that is alive and exciting in Africa today. With a refreshingly unique taste, Orijin is the flavoured alcoholic drink our consumers deserve,” Adetu said. Can Guinness, which had in the last 18 months launched four products - Malta Guinness Low Sugar, Dubic Extra Lager, SNAPP and now Orijin - eventually dominate the bitter drink market?

Various brands of bitter drinks

Star adopts Okocha, Kanu brand ambassadors PARTNERSHIP

Popular beer brand, Star, partners Austin Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo ahead World Cup.

tar lager beer from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, has adopted Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha and Kanu “Papillo” Nwankwo as ambassadors for the brand’s football activation. The beer brand has also partnered DSTV to beam all the football matches of the upcoming FIFA Football Mundial, to TV audience. The tagline ‘ShineOnNigeria’ was also announced as the rallying call for the country’s participation at the quadrennial event. Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Walter Drenth, said: “Star lager beer’s support for the Nigerian entertainment sector, especially the music platform, is well-known. As the true Nigerian beer brand that seeks

to be a part of the lives of Nigerians, we have identified the football platform as an avenue to deepen our bond with the citizens of this great country. Indeed, the affinity which the average Nigerian has with football is legendary. I have heard people say that during football matches, Nigerians put aside all divisive sentiments and cheer our country’s representatives to victory.” For starters, Star lager beer is well known for its footprints in Nigeria’s entertainment circles, specifically music. An on-going event like the annual Star Music Trek, the very popular 10 city music concert tour which is currently rocking the cities with the best of Nigeria’s music superstars, easily comes to mind. Living up to its reputation of a brand always in the forefront of breaking new grounds, the brand recently introduced to Nigeria another music talent competition called Star The Winner Is…, which is the country’s first ever music and game

talent show. Star The Winner Is… is an exciting show which combines musical talent with the spontaneity and unpredictability of a game show to deliver entertainment to audience across the country and beyond, while giving contestants a rare opportunity to embrace fame and fortune in a life-changing reality experience. Star Football encompasses various football-themed activities geared towards ensuring that Nigerians derive maximum satisfaction while enjoying their football matches. On the partnership with DSTV, the Marketing Director noted that it was an avenue to give football lovers an opportunity to watch live football matches. He remarked: “We decided to partner DSTV so as to give Star beer consumers and football lovers the opportunity of watching live football matches as well as in-depth analysis of games. We do not want them to miss a moment of the exciting and exhilarating games.”

Digital printer debut in Nigeria EXPANSION Leading digital printer manufactures explore opportunities in Nigerian market.

orld’s leading manufacturers of digital printers, Konica Minolta, has introduced two new models of digital printing machines into the Nigerian market. They are the KIP C7800 and the Bizhub C1070. The KIP C7800 is a wide format colour printer designed for everything from architectural, engineering and construction plans to maps, posters and signs. It has speed, accuracy, scan and copy functions, in addition to fully integrated stacking and folding capabilities. The C7800 has a high-speed wide format print output of 4,200 sq. ft. per hour in Black & White, and 3,600 sq. ft. per hour in colour. It is equipped with a unique LED printing design, with four LED imaging heads for outstanding 600 x 2,400 dpi resolution. Its integrated KIP scanner provides pixel-perfect copy and scan with true 600 x 600 dpi optical resolution. The Biz hub PRESS C1070, on the other hand, is a new generation colour digital printing machine that is ideal for production and commercial environments, as well as across a broad range of industries including healthcare, legal and education. It comes with the Konica Minolta advanced paper handling technology for smooth, problem-free runs, and is designed to handle complex print specifications without compromising speed or quality. Managing Director of Skysat Technologies, the exclusive distributors for Konica Minolta printing machines in Nigeria and West Africa, Mr. Izzat Debs, expressed excitement at the launch of the machines. He said: “We are happy to introduce yet another set of new generation Konica Minolta machines into the vibrant Nigerian market. As you know, Konica Minolta is not just the market leader in terms of market size, but also in technological innovation. Buyers of these machines can be rest assured of the Konica Minolta seal of quality which delivers stress-free digital printing solutions through the application of cutting-edge technology. “They are also assured of adequate stocks of spare parts and consumables, as well as excellent after-sales service provided by our well-trained and certified team of technicians,” he added.

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

NIMASA arrests 244 vessels, reduces sea robbery ILLEGALITIES Criminals have turned Nigerian waters to haven of Illegal bunkering and other sharp practices Stories by Bayo Akomolafe

he Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has arrested 244 vessels in the last two years for offences ranging from piracy, sea rob-

bery and other illegal activities on the nation’s waters. Director General of the agency, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, said that the collaboration of the agency with the Nigerian Navy as well as other security agencies had helped to maintain and sustain physical presence in all the remote areas of Nigeria’s maritime domain. He noted that the power of the agency to enforce compliance to the Cabotage Act through the partnership had increased.

Akpobolokemi stressed that due to the physical patrol of the waters, incidences of security breaches had declined in both frequency and scale of success. He added: “The last two years of our acquiring operational and enforcement capability has led to the arrest of over 244 vessels. Their offences range from piracy and sea robbery, economic sabotage, illicit activities to non-compliance with regulatory regimes and evasion of statutory levy payment.

“Our activities in the area of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) have got a significant boost through our improved enforcement capability. NIMASA as a Maritime Administration (MARAD) with coastal, flag and port state responsibilities is now able to physically patrol, monitor, enforce and where necessary, interdict suspect and vessels that breach our maritime laws.” He explained that the agency was working hard to ensure that it establishes and maintains physical presence in all remote areas of Nigeria’s maritime domain. Akpobolokemi assured that all programmes and activities of the agency were geared towards improving Nigeria’s fortune in the maritime sector. Also, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Usman Jibril, has declared that the Nigerian Navy impounded about 38 ships involved in criminal activities since his assumption of office in January 2014.

Jibril who revealed this at the Warri Naval Base said that eight of the ships were fishing vessels operated by the Chinese. He noted the ships were under detention and by implication, cannot commit havoc again. The chief of naval staff added: “They are illegally fishing on our water. They must have also been using our product -Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) to service their ships; which means they are also involved in illegal bunkering.” Jubril said that government had ordered for two offshore patrol vessels from China, adding that they would soon take delivery of them. He further said that four boats had been released for the ‘NNS Delta’ to enhance its operations. Jubril stressed that the ‘NNS Delta’ was well positioned to deal with social vices like the illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, piracy and illegal fishing.

NIWA slabs uncertified ferry operators in Lagos, others L-R: Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, at the groundbreaking of NIMASA’s Shipyard/Dockyard and the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State

Smugglers hack down five customs officers EXPOSE

Bad equipment exposes inability of Customs to fight smugglers at borders.

igeria Customs Service (NCS), Kaduna Zone has lost five of its officials to smugglers within the first quarter of this year. The officers met their untimely death during their operations. According to the Zonal Coordinator, Alu Sule, an Assistant Comptroller General (ACG), insecurity in the Northern part of the country had affected revenue generation in the area, He noted that the smugglers were deadlier than armed robbers. He said: “In the course of our work, which is full of hazards, these five officers encountered some of the smugglers and you know, some of these smugglers could be daring. In fact, they are worse than armed robbers. “The smugglers attacked our check-points somewhere in Katsina State but some of the officers were killed in Kano area, while chasing smugglers.

Sule stated that only N3.145 billion was generated in the first quarter of this year due to insecurity. The zonal coordiator however expressed optimism that the zone which comprised five area commands of Zamfara/ Sokoto, Kogi/Kwara, Kaduna/ Niger, Kano/Jigawa, and FCT would meet its revenue target in the second quarter. Sule appealed to communities and stakeholders to assist

the zone in exposing the activities of smugglers. He said: “As for our revenue target, we have collected about 73 per cent, but we need the cooperation of every stakeholder to succeed. “The terrains in these areas have posed serious challenge to us. The smuggling activities and the security challenges have not really allowed us to collect as much revenue as we are trying to get.”

SANITY Soon, ferries will sail safely on Nigerian waterways. National Inland WaterThashe ways Authority (NIWA) said unlicensed boat op-

erators would no longer be allowed to operate ferry on Nigerian waterways. It declared that only trained and certified seafarers licensed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency would be allowed to operate ferries on the waterways. Its Managing Director, Hajia Inna Ciroma dropped the hint in Lagos during a safety awareness campaign. Also, the authority said all ferries boats and canoe must be registered with NIWA area office in Lagos.

Shippers’ Council advised to sanitise ports

he new ports economic regulator, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), has been advised by a former official of the council to sanitise port operations for effective service delivery. Chief Adebayo Sarumi, former Executive Secretary of council said there was need for port users and the service providers to understand that there was fair play in the port system. He said: “The understanding is imperative because it is the Nigerian economy that suffers the ignorance constituted by ports users and the service

providers. Now that the country is going to have an articulate regulator, if everybody gets to obey the regulator, then everybody will profit from it. “The regulator did not need to use its muscles; it is just a question of using sense not force.” Sarumi, who was also the former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), urged the regulator to be fair, open and be willing to listen to suggestions. He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for transforming the maritime sector in line with best practices.

He added that there was also need for more funding of the agency to enable it to achieves its mandate. He noted: “There is need for more funding. As at today, the shippers’ council gets only one per cent from the seven per cent port development levy. There is need for an upward increase of that allocation though other agencies will fight to ensure that the increment does not affect their allocations. “This is because if the shippers’ council must get additional funds then somebody has to lose something.”

Ciroma noted that NIWA would introduce water safety corps to enforce safety. She added that any locally made boat that was 10years old and above must be replaced by the operators, saying that consumption of alcohol before and during boat ride had been prohibited. The managing director said standard regulations allow boats and ferries to sail between 8am and 6pm, She stressed that the safety campaign would be carried out nationwide. According to her: “We have visited Malale and Nupeko in Niger State, on Wednesday we visited Igbokoda in Ondo State and today we are here in Lagos State with the same message.’’ She donated life jackets to some boat operators in order to stem down the tide of mishap. Ciroma noted that NIWA would organize an international conference on water hyacinth in order to get what the authority was doing right. At the event, the President of Boat Owners Association Ganiyu Sekoni Balogun told the managing director that the association had introduced passenger manifest for boat users. He urged NIWA to remove the wrecks and derelicts impeding safe navigation on the waterways. The president said that about 30 spots had been identified. Balogun also advised the authority to patrol the waterways to check over speeding.

BUSINESS | MARITIME

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Nigerian shipowners at crossroads over national carrier status The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that the local shipping lines jostling to assume the national carrier status must fulfill minimum requirements laid down in its Act. But the indigenous shipping lines are claiming that they have capacity to operate a national carrier, BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports.

wo years ago, the local ship owners under the umbrella of Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA) teamed up to float a shipping line called ISAN Shipping Line. The move was to assume the status of a national carrier. NIMASA’s position The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) acknowledged receipt of their application for operation as a national carrier. However, trouble started when the agency declared that it has secured approval from the Federal Government to float a new national shipping line. The declaration came 19 years after the demise of the national carrier, the Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL). Justification Akpobolokemi explained that the agency would work with the private sector to get the country’s national shipping line back, saying it was important for the country’s development. The director general stressed that government would have minimal participation. He noted that “it is a huge economic waste that most of our hydro carbon is being transported by people other than Nigerians and I don’t think the agency can have the patience or keep waiting, drastic measure must be taken.” Also, he said that NIMASA would provide sea time training for the cadets of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron. He said: “If a shipping line is floated, we won’t spend a third of what we are spending to train our cadets abroad today.” The agency said at forum that any company seeking the

Jolapamo

status of a national carrier must own vessels that have capacity of 5,000 metric tons or above. The Director General of the agency, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, declared at a national workshop on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Strategy for Infrastructural Development and Modernisation in the Nigerian Maritime Sector organised by NIMASA in collaboration with the Infrastructure Concession Regulation Commission (ICRC), that if any Nigerian has the intention of having a national carrier license, such person should come and fulfill the minimum condition as entrenched in the agency’s Act to enable management to assist such company. He said that the agency would not flout the provisions of the law in an attempt to favour indigenous operators. Akpobolokemi said: “When we ask them of a vessel, they said it is not available, the manpower is not available, how do we grant them the national carrier status? “This is a country of due process, a country of accountability and transparency. Our laws are very clear and simple. For you to acquire the status of a national carrier, you must have certain requirements. “The requirements include a vessel that has a capacity of at least 5,000 metric tons and you must have 60 per cent Nigerian ownership and many others. When you want to register and you don’t have these things, should we flout the law because we want to grow capacity? It is a law and we can be taken on it if we do the contrary.” The PPP model But NIMASA boss said that government was trying to do this by involving a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative in order to avoid the pitfalls that led to the liquidation

Akpobolokemi

of NNSL. “When the NNSL got liquidated, it was because it was managed by government, so, in the next six months, working with the private sector, we want our shipping line back.” Ship owners’ position But the chairman of the NISA, Chief Isaac Jolapamo said that local ship owners have the capacity to operate a national carrier if they were given license. According to him, “there is nothing like lack of capacity. Shipping is unlike any other business. In the real sense, you don’t ask me to go and bring a ship and tie the ship down before you will give me the contract. That’s not the way shipping trade is done. “Shipping is done by identifying the kind of ship you want. That is whether you want the ship to have a big head or a big bottom. That’s the way you describe the type of ship you want and the ship owner will go to acquire it. “Carveton, an indigenous shipping firm was not into shipping at all but the day Caverton got an ordinary letter of intent from Shell, asking for a particular type of ship, that was when it went into shipping.” “When they say, we lack capacity, it is nonsense, you must ask them, is it that we lack the capacity to buy the ship? If it is the capacity to buy, let us know because we don’t lack it. Is it that we lack the capacity to run the ship? “I don’t know the format

The manpower is not available, how do we grant them the national carrier status?

government wants to use to achieve this; whether it is two, three or four groups coming together but the bottom line is that it would be a good thing if government can get it done in the next six months.” However, Mr Bolaji Akinola, chief executive officer, Ships & Ports Communication Company, said it was important to remind the powers that be of pitfalls to avoid and ownership structure to adopt for the survival of the new venture. He recalled: “Excessive interference by top government officials played an important role in the eventual demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL). Because it was seen as a cash cow, Federal Ministry of Transport officials found every excuse to meddle in its affairs and thus circumvent important decisions. Akinola noted that the management of NNSL was changed as often as Transport Ministry officials liked, noting that NNSL’s managing director who was seen as uncooperative by the ministry officials found himself in the labour market. “For instance, it took the Federal Government almost five years to approve the tonnage expansion programme and modernisation of NNSL ships in the seventies. Perhaps the post-civil war demands contributed to this. “By the time the vessels were eventually built and introduced into the market, a measure of obsolesce had set into the original concept. It took another five years to convince government about the need to phase out the 19 combo vessels with a view to introducing appropriate vessels that were technologically up to date as well as meeting market demands. “Another major factor which compounded NNSL’s woes, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, was that services performed for other arms of the Nigerian gov-

ernment by the company were not paid for in time.” He explained that services rendered by NNSL vessels to government were paid for in local currency while the company racked up operational expenses incurred in foreign currency. Also, Akinola said that accumulated debts of NNSL to trade creditors originated from government’s failure to pay for the shipment of its project materials such as Aluminium Smelter Company, Ajaokuta and Aladja Steel projects. “Efforts made by the management of the company to diversify into ancillary activities such as terminal operations, clearing and forwarding and oil tanker operation, among others, were not approved. “Gerald Chidi told me some time ago that during his tenure as managing director of the NNSL between 1990 and 1993, he worked under four ministers of transport while his successor who served for only two years from 1993 to 1995 also served under four ministers of transport. “As at the time it was drafted into the ECOMOG Liberia mission in 1990, NNSL was already in deep financial mess. Several of the company’s vessels have been seized in different parts of the world for alleged breach of contracts and unpaid bills. “In 1994, the late Head of State, General Sanni Abacha, approved the direct injection of cash into NNSL to enable it pay its creditors and secure release of some of its ships. The late dictator approved $45 million and another $20 million for NNSL, but as a matter of fact, this act pushed the last nail into the company’s coffin.” Akinola explained that this was because of avarice of some officials who colluded with outsiders to defraud the company as much as they could. He noted that in 1995, all of the vessels owned by NNSL had either been sold as scraps or downright shipwrecked without any hope of redemption. “While one applauds the renewed attempt to float a new shipping line, it should purely be a private sector-driven venture with government’s role being that of providing an enabling environment,” he said. Liquidation of NNSL In 1979, Nigeria has 26 ships with a gross tonnage of 552,000 dead weight. But by 1999, only one vessel, MV River Mada, was left due to mismanagement and undue government interference. The ship had been sold in 1996 for $785,000 to Mediterranean Shipping Company when NNSL was being liquidated but the defunct National Maritime Authority (NMA) bought it back and renamed it MV Abuja.

40 POLITICS Funding of LG Funding is the major issue in every organisation. And in governance generally, you have a lot to contend with but you have limited resources especially in terms of financing the lofty ideas and projects you have for the people. What we do most times, is to go back to the drawing board and do what I call ‘rationalisation’. We rationalise whatever resources we have in a prioritised manner. Funding can never be enough but whatever has accrued to us, we have been able to achieve modesty in terms of our achievements. We have a lot of challenges; some are routine and some are occasional. We thank our creator for helping us this far to meet the people’s expectation and deliver on the mandate handed to us by our amiable governor, Senator Isiaka Ajimobi. Of course, it is not that easy presiding over a local government like Iseyin with its peculiar nature, which requires a lot of intelligence to deal with the good people, the bad and the ugly ones. This is because you can’t do without them. To the grace of God, we have been navigating through all these people and rendering the services that we are supposed to render to them. We have been able to operate within the limit of human and material resources that are available to us to achieve whatever mandate that have been laid bare before us. Alleged deduction of allocations by governor The degree of fiscal autonomy at the local government level is still yearning for attention but on operational basis, no state government can deduct from money meant for the local governments illegally. There is nothing like that and it is not possible. If you want to entrust any assignment to the state government, you all have to come together to agree. It has to be a personal volition of the local government concerned and there is due process you must follow. For example, if we want to do Iseyin/Okeho Road now, because this is a road that is central to the socio-economic needs of our people in this area, many local governments like Iseyin, Okeho, Kajola, Itesiwaju, Iwajowa, Saki etc. will have to come together, and of course our monthly allocation cannot undertake such a gigantic project. In Oyo State, we have a government that is ensuring sanity in the process and method of running the government. And the advantage we have is because of the status, exposure, experience and background of the man we have at the helm of affairs. Governor Ajimobi is a private sector man; he is a person that is pro due-diligence and pro due-process. You have to do things in a manner that it is supposed to be done, no matter the condition. The popular saying is that if you are covering something, remember the people that will come and uncover them. So, why don’t you do the needful always? It is not about eulogising myself, I have about four degrees in various disciplines. I have a degree In Public Administration and this local government system is all about public administration. I have a Master degree in Business Administration so that my experience in private sector could complement that of the public sector; and I also have another Master degree in Industrial Relation that has to do with managing human elements and chains of things like that. So, there is no way that kind of experience won’t rub off positively on the way we run our administration. Scrapping of local governments They want to trigger a very serious crisis. The local governments, as far as I am concerned, are the closest government to the people. Tell me when last a minister or the president has come to Iseyin Local Government? Or tell me how often will a governor be coming to each local government area to see people and see what is happening there? And

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

‘Ajimobi’s performance has surpassed past administrations’ Governor Abiola Ajimobi has been applauded for changing the face of Oyo State through his sterling performance in office. In this interview with SOLA ADEYEMO, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Caretaker Chairman of Iseyin Local Government, Hon. Saheed Yusuff-Alaran, bares his mind on the Ajimobi administration. He also faulted calls for the scrapping of the local government system. Excerpts:

Yusuff-Alaran

on daily and regular basis, the people go to meet their chairmen for one problem or the other. If you now say it should be scrapped, are you not planning to take government miles away from the people? Will that not precipitate crisis? It is uncalled for because there are other problems they need to address instead of calling for the scrapping of local governments and leave the state and federal governments to be doing what? As I am talking to you, there are very many problems that are not ours, but those of the state and federal governments that we shoulder and these cannot be overemphasised. And when you want to say this one is not part of your responsibility, that is when you want the system to remain comatose because where will you run to? So they can’t scrap local government: that will be too dangerous a thing to do. Ajimobi’s performance Without being immodest, we have had governments before the present administration came on board, but we cannot compare the past with this present administration in terms of performance. When Ajimobi came on board, he didn’t come to run the government without a plan. He had a blueprint and you will see this aura around him, that this is a man that was God-sent and truly ready to change the face of Oyo State for the better. You are aware of the concept of restoring, repositioning, and transforming by the governor. That is enough control strategy for the system to work and to be able to deliver in an orderly manner. It is about restoring our lost val-

We have had governments before the present administration came on board, but we cannot compare the past with this present administration in terms of performance ues, pace-setting status and transforming it for the better. If you have been to Ibadan, the state capital, you must have seen these transformational things. Ditto in all other parts of the state. Things have really changed. Of course, let me make a reference to what we have here in Iseyin. For the first time, that was never part of our dream, we have a dualised road. This is a very ancient local government and it is not limited to here alone. Go to all the major entry points to other zones in the state. All of them are enjoying that, and that is a good starting point for any government. At least that is a uniform feature of what we call Oyo State today because it is not limited to Ibadan. It is unlike before where concentration of projects are in a particular location. He is developing and opening up what we call ‘New Oyo State’. This governor is turning things around. Ibadan is now clean and green from the Toll Gate end of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

And in the area of security, it was a very serious matter before the advent of this regime, but since he came on board, he has been able to secure lives and property because there is no violence anywhere and peace is reigning supreme everywhere. Infrastructure wise, you can see a lot of things like the neighbourhood market, modern motor parks and a host of others. So, to me, Ajimobi has performed remarkably. Marginalisation of Oke Ogun We have fared better. Some people have been making noise about marginalisation but as far as I am concerned in this government, especially when you consider participants in Ajimobi’s government, we have a sizeable number of political appointees from Oke Ogun here and that is a right step in the right direction. Then, a lot of development is taking place in Oke Ogun generally. For instance, we have a dualised road here in Iseyin which is the gateway to Oke Ogun. We have other developments in other areas too like they are taking a College of Nursing to Kisi and the Saki satellite campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan has become a full-fledged polytechnic, courtesy of the governor. Achievements as council boss I have several projects we have done within the limited resources accruable to us as a local government. In the area of infrastructural development, there is this road we call “Oju Sango”. Nobody believed that a motorable road could pass through it because it was all a rocky topography. When we started that road, people in the area never believed we could achieve the success. But we constructed that road of 2.5km at a modest price of N132 million. Also, as part of our aggressive Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) drive, we constructed a poultry for the local government to generate money and the project is doing well in that regard too. We constructed a skill acquisition centre to take care of the problems of unemployment in the council area. We constructed a TB clinic to nip in the bud problems of tuberculosis that is ravaging our society. So far, we have dualised 6.5km Iseyin/ township road; Ado Awaye CPMC: seven boreholes, vocational centre, market at Odoogun; Binukonu CPMC Ekunle: Community hall, eight boreholes, public toilets at Irawo Ifa; Majeobaje Ikere Gorge-Dam, Isalu: 10 boreholes, a block of three classrooms at Alagogo Village, two public toilets; Ifelajulo CPMC Koso; mini-health centre at Ilosi Abuke Oja Agbe, seven boreholes, three public toilets at Ijemba, Oke Ola and Araromi, Koso. Others are the Akinwumi/Osoogun CPMC, Iseyin: 10 boreholes, three culverts, electric transformer. Construction of chest and skin clinic building at OkeOgunbado (Off Ikere garage area, Isalu, Iseyin costing N8.5m); construction of hospital building at Kalu, Kasaba area, Oke Oja, Iseyin; construction of libraries at Wasinmi and Igbo Olosan; construction of blocks of three-classroom with staff offices in 10 different schools; construction and installation (with distribution network) of motorised boreholes at several villages across Iseyin township and its suburbs; asphaltic tarring of many roads including Peller Road as well as construction of rubble stone retaining walls, culverts, drainages at Jalumi Stream, Iseyin, AgoIgbe/Ajegunle Road, Ado Awaye, Oke Alaafia to Our Lady Hospital Road, Aseyin Grammar School Itan area, Iseyin, among others.

POLITICS 41

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Although it lost five governors and 37 members in the House of Representatives to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), late last year, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was able to recover from the setback to beat the opposition party in the defection battle, reports ONYEKACHI EZE

Defection: How PDP won the supremacy battle

or now, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has convincingly proved to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) that the poaching of its members could no longer succeed. The defection, however, of former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni from the PDP to the APC is a setback to the ruling party’s quest to recover, not only its members who joined the opposition party but also to win some members of opposition parties. But what PDP lost in Oni, it recovered with the defection of Senator Bode Ola from APC into its fold. The PDP’s magic started shortly after former Bauchi State governor, Dr. Adamu Ahmed Mu’azu was chosen as National Chairman of the party. Within one month, Mu’azu was able to not only halt the movement of PDP members to APC but has also won some prominent APC members to PDP. While receiving a delegation from Akwa Ibom State who paid him a courtesy visit shortly after his emergence as PDP National Chairman, Mu’azu said: “We will soon show to the opposition they are master poachers, they know how to poach, but we are going to beat them to it, because when two members of your family fight, you should settle them and not for you to come and pitch one against the other. However, if that is the game, we will learn.” Indeed, PDP learnt the game even faster and better than the APC. For instance, APC’s initial edge over PDP in the House of Representatives membership in January, which resulted in Hon. Femi Gbajebiamiala, APC Minority Leader referring to Leo Ogor as Deputy Minority Leader on the floor of the House, was quickly reversed. Then APC had a slight majority of 172 members following the defection of 37 PDP members into its fold in December 2013 leaving PDP with 171 members. But on February 10, barely 24 days after Mu’azu assumed office, PDP regained its majority in the House with a total of 178 following the return of five defected members. The APC now had 168. Since then, many more members have defected to the PDP from not only APC but other political parties. The PDP success could be attributed to the dynamic leadership of its national chairman and sudden discovery of the party’s publicity department that “attack” is more effective than “defense”. The party also capitalised on APC’s inability to manage success to poach most of its foundation members who felt that the party had been hijacked by a cabal. Since he assumed office on January 17 following the forced resignation of the former national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Mu’azu adopted a methodological approach in running the PDP’s affairs. He seemed to have agreed with Joseph Goebbel, chief propagandist of former German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler when he said: “My party is my church, and I believe I serve the Lord best if I do his will, and liberate my oppressed people from the fetters of slavery. That is my gospel.” His first approach was to embark on

Mu’azu

wide consultation with party leaders and elders to win their confidence and support. These included leadership of the National Assembly, members of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as governors elected on the platform of the party. The meeting with National Assembly leadership helped to stop the embarrassing defection of PDP members on the floor of the National Assembly to the opposition party. While Mu’azu’s emergence did not entirely stop the defection, those who later left did so without fanfare. In the Senate, some senators elected on the platform of the PDP who had written to the Senate President, David Mark, indicating their intention to announce their defection to the APC never had such opportunity. Though they are now in the APC, they joined the party without ceremonies, the type that greeted the movement of the PDP members to the APC in the House of Representatives. Again, apart from the five governors of Rivers, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano and Kwara states – Rotimi Amaechi, Murtala Nyako, Aliyu Wamakko, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdufatah Ahmed respectively, who were elected on the platform of the PDP and who had defected to the APC, some other governors planning to leave PDP to APC changed their mind and remained in the party after the national chairman’s meeting with PDP governors. The PDP also reaped hugely from the crisis that greeted APC. Immediately there was inkling that some APC members were not happy with the restructuring process in the party following the defection of former PDP governors, the national chairman quickly deployed party machinery in motion to woo them to PDP. The result was worth the effort. The party’s net was able to catch former governors of Kano and Sokoto states, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, former governorship candidates of Kwara and Adamawa states, Dele Belgore and Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa as well as Chief Mike

Akande

Ahamba (SAN) who was once a running mate to Major General Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Chris Anyanwu, who joined PDP from the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). And they were received with fanfare at zonal rallies specifically organised for the purpose with all leaders of the party, including President Goodluck Jonathan, in attendance. Their defections were aired live on national television and radio stations. The grievances of the decampees were enough to paint APC as a party without democratic principles. Shekarau had painted a picture of the party thus: “APC has nothing to show in this last six months; there is nothing on ground, not a single member of APC has been registered, not a single leadership structure exists anywhere within the states. No structure of interim leadership at ward levels, at local government levels, at state levels. “Up till this time, we are yet to receive any detailed programme of democratic elections to produce leaders of the party at various levels. To our dismay and to our surprise, within the six months which was the formal and official constitutional period given the interim leadership of the party, we now hear that leadership of the interim has no limited period.” Shekarau was one of the 89-member merger committee set up for the merger of the defunct All Nigeria People’s

The PDP also reaped hugely from the crisis that greeted APC immediately there was inkling that some APC members were not happy with the restructuring process in the party

Party (ANPP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) into a mega opposition party, the APC. The committee also drafted the APC constitution. He is therefore, in a position to know when the party’s constitution is breached. The revelations of former APC chieftains presented PDP publicity unit the arsenal to launch offensive on the party. For the first time ever, PDP publicity department became more combative, aggressive and portent in its attack of APC policies. PDP discovered it could be on offensive few hours after APC unveiled its manifesto and ideology, describing it as empty and lacking in substance. The party said the manifesto is a precursor to anarchy as it was in contrast to what APC told Nigerians it would do if it assumed position of leadership especially in the arrears of fight against terrorism and corruption. “When last year in its first official outing, the leaders of the APC said terrorism in Nigeria would disappear within 100 days of APC leadership, Nigerians did ask if they knew the characters in crime and their sponsors. APC gave silence as an answer while Nigerians kept wondering. Today, the party has released its manifesto with loud silence on the matter so that Nigerians would not raise further questions on the face behind the terrorism mask,” PDP said in a statement shortly after APC released its manifesto. APC was unsettled by this statement and since then has been contending with the PDP in the propaganda war. The opposition party further compounded its problem by failing to distinguish between partisan politics and national interest in its criticisms of the policies of the ruling party. Again, PDP took advantage of this to tell Nigerians of the type of people that want to rule them. For now, the ruling party seems to have checkmated the defection strategy of the APC.

42 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

For effective criminal justice system Last week, the Senate passed the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2013 aimed at speedy and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria. CHUKWU DAVID explores the intent of the bill

Ndoma-Egba

to an office they can manipulate the system or enjoy immunity from prosecution. “The primary objective of the bill is to ensure speedy and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria. It seeks to bring together the Criminal Code and Penal Code in one body of law so as to promote uniformity/protect the society from crime as well as protect the rights and interests of accused and victims in criminal proceedings in the country.” The bill has 495 sections, and divided into 48 parts. The sponsor further explained that the most worrisome aspect of criminal justice delivery under the extant system is the inherent delay in the dispensation of criminal justice, assuring that the proposal Act, when passed into law, would address the problem. “The bill deals fundamentally with the problem of delay in the dispensation of criminal justice, which unarguably remains the most perturbing aspect of criminal justice delivery. Essentially, the bill makes provisions for speedy and efficient administration of criminal justice in courts across the country. In this regard, the bill provides for trial from day-to-day after arraignment, restriction on number and interval of adjournments, electronic recording of trials to reduce the problems associated with trial de novo of partly heard matters, limits adjournment of cases to five times and not more than 14 days intervals between adjournments,” he said. Another revolutionary aspect of the bill, according to Ndoma-Egba, is the introduction of plea bargain into the criminal justice administration. “The bill introduces plea bargain into Nigeria’s Criminal Justice Administration. Though plea bargain is being employed in our courts to resolve high profile cases, it is being applied haphazardly due to the absence of an enabling legislation in the country. The bill, therefore, establishes clear guidelines for the implementation of plea bargain and measures to avoid abuse of the process,” he noted. The legislator stated that the plea bargain has a lot of benefits, saying, “the benefits of plea bargain cannot be overemphasised. In the United States alone, about 80 per cent of criminal cases in Federal Courts are decided on plea bargain. In addition, the bill proposes sentencing guidelines to avoid abuse of judge’s discretion and corruption.” The bill further prohibits the arrest

Mukhtar

BILL OF

WEEK

THE

he bill of this week is Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2013. The bill was sponsored by the Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, representing Cross River Central. The bill was first passed by the House of Representatives and forwarded to the Senate for concurrence. The bill was read for the first time in the Senate on Wednesday January 22, 2014. Customarily, any bill passed by one Chamber of the National Assembly and forwarded to the other for concurrence has to undergo all the legislative processes before it is passed for presidential assent. And that was why Ndoma-Egba had to sponsor the bill in the Upper Chamber. The bill seeks to repeal the Criminal Procedure Act Cap C41 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004; the Criminal Procedure Act (Northern States) Cap C42 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; the Administration of Justice Commission Act Cap A3 Laws of the Federation 2004; and enact the Administration of Justice Act to be applicable in Federal Courts and Courts of the Federal Capital Territory. Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Ndoma-Egba noted that Nigerians had lived with a defective criminal justice system for a long time. He observed that the system was grindingly slow and open to abuses. He further lamented that the ineffective system denied the people justice; hence the need for this revolutionary piece of legislation. The lawmaker lamented that court cases dragged on to the point that conviction became unlikely, as witnesses might no longer be readily available, and where they were available, some facts relating to the case would have been distorted so much that the essence of seeking justice by litigants was lost. He further stated that many aggrieved citizens of Nigeria had shunned the courts because they did not believe that their cases could be disposed off in their life time, let alone obtaining justice. His words: “For several decades, Nigerians have lived with a criminal justice system that is grindingly slow and open to abuses, rendering it most ineffective. From the police stations to the courts and the prisons, the system has delivered everything but justice and the society has been worse for it. Court cases drag on to the point that conviction becomes unlikely, as witnesses may no longer be readily available; and where they are available, some facts relating to the case would have been distorted, so much so that the essence of seeking justice by litigants is lost. “Consequently, many aggrieved citizens have shunned the courts because they do not believe their cases could be disposed off in their life time let alone, get justice. “Part of the problems the system has is its inability to apply commensurate punishment to infractions. It is common to see a court give maximum sentence to a petty thief while those who stole billions of naira from the public coffers get far lesser sanctions for their crimes when convicted by the court. There have been instances where some accused persons win elections in the course of trial

of family members or associates in lieu of the person suspected to have committed a crime. It also prohibits torture and all inhuman treatments of arrested persons. As a way of halting the practice of torture of suspects in police custody in the process of extracting statements and evidence, the bill imposes a duty on the Police to electronically record or video the making and taking of confessional statements from suspects. The proposed law provides that it is the duty of the arresting officer to generate full record of arrest with dates and photographs of the person arrested for proper documentation. In the light of this, the bill also provides for the establishment of a Central Criminal Record Registry at the federal level and Criminal Records Registry at every state police command where this record of arrests would be kept. It also imposes a duty on court registrars to transmit court decisions in criminal trials to the Central Registry within 30 days or face disciplinary measures by the Federal Judicial Service Commission. The bill, according to Ndoma-Egba’s presentation at the Red Chamber, contains a provision for quarterly reports by all authorities and agencies having power of arrest to the Attorney General of the Federation. Section 29 states thus: “The Inspector-General of Police and heads of every agency authorised by law to make arrests shall remit quarterly to the Attorney-General of the Federation a record of all arrests made with or without warrant in relation to federal offences

From the police stations to the courts and the prisons, the system has delivered everything but justice and the society has been worse for it. Court cases drag on to the point that conviction becomes unlikely

within Nigeria; the Commissioner of Police in a state and head of every agency authorised by law to make arrest within a state shall remit quarterly to the Attorney-General of that state a record of all arrests made with or without warrant in relation to state offences or arrests within the state.” Besides, there are provisions and mechanisms for accountability in respect of Awaiting Trial Persons (ATPs), including time protocols for remand orders. A key element of the bill is the inclusion of measures for checking prison congestion, including mandatory monthly visits to police stations and other detention facilities by chief magistrates to ensure that suspects are not detained for periods longer than necessary. Section 34 states amongst others that: “The Chief Magistrate or where there is no Chief Magistrate within the Police Division, any Magistrate designated by the Chief Judge for that purpose, shall, at least every month conduct an inspection of police stations or other places of detention within his territorial jurisdiction other than the prison. During a visit, the Magistrate may call for and inspect the record of arrests; direct the arraignment of the suspect; where bail has been refused, grant bail to any suspect where appropriate if the offence for which the suspect is held is within the jurisdiction of the Magistrate. Also as a means of decongesting the prisons, the bill provides alternatives to imprisonment such as community service, parole and suspended sentence for minors, first time offenders and some categories of criminal offences.” The bill provides for mechanism to improve the standard of prosecution by ensuring that only legally trained persons prosecute; it also provides an improved regime for the protection of victims of rape and other sexual offences as well as giving special consideration to convicted pregnant women. The bill makes provision for compensation or restitution for victims of unlawful arrests and illegal detention. Finally, the bill provides for the establishment of an Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee to oversee the criminal justice system and publish an annual report on the situation to keep stakeholders abreast of developments in the sector. Ndoma-Egba noted that the bill contained several innovative ideas and promises to significantly improve the criminal justice system in Nigeria.

POLITICS 43

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

How did you get to the Assembly? I got to the assembly basically through election, because without election there is no way you can hold an elective position. We started the race in 2010 because it was a vision and I will say it is the will of God that has brought me so far, and because my people wanted me at that time to give them that quality representation. They came out en masse to vote for the party that nominated me for that election. That is the more reason I was able to make it because the people were there for me. Even at a point that it was very critical when the plan of the government of the day was to ensure that they used this style of cancellation of results in polling units but my people resisted it. It was due to the people’s resistance and because they defended their votes that I am here in the Assembly.

Lubi: My challenge as lone opposition lawmaker The Minority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Akpoebi Lubi, in this interview with BABATOPE OKEOWO, expressed frustration over his inability to get his views across on the floor of the House. Lubi, who is the only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in the House also criticised the state government for not doing enough for the people of his constituency. Excerpts:

For the past two years that you have been in the Assembly, what have you done for the people of your constituency? It is relative, because having been in the Assembly for two years I have contributed in debates to the good governance of the state, particularly on the floor of the house. I have been able to assist people financially. I have tried in my own little way to influence constituency projects. I have always recommended to the government that our people need infrastructural development which the government has not been able to do to a very large extent. Specifically, because of the passion I have for education I have given six secondary schools in both the Ijaw Apoi area and Arogbo area science laboratory equipment. You are the only PDP member of the 26 House members; how have you been able to relate with your colleagues who are predominantly Labour Party (LP) members? Basically, there is no environment that you will find yourself that you will not have challenges, even in your family. What has given me courage to push on to this level is that I have not seen something different that will convince me to decide to cross carpet to the government in power as far as the state is concerned. Because if the people I represent are not well taken care of and the environment I come from seems to be abandoned by the government, I have no business or anything to convince me to leave the party on which platform I am a member of the Assembly. My relationship with the people is not bad and it has been cordial on one on one note. Because we are colleagues and we have come here basically as equals to represent our people. Apart from issues on the floor of the house, people look at issues differently. My relationship has not been too bad with my people and we have never had confrontation. The relationship has been on a very friendly note. But on issues that affect governance that will come to the floor of the House, we would look at it from different perspectives. As the only PDP house member and the minority leader, my relationship with my colleagues has not been bad but that does not mean there are no challenges. What are some of the challenges that emerged in the course of your legislative duties? Definitely, it will not be easy as the opposition in the house because there are issues in which you know how things should be, when matters that affect the state are discussed, because it is a monolithic assembly even if what you are saying is in the right direction the people will be debating issues along party line because they will always do everything to support their party, particularly the governor so it is a major challenge. We should not say because we are elected on a particular political platform, we should support anti-people policies. On the other hand, the other challenge faced is that in the constituency I represent, government has not done enough for the people and I want the government to do something

mance, a woeful show of shame. These are my challenges as the minority leader that I am faced with at the floor of the house.

Lubi

there which is the number one reason you are elected into the House. When you are talking about issues that affect your environment, the people at most times are ready to shout you down because whatever you say is seen as anti-government or speaking against the governor. That is not how the business of legislation should be run. It is in that light I would call it a woeful perfor-

Before your emergence, PDP had the majority in the State’s House of Assembly; now PDP is almost going into extinction, is there any plan by your party to take over the state in 2015/2017 elections? PDP is not a regional party, it is not a one-man party; it is a party of the people, for the people and by the people. The only democratic party we have in the country today is PDP. Now I want to say without mincing words that the party is doing everything possible to make sure that by 2015 it would have overwhelming majority in the Ondo State House of Assembly, and that is the more reason you will see within the PDP family, those who were aggrieved for some reasons have been reconciled. We have come together and by 2015 the way PDP is so coordinated and the way the party is working from the grassroots, we will be the party to beat. The people of Ondo State have seen it all because they are now regretting voting the present government for a second term in office. They are facing a very serious challenge because of the issue of development. So, the fact that PDP will take over Ondo State in the 2015 elections is what the Ilaje/ Ese Odo Federal Constituency by-election has shown to the whole

world. If PDP is not on ground with the resources committed to that election by the state, there is no way the election result will come out as inconclusive and that is the more reason you should know that PDP has always been on ground, and they have put their whole house in order. They have mended their fences; they have made sure that everything that would make PDP bounce back strongly in Ondo state has been concluded. President Goodluck Jonathan is in support of the reconciliation and in support of PDP and that is the more reason the LP is not ready to go back for the supplementary election because they know they would lose. And when LP loses, the effect is that it would put an end to the lies the governor has generated in Abuja and in the Villa that it is LP that is in control of Ondo State and that PDP is no more. He is PDP in Abuja and LP in Ondo State. Without mincing words, many of my colleagues who are LP members in the Assembly will defect to the PDP before 2015. You are from the Southern Senatorial District, how would you assess the performance of the government in your district? We have the South Senatorial District made up of six local governments, IleOluji/Oke Igbo, Odigbo, Okitipupa, Irele, Ese-Odo and Ilaje local governments. This present government has abandoned the whole of the South District. There is nothing the government can show clearly that it has done in the South in terms of infrastructural development. I don’t know what the people of the South have done to the present LP government led by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko that it has decided to abandon the district in terms of infrastructure development, it is as bad as that. I would want to say that there is no development in Ese-Odo, also there is no development in Okitipupa Local Government. The same thing is applicable to Ilaje, Odigbo, Ile-Oluji/ Oke-Igbo. And it is particularly in the South that oil is being tapped. It is from Ilaje/Ese-Odo, its due to these two sister local governments, that Ondo State is part of the oilproducing states.

‘Nigeria has failed to mount effective campaign against insurgency’ CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

begun working with Nigeria’s newlycreated Ranger Battalion to impart the specialised skills and disciplines needed to mount effective CT operations. As has been demonstrated during recent Boko Haram movements and attacks, porous borders with Nigeria’s North-Eastern and western neighbours can also facilitate these terrorists’ operations in the region. For this reason, DoD and the Department of State are working closely and actively to develop a regional response to the Boko Haram threat to enhance border security along Nigeria’s common borders with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. The concept is to build border security capacity with, and promote better cooperation and communication among, the security forces of each country. In some cases, assistance would go to the military, in others the gendarmerie, and in still others immigration forces, to more effectively detect and respond to the movement of Boko Haram members back and forth between Nigeria and its neighbours. If we can build these basic but critical capacities, serious progress can be made toward halting Boko Haram’s spread and reversing some of the gains it has made. As committed as the U.S. is to supporting Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram and in returning these girls safely to their families, we cannot ignore that Nigeria

can be an extremely challenging partner to work with. In general Nigeria has failed to mount an effective campaign against Boko Haram. In the face of a new and more sophisticated threat than it has faced before, its security forces have been slow to adapt with new strategies, new doctrines and new tactics. Even more troubling, Nigeria’s record of atrocities perpetrated by some of its security forces during operations against Boko Haram has been widely documented. As we have advised the Nigerians, consistent with U.S. law and policy, we review security force units who may receive assistance, and we do not provide assistance when we have credible information that they have committed gross violations of human rights. With this important consideration in mind, we have worked to engage where and how we are able to, imbuing our engagements and training efforts with human rights and law of armed conflict modules and emphasising the importance of the broad counterinsurgency approach that we ourselves spent so much blood and treasure fulfilling. No discussion of how to address the Boko Haram threat would be complete without addressing some of the political dynamics in Nigeria underlying the security environment. In spite of its vast oil wealth, Nigeria continues to face enormous development challenges. These factors combine with pervasive federal and state govern-

ment corruption and Boko Haram’s brutal terrorisation of the population have made northern Nigerians susceptible to anti-government narratives and afforded the group a more permissive operating environment. The long-term solution to Boko Haram does not depend exclusively on Nigeria’s military or security forces, but also requires Nigeria’s national political leaders to give serious and sustained attention to addressing the systemic problems of corruption, the lack of effective and equitable governance, and the country’s uneven social and economic development. Nevertheless, we will not lose our focus on the heartrending event that has brought us here today. The tragic situation of these girls and the families who hope for their safe return has captured the attention of the world. As I have highlighted already, DoD is committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to locate these girls and to seeing them safely returned to their loved ones. This will not be an easy task. We are still seeking information on whether and how the girls may have been dispersed. Indeed, if this tragic episode is to end the way we all hope it will, the government of Nigeria must continue to match its public statements with a serious and focused response that draws on all elements of its government and making maximum use of the resources international partners are making available to it.

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

registration before the election, among other allegations. The tribunal had told the petitioners during the respective pretrial hearings of their cases that since a High Court had heard that allegation and decided in favour of the respondent, it was not legally auspicious for the panel set up to hear complaints arising from the election last year to entertain the same matter. But the Court of Appeal ordered that the tribunal entertain the allegation of double registration. New Telegraph gathered that this ground upon which the panel refused initially to entertain aspects of the petitions on Obiano’s registration formed one plank of the suit the governor has filed at the Supreme Court. Again, at the pre-trial stage, the tribunal had excised certain aspects of the petitions which contained allegations against certain persons said to have contributed to alleged fraud during the election. When it gave the ruling, the panel stated that those paragraphs would not stand in the petition since the individuals mentioned in the petitions were not joined in the suits and that there was no way they would be tried in their absence. While arguing the matter at that stage, the defence counsel chorused that those mentioned in the allegations but were not joined in the suits could not be tried in their absence. Again, it was also learnt that one of the posers Obiano has put forward before the Supreme Court is whether justice would have been done if those persons are judicially tried in their absence since the Appeal Court ordered that that aspect of the petition be retained. Before the tribunal headed by Justice Bello concluded hearing on all the petitions filed by petitioners and fixed May 23 for counsels to all parties in the case to adopt their final written addresses, the panel sat for long hours daily for about nine days during which Ngige, Obidigbo and Nwoye all took their turns to make the case of double registration against the governor following the verdict of the appellate court on the matter. Legal experts hinted that in view of the fact that much of the expectations of the petitioners to nail Obiano seem to depend heavily on the issue of allegation of multiple registration. The outcome of the governor’s appeal before the Supreme Court would largely determine the fate of the petitioners and the respondents on the matter. It was not clear at the weekend when CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

effort to isolate Boko Haram. In June 2012, the State Department designated Boko Haram’s top commanders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. In June 2013, the State Department added Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s official leader, to our Rewards for Justice Programme and offered up to $7 million for information leading to his location. In November 2013, the State Department designated Boko Haram and Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. Last week, our Ambassador met President Jonathan on the margins of the World Economic Forum, and they agreed on the importance of quick action on the UN designation of Boko Haram as a terrorist group. The United Nations Security Council has renewed calls for regional cooperation to address Boko Haram. This week, Nigeria brought this question to the UN Security Council. And as I mentioned, we continue to work with Nigeria and others to press for UN Security Council sanctions on Boko Haram. The importance of regional and multilateral coordination is clear at a time like this, as Nigeria and its partners seek to prevent Boko Haram from smuggling young women across the border or using neighbouring countries as safe havens. I

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Anambra: Suspense as Obiano awaits Supreme Court’s decision

Nwoye

Obidigbo

the nation’s apex court would hear the governor’s appeal but reliable government sources hinted that Obiano’s lead counsel at the tribunal, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), would also lead the other counsels in the governor’s legal defence team to the Supreme Court.

of Ngige. Hence, the APC candidate promptly appeared at the tribunal on April 29, creating some upbeats as his supporters’ presence at the panel increased. But as they rejoiced, Obiano’s aides also quickly pointed out what was seen as a huge loss suffered at the appellate by the APC whose many other prayers were not granted. Again, as the APC celebrated that singular feat of reinventing the trial of the multiple registration allegation, the governor’s team also pointed to another big loss of his rival whose 66 files pertaining to the opposition’s move to prove that irregularities took place during the November 16, 2013 election were rejected by the tribunal. In the foregoing, while the APC media team would write statements reflecting its victory at the Court of Appeal, Obiano’s media people would point out that they won the greater victory. On the days the governor spent long hours at the tribunal, staying for the greater part of the day

Momentous days Those who have followed events at the tribunal would easily point out that hottest moments at the tribunal were recorded on the separate days when Ngige, Nwoye, Obidigbo and Obiano appeared to testify in the dock. Following on their heels was the day APGA national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, also mounted the witness box to testify for the governor seen as his ally in the crisis bogging the party down. After the Appeal Court’s decision ordering the tribunal to relist some aspects of the APC petition and to hear the allegation of multiple registration, there was much high spirit in the camp

in the dock, the atmosphere around the court premises visibly changed as APGA faithful and members of his cabinet had to keep vigil as the man slugged it out with the counsel on both sides and with the judges. For instance, on May 7, Obiano was in the dock for over seven hours and while the jurists had to step down proceedings to unwind, the resilient governor stayed put in the court and until about past 5p.m. when the court rose. In all the days he was in the witness box to grapple with the retrial of the knotty allegation of multiple registration, Obiano kept singing a refrain that he has only one registration card, rejecting other variations whose certified true copies were tendered before the panel, specifically two of them that recorded his age as 56 whereas he is 58. He told the court on those occasions that he could not have been 56 now when in 2011 during the last general elections when he voted in Lagos State he was 55. He stated that when he returned to Anambra where he transferred his registration to, he could not have written 56 years in 2013. On the day, he was crossexamined and led in evidence on account of Obidigbo’s poser on the multiple registration debacle; lead counsel to INEC, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) had asked him whether he has ever worked in INEC being a chartered accountant and professional banker to which the governor responded in the negative. And the question and the obvious answer was a ploy to enable the governor prove that if his particulars were changed at INEC, he should not be linked to it since he does not have access to the electoral body’s records. One central feature of the last few days of the trials was the tension at the tribunal among the parties. There were moments when shouting matches among counsels to the respondent and plaintiffs came in-between the general show of maturity that received the commendation of the tribunal chairman, Justice Ishaq Bello. Now, the mood that holds sway among all the dramatis personae is what decision would the Supreme Court likely take as Obiano has approached it.

How U.S. is helping to tackle Boko Haram –Jackson must note, however, that our ability to encourage regional collaboration is made more difficult, at this time, as our highly qualified nominees to be the U.S. Ambassadors to Niger and Cameroon continue to await confirmation by the full Senate. As we strike a balance between helping empower Nigeria and counselling its government on reform, we engage regularly with Nigeria at all levels of our government. President Obama and Nigerian President Jonathan discussed security issues during their bilateral meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly last September. Most recently, our Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Dr. Sarah Sewall, and U.S. Africa Command Commander General David Rodriguez spent May 12 and 13 in Nigeria. They met senior Nigerian security officials to discuss how to intensify efforts against Boko Haram, reform human rights practices, and pursue a comprehensive approach to Boko Haram. Under Secretary Sewall and General Rodriguez devoted considerable attention to the crisis surrounding the kidnapped women. Under Secretary Sewall called the principal of the young women’s school in Chibok to express U.S. outrage and deep concern about the deplorable kidnapping. All of these policy tools – our security cooperation, our legal and sanctions ac-

As we strike a balance between helping empower Nigeria and counselling its government on reform, we engage regularly with Nigeria at all levels of our government tions, and our diplomatic engagement – constitute the framework within which we are working to help Nigeria safely bring back the women kidnapped by Boko Haram. Resolving this crisis is now one of the highest priorities of the U.S. Government. As I mentioned when I began, we deployed an interagency team to advise Nigerian authorities on how to recover safely and assist these young women. Led by a senior diplomat from our Africa Bureau, the team is liaising with counterparts across Nigeria’s government to offer specialised expertise on military and law enforcement best practices, hostage negotiation, intelligence gathering, strategic communications, and how to mitigate the risks of future kidnappings. At the same

time, USAID has mobilised resources to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by Boko Haram violence, including through the provision of psychosocial and medical support and treatment. We are cooperating thoroughly with the UK, France, and a host of other countries who are also dedicating significant interagency manpower, resources, and time to this effort. Our field team remains in close, coordinated contact with State Department headquarters here in Washington. Nevertheless, Nigeria’s conflict with Boko Haram will not end when these young women are brought home. Consequently, throughout this crisis, our assistance is framed by our broader and long-term policy goal of helping the Nigerians implement a comprehensive response to defeating Boko Haram that protects civilians, respects human rights, and addresses the underlying causes of the conflict. We are sharing practices and strategies with the government of Nigeria that will bolster its future efforts to defeat this deadly movement. Nigeria’s importance and the violent attacks committed by Boko Haram are both growing. We cannot ignore either trend. We welcome your interest in these urgent matters, and we look forward to continuing to work with you as we strive to bring these young women home and address the broader threat posed by Boko Haram.

46 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

20-May-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 9.20 29-JUN-2014 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

29-Jun-07 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

9.20 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

45.00 100.00 535.00 470.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 110.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

29-Jun-14 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

0.11 0.36 0.93 2.24 2.94 3.19 3.28 4.03 5.11 5.43 7.69 9.82 14.53 15.01 15.50 16.18

9.29 9.61 11.01 11.83 11.85 11.83 11.85 11.99 12.26 12.22 12.56 12.57 12.89 12.92 12.96 13.07

7.96 9.18 10.40 11.75 11.79 11.72 11.73 11.89 12.19 12.13 12.50 12.52 12.85 12.88 12.90 13.02

99.95 99.83 93.98 102.30 107.85 94.82 93.33 95.97 113.85 79.71 118.50 109.00 113.71 97.15 70.48 79.50

100.10 99.98 94.48 102.45 108.00 95.12 93.63 96.27 114.15 80.01 118.80 109.30 114.01 97.45 70.78 79.80

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

4,334.84 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

0.45 1.01 1.50 2.56 2.92 3.13

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 3.20 1.00

11.30 13.74 13.63 13.72 14.99 12.82

95.21 87.43 104.97 96.49 89.80 92.38

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

0.21 0.41 1.28 0.88 1.18 1.19 2.92 1.75 3.62 2.59 4.38 2.59 2.59 3.17 3.24 5.51 3.21 3.92 6.52 6.62 3.92 3.96

1.56 1.34 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 1.00 1.94 2.74 2.74 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

11.23 11.52 15.69 14.18 15.66 14.69 17.38 12.49 13.70 13.53 13.05 12.73 12.94 12.83 12.84 14.17 14.58 14.71 13.36 14.31 13.41 13.93

100.48 100.90 96.36 99.47 98.37 101.26 83.64 102.21 100.78 101.14 103.04 103.97 115.58 104.20 106.82 101.23 100.45 100.13 100.60 102.85 112.43 112.08

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 14-Nov-20

0.38 0.58 0.62 0.76 0.84 0.92 2.36 2.43 3.36 1.98 2.14 2.30 2.30 4.34 2.41 2.50 6.49

1.00 5.21 8.71 4.88 1.00 2.63 1.00 1.34 4.52 1.88 3.48 5.20 5.06 1.00 2.29 6.11 2.76

11.12 15.75 19.30 15.67 11.89 13.63 12.69 13.04 16.39 13.50 15.13 16.88 16.74 13.05 13.99 17.82 15.11

100.08 98.76 98.66 96.14 100.28 100.75 100.58 102.43 91.45 108.89 101.73 102.36 101.96 103.04 103.58 98.72 100.55

11-Feb-18

3.73

1.00

12.93

92.07

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 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# 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 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 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 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 2.05

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

175.67

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.99

4.84

109.90

110.80

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.28

4.07

103.17

103.98

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.41

5.29

106.90

107.78

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

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

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.95

3.45

112.20

113.09

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.34

4.83

104.02

105.01

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.34

6.09

98.70

99.65

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.09

6.47

100.43

102.19

ACCESS BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.51

8.07

94.61

96.00

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.21

4.88

113.54

114.19

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.36

6.19

99.52

100.27

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.25

6.79

103.57

105.25

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.25

6.00

101.46

102.45

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

FIDELITY BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

**Treasury Bills DTM 9 16 30 37 44 51 58

FIXINGS Maturity 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 26-Jun-14 3-Jul-14 10-Jul-14 17-Jul-14

Bid Discount (%) 9.00 8.90 9.10 9.05 9.00 9.15 9.35

Offer Discount (%) 8.75 8.65 8.85 8.80 8.75 8.90 9.10

Bid Yield (%) 9.02 8.93 9.17 9.13 9.10 9.27 9.49

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.5500 12.3068 13.1041 14.3666

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.50

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

163.05 162.64 162.89 163.17 163.74

163.15 162.80 163.12 164.53 164.36

O/N Tenor Call

REPO

Rate (%) 10.25

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 Wednesday, May 21, 2014NIGER 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 A-/GCR *NASARAWA Sanctity of Truth

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 market community on the floor OSUN II 30-SEP-2020said the comof14.75 the Exchange, 13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020 pany has metamorphosed from KOGI 31-DEC-2020 a 15.00 humble beginning to a leader II 31-DEC-2020 in14.50 theEKITI offshore service industry 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 12-Dec-12 14.75 is that its staff strength rose 14.75 from30-Sep-13 160 personnel in 2009 to 650 27-Nov-13 in 2013, an increase13.50 of 306 per cent.31-Dec-13 About 90 per 15.00 cent of the 31-Dec-13 Caverton’s staff are14.50 Nigerians 06-Jan-14 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

05-Aug-14 0.21 15-Oct-14 0.41 31-Aug-15 1.28 30-Sep-15 0.88 30-Jun-16 1.18 30-Jun-16 1.19 19-Apr-17 2.92 30-Jun-17 1.75 31-Dec-17 3.62 30-Sep-18 2.59 04-Oct-18 4.38 09-Dec-18 2.59 12-Dec-18 2.59 14-Feb-19 3.17 02-Oct-19 3.24 22-Nov-19 5.51 12-Dec-19 3.21 30-Sep-20 3.92 27-Nov-20 6.52 31-Dec-20 6.62 he Nigerian stock market 31-Dec-20 3.92 recorded upward drifts as 06-Jan-21 3.96

1.56 11.23 100.48 1.34 11.52 100.90 4.44 15.69 96.36 3.23 14.18 99.47 4.46 15.66 98.37 3.48 14.69 101.26 5.59 17.38 83.64 1.00 12.49 102.21 1.79 13.70 100.78 1.80 13.53 101.14 1.00 13.05 103.04 1.00 12.73 103.97 1.21 12.94 115.58 1.00 12.83 104.20 1.00 12.84 106.82 1.94 14.17 101.23 2.74 14.58 100.45 2.74 14.71 100.13 1.00 13.36 100.60 1.94 14.31 102.85 Group Plc at N9.50 a share. 1.44 13.41 112.43 The shares of petroleum 1.95 13.93 112.08

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Caverton adds N3.8bn to NSE’s market cap Stock market gains N83bn on new listing BOOST Listing of Caverton excites Nigerian bourse

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Stories Chris Ugwu Corporateby Bonds

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR LAFARGE WAPCO he admission of Caverton Aa/Agusto GTB Offshore Support Group µ Nil NGC Plc to the Nigerian Stock Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC Exchange (NSE) yesterA-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS day swelled the market capiBB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS talisation by N3.8 billion. A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO The management A-/Agusto FSDHof NSE listed A/GCR by introduction, UBA a total ofBBB-/GCR 3.35 billion ordinary shares *C & I LEASING ofBBB+/DataPro†; 50 kobo BB+/GCR at N9.50*DANA per# share # ofA-/DataPro†; Caverton Offshore Support BB-/GCR *TOWER # AAA/DataPro†; Group Plc,A+/GCR valued*TOWER at N31.829 A/Agusto; A/GCR billion. UBA Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA Chief Executive Officer CASERA of # BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCROnyema, the NSE, Oscar said *CHELLARAMS A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO the listing was another manifes-

TOTALthat OUTSTANDING VALUE tation the Nigeria bourse is on the right path of becoming Supranational Bond the African Exchange of choice. AAA/S&P IFC He noted that Caverton has taken a hold stepVALUE by adding TOTAL OUTSTANDING N31.829 billion to the market capitalisation Rating/Agencyof the Exchange. Issuer He said that the Exchange would continue to introduce FGN Eurobonds more products to meet the BB-/Fitch;of B+/S&P needs wide range of local and international investors, BB-/Fitch; FGN BB-/S&P that the management adding isBB-/Fitch; determined to ensure sound BB-/S&P corporate governance among TOTAL OUTSTANDING the marker players.VALUE "At the Exchange we try to Corporate Eurobonds nurture African champions, B-/S&P; B/Fitch that by listing AFREN PLCyour I we believe company , you are on yourPLC way GTBANK I B+/S&P; B+/Fitch of becoming an African GTBANKchamPLC pion," B+/S&P he said. ACCESS BANK PLC Managing Director of the B/S&P; B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC company , Mr. Olabode MakanB/Fitch AFREN PLC juola, capital B+/Fitch;while BB-/S&Paddressing ZENITH BANK PLC

over the past 14 years. He noted that the demand for capital expansion lured the company toWAPCO list on the floor of 11.50 LAFARGE 7-OCT 2014 the as the company 13.50Exchange GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 intends leverage on the plat17.00 NGC to 31-DEC-2014 form to expand its capital base. 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 "Our plan is to be the Afri12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 can and the leader 14.00champion CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 of13.00 offshore support services NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 company in the continent. We 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 know we30-SEP-2017 have the wherewithal 13.00 UBA 18.00 C&I LEASING because of the30-NOV-2017 favourable legisMPR+7.00 9-APR-2018 lation asDANA regards the local conMPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 tent initiative of the Federal MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 Government, which has come UBA 22-SEP-2018 to14.00 stay ,” IIhe said. 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 Caverton’s operations have MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 also been significantly buoyed 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 by the opportunities provided by government’s local content policy. Signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on 22 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 April 2010, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development Act stipulates that oil and gas companies must give the right of Description first refusal to competent indigenous companies in their award of contracts. He noted that on 28, 2021 the account 6.75 of JAN Caverton’s massive investment in facilities 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 and personnel, verified by the oil majors through con6.38 JUL 12, audits 2023 ducted on the company and its strict adherence to standards and safety, the company has been well positioned to benefit 11.50 FEB from this policy . 01, 2016 7.50 MAY 19,Caverton’s 2016 For example, turnover leapt from N7 billion 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 in 2010 to about N18.6 billion in 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 2013, an increase 6.88 MAYof 09,165 2018per cent within three10.25 years. inAPR 08,Another 2019 dicator of the 6.25dramatic APR 22, 2019 growth

the bulls staged a comeback in pursuance of the company’s own commitment to the local 572.90 after the market opened the content policy. week the on the red zone the previous day . “The company commenced 07-Oct-11 11.50 11.80 07-Oct-14 0.38 ASI rose by 0.0.58 40 per the 18-Dec-09 transition from 13.50a family 13.17 The NSE 18-Dec-14 cent amid new listings from business to a public company in 01-Apr-10 17.00 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.62 Ca200817-Aug-10 when it sold 13.310.00 per cent of 15.00 verton Offshore Group 17-Aug-15Support 0.76 its shares place- 37.50 Plc, including stocks from 09-Dec-10through private 12.00 09-Dec-15 0.84 the banking as06-Jan-16 well as the oil0.92 & gas ment. But the dream 06-Jan-11 14.00 started 1.50 sub- sectors. much earlier in 1998 when the 15.00 29-Sep-11 13.00 29-Sep-16 2.36 had 2.43 alongfirst25-Oct-13 company in the14.25 group was 5.53 The Exchange 25-Oct-16 registered. beginning, 20.00 side trading activities, 3.36 listed 30-Sep-10 From the 13.00 30-Sep-17 there was a clear vision to es- 0.94 by introduction, 30-Nov-12 18.00 30-Nov-173,350,509,750 1.98 of N0.50 par value tablish a legacy business,” said 8.01 09-Apr-11 16.00 09-Apr-18each of shares 2.14 of Caverton Offshore Support Makanjuola . 09-Sep-11 18.00 3.63 09-Sep-18 2.30

products marketer, Forte Oil, advanced by N7.55 to close at N163.50 to lead the pack of gainers, while brewer 1.00 11.12 major 100.08 of 5.21 beer and 15.75 non-alcoholic 98.76 malted beverages, Nigerian 8.71 19.30 98.66 Breweries, ap4.88 15.67 followed, 96.14 preciating by N2.00100.28 to close 1.00 11.89 N166.50 a share. In the 2.63 13.63 100.75 same vein, shares de1.00 12.69 of top-tier 100.58 posit money banks, Guaranty 1.34 13.04 102.43 Trust Bank and Zenith 4.52 16.39 91.45Bank, firmed by 13.50 N0.49 and108.89 N0.31 to 1.88 N27.49 and respec3.48 15.13 N23.30101.73 tively. 5.20 16.88 102.36 09-Sep-11 16.00 1.00 09-Sep-18 2.30 5.06On the flip 16.74 side, nutrition 101.96 22-Sep-11 14.00 35.00 22-Sep-18 4.34 1.00 wellness 13.05company, 103.04 and Nestle 18-Oct-13 15.75 3.00 18-Oct-18 2.41 2.29 13.99 103.58 Nigeria, depreciated by N6.00 17-Feb-12 17.00 0.54 17-Feb-19 2.50 6.11N1, 070.00 17.82 a share 98.72while to 14-Nov-13 15.25 2.05 14-Nov-20 6.49 2.76 15.11 100.55 manufacturer of personal care and oral care products, 175.67 Unilever Nigeria, grew by angote Flour Mills's half- group, which wants Islamic N0.35 to N49.40 a share. Also, 11-Feb-13 10.20tax wid- 12.00 3.73 1.00 12.93 92.07 manufacturers of building year loss before sharia law 11-Feb-18 more widely applied ened by more than 10 per 12.00 across Africa's most populous materials, Lafarge Cement cent to N4.74 billion ($29.1 nation, has been waging a low Wapco and Ashaka Cement, byPrice N2.49 Offer andPrice N0.30 million), by(%)compelevel Issue Datepressured Coupon Issue Value ($'mm)insurgency Maturity Date in northern Bid Yield (%) Offertumbled Yield (%) Bid tition and security problems in Nigeria since 2009. to N110.01 and N19.70 a share. On the activity chart, the northern Nigeria which hurt The Islamists grabbed world Prices & Yields volumes. headlines with the abduction Banking sub-sector domi07-Oct-11 6.75 28-Jan-21 4.99 4.84 109.90 110.80 with in volume terms The loss in the same period 500.00 of more than 200 schoolgirls a nated last year, according to Reuters, month ago from a remote vil- 116.4 million shares worth 18-Dec-09 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 4.28 4.07 103.17 103.98 billion in 1,503 deals. The was N4.28 billion, the flour and lage in the northeast and have N1.5 was enhanced by pasta company said6.38 yesterday. 500.00 claimed responsibility for5.41 series sub-sector 01-Apr-10 12-Jul-23 106.90 5.29 107.78 "Competition arising from of car bombs and gun attacks, the activities in the shares of Zenith and UBA Plc. the over-capacity in the flour 1,500.00 which has killed hundreds of Other financial services milling sector remains a chal- people. lenge. Volumes were also negaDangote Flour Mills said sector boosted by the activi01-Feb-11 11.50 security 450.00 01-Feb-16 3.95 to 3.45 on the 112.20 113.09 ties shares of FCMB tively impacted by the turnover fell 2.8 per cent 19-May-11 in northern 7.50 19-May-16 and Plc followed challenges Nige- 500.00 N18.58 billion during the 5.34 six 4.83 FBNH 104.02 105.01 with 79.4 units worth ria,"08-Nov-13 Dangote Flour6.00Mills, the 400.00 months period, and that trading 08-Nov-18 6.34 6.09 million 98.70 99.65N770.7 million in 100.43 851 deals. 102.19 Nigerian conditions continued to be 25-Jul-12unit of South 7.25 Africa's 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.09chal6.47 exchanged Tiger Brands, said6.88 in a state- 300.00 lenging with price discounting 09-May-13 02-May-18 8.51 8.07In all, investors 94.61 96.00 a4.88 total of 298.2 shares ment. in the market putting pressure 08-Apr-12 10.25 300.00 08-Apr-19 5.21 113.54 million 114.19 worth N3.9 99.52 billion in 4,660 Boko on margins. 22-Apr-14Haram, a 6.25militant 500.00 22-Apr-19 6.36 6.19 100.27 deals.

Dangote Flour Mills widens H1 loss on margins, security

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.25

6.79

103.57

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.25

6.00

101.46

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

105.25 102.45

20-May-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 BillsOTC PLC Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement. FIXINGS Money Market to the FMDQ Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

DTM Maturity 9 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 FGN Bonds16 30 19-Jun-14 37 26-Jun-14 Issuer Rating/Agency 44 3-Jul-14 51 10-Jul-14 58 17-Jul-14 65 24-Jul-14 72 31-Jul-14 79 7-Aug-14 86 14-Aug-14 93 21-Aug-14 100 28-Aug-14 NA NA 107 4-Sep-14 114 11-Sep-14 142 9-Oct-14 198 4-Dec-14 233 8-Jan-15 247 22-Jan-15 261 5-Feb-15 275 19-Feb-15 289 5-Mar-15 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 324 9-Apr-15 338 23-Apr-15 352 7-May-15 Rating/Agency Issuer

Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) 9.00 8.75 8.90 8.65 9.10 8.85 9.05 8.80 Description Issue Date 9.00 8.75 9.15 8.90 9.20 29-JUN-2014 29-Jun-07 9.35 9.10 9.25 28-SEP-2014 28-Sep-07 9.25 9.00 4.00 23-APR-2015 23-Apr-10 9.20 8.95 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16-Aug-13 8.90 8.65 15.10 27-APR-2017 27-Apr-12 9.35 9.10 9.85 27-JUL-2017 27-Jul-07 8.70 8.45 9.35 31-AUG-2017 31-Aug-07 9.10 8.85 10.70 30-MAY-2018 30-May-08 10.10 9.85 16.00 29-JUN-2019 29-Jun-12 10.35 10.10 7.00 23-OCT-2019 23-Oct-09 10.10 9.85 16.39 27-JAN-2022 27-Jan-12 10.10 9.85 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14-Mar-14 10.15 9.90 15.00 28-NOV-2028 28-Nov-08 10.00 9.75 12.49 22-MAY-2029 22-May-09 10.20 9.95 8.50 20-NOV-2029 20-Nov-09 9.95 9.70 10.00 23-JUL-2030 23-Jul-10 10.15 9.90 10.00 9.75 10.20 9.95 10.25 10.00 Description

*from the Amortising #bonds, the Agency Bonds average is Risk Premium is a life combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

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

Bid Yield (%) 9.02 8.93 9.17 9.13 Coupon (%) 9.10 9.27 9.20 9.49 9.25 9.40 4.00 9.37 13.05 9.07 15.10 9.56 9.85 8.90 9.35 9.33 10.70 10.41 16.00 10.70 7.00 10.51 16.39 10.69 14.20 10.85 15.00 10.73 12.49 11.00 8.50 10.76 10.00 11.04 10.97 11.26 11.37 Issue Date

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

45.00 100.00 535.00 470.27 NITTY 452.80 Tenor 20.00 1M 100.00 2M 300.00 3M 351.30 6M 233.90 9M 600.00 12M 110.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 NIFEX 591.57

Current Price ($/N) 4,334.84 BID($/N) OFFER ($/N)

Coupon (%)

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

Rate (%) 10.5500 12.3068 Maturity Date 13.1041 14.3666 29-Jun-14 28-Sep-14 23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 Rate (%) 27-Jul-17 9.1770 31-Aug-17 9.1797 30-May-18 9.4096 29-Jun-19 10.6884 23-Oct-19 10.8399 27-Jan-22 11.3373 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

O/N TTM (Yrs) REPO

Tenor 0.11 Call0.36 1M0.93 3M2.24 6M2.94

Tenor

10.50 Bid Yield (%) Rate (%) 9.29 10.259.61 11.94 11.01 13.00 11.83 14.27 11.85

Bid ($/N)

Spot 7D Yield Offer 14D (%) 1M 7.96 2M 9.18 3M10.40 6M11.75 1Y 11.79

3.19 11.83 11.72 3.28 11.85 11.73 4.03 11.99 11.89 :Benchmarks 5.11 12.26 12.19 * :Amortising Bond 5.43 12.22 12.13 µ :Convertible Bond 7.69 12.56 12.50 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 9.82 12.57 12.52 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 14.53 12.89 12.85 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 15.01 12.92 12.88 IFC: International Finance Corporation 15.50 12.96 12.90 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables 16.18 13.07 Management 13.02

NOTE:

Offer ($/N) Price 163.05 163.15 162.64 162.80 Offer Price Bid Price 162.89 163.12 163.17 164.53 99.95 100.10 163.74 164.3699.98 99.83 164.31 165.16 93.98 94.48 166.27 167.79 102.30 102.45 170.22 172.81 107.85 108.00

94.82 95.12 93.33 93.63 95.97 96.27 NA :Not Applicable 113.85 114.15 # :Floating79.71 Rate Bond 80.01 ***: Deferred coupon bonds118.80 118.50 109.00 109.30 †: Bond rating expired 113.71 114.01 97.15 97.45 70.48 70.78 79.50 79.80

NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company NGC: Nigeria-German Company UBA: United Bank for Africa O/N: Overnight UPDC: UAC Property Development Company # Risk WAPCO:West Africa Portland Company Avg.Cement Life/TTM Valuation Yield Indicative Issue Value (N'bn) Maturity Date Premium (Yrs) (%) Price (%) 163.1100 163.2100

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

0.45 1.01 1.50 2.56 2.92 3.13

05-Aug-14 15-Oct-14

0.21 0.41 Implied Yield 1.28 0.88 1.18 11.84 1.19 2.92 12.47 1.75 13.07 3.62 12.59 2.59 4.38 2.59 2.59 3.17 3.24 5.51 3.21 3.92 6.52

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 3.20 1.00

11.30 13.74 13.63 13.72 14.99 12.82

1.56 1.34

11.23 11.52 INDEX15.69 14.18 15.66 1,085.70 14.69 17.38 1,080.57 12.49 1,063.61 13.70 1,073.13 13.53 13.05 12.73 12.94 12.83 12.84 14.17 14.58 14.71 13.36

95.21 87.43 104.97 96.49 89.80 92.38

1,304.32

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

NIBOR

Bonds

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 14.00 NIGERMarket 15-OCT-2014 Total Outstanding Porfolio 12.50 KADUNA Value(Bn)31-AUG-2015 Volume(Bn) 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 969.43 923.07 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 951.30 10.00 LAGOS 1,110.96 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA470.30 30-JUN-2017 591.57 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 2,550.68 2,465.94 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

05-Aug-09 15-Oct-09

Weighting by 31-Aug-10 Outstanding Vol

30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 37.43 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 38.58 30-Jun-10 23.99 30-Dec-10 100.00 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

14.00 14.00

Weighting by Mkt 12.50 Value

13.00 14.00 38.01 15.50 10.00 43.56 13.75 18.44 14.00 100.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50

17.00 6.00 Bucket Weighting 8.50 16.50 13.00 0.37 18.50 57.00 0.39 50.00 0.24 25.00 1.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40 87.00

% Exposure_ 31-Aug-15 Mod_Duration

30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 19.84 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 39.40 30-Jun-17 40.76 31-Dec-17 100.00 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

Implied 4.44 Portfolio Price 3.23 4.46 114.3088 3.48 5.59 127.6124 1.00 87.8598 1.79 113.0960 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 1.00 1.94 2.74 2.74 1.00

100.48 100.90

YTD Return (%) 96.36

99.47 98.37 8.5700 101.26 83.64 8.0573 102.21 6.3613 100.78 7.3134 101.14 103.04 103.97 115.58 104.20 106.82 101.23 100.45 100.13 100.60

48 BUSINESS | MONEY LINE

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ex-president wants CIBN’s internal processes revamped evitable following the CIBN’s new vision to be a global reference point in professionalism and ethics in the banking and finance industry. Aina made these calls while delivering his valedictory speech to the members of the institute at a well-attended forum held in his honour as the 17th president of the institute at the Bankers’ House in Lagos. He averred that given the rapidly shifting contours of global banking sector, the institute must be on top of the developments in the area, so as to remain a pace setter. In this regard, he said, the institute must continue to focus on a thorough and regular

GLOBAL EXCELLENCE CIBN moves to remain reference ponit Godson Ikoro

he Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) should continuously revamp its internal capacity to achieve operational service delivery excellence enabled by competent employees using modern technology and up-to-date processes, its immediate past president and Chairman of Council, Dr. Segun Aina has said. He said this has become in-

review of its structure, people, technology and processes, given the changes and initiatives being unleashed on the banking sector so as to safeguard the industry from crisis and collapse. “Given the myriad of changes and challenges that beset the banking industry in unfolding its preparation our preparation must be adequate if it must weather the storm,” he stressed. Aina argued that although it would be difficult to predict the future but could prepare for it in a way that when it comes, the industry would be in a healthy state to withstand every new challenge that would be thrust on it. “It is our duty and responsi-

Boko Haram: FIRS shuts three offices in Adamawa

he Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has shut three of its offices in Adamawa State because of Boko Haram insurgency. The organisation also said that it lost revenue worth hundreds of millions of naira due to the insecurity in the state. Sadig Mohammed, the Tax Controller in charge of FIRS Micro and Small Tax Office, Yola, made the disclosure in Yola. Mr. Mohammed said that the affected offices were lo-

cated in Mubi North, Madagali and Michika Local Government Areas. He expressed concern that the development was adversely affecting the revenue generation of the office in the state considering the business activities in the areas. "The insecurity being witnessed in the North-East region and some parts of the state in particular has forced the FIRS to shut down three of its offices in Mubi North, Madagali and Michika.

"Due to the development, the FIRS had lost hundreds of millions of naira," Mr. Mohammed said. On tax evasion, he said that the service was adopting new measures to ensure that all eligible taxpayers remitted their payment appropriately. According to Nigeria News Agency report, Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe are three of the states most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency and have been under emergency rule since May 2013.

As at 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

Acting CBN governor, Sarah Alade

Jaiz Bank targets 2.5m jobs Godson Ikoro

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

bility at CIBN to complement the efforts of the regulator / supervisors –Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria insurance Deposit Corporation (NDIC) and all operators to ensure that the high-level of professionalism and ethical conduct and practice in the Nigerian banking industry,” he added. In its 50 years of existence, the CIBN he said, has striven to keep faith with its mandate and the banking industry, emphasising that though it may not have met all the expectations but it has obviously made appreciable progress against daunting challenges.

aiz Bank PLC intends to create about 2.5million job opportunities in Nigeria to reduce the unemployment rate in the country, Managing Director and Chief Executive of the bank, Mr. Mohammed Nurul Islam has said. “If all goes according to plans, a non-interest bank like Jaiz bank would create 2.5million jobs like as it has done in Bangladesh,” he said. With a loan growth target of N22billion by end of June, Jaiz Bank also plans to go national in July. Speaking while fielding questions from journalists in Lagos, he said Jaiz bank is expecting its approval in principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) next month and by July; the bank will extend its branches to Lagos and other major cities of the country. With a paid up capital of N10 billion and 25 billion liquid capital, he said the bank, which commenced operations two years ago, has been operating with the regional licence. Jaiz Bank according to its CEO, has so far invested

(loaned out) N15 billion and has another approval to invest another N7billion, which will bring its total investment to N22 billion by end of June. He argued that the success of non-interest banking in Bangladesh makes it compelling to Nigeria to adopt because Nigeria is a vibrant country. Islam believes that the system has greatly impacted Bangladesh industrial development and would also replicate the success story in Nigeria. He averred that Jaiz bank is focused on investing in the industrial sector, small and medium enterprises (SME), agriculture, housing and health care, emphasising that non interest banking would help Nigeria to create a welfare economy. He said that the bank would not extend a kobo to anybody or group without establishing what the money would be used for. “If the project is not for development of human society like shelter, SMEs, agriculture, trade or healthcare, the bank will not disburse a kobo, he stressed.

IMF boss joins ‘bring back our girls’ campaign in Nigeria'

nter national Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has joined public figures including US First Lady Michelle Obama in calling for the release of girls kidnapped by Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. “In a deep sense, the actions of Boko Haram represent the complete antithesis of the values inherent in education,” Lagarde said in prepared remarks for a speech in Washington. “Their action degrades the dignity of the human being, while education uplifts, enflames, and ennobles the human spirit.” Boko Haram, which means “western education is a sin” in the local Hausa language, is waging a violent campaign in the northeast to create an Islamic state, exacerbating an education crisis in Africa’s

biggest economy. The raid on the all-girls school village has galvanized social media campaigns that have included Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai. “So let us join our voices to the voices of the world, and let loose an impassioned plea: bring back our girls, bring back our girls,” Lagarde said. “Respect our girls.” Lagarde, a regular proponent of women’s rights, last week canceled plans to deliver the commencement address at Smith College, bowing to protests by students and faculty over the fund’s policies. “We have certainly made great strides toward gender equality,” Lagarde said in her remarks today. “But while our foot might be in the door, we are still standing outside -- in the cold.”

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014

Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

Daily Summary (Bonds)

BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET 49

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at May 20, 2014

No Debt Trading Activity

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 30 26 56

Current Price 34.00 35.00

Quantity Traded 168,206 326,700 494,906

Value Traded 5,642,947.68 11,443,746.46 17,086,694.14

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 3.04

Quantity Traded 570,100 570,100

Value Traded 1,738,161.80 1,738,161.80

1,065,006

18,824,855.94

Quantity Traded 41,180 1,000 100 15,707,721 518,416 16,268,417

Value Traded 59,971.00 3,760.00 481.00 57,322,466.53 29,090,630.07 86,477,308.60

AGRICULTURE Totals

CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC.

Symbol AGLEVENT CHELLARAM SCOA TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 12 1 1 189 50 253 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 CHELLARAMS PLC. Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

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

CONGLOMERATES Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Current Price 1.52 3.95 5.06 3.65 56.10

253

16,268,417

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 1.29

Quantity Traded 152,599 152,599

Value Traded 197,247.53 197,247.53

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 24 24

Current Price 71.99

Quantity Traded 48,295 48,295

Value Traded 3,443,877.34 3,443,877.34

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 49 49

Current Price 17.16

Quantity Traded 952,420 952,420

Value Traded 16,455,862.64 16,455,862.64

1,153,314

20,096,987.51

Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,964 10,964

Value Traded 5,482.00 5,482.00

No. of Deals 2 43 49 (Equities) 7 222 323

Current Price 13.79 181.00 25.60 3.25 166.50

Quantity Traded 250 226,559 327,075 150,000 3,063,735 3,767,619

Value Traded 3,277.50 40,938,236.25 8,299,821.10 487,500.00 508,103,552.71 557,832,387.56

CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

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

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW Daily Summary JOSBREW NB

Page

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 15 15

Current Price 85.80

Quantity Traded 8,914 8,914

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR MULTITREX NASCON UTC

No. of Deals 43 49 36 40 5 109 3 285

Current Price 8.00 9.31 69.00 3.75 0.50 12.70 0.53

Quantity Traded 460,935 593,635 89,191 1,384,777 2,030,989 4,409,600 300,000 9,269,127

Value Traded 3,644,134.17 5,536,265.21 6,230,148.85 5,134,659.05 1,015,502.50 56,781,125.97 158,720.00 78,500,555.75

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 34 50 84

Current Price 70.95 1,070.00

Quantity Traded 98,161 136,531 234,692

Value Traded 6,886,637.52 146,627,755.58 153,514,393.10

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 4.15

Quantity Traded 294,000 294,000

Value Traded 1,209,620.00 1,209,620.00

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

Current Price 35.30 49.40

Quantity Traded 370,295 680,636

Value Traded 13,025,844.71 33,638,356.01

Symbol VITAFOAM

VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC.

PZ UNILEVER

NIGERIA PLC. ActivityUNILEVER Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Personal/Household Products Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol

45 42

No. of Deals 87

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Current Price

812

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY WEMA BANK PLC.

Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK Daily Summary UBA UBN WEMABANK

838,468,018.43

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals

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

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC on Board EQTY Activity Summary OIL AND GAS

No. of Deals 244 1,503

Current Price 23.30

Quantity Traded 31,095,630 116,498,202

Value Traded 715,344,066.01 1,553,149,137.26

Symbol AFRINSURE AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST EQUITYASUR HMARKINS INTENEGINS MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM OASISINS PRESTIGE SOVRENINS STACO UNIVINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 1 30 9 4 10 2 8 9 2 40 5 17 2 1 14 62 216

Current Price 0.50 0.84 1.01 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.31 0.50 0.78 0.51 0.57 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.78

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,711,420 345,510 207,200 Page 1,474,428 5,200 230,030 406,000 550 3,379,470 148,800 819,403 20,000 200 11,240,267 25,430,337 45,419,815

Symbol FORTISMFB NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 1 23

Current Price 6.27 0.99

Quantity Traded 20 2,495,292

Value Traded 119.20 2,467,946.16

Symbol

No. of Deals 24

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 2,495,312

5 of 14 Value Traded 2,468,065.36

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 1 3 2 6

Current Price 1.35 0.50 1.61

Quantity Traded 200 400,000 1,500 401,700

Value Traded 270.00 200,000.00 2,295.00 202,565.00

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

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS DEAPCAP FBNH FCMB ROYALEX SIMCAPVAL STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 65 35 3 407 180 11 1 49 100 851

Current Price 3.19 2.73 0.95 13.07 3.80 0.55 103.50 22.80 2.30

Quantity Traded 9,064,858 2,556,086 552,750 19,420,333 22,906,513 606,569 50 16,516,246 7,818,550 79,441,955

Value Traded 29,006,789.22 6,964,956.70 525,112.50 252,718,003.64 86,851,285.08 332,819.01 4,916.50 375,965,337.67 18,338,276.90 770,707,497.22

244,256,984

2,358,101,430.19

Quantity Traded 8,066

Value Traded 21,008.26

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC.

2,600 Symbol EVANSMED

No. of Deals 6

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 2.70

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

Symbol FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN PHARMDEKO

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

No. of Deals 31 12 9 1 2 2 63

Current Price 2.57 67.00 1.69 1.12 7.36 1.57

Quantity Traded 1,386,964 74,872 131,347 110,000 3,175 63,000 1,777,424

Value Traded 3,581,705.39 4,997,691.94 222,363.75 123,200.00 22,225.00 98,910.00 9,067,104.34

1,777,424

9,067,104.34

Symbol COURTVILLE

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 0.63

Quantity Traded 770,465 770,465

Value Traded 455,392.95 455,392.95

IT Services TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Symbol TRIPPLEG

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 1.97

Quantity Traded 4,500 4,500

Value Traded 8,460.00 8,460.00

Processing Systems

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

Page

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 500

Value Traded 250.00

Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER FIRSTALUM IPWA PORTPAINT Daily Summary PREMPAINTS WAPCO

500

250.00

775,822

464,281.45 Value Traded 16,696,864.96 1,888,882.00 2,593,091.46 3,639,473.50 210,782,301.48 107.67 50,200.00 18,650.00 125,485.00 623.40 140,141,196.21 375,936,875.68

No. of Deals 55 12 14 26 48 1 2 3 2 (Equities) 4 51 218

Current Price 19.70 9.70 37.51 9.68 223.00 1.06 0.50 0.50 5.00 10.93 110.01

Quantity Traded 840,294 193,400 67,457 378,052 943,188 97 100,400 36,500 24,600 60 1,249,937 3,833,985

Symbol AUSTINLAZ CUTIX

No. of Deals 1 5 6

Current Price 2.00 2.01

Quantity Traded 1,000 62,000 63,000

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 3 5 8

Current Price 1.54 17.96

Quantity Traded 1,555,803 61,010 1,616,813

Value Traded 2,395,936.62 1,095,749.60 3,491,686.22

5,513,798

379,553,501.90

Quantity Traded 405 405

Value Traded 2,562.00 2,562.00

405

2,562.00

232 Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 6.47

5 Symbol JAPAULOIL

Value Traded 2,100.00 122,840.00 124,940.00

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,389,000 1,389,000

Value Traded 694,500.00 694,500.00

No. of Deals 189

Current Price 15.80

Quantity Traded 2,808,135

Value Traded 44,815,162.97

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol OANDO

Page

No. of Deals 189

Current Price

Quantity Traded Page 2,808,135

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 1 12 5 89 39 2 26 174

Current Price 0.50 49.20 3.61 163.50 120.03 51.49 155.00

Quantity Traded 20 18,904 22,000 433,666 50,051 1,010 34,725 560,376

Value Traded 10.00 892,351.52 75,460.00 66,308,406.58 6,009,045.81 49,409.20 5,306,634.92 78,641,318.03

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

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 14 14

Current Price 640.00

Quantity Traded 13,059 13,059

Value Traded 8,352,309.50 8,352,309.50

4,770,570

132,503,290.50

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 SERVICES Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers

385

44,815,162.97

Current Price 1.06

Quantity Traded 209,345 209,345

Value Traded 223,757.17 223,757.17

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 4

Current Price 4.71

Quantity Traded 66,206

Value Traded 311,680.26

Symbol TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 1 5

Current Price 2.31

Page Quantity Traded 5,000 71,206

Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol CAPHOTEL IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 1 7 8

Current Price 4.55 0.75

Quantity Traded 200 203,024 203,224

Value Traded 866.00 152,118.00 152,984.00

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,500 1,500

Value Traded 750.00 750.00

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

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 3 2 12 17

Current Price 1.80 1.74 4.16

Quantity Traded 6,000 130,200 616,839 753,039

Value Traded 10,260.00 226,550.00 2,554,921.44 2,791,731.44

Road Transportation

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 15 15

Current Price 0.84

Quantity Traded 898,202 898,202

Value Traded 752,305.72 752,305.72

Symbol AIRSERVICE

No. of Deals 6 32

Current Price 2.36 4.86

Quantity Traded 15,500 225,866

Value Traded 37,765.00 1,084,199.17

Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price

Quantity Traded 241,366

Value Traded 1,121,964.17

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Courier/Freight/Delivery TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 Road Transportation Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 Totals Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

Symbol RTBRISCOE

Traded14 9 Value of

No. of Deals 13 13

R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Value Traded 500.00 1,399,886.80 349,895.70 4 103,604.00 of 14 737,214.00 2,600.00 115,715.00 937,870.00 275.00 2,675,742.84 76,088.00 458,755.11 10,000.00 100.00 5,620,133.50 19,085,785.40 31,574,165.35

Page

Symbol MTI

OIL AND GAS Totals

Symbol ZENITHBANK

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded 178.50 178.50

Symbol

Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Value Traded 158,555,518.99 9,157,172.03 208,103,046.02 29,395,660.40 283,582,110.79 16,209,721.93 4,756,279.93 118,724,345.88 5,711,853.72 3,609,361.56

Micro-Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

Quantity Traded 357 357

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

Quantity Traded 17,079,640 1,398,977 14,080,533 14,517,440 10,500,601 4,907,070 2,116,204 16,562,389 560,070 3,679,648

Activity Summary on Board EQTY NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. Chemicals Totals Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 PrintedOIL 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 AND GAS

Current Price 9.29 6.59 14.81 2.03 27.49 3.30 2.25 7.16 10.20 1.00

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE Published by The Nigerian StockINSURANCE Exchange © COMPANY PLC. EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Current Price 0.50

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

No. of Deals 222 54 143 124 325 103 43 (Equities) 168 48 29

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 DN MEYER PLC. FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC IPWA PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC PREMIER PAINTS PLC. LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals

3 of 14 Value Traded 46,664,200.72

14,636,247

No. of Deals 1 1

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Value Traded 741,379.30 741,379.30

Page Quantity Traded 1,050,931

Symbol CHAMS

ICT Totals

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

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056 Household Durables

Telecommunications Services MASS TELECOMMUNICATION INNOVATIONS NIGERIA PLC Telecommunications Services Totals

86,477,308.60

Page

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

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

ICT Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Processing Systems Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities) NAHCO

SERVICES Transport-Related Services Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics

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

Page

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 42 42

Current Price 9.50

Quantity Traded 5,549,099 5,549,099

Value Traded 52,734,315.50 52,734,315.50

139

7,926,981

58,100,488.26

4,657

298,144,968

3,901,659,829.12

Quantity Traded 60,000 3,800 63,800

Value Traded 30,000.00 2,594.00 32,594.00

SERVICES Totals

EQTY Board Totals

10 of 14 Value Traded 11,000.00 322,680.26

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CAPITAL OIL PLC NAVITUS ENERGY PLC Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol CAPOIL UNIONVENT

No. of Deals 1 2 3

OIL AND GAS Totals

Current Price 0.50 0.66

Page

Daily Summary as of 20/05/2014 ASeM Board Totals Printed 20/05/2014 15:44:56.056

Equity Activity Totals

63,800

32,594.00

63,800

32,594.00

4,660

298,208,768

3,901,692,423.12

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

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

Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 1 3 4

Current Price 2,040.00 17.93

Quantity Traded Page 12 45 57

Value Traded

13 24,480.00 of 14 806.15 25,286.15

ETF Board Totals

25,286.15

ETP Activity Totals

25,286.15

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Malawi holds presidential election

frica’s second female president Joyce Banda is facing stiff challenges from a field of 12 candidates in Malawi’s elections yesterday. Malawi’s fifth elections since the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1994 started at 6 a.m. local time at most polling centers, but some delayed opening by as much as three hours because of rain and late deliveries of polling

materials. Banda, 64, was vice president and came to power in 2013 following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Mutharika’s brother Peter Mutharika, 74, is one of the front-runners now challenging Banda, whose administration has been dogged by allegations of corruption. A younger candidate, Atupele Muluzi, 35, the son of Malawi’s first multiparty presi-

Modi fights back tears in first address to Indian parliament

arendra Modi fought back tears in an emotional first address to his party in India’s colonnaded parliament house yesterday, after the Hindu nationalist swept to power in an election that has changed the face of politics in the country. Modi will be India’s next Prime Minister after leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a historic victory in a ballot that ended on Friday. He is likely to take his oath of office to lead the world’s biggest democracy on Monday. The win handed the BJP its first parliamentary majority and reduced the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty’s ruling Congress Party to 44 seats, the lowest ever tally for a party that won India’s independence and has ruled for most of the 67 years since. Modi, 63, choked up and stopped his speech to drink water during

dent Bakili Muluzi, appears to be attracting support from first-time voters. And a newcomer to politics, retired pastor Lazarus Chakwera, also is getting enthusiastic support. The 59-year-old minister for the Assemblies of God Church is running as someone free from fraud and corruption. “I am proud I’m not a billionaire politician and I don’t intend to be one,” he told The Associated Press. Chakwera is candidate for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) that ruled Malawi as a one-party state for three decades. The

party’s reputation for abuses of basic rights, including detentions without trial and unexplained disappearances, during its years in power may hinder Chakwera’s candidacy. Malawi has 7.4 million registered voters in a population of 16 million. Banda won considerable attention after becoming president by speaking out against wasteful gover nment spending and selling off the presidential jet and a fleet of luxury vehicles. But her administration became mired in a financial scandal dubbed “cashgate” in which

millions of dollars were looted from government funds by civil servants who colluded with politicians and wellconnected business leaders to make payments for goods and services that were never delivered. At least 70 people are currently facing charges surrounding the scandal, which led international donors to freeze $150 million in aid. Foreign aid makes up to 40 percent of Malawi’s budget. Although not directly linked to Banda, the scandal may dent her chances of retaining power.

his inaugural appearance in the round, colonial era building. He addressed BJP lawmakers filling more than half the seats of the lower house with uplifting words that commentators immediately contrasted with the often wooden addresses of his predecessor, Manmohan Singh. “It is proof of the strength of our constitution that a man from a poor family is standing here today,” said Modi, who sold tea on a railway platform as a child before entering politics. For the past 12 years, he has governed the state of Gujarat. “This government (will be) one which thinks of the poor, which listens to the poor, a government which lives for the people,” said Modi, who kissed the steps of the pink sandstone parliament building before his speech.

Army takes charge of divided Thailand as critics decry a Ugandan warlord, Kony, makes son his deputy silent coup he fugitive African war- U.S. forces in parts of Central Af- ders to go back and forth between Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Caesar Achellam (C) is escorted by members of the Ugandan army on arrival at the army operation base in Nera in South Sudan May 13, 2012 PHOTO: REUTERS/James Akena

hailand’s Army imposed martial law early yesterday, effectively establishing military control and raising questions of whether this will inflame or cool political conflict after six months of anti-government protests. Army Chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha announced the decision in a 6:30 a.m. television broadcast. He declared that the move was not a military coup, and urged residents to remain calm. About 11 partisan television stations were ordered to stop broadcasts. Despite its denial, critics have warned that the Army’s action could be seen as a silent coup against a weak interim government. Thailand has seen 18 coup attempts (11 of

them successful), since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Adding to suspicions of a military takeover, the imposition of martial law reportedly occurred without warning for the civilian government. Prayuth said martial law was necessary for “the country to move forward to peace and order as soon as possible,” and that “we will not allow bloodshed in the country.” At least 25 people have been killed since protests broke out six months ago between antiand pro-government supporters, roughly divided between largely rural supporters of expremier Thaksin Shinawatra and the mostly urban establishment who view him and his allies as corrupt.

lord, Joseph Kony, has handed over command of his group to one of his sons, a Ugandan military official said yesterday, an elevation that further marginalizes senior commanders who may threaten Kony’s fading authority. Salim Saleh, born in the 1990s, has spent all his life in the bush, and is said to be as ruthless as Kony. Ugandan military spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said Saleh is “as hard as his father, radical like his father.” “It appears that the son has now taken over completely,” Ankunda said, noting that Kony increasingly has to rely on his sons to stay fully in charge of a group in decline. Kony is the subject of an international manhunt involving

rica, where his group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, has wreaked havoc over the years in violent rampages that include the abduction of children. The LRA has abducted boys who are then forced to become fighters and girls who become sex slaves, one of the reasons the group has gained international attention in recent times. Saleh has been in charge of Kony’s security amid a heightened search for the warlord and his top commanders in Congo and Central African Republic. In 2008, as Uganda’s government tried to reach a peace settlement with the LRA, Kony failed to show up for the signing ceremony and instead sent Saleh, then a teenager, to represent him. The talks collapsed. Kony has since used the region’s porous bor-

Central African Republic and a disputed enclave in Sudanese territory called Kafia Kingi, according to Ugandan officials and watchdog groups. Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for atrocities committed since the 1980s, when he waged an insurgency against Uganda’s government that later spilled across the region. Paul Ronan of the U.S.-based watchdog group The Resolve said the promotion of Saleh signals Kony’s weakness as he tries to keep “his iron grip”, on the LRA. He has been purging his group of potentially disloyal commanders, and others have defected or been killed in combat with Ugandan-led African Union troops. Kony’s sons appear to be taking up more influential roles, Ronan said.

Ambrose to learn from Zabaleta, Johnson, Sagna

van Gaal: Mourinho jealous of my Man Utd job

African Youth Games: 115 athletes storm Botswana

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That Rafael Nadal victory in the 2013 French Open made him the first man to win the same Grand Slam event eight times

WEDNESday, may 21, 2014

World Cup red card still haunts me – Sani Kaita Charles Ogundiya

ut of favour Super Eagles player, Sani Kaita, has said that getting the red card against Greece in 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the lowest point of his career, with the midfielder claiming that the incident still haunts him. In an interview with New Telegraph, the former Monaco midfielder said he felt really bad getting the marching order, saying however, he should not be blamed for Nigeria’s ouster at the Mundial. He was sent off in Nigeria’s second match of the tournament for kicking Vasilis Torosidis after the Greek player motioned as if he was going to throw the ball at Kaita. The incident made him the first Nigerian player to be sent off in a World Cup match. Greece went on to score their first two World Cup goals, and win their first ever match in the Mundial. Kaita was inundated with death threats from within Nigeria after that incident.

“It was really bad getting that red card, the team and everybody felt bad, I was disappointed with my reaction. I had to take that experience out of my system. I still think about it sometime, but it is already in the past,” Kaita said. “It was unfair placing the blame of Nigeria’s ouster on that red card. It was not because of that we failed to progress from the group stage. If I didn’t get that red card, something else may still have happened; it had been destined by God that we will not go far in that competition. For that reason, I can’t accept the blame for our ouster.” Kaita, who last played for Greek side, Olympiakos Nicosia, before coming back to the Nigerian league to team up with two-time CAF Champions League winner Enyimba, said he was back home to resuscitate his career. “I am happy to be back in Nigeria because it is all about football; I want to resuscitate my career. I am really happy with the decision to return to Nigerian league,” he said.

Glasgow: Danagogo charges Okagbare to keep form

inister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, has hailed Africa’s fastest sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, for her double medal effort at the 2014 IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai, China last Sunday, urging her to keep the pace ahead of the commonwealth Games. The 2008 Olympics bronze medalist has by this feat set a meet record in both

the long Jump and 200m where she leapt 6.86m and returned in a time of 22.36 seconds, beating Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas who returned in a time of 22.50 seconds to the second position. Danagogo said that Okagbare’s efforts were commendable, stressing that the feat was a morale booster for the Deltaborn athlete’s preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“This is cheering news for the athletics family and Nigeria in general considering that preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is on now. The result will further boost her morale to train harder for the Glasgow Games. She has to keep her form for the games,” he said. The Minister said everything would be done to assist Okagbare and all other athletes preparing for the Commonwealth Games to ensure that the country places.

Danagogo

52 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Countdown to Fifa World Cup 22

Ambrose to learn from Zabaleta, Johnson, Sagna Adekunle Salami in this preview examines the top players in the right back position as the World Cup gets nearer.

Ambrose

Alves

Zabaleta

Johnson

efending is a collective work in today’s football. Attackers and midfielders fall back to assist in the defence to prevent goals at crucial times. It is the responsibility of somebody to be in a position but others do help out to avert dangerous situations when the need arises. For example, the entire team defends set pieces like free kicks and corner kicks just as majority of the players also surge forward to attempt scoring when their team is to play corner or free kick. The right back position is always sensitive because most teams that adopt wing play have so much strength on the flanks such that defenders must be tough to stop them. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Lionel Messi of Argentina and Arjien Robben of Holland love to penetrate the vital area from the wings. At the forthcoming World Cup, not many right backs are top class but the few obvious ones will make their mark at Brazil 2014. Barcelona’s Daniel Alves is a Brazilian. At 31, he is one of the most respected defenders in the world. He left Sevilla for Barca after winning two UEFA Cups. He won treble with Barcelona in 2008/2009 and won many other laurels with the Spanish giants. He is a regular in the national team but obviously not as sharp as he used to be when he was younger. The central defenders must be ready to support him to be effective in his role. He has scored five goals for Brazil in 72 appearances.

Sagna (left)

England’s Glen Johnson is another reputable right back expected to shine at the Mundial. He won the EPL title with Chelsea in 2005, the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008 and also the League Cup with Liverpool in 2012. Johnson had a great outing with Liverpool in the just concluded season and has been a regular in the Three Lions outfit over the years. His only goal for the English team was the one recorded in the 3-1 win over Mexico in May 2010. However, his ability to score crucial goals is not in doubt. He has great overlapping skills that could help the attack and also has a fast recovery rate to prevent problem after moving forward. Johnson assists in scoring goals with precise crosses from the right flanks after his usual runs upfront. He is a big boost in the Roy Hodgson team competing for honours in Group D against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica. In this tough group, it would be interesting to see Johnson attempting to stop his club mate, Luis Suarez. The captain of the Croatian team to the Mundial is playing from the right back position. He is Darijo Srna who is also the skipper of Shakhtar Donetsk. He has won seven Ukranian league titles and five Ukrainian Cup titles. He also won the UEFA Cup trophy in 2009 in the colours of Shakhtar. In the national team of Croatia, he is the most capped player with 111 appearances after his debut in 2002. He has scored 21 goals for his country and will be looking forward to increase the tally when Croatia

Days To Go

Lichtsteiner

confronts Brazil, Mexico and Cameroun in the Group A of the Mundial. The defender is good with free kicks and his crosses from the right are also great. France will file out with Bacary Sagna as the strongman in the right back position. He won the French Cup in the colours of Auxerre in 2005 and won the English FA Cup only last week in the colours of Arsenal. Gunners coach Arsene Wenger believes Sagna is the best right back in the EPL. He is currently in the radar of Manchester United and Manchester City. He might not be flamboyant or scores regularly but Sagna is very effective in his role and he is good with crosses each time he comes forward to assist in the attack. He is expected to do well at the Mundial. Juventus defender, Stephan Lichtsteiner, is called ‘Swiss Express’ because of his dribbling runs and fast breaks on the right flanks. He has won three consecutive league titles with Juventus after joining the Italian team in 2011. He is very strong and efficient with the ball. He has recorded 60 appearances for Switzerland with four goals to show for it. Lichtsteiner, who made his international debut in a 2-1 loss to Brazil in November 2006 is one of the players expected to shock the world in Brazil with his brilliant play. Argentina will rely on Pablo Zabaleta as one of the defenders to stop the advances of strikers from Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria when hostilities of the World Cup starts in Group F on June 16. Zabaleta can play from both the left and right sides of the defence. And he is always very comfortable going forward to assist in search for goals. The 29 year-old Argentine joined Manchester City from Espanyol in 2008 and has won all the titles in English football. Zabaleta won the FA Cup in 2011, the Premier League title in 2012 and 2014, and the Football League Cup also in 2014. He scores occasionally in the colours of his club but is yet to hit the target for Argentina after 35 caps. Nigeria’s Efe Ambrose plays for Celtic of Scotland. He is nowhere in the rating of top right backs in the world. He has won the league title back-to-back with Celtic and has featured in the UEFA Champions League in the past two season for his team. In Brazil, he is expected to learn from the top defenders together with Elderson Echiejile who plays in the left back position of the Eagles.

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

SPORT | EURO FOOTBALL

van Gaal: Mourinho jealous of my Man Utd job

ew Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has claimed that Jose Mourinho sent him a text to tell him he was ‘jealous’ of his new job. The Chelsea boss, who worked under Van Gaal during their time at Barcelona, was in the running to replace Sir Alex Ferguson last season before the Red Devils opted for David Moyes. However, when Van Gaal was confirmed to be the man to turn around United’s fortunes after the Scot’s disastrous spell, Mourinho was quick to send his congratulations to his old pal. ‘Mourinho congratulated me. He was the first one I sent a text and he was the first one to text me back,’ van Gaal told Dutch television chat show RTL Late

Nigerian League Rendezvous

08098042287

Coaches merry go round

T Mourinho(left) with van Gaal

charlesog2001@yahoo.com,

Stories: Charles Ogundiya

Night. ‘He said he was jealous of my list of clubs…especially the great AZ. ‘I didn’t call Manchester United, I didn’t call Bayern Munich, they’ve always called me. And I’m proud of that.’

with charles Ogundiya

his season has seen so many coaches leaving their post either by sacking or through mutual consent only to reappear in another club within few weeks. Ladan Bosso started the move just on the eve of the Glo Premier League season, resigning from his post as Technical Adviser of Bayelsa United, joining newly promoted Abia Warriors as Technical Adviser. Abdullahi Biffo got the sack as the coach of Giwa FC for insubordination, while Kogi Unit Technical

Adviser, Fatai Osho, was suspended before he was later axed for a similar reason. Coach Biffo however replaced Osho as the Technical Adviser of Kogi United, while Osho moved to Supreme Court. In April, the technical adviser of Mighty Jets, Bernard Ogbe, resigned his position and he was replaced by former TEAP of Abuja coach, Donald Malomo-Paris. According to reports, MalomoParis resigned his appointment with TEAP to take up the vacant position at Mighty Jets.

Toure unhappy with City – Agent

aya Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk has pened at his cast doubt on Toure’s future at Manbirthday means chester City by saying the influential the club don’t midfielder was unhappy with the club after care about him. It was proof. he says they forgot his birthday. ‘It is an important human relationship ‘They can say whatever to shake hands and say ‘happy birthday’ but nobody said anything to Yaya. It they want, “Oh shows they don’t care about him. we like him but we forgot”. ‘I hear one newspaper has written that Forgot? About City congratulated him on Twitter but this is a joke. It is better they don’t put Yaya? The playanything on Twitter if they are not sayer who helped Toure ing anything to him.” you to be twoSpeaking in The Sun, Seluk said: time Premier League champions? The ‘There is a big possibility Yaya will leave guy who helped you win the FA Cup and this summer. He is very upset. What hap- League Cup?

Pique signs new Barca deal

arcelona centre-back Gerard Pique has reached an agreement over a contract renewal which will tie him to the Catalan club until 2019. The Blaugrana announced via their official website that the 27-year-old will put pen to paper on the new deal in the coming days. The news comes a day after Lionel Messi signed an improved deal with the Catalan giants - who also hired former midfielder Luis Enrique as their new

coach on Monday. Pique’s previous contract had been due to expire at the end of next season but is now under contract for the next five years. The 27-year-old has spent the vast majority of his career at Camp Nou, having initially spent time in the club’s youth setup. He was signed by Manchester United as a teenager but failed to establish himself in the first team and spent a year on loan at Zaragoza.

I’m going to Bayern to win titles -Lewandowski

Lewandowski

orussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski says his move to Bayern Munich is motivated by his desire to win trophies. The Polish striker is quitting Signal Iduna Park after a successful four-year spell with Jurgen Klopp’s side which saw him win two Bundesliga titles and

one DFB-Pokal. However, the Bavarian club has won the league and cup for the last two seasons and Lewandowski is looking to add to his medal collection at the Allianz Arena. “It is my goal to win and collect big titles,” he told Bild. “At Bayern, for sure the opportunity is bigger.” Bayern beat BVB 2-0 in the Pokal final on Saturday and Lewandowski admitted that he was disappointed not to sign off with a title at Dortmund. “After the game, it hurt a lot. I just wanted to leave Dortmund with a title. We won the Bundesliga twice, the cup once and reached the Champions League final.”

Sunshine Stars striker Dele Olorundare (left) against two Bayelsa United defenders.

I am happy to be back home - Salami

ormer Shooting Stars of Ibadan striker, Gbolahan Salami, has expressed excitement on his home coming to Ibadan to face Crown FC in a Glo Premier League match today (Wednesday). Salami who has scored six goals in the league for Warri Wolves, said he could not wait for the match to start because of his fans as he really missed them. “I am happy coming back to Ibadan to play before my fans. Ibadan is my home so I can’t afford to wait any longer. I really missed them and I know they too will be willing to see me play,” he said. Speaking on the match against Crown FC, Salami said; “The match will be

tough because they have been doing well this season and they have an experienced Coach in Lawrence Akpokona, but anything can happen in football so we hope for the best.”

Salami

Midweek action resumes lPillars battle Kaduna Utd

ction resumes in the Globacom Premier League on Wednesday (today) across various centres with the top of the bill game being the one between Northern rival, Kaduna United and Kano Pillars in Kaduna. Kano Pillars will hope to continue their resurgence as the team aims to win the league for the third time in a row. Zakary Baraje will be back among his former players as Enyimba take on ElKanemi Warriors in Kano, the adopted home of El-Kanemi Warriors. The two sides swapped coaches at the beginning of the season, while Baraje

moved to Enyimba, the coach who led Enyimba to the Federation Cup trophy, Salisu Yusuf, moved in opposite direction. Other matches will be between Bayelsa and Akwa United in Benin; Lobi Stars at home to FC Taraba; Heartland against Abia Warriors, Nembe against Dolphins and Sharks against Rangers in Port-Harcourt. Warri Wolves will trade tackles with Crown FC inside the Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan. While Sunshine Stars and Giwa FC will be away to Gombe United and Nasarawa United respectively.

54 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

African Youth Games: 115 athletes storm Botswana

Rwanda: NFF tasks Falcons on victory

Emmanuel Tobi

Mercy Jacob

igeria Football Federation has warned the Super Falcons against complacency as they prepare for the first leg of African Women Championship qualifiers against Rwanda in Kigali this weekend. According to NFF Director of Technical, Emmanuel Ikpeme; “The only way you can restore the confidence Nigerians used to have in this team is to go and win in Kigali. This will boost morale and belief in this squad. “You must discard any form of complacency in Kigali. There are no longer minnows, so you must play Rwanda as if you are playing a football super power.”

NSC releases funds for Eagles group matches Jude Opara Abuja

o ensure a proper outing of the Super Eagles at the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Federal Government has approved the release of an undisclosed substantial amount of money to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to prosecute the group stage matches of the championship. Minister of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tamuno Danagogo, who revealed this in Abuja yesterday also, disclosed that the decision of the government to release the funds in batches is to ensure accountability. While assuring Nigerians of the readiness of the federal government to support the Super Eagles up to any level they could attain at the tournament, the Minister equally gave kudos to the NFF over the level of commitment it has shown towards the preparation of the national team. According to him, due to the high level of importance the government has placed on the participation of the Super Eagles at the World Cup, he even mandated the NFF to submit a document stage of its preparations for the championship to his office. The Minister also assured that the federal government has released funds that will cover the camping periods as well as the pre-tournament friendly matches in London and USA. NFF had proposed that each player would get $10,000 for the three matches in the first round, while the Head Coach would get $20,000. Three Super Eagles Assistant coaches, team Doctor, Physiotherapist, Welfare Officer as well as Secretary would receive different amounts as winning bonus. Others to benefit from the winning bonus include the Psychologist, Media Officer, team Security Officer, Match Analyst and Equipment Manager.

Emenike

s part of preparation for the Youths Olympic slated for China later in the year, the National Sports Commission has concluded plans to storm Gaborone, Botswana with 155 athletes to compete at the 2014 African Youth Games which is scheduled for 22nd to 31st May. The 115 athletes are expected to participate in the following 16 different sports namely; Athletics, Badminton, Taekwondo, Boxing, Rowing, Canoeing, Golf, Judo, Karate, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting, Cycling, Swimming, Volleyball and Football. The Minister of sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy Danagogo while speaking

before their departure from Abuja on Tuesday, charged them to be worthy ambassadors and to sustain the level of patriotism and zeal which they had displayed throughout the training season in order to bring glory to the country. “As ambassadors of your country, your responsibility is enormous as the hopes of 170 million Nigerians are upon you” said the Minister. Speaking on behalf of the athletes, Andong Essien, captain of Team Nigeria promised that they would be good ambassadors and come home with lots of medals. Nigeria won 10 medals with sixty-eighty athletes at the first edition of the games which held in Rabat, Morocco in 2010.

Emenike denies Man City, Tottenham links lAs Arsenal join race for Eagles star Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, has said speculations about his future cannot distract him ahead of the World Cup as he denied rumours linking him to Manchester City and Tottenham. The Nigerian forward has been a subject of intense speculations after he led Fenerbahce to Turkish league title scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists. Several clubs have been linked with him including City and Spurs. However, the 27-year-old has moved to quash the claims in the media that he is set to quit the Turkish champions though he did not rule out a possible transfer after the World Cup.

“All the reports linking me to a move away from Fenerbahce are speculations. I am not interested in any transfer talk, yet,” said the Nigerian. “I am happy to have helped Fenerbahce win the Turkish league, my attention has now shifted to doing well with my country in the World Cup to make the fans and supporters happy,” Emenike told reporters. Meanwhile, rumours about his move are yet to subside as Arsenal are reportedly ready to hijack his deal. Arsenal scouts are believed to have convinced Coach Arsene Wenger to move for the Nigerian and the Gunners are ready to pay £10million to bring the former Spartak Moscow forward to the Emirates this summer.

Flying Eagles vow to compound Tanzania woes Ifeanyi Ibeh

lying Eagles players have set their sights on securing another win over Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Heroes on Saturday in Kaduna and advancing to the third round of the 2015 African Youth Championship qualifiers flying Eagles won the first leg 2-0 in Dar es Salaam. “We are not relaxing on the result from the first match. For us, Saturday’s match is a different game

altogether and we want to win it,” said striker Alhassan ‘Mu-azam’ Ibrahim. “We respect the Tanzanians, but we are a better team and we will prove this on Saturday.” Mustapha Abdullahi added: “It’s an important game and we will fight to win it. We will not take anything for granted.” In 2012, Nigeria also eliminated Tanzania from the AYC, winning 2-1 in Dar es Salaam before securing a 2-0 win in Ilorin.

Yahaya to start pre-season with Tottenham

ormer Golden Eaglets attacking midfielder, Musa Yahaya has been listed to begin pre-season training with English Premier League side, Tottenham. Yahaya who was part of the Nigeria side that won the Under-17 World Cup, has been out on loan at Celta Vigo but it has been confirmed that he will start pre-season training for 2014/2015 at Spurs. According the player’s agent, Babawo Mohammed, “Yahaya is a Spurs player. He will return to Spurs early enough for the pre-season because he is billed for the training tour.”

AFN targets improvement at 4th Golden League Charles Ogundiya

he Athletic Federation of Nigeria has called on athletes coming for the 4th Golden League scheduled for Akure this weekend to improve on their times ahead of major international outings taking place this year, including the IAAF World Juniors, the Commonwealth Games and African Senior Championships. Secretary General of the federation, Olumide Bamiduro, said he is looking forward to a better outing from the athletes. “The last edition of the league was awesome and the performance of athletes was overwhelming. The

performance of the Police men’s team which ran 39.45 in Akure was good. I am impressed by the trend and I believe that it will be better this weekend and in the final meeting in Benin . So we should be expecting more of that,” he said. One of the highlights of the Akure event was the Personal Best of 10.39seconds set by Divine Oduduru in the 100m while Akerele Omeiza overcame stiff opposition from Godday James to win the 400m. The duo has been listed as members of Team Nigeria for the forthcoming inaugural IAAF World Relays to be hosted by the Bahamas between May 24 and 25.

NEWS 55

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Court order restores peace in Enugu IPMAN Secretariat W JUDGEMENT

APC chieftain cautions party on Anambra crisis, advises Ngige Temitope Ogunbanke

Normalcy is restored as Petroleum Marketers Fend Leo Sobechi

arely three days after past members of its executive invaded the state secretariat of the association, peace has returned to the Enugu depot of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), following a court order granted yesterday by Justice Innocent Umezulike of the Enugu High

57.9%

Court. The chapter had been engulfed in a leadership tussle. The order followed a motion ex parte filed by Okey Ozor on behalf of Azubuike Nwankwo in suite number E/214/2014 praying for an order of the court restraining Ifeanyichukwu Nwankwo and his group from gaining access into the IPMAN secretariat which they allegedly invaded by force. The plaintiffs further prayed the court for an order compelling the respondents to vacate the IPMAN secretariat at kilometer 12 Enugu- Abakaliki Expressway, Onuogba-

The percentage of male internet users in Greece in 2012. Source: Itu.int

Nike, Emene, Enugu and hand over the secretariat and other documents to the plaintiffs/applicants. Granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, Justice Umezulike enjoined the parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the motion on notice even as he adjourned hearing to Monday May 26, 2014. “The respondents, their agents or privies are hereby restrained from further gaining access to the IPMAN office or interfering with or disturbing the operations or activities of the plaintiffs as the constituted and ap-

$U4bn

The total expenditures of Africa region on diabetes (20 – 79 years) in 2013. Source: Idp.com

pointed caretaker committee of IPMAN Enugu depot, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed along with this application or any other orders the court may deem fit to make in the interest of justice,” the court ruled. Commenting on the court ruling, Zonal Chairman of IPMAN, Ozoigbondu Chukwuma Ezinwa, said it rekindles the belief that the rule of law was superior to show of brute force stressing that the caretaker committee would now be free to run its activities without hindrance.

2.2%

The population growth rate of West Africa between 2010 and 2012. Source: Worldbank.org

orried by the ongoing crisis in Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a chieftain of the party, Chief Albert Chinwe Theodore, has advised the party national leadership to apply caution in the manner it is handling the matter. A statement issued yesterday, Theodore disclosed that APC has the prospects of taking over the government of Anambra State, if only the party is well handled. He noted that though APC comprises three or more major political parties with leaders whose common interest was 'change', the conservative attitude of some members was already spelling disaster for the party in the state. His words: “Ngige

Okorocha to complete Ohakim’s flyover projects Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

he Imo State Government has restated its resolve to complete the two massive flyover projects started by the past administration at Ugwuorji and Amakohia roads respectively. Gover nor Rochas Okorocha said this while inspecting the progress of work at both sites and other ongoing projects in the state recently. He said government never abandoned the projects which were left behind but explained, “We slowed down this project because we had to renegotiate with the contractor and we were able to save about N5 billion from the actual cost.” The governor said the

Soldiers patrolling, on Shehu Laminu Way in Maiduguri …yesterday

CCTV cameras for Lagos filling stations Muritala Ayinla

he Lagos State Government yesterday said it had concluded plans to mandate filing stations to install CCTV cameras in their premises, saying approval for the construction of filling stations would be based on provision of CCTV cameras and other facilities. The state added that it has discovered more black spots in the state where CCTV cameras would be installed. Speaking during a ministerial press briefing, the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Toyin Ayinde, who cat-

egorised the filling stations into three, said the facilities included CCTV cameras, water hydrants, fast food outlets among others. He said: "Those in category 'A' with area of 2500sqm and above will be located along expressways and must be cited 20km apart from other stations occupying that same space of land. Those in category 'B' with an area of between 1500 and 2499sqm should be located along secondary roads and this should also be located 1.5km apart. The filling stations occupying areas between 1000 and 1499sqm should be located in tertiary roads

and must also observe 400m distance from other similar filling station of that size." The commissioner added that the ministry had also facilitated the development of market and commercial activities in the state, adding that plans to relocate the Mile 12 and Ajelogo Markets to the proposed Ikorodu Regional Food Stuff Commodities Market, at Parafa Ikorodu were still intact. He explained that the delay of most government projects was partly due to the penchant for violation of and encroachment on government- acquired parcels of land for over-

riding public interest. "At some point in the journey of our collective development, we must decide who takes priority, a handful of the community, or the larger community. He added that in the area of building plan processing, its agency, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) has granted approval to 2,067 applications. “To further improve service delivery, prescreening of applications before submission and payment of statutory processing fees were introduced, " the commissional said.

wants the governorship seat and also wants to dictate who will chair the party at the state level. ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) is a microcosm of the macro APC and if Ngige wants the true existence of APC, he should humble himself and surrender to any form of agreement that will move the party forward. “No one man is an Island. No one can see himself except by reflection, but we as mirror in the party have modestly reflected in the Senator what he knows not of himself," he declared. Theodore stressed further that: “If Ngige after APC's governorship primary in Anambra State had called for atonement and reconciliation immediately, Godwin Ezeomo would not have opted for another party."

flyovers have been given a more befitting design to make them last and ensure easy flow of traffic in the years ahead; adding that work has commenced in earnest at the two sites and will be completed soon. He noted that government is opening many new roads in the city to decongest most of the busy roads. In a related development, Okorocha commended the pace of work at the new Imo House of Assembly Complex and the dualisation of the road leading to the new Modern Library complex located behind the Imo State House of Assembly, New Owerri. He said the State House of Assembly complex was dilapidated and needed upgrade to a more befitting edifice.

Why marketers hikefuel price in Ibadan Ola Adeyemo Ibadan

remium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petroleum, has continued to sell above the official pump price of N97 at many of the independent filling stations in Oyo State in the past few months because generating sets at the pumping station in Mosinmi have been faulty. The Chairman, Independent Petroleum Markerters' Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ibadan Depot Branch, Joseph Oyewole Akanni, disclosed this yesterday in Ibadan, adding that the

effect of vandalism on the pipelines and high landing cost of the product being sourced from private depots in Lagos, were part of the challenges. In a press release dated May 20, 2014, made available to journalists in Ibadan, IPMAN stated: "For almost three months now, there was no lifting of any product from the Ibadan depot due to activities of vandals on the pipeline; the generators at the pumping station are faulty and need repairs; and the landing cost of product (PMS) sourced from private depots in Lagos is above N100 per litre to Ibadan."

World Record

On Marble

The mistakes you make now are the advance payment for your wise decisions in the future.

– HQLines.me

Sanctity of Truth w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha WEDNESday, MAY 21, 2014

In May 15, 1973 Pascal Gentil from France had a 2.50 meters Kick, the world record for the highest Taekwondo kick .

N150

National exigencies and the imperative of state of emergency

must confess that events in the last few weeks have left me wondering about the sincerity of the national political elite, the supposed “guardian angels” of Nigeria’s fledging “democracy” towards ensuring that Nigeria remains safe, secured and peaceful. Exactly 37 days ago in furtherance of their godforsaken, hocus-pocus, a group of hoodlums invaded Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok and carted into captivity about 276 teenage girls from the school dormitories. Till date, the whereabouts of these innocent youngsters is still shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows where they are, except their abductors. What we may be able to contemplate, or imagine is the immensity of trauma these girls are going through; same for their families, relations and friends. This incident, to be sure is not a one-off case, but certainly it is one too many. Elsewhere in neighbouring communities, Boko Haram has carried out its despicable mission, attacking secondary schools, killing and maiming. They are even expanding their frontiers, spreading fear and anxiety in the land. Secondary schools in Markurdi, Capital of Benue State in North Central Nigeria are on serious security surveillance, as some of them have received threat letters from Boko Haram. It is difficult to advise that these threats be disregarded or ignored by the school authorities for to do so may be to court a date with the devil. Even as we write, quite a large portion of Nigerian territory is under siege by these terrorists, a shocking reminder, that nations today are facing security threats, not even from other nation States, but from non-state actors who have taken up arms against the State for various reasons. The threat of Boko Haram is not abating. It’s potency as a monstrous terrorist organization is intensifying. The current security challenges are too palpable to be wished away. Yes, President Jonathan about a year ago sought and obtained from the national assembly a legislative approval to declare a State of emergency in three contiguous states of Adamawa, Yobe and Bornu in north east Nigeria – the epicentre of violence, fundamentalism and fanaticism. Sceptics have insisted that they are yet to see anything laudable in the emergency measures put in place as it has failed to decimate and overrun the force of Boko Haram. They point to the brazen nature of the ferocious attacks planned and executed by Boko Haram, the fact that they move to and fro designated targets without encumbrance as sufficient proof that the state of emergency has not served any useful purpose. My immediate response is to argue that without the state of emergency, the entire North-East, and perhaps the entire North-

IvoryGlory Nkemdili Nnonyelu

aunnonyelu@yahoo.co.uk - 08122801926 (sms only)

ern region would have been overwhelmed by a major conflagration. Without the emergency, it certainly could have been worse. One of the apostles of the unholy crusade to terminate the emergency rule in his domain is the Governor of Bornu State. He has vehemently opposed the prolongation of the state of emergency for another six months, supported by some senators of northern extraction. Please what other credible options do they bring to the table, as an alternative to the emergency measures? The stand of the Bornu State Governor is hypocritical, indefensible and unsustainable. I am tempted to read mischief, as the enabler of the perverted logic, for while innocent school girls are still in the den of their devilish hosts, the Governor would ask importunately for a termination of emergency rule. This is complete hogwash. The call is impolitic, indeed taking partisan politics to a ridiculous low. Governor Kashim must have felt a bitter sense of disappointment when the House of Representatives in an uncharacteristic manner, gave a unanimous nod of approval for the next 6 months. The state of emergency may seem ponderous, its utility as a buffer, or a counter insurgency measure cannot be undermined. I hope that the Senate arm of the national assembly will do likewise, after it, temporized last week, against the backdrop of a near season of anomie in that region, the haplessness of very many impoverished Nigerians that look up to the Nigerian state to provide a sense of succour, defend unambiguously their fundamental rights to life, liberty, welfare, education peace and pursuit of happiness. If Governor Kashim and his cohorts want an abortion of the emergency rule they should rally round, ensure that the existing worrisome situation improves, that the current road to perdition is reversed forthwith. Until that time, I am afraid that no responsible government would seek to end an emergency state in the midst of a crisis ridden, volatile, unsafe body politic. The state of emergency is a stop gap measure, whose sole purpose is the restoration of normalcy to a troubled territory. It should be the concern of every patriotic and right thinking Nigerian to contribute ideas on how to strengthen the state of emergency, make it more efficient and effective. Nigeria is cur-

rently embroiled in an unconventional, very complex war that demands deemphasise of political affiliations. In the midst of serious danger, facing the nation, the political elite should build the moral synergy to explore the requisite social capital needed to overcome the implosive, divisive tendencies tearing at the fabric of the nation state. Mutual trust would certainly eviscerate those tempestuous relationships that have become resilient. Although security is a multifaceted term, it generally encapsulates the condition of having a sense of safety, having a feeling of not being in harm’s way or danger, the tenacious upholding of one’s essence or being, and the elimination of threats that will frustrate the acquisition of these values that are dear to the individual. It is the primary responsibility of all organs of government – federal, central and local to ensure that security of lives and property, and also the emplacement of necessary conditions that promote peace, knowledge, justice, good health are guaranteed. The current disconnect, the discordant tunes coming from the political office holders need not be allowed to fester, as it leaves the international community confused. The feeling of exasperation from the international community is already being felt. We need to close this gap. Governor Kashim must rise to the occasion and stop being overly concerned with the prospects of 2015 election. For that seems to be his preoccupation for now. Governor Kashim as well as the President must do everything possible to free the Chibok girls, return them safely to their parents. One also needs to see from the presidency a change of heart. Many right thinking observers felt that it would have been most appropriate for Jonathan to have attended the recent Paris Security Summit on Nigeria with any, if not all of the Governors in the affected states. Nigerians are also not excited about some of the stories emanating from the camp of the military. Some portend bad omen for the nation’s stability. The near muting that led to the reposting of the Divisional Commander may be a subtle confirmation that the troops are not adequately catered for. To incentivise the officers and men involved in the push to contain Boko Haram should be of utmost concern to the military hierarchy. War weariness is also another is-

sue. In the absence of war, our soldiers have become civilianized that a protracted military involvement leads to fatigue, and apprehension. It may be necessary, that regular reshufflement of troops to taste battle in hot spots be made a cardinal military doctrine. The annual bogus security budget should be demonstrably utilized. Our soldiers should be well fed, well kept, well kitted and well catered for. Pursuant to addressing the afore-stated national exigencies is the need to support the work of the civilian vigilante groups by commencing immediately the processes that will set in motion the creation of state police. The Nigerian police as presently constituted still retains colonial vestiges of “we and they”, too far removed from the people. In its operations, Nigeria police are imperialistic, little wonder they have failed to elicit commensurate support that will generate needful intelligence that will be expended to demobilize Boko Haram and curb similar criminality. In the face of growing insecurity, the resistance of some members of the political class, and the fears of Nigerians that state police is prone to abuse by State Governors, in the same way they have serially violated the democratic process through the State Independent Electoral Commissions, cannot be sustained. Now that world’s major powers have risen like one man in support of Nigeria, which definitely will bolster the morale of our troops, the federal and State governments of the area under emergency rule must collaborate to permanently address the scourge and menace of Boko Haram. Let the emergency rule continue until it bears fruit – peace, safety and promotion of basic rights.

OmoBaba

JONATHAN CAN’T RESIGN OVER CHIBOK GIRLS - Anenih

- Yes o... power sweet no be small!

Printed and Published by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd: Head Office: No. 1A, Ajumobi Street, Off ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja-Lagos. Tel: +234 1-2219496, 2219498. Abuja Office: Orji Kalu House, Plot 322, by Banex Junction, Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Advert Hotline: 01-8541248, Email: info@newtelegraphonline.com Website: www.newtelegraphonline.com ISSN 2354-4317 Editor: YEMI AJAYI.

METRO

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

OAU students protest fee hike, block Ibadan – Ife road

Mojeed Alabi and Adeolu Adeyemo

d the All Progressives Conto come and work for their ing the election. ed the APC offer because I oath that I would work for hen. Immediately the presment came on board I was acng the one killing and causn Ibadan and its environs.” as arrested by SARS in unrunning. I met Auxiliary at his hotel d me he needed a gun for his Being into gun business, I ol and AK47 rifle to him. guns were not the only ones rom me. I also sold another o him and some other memNURTW.” aid one Tirimisiyu Oloat large with an AK47 rifle, be arrested. the suspects would be reOyo State Police Command nvestigation.

tudents of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday blocked the Ibadan – Ilesha – Ife Road to protest the new increment in fees by the university management. As early as 6am, the students, numbering more than 1,000 including those running postgraduate programmes, had assembled at the Angola-Mozambique Hall car park of the university before going to the Students’ Union Building where they hijacked both commercial and private vehicles that conveyed them to Ilesha - Ife Road. The protesters gathered in front of Oduduwa University (OUI), where they mounted obstructions across the road. Commuters, especially those heading towards Ilesha, Ado-Ekiti, Ondo, Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan routes were stranded for many hours. Policemen, who arrived at the scene, appealed to the students to return to the campus and not vent their anger on innocent members of the public. The protesters were led by the Students’ Union President-elect and 500-level Law student, Ibikunle Isaac. The protest was organised by the students’ leaders in conjunction with other students’ organisations including Education Rights Campaign (ERC). The students were protesting the increase in school frees from N17,000

to N100,000, aside the N20,000 acceptance and accommodation fees. They carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Omole, Chai! There is God o!” “No to increment in fees,” “No to undemocratic increment,” “Recover the stolen wealth and invest them on education,” among others. The protesters said the new fee regime was aimed at denying more students of the institution access to university education. The Chairman of the Postgraduate Hall on the campus, Mr Falola Olabisi Christopher, who spoke to New Telegraph, expressed his disappointment at the new development, saying the postgraduate students were very prepared to fight the battle to the finish. He said the university did not involve them before taking the decision and that introducing as much as N800,000 for executive MBA programme, N170,000 for MSc, among others was draconian and anti-masses. He said many postgraduate candidates enrolled for the programmes only when they could not find jobs to do. Similarly, the campus Coordinator of ERC, Olubanji Oluwole, said the university management had turned down the appeal by the students to revert to the old rates, and that if allowed to stand the fees would force many students out of school. He alleged the university management of fronting for a clueless Federal Government, saying what

ut Lagos building plans

lopment of s across the d one of such completed rectoria Island

e review bey in order tively to the graphic, culconomic dynt in the state. raft of the sed for final tion in a few w. ts led to the the Apapa and Agege/ Model City apa Model

City Plan was presented to the Executive Council this year and was approved while the Agege/Ifako-Ijaiye final plan was presented at an impressive and overwhelming Stakeholders’ Forum held on May 16 for comments and final input.” The commissioner added that during the period under review, the ministry also embarked on the establishment of the various Right Of Way for transportation routes and utilities such as gas, electricity, petroleum, water, telecommunications and other services. This task, according to him, was undertaken to en-

esterday set en allegedly even human ba forest, Iper Local Govf Benue State. tension in the idents fled for d be another i herdsmen. e killed was ave attacked gi and disposis motorcycle took him to

Adagba forest where he also attempted to murder him. It was learnt that luck ran out of the suspects when Abelagi escaped from the forest and reported the matter to a vigilance group in the area. The vigilantes swung into action and arrested the culprit and another believed to be his accomplice. But the youth who were enraged by the discovery of seven human skulls in the suspects’ possession, insisted that they must be killed. The suspects were set

The protesting students

government should do was to block all loopholes where government officials were siphoning money. But the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, said the management had graciously granted the students’ request for reduction. Olarewaju, however, declined to disclose the percentage of the reduction, saying a circular had been released to that effect. He said: “At the three interactions the university management held

ablaze after the youth overpowered the vigilantes and prevented them from handing over the suspected criminals to the police. It was gathered that in addition to the human skulls, the stolen motorcycle was also recovered including charms and various human parts from the suspects. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ezeala, who confirmed the incident, said the command was investigating the matter.

with the students’ representatives, the students pleaded for reduction having been presented with clearer facts about the whole issue. “This reduction the university has granted and we are surprised that the students are expecting a total reversal despite the explanation about the dwindling allocation and the increasing expenditure because this university is only interested in offering quality education, which obviously cannot be as cheap as N17,000 currently being paid by the students.”

Police arrest nine fake soldiers

sure safety of lives and property, easy transportation of people, goods and services. Ayinde added that the ministry, apart from establishing the various right of ways, also facilitated the removal of encumbrances along the alignments. He said: “In the same vein, we sensitised the public to the need to stay clear of the right of ways by placing advertorials early this year in some national dailies, showing sketches of the utilities/infrastructure and the required setbacks. “This is to ensure that projects are implemented with minimum discomfort.”

n lynched for possessing seven skulls

Some of the fake soldiers

Elijah Samuel olice in Lagos State have apPusually prehended nine men who move about in mili-

tary uniform and extort money from motorists. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, who paraded the suspects at the command’s headquarters yesterday, disclosed that the suspects claimed to be members of Man O’ War. Manko said they were known for their notorious activities in Amuwo-Odofin area.

He said: “We have received a series of complaints about the notorious activities of some men in military uniform extorting money from members of the public. “All of them claimed to be members of Man O’ War, which Man O’ War will dress in full military attire? “We arrested some who were working for Amuwo-Odofin Local Government, some of them were arrested where they were providing security for churches; some were picked up while escorting vehicles.

“The most worrisome issue is that none of them has ever worked in any military formation before. Many of them said they got their uniforms in the market. That we have verified to be false. “We will not allow anybody to use military uniform to perpetrate crime. I want to tell you that many unholy activities that were being reported around Amuwo-Odofin were being carried out by these men you find in military uniform. “That is why we have decided to go all out after them in order to stop.” One of the suspects, Ahmed Ibrahim, they were members of Man O’ War working with the council chairman. He said: “Four of us were at our duty post at Alakija axis controlling traffic when the police came to arrest us. We were employed by the local government and attached to help the police in the control of traffic. “When the local government officials heard about our arrest, they came to the station but the police did not allow them access to us.” Another suspect, Paul Ohalete, said he was arrested at Dominion Church at Agboju.