Binder1 oct 8, 2014

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Vol. 1 No. 232

/newtelegraph

@newtelegraph1

www.newtelegraphonline.com

N150

IMF cuts Nigeria’s 2014 growth to 7% Ayodele Aminu Washington D.C

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed Nigeria’s economic growth forecast for this

year to 7 per cent as against its earlier projection of 7.1 per cent last April.

The Fund, in its World Economic Outlook obtained yesterday in Washington, also cut its outlook for global growth in 2015 to

3.8 per cent as against 4 per cent forecast in July, after a 3.3 per cent expansion this year.

Nigeria’s economy had grown by 6.21 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, up from 4.45 per cent in the same period last year.

This was, however, lower than 6.77 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Nigeria’s economy had grown 6.5 per cent and 7.0 per cent in 2012 and 2013 respectively and was projected by the World Bank

to grow at 6.7 per cent, 5.5 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

President Goodluck Jonathan

Tinubu lobbies for Buhari lAPC presidential hopeful shifts declaration to Oct 15 lSaraki to head campaign organisation }5

Quick Read Picnickers at the Bar Beach to mark the Eid-el-Kabir festival in Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: Suleiman Husaini

Obi dumps APGA for PDP Wale Elegbede and Okegwo Kenechukeu

L

ess than two months after he resigned as the Board of Trustees Chairman of the All Pro-

gressives Grand Alliance (APGA), former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Obi, who took the decision to join the ruling

party after playing host to notable members of the party from the South-East at his Onitsha GRA residence, said he had in the past worked closely with the party, adding that “I assure you that we will con-

tinue to work even closer as a team in the interest of our people.”

The PDP entourage which was led by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, also include House of Representatives

Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Editorial The Ekiti pandemonium }19 Arms deal: APC cautions Jonathan against threatening South Africa }4

Reps ask FG to submit 2015 budget }6 INEC may not hold guber poll in two Adamawa LGs }5

2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

3

News

4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arms deal: APC cautions Jonathan against threatening South Africa

lPDP accuses opposition of plot to destroy Nigeria Johnchuks Onuanyim and Onyekachi Eze Abuja

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to stop threatening South African investment in Nigeria, but should address the $5.7 million money laundering for arms purchase in South Africa.

The party called on Jonathan to urgently address Nigerians on the serial embarrassments to which his administration is subjecting the country to in the comity of nations, after another seizure of $5.7 million of Nigerian arms money by the South African authorities.

APC, in a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, slammed the Federal Government for issuing childish and immature threats against South

Africa threatening its investments in the country, instead of addressing the pertinent questions surrounding the illegal arms procurement deals.

“Mr. President, you cannot threaten another country when your administration is wilfully breaking the laws of that country. In this case, your administration stands on a weak moral ground, as its hands have been caught in the cookie jar. Therefore, issuing infantile threats is laughable, unacceptable and wrong,” the party said.

It reminded the Jonathan administration that nowhere else does a government engage in illegal black market movement of money or arms – both signatures of terrorism worldwide, adding that only terrorists and pariah nations move money and procure arms in clandestine manners as the Jonathan administration is doing.

“Even at a time when we were ruled by military dictators and our country was a pariah nation, we did not experience these

repeated and embarrassing national disgrace and clandestine, terrorist groups’ approach to the purchase of arms. How can Nigeria truly be a respected member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) when our own government and its operatives are self-identified and selfconfessed money launderers?” APC queried.

The party said the issues surrounding the first seizure of $9.3 million have yet to be resolved before this latest scandal, wondering why the government would want to turn

Nigeria to a rogue nation by taking ownership of money laundering and other acts of illegality, thus devaluing the currency of every Nigerian.

“Mr. President, if the funds involved in the latest seizure were sent through bank transfer, can the government explain why Oritsejafor’s plane was stuffed with cash and transported to South Africa? Can your administration’s embarrassing explanation that it is customary for other country’s security agencies, including MOSSAD, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

28oC

24oC

28oC

24oC

Partially Cloudy

PORT HARCOURT

17o C 13oC Rain Showers

Chairman/Managing Director, Mobil Producing Nigeria (ExxonMobil), Mr. Nolan O’Neal (left) and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, at the signing of an agreement between ExxonMobil and Tenoil, a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, in Lagos...on Friday.

IMF cuts Nigeria’s 2014 growth to 7% CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

KANO

36oC

19oC

Mostly Sunny

ENUGU

32oC

23oC

Thunder Storms

IBADAN

31oC

21oC

Thunder Storms

CALABAR

17o C 13oC Rain Showers

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

38oC 23oC Mostly Sunny

16o C 9oC Rain Showers

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

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

Partially Cloudy

ABUJA

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

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

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

also corroborated the cut in Nigeria’s growth by the IMF. She said Nigeria’s projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in 2014 would be reduced by 0.5 per cent, citing economic impact of terrorism and the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as factors responsible for the cut.

The minster, who spoke in Lagos during a meeting with the Global Chief Executive Officer of Unilever, Mr. Paul Polman, who is driving the expansion of Unilever investment in Nigeria, said although the country had excellently managed the outbreak of the EVD and was focused on tackling the menace of Boko Haram, both activities had a combined impeding effect on the economy, “marginally re-

ducing economic growth rate.”

She, however, added that the 0.5 per cent point decline in growth projection was more as a result of the terrorism activities of the Boko Haram sect than the EVD. Meanwhile, the World Bank has lowered its forecast for economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa to 4.6 percent this year compared to 5.2 per cent in April.

The IMF also cut its 2014 economic outlook for the region to 5.1 per cent from an earlier estimate of 5.4 per cent.

“The security situation in several parts of subSaharan Africa remains fragile, including in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. The fiscal position is weakening in a few countries on the back of rising current ex-

penditures.

“Growth in South Africa has remained lacklustre, dragged down by protracted strikes, low business confidence and tight electricity supply,” the IMF said.

Besides, the World Bank and IMF have urged SubSaharan African economies, including Nigeria, to urgently prepare for the risks of the Ebola outbreak, wider budget shortfalls and security threats from militant groups.

“Risks that require enhanced preparedness include rising fiscal deficits in a number of countries, economic fallout from the activities of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and al-Shabaab and, most urgently, the onslaught of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa,” World Bank Chief Economist for Africa, Francisco

Ferreira, said yesterday in a statement.

The Ebola outbreak will cut economic growth in the worst-affected nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia by 2.1 percentage points to 3.4 percentage points, the World Bank said.

The virus has killed more than 3,400 people in those three countries since March, out of 7,470-recorded cases.

“Without a scale up of effective interventions, the virus could spread more rapidly than assumed,” the Washington-based lender said yesterday in its Africa’s Pulse report.

“In addition to the loss of lives, affected countries would suffer a sharper decline in output, with growth slowing markedly not only in the core countries, but also in the subregion,” it added.

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

News

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

5

APC ticket: Tinubu backs Buhari Ayodele Ojo

A

s the battle for the presidential ticket of the All Pro g ressives Congress (APC) gathers momentum, former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, has intensified lobby for the emergence of former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as the party’s candidate.

Sources told New Telegraph that Tinubu had stepped up efforts in recent days to ensure that Buhari would get the APC ticket at the December 2 national convention of the party.

He is said to be mobilising the party structures and providing the initial funding in the pursuit of Buhari’s aspiration.

In return, it was learnt that Buhari had agreed

that should he win, Tinubu would pick his running mate for him.

In preparations for his possible emergence as the party’s candidate, Buhari, it was also learnt, had begun putting together his campaign organisation, which will be headed by former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, now a senator.

Buhari has also shifted the formal declaration of his presidential ambition from today until October 15.

According to the sources, Tinubu, an influential leader of the APC, had on several occasions, met with Buhari in Lagos and Abuja to fine-tune the arrangements while associates of the APC presidential aspirant had held strategic meetings with Tinubu in Lagos and London

on the Buhari presidential project.

It was learnt that the former governor is providing logistics and rallying the party structures behind the former military ruler who has contested the presidential elections three times – 2003, 2007 and 2011– based on the belief that he is the best candidate for the party to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its adopted candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was learnt that though the Tinubu’s camp was not discountenancing the candidacy of Buhari’s major challenger and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, it was uncomfortable with Atiku emerging the standard bearer of the APC for the February14, 2015 presidential election.

“We have the right to support our choice of the presidential candidate.

We are working towards the emergence of Buhari as the APC candidate. We are not considering Atiku at all. He has the money, but we have the party structures. What Buhari lacks in finance, we will provide for his campaign.

“Don’t forget that we provided Atiku with the platform in 2007, but shortly after the election, he jumped ship and moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). When he had issues with President Olusegun Obasanjo, we provided six Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend him. But what did we get in return? Nothing. So, we can’t take the gamble on Atiku again. We have pitched our tent with Buhari and we will ensure

that he wins the election,” an associate of Tinubu, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the APC told New Telegraph.

As part of the plan, the Buhari/Tinubu camp is assembling a team that will reach out to delegates to the national convention.

“We have the structures. We will move round the states to ensure that the delegates do our bidding. In the end, Buhari will emerge as the candidate,” another source said.

An aide of Tinubu confirmed to New Telegraph that the former governor has been engaging APC governors and other stakeholders on the need to have Buhari on the ballot rather than Atiku.

In the permutations of Tinubu, Buhari is the only person that can confront Jonathan in the 2015 elec-

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan; President Issoufou Mahamadu of Niger Republic and President Idris Deby Itno of Chad, at a summit of Heads of State and Governments of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) member states in Niamey, Niger Republic…yesterday.

Adamawa guber: Election may not hold in two councils, says INEC Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said election may not hold in two local government areas of Adamawa State in the October 11 governorship by-election.

The two local government areas, Madagali and Michika, are still under the control of the Boko Haram sect.

Already, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru

Jega, is in Yola, the state capital, to assess the situation on the ground.

Both sensitive and nonsensitive materials for the election are supposed to be sent to the state before Friday.

INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Oluwole OsazeUzzi, who confirmed this in an with New Telegraph yesterday, however, could not say whether this will affect the outcome of the election.

“Anything can affect the result of the election but we cannot determine

that until after the election. The constitution is clear on this,” he added.

Adamawa State has 21 local government areas.

To emerge as governor, the constitution says the candidate, in addition to securing the highest number of votes cast at the election, he shall score not less than onequarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas of the state.

INEC had earlier stated that there was “constant state of fear,

insurgency, thuggery, violence and ballot box snatching,” in Maha, Mubi North and South local government areas.

The commission, however, expressed joy that people who deserted their homes in the wake of violence and other security challenges in the three local government areas, are returning home.

Nigerian military are still battling to dislodge the terrorists who have annexed some territories in the state.

On Monday about71

members of the sect were killed in a gun battle with the military.

Seven political parties and their candidates have been cleared to participate in the election, which is aimed at replacing the impeached governor of the state, Admiral Murtala Nyako.

One of the candidates is from Michika, and may therefore not vote during the election.

A total of 1.5 million registered voters are expected to cast their votes in 2,609 polling units in the state.

tion.

This is hinged on his electoral strength as demonstrated in the 2011 presidential election.

In the 2011 election, Jonathan won in seven states, comprising Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Adamawa, out of the 19 states in the north.

Buhari, as the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) one of the legacy parties of APC, defeated the president in the 12 northern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

Jonathan, as an incumbent, polled 22, 350, 242 votes to defeat Buhari, who got 11, 914,953 votes. Most of Jonathan’s votes came from the South.

“We are not ruling out other APC presidential aspirants, but we have cast our lot with Buhari. We consider Buhari above others as an asset to the APC in its quest for the presidency,” the source said.

Earlier before New Telegraph learnt of the position of the Tinubu camp, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had said the party would provide a level playing ground for all the aspirants.

However, it was learnt that Tinubu had not been able to get the full commitment of all the party’s governors in the South-West to the Buhari presidential project.

It was gathered that while Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) are rooting for Buhari, their counterparts in Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, were undecided between Buhari and Atiku.

There is also a report of a division in the Tinubu’s camp as to who should emerge the running mate.

Some of the former governor’s associates are backing Fayemi while Tinubu is considering former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, for the position.

Osibajo, a professor of Law and a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), is being considered to balance the religious equation.

Tinubu who had been widely rumoured to be nursing a presidential ambition, had to back off following growing resentCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Reps ask FG to submit 2015 budget lSaraki faults passage process Philip Nyam and Biodun Oyeleye

T

he House of Representatives has called on the executive to forward the 2015 budget estimates to the National Assembly to ensure its early passage ahead of the 2015 general election.

Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Albert SamTsokwa, made the call in an interview with New Telegraph.

He said since 2015 is an election year, it will not be in the interest of the nation for the budget to be passed late.

He said any delay is capable of affecting preparations for the elections.

Sam-Tsokwa said: “It is an election year and it will not be in the interest of Nigeria for the budget to be approved late. It is not the National Assembly that will initiate the budget, it has to come from the executive.

“So, I want to use this forum to urge the executive to submit the budget, at least first week of October, so that as we begin 2015 with the New Year, we should begin it with new Appropriation Act.” The 2014 Appropriation Act was passed by the National Assembly in April 2014. Both chambers of

the National Assembly had attributed the delay in the passage of the budget to late submission of the document by the executive.

The 2007 Fiscal Responsibility Act stipulates that budget estimates for the next fiscal year shall be presented before the joint session of the National Assembly at least three months to the end of the year.

Meanwhile, former Kwara State governor and member, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has canvassed for a review of the process of passing the national budget by the

National Assembly.

Saraki, who is also chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, told newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, that the current practice used by the federal lawmakers is not giving the nation the best result as members don’t spend enough time to review details of public expenditure presented by the executive arm of government.

Saraki expressed concern over challenges of implementing the 2014 budget as passed, pointing out that with majority of ministries and parastatals just awarding contracts there was no way

the implementation could succeed.

He pleaded with his colleagues to allow enough time to review the 2014

estimates in detail before looking into the 2015 estimates the executive would present for their consideration.

Arms deal: APC cautions Jonathan against threatening S’Africa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

KGB and CIA, to cart plane loads of cash across the world to purchase black market weapons hold any more water now? These are some of the questions Nigerians are asking, not an untenable spin by untruthful government officials,” the party added.

The party also wondered whether the funds being ferried up and down by the administration were appropriated by the National Assembly, or whether they are part of the missing $20 billion oil money.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the APC of working with foreign interest to tarnish the image of the country.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh,

PDP noted that instead of joining with the Federal Government to find solution to the security challenges in the country, APC preferred to engage in actions and statements capable of ridiculing the country.

PDP condemned the actions of some foreign nations against Nigeria’s effort to find solution to the nation’s security challenges, noting that it is “unacceptable and totally uncalled for, especially given our cordial relationship with them and the roles Nigeria and Nigerians citizens played in assisting them in their internal struggles.”

The party advised APC to come to terms with the fact that Nigeria as an indivisible nation has come to stay.

Tinubu backs Buhari CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Travellers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) returning to their destinations after the Eid-el-Kabir holiday in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Obi dumps APGA for PDP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PDP Governors’ Forum, Chief Godswill Akpabio; his Abia State counterpart who doubles as Chairman, South-East Governors’ Forum, Chief Theodore Orji; the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh and Senator Ben Ndi Obi, among others.

Obi’s defection brought to two the number of top dignitaries that had joined PDP in the last one week following the defection of Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, formerly of Labour Party, to the ruling party.

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who was represented by Metuh, said the time was ripe for Obi to take a cue from Mimiko and join the PDP. He said Obi’s integrity, forthrightness, hard work and honesty had endeared him to the people of the

zone.

Ekweremadu said while Obi was in APGA, he extended hands of friendship to everybody that would contribute to the development of Anambra State.

According to him, Obi’s demonstration of leadership, integrity, his friendship with the president and commitment to Nigeria prompted them to woo him.

Orji said the visit was as a result of the resolution by the South-East PDP to visit Obi and persuade him to join the party for more meaningful contribution to national affairs.

“We are here today to discuss the future and progress of the SouthEast geo-political zone with our brother, Mr. Peter Obi, who was the immediate governor of Anambra State. Having reviewed with him the state of the country and how it affects

our people, we came to the conclusion that our interest in the country is better served when we remain together as brothers and sister under one party and speak with one voice, which Obi has championed over the years. We therefore appealed to him to join the PDP since that is the party majority of our people belong to,” he said.

In his speech, Akpabio while attesting to Obi’s electoral value said the PDP always lost in Anambra State because of the former governor, stressing that PDP would have won the Anambra governorship election if they had met Obi before the election.

He added that it was not late for him to join the PDP and work at the centre for the good of the country.

In his response, Obi said he was humbled by the visit, adding that the issue of

joining a national party is not about what is happening in APGA, but because of the need to be a competitor and not a spectator in national affairs.

“I most sincerely appreciate this visit by people I consider as important political leaders from the South-East. I thank you for your continued belief and commitment to the welfare of our people and the progress of our country.

“I have in the past worked closely with all of you and you know my belief about our zone working together. I assure you that we will continue to work even closer as a team in the interest of our people. Regarding your visit of today, let me assure you that I heard your kind and passionate requests and that your journey would not be in vain but in the best interest of our people,” he stated.

ment in the party against a Muslim-Muslim ticket of Buhari and Tinubu.

It was also learnt that Buhari has concluded arrangements to appoint Saraki as the Director General of his campaign organisation.

At present, a former PDP National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, is holding forth as the campaign coordinator.

A source told New Telegraph that Buhari had met with Saraki in Abuja in the past few days and the duo agreed to work together.

“At the meeting, Buhari told Saraki about his intention to run for the presidency. The former governor also informed the presidential aspirant about his intention to run for the same office, but later agreed to support Buhari,” the source said.

A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, may also hold a sensitive position in the Buhari’s campaign organisation.

“We are sure of winning the APC presidential ticket. So, we are working ahead. Saraki is on board.

Sylva will either head the Logistics or Finance Committee of the campaign,” an aide of the former head of state told New Telegraph.

It was further learnt

that Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, is to provide the director of media for the campaign organisation.

“He is looking towards picking a senior editorial staff of The Nation newspaper to fill the position,” the source added.

Meanwhile, Buhari has shifted his formal declaration earlier scheduled for today until October 15.

A statement yesterday

by Ogbeh, said: “The formal declaration ceremony

by General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) of his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been postponed by one week.

“The declaration earlier scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, will now hold on Wednesday, October 15, at Eagle Square, Abuja.

All earlier arrangements remain the same.”

New Telegraph learnt that the long Sallah holiday informed the shift as necessary logistics could not be provided for the declaration.

It was further learnt that pressure is being mounted on Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, to step down for Buhari.

Kwankwaso has indicated interest in the APC presidential ticket.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

7

8

News

controversy Ailing governor now staying in a guest house in Abuja, aide discloses Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

T

he raging controversy over the whereabouts of the Governor of Taraba State, Mr Danbaba Suntai assumed a new twist yesterday as a close loyalist of the ailing governor said he was hale and hearty but staying at a guest house in the highbrow Asokoro District in Abuja.

This is coming as political leaders in the state have nominated a consensus candidate to

wednesday, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Suntai not missing, says associate take over from Suntai when his tenure expires next year.

Suntai has been bedridden for about two years following the injuries he sustained in a plane crash on October 25.

2012. He returned to the country recently after several months of undergoing medical treatment abroad. His deputy and now Acting Governor, , Alhaji Garba Umar, had on Monday declared him missing, disclosing that he had not set his eyes on Suntai since he returned from his medical trip.

But a close associate of Suntai and former Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr Emmanuel Bello, yesterday disputed the position of

Umar on Suntai’s whereabouts. Bello said it was mischievous for the Acting Governor to declare his boss missing and explained that Suntai was in a location known to Umar and other citizens of Taraba State.

“He is in Abuja, somewhere in Asokoro. In fact, he is in General TY Danjuma’s Guest House, Asokoro. So how could he be missing? If anything, it is the Acting Governor, Alhaji Umar that is missing in action. He is missing in action because he has been unfaithful to his boss. He is there( guest house) because he needs to meet friends and associates to coordinate the political brinkmanship that is taking place

in Taraba.

“He is hale and hearty and he is even supposed to return to Jalingo in a matter of days to resume his normal duties as the Governor of Taraba State.

He remains the Governor anywhere and everywhere he goes until his tenure expires,” Bello said.

When New Telegraph confronted him with the allegation that there was something fishy about Suntai’s stay in the said guest house and that he was being manipulated by a certain powerful cabal in the state to achieve some political goals, Bello dismissed the idea. According to him, if there was any cabal in Taraba

State, it must be the one championed by the Acting Governor of the state to undermine Suntai. Efforts to get the reaction of Mr Kefas Sule, the Chief Press Secretary to the Acting Governor, were not successful Meanwhile, New Telegraph learnt that a former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma, one of the political leaders in Taraba State has already anointed a successor to Suntai ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Danjuma, who is believed to be one of the brains behind Suntai’s survival in office in spite of his health condition, has reportedly picked one Architect Dairus

L-R: Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed; former Governor of the State, Senator Bukola Saraki and Chief Executive Officer, PharmaAccess, Mr. Onno Schellekens, at the Community Health Insurance Scheme, Paris headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in France...yesterday

‘Ponmo consumption is dangerous to health’

D

r Isuwa Adamu, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), Zaria, yesterday warned against the consumption of animal hides and skin known locally as “ponmo”.

Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the consumption of the product as meat substitute was dangerous to health.

According to him, scientifically, ponmo does not have any nutritional value to human health.

“In fact, it is not advisable for you to consume ponmo in the sense that some of the animals killed and used for ponmo actually have skin

diseases.

“Some of these skin diseases are such that boiling them ordinarily, may not kill the bacteria,’’ Adamu said.

He added that some of the animals killed had been ill and undergoing injections, but the rearers went ahead to kill them, leaving the buyers vulnerable to chemicals in the animal skin.

“Some of the animals, because of the ailments that they have gone through, are sometimes treated by way of injection with chemicals.

“People don’t allow these chemicals to complete its cycle and be removed from the body; they sometimes go ahead to kill these animals.

BOG plans mega rally to mark six months of missing girls Yekeen Nurudeen, Abuja

A

s part of activities to advocate for the safe return of the over 200 Chibok Secondary School girls abducted by the Boko Haram group, the BringBackOurGirls# (BBOG) group has unveiled a plan to stage what it called a mega protest to mark six months after the girls were kidnapped.

The protest march which is scheduled to hold on October 14 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, will coincide with the date the girls were abducted by the terrorist group.

According to Aisha Yesufu, one of the spokespersons at the daily sit-

out of BBOG at Unity Fountain in Abuja, the protest march, which is intended to get the attention of the world to the missing girls, would be taken to the Presidential Villa to meet President Goodluck Jonathan.

“By October 14, it would be half a year that the girls have been missing. There would be a protest to the President’s Office to register that it is half a year that the girls have been held by Boko Haram” she said.

She added that BBOG, as part of the protest, would engage different stakeholders and seek mobilisation from some of the members of Chibok community both within and outside Abuja.

Ishaku as the consensus candidate to fly the flag of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Taraba State.

Isiaku, who hails from the Southern Senatorial District of Taraba State, was a former Minister of State for Power and currently, the Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

I will be back soon, says IBB Dan Atori MINNA

F

ormer Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida yesterday assured that he will be back to the country in few days time.

Babangida, who spoke on the telephone with Correspondents at Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu’s Tunga residence in Minna when General Abdulsalami Abubakar paid the governor a Sallah homage, said that he will be back very soon.

IBB, who spoke from Germany through General Abdulsalami’s phone, said “I miss all of you. I wish you all Barka de Sallah. I am better now and I will be back in few days time.

“I thank Nigerians for their prayers and well wishes. Insha Allah, I will be back to Nigeria very soon.”

It would be recalled that the former leader was hospitalised last month in a German hospital.

NLC, TUC rue Mimiko’s defection to PDP Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

T

he leaderships of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have condemned the exit of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State from the Labour Party (LP).

Mimiko announced his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Thursday.

In a statement jointly signed by NLC and TUC Presidents, Comrades Abdulwaheed Omar and Bobboi Bala Kaigama respectively, the two labour bodies lamented the exit of Mimiko from the LP. They both argued that the proposed convention

of the party in Akure, which venue was hitherto chosen in deference to the office of the then only Labour Party governor is no longer tenable.

NLC and TUC, therefore, called on members of the party, to refrain from participating in the convention called for October 11 in Akure.

The labour bodies added that they had cautioned on the dangers of proceeding with the proposed convention given a number of disturbing developments, including court challenges and factionalisation within the party.

This, they said, was done through the Labour Party Political Commission even before the Governor’s defection.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH wednesday, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Gbemi Saraki joins Kwara guber race Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

A

fter months of speculations, senator Gbemisola Saraki has decided to fight for the gubernatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state.

The former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Alliance Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) made her intentions known in a letter she personally wrote to the PDP leadership in the state.

With the declaration of her intention, the former federal legislator joins the swelling rank of aspirants within the party.

Those known to be in the race include presidential adviser on legislative matters, Senator Makanjuola Ajadi, Senator Simon Ajibola, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim and Mr. John Dara from Kwara south.

From Kwara central where Gbemisola hails, the list includes former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Dele Belgore, his brother Alhaji Kale Belgore, oil magnate Alhaji AbdulRazak AbdulRahman, and the chairman of the Federal Character Commission(FCC), Professor Shuaib Abdulraheem.

“This decision is informed, on the one hand, by calls by family members, friends and several thousands of members of our party who are convinced about my capacity to lead the state out of its present state of hopelessness and stagnation which the ruling party has deliberately thrown it into.

festival

It is a festival of endorsements in Enugu as Chime’s choice flies high Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

D

ifferent interest groups have continued to back the decision of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu to adopt House of Representatives member, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as its consensus candidate for the 2015 governorship election.

However, as the issue of Ugwuanyi’s candidacy continues to assume a centre-stage in the state, politicians keen at grabbing the party’s National and State Assembly tickets for the

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

T

he National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun yesterday explained why he shunned the award of Commander of the Niger (CON) recently bestowed on prominent Nigerians

by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Oyegun said he could not withstand the traumatic shock of the grave state of lawlessness and abuse of judicial process occasioned by the invasion of the court premises, venue of the election petitions tribunal sitting in Ekiti State by political thugs allegedly loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party governorelect, Ayo Fayose.

Oyegun, who spoke

Enugu: More groups back Uguwanyi coming general elections are currently involved in intense lobby on how to outmaneuver one another.

Meanwhile, a sociopolitical group, Enugu West, East and North Youth Movement, otherwise called Enugu threein-one Movement has praised Governor Sullivan Chime for supporting the endorsement of the aspirant.

The movement maintained that “the meeting of all the governorship aspirants and other stakeholders from Enugu North Senatorial District, (Nsukka zone), convened

by Chime at Government House Enugu on Friday September 26, 2014, which saw the emergence of Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate is a watershed

in the political history of the state”.

The group, therefore commended the political maturity and wisdom of Chime for taking the proactive step, which it said has greatly reduced tension in the state.

In a statement signed by the chairman of the Movement Mr. Anthony Chijioke and made available to journalists in Enugu, the group described Ugwuanyi as “the most credible, capable, accessible and acceptable aspirant that will deliver the goods to the people of Enugu state, a unique politician whose friendship and humanitarian activities cut across the state.”

The group said more about the lawmaker whom it described as a

unique politician: “Hon. Ugwuanyi is a bridge builder with no political baggage. He is a friend of all and a very effective lawmaker that has attracted so many projects to his constituency and state in general”.

In another reaction to the controversy over the endorsement, a socio cultural organization, under the banner of Oganiru Nsukka Forum (ONF), has also frowned at the protest lodged by Senator Ayogu Eze over Ugwuanyi’s choice.

While hailing Governor Chime and PDP stakeholders in the state over the development, the group described the decision as “wonderful”, urging anyone aggrieved to bury the hatchet but key into the

project which they say is a popular decision.

Yet, another group which has also okayed the choice of the emerging governorship candidate, on its own part spoke ahead of the 2015 general elections, urging Governor Chime to ensure that zoning arrangements which have been working in the state are followed as electioneering kicks off.

The politicians operating under the aegis of Nsukka West Constituency Emancipation Forum, said in their statement in Enugu that zoning of elective offices in the state in the past years had ushered in peace in the state as well as reduced unnecessary litigation, rift, and rancor among political players.

Passengers returning after the Eld-el-Kabir holiday, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) , Lagos…yesterday.

Odigie-Oyegun: I shunned national honour because of Ekiti crisis during an interview with newsmen in Benin Edo State capital, said the ugly incident depicted grave danger and highest form of judicial desecration in the history of the nation and therefore must not be allowed to be swept under the carpet by the country’s judiciary.

He said the leadership of APC was working round the clock to ensure the country’s judicial system to stands on its feet to decide if Nigerian people still obey law and order or not.

“I reacted because I was truly traumatized. I know this country has degenerated but I didn’t know it has degenerated that far.

I personally did not go to receive the national award of Commander of the Niger (CON) because at that stage.”

9

Ebola: Experts converge on Abuja Obinna Odoh Abuja

T

he Federal Government is set to convene a high level meeting of experts and stakeholders on the Ebola Virus Disease in Abuja on October 9, 2014.

The meeting is expected to review the current national efforts and available resources with a view to developing a roadmap for research on Ebola and other emerging diseases in Nigeria.

The meeting is being convened under the auspices of the Treatment Research Group on the Ebola Virus Disease.

This was contained in a press statement issued by the ministry and signed by Director of Information,

Mrs. Ayotunde Adesugba.

The meeting which will attract experts and stakeholders across the nation under the auspices of TRG on the Ebola Virus Disease will be declared open by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

On August 4, 2014 as part of the National Response to the Ebola Virus Diseases outbreak in Nigeria, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, inaugurated the Treatment Research Group on the Disease which immediately begun work based on its terms of reference.

Mrs. Adesugba said: “The experts will review the current national efforts and available resources.”

PHOTOS: TONY EGUAYE

Johannesburg stock exchange partners Nigeria, Kenya Biodun Oyeleye

T

he Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has launched the first currency futures that will track the exchange rate between the Rand, the Naira and the Kenyan Shilling, bringing together three countries that have over $10 billion in annual trade relations.

The move, according to experts will create a reliable platform where corporate organisations and fund managers can be secured against the usual vitalities in currency values across the region. Nigeria and Kenyan were selected among other countries because the two nations rank among the top ten economies in Africa.

A statement by the African Press Organization on the development stated that currency futures allow investors as well as importers and exporters to protect themselves against the currency movement in the foreign country.

“The JSE is very excited about this new groundbreaking initiative as we have been working on this strategy for two years. With Africa being a global investment destination, it makes sense for the JSE as a major exchange player in Africa to be involved in providing appropriate products to mitigate currency risk and exposure when dealing in Africa,” says Warren Geers, General Manager, Capital Markets at the JSE.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

10

Metro UPU kicks as Delta burns 300 motorcycles

Gabriel Choba Ughelli

C

ontroversy has continued to trail the ban of commercial motorcycles in Delta State by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.

The umbrella body of Urhobo people, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), yesterday condemned the action of the state government through the Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Ben Ibakpa, for ordering the burning of motorcycles forcibly seized from their owners.

Investigation shows that on Saturday, over 300 commercial motorcycles popular known as Okada were confiscated in Sapele by the state Directorate of Transport in line with the government’s ban on the use of commercial motorcycles in Ika South, North and Sapele local government areas.

The motorcycles were said to have been taken to Mosogar in Ethiope West Local Government Area where they were burnt at the end of the Gammon Bridge.

The burning, near the country home of the UPU President General, Chief Joseph Omene, was supervised

by Igbakpa.

In a statement, the acting UPU President General, Chief J. O. Omene (JP), demanded that the government should, in the interest of justice, immediately compensate all those whose motorcycles were set ablaze.

The statement read in part: “The attention of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has been drawn to the act of the Commissioner for Transport (Hon. Ben Igbakpa) wherein, in purporting to carry out the directive of the Delta State Government against the ban of the use of motorcycles for commercial transportation in Sapele, seized about 300 motorcycles from their owners.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Two killed, 10 injured at Sallah party FATAL CELEBRATION The joy of Eid-el Kabir celebration turns sour when youths’ clash leads to the death of two persons on Lagos Island

Taiwo Jimoh

T

wo persons were feared dead while 10 others were injured at Patey Street on Lagos Island, after some youths clashed during a party to commemorate the Eid-el Kabir.

A witness said that youths at Patey Street gathered at the community square, to celebrate the Sallah festival on Sunday, when some armed youths from Lafiaji community, stormed the venue, started shooting sporadically and chasing people with dangerous weapons.

“When the youth from Lafiaji community started chasing people, two persons lost their lives and several others injured. In fact, more than 10 people were injured,” said the witness, who refused to disclose his name.

One of the residents, Babatunde Aremu, explained that the incident started about midnight.

He said: “We were celebrat-

Patey community square

ing the Sallah festival at our community square when some boys from Lafiaji attacked us.

We were surprised by their action. When we tried to resist, two people died and many others sustained injuries.”

Another resident, Lawal Ajao, said the reason for the attack was not known.

He said: “We are not quarrelling with them. When we could not control the Lafiaji’s boys any longer, one Alhaji Olohuntoyin Akindele put a

call to the Adeniji Adele Divisional Police Officer (DPO).

The DPO immediately sent his men to Patey Street, to maintain law and order.”

Ajao said that immediately the Lafiaji’s boys sighted the approaching police van, they started throwing bottles and sachet water at them. Some of them were eventually arrested.

When our correspondent visited the community, people gathered in groups to discuss

the incident.

A resident, Mr Akeem Alimi, urged Governor Babatunde Fashola and the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, to save them from the hoodlums.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said he was not aware of the incident, but would find out and get back to our correspondent.

However, at press time, he was yet to call back.

45 die, 80 survive in 1,158 fire disasters Muritala Ayinla

A

t least 1,158 fire accidents occurred in Lagos State between January and August 2014, killing 45 persons and destroying properties worth billions of naira.

It was discovered that the Lagos State Fire Service saved properties worth N69.48 billion while about 80 people were rescued.

According to a document showing monthly activities of the state fire agency, nine buildings collapsed within the period.

In all the fire incidents recorded across the state, eight children between one and three years old died as a result severe burns.

In most cases, the kids were

Oko-baba fire incident

locked in the rooms, unknown to other residents or forgotten owing anxiety while they were scampering for safety.

According to the document, in January alone, 119 fire calls were received and responded to while 246 fire incidents were

attended to in February and March.

Properties worth N27.36 billion were salvaged in the first quarter of the year alone.

Between April and June, 320 fire calls were responded to by the men of the state fire service.

A total of 112 fire incidents were recorded in April alone. In May, 109 fire disasters occurred in different parts of the state while 99 fire incidents were contained in June by the state fire service personnel. Twenty lives were lost while properties valued at N27.96 billion were saved during the period.

In July, 2014, the state recorded 92 incidences of fire disaster while 71 fire cases were also responded to by the Lagos State Fire Service in August. A life was lost in July while 5 people lost their lives in August fire tragedies.

Fadipe, however, said that the agency was able to withstand the kind of emergency calls rate due to the support and commitment of Governor Babatunde Fashola to the emergency agencies in the state.

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Nigeria loses revenue to illegal oil bunkering, says Navy Shun crime, Flora Onwudiwe

T

he Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command (WNC), Apapa, Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade, said that the Federal Government had lost a lot of revenue to illegal oil bunkering in Ikorodu, Lagos.

Alade disclosed this yesterday when the Navy ferried journalists from Marina, Apapa to Majidun/Arepo axis, where his men were combating illegal bunkering activities.

At Majidun, there were several jerrycans loaded with fuel still inside the water yet to be loaded into hired trucks.

Some empty jerrycans tied to wooden boats were floating while others were covered with leafs.

Alade said that huge damage had been done to various strategic installations in the country which, according to him, require substantial amount of money to repair.

He said: “These illegal activities have not only led to significant loss

Some of the seized kegs

in revenue accruable to the Federal Government, pipeline vandalism particularly has led to the pollution of the maritime environment which has also led to serious fire disasters resulting in loss of several lives and properties.”

The FOC said that communities like Majidun, Arepo, Ogolonto and Makoko in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State were known for illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism.

In carrying out their operations, he said the

perpetrators used selfpropelled barges, wooden boats and flat bottom boats to ferry the petroleum products to their various destinations.

He added that they were usually armed to attack anyone who attempted to interfere with their operation.

Alade said the operation was initiated by the Nigerian Navy and

supported by the Nigerian Army which had recorded successes as some arrests had been made but could not give any figure because the suspects were undergoing interrogations.

In the operation codenamed: “Operation Scatter,” over 2,000 jerrycans of refined petroleum loaded at the Naval Base, Apapa, were handed over

to the Area Manager, Monsimi Depot, Eluyefa Remi, by the NNS Beecroft, Commodore Daniel Ikoli.

Alade, who said that they were acting on the directive of the Naval Headquarters, disclosed that the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, had ordered zero tolerance to illegal marine activities.

He assured the populace that those arrested would be handed over to the appropriate authorities and would be prosecuted.

Alade, however, appealed to the residents of Majidun to bear with them.

He said: “Whatever we are doing is in the people’s interest. Not only that, it is actually in the interest of the economic survival of Nigeria. So they should bear with us.

“We are not brutalising anyone. The only problem I can see here is the issue of traffic, that comes about because of our deployment and once it is over, the road will be free. We are going to be here so long as the operation lasts.”

Lagos deploys 1,000 LASTMA, VIO personnel for Horn-free Day Muritala Ayinla

A

bout 1,000 personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) will be deployed on the roads on October 15 set aside as the Horn-Free Day. The LASTMA and VIS officials, according to the government, will take record of drivers who honk while driving.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, who disclosed this, also said that the government would honour professional drivers from private, public and corporate organisations, who had distinguished themselves in the performance

of their duty tomorrow.

Opeifa said that the that Drivers’ Appreciation Day, which would take place at Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hall, Nurudeen Olowopopo Avenue, Alausa, was meant to celebrate the drivers who had contributed to safe driving habits on Lagos roads.

While reiterating government’s commitment to promoting safety on the road, the commissioner said government set up the Lagos State Drivers Institute in 2009 to retrain and re-certify drivers as well as correct the deficiencies identified in their driving attitudes.

He appealed to the corporate organisations, who had been invited and had nominated their

LASTMA officials

drivers, to release them for the programme.

On the deployment of traffic and vehicle inspection personnel, Opeifa explained that officers would not arrest or sanction drivers who use horn while driving but caution them on the need to drive without necessarily honking.

He said: “There will be 1,000 LASTMA and Vehicle Inspection personnel on the road monitoring the horn. They will have a paper and take record of the number of times each person uses the horn per day while driving and that will give us the level of effect on whether it has reduced or not.”

Hit-and-run rider kills drunken man Taiwo Jimoh

A

The late Arthur

47-year-old man was killed on Saturday by a hit-and-run motorcyclist at Hotel Bus Stop on IgandoIyana Iba Road in Lagos.

The deceased, identified simply as Mr. Arthur, was said to have died the following day after the accident.

Witnesses said that the deceased was drunk.

The deceased had gone out on Saturday afternoon to mark the Sallah festival with his Muslim friends in Igando area of the state and

was returning home when he met his untimely death.

Arthur, a contractor with an aluminium firm, went out with a friend, identified as Mr Charles.

Arthur was knocked down by the motorcyclist about 8pm but he was abandoned at the spot without any medical attention till the following morning.

When Arthur did not return home, friends and family members became worried. This forced Charles to retrace his steps to where they went to celebrate Sal-

lah. He found Arthur and rushed him to a private hospital at Carwash Bus Stop, Idimu, where he eventually died.

It was learnt that the case was reported at the Idimu Police Station and Charles was said to have been arrested and interrogated by the police.

When our correspondent got to the station yesterday, some relatives and friends of the deceased were discussing his death. They wondered why passers-by did not help Arthur to a nearby hospital.

kidnapper tells youths Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

A

suspected robbery/kidnap kingpin, Chukwuma Ukala, now in police net in Enugu State, has appealed to the youth to shun all forms of criminalities in order not to suffer the fate now starring him in the face.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebere Amaraizu, said in a bulletin yesterday that the arrest of the kingpin was a major feat by the state Police Command.

The PPRO said the suspect had been on the police wanted list for quite some time.

Amaraizu said with the arrest of the notorious criminal last Sunday and some other arrests made in recent times, the police were winning the war on crime and criminality.

He said: “There has been a harvest of arrests of several suspected criminals since the renewed onslaught on them.

“Following the onslaught, the operatives of the central police station of the Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, acting on the intelligence gathered, arrested a notorious armed robbery and kidnap kingpin who has been on the wanted list of the operatives owing to his involvement in perpetrations of crime ranging from kidnapping to armed robbery.”

Amaraizu explained that the suspect, also known as AKIDI, was picked up at a black spot at Udi Siding axis of Enugu metropolis on Sunday.

“He is now helping the operatives in their investigations on his alleged nefarious activities.

“The suspect, who is regretting his action, has advised the youth to eschew crime and embrace good virtues as every day is for a thief and one day for the owner of the house,” the PPRO said.

12

News

strike

No resumption of schools as teachers ask for August, September wages Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

P

upils and students in public primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State hoping to begin a

PDP grants waivers to Kwara aspirants Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

K

wara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it has secured blanket waivers for all new entrants into the party seeking elective posts in the 2015 general elections.

But each aspirant must have paid sums ranging from N50, 000 to N500, 000 as mandatory contribution to the purse of the party before being considered. Governorship aspirants are expected to pay the highest amount with those seeking tickets to the House of Assembly, paying the least.

Chairman of the party in Kwara State, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, who made these disclosures while inaugurating the Party’s Aspirants Forum (PAF), however, warned them not to allow defeat in the forthcoming primaries of the party lead to the disintegration of the party.

He also tasked the aspirants on the need to contribute to the party’s fund raising programme slated for this month as a demonstration of their commitment.

wednesday, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ekiti: More crisis as teachers stay home over unpaid salaries new session today will have to wait at home for a while as teachers in the state have embarked on an indefinite strike.

The teachers are on strike to protest the nonpayment of their August and September salaries as well as the deductions made from their July salaries.

The teachers strike came amid calls for a peaceful transition on October 16, by concerned stakeholders in the state.

Minister of State for Works, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, and a political group, the Peace Initiative Group, called on stakeholders in the state

LAFIA

T

he Tiv community in Nasarawa State yesterday adopted an Abuja-based journalist, Jonathan Ipaa, as its candidate for Obi I Constituency in the 2015 general elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The community with over 60, 000 registered voters has also made the case for the leadership of the party in the state to consider the candidacy of Ipaa in the consensus arrangement for the party’s primaries slated for October this year.

Consequently, the community had presented

ries.

He said the government has no justification to ask his members to resume duties, when they were being owed two months salaries and other allowances, while local government workers had been paid up to September.

Teachers were supposed to resume for the 2014/2015 school year on September 17, but the resumption was later postponed due to the threat of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Akosile said the body has no option other than to continue with the strike embarked upon by other civil servants in the state

last Thursday, over similar issues.

The NUT boss said: “How can we go back to work when we are being cheated? We cannot pretend that all is well, when my people are dying in silence. As we speak now, my people have not received August and September salaries, and we are also protesting the deduction in our July salaries.

“But to our surprise, local government workers have been paid up to September, so what is the justification for Governor Kayode Fayemi, to ask us to resume to duties?

“I hereby direct that

all our members must remain at home until we are paid, because I don’t want a situation whereby my people will be dying on the road or working with empty stomachs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Works, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, in a statement in AdoEkiti said: “Since Ekiti people have overwhelmingly expressed their preference for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Fayose, what should concern all right thinking stakeholders in Ekiti is the peaceful transition of power from the incumbent governor to the governor-elect.”

L-R: Special Adviser to Imo State Governor on Culture, Mr. Paddy Obinna; Governor Rochas Okorocha and Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, at the Imo Carnival in Owerri…on Monday.

Newsman joins Nasarawa Assembly race Cheke Emanuel

to desist from any action capable of disrupting the peaceful transition of power from the incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to the GovernorElect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

They said Ekiti is greater than the interests of any individual or group.

Disclosing the decision of the teachers to go on strike yesterday, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ekiti State, Comrade Samuel Akosile, who briefed journalists in Ado-Ekiti, lamented that Governor Kayode Fayemi had sidelined teachers in the state, especially with regards to the payment of their sala-

Ipaa to the PDP leaders in Obi after other contenders from Tiv land decided not to contest for the position.

Ipaa had contested in 2011 under the Labour Party (LP), but lost to Hon. Sidid Bako, of the PDP. Speaking after a stakeholders’ meetings held in Abuja and Lafia respectively, spokesperson of the PDP led Tiv leaders, Mr. Fidelis Baaki, said the position of the Tiv people has been presented to the senator representing the southern senatorial district, Suleiman Adokwe.

He called on party leaders and delegates to consider the choice of Tiv people for the House of Sssembly election in 2015 in the interest of fair representation.

Oyo: NUT urges Ajimobi to employ more teachers Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

S

ecretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State, Mr. Waheed Olojede, has called on Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, to employ more teachers to improve the level of education in the state.

He said government has not employed new teachers in primary and secondary schools in the last five years even when many teachers had either resigned or retired.

While identifying shortage of teachers as one of the factors responsible for the woeful performance of students in

this year’s West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the union leader urged Governor Ajimobi to expeditiously make good his administration’s promise to employ over 2,000 teachers.

Noting that it would not be fair to completely blame the teachers, parents and students for the dismal performance, in which the state was placed 24th among the 36 states of the federation, Olojede said: “A situation where a teacher is handling students, who are supposed to be handled by two or three teachers, and he has only two eyes, two ears, two hands, what miracle could one expect of him?

I’ll run a transparent government, says Solomon Temitope Ogunbanke

S

enate Minority Whip and Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Senator Ganiyu Olarenwaju Solomon, has promised to run a transparent and corruption-free government, if elected governor in 2015.

Speaking yesterday at the official declaration of his ambition and opening of his Ikorodu campaign office, Solomon said he is the most qualified among the APC gubernatorial aspirants, stressing that he has the knowledge, experience and commitment to deliver policies, programmes, projects and services that will enhance the quality of lives of the people.

The APC gubernatorial aspirant also debunked insinuations in some quarters that he is using his governorship aspiration to negotiate for a return to the Senate. He said there is no going back on his aspiration to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola in May 29, 2015.

He said his desire to become governor is borne out of the belief and determination to make a positive change in the lives of the people of the state.

“At the risk of sounding immodest, I wish to say that I stand as the most qualified among my colleagues, having contested and won elections into the local government, state Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate.”

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Self-determination

Polling units

$9.3m arms deal

2015 presidency

Ikedife: We won’t give up on Biafra

Reigning in Jega

Sam-Tsokwa: Why House won’t investigate $9.3m scandal

The endorsement of ‘clueless’ Jonathan

14, 15

16

17

48

13

Politics

2015: Fringe political parties slide to obscurity

Last week’s defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State from Labour Party (LP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dominated headlines for both the right and wrong reasons.

But more importantly, the governor’s voyage to the PDP may have potentially damaged the existence of a third force platform. WALE ELEGBEDE writes that there are few reasons to cheer and plenty to worry about on the potency of fringe parties as the general election approaches

A

common sight when election approaches is the crisscrossing of politicians from one political party to another and these movements, usually set the political landscape astir as it alter political permutations without any recourse to decency. Of course, the 2015 election

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodeleojo@yahoo.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

L-R: Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Deputy National Chairman Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Uche Secondus; Chief of Staff to the President, Brig.-Gen. Jones Arogbofa and others at the presentation of the PDP Flag to Governor Olusegun Mimiko in Abuja last week

is no exception.

Last Thursday, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko became the latest entrant into the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after jumping ship from the Labour Party (LP), the party on whose platform he contested and won the gubernatorial election in 2007 and 2012.

For political scholars, the most salient issue flowing from Mimiko’s defection from the miniature LP, was the increasing mopping of fringe parties from competitive politics, thereby reducing them to mere press statement-issuing parties.

Breaking the long silence After months of speculations, Mimiko finally put paid to his rumoured movement to the PDP after formally announcing

his defection last Thursday at a brief ceremony held inside the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. On hand to receive him to the party on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, was Vice-President Namadi Sambo. Joining the vice president to receive the train of defectors from the Sunshine State were Senate President David Mark; the PDP Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and members of PDP National Working Committee (NWC).

Speaking at the event, Mimiko, who once served as Secretary to the Government of Ondo State and later as Minister of Housing and Urban Development under the PDP before dumping it for LP in the wake of governorship ticket tussle in 2006, said the impera-

tive of a new, broader platform prompted his decision. He added that the decision is in the overall interest of the people of his state and the nation at large.

A glance into the political tracks of Mimiko portrayed a politician that has a penchant for jumping ship when he feels his interest is about being ruffled. Interestingly, he had always been lucky with his defection gamble, but whether his latest defection foray would produce another political magic wand is a different kettle of fish.

In 2002, while serving as Ondo State Commissioner for Health under Alliance for Democracy (AD), Mimiko resigned his appointment and declared his ambition to contest against his boss, the late Adebayo Adefarati. The rhythm of his beat against Adefarati then was,

“one governor, one term.” Seeing that his chances of picking the AD ticket were looking bleak, Mimiko defected from AD to PDP. After the election in 2003, he settled in PDP and was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) by the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu.

In July 2005, he was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.

Again, the lure for Ondo governorship seat made him resigned his federal appointment in 2006.

In no time, he dumped the PDP for the LP and emerged as its flag bearer. Due to a belated declaration of his victory in 2007, Mimiko finally assumed office as governor in 2008 following the ruling of a Court of Appeal CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

14

Politics

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ikedife:

We won’t stop agitation until Biafra gets selfdetermination Dr. Dozie Ikedife, erstwhile President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, is one of those pursuing self-determination for Biafra. His group, the Supreme Council of Indigenous People of Biafra, has dragged the Federal Government to court over the bid. In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE and TONY OKAFOR, he speaks on the agitation, endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for 2015 elections and how the National Conference failed to address the yearnings of the South-East. Excerpts:

Ikedife

How do you see the outcome of the National conference? And do you believe that the recommendations will be implemented?

I understand that the president has set up an implementation committee to look at the whole thing. My take is that the outcome of the conference, conclusions and recommendations can be classified into four. First is the group that can just be implemented by the president as an executive action without any further recommendation to anybody. Second is the group that may require the National Assembly to pass enabling laws before they can be implemented. Then the third is the group that may require consulting the entire populace; by that I may call it going for referendum. Then the fourth and last compartment are those recommendations that should be left at the floor of the conference as not practicable, not implementable.

These are the four pigeon-holes under which the recommendations can be classified. It is too soon to say that it is being abandoned. The implementation may take one shape or the other. Don’t forget these things were produced in three volumes, over 1000 pages. So, let us not be too pessimistic thinking that

everything is going to go bad. Let us maintain some modicum of hope and optimistic outlook.

I am sure the president knows well and I am also sure that the amount invested to host the conference would not be wasted just like that. I am also very hopeful that it will not be like other conferences, where the conclusions and recommendations were left on the shelves from there into the archives. If this is toyed with, I’m afraid that nobody can predict the outcome because at the time this conference was convened, there was a lot of anger in the country. It was rumoured that there were people who didn’t want the conference to hold at all. And if there are people who didn’t want it to hold, obviously there are some people who wouldn’t want it to succeed.

And I don’t think the president is too chicken-hearted that he would not want to implement the good recommendations that were made at the conference, or follow up with the amendments that were recommended. We shouldn’t expect that everything will fail.

What is your reaction to the outburst by a former military officer, Gen. John Shagaya,

who described the conference as a grand deceit?

Shagaya is entitled to his opinion. We are still in a democracy; we still have freedom of speech and I don’t want to dwell much on a private opinion like that. That is his own view. I am sure that is not the view held universally. Grand deceit to deceive who? Who is deceiving who? Grandstanding to deceive who?

We must give ourselves some credibility. We must give ourselves chance of doing something that is right. We must not be so negative, so pessimistic in everything. As I said earlier, some people didn’t want it, some didn’t want it to succeed. So, you must know that there is a wide spectrum of views and opinions on this matter. There are some people who would want to say opposite of what Gen. John Shagaya said. There are some who would say it was a grand success. Some may say this is the best thing that has happened to Nigeria. To bring Nigerians together to sit and talk about issues that concern Nigeria, and you said it is a grand deceit, who is deceiving who? I don’t agree with him.

We learnt that some Igbo elders have gone

to court to continue the struggle for Biafra.

At what level are you now?

First, I want you to understand what that body went to court for. The body is called the Supreme Council of Indigenous People of Biafra, the leadership of the body went to court through Billie Human Rights Initiative, which is a corporate body. And the idea is to give interpretation and implementation to the United Nations declaration of 2007, which said any group of indigenous people may be allowed self-determination. That act or pronouncement or enactment has been accepted by the African Union and by extension Nigeria. It is important to understand the thrust of the case. It is supported by other subordinate events.

Most of the people in the Biafra land are Christians. Nigeria has quietly become a member of the Organisation of Islamic Council (OIC), and there is an attempt to Islamise the whole of Nigeria and the people in the Biafra land who are mainly Christians say they don’t want this. There is still secularity of religion in Nigeria.

So, these are supporting arguments. They have not yet gone to International Court of Justice because this is the thrust of question. You know legal processes are

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

I don’t think the president is too chicken-hearted that he would not want to implement the good recommendations that were made at the conference or follow up with the amendments that were recommended to be made. We shouldn’t expect that everything will fail

sometimes slow but once it comes, to a conclusion, the court will give a ruling.

What stage are you now?

We had setbacks and our motions are being argued. We are still at the court of first instance.

Federal High Court?

Yes. The case was scheduled for hearing in September. We have gone through all these skirmishes, motions and counter-motions. The case is now ripe for hearing.

What is the status of the case now?

We actually wanted to start the case at the Supreme Court but we feel that as a group, we can’t start any case in Supreme Court because it is largely a constitutional matter; to know whether we have the right to self-determination or not. And we say alright, let us argue it at the Federal High Court. The case was rescheduled to have been heard on October 7, which was a public holiday. So, we have to go to court now to get another date. If the case goes ahead and gets to the Supreme Court; if we are not satisfied, we will take it to the International Court of Justice. We want to exhaust all

possible legal processes but if Nigeria agrees that we should leave after conducting a plebiscite, that is good.

You saw what happened recently, the Scottish people who wanted to go. There was no fighting; they just went on a referendum and they lost 45 to 55. Now, it shows that the majority of the people don’t really want it. But they said that it is not the end of the matter that they are going to go on until they get what they want because they believe the campaign by white government was so powerful and it confused some of their people. So, that is the stage.

But the issue of Biafra self-determination has not received the backing of the political leaders from the South-East. I mean the governors, lawmakers and political leaders?

Don’t push me into talking about some of our political leaders who are really leading for the benefit of themselves.

In any case, whether there is majority of people in support or not, you will only know if we go for plebiscite. If majority of people say they don’t want it, fair enough. If on the other hand, majority of the people say they want it, then it should be given consideration.

I have not taken a census, but I know that many people are fed up and they want this country separated because there is so much hatred, mistrust and anger. And you know very well that the people of South-West are talking about Oduduwa State. You know also in the North, they are talking of 12 Sharia States. Will you have 12 Sharia states and still have Nigeria as it is today? The answer of course is no. As a matter of fact, I will tell you that the people of SouthSouth are also angry and eager to be on their own, so also the North-Central. In fact, the people who are least prepared for self-determination and being on their own is the people of South-East because they have been indoctrinated into believing in one Nigeria. They contributed so much in the unity of this country; they build houses, investments and businesses all over the country.

Are you carrying the governors and political leaders of the South-East along in this?

Political parties are for political purposes. The leadership of the people is often not in the hands of political leaders or political parties. You don’t know who are with you until you put it to test.

I cannot say any governor is supporting us; there is none and I cannot say any governor is against us because none has told me to shut up, or that I am on my own. The only way of putting this to test is asking the people: ‘Do you want to go or you want to stay?’ Doing that in secret ballot, the result will show. If you want to have 10 houses and eight of them are in the North, one in Lagos and one in some other places and you are telling me to pull out of Nigeria, of course I will be reluctant. So, you can understand that.

Looking at the slow judicial process, the case may drag for so long in the court. Won’t this discourage the self-determination bid?

How else do you want us to do it?

We are aware and it may not happen in my life time. I am not saying it must happen so that I will take the glory. But let us start the process. Ralph Uwazuruike has been talking about it. He kept the flag of Biafra in people’s mind. We are not expecting drastic result. If we want drastic result then we would take up arms, but I don’t think that is healthier in the agenda. We don’t want anything that will cause any problem.

But there is a group seeking for repatriation for the Igbo?

What is wrong with that? Don’t forget that before MKO Abiola died, he was championing a move for us to ask for repatriation because of our brothers and sisters that were taken away into slavery.

So, such compensation can be given at any given time.

Will you be satisfy with the repatriation and forget the self-determination?

It is repatriation and self-determination. You can keep the repatriation, give us the self-determination? Repatriation is a rider on self-determination.

What is the position of Ohanaeze on this matter?

Well, Ohanaeze is talking more about repatriation but don’t forget that Ohanaeze is an organisation that focuses more on socio-cultural issues rather than structure of government or politics.

But one would have thought that the National Conference had already addressed the yearnings of the Igbo?

How has any of it been addressed? I think you followed the National Conference discussion very well. Tell me, where Igbo issue was addressed? There is none that is specific as Igbo issue.

What about creation of additional state in South-East What about the additional states that were mapped out? Are they all Igbo states? The question of giving one additional state is an issue that should not even come to discussion. It should follow automatically. It is part of marginalisation and cheating. I believe giving additional state to South-East has not really addressed Igbo issue because that is not Igbo issue. The Igbo issue is why do people hate the Igbos? Let them be on their own; then you can carry on.

So the Igbo did not achieve anything with the National Conference?

Whatever they achieved hasn’t solved their problems. After all at the 2005 Political Reforms Conference, the creation of additional state in South-East was agreed. Has it been implemented? That you said you are creating 18 states, have you created them?

There have been conflicting signals from Ohanaeze over the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan. What is your take on this?

I was president of Ohanaeze some years back and since then one other person has come and gone in the person of late Ambassador Ralph Uwuche. Now, there is a little bit of premature statement; statement made without proper consultation and discussions. You should not cry more than the bereaved. President Jonathan has not declared that he is going to run for president in 2015 and every Tom, Dick and Harry is jumping up to support him so that he will start giving them recognition and say they supported me first. I mean it is like putting the cart before the horse. Before you give support, you must discuss with the man and say this is where the shoe is pinching us; will you help us there so that we can give you our votes; otherwise we would give it to somebody who would address our challenges. That is how it is done. You will negotiate and agree; you don’t just jump up and say I am supporting you. That is why there are discordant tunes. Somebody is saying X and somebody is saying Y and somebody says until something happens.

So what should be the position of the Igbo in 2015?

Discus with Jonathan; we will give you support on this condition that you will not allow this marginalisation to continue. That you will give us what belongs to us. We are not asking what is not due to us; just give us what is due to us and give to others what is due to them. If we have a president who will come and with even handedness with distribution of appointments, patronages and whatever you have, nobody will care where

15

it comes from.

What is your take on the controversy surrounding creation of additional polling units

by INEC? This is part of what I am saying. If things are done with even handedness, nobody would be crying. But sometimes when things are done, you see lopsidedness in it; then people cry. That is another practical example. What is the basis for that distribution? Yes, there is need for creation of additional polling units, what is the rationale and formulae used for the creation. Some of us don’t feel happy with the arbitrariness. If we have the State of Biafra, we shall not do things arbitrarily. Anything that is done, people will see this is the reason and it is well done.

Fairness would lead to contentment and unfairness would always lead to protest. Since the indigenous people of Biafra are being treated poorly, that is why we feel unhappy and we are saying; “Please let us go; let us be self-determined. Let us die in our hunger in our place peacefully.

Leave us alone. There is God o.

With what looks like a full blown war by the insurgents, do you think that the 2015 elections are feasible?

Yes. I think the election is still feasible.

For one thing, the insurgence is very active. Don’t forget that there are 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria today and the trouble is centred around three North-East states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa. In the other 33 states and Abuja, the election can confidently hold there and even in spite of that, an election was held recently and gubernatorial election is about to hold in Adamawa State to replace Nyako who was impeached. There is no time in a situation where we cannot improvise. I trust that the election will hold in 2015 and very successfully in at least 33 states and the FCT. And the preparedness of INEC is such that they can even stagger elections, so that they can use all the forces they can muster.

I don’t see why the election should not hold, but one seems to smell some type of manipulation going on. One, many people who are of age have not been given their voting cards. Two, in allocation of new polling units, there is a lopsided distribution. Three, in registration of people who are maturing to voting age, the capturing has not been as thorough as it should be. So, all these are little things that give one a little bit of anxiety. I hope the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and his team are up to the task. If they cannot conduct one election in one country, let them take the advice of segmenting it.

India ran their election over seven weeks.

You stagger the election in order to be able to have very good, reliable result that will be rancour-free, accepted, free and fair.

How do you see the lingering crisis in MASSOB? Now the crisis in MASSOB, one needs to get more facts before one can make serious comments, but I was not happy when I heard that there was a showdown. In Biafra land and wherever they are, even brothers from the same family sometimes have disagreement; husband and wife sometimes have disagreement; children and father have disagreements, friends have disagreements.

They mustn’t blow it out of proportion, so that after the storm, there would be calm. And I am speaking not because I am a member of MASSOB. I am not but I believe that occasionally there may be a point of disagreement. And then after this disagreement, you go back to the table and fashion out some agreement.

No relationship is smooth from day one to the end and we shouldn’t exaggerate this one even though a minor issue, once life is involved it ceases to be a minor issue. I expect it should be resolved.

16 Politics CHUKWU DAVID looks at the raging conflict over the creation of additional 30,000 polling units by the Chairman of the Independent National

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Polling units: Reigning in Jega

Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega and the recent threat by the Senate to reverse the decision

T

he recent adventure by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega in creating additional 30,027 polling units across the country, preparatory for the 2015 general election appears to have crashed the hitherto high tower of integrity he built over the years. The controversy and outrage that have trailed that singular action are enormous and have overheated the system.

Jega had in June this year announced the plan of the electoral umpire to create new polling units in the country to decongest the existing 120,000 polling units. In his new arrangement, the whole northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were allocated 21,615 polling units representing 70 per cent or while the Southern states got 8,412 units representing about 30 per cent.

Immediately this was made public, it provoked anger, rage and protests amongst the southerners, particularly within the ranks of the leaders of thoughts in the region, who accused Jega of promoting and implementing an orchestrated ethno-religious agenda.

The leadership of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA), for instance, asked the INEC chairman to resign from office with immediate effect.

SNPA, which was led by former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; onetime Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark; Senator Femi Okurounmu and Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, tackled Jega for allegedly promoting an ethnic agenda by favouring the North against the South in the contentious proposal.

The SNPA said: “Jega cannot exculpate himself from being a proponent of ethnic agenda; we are the least surprised that he has been recruited to perfect the ploy of some persons from parts of this country to truncate our nascent democracy.

“With the indefensible employment of proportional representation and equality as parameters, Jega decided not to equilibrate but to marginalize the entire southern Nigeria by arbitrarily and capriciously allocating 21,615 polling units to the North as against 8,412 polling units to southern Nigeria.”

Jega

Similarly, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, added its voice in rejecting the pattern of distribution of the additional polling units, demanding that the action be reversed immediately.

Afenifere said: “This exercise is an attempt to create rigging and more importantly, create permanent electoral dominance that will create crisis among Nigerians. We reject in totality and we are passing a vote of no confidence in Jega’s capacity to conduct free and fair election if these units are not cancelled immediately.”

Jega has dared his critics, saying he would not resign his position but conduct the 2015 general election with the best intention and in national interest.

He insisted that the commission would not rescind its decision on the new PUs. His words: “I am not an ethnic or religious jingoist. My antecedents are there; I have been accused of many things. Those who don’t want progress resort to sponsoring fictitious groups to pull us down.

“These critics are mischiefmakers who hang everything on ethnic or religious context.

That is not the case as far as INEC is concerned; there is nothing we can do. We believe that all rational thinking people in those groups will later see reason with us. This is not the first time people are calling for my resignation or being fired. I will be there in 2015.”

The opposition against Jega’s additional PUs escalated last week Tuesday as the Senate waded into the crisis, prevailing on the INEC chairman to suspend the proposed creation till after the 2015 general election to avoid plunging the nation into another era of political eclipse.

Uba

No matter how meritorious that move is, I think it has been compromised by suspicion and the fairest thing INEC should do is to discontinue with the exercise until more auspicious period

The Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Andy Uba had in an interaction with journalists in Abuja, threatened that the Red Chamber will overrule Jega if he disregards the intervention of the lawmakers and go ahead to create the additional 30,000 pulling units.

Uba said that the Senate had held a meeting with the INEC chairman in addition to writing him a letter, asking him to suspend the controversial proposal, which has been attracting negative criticisms to the commission’s leadership.

Fielding questions from journalists on what was viewed as hard position taken by the INEC over the new polling units, Uba said: “We have sent a letter to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and we expressed our reservations over the planned creation of additional polling units across the country.”

He acknowledged that though the proposal was a good one, the timing was wrong and should be suspended until a more convenient time to save the polity from unnecessary wrangling and confusion as the election year approaches.

Uba said: “What he is doing is good but the timing is wrong. We are close to an election year and we have so many displaced people in the North Eastern part of the country.

So, where will the INEC put the new polling units?”

He noted that some of the explanations given by INEC were genuine, but with elections very close, such exercise should be suspended, stressing

that if the commission went ahead with the exercise, the Senate would have no other option than to overrule the commission.

According to him, “If they continue with it (the 30,000 PUs), we will pass our resolution; it is simple, and once we pass our resolution, is he going to go ahead and say that he doesn’t care? There are consequences when you say you don’t care. But I know he is a gentleman and he is a man that keeps to his words.

“We had a meeting with Jega and we have sent him a letter. He should know it is all about his integrity as people are saying he is plotting something but that is not our business. And I don’t believe that there is something he has in mind against anybody or anything.

“But all I am saying is that, and all we are saying is that, the timing is wrong. It needs time for them to educate the people but it is good idea because it will decongest these polling units. It makes things work faster.”

The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, while also reacting to the INEC additional polling units, said: “Let me say this, that irrespective of the merits that I don’t see, if INEC insists that there is merit in what they are doing, irrespective of the alleged merit, I think the timing is absolutely inauspicious.

“The timing is wrong, the timing is insensitive. I think it should be suspended until the next rounds of elections are over. It shouldn’t be such a major move, it shouldn’t be on the eve of an election; it should be when we are far away from elections so that motives are not inputted into it.

“No matter how meritorious that move is, I think it has been compromised by suspicion and the fairest thing INEC should do is to discontinue with the exercise until more auspicious period.”

With this stiff opposition coming from the Southern Nigeria and the Senate Committee on INEC, Jega has the option to hearken to voices of reason from sections of the country feeling marginalised in his proposal and rescind his decision or snub the people and the counsel of the parliament and face the consequences.

However, it is not going to be an easy task to override Jega because it will certainly split the lawmakers along ethnic, religious and party lines.

Unless the Senate tow the path of patriotism and nationalism, the conflict will eventually reduce to a battle between the southern senators and their northern counterparts. And if at the end of the day the ayes fail to get the requisite number of votes to upturn Jega’s proposal, his arrangement stands.

Nigerians are watching with deep interest to see the end of the imbroglio.

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Hon. Albert Tanimu Sam-Tsokwa is the chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Rules and Business. In this interview with PHILIP NYAM, he speaks on a wide range of issues, including the aborted motion on $9.3 million arms deal and $50,000 bribery allegation.

Excerpts: Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently walked out of the plenary in protest to the ruling of the deputy speaker that Hon. Abdulrahman Kawu’s motion on the seized $9.3 million should not be debated. What really happened?

What transpired on the floor of the House is nothing new because in advanced legislature of the world, lawmakers walkout of the assembly. It will not start here and it will not end here, but my advice to Kawu and other lawmakers is that next time they should lobby their colleagues because the nays carried the day. We had advised Kawu to step down his motion for another legislative day but he refused and the majority had their way and like you know, the minority will always have a say but the majority must always have their way. The APC lawmakers would have studied the mood of the House before going ahead with the motion; they had the option of stepping down the motion till the time they would have more members on their side.

Kawu made the House to move a motion of urgent public importance and Mr. Speaker directed that the motion should be taken the next legislative day, Spokesman for the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement recently accused the deputy speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who presided at the session of manipulating proceedings. What is your take?

Everybody is a layman in a field he or she is not an expert and so everyone is ignorant of an area he or she is not conversant with. Alhaji Lai Mohammed is ignorant of the proceedings and workings of the parliament and in this case the House of Representatives. He does not know how we operate, so he speaks from the point of ignorance.

Let me say that the deputy speaker has been chairing the proceedings of the House and each time he has to speak, he has been patriotic and always put the national interest first. Let me also say that members of the 7th Assembly always act in national interest.

In the Standing Orders of the House, the House is precluded from entertaining any issue that is in court. In the same vein, the House has said issues that border on security and infrastructure development once tabled should be referred to relevant committees for necessary legislative actions. The $9.3 million is an investigative motion and cannot and must not be taken and that was exactly what happened. The mover of the motion was not supposed to take it on that day but the deputy speaker in his usual magnanimous manner obliged him to take it even though the motion was not on the notice paper.

You raised a motion on violation of privilege about the $50,000 bribery allegation. You denied that you never received anything. Can you vouch for other Peoples

Sam-Tsokwa: Why House won’t investigate $9.3m arms deal years behind us, we are on the last of the relay, and we want to assure Nigerians that we will keep faith with the legislative agenda.

Then elections are around the corner. We have in our hands the amendment to the Electoral Act and there is a time frame within which to complete that before we close. The second reading has been taken and it was referred to a committee. I want to assume that as we resume, the relevant committee will lay its report and we will expedite action on it and we will ensure that we pass the electoral bill before the election. But one of our babies that is very close to our heart is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) issue; that was the first bill that was introduced when the Seventh House came into the office, but action on it was stopped at the instance of the executive which lasted for more than a year before they brought it back complicated. I thank God that the House committee has almost finalised action on the PIB and will soon lay the report. We will expedite action and make sure that we passed it before the lifespan of the Fourth Assembly lapses.

Sam-Tsokwa

Issues that border on security and infrastructure development once tabled should be referred to relevant committees for necessary legislative actions. The $9.3 million is an investigative motion and cannot and must not be taken and that was exactly what happened

Democratic Party (PDP) members in the House?

On the floor of the House, I made it clear that my state, Taraba, has been a PDP state since 1999. I never attended any meeting where the issue of $50,000 was discussed; talk less of receiving $20,000. I told you that the $9.3 million motion came as a surprise to everybody.

So, we couldn’t have taken money to stop a motion that we did not know was going to be raised on the floor. I spoke for myself and for my state. Nothing was shared to us.

Secondly, the people who went to South Africa with the money are not PDP. The jet is owned by a clergy man who is not a PDP member. If they were PDP members, the APC would have hinged on it to run down PDP. I advise the APC to go and prepare for elections instead of heating up the system.

But people say the owner of the jet is a close friend of the president….

I don’t know if he is a close friend of the president. The man is president, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and I am not aware that the president is a CAN member. And even if he is Mr. President’s friend and commits a crime, how does that affect the president? If I am your friend and you commit an offence, do I have to be held responsible?

The House has commenced the last session of the 7th Assembly; what are the issues that are likely to be considered before the House winds up?

The House of Representative has a pact with Nigeria based on our legislative agenda, which we put in place on the first day of action. We put three

The creation of additional polling units ahead of 2015 polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has generated heated debate. Some individuals and groups are even calling for the resignation of Prof. Attahiru Jega. What is your take on this?

INEC more than anyone in this country is in a better position to decide where a polling unit should be sited and how many are required. It is an administrative act: every polling unit is expected to have a maximum of 500 voters and as we speak now, I know there are polling units in Nigeria that have more than 2,000 voters. The only thing is that there is voter apathy on the part of the voters otherwise, how do we imagine or expect 2,000 people to vote in a polling unit in one day. It is not possible.

Those who are challenging Jega with the greatest respect are ignorant of the INEC Act. We are aware that our population is increasing and if our population is increasing on daily basis, many more Nigerians are qualifying to vote.

The polling units we use today were created many years ago, so, unless we believe that our population is decreasing, I don’t see any reason why anybody should challenge the creation of additional polling units. Let us bear in mind the fact that the problem we had in Nigeria before the civil war was that the North as a region was bigger than the West, South and East put together.

Now even with the creation of states, that fact still remains, the only difference is that we now have states instead of regions. When you come to the issues of procreation, the Islamic religion permit for four wives, traditional religion permits more than four wives and this is definitely in the North. It is not like in the East where Catholicism is predominant or in the West where Islam and Christianity mixed there. So, the rate of population growth in this country is not uniform. Whatever things we do here in Nigeria, let us talk about the unity of Nigeria; let us remove politics from certain things. Those calling for the removal of Prof. Jega are just being pushed by politics and not driven by facts. It is only fair that we should encourage INEC. If we have to make suggestions, let us make them.

18

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion

Menace of global terror

Mike Arayuwa Wilkie

T

error has been acknowledged as a global menace to mankind. The United Nations defined it as “criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes, and are, in any circumstance, unjustifiable whatever the considerations of a political, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.” This definition is all embracing and I do not intend to over-blow it except to add that the history of terror is as old as man’s willingness to revenge or affect politics in the 1st century BCE (13thC) till date.

The Sicarii was a Jewish terror group. The group murdered carelessly those who stood on its way to overthrow their Roman Rulers who originated from Judea.

In the 11th -13th Centuries, the Hashhashin (meaning ‘assassins’ in English) was a secretive Islamic sect whose operational bases were in Iran and Syria. During this period, the group murdered Abbasid and Seljuk political gladiators, which was even shocking to the existing terror organisations at the time. These were some of the terror killers within the context of ancient times and the pre-modern world until the French revolution of 1789.

Maximum Robespierre coined the word Terrorism in 1793 as a result of the French Revolution, during which period the enemies of the Revolution were dispatched to their untimely graves. In Great Britain, the Irish Catholics established the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the purpose was to fight for their own autonomy for the singular aim of becoming a sovereign state. However, the Irish Catholic failed to achieve their dream of sovereignty.

Right from the onset of the 20th century, the Kurds as an ethnic group, which spread across Turkey, Syria,

Iraq and Iran, have made all concerted efforts to have a Kurdistan state. In the 1970s, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was formed. The tactic to realise its aim was through terrorism.

In Sri Lanka, the liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam originated from the Tamil ethnic majority who used suicide bombing, lethal and other dangerous tactics to fight the Sinhalese Government for the purpose of achieving a separate sovereign state. In spite of their high spirited efforts, so far, they are still part and parcel of the Sri Lanka.

In 1960-1970, terrorism was externalized and it became international. For instance, in 1968, an EL AL Flight was hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. After 20 years from the date of this hijacking, the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in Scotland was blown up.

All passengers in the said plane died. It was shocking to the entire world.

The 1972 Munich Olympics saw the bloody massacre of Israeli athletes by the “Black September,” a Palestinian terror gang. According to the murderous group, its action was to negotiate the release of their persons who were arrested and detained in Israeli prisons.

Another terror group outside the Middle East was “Weathermen,” a product of a group of students in America, who turned violent to protest against the Vietnam War. It was to dissuade the American Government from partaking in the unproductive and senseless Vietnamese war, which brought horror and ugly news to the American people.

In 1979, “The contras,” a counter revolutionary militia was formed to oppose and intimidate the Sandinista regime of Nicaragua. The terror group was vividly described by the Catholic Institute for International Relations as one of consistent and bloody abuse of human rights, of murder, torture, mutilation, rape, destruction and kidnapping. The contras were disbanded after the

democratic election of Violetta Chamoro in 1990.

Hezbollah, the so-called “Party of God,” is also an Islamist Political Party and a ruthless terror sect. It was founded in 1985 after 10 years of the Lebanese civil war. Its major aim is to control or partake in the politics of Lebanon and to confront Israel in all ramifications. Hamas, on the other hand, is an Islamist terror group based in Gaza strip in Palestine, which was occupied by the Israeli during the brief 1967 war. Its sources of finances are predominantly from Iran, private donors, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Region. Hamas has shown visible interest in the politics of Palestine and to ensure that the State of Israel does not exist.

Al Qaeda is an Islamic radical group enveloped in terror. Its barbarism was aptly demonstrated when it blew up the world Trade Centre while an attempt was also made on the Pentagon in America on September 11, 2001. The bloody gang hijacked some passenger planes in which hundreds of people died. Prior to this deadly attack, members of the gang were involved in fighting the Soviets who invaded Afghanistan.

Most recently amongst the terror groups are the Boko Haram in Nigeria and to some extent the Cameroon, while the vicious Al Shaabab are in Somalia fighting with all vigour for an Islamic State. Boko Haram’s revealed interest is to create an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria. The ISIS, which has beheaded two American citizens and a British, also claimed to be fighting for an Autonomous Islamic State.

This savage and uncivilised group is based in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya.

In conclusion, the terror groups are fundamentally dangerous to the human race and, therefore, ought to be stopped and totally vanquished for history and posterity to judge.

• Prince Wilkie can be reached at pmikky1950@yahoo.com (08023097251)

Still on lessons of Scottish vote (3) Okechukwu Emeh, Jr Continued from yesterday

I

n essence, this is because threats of use of separatist violence to achieve their goal would not do them any good, as shown by the terrible predicament of Kashmiris, Tamils, Kurds and Oromos who are bearing the brunt of their long-running secessionist rebellions that have resulted in massive loss of lives and property, untold suffering and humanitarian catastrophe. Even if homogenous ethnic and cultural groups achieve independence, their affinity may not be a guarantee that peace, stability and progress will prevail among them. This is considering that divisive factors like differences in sub-culture, clan and caste or political, class or ideology could rear their ugly head and plunge a state or emergent state into mayhem, anarchy, bloodshed and instability. A case in point is the mainly Christian populated East Timor, which was wracked by bloody civil war immediately after her independence in the 1990s.

Another didactic example is the black and Christian dominated South Sudan, which parted company with largely Arab and Muslim Sudan in 2011 and has been in a state of armed mayhem since fighting broke out in December 2013 between the Dinka and the Nuer and the attendant bloodbath, unspeakable atrocities and colossal humanitarian emergencies occasioned by refugee explosion, hunger, disease and impoverishment. Funny enough,

the former Sudan foe has been enlisted by that embattled newly independent country to secure its oil fields.

Consider also the tragic case of the monostate of Somalia, the only nation in Africa in the strictest sense of the word by virtue of ethnic, religious and cultural homogeneity of its people.

That country has been in upheaval since the overthrow of the dictatorial regime of Siad Barre in 1991, having been destabilised by bloody clan conflicts that have led to the declaration of self-recognised independent republics of Somaliland, Puntland and South-West Somalia. This is not to mention the current upsurge of Islamic radicalism in that part of Horn of Africa that has metamorphosed into al-Shabab, which is described as one of the most brutal terrorist groups in the world, just as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and Boko Haram – all reported to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

The fifth lesson from the Scottish referendum is the ripple effects of ethnic nationalism in the post-Cold War order. No doubt, the collapse of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) in 1992 had set a chain reaction that culminated in the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia, convulsive breakup of East Timor from Indonesia and Eritrea from Ethiopia, all in the fateful 1990s, as well as bloody dismemberment of South Sudan from Sudan in 2011. Had the Scots voted massively for independence in their referendum, this would have opened the floodgates for separatist or secessionist campaign among many regions nursing disaffection in various corners of the world.

Such a surprising scenario in the UK would have made a Richard McLaven in the US call for an independent white state of Texas, just as Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, would have used the opportunity to toy with the idea of a sovereign black homeland in the southern part of the country. Already, the restive region of Catalonia in Spain, emboldened by the Scottish referendum, has planned an independent vote for November, though the central government in Madrid has said the poll will lack constitutional force.

Hopefully, the “No” vote for Scottish independence would go a long way in dampening micro nationalistic impulses among many ethnic separatist groups around the world and the resultant growing phenomenon of “failed” or “collapsed” states. Fortunately, in this post-Cold War era, unification is as much the leitmotif of an insidious trend towards disintegration, hence the reunification of formerly divided national communities like Germany (East and West) and Yemen (North and South), as witnessed in the 1990s, and possibly the two Koreas (North and South) and Cyprus (both the Turkish and Greek controlled parts) in the foreseeable future.

Even the countries of the former USSR, under the auspices of President Putin of Russia who once said the collapse of the Soviet Union was the 20th century’s greatest geo-political catastrophe, seem to have realised what they see as the mistake of dissolving the union that they are now working frenetically towards establishing Euro-Asian Union (EAU), as part of the effort to deepen socio-political and economic cooperation in furtherance of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) they initially formed immediately after

the dismantling of the Soviet behemoth.

The sixth lesson from the Scottish referendum is that despite the arbitrarily drawn national boundaries by the erstwhile imperial powers of yore like Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Spain or pact of union entered into by sub-national groups in the course of the process of state formation, affected countries or ethnic peoples should not insist in the present time on redrawing such borders or repudiating such agreements through undue territorial claims, irredentism or secession. This is because doing so would create more tension, chaos and conflict, as exemplified in the violent irredentist struggle by people of Somalia descent in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region and Kenya’s North East Frontier.

In view of this, efforts should be made by governments of affected countries to allay the fears and apprehension of discontent groups by making them have a feeling of place or a sense of national belonging.

In the case of Scotland, which is worthy of emulation, its people, who have blamed successive British governments since Margaret Thatcher for their woes, including decline of manufacturing industry and shipping, over taxation, economic austerity, poor health scheme and stationing of nuclear weapons in their background, and hoped that an independent Scotland, with oil and gas modest and homogenous population of 5.3 million people, would be richer, fairer and more dynamic, wanted to reappraise the union their forebears entered into with England in 1707.

Concluded • Emeh, a social researcher, wrote from Abuja.

08036895746, okemehjr@yahoo.com

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

19

EDITORIAL

OUR VISION To build a newspaper organisation anchored on the sanctity of truth.

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

Sanctity of Truth

OUR MISSION To publish a newspaper of superior value, upholding the fundamental ethics of journalism: balanced reporting, fairness, accuracy and objectivity.

L

Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business

The Ekiti pandemonium

ately, Ekiti State, the widely acclaimed ‘fountain of knowledge’, has been in the news for the wrong reasons. For no justifiable cause whatsoever, supporters of the incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All People’s Congress (APC) and those of the governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have practically turned the otherwise peaceful state upside down, maiming and killing one another in clashes that many stakeholders have described as absurd. Why would supporters of the two most important politicians in Ekiti at the moment clash so violently as to cause death and injuries to people on both sides of the divide, barely three months after a peaceful governorship election in which the incumbent Dr. Fayemi lost to his challenger Mr. Fayose?

In these parts, as perhaps in other climes, nothing causes as much bitterness, even enmity, among politicians as elections.

Because they are often seen as a do-or-die affair, elections here are like real-life war fronts with weapons deployed by contestants with intent to do their opponents in. But, once the elections have been won and lost, the attendant bitterness and ten-

sion sooner or later disappear, giving way to preparations by the winners to take their oaths of office. The Ekiti election was particularly intriguing because it was very peaceful. There was not a single incident of election violence, during or after polling.

Indeed, Dr. Fayemi is on record to have called Mr. Fayose soon after the result was announced, to congratulate the PDP candidate over his victory, a step that was considered unprecedented in the nation’s democratic experience and for which Dr. Fayemi has been hailed globally as a noble man. Not even his party’s decision to overrule him and go to the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the June 21st governorship election would detract from the impression Fayemi has created in the minds of people as a man of peace and good conscience. The question now is, at what point did the ‘Ekiti Example’ lose its appeal and violence took over?

The first point that must be made is that, the two political leaders in Ekiti State should appeal to their teeming supporters to eschew violence and embrace peace. Similarly, all those fanning the embers of violence and discord in the state should be promptly checked by security agencies. We are in a democracy. And there are numerous

democratic institutions through which grievances can be systematically and methodologically ventilated. To resort to violence to solve a political problem especially in a state as sophisticated as Ekiti, is to debase our humanity because, in the end, violence is an ill-wind that blows no one any good. It means, then, that all political stakeholders in Ekiti must work harmoniously in peace and love in the overall interest of the state.

Nothing should be done to suggest that there are moves to prevent Mr. Fayose, who won the governorship election fair and square, from taking over as the next governor of the state. Having won the election in all the local government areas of the state, it is clear that that’s the choice Ekiti made and it just has to be respected.

However, anytime any political party or individual or group approaches a law court to seek legal redress on any subject matter, the case should be allowed to run its full course and not truncated by any person or group through violent conduct or in any order manner.

From available indices, Dr. Fayemi has laid a solid foundation for the continued modernization of Ekiti State. The infrastructural and human capital development programme

of the current administration has been acknowledged by many as progressive. This must be built on but to be able do so, the incoming administration of Mr. Fayose needs an atmosphere of peace and tranquility to work to improve on the current state of affairs in the ‘Land of Honour.’

It is unacceptable that at a time the state should be preparing for a change of baton at the government house come October 16, some divisive elements appear to be working hard to ensure this never materializes.

This is a time for sober reflection and self-restraint in Ekiti State, not buck-passing and sabre-rattling. If the purpose of seeking public office is to serve the people selflessly (and we believe it is), then there should be no place for any form of violence in the polity. Violence is not for purposeful leaders and their supporters; only those who have nothing to lose employ violence as a means of solving a problem.

We call on Fayemi and Fayose as leaders to rein-in their supporters, to hold them on leash, no matter the provocations. If they cannot do that, then they lose the right to be addressed as leaders. With insurgents running rings around the nation, the least we expect is for Ekiti, of all places, to be added to our security challenge!

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief n Eric Osagie Deputy Managing Directors n Gabriel Akinadewo

Felix Oguejiofor Abugu

Managing Editor n Suleiman Uba Gaya

Editor, Daily n Yemi Ajayi

Editor, Saturday n Laurence Ani

Editor, Sunday n Emeka Madunagu

Deputy Editors, Daily n Emeka Obasi, Ayodele Ojo

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

Bureau Chief, Washington DC n Marshall Comins

Editorial Coordinator, Europe n Sam Amsterdam

News Editor n Geoffrey Ekenna

Business Development Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Ag. Sales/Circulation Manager n Uchey Okezie

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

20

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arts

Promoting family values, love, respect for women Title: The Missing Daughters Author: Orubebe, G.E. Publisher: Grace Springs Africa Publishers, Lagos No. of pages: 285 Reviewer: Chijioke Uwasomba

T

he Missing Daughters is a morality tale by Orubebe Gandhi to warn men and women alike of the need to accept the will of God as it relates to the sex of their children.

In other words, every child whether male or female is important and should not be discarded. Those who out of foolishness or shortsightedness dismiss their female child or children are bound to regret it like Obi in the novel under discussion.

The story is set in a village called Ogbabiri. From all indications and by all accounts, Ogbabiri is a village that lacks modern facilities that could make life more meaningful. The commonest source of energy in the area is firewood and no wonder the village is always enveloped by smoke. The point at issue upon which the story revolves round- the less value placed on the female child- further portrays the society of the novel as one that is primitive in every material particular.

Egbema, who has six boys, is always in the habit of boasting to his wife, Nigho that the female sex does not endear to his ancestors. He sees his family from time immemorial as a male-breeding one. Egbema dismisses Nigho for wanting to have a female child as if she is the one who decides the sex of a child. It is with this mindset that Egbema warns his children: “Any woman you marry among all of you, if she bears a female child in the midst of your children, she would have committed an abomination in that she may have had that female issue from another man,

TONY OKUYEME tony.okuyeme@ newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

she would have committed adultery” (29). Egbema is obsessed with this reprehensible thinking to the extent that “No female children” becomes the chant in his household.

It is important to note that out of fear and to satisfy their father, all Egbema’s children are gripped by their father’s story about male/female which they have dubbed “ the male syndrome thing”(35). Bafukeme, the oldest son who has fallen in love with Ereseimo shows signs of fear because he does not want to hurt the sensibilities of his father. This is more so considering the fact that Ereseimo’s family is known as a female-bearing one. But in the end both Bafukeme’s wife and those of the other two siblings give birth to male children.

Obi’s wife cannot understand the queer premium placed on male children over and above the female by the Egbema family. She sees it as amusing. Obi tells his wife: “You either give birth to male children or you are not part of our family”(55). But unfortunately to Obi his wife gives birth to a female. Of all in the household of Egbema it is only Nigho, Egbema’s wife that defends and identifies with Obi’s wife. She teases Obi: “Becky has given birth to a female child. Go and kill yourself.

Since she arrived here, she has been like a woman in harem”(59). Becky gives birth to two other girls and is driven out by Obi her husband: “Go away with your female children”(62), Obi chides her.

Nigho, a very clairvoyant mother scolds Obi for his foolish decision. Obi’s siblings and their father Egbema praise Obi to high heavens for the decision to send his wife and children away. No sooner has Obi taken this decision than he begins to regret his action, tormenting himself.

Even in his place of work, Obi who is known for his exemplary industry and commitment to duties can no longer give his best. He is chided by the management: “Obi your attitude to work which used to be commendable has taken a plunge for the worse. This place is not a civil service arena rather we are a company. You had an adept hand in times past”(68).

The novel throws up a lot of issues bordering on the need for good family values, respect for women, love, the recognition of women as human beings who have the same values as their male counterparts or even better

Obi is eventually sacked.

He marries another girl.

As if he has lost every modicum of reason, he drives the third wife away saying: “go away with your female child”(69).

Meanwhile, Becky, Obi’s first wife who had been driven away by Obi has not lost hope in Jesus Christ in spite of all her frustrations.

Her three daughters- Dora, Dolphin and Betty- who are under the custody of her parents and being taken care of, over time become graduates with the first daughter Dora,who at this point has become a lawyer getting married to Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor,a medical doctor.

By a twist of events the king of Ogbabiri informs his people of how the Ogbu indigenes who the Ogbabiri clan had given its land for their settlement have turned around to be killing the Ogbabiri people. All the Ogbu males are wiped out. Some of the Ogbu girls are taken captive and one of these girls, Edna is married by Obi making it the fourth wife he has married. Strangely, Obi does everything within his power including cooking and serving Edna but the latter does not show any form of appreciation. Obi’s drinking habit which he acquired when he was desperately looking for male children has increased even now that through Edna he has had three male children. His wife Edna and the three

children take to alcoholic drinks like Obi leading to the death of the third son Roland.

Edna is also rumoured to be sleeping with all sorts of men and caught in a room with a man. Because of the irresponsibility of Obi’s children and the waywardness of Edna, Obi decides to keep his money in the bank to prevent it from being stolen, but is beaten mercilessly by his children in his farm. Obi is rescued by a good Samaritan, Ogbebor who takes him to his Doctor son, Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor who turns out surprisingly to be the husband of one of the three daughters of Obi (Becky’s first daughter, Dora). Obi is healed in Ogbebor’s house and is given a parcel of land to farm since he says he wants to be Ogbebor’s servant.

The turning point in the life of Obi comes when he realises that but for Dr. Ibe Ogbebor, all the other eight children of Ogbebor are all females. Obi is at this point in his life full of regrets, more so when he notices the enviable relationship that exists between Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor and his lovely wife, Barrister Dora Ogbebor. Each time Ogbebor’s children display their love for their father with gifts, the gesture evokes thoughtful memory in Obi. He begins to regret his past actions especially the way he treated his wife Becky and children. The invitation of Becky to the Chieftaincy

ceremonies for Ogbebor brings Becky and Obi together as Becky recognises Obi and holds him with joy.

This leads to a reconciliation between Obi, Becky and their three daughters but with the search for the other daughters from the other women that had been sent packing by Obi in those days of his “madness”.

As noted from the outset of this review, this is a novel that is rich in didactic disclosures harping on the need for forgiveness.

At the denouement of the novel, the reader realises the futility and foolishness in dismissing the female sex as unimportant. The novel throws up a lot of issues bordering on the need for good family values, respect for women, love, the recognition of women as human beings who have the same values as their male counterparts or even better.

But for the love shown to Obi by Ogbebor after the thorough beaten given to him by his male children, he would have died.

The love and fellow feeling showed to him by Ogbebor and his household, and the cohesiveness of the immediate and extended Ogbebor family prick the conscience of Obi and usher a turn-around in his entire consciousness.

By employing coincidences, ironies, outright sermonising, contrasts, deu ex machina, biblical admonitions and embellishments, the author creates a novel that pricks the conscience of humanity especially as it relates to the women in the society and warns that everybody created by God is as important as the other. The discrimination of people based on sex is totally condemned in this novel.

It is meet to state that this creative work plumbs the mystery of life in its labyrinthine fogginess and shows that man, in spite of all that the most High God has done for him is still groping in the dark. One therefore recommends this novel to schools at all levels, religious institutions, training schools and other centres where character moulding is taken seriously.

For Orubebe, this is just the morning on creation day.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

N1.8bn: Teachers seek probe of Education Ministry Federal Ministry of Education, had earlier admitted that N1.8 billion was released to the ministry

24

21

UNN has contributed to national development, says VC

28

Education

Parents rue rising cost of books, fees OUTRAGEOUS

As public and private primary and secondary schools finally resume this week for a new school year, there is palpable anxiety among parents and guardians over the high school fees, and rising cost of textbooks and other learning materials Kayode Olanrewaju With the resumption of public and private primary and secondary schools for a new school year, this week, parents and their wards are expressing anxiety over the rising school fees and prices of learning materials.

The nation’s economic meltdown is taking its toll on school fees, cost of textbooks and other essential school and learning materials such as sandals, backpacks or bags, food flasks, water bottles, food packs and uniforms, among others.

Although, the schools, which initially were supposed to have reopened on September 15, had to be shifted to September 22 by the Federal Government, while some states fixed the new resumption date for October 8, in order to contain the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that hit the country in July.

Despite the shift in resumption date, there is, however, much agony among parents and guardians who have expressed their worry about the cost implication of returning their wards to school, citing poor economic situation in procuring school materials and paying their wards’ high school

kayode olanrewaju Editor, education

kayode olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

A pupil with her parent buying books at a bookstore

fees.

But while parents and guardians lament the cost of sending their children and wards to school as the school bells finally toll this week, due to the ‘crazy’ charges and the rising cost of textbooks, private school owners and publishers as well as book sellers are laughing to their banks.

In most of the private schools, parents are compelled to pay their children’s school fees before bringing them to school, as the payment receipts or other evidences of payment will allow the pupils into the schools.

But, publishers have continued to blame the high cost of textbooks on the increasing cost of printing materials such as news print, paper and ink as well as import duties, since most of the publishers import printing materials and print their books abroad.

Apart from the cost of printing abroad, they also cited the unabated activities of pirates,

Most of the high flyer private schools charged high schools fees because they run Nigerian and British curricula in a more friendly teaching and learning environment, with state-ofthe-art facilities

which according to them have made book publishing uninteresting, as part of the causes of high cost of books.

In fact, the Managing Director of LearnAfrica Nigeria Plc, one of the leading publishing companies in the country, Mr. Segun Oladipo, once attributed the cost of books to cost of production and activities of the pirates.

To check the activities of the pirates, which he described as the major challenge of the book industry in the country, recalled that publishers have made representations to the government through the National Assembly on how to curb piracy in the industry.

Specifically, the school proprietors attributed the charges and blamed the high school fees on the cost of running an effective system, through the provision of quality and adequate state-of-theart facilities that will enhance effective teaching and learning process.

“Apart from the state-of-the-art

facilities or infrastructure, there is the need for us as proprietors to recruit quality teachers and pay them, in order to deliver the curriculum content and ensure sizeable pupil-teacher ratio required for qualitative education, as well as provide other essential services for their pupils,” they said.

According to them, some of these facilities include wellstocked libraries and e-library hooked to the Internet; modern classrooms fixed with magnetic boards and air conditioners; science laboratories for Biology, Physics, Chemistry; computer laboratories; Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres; Home Economics laboratories; Basic Technology laboratories; Music studios, language laboratories; swimming facilities as well as sporting facilities for both outdoor and indoor games.

These include facilities for lawn tennis courts, volleyball and badminton pitches, standard football, basketball and handball pitches, most of which public schools do not have except football fields.

In fact, some of the parents, who spoke to New Telegraph, expressed the hardship they are subjected to in the cost of providing their children with the required school items, saying in most cases, these structures do not always translate to quality delivery as some private schools with their high fees do not offer anything special to their pupils.

According to parents, some of the private schools parade these facilities and best of structures without much to offer for it in terms of curriculum content delivery and quality education.

“Most of the high flyer private schools charged high schools fees because they run Nigerian and British curricula in a more friendly teaching and learning environment, with state-of-theart facilities,” the parents added.

Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that while schools resume this week, many pupils in private primary and secondary schools will remain at home, for reasons not unconnected with the inability of their parents that CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

22

Education

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Parents agonise over cost of books, fees CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

are yet to pay their school fees, as they need to provide evidence of payment before their wards are allowed into school.

For instance, a banker living in Abuja, who craved anonymity, said he has to pay over N500,000 on his three children who would resume to Federal Government Colleges, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The banker, who lamented the high cost of sending the children to school, however wondered that the choice of sending the children to public schools (Federal Government Colleges) has not in any way lessened his financial burden.

According to him, he chose to send his children to public school, not only because of fees but for the quality of teachers they parade in the schools and quality education they offer.

He said many parents are at the mercy of private school owners just because they want to educate their children, even when some of the schools do not have what it takes to deliver qualitative education because of unqualified teachers recruited by them.

Similarly, Mr. Olawale Adisa, an ICT expert and father of two, who also resides in Abuja, spends N70,000 for his two-yearold child in a private nursery school in the FCT.

He said: “I could not understand why I have to spend N70,000 to enroll a two-year-old child in an average nursery and primary school in Abuja, apart from the cost of learning materials I have to buy for the child. This is outrageous.”

According to him, he decided to delay the child’s resumption due to the high school fees and cost of school materials.

Adisa, who hinted that the private schools are priced out of the reach of the poor, added: “Which parent would send his children to public schools with little or no facilities and decayed infrastructure, and where teachers go on incessant strikes at every provocation?

On the prices of books, English Language: Junior Secondary English Project JSS I and Senior Secondary School (SS), is sold for N700 against the N500 it was sold two years ago; Intensive English JSS1, for N500 last year now cost N700; the New Oxford Secondary for JSS1 is also sold for N700; while the New General Mathematics for JSS1 is sold for N700; Macmillan Brilliant Mathematics for JSS1 is N800; Eko Ede Yoruba (N600); Akomolade Ede Yoruba (N270); Physical and Health Education (N750) and Basic Technology (N800). Most of these books were sold between N500 and N600 last years.

In the Senior Secondary School (SS) cat-

egory, the New General Mathematics for SS1, 2 & 3 costs N700 each; Essential Mathematics for Senior Secondary (N700); New Schools Mathematics for Senior Secondary (N1,400); Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary is sold N2,500; English Language: Senior Secondary English Project SS1, 2 & 3 (N700) each; Oxford Secondary English SS1, 2 & 3 – N700 each; Intensive English SS1, 2, & 3 – N700 each; Chemistry by Ababio Chemistry – N1000; Essential Chemistry – N650; Comprehensive Chemistry – N600.

Prices for other books are Physics: New School Physics – N1000; Senior Secondary Physics by Okeke – N1100; Essential Physics – N650; Biology: Modern Biology – N1000; Essential Biology – N650; Literature: Lord of the Flies – N500; The Blinkands – N500; The Tempest – N500.

For primary school books, the English Language: Macmillan Brilliant Primary English is sold for N800; Premier English – N600; Modular English Course – N700; Progressive English – N650; Mathematics: Macmillan Champion Primary Mathematics – N850; Macmillan New Primary Mathematics – N700; Understanding Mathematics – N800; New Method Mathematics – N950 and the Man Primary Mathematics – N500.

A legal practitioner,

Mr. B. Olaniyi, who expressed worries that the rising cost of books in the beginning of every school year has become a ritual parents have to go through, said the government should rise up to the challenges of piracy in the book industry.

Olaniyi, who recalled that he had already spent N30,000 to buy books and other learning materials, added that he would still spend more to meet the book need of his JSS I child, who has just been enrolled at the University of Ibadan International School.

While acknowledging that the cost of education, especially at the private schools, is high, Olaniyi, who said he paid N250,000 for the child’s school fees, stressed that sending one’s children to private schools is erroneously perceived as a status symbol.

On the cost of books, he noted: “The government should assist publishing companies through policies that would make books and other instructional materials affordable to parents, if the children’s reading culture as being championing by the government is anything to go by.”

According to www.ngscholars.com, the school fees charged by some high flyer schools are as follows: The British International School, located at Oniru Private Es-

tate, Victoria Island, Lagos, charged about $26,750+N200, 000 for tuition and boarding fees; Lekki British International School, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos charged $19,500+N200,000 for tuition, boarding and development fees; Greensprings School, Anthony, Lagos (N3, 185,200) as tuition and boarding fees; while Atlantic Hall, Epe charged N2, 270,000, excluding uniforms.

Chrisland College, Ladipo Oluwole Avenue, Ikeja (N2, 000,000) as tuition and boarding fees; Dowen College, located in the heart of Regency Town, Lekki, Lagos, a boarding student pays N2,000,000, while a Day student pays N1,250,000.

Mrs. Oluwakemi Maryam, whose child has just been admitted into Mayflower Private School, Ikenne, Ogun State, said apart from the N88,000 school fee for the first term, she has spent about N60,000 on uniform, house wear, books and other essential needs of the child.

“The child, who is resuming into JSS I, is expected to buy 20 textbooks apart from note book and other writing materials,” she added, saying the choice of private schools to many parents for their children and wards is borne out of the failure of public schools, which could no longer offer the required quality education to the pupils.

AUN gives relief materials to internally displaced persons

A

s part of efforts at fostering town and gown relationship, faculty, members of staff, and students of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State have distributed emergency relief materials to the internally displaced persons at the St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, Jimeta in Yola.

To ensure that the education of children and young adults in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps is not disrupted, the AUN Academy, a leading provider of secondary school education in northeastern part of the country, also donated exercise books and other learning materials to the camp.

The camp housing over 2,000 displaced people at the NYSC Camp, Yola, is said to be under the supervision of the Adamawa Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA).

AUN President (Vice-

Chancellor), Dr. Margee Ensign, who led the university team on the mission, said that the university was mobilizing 40 volunteers among its faculty members and schools to teach and offer ICT training in the people in the camps.

The Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese, Bishop Stephen Mamza, received the items which include rice, maize, cooking oil, and clothing items on behalf of the displaced persons.

The relief materials are expected to cater for the additional 2,000 families which registered with the Church’s charity in the last few days, as Yola and Jimeta grapple with the influx of families who escaped from the insurgency in Madagali, Mubi and the northern part of Adamawa State.

The university team was joined by members of the Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative (API), a group of local community and

Dr. Ensign (right) with other members of the team distributing the items.

We have pooled resources as one community to make sure that everyone have enough to eat...

religious leaders partnering the university in peace building and empowerment of at-risk youths.

A statement by the university’s Executive Director, Office of Communications & Public Relations, Mr. Daniel Okereke recalled how AUN-API team last month made similar donations to the Church

where about 7,500 people are taking refuge as well as the Yola Mosque, hosting other thousands of families.

The items donated include foodstuff and other supplies.

Dr. Ensign, who said that AUN and API are disposed towards supporting the Bishop in what his is

doing with the displaced people who came from Madagali and Mubi, noted: “We have pooled resources as one community to make sure that everyone (Christians and Muslims) have enough to eat, a place to stay and a future. So, we stand united to make sure that people’s needs are being met.”

Education 23

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

UNN-ACCAI trains farmers, councillors on climate change

Participating farmers and councillors at the climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies training orgainsed by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Africa.Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ACCAI) held at the Nsukka township stadium.

U

niversity of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Africa Climate Chance Adaptation Initiative (ACCAI) has trained councillors of Nsukka Local Government Council, union leaders and farmers on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Under the training initiative, the local government councillors were trained on policies and laws affecting climate change, while the farmers received training on causes of climate change, its impact on crops and animal production, adaptation and mitigation strategies, as well as gender perspectives in climate change.

On the objectives of the training, which took place at Nsukka Township Stadium, ACCAI Training Coordinator, Prof. Benjamin Ogwo said part of its aimed was to share its research findings with farmers

as it concerns the impact of climate change on plant and livestock productions.

He noted that it is also to encourage local government officials and town union leaders to make laws and policies that will mitigate the impact of the global trend.

“Nsukka was selected as a pilot community for the programme to test the response of farmers and lawmakers to the adaptation and mitigation programmes,” Ogwo pointed out, saying the training will percolate to other parts of the country in its second phase.

One of the facilitators of the training, Dr. Anselem Eneja, who trained the farmers on the management of adaption gender perspective, expressed satisfaction with response of farmers to the exercise.

“The response is tremendous, I did not envisage that the trainees

will respond the way they did, particularly the women among them,” he said.

Some farmers, whose views were sampled after the training, unanimously applauded the exercise, stressing that they had acquired better understanding of the causes of some changes in the output of their crops and animals.

One of the participants, Mrs Grace Onyishi said of the training: “I have learnt a lot today. I now know how climate change can negatively affect my crops and animals. Before this workshop, I was aware of climate change, but I never linked my crops poor yields to global problem.

I now know the best time to plant my crops depending on weather conditions and how best to adapt to climate change. I will apply all I have learnt today and also teach other farmers.”

KWASU to become world-class in 5 years – VC Biodun Oyeleye ILORIN

O

wners of the Kwara State University (KWASU) and other stakeholders in the university project have been assured by the ViceChancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah that the Ivory Tower will be positioned as a world-class institution and centre of excellence in the next five years.

Na’Allah, who disclosed this in a chat with KWASU Update, the university’s bulletin, explained that the next five years would be spent on consolidating the achievements record-

ed by the institution in the last few years, towards attaining a world-class status.

While stressing the capital intensive nature of tertiary education, KWASU, he pointed out, will set up a foundation to be chaired by a philanthropist and which will be saddled with the responsibility of sourcing funds both locally and internationally for the university to run its programmes and research.

The foundation, which will be independent of the institution’s administration, according to the Vice-Chancellor, will determine how resources obtained will be expended,

Na’Allah, Rector

depending on infrastructural, research or other needs of the university.

“Unlike the system that operates in some other

universities, members of staff of KWASU will source for grants to carry out research and other developmental projects in direct response to the developmental needs of the country,” he said.

He insisted that the university’s Postgraduate Studies will not only be research-based, but will also involve class work for all categories of students including PhD. This, Na’Allah maintained, is to ensure that postgraduate students understand the exact currencies of their discipline and be of the highest possible standards.

KWASU, the ViceChancellor said, would

Ogen named Adeyemi College Provost

T

he Federal Government has named a new Provost for the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo.

He is Professor Olukoya Ogen, an alumnus of the college, who replaces Professor Adeyemi Idowu, whose tenure expired few months ago.

Until his appointment, Ogen, a Professor of History at the College of Humanities and Culture, Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Ikire Campus, is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow to the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham (2012-2017).

Prior to his appointment, after the expiration of Professor Idowu’s tenure, the management of the college appointed Dr. Olufemi Olajuyigbe, as the Provost in acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive Provost.

Ogen, a holder of a PhD in History, which he obtained from the University of Lagos, also holds a Certificate in Trade, Growth and Poverty from the World Bank Institute, Washington D.C. A former Leventis Scholar at SOAS, University of London in 2008, he was a British Academy Visiting Fellow at the University of Birmingham in 2009; a CWAS Visiting Fellow in 2010, and an American Council of Learned Societies (AHP) Postdoctoral Fellow in 2011.

A Guest Researcher at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone in 2011, Ogen is currently the Country Director of a five-year European Research Council Grant on ‘Everyday Religious Encounters and Social Identities in South-West Nigeria.’

Ogen, a winner of several foreign fellowships/grants for paper presentations at conferences and for research visits to many universities across the globe, has over 60 publications to his credit. Ogen, who also sits on the Editorial Boards of major local and international journals, is a co-founder of African Nebula with Prof. Samar Habib in 2010.

He is a member of Faculty Row, a US-based exclusive global elite network of distinguished and super professors that accepts new members by invitation only.

Prior to joining Osun State University (UNIOSUN) in 2009, Ogen had stints at the University of Lagos between 2000 and 2001; Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA) 2001-2006; and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) between 2006 and 2009. continue to engage in developmental programmes and move forward in order to be known nationally and internationally as a worldclass university.

The Vice-Chancellor, who reiterated that the Malete Film Village and the partnership to provide solar energy for the country were also ongoing, however solicited the support of all and sundry, event as Na’Allah called on members of the university community to collectively sustain the institution’s academic calendar.

He said this could only be achieved through the injection of vigorous efforts more than ever before, towards moving the institution forward.

24 Education

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Commissioner frowns on low women enrolment in technical colleges Musa Pam Jos

P

lateau State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Athanasius Nanle Dashen has expressed worries over low enrolment of female students into the state’s technical colleges, saying such portend a great danger for the development of the state.

The Commissioner, who disclosed this during the visit of the officials of the Nigerian Engineering Craftsmen Association (NAEC) to his office in Jos, the state capital, charged the association to ensure that more women are allowed to occupy key positions in the association.

He said: “The Plateau State Government has observed to its disappointment that only

few female students enrolled in the state technical colleges and this has created many unoccupied slots for women in the school.”

Dashen expressed confidence that women in leadership position would discharge their duties efficiently, while their services would be highly patronised as a result of their zeal to perform excellently in their endeavour.

He advised members of the association to ensure that the professional ethics of the association were upheld, as well as update their skills in order to meet the global information communication technology practice.

The Commissioner urged NAEC to provide students from the colleges on industrial attachment with modern facili-

Glo launches mobile tutor to enhance pupils’ learning s part of determina- child in all the 774 Local A tion to promote learn- Government Areas of the ing among pupils, Globa- country, she explained com, one of the leading providers of telecommunication in the country, has launches a unique educational app called Glo Mobile Tutor.

The app, which was launched at the Globacom Headquarters in Lagos last week, according to the GSM provider, is aimed primarily at making learning easier for primary and secondary school pupils in the country.

The Glo Mobile Tutor is a mobile-based education application that provides a more convenient and easier way for pupils at both junior and senior secondary schools to learn and prepare adequately for examinations.

Part of the features of the application, is that it comes with full junior and secondary school curricula specially designed to provide instant knowledge and prepare students for examinations.

Besides, the application is rich in content such as live video lectures, timed mock exams, structured assignments, revision videos and talk to counsel.

According to the Sales Director, Glo 1 Enterprise, Bolanle Ogundogba, Globacom is committed to the development and education of the Nigerian child.

While saying that the Glo Mobile Tutor application provides instant knowledge and puts the power of education within the reach of every

that “Glo, having observed relatively low literacy rate in the country and Africa at large, due to deficits in education infrastructure and insufficient manpower to impart knowledge, found the need to introduce this service with the application and contents provided by Roducate.”

The innovation, she explained, is packaged with West African and British Curricula and has been endorsed by the relevant education agencies including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and Federal Ministry of Communication Technology.

Ogundogba assured Nigerians of Globacom’s continued support for education because of its strong belief in the provision of quality education, even as she urged parents and guardians to avail their children and wards of this laudable technology with its pocket-friendly tariffs and rates.

“The Glo Mobile Tutor is one of the many innovations that Globcom has introduced as part of its commitment to enhance the lives of Nigerians,” Ogundogba said, adding that Globacom is building the best and biggest global telecommunication brand focused on supporting the people with a reliable platform to enable them reach their full potentials.

Governor Jang

ties and tools to facilitate their practical training and skills acquisition.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Mr. Iliya Danboyi said the association had been positioned to improve on technical services in the state.

He appealed to the Commissioner to ensure that the curriculum of the colleges is updated to include ongoing technological advancement in the society.

Danboyi, who lamented that Nigerian craftsmen are backward technologically because the technical college curriculum had not been updated, to meet the contemporary technology development, however expressed worry that facilities at the technical colleges were

not only inadequate, but are also obsolete.

The Chairman, while insisting that such update was necessary to make the craftsmen adopt current engineering practices, said it would also make them more marketable as technology revolves globally on daily basis.

Danboyi pointed out that the association is liaising with secondary schools in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state through their clubs to enlighten the students on various career opportunities from which they could make informed decision about their future career.

According to him, such move would equip them to face the contemporary challenges of rising unemployment rate in the society.

N1.8bn: Teachers seek probe of Education Ministry

Shekarau, Education minister

Mojeed Alabi

T

he teachers of the 104 Federal Government Colleges, under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), are not happy with the officials of the Federal Ministry of Education over what they described as alleged diversion of about N1.8 billion meant for the payment of their outstanding salaries, promotion arrears, and other entitlements owed them for several years.

They are calling on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to probe the alleged fund diversion.

The teachers, who, in spite of the directive by the Federal Government that primary and secondary schools nationwide

should resume for the new school year last Monday, commenced their indefinite strike, insisting that until the agreement reached with the teachers by the government were met, there is no going back on their strike.

They alleged that the money which was released by the Federal Ministry of Finance for the payment of the arrears was siphoned by the Education Ministry, while other ministries had used the fund for the purpose it was meant for.

In an interview with the Secretary-General of the association, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, he said since the strike commenced last week, the colleges, the Federal Ministry of Education office and its Inspectorate Departments throughout

N1.8bn released by FG to settle outstanding allowanes, salaries

the country had been under lock and key.

He listed the teachers’ grouse to include non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears for 20072010 and the balance of 2011 promotion arrears; promotion arrears for 2012-2013; unpaid salaries to some members of staff for July, August, September, and October 2013; endof-year incentives; nonpayment of 1st 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation; 2010 Head of service organised mandatory training allowance, repatriation allowance, duty tour allowance, and nonplacement of promoted officers, among others.”

Lawal, who said the Federal Ministry of Education, had earlier admitted that N1.8 billion was released to the ministry this year by the Federal Government to settle all outstanding liabilities, including salaries and allowances, also wondered where the money was kept.”

In a statement issued to announce the strike, the association claimed that: “On Wednesday August 20, 2014, the national leadership of the union met with the Permanent Secretary and other top officials of the ministry where the ministry gave its words that all the outstanding arrears of promotion would be paid on or before August 31, 2014.

However, the leadership of the union gave the ministry an extension up to Friday September 12,

Education

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

G

ermany may not be in the top 10 ranking of the just released Times Higher Education world university rankings, but as far as students from other countries are concerned, German universities are number one if only because the country is 100 per cent tuition-free.

This happened on October 1, when all universities in Lower Saxony declared their schools free of charge.

Lower Saxony is the last of seven German states to charge tuition fee.

“Tuition fees are socially unjust … They particularly discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up studies. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany,” the Times quoted Dorothee Stapelfeldt, Hamburg Senator for science.

The tuition-free policy, which started in 2006, covers also foreign students enrolled in German universities. While state governments then began to charge 1,000 in response to a constitutional court decision that collecting fees didn’t breach Germany’s commitment to universal post-secondary education, students pressured the academic institutions that eventually led to the scrapping of tuition fees.

However, while the news made German students as well as parents happy, some universities disagreed with the policy.

“It is a for the university … We were obliged to spend the fees we received on investment in teaching, and it gave us the chance

25

Covenant Varsity graduate’s book to guide youths Mojeed Alabi

A

Prof. Israel Adu; Chief Obasanjo’s Supervisor, Prof. Ayegboyin; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and NOUN VC, Prof.

Vincent Tennebe shortly after Obasanjo’s registration for his Masters/PhD programme at the university.

Germany declares 100% tuition-free policy for all its universities to improve the teaching and instruction,” Hamburg University Vice President Dr Holger Fischer catastrophe was quoted as saying in 2011 by The Guardian. At that time, Hamburg just scrapped tuition fees and only Lower Saxony, Bavarias and Baden-Wuttemberg continued to collect tuition fees.

To make up for the loss in revenue, Fischer said then that it would cut spending in some ar-

eas and by budget regrouping. He warned, “The level of our teaching will have to decrease dramatically,” since he doubted the measures would cover the losses.

Meanwhile, international students are concerned on the impact of a plan by Finland to collect tuition fees from enrollees that is from outside the EU/EEA area. l Culled from Busstopnews.com

s part of her campaign towards redirecting the focus of Nigerian youths, a graduate of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State and member of African Economic Mandate Project - a non-governmental initiative, Elizabeth Adebayo, has published a book titled; Keys to Academic Victory.

The book, which addresses the challenges of waning moral values, indolence and the get-rich-quick syndrome, which she said have affected the thinking of Nigerian youths and thereby putting the country’s future at risk.

Adebayo, who currently specializes in childhood education, is committed to impacting the Nigerian youths positively through awareness campaigns and mentorships on behavioural attitudes, moral values and academic activities.

In his endorsement of the book, the former Dean of Covenant University’s School of Postgraduate Studies, Prof.

Christopher Awonuga, described the book as “a well-written guide to intellectual excellence.”

Similarly, the former Youth President of the Living Faith Church in Asaba, Delta State, Pastor Godwin Konyefa urged parents, guardians and their children to purchase the book for Godly guidance towards achieve success in life.

He wrote; “The major issue in academic pursuits are addressed here. The drawbacks to academic excellence, the simple choice to have academic victory and its effect on performance, Gods constant plan for your academic victory, are all well covered. Please use the keys now and always.”

Oshiomhole inuagurates lecture theatres at AAU Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

W

ith the inauguration of 1,000-capacity lecturer theatres by Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, the problem of acute shortage of learning facilities confronting the institution will soon be a thing of the past.

While inaugurating the structures, the Governor threatened to revoke the contracts for the completion of the university’s administrative block building if the contractor handling the project failed to complete it on schedule.

Oshiomhole expressed delight that the university management had justified the initial N250 million disbursed by the state government to develop infrastructure in the university, saying this prompted his administration to review the amount upward by 100 per cent to N500 million.

The governor, however, promised to further review the allocation upward by another 100 per cent if the N500 million was judiciously spent.

He said: “I believe that the management of the university under Prof. Cordelia Agbebaku is the best.

When I told the Commissioner for Works how much this project cost, I am not sure he believed me until he heard from the Vice-Chancellor herself. Let me say that listening to you and having inspected the three

L-R: Prof Thomas Audu, member of the university Council, who represented the Chairman of the Council; Prof. Agbebaku; Governor Oshiomhole at the commissioning ceremony.

facilities on which you spent the allocations, Prof, I can say you have done extremely well.”

The governor added: “Let me also share with you my frustration at the pace of work on the administrative block. I thought by now, that project would have been completed and commissioned so that senior management and other academic and non-academic staff can have a very conducive environment to work. The time allowed for the contract has lapsed and the contractor is competing with snail in terms of speed.

“I have asked the Commissioner to issue several warnings and I believe we have issued several warnings. If those warnings are not heeded and I come back here in October, we will revoke the contract and get someone else to do it.

“We are obliged to keep our promise. Our selling point is that when we promise, we keep our words. That is why I didn’t come here with 20-point agenda, or seven-point agenda and all kinds of agenda. We just came to work and we are working.”

On the road network on the campus, the governor despite the

fact that the government is facing some financial challenges pledged that the government would release more funds as soon the university deployed the allocations disbursed to it judiciously.

Oshiomhole praised the students for their support not only to his administration, but also to the management of the university, saying from a very modest beginning, the university has transformed to a new level of academic height.

In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the university, HRH Prof. Greg Akenzua, who was represented by Prof. Thomas Audu said: “We are gathered here to inaugurate three projects funded by the Edo State Government as part of the state government intervention in the infrastructural development of our great university. The governor in his magnanimity approved N250 million for the infrastructural development of the university. The judicious application of that grant by the leadership of the university is what we are celebrating today.”

He expressed gratitude to the Governor for his determination to move the university to the next level in infrastructural development.

The Vice Chancellor, while praising Governor Oshiomhole, recalled that due to the shortage of lecture theatres confronting the university, the state government graciously released funds for the building of the lecturer theatres.

26

Education

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

FG’s agric programme boosts economy, says VC Moses Oyediran

M

ichael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hilary Edeoga said that the Federal Government’s agriculture transformation agenda has increased food production by 15 million metric tons within the last two years.

In fact, according to him, the agricultural programme has revived the economy through importation of foods by N720 billion between 2011 and 2012.

He broke the cheering news at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) during the second annual conference of the Crop Science Society of Nigeria (CSSN), which had as a theme: “Crop Production and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Edeoga urged community leaders in the various Local Government Areas across the country to make land available for interested youths who want to go into crop production and faming.

The Vice-Chancellor recalled: ‘The Youth Empowerment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) was launched by the Federal Government to evolve and empower young commercial farmers and agriculture entrepreneurs.”

He said under the scheme, interested youths who want to go into crop production should be allocated free land and allowed access to micro-credit facilities with two to three years repayment schedule.

‘With adequate investment in crop production majority of unemployed youths roaming the streets will be gainfully en-

Participants at the conference

gaged,” Edeoga said, adding that “farming practices in the country should be mechanized by ensuring that tractors are accessible to all farmers with a view to making agriculture practice attractive to our younger ones.”

He said there was need to subsidize planting materials such as seeds, fertilizers and herbicide to help farmer achieve bumper harvest yearly, while the Vice-Chancellor noted that irrigation scheme should be revived to enhance dry season farming as well as reduce idleness of farmers during dry seasons.

To him, provision of subsidised and improved planting materials would go a long way to assist farmers produce more food.

Edoga, who lauded the efforts of society and its concern towards assisting the government to find solution to the problem

15m

Food production increased by 15m metric tons in the last two years

of increasing unemployment rate in the country, as well as achieving food security through crop production.

The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dominic Okpara advocated the establishment of crop processing industries in the 36 states of the federation in order to enable farmers dispose perishable fruits such as orange, pineapple, tomatoes and mango.

His words: ‘There is need to minimise post-harvest losses by establishing local and regional markets that will help farmers dispose their harvested crops.

The establishment of crop processing industries across the 36 states of the federation will provide millions jobs for youths as well as help to reduce postharvest losses.”

In his remarks, UNN Vice-

Lagos intervenes in AOCOED crisis Shadrack Yusuf RUN

F

ollowing the declaration of a three-day warning strike by the Senior Staff Union of College of Education (SSUCOE) and the institution’s chapter of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), there are indications that the Lagos State Government has agreed to resolve some of the issues raised by the lecturers.

A member of the institution’s management, who craved for anonymity, told the New Telegraph that the arrears owed the workers had actually been approved by the state government even before the workers declared the strike, but that certain bureaucratic procedures delayed it.

The workers’ grouse in which they accused the college management and the Lagos State Government include nonremittance of their pension fund, non-payment

of seven month salary arrears, non-payment of cooperative and third party cheques, nonimplementation of 2013 and 2014 promotions, and the proposed move to disharmonize AOCOED workers in the college’s International School and AOCOED Staff School, among other issues.

In a communiqué jointly signed by the Chairmen of COEASU and SSUCOEN, Comrades Avosetinyen Michael and Wunmi Ombugadu respectively, the unions warned that should there be no positive response, they would not hesitate to withdraw their services without any further delay.

They said: “AOCOED workers are not part of Lagos State civil servants. The civil servants in Alausa are enjoying their benefits including promotion and remittance of their pension fund, among others. But in our case, retirees of AOCOED are yet to benefit from their pension.

Should it be like that?

Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba described the theme of the conference as timely in view of the government determination to engage unemployed Nigerians in agro business.

The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented also by the Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Ngozi Nnam, urged participants to come out with solutions to numerous problems facing farmers especially with the emerging climate change.

He said: “I have very high expectations that the council will come out with desired solutions to many problems facing farmers, especially rural farmers. Besides, I enjoin you to ensure that your recommendations are forwarded to relevant government agencies for consideration and implementation.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the National President of the society, Prof. Michael Uguru appealed to the university, which he said had been very supportive over the years to provide the society with office space for national secretariat in the university.

While tracing the journey of society in the country to 2012 at the UNN Department of Crop Science, he said society in other countries has its national secretariats in universities, even as he noted that such would also be good for Nigeria.

Uguru, a former Head of Department, Department of Crop Science at the UNN, said the society would be filling critical gap in the present agriculture transformation agenda since greater proportion of the nation’s agricultural input is anchored on crops.

Education Rights condemns FG over N30bn textbooks Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

A AOCOED VC, Bashorun

AOCOED management owed workers 15 months arrears of pension

Does it mean that people working at Alausa are better than those working in the academia?

“For 17 months now, the pension fund of people in active service is being deducted without remittance, let alone workers who are out of the system. According to the management, government has refused to fund the education as expected. For the past five years, those taking parts in the school’s cooperative society have not been paid back their deductions. The management still owes 15 months of arrears of pensions to the workers.

This contravenes the law adopted by Governor Babatunde Fashola.”

group, Education Rights Initiative (ERI) has described as colossal waste the N30 million said to have been spent by the Federal Government on procurement of textbooks for the basic education subsector in the last three years.

The group, however, urged the government to stop the huge sum of money spend yearly on the supply of textbooks to basic education in the country.

“The supply of textbooks to primary and secondary schools by the Federal Government through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is a waste of public funds,” it argued.

The National Coordinator of the initiative, Mr. Dickson Itodo, who spoken in Abuja, noted that over N30 billion had been spent by the government through the Commission

on the supply of books to schools in the last three years without tangible impact on the system.

He said: “This waste of public funds should not have happened in the first place or should be allowed to go on for so long with over N30 billion down the drain”.

Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike had recently disclosed that since the Federal Government commenced the Free Textbook Initiative in 2010, a total of N52 billion has been spent.

He, however, said this included supply of supplementary library and reading materials to primary and secondary schools, even as the minister hinted that so far 126, 179, 329 textbooks had been distributed to schools under the programme.

While Wike said that this had enabled the government to achieve 1:1 pupil-textbook ratio as against the previous 1:4 ratio, Itodo argued that investigations by the group.

Education | Campus

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Don advocates research centres in tertiary institutions

I

f Professor Francis Olugbemiga Oyebade, a renowned Professor of Linguistics at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) has his way, interdisciplinary research centres should be established in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

The don, who advocated the establishment of the research centres on languages, said such centres would go a long way in achieving a holistic result in solving language related problems in the country.

This was part of Oyebade’s recommendation in the seventh inaugural lecture of the university, named after the Second Republic Governor of the old Ondo State, the late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajain.

In the lecture entitled: “Phonology/Morphology: Interfacing Theory with Application,” the don said: “The time has come for tertiary institutions to act innovatively by establishing centres of interdisciplinary studies and research because experience has shown that interdisciplinary research tends to produce more robust and far-reaching results than one that is

The VC, Prof. Femi Mimiko (right) in a handshake with Oyebade shortly after the lecture.

done solely within the boundary of a sole discipline.

“My interest focuses on the application of the principles and methodology of phonology and morphology to solving language-related problems.”

The Linguist, who identified literature and history as part of the language related problems, stressed, “The language related problem that is

most interesting to me nowadays has to do with technology related one.

The conjunction of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) project - a thinking machine - with the TextTo-Speech synthesis (TTS) synthesis - a talking machine, will bring about robust research output.”

Oyebade stressed the centrality of linguistic research in the model building, which he noted was the goal of Comput-

FUTMINNA to hold students’ union election Mojeed Alabi

P

lans have been concluded by the management of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), to ensure that the institution’s Students’ Union election for the 2014/2015 academic session is concluded under a free and fair atmosphere.

The election, billed for this week is expected to be conducted based on the allegation of mismanagement of the students’ funds leveled against the authorities by the university student leaders.

Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that the incumbent students’ union leaders, who were sworn in, in February this year, were supposed to have completed their tenure of office by the end of the year, but due to the alleged financial crisis between the management and the union,

the authorities resolved to ban the Shuaib Segun Abdullahi-led administration.

According to a source in the university, who preferred anonymity, the students’ union account in the possession of the university management has been allegedly tampered with. The source, however, explained that the request for the statement of account of the union was rebuffed by the management.

Towards the conduct of fresh election into the union’s offices, the management has set up a 25-member electoral committee for the election.

The committee is to be chaired by Prof. Salawu Sadiku with Mrs. A.S.D Usman as Secretary.

The committee, which has as representative, an officer of the university’s Security Unit, Mr. M.K Lawal also has two students each as representatives from the seven schools of

er Science, adding that “today, Computational Linguistics is seen as an interdisciplinary area of research housed in Computer Science with Linguistics increasingly seen as the junior partner.”

“This is an unfortunate development in an interdisciplinary field where both contributing disciplines should see each other as co-equal contributors to a robust and emerging area of

the university.

Meanwhile, the sales of form which commenced last Monday had since closed on Monday, with the screening of aspirants held on October 2.

According to the election timetable, the manifesto presentation for all the candidates took place on Friday while the election is billed to take place tomorrow.

On the amount for the nomination forms, a member of the electoral body who craved for anonymity, said the presidential aspirants were to pay N10,000 while aspirants for other central executive council would pay N3,000 and those for the students’ representative council are to pay N1,000.

vibrant research,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the lecturer called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to be more innovative and assist the universities to move a little away from the traditional encapsulation of programmes and subject areas, by beginning to have a seamless interaction between one programme and another.

According to Oyebade, Text-To-Speech synthesis would play an important role in telecommunication services, by making it possible for users to access textual information over the telephone; and provide an invaluable aid to handicapped persons.

He noted further that TTS would be helpful for language learning by playing a role in the use of portable electronics consumer products, such as mobile phones and palmtops, among others.

The don added: “The development of high quality TTS systems is a necessary step (as is the improvement of speech recognizers) towards straightforward means of communication between man and machine (…) or between people speaking different languages (speechto-speech translation, which requires speech recognition, translation, and speech synthesis…).

“TTS systems are helpful for pursuing fundamental and applied research on speech.”

Resumption: Council of Knights pleads over bad roads Emeka Onwudinjo UNIZIK

A VC, FUTMINNA

27

head of schools resumption, the Council of Knights of Anglican Communion, Mgbakwu and Ofemmili Archdeaconry in Awka North Local Government Area ofAwka Diocese, Anambra State, have sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) call to the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, over the bad state of the roads in the area.

According to them, the call for the fixing of the road has become a matter of urgent public important and for the government to rescue the people of the Local Council Area who have almost been cut off from the rest of the state.

The call was made at their bi-monthly Council of Knights meeting at Urum community council where some of the Knights had to trek several kilometers to the meeting venue, while others who could not spent about N2, 000 on motorcycle known as Okada to attend the meeting from

Awba-Ofemili and other communities in the two Archdeaconries.

They, however, lamented that as schools resume, it is difficult for teachers in the rural communities to get to their schools and once it rains because of the poor state of the roads.

According to the Knights, that is a disservice to the future of the children who are the leaders of tomorrow, who are now being marginalised in almost every aspect of their development and growth.

The affected communities in the Mgbakwu and Ofemmili Archdeaconries are Amanuke, AwbaOfemmili, Mgbakwu , IsuAniocha and Urum, as well as Ugbene, Ugbenu , Ebenebe ,Achalla and Amansea.

Addressing the media on the outcome of their meeting after their Church service at Christ Anglican Church, Urum, the Chairman of the Council of the Joint Council of Knights, Sir Emmanuel Enemuo lamented the deplorable state of all the roads in the council area.

28

Education | Campus

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

OKOPOLY Rector tells fresh students to be disciplined, hardworking

Be problems solvers, students told

Emeka Onwudinjo

OAU

U

UNIZIK

F

resh students admitted into the Federal Polytechnic, Oko (OKO POLY), Anambra State, have been advised to work hard and be disciplined in order to achieve excellence in their study.

The Rector, Prof. Godwin Onu, gave the advice during the 30th matriculation ceremony of the polytechnic, which took place at the institution’s Convocation Arena.

While admonishing the students to eschew violence and bad company, he charged them to obey the polytechnic’s rules and regulations, warning them to shun cultism, drug abuse and examination malpractice, which he said could terminate their academic ambition.

Onu, who reminded the students that the institution had zero tolerance for forgery, warned that the management would not hesitate to terminate the admission of any student or group of students involved in any of the vices.

He said: “I wish to

I

f the words of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) ViceChancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba are anything to go by, the Ivory Tower has contributed significantly to the growth and development of the country in the past 54 years through its cutting-edge research and manpower development.

The Vice-Chancellor disclosed this during the university’s 54th Founders’ Day press briefing held at the Enugu Campus of the institution, where he chronicled some of the research breakthroughs achieved by the institution.

He listed some of the university’s research outputs to include the discovery of kits for detecting fake drugs; first open heart surgery in Nigeria performed by Professors of the university; and the discovery of cholera vaccine, among others.

Ozumba, who noted that despite the landmark contributions of UNN to the development of the country, insisted that there was the need to do more in ensuring that the challenges confronting the nation are addressed.

The Vice-Chancellor, who is also marking his 100 days in office as a ViceChancellor of the institu-

Afees Lasisi

Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Kayode Opeifa (middle), with student leaders after a symposium on roles of students in a democratic system of government, held in OPIC Plaza, Ikeja

state emphatically that you have nothing to regret; you have made a right choice as we have made great efforts to improve your learning and position the polytechnic as an enviable citadel of learning.”

While administering the polytechnic’s matriculation oath on the students, the Registrar, Mr.

Tony Nwokolobia, told the students to live up to the institution’s expectations, even as he warned them not to engage in examination misconduct and all other forms of social vices.

He said the polytechnic, which is more vigilant and frowns on bad conduct, has put measures in place to check

security breaches within and outside the campus.

The Director of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Mrs. Esther Odigwe, who advised the fresher students to adhere strictly to the matriculation oath they had sworn to, urged them to take the bull by the horns by making their academic work their top priority.

UNN has contributed to national development, says VC tion, recalled that his administration had provided tap-borne water for members of staff and students at the Enugu Campus of the university after 15 years of acute water challenge in the campus.

His words: “My overall agenda is to provide the University of Nigeria the leadership needed to become an academic giant and pace-setter in the quality of scientific research, the level of innovative teaching, and the robustness of its community service among the comity of universities in the developing countries.”

According to the ViceChancellor, in the next few months his administration would provide washing machines for students as it is obtainable in universities in devel ped countries.

He, however, hinted that arrangements had been concluded to boost Internet efficiency in all campuses of the university as well as provide laptop computers to students at a subsidised price. The Vice-Chancellor enumer-

Ozumba, VC

ated some of the thrusts of his administration to include staff welfare and development, students and staff welfare, environment and campus beautification, academic leadership and research, as well as academic discipline and ethics.

Ozumba, who said his administration was not

unaware of challenges facing the university, and has since constituted several committees to address them, added that one of the committees - welfare committee – was raised with the aim of addressing the grievances undermining staff performance and development of the institution.

niversity students of various universities who recently participated in a threeday youth empowerment programme held at Olympics Hotel, IleIfe, Osun State have been advised to stop complaining, but to be creative enough and proffer solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the country.

The event was the second edition of the programme tagged: “Sort Out,” which was organised by Opaleye Olaoluwa, a fresh graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University.

Speaking on the first day of the event, Dr. J.O. Faleye of OAU’s Department of English Language, charged the students to be committed to any project that is aimed at solving a problem and that they should be independent in their crave for success in life.

While advising the students to think big and start small, he noted that relying on government to do everything for them would be a wishful thinking “because government is also in need of help to address the major crises the country currently facing.”

He added: “It is a pathetic situation we find ourselves in this country. The government is not living up to the responsibility bestowed upon her. However, I still believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. All of you here are the hope of the country. Though the problems are many and overwhelming, I want you to stand firm and do not lose hope.”

In his own contribution, Pastor Temitope Daniel of StoneChurch, Ile-Ife, advised the students not to see a failure as the end of a life journey.

Daniel said: “My first year as an undergraduate was a total failure. I started at the bottom of the class. This made me to sit down and make a change of my academic life. That failure changed my life and entire activities in school.

At the end, I was among the best students that graduated in my class.

“So, in everything you do you must not allow failure to conquer you, but rather let it be the beginning of your success.”

Education | Campus

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

29

OPINION

The making of UNILAG: A tribute to Prof. J. F. Ade-Ajayi CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

Tayo Popoola

I

n the words of Ogunye and Gbadamosi: “Ade-Ajayi addressed the problem by building additional halls. Jaja Hall was built in 1973, Block C was added to Amina Hall in 1975, an extension was made to Moremi Hall in 1975 and a New Hall Complex or the 2,000 students’ hostel was built in 1978, all during Prof. Ade-Ajayi’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor.”

Recounting how the foundation of UNILAG to become the Nation’s Pride and University of First Choice was laid, Professors Ogunye and Omolewa noted that the foundation was laid

by Prof. Ajayi through what they described as “a superb staff development programme.”

Using the Chemical Engineering Department as an example, they revealed that from the onset, any first class graduate of the department was appointed an Assistant Lecturer even outside the department quota and sent abroad for a PhD programme - while running his salary at home and wholly supported by the university abroad.

“Some of the staff who benefitted under the scheme included Prof. Abiola Kehinde, Prof. John Edewor, Prof. Kayode Abdul-Kareem and Prof. Rahamon Bello, the current Vice-Chancellor of the unversity.

The generous staff development programme in Chemical Engineering was equally applied to other departments in the University. Some of the beneficiaries included Prof. Akin Oyebode to University of Toronto, Canada for his PhD in Law and Prof. Peter Adeniyi to the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, for his PhD in Remote Sensing.

It is gratifying to note that both Oyebode and Adeniyi became ViceChancellors of University of Ado-Ekiti and Federal University of Technology, Akure, respectively.

Olusegun Akinluyi, who closely worked with five substantive ViceChancellors and three Acting ViceChancellors of the University, described Prof. Ade-Ajayi as a renowned academic, administrator, administrative academic par excellence, a historian and reflective visionary with a clear mission, an informed innovator, a transformer of the occasional potential crises of Senate into developmental advantage and a leader who at meet-

ings did not relish the silence of the graveyard but welcomed criticisms and brainstorming.

Frontline politician, Chief Ebenezer Babatope similarly described Emeritus Prof. Ade-Ajayi, who was his boss as Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos between 1973 and 1978, as a man of ideas. “He influenced many lives while he was at the head of the administration of the university.

“Ever unruffled by events, Prof. AdeAjayi was ever at home with all those who believed in the dissemination of the truth in the discussion and analysis of men, matters and events of any situation.

“I have heroes that have sharpened my life. In this regard, Papa Obafemi Awolowo, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Chairman Mao Tse Tung, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Prof. Jacob Ade-Ajayi…

I say it however, with the fear of God that two of my heroes who have directly had influence on my life are Papa Obafemi Awolowo and Emeritus Professor J. F. Ade-Ajayi. I will never forget them until I answer the supreme call.”

Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, who wrote a piece entitled: “Insertion of UNILAG as a World-Class University” in a collection of essays which elucidated J. F. Ade-Ajayi’s life and career, said Prof.

Ade-Ajayi worked very hard for the repositioning of UNILAG as a world-class university.

Asiwaju revealed that he was exposed to eight successive Vice-Chancellors of UNILAG that were appointed up to the date of his retirement except the first, Prof. Eni Njoku (1962 – 1964).

He listed the Vice-Chancellors who piloted the University during his days as: Prof. S.O. Biobaku (1965-1972), J.F. Ade-Ajayi (1972-1978), B. K. Adadevoh (1978-1980), Akin Adesola (1981-1988), N. O. Alao (1988-1995), J. A. Omotola (19952000) and Oye Ibidapo-Obe (2001-2007).

While describing Ajayi’s Vice-Chancellorship as watershed and full of uncommon accomplishments, Prof. Asiwaju said “Perhaps, the most indelible marks of Ajayi’s feat in repositioning UNILAG for the status of a world-class university were the so many qualitative infrastructural expansion that still stand in witness.

“First, were the structures that were aimed at enhancing qualitative academic productivity. These include the present Faculty of Arts building which houses the Arts Lecture Theatre, Faculty of Science, the Chemical En-

The late Prof. Ade-Ajayi

In consequence of the multi-faceted reforms and infrastructural improvements undertaken in the six years of Ajayi’s leadership, UNILAG’s institutional image rose remarkably in perception and ranking both nationally and internationally

gineering building and the University Auditorium.

“Next were the structures targeted at advancing the cause of an integrated academic community. These were outfits which drastically reduced offcampus accommodation of staff members. They include such new residential houses and block of flats as the three multi-storey Lagoon-side towers, the near-by College of Medicine residences, the adjacent new professorial houses on the main campus and the blocks of flats on the grounds of the defunct College of Education” Asiwaju further identified the ultramodern Staff Club building, the Bookshop building and refurbishing of the Main Library, among others.

The erudite Professor of History, therefore, asserts that “in consequence of the multi-faceted reforms and infrastructural improvements undertaken in the six years of Ajayi’s leadership, UNILAG’s institutional image rose remarkably in perception and ranking both nationally and internationally” Consequent upon his landmark achievements in office, it would not be out of place if one of the structures put in place during his tenure, preferably, the Main Auditorium is named after him, in appreciation of his exemplary leadership.

Similarly, other Vice-Chancellors that followed his footsteps, especially Prof. Akin Adesola (1981-1988) as well as Prof. Jelili Adebisi Omotola (19952000) should equally be appreciated, so as to encourage future Vice-Chancellors of the university to work hard for the sustenance of the laudable legacies of their predecessors.

It could be recalled that Prof. Akin Adesola constructed the New Senate House and the second access road. He also expanded and repackaged the main entrance to the university. Prof. Omotola, however, built the Multi-Purpose Hall, established the UNILAG Venture, the platform through which the university till date produces UNILAG Water and UNILAG Bread, among others, as well as introduced the Students’ Work Study scheme and made several academic and non-academic members of staff house owners.

While the new Senate Building could be named after Prof. Akin Adesola, the Multi-Purpose Hall could also be named after Prof. Omotola.

• Tayo Popoola lectures at Mass Communication Department, UNILAG.

Rotary president to invest in education Mojeed Alabi

T

he former Dean of Students’ Affairs of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, and the newly sworn-in President of the Rotary Club of Ota, District 9110, in Ogun State, Rotarian Alaba Olalekan, has spoken of plans to intervene in the infrastructural de-

cay facing the education institutions under his jurisdiction.

Alaba, whose installation as the 32nd President of the club took place at the Bezer Hall, Sango, Ogun State said plans have reached advanced stage by his administration to donate a block of toilets to Iloye Community School in Ota, even as he added

that education is one of the core objectives of the Rotary Club globally.

He said as a lecturer, the challenge before him would be to invest his time, energy to mobilise members and non-members alike to fund series of education and youthfocused programmes including essay competition, lectures and awareness against vices

in schools, which had already been lined up for execution.

The event, which was chaired by the Project Director of Aslat Global Resources Limited, Asimiyu Oluwatele Akobada, also featured a past President of the club, Dr. Leke Ibraheem, who represented the District Governor, Dr. Dele Balogun.

In his handing over speech, the outgoing President of the club, Mr. Shina Arogundade, commended the members and guests for their support during his tenure and urged them to rally support for his successor towards achieving success for the club not only in the district, but also throughout the country.

30

Education

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Provost tasks students to be law abiding Babatope Okeowo Akure

T

he Acting Provost of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Dr. Olufemi Olajuyigbe has advised students in the institution to be responsible and law abiding so as to have successful academic career.

Olajuyigbe gave advice during the inauguration of the new executive officers for the college’s Student’s Union for the 2014/2015 academic session.

While congratulating the student leaders for their victory in the election, he urged them to see their new positions not as a platform to antagonize or confront the management, but to serve the interest of the generality of their colleagues and the college.

The Acting Provost stressed the need for synergy between the union leaders and the management, restating the interest of the management to foster a healthy relationship with the union, provided the union leaders exhibit trust, mutual understanding and embrace genuine dialogue in resolving issues.

Olajuyigbe, who challenged the student representatives on the need to always seek clarification on any issue

EDUPEACE

with Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (08066372516, sms only)  Dr Adedimeji is a Senior Lecturer and Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin

Obasanjo goes to school

from relevant organs of the college and ensure that such information are communicated correctly to their colleagues, said such clarifications had become necessary in order to prevent rumour and unnecessary tension in the system.

On the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the management has assured members of staff and students of their safety on campus.

The Acting Provost gave the assurance while speaking on steps being taken by the management to contain the spread of the disease and make the college free of any disease.

According to him, the management has introduced the use of the Human Infra-red Thermometer (HIT) at the college main gate for the screening of the students, workers and visitors to the institution, as a demonstration of its commitment to the safety of lives of the students and in compliance with the Federal Government directive to contain the spread of Ebola.

His words: “This is just a way to safeguard our students and workers as the college resumed for new academic session. The action is taken in compliance with directive of the government, which mandated every institution to put measures in place to check the spread of the disease.”

T

Cross section of participants at a training organised for African students in South Africa

Ebola: Stakeholders seek improved sanitation, hygiene in schools Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

S

takeholders in the primary education sector have called on the federal and state governments as well as other providers of basic education in the country to step-up sanitation and hygiene in schools.

According to them, this would go a long way in the quest to prevent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) infection and other diseases in schools.

The call, they stressed, had become imperative in view of the panic already created in the United States of America, where five school children were reported to have had contact with the first Ebola case in US. The call was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the 13th Quarterly Meeting of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Management with the Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SU-

BEBs) in Gusau, Zamfara State.

In the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Principal Public Relations Officer of UBEC, Mr. David Apeh urged education providers not to rest on their oars in view of the need to contain the Ebola virus and its spread in the country.

Delegates to the quarterly meeting also urged the federal government to carry out needs assessment of the state government before intervention in basic education.

According to the UBEC, Chairmen of SUBEBs at the meeting raised concerns over some interventions carried by the Federal Government, which ordinarily are not really the problems of some of the schools.

The delegates particularly observed that the exercise books procured by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs) were yet to be delivered to most states and the FCT.

7+

Nigerians died of Ebola Virus Disease

hough permanently a controversial figure, the former President of Nigeria and one of the most accomplished Africans ever, Chief Olusegun Matthew Aremu Okikiolu Obasanjo, is a man I have a soft spot for. He is down-to-earth, unpretentious and active. You will always know where he stands on issues and his patriotic zeal is infectious: Obasanjo loves Nigeria with passion.

Baba, as he is fondly called, is in the news again for good reasons. At 77, the former President has returned to school and the whole nation is excited or confounded about it. Having realised that education is a lifelong endeavour, a fact that many people still refuse to see, Baba is proving that leadership is continuous learning and real leaders are avid readers.

When the Owu Chief first enrolled for his postgraduate diploma in Christian Theology in November 2006 as an incumbent President, many people thought it was a fluke or a public relations stunt. By dint of hard work and self- discipline, Baba conducted himself with discipline and graduated in January 2009. He even earned the commendation of the then ViceChancellor of National Open University (NOUN), Prof. Olagbemiro Jegede, as a model student.

“As a student, Obasanjo vigorously pursued his studies on full time basis… He is a shining example of how seriously a student should take his learning. Like everybody, he sat for all the examinations using anonymous matriculation numbers, and by our internal quality control and securityproof control measures, his papers were marked by different tutors located in some of our study centres including Damaturu, Minna and Yenagoa,” Prof. Jegede said on his day of graduation.

There are many lessons in Chief Obasanjo’s current educational enthusiasm for Nigerians both young and old. For space constraints, I will highlight just five of them as follows: One, education has no age limit. Regardless of how old you are, you can still learn. Many people complain that if they had had the opportunity, they

At 77, the former President has returned to school and the whole nation is excited or confounded about it would have gone to school.

But rather than take the bull by the horns when they now have the means, they consider their age as a barrier. You can’t be too old to learn and Obasanjo is a living proof ! The JAMB forms are being sold, please!

Two, humility is virtuous. Going back to school

by Obasanjo is a lesson in humility because an arrogant person would assume he doesn’t need it. The mental attitude of Obasanjo therefore is not different from that of the great English scientist, Isaac Newton (1642-1727) who, despite his many achievements, said he was just like a mere boy “playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then…whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” For Obasanjo who knows so much, his humility makes him see many “undiscovered” layers of knowledge.

It is the same humility that made the Chief tells his supervisor to treat him just like any of his students.

Three, knowledge is superior. By enrolling to learn under those who are inferior to him in terms of age, status and material achievements, Chief Obasanjo is stressing that knowledge is superior to wealth and scholars should be proud of what they have. In a country where everyone believes that you can only be respected when you have money or occupy a political office, Baba’s tacit message is that scholars should be pleased with who they are because knowledge confers superiority on them.

Four, set your priority right. By seeking to deepen his knowledge in Christian theology, Obansanjo is showcasing a lesson in prioritization.

Part of his reasons for returning to school is to learn more about God, serve Him better and maintain a better relationship with Him.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Money

The Investor

31

Maritime

Euromoney: Highlighting nation’s financial system needs post-rebasing

Q3: Upset in financial market dashes investors’ hope

Extortion blamed for gridlock at port roads

Customs arrest 26 smugglers over 82 vehicles, N322m contraband

35

36

37

38

Business What's news

Nigeria requires $19.2m for land registration, titling reforms –FG

Nigeria will require a budget of $19.2 million to implement reforms around registration and titling of land, the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development has said.

p.32

Software imports gulp N57.6bn, says minister Nigerian economy has, in recent times, transferred a total of $360 million (about N57.6 billion) out in purchase and maintenance of foreign software by various private and public organisations, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, stated at a forum in Lagos.

p.32

The Business Desk

Ayodele Aminu l Deputy Editor (Business)

Simeon Ogoegbulem l Dep. Business Editor

Bayo Akomolafe l Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme l Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Godson Ikoro l Asst. Editor (Money Market) Adeola Yusuf l Energy Editor

Wole Shadare l Aviation Editor

DEPRESSING Sustained bear run dampens equities Chris Ugwu

I

nvestors in the nation’s capital market lost about N355 billion in Dangote Cement Plc and Nestle Nigeria Plc during the third quarter ended September 2014.

The loss came on the heels of massive sell off that pervaded the Nigerian stock market during the third quarter under review.

The market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which measures the value of stocks listed on the exchange, opened high at N14.027 trillion in market capitalisation and 42,482.48 in index at the beginning of trading on July 1, 2014 and closed on Tuesday September 30 at N13.

607 trillion and 41,210.10 index points, hence earned a loss of about N420 billion or 3.08 per cent.

Investigation by New Telegraph showed that Dangote Cement, which controls over 28 per cent of overall market capitalisation, recorded a loss of N307 billion or 8.11 per cent to close at N3.782 trillion on September 30 as against N4.089 trillion recorded at the end of June.

Nestle Nigeria dipped by N48 billion or 5.5 per cent to close from N911 billion in June to N863 billion during the period under review.

The low sentiment in the market has been on the increase following upset in the financial market arising from insecurity, build up to 2015 elections, Ebola crisis, recapitali-

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, Arik Air, Capt. Ado Sanusi; Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue and Senior Manager, Customer Loyalty/Customer Relations Manager, Mr Kayshelya de Alwis, during the launch of Arik Affinity wings, at the Airline’s Corporate Head Office, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

sation fever, among others.

Financial analysts believe that some of these factors sent a shock wave to both local and foreign investors and created uncertainty in the investment environment, which led to retreat on the part of the bargain hunters.

Even earnings being posted

by some quoted companies with promises of dividend pay-out could not rescue the stock market from limbo as sell pressure continued unabated raising concerns that the projection of the Nigerian Stock Exchange to grow market capitalisation in 2016 to $1trillion (N150 trillion) might be a

mirage.

Financial analysts have predicted that the third quarter results will not be exciting for most corporate entities quoted on the exchange.

The Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

NIMC’s scheme different from $290m Sagem project, says DG Kunle Azeez

D

irector General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr Chris Onyemenam, has clarified that the current national identity scheme is different from the previous $290 million identity project awarded to Sagem by the Federal Gov-

ernment.

Speaking in an interview with New Telegraph in Lagos, Onyemenam said: “The $290 million Sagem project and other schemes before focused on ID card issuance only, but the current National Identity Management System being implemented by NIMC has, at least, five components.”

He said that in the current scheme, the card to be issued

was just one of those components.

“That is a remarkable departure from what we have been doing in the past where the end of the entire exercise is to issue a card,” he said, stressing that the first phase of the on-going project will have 30 million cards issued.

He said: “What we have CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Dayo Adeyemi l Property Editor

Investors lose N355bn in Dangcem, Nestle –Investigation

Chris Ugwu l Capital Market Editor Abdulwahab Isa l Finance Editor Kunle Azeez l Senior Correspondent Chuks Onuanyin l Energy Nnamdi Amadi l Reporter Johnson Adebayo l AsstProduction Editor

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE August 2014............................8.5% July 2014.................................8.3% May 2014.................................8.2%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . . . 11.57% Prime Lending Rate. . . . . . 16.93% Maximum Lending Rate. .25.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N156.75 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N254.68 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N198.08

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N280 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N222

(Parellel As at Oct 3)

l Foreign Reserves – $39.47bn as at 2/10/2014

Source: CBN

(Official As at Oct 3)

32

Business | News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigeria requires $19.2m for land registration, titling reforms –FG CUTTING EDGE

Computerisation of land records and administration processes will eradicate bottlenecks Dayo Ayeyemi

N

igeria will require a budget of $19.2 million to implement reforms around registration and titling of land, the Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development has said.

The estimate is contained in Goal 5, sub goal 5.1 of the report on the final draft on Nigeria Land, Housing and Urban Development Roadmap spanning 29 years (2014 to 2043) to computerise and standardise land administration in the country and establish a central land titling

LOW PATRONAGE

Experts want emphasis on competence of locally-made software Kunle Azeez

N

igerian economy has, in recent times, transferred a total of $360 million (about N57.6 billion) out in purchase and maintenance of foreign software by various private and public organisations, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, stated at a forum in Lagos.

According to her, the current losses coming in form of capital flight have set it, following the extant consumer preference for internationallyrecognised or foreign software products over local brands.

New Telegraph learnt that, over the years, local software developers in Nigeria have been groaning on the basis of poor patronage being recorded in the country.

While the low patronage of indigenous software products has been

L-R: Chief Executive, Eclat Nigeria, Naomi Lucas; Head, Brand Management, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Abiola Aloba and Mr. Omojuwa Japhet, at the press conference to announce the flag-off the 2014 Social Media Award, Africa in Lagos.

system in collaboration with other agencies.

The estimated $19.2 million for the reforms, according to the document, is needed in order to embark on priority initiatives which will encompass the development of relevant policies, computerisation of land records and administration processes, as well as development of appropriate documentation for public use.

The document explained that the reforms had become imperative following the recent low rating of Nigeria in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index (DBI) when compared with other developing countries.

Despite the fact that land is a basic requirement for sustainable housing delivery anywhere in the world, it noted that access to land

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

in Nigeria had suffered setbacks due to lack of political will on the part of government.

“Besides, the Land Use Act has become a constraining factor in housing delivery due to several bottlenecks in the implementation of the law and the difficulties in proffering amendments to the act due to its inclusion in the constitution.

“Other challenges include difficulty in acces-

sibility and lack of ownership rights including security of tenure and absence of land use plans for town and cities,” it stressed.

As a result of these issues, it added that doing business in land transactions was currently adjudged a most cumbersome activity, fraught with considerable delays, inefficiencies and high costs of land transactions.

The proposed reforms, the document stated, targeted at ensuring easy access to land for general development as regards housing and urban development; facilitate easy access to land with secured title that is easily transferable, and increased contribution of land resources to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The reforms also seek efficient, computerised and well-coordinated land registry systems for the whole country and establishment of a networked National Land Depository.

Software imports gulp N57.6bn, says minister blamed on the low-quality perception of the software category, the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) said that foreign software apps are not superior to locallydeveloped software.

According to the minister, Nigeria requires software strategies that must not only be about improving productivity but also providing an avenue for transforming the economy, creating jobs and creating wealth.

“So we need to tackle the broader challenge of how we take our promising software developers and software engineers and help them to become entrepreneurs that can take advantage of this opportunity,” she said.

She, however, noted that the country needs the “innovation process, which centres on the process of creation or ideation that ultimately results in a successfully executed software solution or platform,” to tackle the current challenge the sector is facing. Also, according to her, “the second is focused on companies, not code. We have to keep sight of the fact that brilliantly-written

lines of code must still be considered as building blocks for the successful software companies that must be our ultimate target in building a viable software industry.”

In an interview, President of ISPON, Mr Pius Okigbo, encouraged

organisations in the country to place more emphasis on competence of locally-made software rather than the craze for foreign certification of companies that develop solutions.

He noted that patronage of local software will

help boost the nation’s economy.

“Today, software is the backbone for 21st century national development and wealth creation and we urge Nigerian companies to change their perceptions about indigenous software,” he said.

Investors lose N355bn in Dangcem, Nestle CON T I N UE D F ROM PAG E 31

Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane, who stated this in a presentation he made at Lagos Business School recently, noted that NSE All Share Index (ASI) might dip below 41,000 points in the month of

September.

The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Jonson Chukwu, while assessing the trading activities had also attributed the decline in the country’s foreign reserve as a major factor that is making

capital market less attractive to investors.

Chukwu linked the sustainable bear run in the equities market that has led to a considerable drop in value of equities in market capitalisation year to date to decline in foreign reserve.

NIMC’s scheme different from $290m Sagem project CON T I N UED F ROM PAG E 31

done this time around is to design the system in such a way that a service provider that is not needed, that is proving difficult and trying to hold us to ransom or is trying to create a situation where the tail is wagging the dog, can be excused.

“So it is a service-oriented architecture that we have put in place and

we followed it up closely by saying the deployment must be with our engineers and staff.

Along the deployment, we have been training Nigerians to make sure that we manage this project effectively.”

Explaining further, he said that the new card which requires issuance of National Identity Numbers (NINs) to Nige-

rians had about 19 security features, saying that the most distinguishing feature is the smart card model, an 80 kilobyte card that has multiple applications.

He said: “Aside being an identity card, it is also a payment card and that is what distinguishes it from the other previous identity card schemes we have had.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

33

FCT Business Watch Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

B

arring last minute change of plan, Aso Savings & Loans Plc will consummate its acquisition of Union Homes Savings & Loans by the first quarter of 2015 during which the firm is expected to kick off business transactions in all the branches of Union Homes nationwide.

Giving an update to New Telegraph, an inside source familiar with the deal said that everything had been wrapped up, adding that what is expected now is regulatory nod from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

CBN superintends over the regulation of primary mortgage institution (PMIs) in the country. The two parties (Aso Savings and Union Bank plc) to the deal had submitted their offer of consent to the apex bank.

Managing Director of Aso Savings, Mallam Hassan Usman, confirmed the development to New Telegraph in Abuja in an exclusive chat with our correspondent.

He said that everything in respect to the Union Homes acquisition had been tied up and that what is being expected is regulatory approval by CBN, adding that the process is fully on course.

“We are still in the process of doing it. We are awaiting regulatory approval and we hope it comes thorough shortly. The process is doing well. We hope to leverage on the acquisition and deepen the market, expand our network and reach out to more customers. All these would be happening first quar-

Union Homes: Aso Savings & Loans awaits CBN’s nod ter of next year,” he affirmed.

The Board of Union Bank plc has also endorsed acquisition of the mortgage firm by Aso Savings, but a few shareholders had expressed reservations.

Usman also spoke on prevailing developments in the mortgage sector.

He said: “The major challenge has been getting a decent rate, we want to get long term funding sustainable at attractive rate. We want to get change in land tenor system; we want to get easy processes for land tittle because all these will reduce the cost of operation, which will ultimately affect cost of buying a house, thus making a house affordable and cheaper. These are immediate challenges we are facing in the industry,” he said.

Opportunities, he said also abound in the sector. According to him, the country is at the preliminary stage in her process of developing a virile mortgage industry that has a huge potential.

“The market is huge; we can do about 17 million houses. The market has tremendous potential but certainly it requires a long term funding. We are glad the government is doing something in that direction by creating Nigeria Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC) which will allow us to do twenty years mortgages.”

Following the divestment of Union Bank from Union

Ebola: Bush meat sales drop by 80% in Abuja Yusuf Shuaib Abuja

T

hough Ebola disease has been contained to a large extent in the Nigeria, sale of bush meat, especially the grass-cutter, is yet to pick up, recording about 80 per cent drop, investigation has shown.

A bush meat seller, Mallam Ado Bagobiri, in a chat with our correspondent, attributed the drop in sale to the outbreak of the dreaded killer decease, which, according to him, led to a significant reduction in turnover of sales. Consequently, the development has created lull in hunters’ activities.

He said that while insecurity in the north has made many of his partners to relocate to Abuja and other peaceful states, the hope that business was on

the verge of booming but was slowed down by Ebola case.

“The security situation has become a major challenge for most of us from the north as we no longer see investors because of the activities of the insurgents.”

Findings along Zuba express road and Kubwa through to the Federal Civil Service College show that sellers of bush meat that normally display their wares for motorists have disappeared.

When New Telegraph visited the area, it was a different ball game as the bush meat sellers sit all day without anyone coming to patronize them, not even the restaurant owners who normally use bush meat delicacy on their menu especially at relaxation centers in the city and villages and especially within the Kubwa axis.

Homes, a subsidiary of Union Bank Plc, Aso Savings & Loans indicated interest to acquire Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc (UHSL).

The company disclosed this

through a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) that as part of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) approved restructuring exercise, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (UBN) has

decided to sell Union Homes.

According to the notice ‘‘after a bidding process, Aso Savings was selected as the preferred bidder in October, 2013,’’ the PMI said.

L-R: Product Marketing Manager, LG Home Entertainment, Sreenath Babu; Product Marketing Manager, LG Home Appliances, Paul Mba; Winner of the LG Smart TV, Ifeanyi Orakwue and Assistant Marketing Manager, LG Home Entertainment, Samuel Ajulo, during the 2014 Inspiration FM Summer Jam Concert in Lagos.

ABUCCIMA mulls 5-star hotel in Abuja Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

A

buja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA) has announced plans to construct a five-star hotel in Abuja to be equipped with standard facilities.

Its President, Mr Solomon Iyaba, disclosed this in Abuja while unveiling projects lined up for immediate execution the group. ABUCIMA is hosting 9th edition of Abuja trade fair.

Iyaba also said that the organisation might consider the option of investing in the oil and gas sector by the time the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) concludes the reform of the sector and open it up for public participation.

Other investment outlets listed by ABUCIMA president include building the largest shopping mall in Abuja and a world-class event centre.

To bring these projects into reality, he said that the organisation has entered into partnership with a reputable firm whose identity he refused to disclose.

Iyaba spoke recently while receiving top officials of BPE led by its Director –General, Benjamin Dikki. BPE was one of the agencies that partnered ABUCIMA to host 9th edition of Abuja trade fair.

“It might interest you to know that we are building the biggest mall in the city. Already, we are in partnership with a firm to develop a modern exhibition centre and a 5-star hotel so that we can grab some of these events that normally take place at Hilton Hotels. All these we are doing through partnership,” he said.

He commended the leadership of BPE under Dikki, saying that the organisation has created a level playing ground for all investors interested in buying government equities.

Earlier, the BPE boss, Dikki, had justified the bureau’s decision to participate in the fair, noting: “We are easily disposed to do so because we have undertaken, through our programme, to always support any initiative by the private sector, to grow the nation’s economy, especially if it is designed to add value to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.”

34

Business | FCT Watch

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

CAC: Activities resume as Commission set for new online system Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

State of affairs before service disruption Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, has many things in common with Broad Streetthe famed commercial hub of Lagos.

Similar to Lagos Broad Street, which houses corporate offices of leading commercial banks and many conglomerates, Tigris Crescent Street, tucked in Maitama highbrow district of Abuja, boasts of many government agencies.

The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), FCT High Court, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Nigeria Export Promotion Commission (NEPC) are some dominant organisations whose buildings are located along Tigris Crescent.

Ever alive and bubbling with human and vehicular traffic, Tigris Street, like Lagos Broad Street, remains a source of income to many Nigerians doing legitimate businesses.

Of edifices competing for space at Tigris Crescent, plot 420 which houses the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) accounts for 95 per cent of human traffic.

The CAC building is a business hub to lawyers and other clients carrying out company registration, names searching and others.

For several years of its existence, the organisation saddled with the responsibility of rendering these services had kept fate with prompt discharge of its core mandates.

For example, in January 2013, 1,069 applications were processed within 24 hours.

Service delivery disruption The Commission experienced snap in service delivery middle of September. On August 15, CAC experienced a total disruption in its services, a rare development in the history of the organisation that upset its loyal stakeholders/ clients - the lawyers.

Lawyers doing transactions with the Commission registered their displeasure. The Commission traced the disruption to sabotage by a vendor previously engaged to handle its software.

The vendor decided to shut down the system even after he had been paid part of his money. As to be expected, this, apart from slowing the Commission’s registrations and name search, it reduced human traffic around CAC vicinity.

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, in one of his public announcements recently, set aside October 2014, to deploy a new on-line registration system.

Trade and Investment Minister, Dr Olusegun Aganga

Managements’ assurance The management had risen swiftly to the occasion by restoring services while making efforts to improve to an optimal level through installation of new online system.

Speaking with New Telegraph recently, CAC Director of Public Affairs, Churchill Williams, said: “The configuration of the new online system was borne out of the fact that the existing system had functional limitations in features and user ability. At the moment, we have started a new bottom-up application development which will be launched in stages starting with name search and online payment by the end of the month.”

The stage, Churchill explained, will also evolve continuation of stakeholders’’ sensitisation programme which had already commenced.

“This will be followed by pre and post-incorporation registration service. Our expectation at the end of this process is that the commission’s service will reach optimum level within the next six months, when all applications on service will be automated and available,” he said.

The Commission, while apologising to its customers and the general public on hitches encountered, promised that all the backlogs of jobs would be cleared with the deployment of new online system.

Prior to the recent hitch, CAC management led by Mahmud Bello, maintained uninterrupted service delivery.

Reforms enthroned by the management succeeded in eliminating one of the biggest frustrations of investors and potential investors within Nigeria and from outside the

CAC Registrer-General, Bello Mahmud

On August 15, CAC experienced a total disruption in its services, a rare development in the history of the organisation that upset its loyal stakeholders/clients - the lawyers

country - the difficulty in the process of registering a company, filling annual returns and other business matters that have something to do with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Declaring that his vision for CAC is to evolve a worldclass business registry that will keep accurate and reliable company records using the best technology and driven by a well-motivated workforce, Bello had enthroned reforms leading to significant reduction in the turn-around time for company registration, filling of returns and all other transactions.

Appraising CAC’s operations recently, Thailand Board of Investment and Fiscal Policy Research Institute Foundation said that the appearance and disposition of the CAC has potentials to attract foreign investors. The team, led by the Deputy Secretary General of the Board, Mrs Vasana Mututanont, said: “The impression we have today is almost the best.”

Mrs Mututanont expressed delight at the CAC’s environment and said that “the delegation of the Thailand Board of Investment which I am the leader is like the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC),” adding that the Fiscal Policy Institute was to research for information for the Thais who will like to do business in Nigeria, be it trade or investment. We are interested in different areas, food processing, agriculture, oil and gas, tourism, clothing and infrastructure.

She said that the team which was in Nigeria to strengthen investment ties between the two countries is working to-

wards getting adequate information in the area of trade and investment as well as exploring other opportunities available in the country.

The Director-General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mr Joseph Odumodu, while presenting the QMS certificate to CAC on behalf of the International Standard Organisation (ISO), captured in his remarks “the modest innovations and achievement of CAC.” Odumodu said it was in recognition of the commission’s pursuit of excellence in its service delivery to Nigerians.

He noted that the QMS adopted by the CAC had helped the Commission to understand customer needs and meet their expectations as well as improve on its set processes and documentation, among others.

According to him, CAC is the first Federal Government agency among four others to obtain certification on QMS from SON. The SON boss identified other agencies as the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) and SON. “This remarkable achievement can be ascribed to the desire of the commission to improve on its processes, documentation and on-time delivery of services to its customers.

By this impressive feat, CAC has formally announced itself among the league of the lofty class of Quality Management System-certified organisations in Nigeria,” he said.

Odumodu urged public and private organisations in the country to work hard to satisfy their customers’ needs if they wished to be relevant in a highly competitive environment.

The result of the Commission’s positive transformation is a far more active, efficient, and transparent organisation that facilitates timely delivery of its services to its customers, which is so important to our nation’s economy.

The RG has been able to improve internally generated revenue, moving it from N3 billion when he took over to over N5.5 billion as at end of 2012.

This figure has also gone up in the last two years.

Stakeholders’ expectation As would be expected, lawyers and other allied clients of CAC would be expecting a smooth and hitch-free system that would facilitate ease in their transactions this October. With configuration of new online system in place, couple with measures already put in place by CAC management, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent is set to resume its beehive of commercial activities.

Business | Money

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

35

Euromoney: Highlighting nation’s financial system needs post-rebasing INTEGRATION

The financial system of the country needs to be fast-tracked to ensure enhanced economic growth and development.

Godson Ikoro

T

he quest to deepen Nigeria’s domestic financial market got a boost at the 2014 Euromoney conference on Nigerian banking and capital market.

The conference envisioned in a mode to actualise the Financial System Strategy 2020 sought to examine what Nigeria is doing to integrate the domestic financial market with the external financial market.

With the theme, “New era of capital CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele accessing solutions for the new reality,” the conference, which drew experts, infor the exercise, the rebased GDP vestors and entrepreneurs from across numbers have exposed the country’s the entire spectrum, ventilated issues untapped tax base, especially the inforthat hinder the growth and penetration mal and non-oil sectors that are hardly of financial services in the economy. captured.

Sponsored by Ecobank, FBN Capital, The higher GDP as a result of rebasFirst Bank, Invest Africa, and Union ing means more consumption per-capita; this is a booster to Nigeria’s allure Bank, the conference was divided into as an investment destination. Nigeria five different panel discussions and structured questions were addressed appears to be the next story against China and India, as investors see by different experts.

The first panel took up the solutions growth in Nigeria. The government for the new reality. The overdue but policies will improve the lives of the dramatic rebasing of Nigeria’s econcommon people because government omy surprised many and revealed a has better information and rebasing more diversified economy than previshowed that Nigeria has a strong conously realised. sumer base.

The question of capital flows into Financial services for Africa’s new giant.

Nigeria and how local capital markets The dramatic cleanup of the finanwill adapt to the new reality as the country takes its place at the head of cial services industry of the last few African table was also touched at the years is expected to serve Nigeria well, conference. but how should the banking sector and Among the discussants were Direcfinancial market respond to meet the tor of Euromoney Conference, Chrischallenges of an economy that is both larger and more diversified? How can topher Garnet, Karim Bakrin, Parther Helios; Tim Newbold, Director, Africa Nigeria also take advantage of inPractice; Charles Okeahialam, Mancreased investor’s interest?

This was the aspect taken on by the aging Director and co-founder, AGH second panel of discussants under the Capital Group; Uche Orji, Managing subheading, ‘fit for the frontier, finanDirector and Chief Executive, Nigerian cial services for Africa’s new giant.’

Sovereign Investment Authority, and Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, Managing The discussants, which included Mr. Director and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Marks of Invest Africa; of First Bank.

Group Managing Director/CEO, Morgan Capital Group, Ayoleke Adu; ManOutlook of the Nation’s economy. aging Director and Chief Executive Garnet expressed concern over the Officer, FMDQ OTC, Bola Onadele; Exeffect of rebasing as it is affecting acecutive Director, Lagos and West, First cess to capital for prospective issuers Bank of Nigeria, Gbenga Shobo, and and the advantages of being Africa’s Executive Director, Mainstreet Bank, largest economy.

Roger Woodbridge, addressed the issue The panel also considered whether of capital adequacy and transparency the impact of growth returning to the as a major concern in Nigeria’s banking system. west makes competition for capital tighter, and whether more diversified Also discussed were the effects economy makes one less vulnerable to of Basel 111 liquidity coverage rafluctuations in oil prices. tio (LCR) by January 1, 2015 will have on Nigerian banking system; The discussants’ submission was that rebasing conferred specific benwhat polices are in place to encourage efits to macro-economic environment; financial services and funding. They benefits to investors, and benefits to also discussed how banking should adapt to serve the new, fast growing ordinary Nigerians.

For instance, rebasing has thrown sectors of the economy. up sectors which were unaccounted for, They posited that the capital market, and this will attract investors on the generally is ready in terms of transparlong run. The rebasing exercise has ency and efficiency. However, banks captured the structural changes in the should improve their lending to espeeconomy. cially SMES. While the impact of the Nollywood The capacity and willingness to lend film industry might have been downto the SMEs was harped on especially played, thereby highlighting the need in a situation where the N229 billion

Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Bisi Onasanya

given to the Bank of Industry is still in the vaults, a proof that SMEs are not accessing the fund.

The panelists agreed on the need for more investible instruments to be created and offered in the market to meet different needs of investors transparently.

Also discussed were issues on Agriculture, Feeding and Funding Nigeria’s Green Revolution. It was agreed that against the backdrop of abundant natural resources, the country has an unmatched opportunity for land reform and agricultural investment to feed its fast growing population and develop its agribusiness export economy.

The discussants agreed that a lot of consumption up to 90 per cent were from imported sources and that the level of processing of abundant agriculture products was too low. The panelists sued for backward integration in different sectors.

Credit and capital The fourth panel looked at credit and capital: A financial market for the new era. They considered Nigeria’s financing requirements and whether the capital market is meeting the needs of the country and its rapidly diversifying economy.

New Nigeria exploiting the Hi-tech and communication opportunity.

For the last discussants, it was necessary to also find out if Nigeria was exploiting the Hi-tech and communication opportunity.

The panelists agreed on the need for more investible instruments to be created and offered in the market to meet different needs of investors transparently

Conclusion It was generally agreed that there is need to increase investable instruments and products to satisfy the investment needs of investors. With Nigerian companies spearheading Africa’s bond issuance and with new overseas listings anticipated in the coming year, Africa’s place in the emerging market universe in the near future is assured.

It became imperative that the financial system of the country needed to be fast-tracked to ensure enhanced economic growth and development.

Commenting on the conference, Onasanya said that FirstBank’s sponsorship of the conference accentuated the bank’s, and indeed, the FBNHoldings Group’s position as a financial partner of choice to investors in the Nigerian economy and a promoter of the development of a prudent, sound and efficient financial sector in Nigeria.

36

Business | The Investor

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Q3: Upset in financial market dashes investors’ hope Chris Ugwu

T

hinking by some financial pundits that positive second quarter results will drive investors’ optimism to galvanise stock market activities in third quarter came out a dashed hope as the market ended the quarter in a negative trajectory.

This is because transaction on the Nigerian Stock Exchange against the preview of experts for the quarter under review continued to skew downward as the market which opened high at N14.027 trillion in market capitalisation and 42,482.48 in index at the beginning of trading on July 1, 2014, closed on Tuesday, September 30, at N13. 607 trillion and 41,210.10 index points, earning a loss of about N420 billion or 3.08 per cent.

The low sentiment in the market worsened following upset in the financial market arising from insecurity, build-up to 2015 elections, Ebola crisis and recapitalisation fever, among others.

Financial analysts believe that some of these factors sent a shock wave to both local and foreign investors and created uncertainty in the investment environment which led to a retreat on the part of the bargain hunters.

Even earnings being posted by some quoted companies with promises of dividend pay-out could not rescue the stock market as sell pressure continued unabated.

Analysts’ assessment While assessing the trading activities during the third quarter, some financial analysts in the capital market attributed the decline in share prices of stocks to persistent market fluctuations.

Managing Director, Topmost Securities Limited, Mr Gbenga Obisesan, said that the market would have performed better but for persistent fluctuations.

He said that the fluctuations made investors to withdraw from the market and, in effect, prolonging the bearish period.

“The third quarter of the year has mixed performance; the stock prices were not steady. Today the market goes up, the next day it comes down.

“So, this natural character of the market was prevalent within the period and that was mainly responsible for the low performance and returns on investment in the stock market,” Obeisesan said.

Also, Managing Director, Perfecter Investment Trust Limited, Mr Emmanuel Eze, attributed the low performance of the market in the quarter to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak which drove many operators and brokers out of market.

He said that Ebola scare made many brokers to stop coming to the floor of the Exchange for fear of contacting the virus.

“As a result of this, most brokers decided to trade from their homes and offices.

“This, I believe might not have yielded high productivity as it should have if they were trading from the floor of the Exchange,” he said.

NSE building

He also pointed out that payment of students’ school fees and house rents which were prevalent in the third quarter equally contributed to its low turnout.

According to him, in a bid to pay house rents and school fees, many investors decided not to invest, but rather sold off their shares to settle their debts.

Speaking in the same vein, Managing Partner of Dependable Securities Limited, Mr Chineyem Anyanwu, said that the forthcoming general elections and the security challenges being faced by the country also contributed to the low returns of the market.

According to him, the situation scared some foreign investors, including the local ones, from putting large volume of their income into the market.

“A good number of investors have put their money into election campaigns. In fact, I anticipate that the market will bounce back fully and perform better as from the beginning of next year.”

Some operators also believe that the recapitalisation directive has, as usual, sparked-up share dumping by market speculators.

According to a senior broker who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “stock market is witnessing the 2007 trend which led to the crash of the market. For trading to go on for days and weeks consecutively towards the negative direction is a pointer that the market may crash, if adequate measures are not taken.

This is because shareholders are apprehensive, dumping their shares due to recapitalisation and for fear of not knowing which stock broking firm may survive at the end of the day, as recapitalisation deadline is about three months away.”

The low sentiment in the market worsened following upset in the financial market arising from insecurity, build-up to 2015 elections, Ebola crisis and recapitalisation fever, among others

Regulatory measures However, market regulators have tried to put some measures in seeking to reposition the market for growth and development as well as increase the dividend yields of shares to investors during the quarter under review.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange, in positioning itself to be the preferred capital market of choice in the African sub-region, had, during the review period, unveiled draft rules on listing of Nigerian Depository Receipts (NDRs).

This is on the back of variety of tradable instruments the Exchange is introducing to satisfy the investment needs of individual and institutional investors looking to diversify their portfolios, reduce risk and invest internationally in the most efficient manner possible.

The Exchange, in a notice pasted on its website and obtained by New Telegraph, said it was introducing Nigerian Depository Receipts (NDRs) to provide access to foreign securities trading in other markets.

Depository Receipts (DRs) are negotiable securities that generally represent a company’s publicly traded equity or debt. DRs may be sponsored or unsponsored and each type has specific characteristics and requirements related to it.

Conclusion With the general elections lurking around the corner, the market will also bear the brunt of the increased spending activities of politicians and the local bourse is likely to witness a huge sell pressure, particularly in the fourth quarter when campaigns will be in full swing, as more money leaves the capital market and floats into the economy, coupled with the general uncertainties in the polity.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Asian ship owners urge Nigeria, others to tackle piracy p.39

37

Maritime

Waiver abuse may boost unemployment –Expert p.38

Extortion blamed for gridlock at port roads Despite the presence of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on Port Reforms, truck owners and drivers are facing hard time in the hands of security officials who are feeding fact from extortion in the port sector. It was revealed that truck drivers paid illegal N36.5 billion yearly to security operatives before they move their consignments BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports.

S

ecurity operatives at the nation seaports are feeding fat from illegal fees being collected at the port entrance. It was learnt that truckers pay N20,000 before they are allowed to access port terminals.

Investigation revealed that the money being collected from truck drivers is being shared by port security operatives at the port gates.

It was learnt that refusal to pay the money may cause the truck to spend several days on the port access road.

Challenge Despite complaints and anger by the port users, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is at a loss on solution to the menace as its Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, said at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos that the issue of corruption by NPA security operatives was not supposed to be discussed in public places.

He said that complainants were expected to report such issues to port managers or anticorruption units to know where such offence was being perpetrated.

A truck owner, Mrs Felicia Mba, explained that the situation was so bad at the Lagos Port Complex and Tincan Island’s first and second gates.

She said that the money was being shared among the various security groups operating at the port gates, adding that a minimum of 500 trucks enter the Lagos Port Complex daily beside other ports and terminals in Lagos.

l Truckers pay illegal N36.5bn yearly to security operatives

MV CMA CGM Niger Monrovia berthed to discharge containers at Apapa Port in Lagos

Echoing her, Mr Henry Okonkwo, said that apart from the amount, “we still need to pay extra N500 or N1,000 before they allow our trucks to enter the port.”

He alleged that the security operatives at Lagos Port Complex were notorious for bribe collection.

“Imaging how much the officials will take home if they collect N20,000 each from about 500 truck drivers daily in a single location,” said another driver who declined to mention his name.

Some of the truck drivers who pleaded not to be named, alleged that collection of fees at the Lagos port was a regular occurrence at the gate of entry.

It was revealed that the long traffic gridlock in Apapa was as a result of the illegal fees.

They said that the port opens 24 hours daily. According to him, “if you multiply N20,000 by 500 trucks, you will get N10 million in a day and that gives you N36.5 billion in a year from a single port.

“Go to Wharf Road and from Creek Road to Mile 2 axis you will see long queues,” they added.

But, the Lagos Port Manager, Mallam Nasir Mohammed, who denied the allegation of bribe collection by his men, said that he was not aware of the illegal toll in the area.

Mohammed said that the truck drivers had complained of extortion by security operatives outside the port as well as delay of the trucks inside the terminals.

According to him, the drivers’ complaints and their protest

served as a wake-up call for an urgent resolution of the petition and others that might lead to port security breaches.

He noted: “The drivers mentioned the issue of extortion by security agents operating outside the port and claimed that they faced delays trying to off-load or load their boxes in the terminals.

Solution “We are working to introduce measures to ensure that the terminals do the proper thing, and as a way of solving this issue, we’ll establish a call-up system that must be implemented.

“Some people will want to go out of their own to induce officials to allow them to go in before others. If that attitude can be checked, it will go a long way in solving the challenges.”

Nasir also said that the terminal operators had refuted the allegation of delays by truck drivers and reassured port operators that the NPA would ensure improved working environment and adequate security around the ports.

Nasir appealed to the truck drivers to be law abiding and shun everything that would breach ports security and endanger the safety of port operators.

Two months ago, stakeholders complained that it takes seven hours to get to the ports from Mile-2 for a journey of less than 10 minutes.

Executive Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium Limited, Mrs Vicky Haastrup, said that the shipping business has been inactive at the seaports.

She noted that something was fundamentally wrong with the country’s transportation system, stressing that it was nightmarish to discharge ships in Apapa.

“Insurance is grumbling, stakeholders are not happy because of the road congestion,” she lamented.

Stakeholders, who recounted their experiences recently at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, during a forum, said that it takes seven hours to get to the ports from Mile-2 for a journey of less than 10 minutes.

If you multiply N20,000 by 500 trucks, you will get N10 million in a day and that gives you N36.5 billion in a year from a single port

Stakeholders’ meeting Meanwhile, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and the Nigerian Police Force have resolved to hold meeting on the contentious logjams around the nation’s ports.

Others are the Federal Road Safety Commission, Lagos State Transport Management Authority and some security operatives at the Apapa ports.

Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, blamed the situation on high presence of trucks not needed at the ports.

He said that the milling of numerous truck drivers around the ports encouraged some of them to offer money to traffic officials in order to have access to the facilities.

“In a situation where you see thousands of trucks wanting to enter, the tendency is that some of them will want to give money to security operatives to enable them go in on time.”

38

Business | Maritime

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Customs arrest 26 smugglers over 82 vehicles, N322m contraband The smugglers were arrested in the eastern part of the country.

Its Area Controller, Mr Victor Dimka, said that the bulk of the items were seized on the Benin/Agbor axis while others were seized in Owerri, Calabar and Enugu.

Dimka listed the seizures to include 82 imported vehicles, 576 bags of rice, 18 used tyres, 458 two stroke engine generators and 2,060 gallons of vegetable oil with DPV of N150.92 million.

He explained that 20 persons were arrested in connection with the smuggled

SMUGGLING Smuggling flourishes in the eastern part of Nigeria in the last nine months Stories by Bayo Akomolafe

T

he Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, has arrested 26 smugglers in connection with vehicles and other contraband with a duty paid value (DPV) of N322 million between July and September.

vehicles while the six others were apprehended in connection with the other goods.

Dimka declared: “Today’s Customs is equipped with world class communication gadgets and are well motivated. They are not only fully equipped, but are well trained, that smugglers cannot penetrate anywhere in Nigeria without being caught.”

He stressed that the Customs Service in the zone was able to achieve the feat because of the synergy it had with other security agencies.

The controller added: “It

does not take anything to pay Customs Duty. We are taking time to warn people again that if you are buying a vehicle, ensure you verify that the vehicle passed the customs. If not, go and pay because customs will get you someday.”

Three months ago, Customs in the zone declared that it intercepted contraband worth N279.2 million in the first quarter of the year.

Describing the seizure as another major breakthrough, the zone said it was the fruit of its determined efforts to bring smuggling to the barest minimum.

World Customs wage war against 15 African ports clears Nigeria

S

Containers at Lagos Port Complex, Apapa

MANAGEMENT Port management may kill coastal trade in the Nigerian shipping sector

A

shipping expert, Capt.

Dada Labinjo, has said that the maladministration of waiver in the Cabotage Act will lead to massive unemployment in the Nigerian shipping industry.

He explained that the country may not harness her democratisation dividends adequately until the authorities ensure that Nigerian Indigenous Ship-owners Association (NISA) members were repositioned.

Labinjo said in Lagos: “Waivers, ideally, are granted for specialised ships that cannot be provided by local operators,” he explained.

Although he said that there was nothing wrong in including the provisions of waiver in the law, but noted that its wholesale and commercialised usage had brought untold

Waiver abuse may boost unemployment –Expert pains in the system.

He explained: “Waivers as practiced in other developing economies like Malaysia, Indonesia and India are granted to foreign applicants after the authority has consulted with their local ship owners to know how long it will take them to provide such ships.

“For example, if there is a contract for five years and the local ship owners in these countries promised to get such ships in nine months, such ship owner will be asked to provide the ship in nine months while the foreign applicant will be granted only nine months waiver instead of five years waiver; and the moment the local ship owners are able to provide such ship, the foreign ship owner waiver will be withdrawn.

“The rights are immediate-

ly withdrawn and given to the local operators. That is how things are done in other climes and Nigeria should not be an exemption.”

He stressed that the youths may continue to roam the streets, so far as the system fails to empower those who would employ them.

Cabotage tanker at Folawiyo Jetty, Apapa, Lagos

mugglers of fake pharmaceutical products have abandoned Nigerian ports due to tight security and surveillance in all the seaports.

The World Customs Organisation (WCO), in association with the International Institute of Research Against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM), have exonerated Nigeria from the 10-day operations carried out in West African ports.

Some of the fake medicines were uncovered in ports in Benin, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo.

A total of 113 million fake pharmaceutical products were seized following inspections of 290 containers at 15 African ports.

It was learnt that some of the drugs were shipped from either China or India.

According to the Centre for Medicine reports released in the United States of America (USA) worldwide sales of counterfeit medicines could top $75 billion this year, a 90 per cent rise in five years.

Secretary-General of WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, said that the number of interceptions effected during this operation revealed the scope of the scourge of illicit and counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs in Africa.

A majority of the counterfeit pharma seized by African Customs authorities were related to primary care such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory and antibiotics, but also included therapeutic drugs such as those meant for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Business | Maritime

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

SEA ROBBERY Maritime trade under threat in Africa and Asia

N

igerian and other governments in West Africa have been asked by the Asian ship owners to address the issue of piracy on their waters.

They also tasked governments in Southeast Asia to take similar action.

It was learnt that India lacks legal system to prosecute pirate.

According to the Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Ranjit Sinha, this led to some of the pirates operating closer to the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Maersk unveils low-sulphur surcharges

39

Asian ship owners urge Nigeria, others to tackle piracy and the Western coast of India.

“From December 2010, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard conducted several major anti- piracy operations off India’s Western Coast and apprehended around 120 suspected pirates,” he said.

The SNEC also expressed grave concern over the growing number of attacks off West Africa waters, where at least 23 incidents have been reported this year.

In particular, it expressed concern over an attack 200 nautical miles off the coast of Nigeria on August 9.

The Safe Navigation and Environment Committee (SNEC) of Asian Ship owners Forum (ASF) expressed great concern

over 17 incidents in Southeast Asia of small tankers being hijacked and cargoes stolen.

Of the 17 attacks, 12 have been successful.

“The world’s governments have demonstrated that they have the will and the capability to address the threat of maritime piracy,” said Patrick Phoon, SNEC chairman.

“Experience has shown us, however, that prompt and decisive action must be taken to nip the threat of piracy and armed robbery in the bud, before a handful of incidents can grow into a regional or even global problem that threatens the lives and well-being of thousands of seafarers. Action must be taken now!”

In the case of Southeast Asia, the committee also took aim at commercial security firms and consultants for issuing what it sees as alarmist reports that could result in increased costs for ship owners operating in the area.

“While the trend of incidents involving siphoning of fuel/oil from product and oil tankers at sea is not new, the committee was very concerned that the surge in the number of incidents in 2014 could result in a situation where vested commercial interests use alarmist press reports to depict scenarios where vessels transiting the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are forced to pay additional premiums,” SNEC warned.

M

aersk Line has announced low-sulphur surcharges of up to $160 per 20-foot container on the North Atlantic and lesser amounts on other trade routes to offset the cost of complying with regulations requiring ships to switch to cleaner fuels in 2015.

Maersk said that its annual fuel bill will increase by $200 million based on the current $270 per ton higher cost of lowsulphur marine gas oil compared with heavy fuel oil.

The low-sulphur surcharges will be levied separately from the carrier’s bunker adjustment surcharges.

All vessels sailing through so-called Emission Control Areas such as the Baltic Sea, the English Channel, the North Sea and 200 nautical miles from the American and Canadian coasts must switch to fuel with sulphur content of 0.1 per cent on January 1 from the current 1.0 per cent limit as the US and the European Union adopt an International Maritime Organisation regulation.

It added: “We believe that a separate surcharge will provide better transparency to our customers on the additional costs arising from the new environmental requirements than if we had integrated the costs into our existing bunker surcharge, as previously communicated.”

The trans-Atlantic trades attract the highest surcharges because ships sail through ECAs at both origin and destination.

The highest surcharge of $160 per Twenty Equivalent units (TEU), applies to the Canada-Baltic trade, followed by the North America-North Europe trade where shippers will be charged an extra $130 per TEU. There will be a $90 per TEU surcharge on the Mediterranean-North America service and the same for West Africa-America voyages.

The Far East-North Europe trade carries the lowest surcharge of just $30 per TEU because the low-sulphur regulation does not yet apply to Asian waters.

The Port and Terminal Multi-services Limited's roll-on-roll-off terminal deserted by automobile importers

Agents debunk allegation of uneven tariff at ports

C

ustoms brokers under the aegis of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tin Can chapter, have debunked the allegation of uneven tariff and valuation made by the management of the Ports and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) against Tin Can port terminal and Customs.

Its Vice-Chairman, Ada Akpunonu, said that the Tin Can port Customs Command was operating a unified Customs tariff and valuation structure like the other commands.

She described the allegation as false and propaganda.

Other Customs brokers who ply their trades at the Tincan terminals said that the facility at the command was one of the best in the ports.

Last week, the Executive Director of PTML, Askanio Russo, complained to members of the Senate Committee on Privatisation that his terminal has lost a large chunk of its customers to the rival terminals at the

Tin Can port due to what he alleged to be uneven administration of Customs tariff and valuation.

Russo reportedly blamed the Customs authority for allegedly using different exfactory prices and valuation assessment for used vehicles discharged at his terminal, which he claimed are different from what obtained at other rival terminals in Tin Can. He further claimed that the disparity in tariff interpretation, especially on the new automotive policy between the two terminals, has resulted in huge cargo diversion from his terminal.

Piqued by what she described as “mischief and sheer blackmail tactics of PTML management,” Akpunonu said that “Russo displayed ignorance of the auto policy of the Federal Government and its attendant effects on motorised cargo.

“PTML is a terminal which specialises in handling vehicular imports and the manage-

ment of the facility ought to be aware that the new auto policy with its attendant high tariff will definitely affect the volume of traffic. It is pure mischief and arm-twisting tactics being employed by PTML managers to accuse Customs of operating two different tariffs and valuation structure at PTML and other competing terminals. ‘’Customs valuation system is unified and there is only one Customs administering the unified system at all its commands,” the ANLCA chieftain said.

Also, the chapter Chairman of Tin Can ANLCA, Prince Kayode Oyinlola, expressed disgust at the claims made by the PTML management, which he believed is capable of causing disaffection among Customs officers.

“PTML management should not blame anybody for the down-turn in its business fortunes, rather it should address some of its charges which rank as one of the highest in the country,” Oyinlola noted.

The two ANLCA chieftains attributed the high preference of importers for the Tin Can port to what they described as the passion, dedication, commitment and vast knowledge of Customs officers in the command in valuation system.

Oyinlola stressed: “The Customs officers in Tin Can port are experienced and can defend their decisions on valuation anywhere due to their efficiency, transparency and due diligence in the interpretation and application of the valuation system. This has resulted in high level of compliance among importers and their agents and high revenue yield to government. ‘’Secondly, the present authority of the command has worked assiduously to achieve and maintain the prevailing peace and tranquillity in the command. This has not only attracted more importers to the command, but has also enhanced the revenue profile of the unit.’’

40 Politics

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ushe Patrick

T

he ongoing political crusade in which the governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, has started flexing muscles in order to trade tackles to depose and succeed Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President and senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, is rather intriguing and unnecessary.

While it is very clear to political spectators in Enugu State that Governor Chime has a beef against Senator Ekweremadu, it is not yet clear to anyone why that should be the case. Be that as it may, what is important is that the senator is someone who by a great dint of merit and achievement now enjoys a great amount of love and popularity among his people.

It is indeed for this reason that we in Enugu State owe it as a sacred duty to advise the governor to retrace his steps, and let Ekweremadu be.

In order to subdue the senator, Chime had recently zoned the gubernatorial ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State to Enugu North Senatorial District, but the senator has always maintained that he did not want to be governor. Chime has also anointed a successor without carrying other stakeholders in the state along ab initio, but Ekweremadu has maintained his cool. Yet, not satisfied, Chime wants to snatch Ekweremadu’s seat at the Senate.

Yet, for more than seven years into his administration, there is no serious effort made by the governor to see that Enugu West benefits. Chime has marginalised his own people of Enugu West in the provision of social amenities and developmental institutions. By this very act and by invoking the Triangular-Equilibrium to favour the North, he has thrown the development of Enugu West 16 years backwards. The people of Enugu West will now wait for full eight years tenure for the Enugu North candidate and eight years tenure by a candidate from Enugu East, if the rotational arrangement continues.

Throughout Enugu West, there is this apparent disbelief among the people that a person of Chime’s standing can abandon his own people in such magnitude.

In Awgu and Aninri local government areas, the developmental projects that have been accomplished during these eight years have either been attracted

by Ekweremadu or done by the local government councils. The same thing also applies to Ezeagu and Udi areas.

While Ekweremadu has done over 22 projects in Udi where Chime hails from, the governor has not done a single one in Aninri LGA where Ekeremadu hails from. Recently, Chime has amusingly begun a cosmetic type of cover-up in Udi South from where he actually hails. The governor wants us to applaud him for the Old Enugu/Onitsha road, which his administration is managing to rehabilitate. I beg your pardon; let us not abandon history. Very recently, Chimaroke Nnamani was the governor of Enugu State. During his administration, he did not spare any opportunity whatsoever to develop his hometown, Agbani, and the surrounding sister communities. As governor, he provided infrastructural facilities and developmental institutions to his people. We are aware of the siting of the permanent campus of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) in the area. The Nigerian Law School, Mea Mater Secondary School and Air Force Secondary School, to mention but a few, are all developmental projects which the former governor used to liberate his people from the shackles of anonymity and poverty. Today, Agbani and its surroundings has become a beehive of activities and a prominent zone both for business and learning, thanks to the administration of the former governor.

Chime

Ekweremadu

Senatorial seat: Ekweremadu faces Chime’s threat While we are not here to applaud such an over-concentration of facilities in Agbani, it is only necessary to observe that it is unthinkable that Chime would entirely consider his own people of Enugu West, especially Udi town unworthy of such favours. Could it be true that Chime is jostling for the Enugu West Senatorial seat?

While Chime has not done much for the people of Udi town and the entire Umuneke, the case of our people of Enugu North comprising of Ojebe Ogene and Ugwunye is even worse. He has entirely marginalised this zone in the provision of his administration. The people of Ojebe Ogene are the worst hit. Whereas the people of Udi town and its surroundings have received from our governor a Greek gift of petty road rehabilitation, the people of Ojebe Ogene have remained forsaken in the whole framework of Chime administration. What have Ojebe Ogene people done to Chime to merit this type of utter disregard?

Who can believe that Chime throughout his more than seven-year-old administration can abandon Udi North in such a way that he cannot rehabilitate the only road in the area, the Enugu/Nsukka Old Road. Sources reveal that some group of people from Ojebe Ogene area had on Wednesday April 18, paid the governor a visit in the Lion Building, imploring him to rehabilitate the road. And I ask why Chime should wait for our people to beg him to rehabilitate the only access road we have. Do not forget that this is a governor who commands fame within Enugu metropolis and some other places in Enugu State as a road builder. Why should the case of Ojebe Ogene people be different? Instead of rehabilitating the road, which has over the years kept our affinity with Nsukka people strong, Chime decided to neglect the area to pursue a new road construction from Nike to Opi. While we commend him for this effort, we can never be satisfied with any excuse the Chime administration will give for relegating us to the background. Why does he think that he is better than the person already occupying the seat? Why is Chime into the illusion that he can now challenge Ekweremadu in battle over the Enugu West Senatorial seat? He has made up his mind to use all the available government machinery within his power as

Legislative function is an art, which is not an inclination of every Tom, Dick and Harry. It is not free for all.

Our governors should stop seeing it as a retirement benefit

a governor to oppress an innocent man.

Now we may ask, have senatorial seats become retirement benefits for governors? As a legislator, Ekweremadu has attracted more than 140 projects to our people. Throughout Aninri, Awgu, and Ezeagu, there are construction of brand new roads and the provision of other facilities like building structures in schools, hospitals and the provision of vehicles and other facilities for service institutions, all of which were attracted by him. In what part of Enugu West Senatorial Zone has Ekweremadu not touched the life of the people with his Ikeoha Foundation? Every now and then, there are activities like inter-school quiz competitions meant to motivate youths for learning and empower them for the challenges of future life.

Why is Chime contesting for a senatorial seat? One of his cronies said that the reason they have lured the governor into the contest was that he is the only one who can challenge Ekweremadu and bring him back to the state. He argued that Ekweremadu had spent 12 years in the Senate and should allow another person to go. Fallacy! Those who further this argument are only displaying their ignorance of what a legislative function is. Legislative function is an art, which is not an inclination of every Tom, Dick and Harry. It is not free for all. Our governors should stop seeing it as a retirement benefit. It is also a function over which a person gains mastery and proficiency as the person stays in office. In the developed world, expenditure of time is not counted for any legislator so long as the person is representing his constituency very well and contributing to the progress of the country.

Ekweremadu is only going to 12 years in the Senate. During this time, he has demonstrated to Nigerians and the whole world that he is a very talented and active legislator. His humble beginnings notwithstanding, Ekweremadu has succeeded in becoming second to the highest-ranking senator in this country. He has also gone beyond that to become the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. All over Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region, his praises are sung among the high and the low for his exemplary leadership.

•Patrick is a public affairs analysis from Enugu

Politics 41

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

On October 2, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, bid the Labour Party (LP) goodbye. To him, there is a new order which informed his decision to dump LP, the platform under which he won the 2007 and 2012 governorship elections. He speaks on this development The task before us It is evident to all who care to look well enough that our country is today at a critical historical juncture. Challenges that in regular climes and under normal circumstances should have been corporately addressed for the good of the land are now being further deepened and tossed up as elements in political brinkmanship. Our fault lines as a nation are being further cemented on the altar of partisan bickering. Yet, the nation goes on hurting; and our democratic institutions go on cranking under undue pressure.

Even so, I am so very well persuaded that if we manage to remain on this democratic governance track, warts and all, Nigeria has a good chance of living above its present challenges. It may indeed be on to creating an enduring and responsive system, to which the interest of our people, especially the weak and the disadvantaged, would be the singular concern. This is why, for me, perhaps the most critical task before us as a people today is to ensure the survival of our extant democracy project. It is in this broad context that we situate our current engagement in the Nigerian political firmament. It is also this that has made support to the emergent Goodluck Jonathan tendency in this same firmament quite imperative.

Jonathan’s commitment It is on record that soon after he became president, Dr. Jonathan made a public commitment to ensure that elections in our country become and remain free and fair. Of course, it is trite to aver that without a credible electoral process, Nigeria’s, and indeed, any country’s programme of democratisation remains but a mere mirage. Four years on, and with at least four governorship elections held, it is evident that Mr. President has shown fidelity to his solemn commitment on clean elections.

Notwithstanding the fact that his party was always a strong contender in all of the gubernatorial elections conducted under his watch, President Jonathan has kept his words.

Any doubt about the President’s democratic credentials, must have been sufficiently erased with the recent Osun State governorship election. Though the stakes were considered to be quite high, Mr. President, against all temptations, chose not to influence the process. He chose to keep his words. Thus, even when the President’s party lost the election, President Jonathan, as he is wont to do, was quick to congratulate the winner – a deliberate effort at entrenching a democratic culture. It was such profound a statement of commitment to democracy that we cannot and should not wish away even in the face of tempting partisan pressures.

Avoiding conflict of interests Permit me to state that we have always supported the Jonathan presidential project. In 2011, even from our Labour Party (LP) platform, we endorsed, worked for and voted massively for him. This did not prevent us for working for LP candidates where it fielded candidates and in subsequent polls. With the 2015 INEC time table, which put presidential and National Assembly elections on the same day, it has become obvious that the type of support we need to give President Jonathan without creating conflict of interest is better canalized through the president’s political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mimiko: I need a new, broader platform

L-R: Vice-President Namadi Sambo embracing the Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko at the governor’s declaration for the PDP in Abuja

Our support for Jonathan Our immediate target is to help the process of getting President Goodluck Jonathan elected. We hope to be part of a process of creating, especially in the South-West, a solid and robust platform of involvement in the election of the president, governors and legislators and post-election governance structure which will help to engender rapid socio-economic development.

Our support for the president will, in the light of the above, not jeopardise the legitimate electoral aspirations of our teeming supporters and associates.

On two-party system At any event, one thing that Nigeria’s political history has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt is that the nation has always moved in the direction of a two-party system. The current dispensation has thrown up the PDP and the fledgling All Progressives Congress (APC). Smaller parties are thus constrained at operating only at the fringe of the political process with all the restrictions thereto for greater political involvement and action.

Historically, every attempt to build a third force in this bipolar environment has not only been quite expensive but actually met with muted success. What is more, the argument is unassailable that the two-party dominant system has always worked to enhance national unity and facilitated the process of nation-building as all key players are invariably compelled to work within either of the two dominant parties without regard to religious, regional and ethnic specificities. Aligning with either of the two dominant political forces in the current dispensation is, therefore, in the circumstances, the correct democratic position to take at this historical juncture.

Internal democracy The two critical poles emergent in the political geography of the nation today have been with distinct tendencies and orientations. While there is noticeable effort to widen the space for internal democracy in one, the reverse seems to be the case in the other.

It must be pointed out that this tendency at democratic governance was one reason that made the PDP so attractive, and accounted for our reason to take its membership, in 2003.

Unfortunately at some point in the party’s history, that room for democracy got greatly conscripted. Thus, some eight years ago, when we had need to run for office and the space for internal democracy within PDP had considerably shrank, we chose to leave, but then, not to align with the then emergent opposition party in the land, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Rather, we chose to move away from both and pick up Labour Party, a party that was quite modest in its aspirations for national elective offices and completely unknown in Ondo State where we wanted to run for office.

Precisely on December 14, 2006, we publicly announced LP as our choice of platform.

To the glory of God, four months later, in the

April 14, 2007 election, we got the mandate of our people to govern Ondo State. Although our election was stolen by the political tendency in power in Abuja at the time, thanks to a judiciary that continues to be profoundly alert to its duty in a democracy, we managed to retrieve our mandate two years later.

Today, just barely one year into our second term in office, it is obvious that we do not have any office to run for either now or in 2015. Yet, we feel compelled to join hands with the tendency that is aboard today in the PDP, led by a President that is as focused as he is patriotic, a team that has demonstrated so much promise in its commitment to democracy without which the challenges facing our nation cannot be overcome. And as someone who is positioned today by providence to speak for the people of Ondo State and our collaborators and admirers across the nation, I do not have any doubt whatsoever in my mind that the interest of our people in Ondo State, the South-West and that of Nigeria too, will be better served in the PDP in the evolving political configuration in our nation.

Current dispensation is, therefore, in the circumstances, the correct democratic position to take at this historical juncture... do not have any office to run for either now or in 2015...

Goodbye to Labour It is in the light of the foregoing that I, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, following extensive consultations across the land, today formally announce the decision of members of National Assembly from the LP in Ondo State, members of the LP in the Ondo State House of Assembly, members of the State Executive Council and indeed all those who share our aspirations, to join the PDP. This decision arose after a period of consultation with major stakeholders in Ondo State, which include the aforementioned as well as traditional and religious leaders, market men and women, artisans, trade unions and community as well as party leaders.

I must confess that it surely was tempting and perhaps more fulfilling to continue as a national leader in our smaller, calmer and quite promising ocean represented by the Labour Party. But this decision to return to the PDP, we have taken in the overall interest of our people and our nation, and its democracy which for those who are perceptive enough to notice, is now mortally endangered by a constellation of forces which must be confronted.

May I then add, that we take this epochal decision conscious of the fact that no political party in Nigeria today is anywhere near the point of perfection. But we are persuaded that joining hands with other Nigerians, committed as they are at repositioning the PDP on a continual basis, is the appropriate thing to do today. And considering that it was under this same PDP that I was privileged to serve, first as Secretary to the Government of Ondo State and later as Minister of Housing and Urban Development from July 2005 – December 2006, this is for us a homecoming of sort.

I thank President Goodluck Jonathan for making this choice so compelling by the way and manner he has used power and supported democracy these past years. I thank the leadership of our party, the PDP, for their doggedness.

I today make a solemn pledge to join hands with you all our esteemed leaders in persuading other Nigerians to re-elect our President for a second and most deserving term.

42 Politics C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

sitting in Benin that ousted the Agagu-led government.

As it stands, political analysts are still divided over what Mimiko seeks to achieve with his return to the PDP. Is it a decoy to still remain relevant at the federal level after completing his tenure in 2016? Could he be positioning himself to become the de jure leader of PDP in the South-West? Won’t his defection create a sort of animosity between him and the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose? What would be his disposition if the Presidency doesn’t appoint him as the South-West campaign coordinator of Jonathan’s yet-to-be declared second term bid campaign? Without doubt, there are many posers around Mimiko’s defection but only time would unearth them.

Small but expensive parties It sounds ironic, but funding fringe parties is expensive. That was one of the reasons Mimiko ascribed for his defection from LP to PDP. In his defection speech, Mimiko said: “Historically, every attempt to build a third force in this bipolar environment has not only been quite expensive but actually met with muted success,” adding that, “smaller parties are thus constrained at operating only at the fringe of the political process with all the restrictions thereto for greater political involvement and action.”

As at the last count, the number of registered political parties in Nigeria by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stood at 26 and Mimiko’s assertion clearly gave credence to the monetisation of the political space, a development that naturally confined the smaller parties to the apron of the bigger parties.

While INEC seems to have funding regulations for the parties, either big or small, it also admitted its weakness in monitoring the parties. The commission in its party financing manual noted that, “The political parties and their candidates draw campaign funds from diverse sources which may be beyond the capacity of the Commission to fully monitor.

Also the Commission lacks any enabling authority to enforce strict obedience to the laws.”

Speaking with New Telegraph, the National Chairman of United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, berated Mimiko for categorizing small parties as being expensive, saying that whatever sacrifice made to grow a party was worth it if there is a vision backing the effort.

He said: “Mimiko has a small mind because there was always a teething problem in any endeavour. It was this same small party that gave him the leeway when he was rejected by the bigger parties. If I didn’t start the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and see to it flourishing, what would they be fighting over today?

“Mimiko has ambition but lacks vision. You see, the young will always grow someday. He has simply ruined Labour Party

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Minor’ opposition parties slide to obscurity The fringe parties Accord Party (AP) Action Alliance AA Advance Congress of Democrats (ADC) Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) Alliance for Democracy (AD) African Democratic Congress (ADC) African Peoples Alliance (APA) All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Citizens Popular Party (CPP) Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) Independent Democrats (ID) Kowa Party (KP) Labour Party (LP) Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP) National Conscience Party (NCP) New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Peoples Peoples Alliance (PPA)

Okorie

Peoples Party of Nigeria Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) People for Democratic Change (PDC) Social Democratic Party (SDP) United Democratic Party (UDP) Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) United Progressive Party (UPP) with his defection and all those excuses do not hold water anywhere,” he said.

Big vs small parties in 2011 election At the 2011 presidential election, 20 registered political parties vied for the April 16 election. Of the number, three could be considered as ‘big’ parties, the PDP, the now defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Action Congress (AC).

The result of the election showed that the three dominant parties had within themselves 90.87 per cent of the total votes cast, leaving the remaining 17 fringe parties to share 9.13 per cent of votes among themselves.

In advanced democracies, people typically vote for small parties because they are trying to send a message to the major parties. More often, that protest vote is often heard but these parties eventually fail to maintain themselves at the local and state levels, usually because one of the major parties skims off their talents and personnel.

Drifting towards bi-polar party system By any measure, the two bigwig parties in Nigeria today are PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC). In fact, their action or in-action on any discourse in the polity usually sets agenda for the remaining 24 parties.

While many analysts have argued that the electoral com-

Every attempt to build a third force in this bipolar environment has not only been quite expensive but actually met with muted success

Musa

mission should compress the parties into two or at most three, stressing that many of the political parties only exist on ‘paper’ and are simply vehicles for the personal advancement of their founders, others made direct recourse to Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution that made provision for freedom of association, including forming of political parties.

In 2010, while in the process of making amendments to the Electoral Act, the House of Representatives voted down two-party system, which was proposed by the then Minority Leader of the chamber, Hon. Ali Ndume, now a senator. The proposal suggested limiting to only two political parties to be registered for 2011 elections.

Speaking with New Telegraph, the convener, Coalition for Democratic Electoral Reforms (CODER), Chief Ayo Opadokun, said that there is nothing wrong in having a two-party system that is not enforced but one that would emerge as a consequence of people understanding that they share similar philosophy.

“If smaller parties decided to collapse themselves into political organisation, it is a nice thing. I should let you know that in the Western World, they have many fringe parties but the ones that have been succeeding are these two broad parties. The truth of the matter is that there are rules of engagement, and the rules will streamline those to be considered as serious political parties. But the truth is that a party does not need to be a national party before it can exist.

“More than 85 to 90 per cent of politicians in Nigeria have no ideological base in their politicking. It is all about emerging for political office so that they can make money for themselves and their cronies. You will need

a rightly headed political leadership at the centre to reconfigure the political landscape of Nigeria because it is in a total mess today and no thanks to the evil agenda of General Babangida who monetized and commercialized Nigerian politics.”

Hanging morality with Jonathan’s endorsement Lately, the tirades against some fringe parties over their endorsement of President Jonathan for a second term have been high. One of the more insidious charges levelled against the involved parties was that they are stifling and decimating democratic tenets with their rains of endorsement for the president.

For some analysts, the small parties turning the president into their darlings for the 2015 elections are unmindful of the quagmire they would face during the election. With the presidential and National Assembly election expected to take place on February 14, 2015 according to the election timetable released by INEC, the governorship and State House of Assembly election where the small parties are expected to have one or two pies, would take place two weeks afterwards. It is only left to be seen how the small parties would first mobilise the electorate to vote for PDP in the presidential election and in the same election ask the same set of electorate for votes in the National Assembly elections holding the same day.

Expressing his thoughts, Opadokun said the heap of endorsement for the re-election of President Jonathan by some small parties was a game plan hatched long ago by the PDP, adding that the parties are only digging their own political graves.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 43

Politics 43

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

LP: A party in search of bearing Wale Elegbede

F

or a party formed 12 years ago, the Labour Party (LP) first made its stride in South-West owing to its dominance in Ondo State following the defection of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko into its fold and his election as governor in the 2007 election. With its ascendancy, the party gradually gained a measure of momentum and visibility across the country.

The party which was registered as a social democracy group by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) during the leadership of its former president, now Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was floated with the intent of giving Nigerian workers and unionists a voice and platform to vie for election where they are popular.

For nearly 10 years and eight months, Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu controlled the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party as its chairman, a tenure that gave the party an unconventional appellation of being a haven of aggrieved politicians.

Nwanyanwu, who stepped down as chairman of the party early September, waded against several tirades especially from its major stakeholder, the NLC, for its non-ideological leaning, anti-labour stance and the public perception that the party had become a cash and carry platform. Prominent aggrieved politicians use LP as platform to contest election and dump the party after the poll.

Internally, the chairman also had to leverage on his closeness to Governor Mimiko to survive several onslaughts to remove him. At a point, a Deputy National Secretary of the party, Mr. Babatunde Ayelabola, chal-

Nwuayanwu

Oshiomhole

lenged the decision of Nwanyanwu to seek for another term, but his opposition to Nwanyanwu wasn’t popular and therefore could not be sustained.

Giving his valedictory speech during the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the party, Nwanyanwu said he decided to quit the position so as to give others opportunity to serve, saying that he took the decision against pressures from stakeholders for him not to quit but stay a little longer.

For political pundits, Nwanyanwu’s decision to leave the stage wasn’t unconnected with the eventual defection of Mimiko, who he had an unfettered relationship with.

Though he calmly dissuaded reports that he was leaving the LP for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the body language that trailed his resignation suggested otherwise.

He said: “This is not my father’s estate, I refused to accept

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 2

“It’s all a game plan; I suspect the PDP is likely behind many of them. It is a strategy I suspect they must have hatched long ago. They formed all these parties before now to endorse PDP candidate when election approaches. So, don’t be surprised, it had been schemed long ago but it’s not helping our democratic experiment at all.”

Recently, the APGA said it has given automatic tickets to President Jonathan to contest the 2015 general election. According to the National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, APGA has gone into an accord with the PDP to support Jonathan for the presidential election.

With the likes of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and LP among others waiting in the wings for formal endorsement of the PDP candidate, it remains to be seen how the burden of support for Jonathan would either galvanise or plummet their bid to lead at any level of governance.

However, Okorie distanced his party from the endorsement catalogue, saying that the UPP will produce its own presidential candidate and make it difficult for the president to win the South-East.

“UPP is unique and that is why we zoned our presidential ticket to the South-East. We are not adopting Jonathan and that portends that he (Jonathan) won’t have a free ride in South East,” he said.

Sitting on the edge Clearly, all is not well with fringe parties in

the third term offer to contest and I came to the inevi¬table conclusion that this is my time to go. So when people say I want to go, and I want to follow Dr. Mimiko to go, these are statements made due to gross ignorance, maybe malice.”

Barely three weeks after Nwanyanwu gave his stepping aside notice, things moved so fast that Mimiko eventually dumped the party that gave him its platform to contest for Ondo State governorship in 2007 and 2012 for the PDP. Mimiko probably nailed the coffin of LP with his defection to the party.

No doubt, the party appears naked with the twin blow that befell it in the last one month.

Perhaps, the final jab for the LP would be the expected defection of former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who since 2011 has unofficially become the face behind LP in his state.

Speaking with New Tele-

graph, immediate past chairman of LP in Lagos State, Comrade Adedeji Arije, said the defection of Mimiko would not affect the influence and success of the party in 2015, saying that the party would re-strategise for the election.

“Mimiko leaving our party does not close up our doors.

Labour Party has always been on ground before he came and like he said, we offered him the platform and he still remained grateful till date. We would strategise and move our party forward like a progressive institution usually does,” he said.

Answering questions on gale of defections in the polity recently, Nwanyanwu said: “I am not in a position to hold anybody who plans to defect from LP. It is free entry and free exit.

But one thing I say authoritatively is that this party has offended no one.

“LP is like the Catholic Church. People leave Catholic Church everyday to

Pente¬costal churches, but if you go for morning mass at 6 o’clock, and you are five minutes late, you will not find seat to sit in the church. That is what LP is, and hoping to become. We are not building a party that is in a hurry to produce the president of Nigeria,” he said.

Already, all eyes are on the October 11 NEC meeting of the party fixed for Akure, the Ondo State capital. For many, that is where the destiny of the party would be decided even beyond 2015.

However, some analysts are of the opinion that Nwanyanwu is just bidding his time before joining Mimiko in PDP especially if he succeeded in putting his ‘men’ in LP leadership. Others averred that the former LP chairman would still remain in the party until President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid has been perfected from the party’s angle.

Whatever angle the LP issue is sliced from, it is clear that the honeymoon of popularity the party was enjoying is over and its designation as a leading third force platform has been punctured by the defection of Mimiko.

It is only left to be seen whether the Ondo governor would still be financially benevolent to the party or maybe the forthcoming NEC meeting being hosted by his state is their send forth reception.

Surely, hard times await LP with no funding from any governor or elected officials and the NLC. There are indications that several politicians who have joined the party in Oyo, Ekiti, Osun and Ogun on the invitation of Mimiko will soon find their way into the PDP. The party may end up becoming one of the statementissuing political parties that lack structures.

PDP swallows fringe parties Nigeria. Aside being ideology deficient, many of the minor parties could hardly organise themselves as a force of reference in discourse or structure and very few of them could cover both ends of the political spectrum from one election period to another.

While it may be safe to opine that the nation’s electoral system may indirectly be working against the competitive nature of these smaller parties, it may also not be out of place to aver that majority of the small parties exist on a hand-tomouth basis, thereby making them second shop for the dominant parties.

For instance, one of the parties that labelled itself as an ideological base party was ejected out of its complex in Lagos, less than four months after the 2011 election. Findings showed that the party whose founder is late, got a promise to offset its rent by its presidential candidate for the election.

“The man promised to pay our rent, refurbish the office for us and even buy buses for the party in Lagos. We gave him the presidential ticket without collecting a dime from him. After the election, he didn’t even answer us again. The landlord of the office we occupied in Ikeja chased us out and we had to relocate,” an executive of

the party said.

Few months ago, the UPN was registered by INEC, but to the chagrin of political commentators, the party under Dr. Frederick Fasehun has been enmeshed in leadership tussle as the fight for its soul has started raging.

Another party sitting on the edge is APGA which is known for recurring internal crisis. The party had been enmeshed in leadership crisis right from inception. Maxi Okwu, Okorie and Umeh were at various times holding claims to its chairmanship.

For the chairman of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, money determines the roles of small parties in Nigeria.

“Nobody should expect proper activities from opposition political parties except those ones in control of government either at federal or state levels. This is because money politics determines victory in campaign and in elections.

“As it is now, only APC and PDP are playing whatever proper democratic roles you can talk about. The smaller so-called opposition parties can’t play any constitutional role because they don’t control resources.”

44

Business | Money Line

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

AfDB approves $12m line of credit for LAPO MfB FINANCE

More funds for low income earners to engage in business expansion Godson Ikoro

T

he Board of Governors of African Development Bank (AfDB), through its private sector window, has approved a $12 million line of credit (LOC) equivalent in Nigerian naira to LAPO Microfinance Bank in Nigeria, according to a statement from the financial institution.

LAPO MfB is the largest microfinance bank in Nigeria with 1.1 million clients and 327 branches currently operating in 26 out of 36 states in the country.

Given its history of a group-lending model based on a communitybased approach, LAPO predominantly focuses on low-income households and women (with females comprising over 90 per cent of its total client base) by providing an average loan size of $90.

In spite of its lower-

income client base, its total loan portfolio exceeded $144 million in December 2013, thanks to its efficient decentralised banking model as well as wide coverage and deep penetration of rural areas.

According to AfDB, LAPO has successfully achieved its goal to reach over one million clients by end of 2013, faster than planned, and targets to reach five million clients by the end of its five-year business plan (2013-2017). LAPO has 3,184 staff (1,311 men and 1,873 women staff) across 327 branches to prospect for new business and effectively serve its existing customers on the ground.

The line of credit will support proposed project, expansion of LAPO MfB to achieve its goal to serve five million clients by 2017 in Nigeria focusing on lowincome individuals (predominantly women) and micro/small enterprises by providing affordable access to finance, saving, credit and insurance in urban and rural areas as well as by expanding its geographic coverage and number of branches.

With AfDB’s funding, multifaceted develop-

ment outcomes are expected for LAPO MfB to increase the proportion of poor households and small businesses with access to financial services in Nigeria and deepen

U

nion Bank of Nigeria Plc is now certified with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). PCI DSS is a global security standard for protecting card data, created by leading card companies, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB. A statement from the bank said that it was presented with the certificate after undergoing a rigorous successful audit of its operations which was conducted by PCI DSS Qualified Security Assessor – Panacea InfoSec in conjunction with their local partner - Digital Encode.

This certification has given the bank the added incentive to offer its customers improved data security to protect them from card fraud, identity theft, insider threats, cybercrime, hacking and other security vulnerabilities.

Commenting on this achievement, the Head, Corporate Affairs/Corporate Communications at Union Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem,

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

FX

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)

model that works for the poor and stimulate product development aimed at meeting diverse needs of low-income households and local enterprises.

Union Bank bags PCI DSS certification

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

its financial sector infrastructure as it plans to expand their branch network across the country.

The fund will also promote an inclusive microfinance

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

said, “Our top priority is security and protection of customer data, as well as compliance.

This certification is further proof of our commitment to provide quality service to our customers and we are proud to be compliant with PCI DSS’s stringent security requirements.”

Beyond the PCI DSS certification, and as it seeks to reclaim its leadership position in the banking industry, Union Bank has also reinforced its overall security system through a Security Operation Centre (SOC).

This will further guarantee that customers can conduct

online transactions on more secure platforms and without any apprehensions.

Union Bank currently offers a variety of banking services to both individual and corporate clients including current, savings and deposit sccount services, funds transfer, foreign currency domiciliation, loans, overdrafts, equipment leasing and trade finance. The bank also offers its customers convenient electronic banking channels and products including online banking, mobile banking, bank cards, ATMs and POS systems.

StanChart to hire 1,000 more staff for Nigeria, others

S

tandard Chartered plans to hire at least 1,000 more workers in Africa in the next couple of years, an increase of more than 10 percent, even as its expansion elsewhere has slowed.

Standard Chartered’s Chief Executive for Africa, Diana Layfield, declined to specify where the extra staff would go, but picked out Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana as three of the most attractive markets.

“Nigeria has to be close to the top of everybody’s list (for expansion). It has scale, growth and real dynamism,” Layfield told Reuters Tuesday.

Nigeria overtook South Africa as the continent’s big-

gest economy this year after a rebasing of its gross domestic product (GDP).

“Our opportunity in Africa is constrained by the ability to invest at pace, and that is not just a financial constraint but also a management capacity.

So the real challenge is prioritisation,” Layfield said at a briefing on Africa by the bank.

After a decade of expansion that took it to 89,000 staff globally, Standard Chartered has put the brakes on hiring in the last two years after suffering an embarrassing fine for breaching US sanctions, big losses in South Korea and a slowdown in its investment bank.

‘Dangote Group’s $1bn investment in rice production is full process’ Godson Ikoro

T

he General Manager, Corporate Finance, Dangote Group, Mr. Tony Esene, has said that the $1 billion rice investment in Nigeria will cover every stage involved in the production, covering irrigation, machineries, fertilisers and other inputs, as well as processing and bagging.

He disclosed this while contributing to a group discussion on “Agriculture: feeding and funding Nigeria’s Green Revolution,” at the 2014 Euromoney conference on the Nigeria Banking and Capital Market held in Lagos.

Esene said that for any group of institution to engage in agriculture, it must be prepared to go the whole hog to be sure that every stage of the process is covered so

that there would not be any stage that will ruin the entire investment.

He cited the example of Dangote Group and what it is doing with rice production targeted to produce at least 450 metric tons in Nigeria within the next three years.

He said the company would plant rice in about 150,000 hectares of farm land and be involved as from planting through processing to bagging of the duly processed rice ready for the market.

He further explained that the company adopted the strategy because of what happened to cassava producers who had no ready processing plant for their produce and as a result of poor pricing leading to the farmers sustaining heavy losses and subsequently withdrawing from planting cassava.

Business | Financiel Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

45

3-Oct-14

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

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

NA

NA

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

23-Apr-10 16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

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

535.00 545.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 331.35 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 105.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,591.19

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,572.71

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

0.55 1.87 2.57 2.81 2.91 3.66 4.74 5.06 7.32 9.44 14.15 14.63 15.13 15.80 19.79

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

11.19 12.41 12.43 12.50 12.50 12.53 12.53 12.59 12.58 12.56 12.54 12.54 12.53 12.54 12.43

10.89 12.32 12.36 12.43 12.43 12.43 12.45 12.50 12.52 12.51 12.50 12.49 12.47 12.48 12.39

96.23 101.00 105.70 93.84 92.49 94.71 112.05 79.53 117.83 108.90 116.04 99.65 72.92 82.70 97.90

96.38 101.15 105.85 93.99 92.64 95.01 112.35 79.83 118.13 109.20 116.34 99.95 73.22 83.00 98.20

#

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

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

978.35 24.56 3.30 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.08 0.64 1.50 2.18 2.55 2.76

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

12.04 13.85 14.26 14.49 13.49 13.50

99.09 91.77 103.86 99.95 97.89 95.21

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

NA

***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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,285.14

Sub-National Bonds A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014

15-Oct-09

14.00

6.00

15-Oct-14

0.03

3.29

14.23

99.96

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.91

4.44

15.75

97.31

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.75

3.23

14.48

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

1.03

4.46

15.84

98.67

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

1.04

3.48

14.87

101.17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.54

5.59

18.08

84.07

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.59

1.00

13.08

101.27

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.24

1.79

14.30

99.17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.42

1.80

14.29

99.46

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

4.00

1.00

13.55

101.35

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

14.96

09-Dec-18

2.41

1.00

13.49

102.25

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

11.13

12-Dec-18

2.42

4.78

17.27

93.97

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.80

1.00

13.50

102.26

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*GOMBE

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019

02-Oct-12

15.50

16.23

02-Oct-19

3.05

1.00

13.51

104.69

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

22-Nov-12

14.50

80.00

22-Nov-19

5.14

1.00

13.59

103.22

14.75

27.51

12-Dec-19

3.02

2.74

15.24

98.90 103.26

99.04

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

12-Dec-12

A/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020

30-Sep-13

14.75

11.40

30-Sep-20

3.55

1.00

13.53

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.00

27-Nov-20

6.15

1.00

13.61

99.50

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.24

1.94

14.55

101.73

A/Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.78

31-Dec-20

3.73

1.44

13.98

101.59

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.76

1.95

14.49

101.55

99.99

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

477.18 471.42

Corporate Bonds A+/Agusto; AA/GCR

LAFARGE WAPCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014

07-Oct-11

11.50

11.80

07-Oct-14

0.01

1.00

11.88

Aa/Agusto

13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.21

5.21

16.57

99.25

Nil

GTB µ NGC

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.24

8.71

20.16

99.07

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.63

4.88

16.09

96.86

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

13.62

09-Dec-15

0.70

1.00

12.24

100.40 100.76

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.78

2.63

13.89

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.99

1.00

13.48

99.18

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

2.06

1.34

13.83

100.70

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.99

1.00

13.50

98.79

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.73

30-Nov-17

1.81

1.88

14.18

107.23

BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR

*C & I LEASING *DANA#

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

7.20

09-Apr-18

1.77

3.48

15.74

100.47

A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

2.18

5.20

17.69

100.69

#

AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

2.18

5.06

17.55

101.72

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.97

1.35

13.90

100.29

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.70

18-Oct-18

2.04

2.29

14.78

101.84

BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.37

6.11

18.60

97.37

BBB/GCR

*DANA

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.24

2.16

14.67

103.29

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

6.12

2.76

15.37

99.48

11-Feb-18

3.36

1.00

13.52

91.24

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

141.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

141.52

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

12.00 10.95

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.08

4.92

108.92

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

109.78

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.25

4.02

103.01

103.82

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.38

5.26

106.86

107.76

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,593.92

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

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

7.42

7.42

105.00

105.00

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.23

4.23

105.04

105.04 101.72

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

6.56

6.56

101.72

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.57

8.13

94.86

96.14

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

5.94

5.64

100.20

101.29

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

8.68

8.68

105.75

105.75

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.25

6.25

100.00

100.00

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

8.91

8.64

99.39

100.39

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.44

7.44

103.01

103.01

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

7.50

7.50

95.75

95.75

9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021

24-Jun-14

9.25

400.00

24-Jun-21

8.70

8.53

103.13

104.00

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC II

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

7.52

7.52

101.63

101.63

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.44

8.22

100.68

101.82

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,830.34

**Treasury Bills DTM 13 20 27 34 41 48 55 62

Money Market

FIXINGS Maturity 16-Oct-14 23-Oct-14 30-Oct-14 6-Nov-14 13-Nov-14 20-Nov-14 27-Nov-14 4-Dec-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.70 10.70 10.70 10.75 10.70 10.80 10.80 10.60

Offer Discount (%) 10.45 10.45 10.45 10.50 10.45 10.55 10.55 10.35

Bid Yield (%) 10.74 10.76 10.79 10.86 10.83 10.96 10.98 10.79

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.6667 12.4513 13.2925 14.2611

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

O/N Tenor Call 1M

10.50

REPO

Rate (%) 10.25 11.97

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

164.20 164.31 164.57 165.22 166.34 167.50

164.30 164.55 164.88 165.82 167.40 169.11

Sub-National Bonds A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014

15-Oct-09

14.00

6.00

15-Oct-14

0.03

3.29

14.23

99.96

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.91

4.44

15.75

97.31

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.75

3.23

14.48

99.04

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

1.03

4.46

15.84

98.67

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

1.04

3.48

14.87

101.17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.54

5.59

18.08

84.07

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.59

1.00

13.08

101.27

3.24

1.79

14.30

99.17

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

4.00

1.00

13.55

101.35

A/Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

14.96

09-Dec-18

2.41

1.00

13.49

102.25

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

11.13

12-Dec-18

2.42

4.78

17.27

93.97

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.80

1.00

13.50

102.26

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019

02-Oct-12

15.50

16.23

02-Oct-19

3.05

1.00

13.51

104.69

14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

22-Nov-12

14.50

80.00

22-Nov-19

5.14

1.00

13.59

103.22

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

12-Dec-12

14.75

27.51

12-Dec-19

3.02

2.74

15.24

98.90

14.75 OSUN II 30-SEP-2020

30-Sep-13

14.75

11.40

30-Sep-20

3.55

1.00

13.53

103.26

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.00

27-Nov-20

6.15

1.00

13.61

99.50

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

6.24

1.94

14.55

101.73

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.78

31-Dec-20

3.73

1.44

13.98

101.59

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.79

06-Jan-21

3.76

1.95

14.49

101.55

A/Agusto

46

Business | Financiel Market News

A/Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO TRANSFORMATION A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*GOMBE

Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCRcloser LAGOS NSE moves A/Agusto; A-/GCR *OSUN A/Agusto to converting to *OSUN Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR LAGOS shareholder-owned A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI A/Agusto *EKITI entity A-/GCR *NASARAWA

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

DPT narrows consortia for demutualisation to three

To this end, The Exchange issued invitations for expressions of 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014 A+/Agusto; AA/GCR LAFARGE WAPCO he Exchange’s interest (EOI) to invest13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014 Aa/Agusto GTB M a n a g e m e n t ment banks to receive µ 17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014 NGC Nil requests for to 10.00proposals UPDC 17-AUG-2015 Bbb-/AgustoDemutualisation *UPDC 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 Team advisers A-/Agusto Project *FLOURMILLS act as primary 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 BB+/GCR has reduced *CHELLARAMS (DPT) the in the demutualisation of 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO number of consortia for the Exchange.

FSDH 25-OCT-2016 A-/Agusto demutualisation toFSDH three Parties14.25 submitting 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR UBA EOIs were to express for consideration of*Ccom18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR & I LEASING mittee of BB+/GCR the national their interests a 9-APR-2018 conMPR+7.00as DANA BBB+/DataPro†; *DANA# council ofBB-/GCR the Exchange. sortium ofMPR+7.00 one TOWER interna9-SEP-2018 A-/DataPro†; *TOWER# TOWER 9-SEP-2018 AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER# This was contained tional andMPR+5.25 one Nigerian 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 A/GCR UBA inA/Agusto; a report presented investment bank; and 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA by the Chairperson of ensure that at least one # MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS the demutualisation of the parties of the con16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 BBB/GCR *DANA committee, sortium had 15.25successfully NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 A+/Agusto; A-/GCRMrs. Yemisi NAHCO Ayeni, to the members participated in the demuTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE ofTOTAL theMARKET Nigerian Stock tualization of a securiCAPITALISATION Exchange (NSE) recent- ties exchange as a lead Bond General lySupranational at the Annual adviser.

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC Meeting (AGM) in Lagos.

Ayeni noted that the TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE committee considered Ayeni said, “Through MARKET CAPITALISATION aTOTAL multistage, auditable stakeholder engagement selection process, the to be a critical element Description Rating/Agency of the demutualisation DPT, under the supervi- Issuer sion of the committee, process, adding that it FGN Eurobonds had considered 13 con- started engaging variJAN 28, 2021 sortia ous stakeholders in6.75its BB-/Fitch; and B+/S&P reduced the bid to compile a comnumber to three for conBB-/Fitch; JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P sideration of the com- FGN prehensive database5.13of BB-/Fitch; The committee mittee. issues relating to the 6.38leJUL 12, 2023 BB-/S&P is to consider the suc- gitimate interests of all TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE cessful consortium and stakeholders and to idenTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION shortlist a select number tify effective ways to deal for consideration and se- with the issues.

Corporate Eurobonds lection by the National “By the end of 11.50 the FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I Council.” year, the committee had 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I In March 2014,ACCESS theBANKengaged the Securities 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P PLC and Exchange Commiscommittee recommend6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC ed and the National sion (SEC), Association 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC Council approvedAFREN that 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch PLC II of Stockbroking Houses the Exchange should of Nigeria (ASHON), 6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC May 21, 2019 commence the process Chartered Institute8.75of B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC AUG 07, 2020 B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC Stockbrokers (CIS) 8.25 and toB-/Fitch; select financial advis6.63 DEC 09, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P AFREN PLC III Association of Issuers that will assist the 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P in the demuACCESS BANKing PLC II Houses of Exchange Nigeria USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P tualisation process.FIRST BANK LTD (AIHN) as well8.00/2Y as found-

ing members, several individuals, ordinary members and former em07-Oct-11 11.50 ployees of the Exchange.

18-Dec-09 13.50 “Further, with the ap01-Apr-10 17.00 proval of the National 17-Aug-10 10.00 Council, representatives 09-Dec-10 12.00 06-Jan-11 14.00 of ASHON and AIHN 13.00the were29-Sep-11 invited to attend

Stories Chris Ugwu Corporateby Bonds

T

B-/S&P

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH 2.42 1.80 14.29 99.46

14.25

30-Sep-10

of the committee as observers. In this capacity, the represen11.80 07-Oct-14 tatives participate and 13.17 18-Dec-14 bring the perspectives 2.00 31-Dec-14 of the 3.61 key stakeholder 17-Aug-15 groups 13.62 they represent 09-Dec-15 to 06-Jan-16 bear0.60 on committee delib15.00 erations,” Ayeni29-Sep-16 noted.

0.21 0.24 0.63 0.70 0.78 1.99

25-Oct-16

2.06

1.34

13.83

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.99

1.00

13.50

98.79

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.73

30-Nov-17

1.81

1.88

14.18

107.23

100.70

Standard Bank emerges most innovative investment bank in Africa 09-Apr-11

16.00

7.20

09-Apr-18

1.77

3.48

15.74

100.47

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

2.18

5.20

17.69

100.69

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

2.18

5.06

17.55

101.72

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.97

1.35

13.90

100.29

2.04

2.29

18-Oct-13

15.75 tandard Bank of 17-Feb-12 17.00 South Africa Lim01-Apr-14 16.00 ited has been 14-Nov-13 15.25adjudged the most Innovative Investment Bank in Africa by The Banker, a global financial intelli11-Feb-13 gence publication 10.20 of the Financial Times Limited.

The Johannesburgbased bank was recogIssueas Datethe most Coupon (%) nised innovative bank in Africa as a result of its deep sector expertise, skill6.75and 07-Oct-11

2.70 18-Oct-18 relationships across the 0.41 17-Feb-19 continent.

4.50 01-Apr-19 A2.05 statement 14-Nov-20 released by 141.62 Ventures Africa on the141.52 award stated that the group of judges, which included senior editori12.00 from The 11-Feb-18 al staff Banker and12.00 investment compa10.95 nies, were particularly impressed with Standard Outstanding Value Maturity Date Bank’s ($mm) role in the Seplat dual IPO, processing Osun State’s sukuk in Nigeria (the first Sukuk 500.00 28-Jan-21 to

2.37 3.24 6.12

3.36

Bid Yield (%)

5.08

14.78 be issued in West 101.84 Africa), 6.11 18.60 97.37 Aspen Pharmacare’s $2.7 2.16 14.67 103.29 billion-worth of loans 2.76 15.37 99.48 and Johannesburg’s R1.46 billion green bond.

Standard Bank also played a key role in ma1.00 jor mining 13.52 and metals, 91.24 oil and gas, as well as power and infrastructural deals across the continent. This Offer Yieldincludes (%) Bid Price Offer$2 Price Kenya’s billion sovereign bond, the Prices & Yields largest debut bond in subAfrica. 109.78 4.92 Saharan 108.92

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.25

4.02

103.01

103.82

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.38

5.26

106.86

107.76

Ikeja Hotels reports 60% dip in pre-tax profit

I

keja Hotels Plc, a hospitality firm quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), has re01-Feb-11 11.50 corded a 60.4 per cent 19-May-11 7.50 drop25-Jul-12 in pre-tax profit 7.25 during the financial6.88year 09-May-13 ended December 2013.

08-Nov-13 6.00 The group’s Profit 08-Apr-12 10.25 Before Tax (PBT) as con22-Apr-14 6.25 tained in a filing8.75 with 21-May-14 8.25 the 07-Aug-13 NSE showed N1.627 09-Dec-13 6.63 billion during the review 24-Jun-14 9.25 period of 2013 as against 23-Jul-14 8.00 N2.610 billion posted in 14-Aug-14

8.75

1,500.00 comparable period of 1,593.92 2012, indicating a drop of 60.4 per cent.

Also, the company’s 450.00 01-Feb-16 profit After Tax (PAT) 500.00 19-May-16 dropped by 102 per cent 350.00 25-Jul-17 from N2.016 billion in 2012 300.00 02-May-18 to N994.806 million in 2013.

400.00 08-Nov-18 Revenue for the group 300.00 08-Apr-19 stood at N11.223 billion 500.00 22-Apr-19 which represents 0.35 per 200.00 21-May-19 07-Aug-20 cent300.00 decline from 2012 re360.00 sults of N11.26309-Dec-20 billion.

400.00NSE had24-Jun-21 The imposed 450.00 23-Jul-21 N19.6 million fine on Ikeja 250.00

14-Aug-21

7.42 4.23 6.56 8.57 5.94 8.68 6.25 8.91 7.44 7.50 8.70 7.52 8.44

Hotels Plc, Aso Savings and Loans Plc, and five other quoted companies for late submission of 7.42 105.00 105.00 their respective audited 4.23 105.04 105.04 financial statements for 6.56 101.72 101.72 years ended 2011 and 2012.

8.13 94.86 96.14 Others 5.64 100.20 are Interna101.29 Insurance 8.68 tional Energy 105.75 105.75 6.25 Plc, Abbey 100.00 Building 100.00 SoInterlinked 8.64 ciety Plc, 99.39 100.39 7.44 Technologies 103.01 103.01 NaPlc, 7.50 tional Salt 95.75 Company 95.75 of 8.53 Nig. Plc 103.13 104.00 Laz and Austin 7.52 101.63 101.63 & Co. Plc.

8.22

4,760.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

0.01

She said that through ASHON and AIHN respectively, the observer 1.00 11.88 status ensured the99.99 partic5.21 16.57 99.25 ipation of dealing mem8.71 20.16 99.07 4.88 ber firms 16.09 and ordinary 96.86 1.00 members 12.24 (institutional) 100.40 2.63 in the 13.89 100.76 demutualisation 1.00 process.

13.48 99.18

5.53

S

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

25-Oct-13

477.18 meetings 471.42

100.68

101.82

3-Oct-14

4,830.34

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

Offer Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%)

13 16-Oct-14 10.70 20 23-Oct-14 10.70 30-Oct-14 10.70 FGN Bonds27 34 6-Nov-14 10.75 41 13-Nov-14 10.70 Rating/Agency Issuer Description 48 20-Nov-14 10.80 55 27-Nov-14 10.80 62 4-Dec-14 10.60 4.00 23-APR-2015 69 11-Dec-14 10.95 13.05 16-AUG-2016 83 25-Dec-14 10.80 15.10 27-APR-2017 90 1-Jan-15 11.00 9.85 27-JUL-2017 97 8-Jan-15 10.85 9.35 31-AUG-2017 104 15-Jan-15 11.00 10.70 30-MAY-2018 111 22-Jan-15 10.75 16.00 29-JUN-2019 118 29-Jan-15 11.00 NA NA 7.00 23-OCT-2019 125 5-Feb-15 10.70 16.39 27-JAN-2022 132 12-Feb-15 11.00 14.20 14-MAR-2024 139 19-Feb-15 10.70 15.00 28-NOV-2028 146 26-Feb-15 11.00 12.49 22-MAY-2029 153 5-Mar-15 10.75 8.50 20-NOV-2029 188 9-Apr-15 10.55 202 23-Apr-15 10.70 10.00 23-JUL-2030 216 7-May-15 10.40 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 307 6-Aug-15 10.50 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 3-Sep-15 335 10.40 *from the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration

10.45 10.45 10.45 10.50 10.45 Issue Date 10.55 10.55 10.35 23-Apr-10 10.70 16-Aug-13 10.55 27-Apr-12 10.75 27-Jul-07 10.60 31-Aug-07 10.75 30-May-08 10.50 29-Jun-12 10.75 23-Oct-09 10.45 27-Jan-12 10.75 14-Mar-14 10.45 28-Nov-08 10.75 22-May-09 10.50 20-Nov-09 10.30 10.45 23-Jul-10 10.15 18-Jul-14 10.25 10.15

10.74 10.76 10.79 10.86 10.83 Coupon 10.96 (%) 10.98 10.79 4.00 11.18 13.05 11.07 15.10 11.31 9.85 11.17 9.35 11.36 10.70 11.11 16.00 11.41 7.00 11.11 16.39 11.46 14.20 11.15 15.00 11.51 12.49 11.26 8.50 11.16 11.37 10.00 11.08 12.1493 11.52 11.50

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

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

Issuer

Description

AMCON

0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 Total Outstanding Porfolio Market Value(Bn) 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 Volume(Bn) 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM1,029.33 III 06-JUL-2017 998.07

Issue Date

Agency Bonds

NA

FMBN Modified Duration Buckets

***LCRM

<3

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Tenor O/N 1M 3M Value Outstanding 6M

(N'bn)

535.00 23-Apr-15 545.27 16-Aug-16 NITTY 452.80 27-Apr-17 Tenor Rate (%) 20.00 27-Jul-17 1M 10.8604 100.00 31-Aug-17 2M 11.0577 300.00 30-May-18 3M 11.1660 351.30 29-Jun-19 6M 11.1729 233.90 23-Oct-19 9M 11.3451 600.00 27-Jan-22 12M 11.5704 331.35 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 NIFEX 200.00 20-Nov-29 Current Price ($/N) 591.57 23-Jul-30 BID($/N)105.00 164.4675 18-Jul-34

OFFER ($/N)

4,591.19

Coupon (%)

BOND 28-Dec-11 FMDQ FGN 0.00 24-May-10 0.00 03-Apr-12by 17.25by Mkt Weighting Weighting 09-Dec-11Vol 0.00/16.00 Outstanding Value 20-Apr-12 0.00/16.50 33.39 06-Jul-1233.52 0.00/16.50

3<5

1,100.61

951.30

31.95

35.70

>5

952.86

1,027.92

34.53

30.91

3,082.81

2,977.29

100.00

100.00

Market

Rate (%) 10.6667 12.4513 13.2925 Maturity 14.2611Date

164.5675

OBB

10.25

O/N

10.50

REPO

TTM (Yrs) Tenor Call 1M 0.55 3M 1.87 6M 2.57

Bid Yield Rate (%) (%) 10.25 11.97 11.19 12.72 12.41 13.57 12.43

Tenor Spot 7D 14DYield Offer 1M (%) 2M 3M 10.89 6M 12.32 1Y 12.36

2.81 12.50 12.43 2.91 12.50 12.43 3.66 12.53 12.43 :Benchmarks 4.74 12.53 12.45 * :Amortising Bond 5.06 12.59 12.50 µ :Convertible Bond 7.32 Management Corporation 12.58 12.52 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 9.44 Government of 12.56 12.51 FGN: Federal Nigeria 14.15 Mortgage Bank 12.54 12.50 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 14.63 12.54 12.49 IFC: International Finance Corporation 15.13Contractors Receivables 12.53 12.47 LCRM: Local Management NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling 15.80 12.54 Company12.48 O/N: Overnight 19.79 12.43 12.39 NOTE:

UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

164.20 Price 164.30 164.31 164.55 164.57 164.88 Bid Price Offer Price 165.22 165.82 166.34 167.40 167.50 169.11 96.23 96.38 171.20 174.60 101.00 101.15 178.63 186.57 105.70 105.85

93.84 93.99 92.49 92.64 94.71 95.01 NA :Not Applicable 112.05 112.35 # :Floating Rate Bond 79.53 79.83 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 117.83 118.13 108.90 †: Bond rating expired 109.20 116.04 116.34 99.65 99.95 72.92 73.22 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 82.70 83.00 UBA: United 97.90 Bank for Africa 98.20

4,572.71

#

Rating/Agency

NIBOR

Bonds

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

24.56 3.30 Bucket Weighting 112.22 116.70 66.49 0.34

31-Oct-14 24-May-15 % 03-Apr-17 Exposure_ 09-Dec-16 Mod_Duration 20-Apr-17 06-Jul-1714.70

0.08 0.64 1.50 Implied Yield 2.18 2.55 12.42 2.76

1,301.620.32

INDEX978.35

# Risk Premium (%)

1.00 2.63 2.27 Implied 2.00Price Portfolio 1.00 117.9271 1.00

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

12.04 13.85 14.26 INDEX 14.49 13.49 1,120.07 13.50

99.09 91.77 YTD103.86 Return 99.95 (%) 97.89 12.0067 95.21

12.5096

31.26

12.57

132.8704

1,125.10

0.35

54.04

12.53

102.5831

1,199.38

19.9377

1.00

100.00

12.52

117.4042

1,121.11

12.1107

1,285.14

Sub-National Bonds A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014

15-Oct-09

14.00

6.00

15-Oct-14

0.03

3.29

14.23

99.96

A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.91

4.44

15.75

97.31

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.75

3.23

14.48

99.04

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

6.27

30-Jun-16

1.03

4.46

15.84

98.67

A+/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

7.37

30-Jun-16

1.04

3.48

14.87

101.17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.54

5.59

18.08

84.07

A-/Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

29.92

30-Jun-17

1.59

1.00

13.08

101.27

A/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

3.24

1.79

14.30

99.17

A+/Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.42

1.80

14.29

99.46

Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Micro-Finance Banks Micro-Finance Banks Totals Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014

Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

Symbol

No. of Deals 13

Current Price

Quantity Traded 2,128,000

Value Traded 2,098,250.00

Business | Capital Market

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA PLC Daily Summary asCAPITAL of 03/10/2014 Other Financial Institutions Totals Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

Symbol RESORTSAL UNHOMES

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 300,000 1,000 301,000

Value Traded 150,000.00 500.00 150,500.00

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 65 46 394 79 5 33 87 709

Current Price 3.30 4.09 13.48 4.51 0.59 35.00 2.18

Quantity Traded 8,694,328 1,766,917 11,251,614 7,371,169 10,100 123,030 6,289,604 35,506,762

Value Traded 28,657,594.58 7,068,212.26 151,618,509.42 31,819,285.82 5,794.84 4,151,587.08 13,764,547.04 237,085,531.04

468,808,517

2,443,949,203.51

Quantity Traded 92 92

Value Traded 159.16 159.16

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at October 3, 2014 Daily Summary (Bonds)

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal

Bond Name 16.00% FGN JUN 2019 Federal Totals

Symbol FG9B2019S3

DEBT Board Totals

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 111.85

1

Bond Activity Totals

Quantity Traded 10 10

Value Traded 11,630.89 11,630.89

10

11,630.89

10

1

11,630.89

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 PRESCO PLC Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 19 26 4 49

Current Price 0.50 34.00 37.50

Quantity Traded 1,109,654 225,175 7,536 1,342,365

Value Traded 554,827.00 7,529,686.47 281,236.00 8,365,749.47

Symbol

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 2.99

Quantity Traded 505,970 505,970

Value Traded 1,495,557.26 1,495,557.26

1,848,335

9,861,306.73

LIVESTOCK Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. JOHN HOLT PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

68

Symbol AGLEVENT JOHNHOLT SCOA TRANSCORP UACN

CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014

Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals

Value Traded 53,270.00 1,030.00 1 of 13 15,984.00 59,232,604.83 56,834,714.35 116,137,603.18

11,342,395

116,137,603.18

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 0.90

Quantity Traded 652,495 652,495

Value Traded 587,355.50 587,355.50

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 67.20

Quantity Traded 9,301 9,301

Value Traded 593,775.84 593,775.84

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 12 12

Current Price 15.85

Quantity Traded 22,116 22,116

Value Traded 349,743.36 349,743.36

Quantity Traded 5,000 5,000

Value Traded 500,000.00 500,000.00

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

1 1

100.00

Page 688,912

35 Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

No. of Deals 5 51 18 104 3 181

Current Price 12.35 195.70 30.90 176.66 4.40

No. of Deals 13 13

Symbol No. of Deals DANGFLOUR 55 DANGSUGAR 83 FLOURMILL 33 Daily Summary (Equities) HONYFLOUR 22 NASCON 43 NNFM 1

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB PREMBREW

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

Symbol 7UP

CONSUMER GOODS Published by Food The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Products Food Products Totals

Quantity Traded 38,000 1,000 Page 3,600 10,319,496 980,299 11,342,395

Symbol COSTAIN

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

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC.

Current Price 1.54 1.08 4.67 5.79 58.00

236

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE PublishedCONSTRUCTION/REAL

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

No. of Deals 5 1 2 181 47 236

2

of 13 2,030,874.70

Quantity Traded 6,125 6,125

Value Traded 3,062.50 3,062.50

Quantity Traded 200,390 87,664 205,839 815,195 21,000 1,330,088

Value Traded 2,474,590.30 16,821,371.42 6,298,596.45 144,367,349.84 87,780.00 170,049,688.01

Current Price 147.73

Quantity Traded 16,736 16,736

Value Traded 2,721,749.96 2,721,749.96

Current Price 6.55 8.17 62.00 4.00 9.37 21.99

Quantity Traded 152,820 2,680,729 50,464 916,159 655,499 217

Value Traded 963,302.50 21,932,258.09 3,120,524.57 3,674,008.20 6,092,936.25 4,969.30

Symbol

No. of Deals 237

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 4,455,888

3Value Traded of 13 35,787,998.91

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

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 36 50 86

Current Price 53.69 1,050.00

Quantity Traded 139,090 57,241 196,331

Value Traded 7,477,161.32 60,144,354.49 67,621,515.81

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

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 11 3 14

Current Price 4.27 1.42

Quantity Traded 125,025 14,900 139,925

Value Traded 513,436.25 19,371.00 532,807.25

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 72 39 111

Current Price 32.15 47.99

Quantity Traded 762,669 238,795 1,001,464

Value Traded 24,696,175.04 11,387,019.64 36,083,194.68

7,146,557

312,800,017.12

Current Price 9.02 6.25 18.70 2.05

Quantity Traded 11,885,323 7,349,729 6,792,518 24,205,413

Value Traded 107,038,202.45 45,937,638.85 127,024,063.51 49,594,343.77

Current Price 30.01 2.87 2.30 6.65

Page Quantity Traded 12,250,439 303,035,428 9,570,001 15,227,141

4Value Traded of 13 367,586,736.26 732,441,110.75 21,827,727.94 101,604,912.67

Value Traded 6,689,742.85 559,265.00 1,333,312.80 636,097,820.62 2,197,734,877.47

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 CONSUMER GOODS Totals Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Daily Summary as ofBANK 03/10/2014 Activity Summary on Board FIDELITY PLC EQTY Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 FINANCIAL SERVICES PublishedBanking

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR Activity Summary onAFRICA Board PLC EQTY

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

643 Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 118 Daily Summary (Equities) DIAMONDBNK 49 ETI 82 FIDELITYBK 128

Symbol No. of Deals GUARANTY 286 Daily Summary (Equities) 151 SKYEBANK STERLNBANK 47 UBA 201

No. of Deals 58 5 28 201 1,354

Current Price 9.39 0.50 0.95 24.30

Quantity Traded 714,535 1,118,530 1,408,878 26,317,753 419,875,688

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO 24 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE 5 CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. CORNERST 8 GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC GNI 1 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. GUINEAINS 1 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS 16 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LASACO 3 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LAWUNION 10 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD 8 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT 4 Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NEM 14 Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE 1 Published by The Nigerian Stock ExchangeINSURANCE © STANDARD ALLIANCE PLC. STDINSURE 1 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC WAPIC 40 Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 136 Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 0.80 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.59 0.50 0.50 2.90 0.54 0.79 0.50 0.50 0.74

Quantity Traded 1,812,391 97,100 456,127 1,000 2,000 1,192,154 12,000 4,771,900 77,230 645,838 1,024,158 1,400 Page 80,000

Micro-Finance Banks

Activity Summary on Board EQTY NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC FINANCIAL SERVICES Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Micro-Finance Banks Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Symbol UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Symbol NPFMCRFBK Symbol

No. of Deals 13

823,769 10,997,067

Value Traded 1,453,373.39 95,500.00 228,064.50 500.00 1,000.00 676,214.89 6,000.00 2,385,953.00 229,111.00 348,752.52 805,069.68 700.00 5 of 13 40,000.00 609,806.02 6,880,045.00

Current Price 1.00

Quantity Traded 2,128,000

Value Traded 2,098,250.00

No. of Deals 13

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 2,128,000

6 of 13 Value Traded 2,098,250.00

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Symbol RESORTSAL UNHOMES

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 300,000 1,000 301,000

Value Traded 150,000.00 500.00 150,500.00

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

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 65 46 394 79 5 33 87 709

Current Price 3.30 4.09 13.48 4.51 0.59 35.00 2.18

Quantity Traded 8,694,328 1,766,917 11,251,614 7,371,169 10,100 123,030 6,289,604 35,506,762

Value Traded 28,657,594.58 7,068,212.26 151,618,509.42 31,819,285.82 5,794.84 4,151,587.08 13,764,547.04 237,085,531.04

468,808,517

2,443,949,203.51

Quantity Traded 92 92

Value Traded 159.16 159.16

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals

2,214 Symbol MORISON

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.82

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Activity Summary onTotals Board EQTY HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

2,214

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

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

1 1

1.82

No. of Deals 9 5 24 27 7 1 73

Current Price 2.05 3.33 62.61 1.72 1.06 2.49

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

74

1,060,938

7,229,269.47

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.52

Quantity Traded 200 200

Value Traded 108.00 108.00

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

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

Value Traded 500,000.00 500,000.00

1,000,200

500,108.00

Quantity Traded 2,643,413 33,337 147,362

Value Traded 84,569,986.83 299,187.04 5,643,811.99

2 Symbol ASHAKACEM

No. of Deals 44 5 16

Current Price 32.00 8.60 39.00

DailyBERGER Summary (Equities) CAP

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC IPWA PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Value Traded 346,801.55 of 13 1,182,229.27 4,934,384.34 748,815.10 14,510.05 2,370.00 7,229,110.31

7

Symbol COURTVILLE

Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 ICT Totals Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC

Quantity Traded 172,030 Page 354,919 80,420 439,029 13,448 1,000 1,060,846

47

Page

8

of

Symbol CCNN DANGCEM IPWA PAINTCOM WAPCO

No. of Deals 36 71 1 1 60 234

Current Price 15.75 220.80 0.50 1.60 127.00

Quantity Traded 1,094,572 10,538,928 11,000 650 965,183 15,434,445

Value Traded 16,844,549.41 2,266,230,282.32 5,500.00 1,092.00 122,475,233.10 2,496,069,642.69

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

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 1.80

Quantity Traded 318,691 318,691

Value Traded 578,705.80 578,705.80

Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 1 3 4

Current Price 1.59 20.00

Quantity Traded 335 15,029 15,364

Value Traded 532.65 300,565.50 301,098.15

15,768,500

2,496,949,446.64

Quantity Traded 2,156,788 2,156,788

Value Traded 1,078,394.00 1,078,394.00

2,156,788

1,078,394.00

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

249

Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

NATURAL RESOURCES Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC Mining Services Totals

Symbol MULTIVERSE

No. of Deals 1 1

Daily Summary (Equities)

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Current Price 0.50

1

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 50 50

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 8,966,697 8,966,697

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

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 306 306

Current Price 26.37

Quantity Traded 7,522,790 7,522,790

Value Traded 196,897,347.21 196,897,347.21

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors 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 CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 30 26 63 25 1 17 162

Current Price 47.01 3.74 225.00 173.08 56.00 180.00

Quantity Traded 112,160 620,191 119,851 56,074 350 11,937 920,563

Value Traded 5,484,457.67 2,344,445.38 26,801,796.86 9,718,298.69 18,620.00 2,172,331.94 46,539,950.54

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 25 25

Current Price 640.00

Quantity Traded 44,688 44,688

Value Traded 28,600,800.33 28,600,800.33

17,454,738

276,521,446.58 Value Traded 134,356.36

Exploration and Production Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 Exploration and Production Totals OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC.

543

Daily Summary (Equities)

9Value Traded of 13 4,483,348.50 4,483,348.50

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 13

Current Price 0.85

Quantity Traded 157,402

Symbol

No. of Deals 13

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 157,402

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

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 4 3 7

Current Price 4.40 1.35

Quantity Traded 12,579 14,654 27,233

Value Traded 55,797.60 20,103.66 75,901.26

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,515 10,515

Value Traded 5,257.50 5,257.50

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 93 93

Current Price 2.00

Quantity Traded 23,539,246 23,539,246

Value Traded 46,695,672.00 46,695,672.00

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 1 5 24 30

Current Price 1.32 1.32 4.10

Quantity Traded 1 27,522 724,000 751,523

Value Traded 1.38 38,737.67 2,804,438.30 2,843,177.35

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 0.68

Quantity Traded 157,150 157,150

Value Traded 105,612.00 105,612.00

Symbol INTERLINK NSLTECH

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 4.66 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 54,281

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

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 2 52 54

Current Price 2.01 4.98

Quantity Traded 50,000 3,650,263 3,700,263

Value Traded 105,500.00 18,643,451.59 18,748,951.59

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

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 47 47

Current Price 5.00

Quantity Traded 4,648,110 4,648,110

Value Traded 22,124,322.50 22,124,322.50

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Printing/Publishing Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 ACADEMY PRESS PLC. Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017 LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Activity on Board RoadSummary Transportation TotalsEQTY SERVICES Specialty Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © PLC INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES

SECURE ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY PLC Specialty Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

SERVICES Totals

1,000 55,281

10 of 13 Value Traded 134,356.36

Value Traded 11 252,949.46 of 13 500.00 253,449.46

257

33,046,723

90,986,700.02

EQTY Board Totals

4,322

560,322,603

5,758,044,369.95

Equity Activity Totals

4,322

560,322,603

5,758,044,369.95

Daily Summary as of 03/10/2014 Printed 03/10/2014 14:45:17.017

Exchange Traded Fund

Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF)

Exchange Traded Fund

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Name VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

13

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 1,908.00

Quantity Traded 12

Symbol VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 2 3

Current Price 18.73

Page Quantity Traded 110 122

NEWGOLD Daily Summary (ETP)

Value Traded 22,896.00 12 of 13 Value Traded 2,076.30 24,972.30

ETF Board Totals

3

122

24,972.30

ETP Activity Totals

3

122

24,972.30

48 Politics

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

The endorsement of ‘clueless’ Jonathan Sufuyan Ojeifo

J

ust how clueless can President Goodluck Jonathan be if he has outwitted every other potential aspirant in the presidential candidacy politics of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Or, how inexperienced, as claimed by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, can he be if he has effortlessly eclipsed the opposition within and put the fear in those outside his party?

These are the pertinent questions to ask as this unassuming politician continues to thwart the orchestrated plans by some forces of darkness to plunge Nigeria into anarchy through terrorism. The critical plot by these wicked forces is simple: make the country ungovernable and consequently weaken the moral basis of Jonathan’s presidency.

The abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, agonizing as it is, is part of the scheme. The planned bombings across the northern states, especially Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where there is a state of emergency in place, feed into the overall agenda to intimidate Jonathan from seeking a second term in office.

But in spite of the high jinks that have been woven around the terrorism ravaging parts of the North, Jonathan has remained focused on governance.

He is pursuing his Transformation Agenda with single-minded guts, translating campaign promises into concrete achievements in the nooks and crannies of the nation.

Yet, his opponents are engaged in flights of fancy. They dismiss him as clueless and inexperienced! I ask once more: how clueless can Jonathan be if he continues to quietly overwhelm all opposition? How inexperienced can he be if he remains unshaken and undis-

Jonathan

With a few exceptions, Nigeria has been struck by a string of incompetent leaders who have only succeeded in running the country aground, while less endowed nations that got independence the same time have continued to make giant strides

tracted by the ranting of the naysayers?

If I choose, for a moment, to be delusional like the members of the opposition gang, I will pass Jonathan off as clueless for failing to throw his weight around or exercise one quarter of the enormous powers that are vested in him and his office by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And, sadly, I will be living in a Fool’s Paradise by so doing!

The truth is, if Jonathan’s “cluelessness” could secure him an unprecedented endorsement by his party as its sole presidential candidate in 2015 general election, it continues to baffle why some people still view him from that prism. It also amazes me how a “clue-full” predecessor of his could not perform a similar feat in 2003?

To be sure, Olusegun Obasanjo, the Ebora of Owu and then all conquering Emperor of Aso Rock, was supposedly on top of his game. He deployed the powers of his office to maximum effects because he had every

imaginable clue about governance. He was once a military head of state; and, so, he had experience. That was the general notion. But what happened in 2003?

He was a victim of political subterfuge from within his Presidency. His vice, Atiku Abubakar, perfected a plot to supplant him. So many things were, indeed, wrong with that Presidency that put tension on the polity. Not like the loyal Vice President Namadi Sambo, who has been very supportive of President Jonathan, Atiku, as he is popularly addressed, worked from the outset to undercut his boss.

It took some leaders of the party to rally support for a harried Obasanjo who was eventually able to survive the plot by a disloyal vice president to upstage him. Securing the ticket of the party for his second term in office was not an easy task.

It was a total war of attrition, which he won at a great price to his ego: retaining Atiku, whom he had profiled as disloyal and corrupt, on the presidential ticket was not Obasanjo’s original idea. Indeed, Obasanjo’s plan was to feed Atiku with his (Atiku’s) proposed Mandela Option (a term in office).

Even though, the deadline for collecting the expression of interest form had gone past, Atiku and his gang of governors threatened to swing their delegates’ votes to Dr. Alex Ekwueme who was in the race for the ticket at the presidential primary. Obasanjo and the leadership of the party did not allow that to happen by keeping Atiku, with his baggage of alleged corruption, on the ticket.

But Obasanjo had to placate the Nigerian people by ensuring that relevant agencies and institutions of government investigated Atiku’s alleged corrupt deals in government.

The investigation dwelled on his deal with the United States Congressman William Jefferson, which culminated in the Nigerian angle to the deal gone awry – the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) probe to authenticate Atiku’s complicity.

Obasanjo-Atiku’s second term was thus characterized by stress and strains occasioned by intrigues and vendetta in governance and power relations. In retrospect, did a “clue-full” and “experienced” Obasanjo have to go through all that tension or bring the same on the party and the nation? Was it that he never really had a clue about how to prosecute a successful presidential succession politics?

Now, why was it difficult for Obasanjo to achieve that feat and not difficult for Jonathan to do it? Yet, Obasanjo is a reference point in the quarters of those who conveniently pass Jonathan off as “clueless” and “inexperienced” in politics and statecraft. Today, a “clueless” and “inexperienced” Jonathan has achieved effortlessly in the PDP his endorsement as the party’s sole candidate in the 2015 presidential election.

And, from all indications, Jonathan is primed to clinch a second term in office. Perhaps, how he manages his exit trauma (which all second term presidents and governors experience) in 2019 will further distinguish how this “clueless” and “inexperienced” President can seize a great moment to define his eon and secure a place in the pantheon of great Nigerian leaders. It will certainly differentiate him from a predecessor’s misadventure of a Third Term agenda that exposed his desperation to perpetuate himself in power.

• Ojeifo contributed this piece from Abuja.

Ekere steps up bid for Akpabio’s job Sylvanus Ukpong

I

n the build up to the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one aspirant stands out from the pack, as a man with a message for Akwa Ibom people.

Obong Nsima Ekere, a one-time Deputy Governor of the state, who has stepped forward, in what will be his ‘third Missionary Journey’ to help salvage Akwa Ibom, at the level of governorship of the state, has yet again offered to serve in leading the people to their Eldorado. The first time, he ran for office of governor in December 2006 and came fourth in the primaries hotly contested by 58 aspirants. In 2011, he came on board as the deputy governor to Chief Godswill Akpabio. This third time out, he seeks to consolidate and build upon the successful template put in place by Governor Akpabio through the Uncommon Transformation Agenda.

Ekere is not doing this in a vacuum.

While other contenders are employing proxies and fronts to smear fellow aspirants and mount vicious campaigns

of blackmail against other opponents, Ekere has focused on running an issuebased campaign and as a result, is connecting with the people by highlighting the vision, mission and work plan he has for Akwa Ibom people.

Ekere’s brand and its populist orientation quickly received the crucial backing of the Akwa Progressive Commercial Tricyclists, Taxi and Motorcyclists Association (APCOTMA), the umbrella union of tricycle and motorcycle operators in the state.

The endorsement came, when Ekere, became the first governorship hopeful to consider this usually neglected and trampled section of the society, worthy of being consulted and their input sought for the continued good governance of the state. Ekere made it a priority to reach out to the state executive council members and chapter chairmen of the association as well as their wives at their secretariat in Uyo, the state capital.

Addressing them, the former deputy governor, who was visibly overwhelmed by their show of support, promised to institute a N2 billion revolving loan for

members of the association within six months of his assumption of office as governor.

He explained that the loan will assist tricycle operators who intend to graduate to taxi operators and those willing to go into other businesses, adding that the whole idea was to sustainably empower them in line with his people’s development agenda.

Ekere stated that his government will flood Uyo with taxi cabs but assured that all registered tricycle operators will benefit from his taxi scheme gradually.

He said he decided to consult and partner with APCOTMA given the strategic role of tricycle operators in the economy of the state, particularly the fact that they controlled the transportation system. Ekere recalled the ban placed on motorcycles in the state capital, three years ago, by the state government, pointing out that it was successful because of the maturity of APCOTMA leadership, emphasizing that the major priority of his administration would be the industrialisation of the state to build

on the infrastructural base already put in place by Akpabio.

As a believer in the grassroots, Ekere has continued to deliver what commentators, community leaders and opinion moulders as well as political stakeholders have reached a consensus on as being well-thought out messages of hope to the good people of Akwa Ibom State.

The messages which are everywhere, on giant billboards, fliers, newspapers, online platforms and social media correctly anticipate and address the collective hopes and aspirations of the people. It covers all classes and sectors of the socio-economic life and this is the politics that our nation sorely lacks, but eagerly yearns for.

Indeed, Ekere deserves the support of all for Akwa Ibom to attain its next phase of development, which is peoplecentred and driven by industrialisation.

If this man has the message and sues for our support, to who else should we go? Of a truth, Nsima is the answer.

• Ukpong is a public affairs analyst from Uyo.

News 49

NEW TELEGRAPH wednesday, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Free-for-all at Imo Govt House over council chairman Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

T

he indignation that has trailed the recent appointment of Mr. Chuks Okonyan as the Transition Committee Chairman for Oguta council area of Imo State yesterday degenerated into a free-for-all inside the Imo State Government House,

Owerri.

Shortly after the announcement of the appointment of Okonyan, youths and community leaders of Awa - Oru ward in Oguta South marched in protest to the government house, complaining that in spite of their support to the Rochas Okorocha administration, no appointment has been given to any of their sons. They reminded

Okorocha that the last time they complained, he had promised them appointments when an opening is created.

They expressed dismay that the governor ignored the fact that their ward has 17 polling units and over 21,000 voters, and appointed another Council Chairman from Oguta North. They urged the governor to redress the situation.

Yesterday, another group of youths from Oguta North marched to the government house thanking Okorocha for appointing Okonyan and expressing their loyalty to his administration. They urged the governor to discountenance the agitations of the earlier protesters, accusing Mr. Henry Okafor, the Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing

Areas Commission (ISOPADEC) of being behind those kicking against the appointment of Okonyan.

Trouble, however, started when the youths sighted Okafor and some of his kinsmen coming into the Government House and attacked them for daring to show up to counter their protest. Okafor escaped unhurt but some of his kinsmen were not so

lucky. They sustained injuries before the situation was calmed.

Unknown to the protesters, while they were waiting for the governor to come out and address them, some of the injured youths from Oguta South went and mobilized youths from their area and attacked the protesters right inside the government house and it was a free-for-all.

A’Ibom Assembly endorses Udom’s ambition

T

he leadership and members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly have thrown their weight behind the governorship ambition of former Zenith Bank Executive Director, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

The decision of the House to endorse Emmanuel was communicated to stakeholders by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Sam Ikon, after the Assembly members had a closed-door meeting with the aspirant.

After about two hours of deliberations, the Speaker made public their declaration and support for the SSG’s ambition.

Hon. Ikon thanked the party elders and supporters, who accompanied Emmanuel to the meeting for their time and patience.

L-R: Manager, Customer Loyalty Management, Etisalat Nigeria, Temitope Omole; Director, Brands and Communication, Enitan Denloye and Director, Human Resources Business Optimisation, Charles Ogunwuyi, at the Bovi Man on Fire show, sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria in Lagos

Shun politics of bitterness, Abia citizens urged Peter Osondu ABA

A

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant for Abia South senatorial district in the 2015 general elections, Chief Chris Nkwonta, has urged the people of Abia State to shun politics of bitterness.

Nkwonta, who spoke during a meeting he had with PDP Abia South stakeholders at their Zonal Secretariat in Aba, to intimate them of his intention to run for the

senate seat, advised delegates at the forthcoming party primaries not to cast their votes on sentiment, but for candidates with pedigree, good antecedents and impeccable character.

He was of the view that delegates should not be cowed not to demand for the account of stewardship from any elected representative from the zone that has failed to live up to the expectations of the people that elected them into such positions.

APC will rule Imo for 20 years, Okorocha boasts Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

G

over nor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will govern Imo State for the next 20 years and even beyond under the philosophies of his ‘Rescue Mission’ administration in the state.

According to Okorocha, it is going to be from one Rescue Mission administration in the state

to another, under the platform of APC, adding that the issue of governance in Imo State has gone beyond making Rochas Okorocha governor.

The governor spoke while inaugurating officers and members of the state chapter of his Campaign Council yesterday. He maintained that the philosophies of the Rescue Mission have to be institutionalized for the rapid development of the state.

Fasehun hails INEC for rescinding policy on new polling units Wale Elegbede

N

ational Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for back-pedalling on the proposed additional 30,000 polling units nationwide.

The plan drew criticism after it was revealed

that INEC planned to establish 21,000, about 70 percent of the total new allotments to the northern states.

In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Fasehun said INEC’s volte-face on the programme in the face of widespread criticism, demonstrated that the electoral umpire was democratic in undertaking policies and programmes.

Clark, others urged to back Ijaw governor

I

jaws in Delta State under the aegis of the ‘Ijaw for Governor Outreach Movement,’ have advised Chief Edwin Clark and other Ijaw sons and daughters to support the quest for Ijaws to produce the next

governor of Delta State.

The group threatened that if Ijaw leaders are not considered as the next governor of the state, Ijaw youths will have no option than to promote violence in the state.

More jostle for APC presidential ticket Wale Elegbede

T

he number of aspirants jostling to pick the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), swelled yesterday as Italy-based businessman, Francis Onabis, expressed his intent to contest for the February 14 presidential election on the platform

of the party.

Onabis, who was a Presidential aspirant in the 2011 election under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is currently the President and CEO of Mattia Holdings Limited, a financial and marketing consulting company in Cyprus and Stillwater Limited in Italy.

Lawmaker wants Amaechi arrested over comments Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

T

he leader of the antiAmaechi lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Evans Bipi has asked the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba and the Director of State Security Service (SSS),Ita Ekpenyong to arrest Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi over recent comments he made against President Goodluck Jonathan.

Bipi, who represents Ogu/Bolo constituency in the House, said that the comment Amaechi recently made in Kalabari that the President does not like the people of the area was “reckless” and deserves to be investigated.

The lawmaker said that Amaechi committed a treasonable acts by calling the President “a criminal.”, He noted that Amaechi was inciting the people to ensure that the “criminal” was voted out of power in 2015.

PUBLIC NOTICE

IMOLE AROJA EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF CHRIST The general public is hereby notified that the above CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. of 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Prophet Abati Oluwajimi — Founder 2. Prophetess Olujimi Abosede Nabiodun — Secretary AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ .

2. To advance the Christian faith throughout the world 3 To embark on evangelism and missionary work 4. To train Christian minister and welfare personnel 5. To deliver those who are spiritually oppressed.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: TRUSTEES

50

News

WORLD | News

N10bn required annually for survey, mapping, Surveyor-General says Dayo Ayeyemi

I

n order to ensure effective mapping of the country, the Federal Government would need to provide N10 billion annually for some years, SurveyorGeneral of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo, has said.

He noted that inadequate funding was delaying the effective spatial and geo-spatial mapping of the country.

Also, the surveyor general said that his office needed funds to build a world class data centre and develop other facilities to provide information for potential users.

He lamented that lack of funds had been the major issue affecting the mapping of the entire country, urging the government to make available N10 billion yearly for some years for a thorough data centre.

Various haphazard

and unplanned developments in major towns and cities in Nigeria due to lack of geospatial information for planning have been attributed for absence of drains and functional sewage system in major towns and cities; flooding of roads and streets by storm water during rainy season; and other environmental problems such as gully erosion, landslide and refuse dump within the densely populated areas in the country.

Ondo PDP tackles national body over Mimiko’s defection

T

he Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday tackled the national leadership of the party over the manner it handled the defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko from Labour Party (LP).

Although the party in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Mr Ayo Fadaka welcomed the governor to the party, it, however, said the State Working Committee was not carried along in the negotiation that brought in Mimiko as a member.

The action of the

national leadership of the party, Fadaka said, showed a lack of respect to the executive committee of the party at the state level.

Fadaka said the party was aware of the party’s constitution that recognizes the governor of a state as a leader of the party. It, however, frowned at a situation where the leaders of the party are treated as inconsequential.

His words: “We want to bring to the fore our total discomfort and displeasure to the manner his carpet crossing was managed by selected leaders of

the party at the national level, who midwived the process and did so with a lot of disrespect to the state party Chairman and members of the State Working Committee.

“We believe that this action is calculated to threat the entire members of this party as inconsequential and of little or no consequence in the fortune of our own party.

Therefore, we declare that this is grossly unfair and so reject outright all negotiations purportedly entered into on our behalf without our direct input and blessings.”

2015: I will restore sanity in Imo State, says Ihedioha Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

G

overnorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has assured that he will institutionalise good governance anchored on rule of law and separation of powers, if elected governor of Imo State in 2015.

He stated this during the consultation and sensitization visit to the Orsu

Local Government Area chapter of the PDP. Said he: “I am very delighted in the way you came out enmasse to receive me despite the fact that it is your major market day. I am here first of all to thank you immensely for your faith, support and commitment towards sustaining our party even after losing the state and to interact with you, our party members and stakeholders on the way forward for our state as we approach the general elections.”

Continuing, he said, “I am here to sell my candidature and humbly seek your support to emerge as the flag bearer of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party for the governorship primary election which holds on November 29, 2014. If I emerge as candidate of our party, I can assure you that based on my record, experience, achievements and acceptability, cutting across the entire state, I will by the grace of God win the general election.”

Aliyu unveils successor next week Dan Atori MINNA

N

iger State Governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu yesterday said that in the next one week, he would made public who the party has endorsed as its gubernatorial candidate for Niger State in the 2015 general elections. Aliyu made the disclosure when the Peo-

ples Democratic Party PDP stakeholders paid a Sallah homage at his residence in Tunga, Minna, adding that eight persons had approached him officially to succeed him as governor. He, however, assured that he will speak to each of the aspirants on the issues on the ground of governance but cannot endorse anyone at the moment. Aliyu also maintained that the zoning arrangement put in place by

the PDP has been successful in the state and there was no need to change the policy midway as the best candidate will emerge. According to him: “The time has come to tell the home truth without hiding anything any longer. We will beg the PDP members we have offended in the course of our governance but will not bring in our members who used to be partisan during elections anymore”.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Putin celebrates 62nd birthday in wild Siberia

R

ussian President Vladimir Putin is celebrating his 62nd birthday in the wilderness of Siberia as supporters from across Russia create tributes in his honor.

Putin celebrated his birthday yesterday in the Siberian forest some “300-400 kilometers (185250 miles) from the nearest populated area,” his press secretary told Russian news media.

Putin has often brandished his tough-guy image with widely publicized wilderness romps during which he hunts, fishes or rides horses often while shirtless.

In Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, thousands carried a 600-meter-long (650 yards) Russian flag

through the streets. Others dressed in the red, white and blue of the Russian tricolor walked through the streets as an enormous human flag, many of them holding portraits of the Russian leader over their heads.

Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s president, wrote on his official Instagram account that there were 100,000 participants. Russian news websites published photographs from a one-day exhibition in Moscow titled “The 12 Labors of Vladimir Putin,” in which Putin is depicted as Hercules battling Western nations disguised as serpents and monsters or taming an ox bearing the symbol of Crimea, the Ukrainian region annexed by Russia in March.

Putin’s always-high

ratings have skyrocketed this year as he responded to a pro-European uprising in Ukraine by seizing Crimea, and reacted defiantly to Western sanctions. His approval rating remains at 86 percent according to the independent Levada Center, which conducted a poll in September with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent. Souvenirs decorated with Putin’s face have become bestsellers on Red Square, while Russian designers have made him the theme of pricey T-shirts and sweaters.

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, congratulated Putin on his birthday and said his tenure in office had become “an integral part of national history.”

People dressed in colours of Russian and Chechen flags gather for a rally in Central Grozny,Russia yesterday

International prosecutors accuse Kenya of withholding evidence against president

I

nternational prosecutors accused the Kenyan government yesterday of failing to hand over phone and bank records they said would help them show President Uhuru Kenyatta paid collaborators to take part in post-election violence in 2007.

Kenyatta denies charges of co-orchestrating the wave of violence in which 1,200 people were killed and a government representative dismissed the prosecutors’ allega-

tions. Kenyatta’s lawyers have argued that the requests were a cover for a lack of evidence.

Both sides were speaking at a hearing of the International Criminal Court to decide whether the Hague-based court should drop the case against Kenyatta or agree to a prosecution request to delay it pending the handover of the requested evidence.

Kenyatta is expected to attend proceedings today, becoming the first sitting

head of state to do so. The case is a major test for the 11-year-old court, which has had a string of collapsed cases and been accused of singling out Africans for prosecution.

Kenyatta, who was elected president last year, and his deputy William Ruto, are not under arrest and have obeyed all summons they have received relating to the separate but similar charges they face. Ruto also denies the charges against him.

Strong earthquake shakes southwestern China

A

strong, shallow earthquake shook southwestern China’s Yunnan province yesterday, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 6.0 and was centered 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Weiyuan

city at a depth of 10.1 kilometers (6.3 miles).

The shallow depth was likely to cause more damage, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The official Xinhua News Agency said strong tremors were felt

in the provincial capital, Kunming. The region is prone to earthquakes. A 6.1-magnitude quake in August killed at least 615 people and left more than 100 others missing.

In 1970, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people.

} P 53

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

Sports News

International Football France boss out to stop Ronaldo

Eagles target twelve points – Omeruo

52

53

54

Keshi favours Kaduna for Sudan return leg

AFCON QUALIFIERS

Sport

51

Did you know?

That John Fashanu (1993-94), Efan Ekoku (1994-99) and John Hartson (1999-2000), were the three players that wore Wimbledon FCs number nine shirt in the Premier League

Keshi has no excuse for failure – Omokaro Charles Ogundiya

F

ormer Nigeria international, Bright Omokaro, believes Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has no excuse for failure ahead of the national team’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Sudan in Khartoum and Abuja respectively.

The Super Eagles will be hoping to put their qualification for next year’s AFCON in Morocco back on track with victories against the Sudanese on October 11 and 15, following a shaky start against Congo and South Africa.

The Super Eagles, in September, lost 3-2 at home to Congo before playing out a goalless draw away to South Africa to place third in the Group A standings.

Only the top two teams at the end of the six-match qualifying series are guaranteed automatic spots to next year’s AFCON, and speaking to New Telegraph in Ibadan, Omokaro declared that the Super Eagles ‘are in a big mess’, but was quick to add that since Keshi has invited

The Sport Team

Adekunle Salami l Deputy Editor, Sports Emmanuel Tobi l Asstistant Editor, Sports

Ifeanyi Ibeh l Sports Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan l Sports Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya l Sports Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

players he believes can give him the required results against the Sudanese he can’t offer any excuses if he fails to win the upcoming games against the East African nation.

“What we need now is a solution, although it is going to be very tight but we can surely make it to Morocco. When we talk of football in Africa, who is Sudan? It’s just that we have found ourselves in a big mess,” said the Gray FC of Ede coach.

“In every country, coaches have their loyalists; players who will say ‘let me go and die for this coach’. And having said that, I believe the players invited by the coach are players he believes can give him the results he needs, so he has no excuse at the end of the day,” added Omo-

karo.

The former Super Eagles defender, who played alongside Keshi at both the 1984 and 1988 AFCON tournaments in Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco respectively, also bemoaned the seeming lack of unity in the national team and the invitation of players not currently playing regularly at their club sides.

“When there is division in a team, there will surely be problems,” continued Omokaro, who was fondly called ’10-10’ back in his playing days. “No unity to fight for the team like we used to have in the past.

“I also don’t understand the reason for inviting a player who is not playing regularly in his club. What will such player offer the team,” asked the former Insurance and NNB star.

Omokaro

Nigeria’s Elderson Echiejile shielding South Africa’s Sibusiso Vilakazi

Sudan can’t stop Eagles,says Taribo

F

ormer Nigeria defender Taribo West is optimistic that the Super Eagles will beat their Sudanese counterparts on Saturday, October 11 when both countries play each other for places at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Taribo, who featured when Nigeria beat Sudan home and away in 2001 during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, says the Super Eagles have got all it takes to beat the Sudanese once more.

“I strongly believe the Super Eagles will beat them again this

time because of the quality that we possess; I think we are better than they are. I played against them in 2001 and know how their football is and they can be quite slow in their build up, but tricky,” he said.

The Super Eagles played against Sudan twice in 2001 and beat them 7-0 on aggregate on the way to qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

The Super Eagles have a superior record of six wins, three draws and one loss in the last ten games played between the two countries.

Taribo

52

SPORT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Keshi favours Kaduna for Sudan return leg

C

oach Stephen Keshi has said he would prefer Nigeria host Sudan in Kaduna and not Abuja because the fans will come out in their numbers to cheer his team to victory.

The reverse fixture between Nigeria and Sudan on October 15 has been fixed for Abuja, but team officials are worried they may not get enough

support from the fans and so would opt for neigbouring Kaduna, which has a much smaller stadium, but it is guaranteed to be packed.

“Keshi has said he would love to face Sudan in Kaduna because he is sure the fans will come out in their numbers to cheer his team, this will not be the case in Abuja,” a top team official disclosed.

This year, the 15,000-capacity Ahmadu Bello Stadium has already hosted the qualifying matches of the country’s U20 team, the Flying Eagles.

The Eagles have played their home matches for the past two years at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar as a result of the poor pitch of the Abuja National Stadium.

FIBAAfricaqualifier:First BankmovescamptoAkure Ifeanyi Ibeh

R

eigning champions of the Nigeria Women’s Basketball League, First Bank, will on Thursday move to Akure for camping ahead of this month’s FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualifiers holding in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The FIBA Africa Zone-3 qualifiers, earlier scheduled to take place from October 13 to 19 in the Burkinabe capital, will now run from October 20 to 29.

And in a bid to ensure that First Bank qualifies for the final round of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women slated for Tunisia in November, the management of the Lagosbased club has concluded plans to relocate the side to the Ondo state capital in order to ensure absolute concentration ahead of the competition in Burkina Faso, where the two-time African champions hope to qualify for the final tournament in Tunisia and replicate their 2003 and 2009 title-winning performances.

Enyeama

Pinnick not looking beyond first term lTo send ex-internationals overseas for training Ifeanyi Ibeh

N

ewly-elected president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has disclosed that he is not looking beyond spending four years as head of the Nigerian Federation, adding that he wants to do all he can to “further develop and enhance” Nigerian football before his tenure comes to an end in 2018.

Speaking on a television programme monitored in Lagos, Pinnick said: “I am not looking beyond four years.

“I want to work, and if I can develop a template for Nigerian football that even if I leave in four years, that template can be used to further develop and enhance our football,” added Pinnick, who also disclosed that plans are in the pipeline to send a combined team of coaches and former Nigeria internationals overseas for training.

However, rather than training as regular football coaches, Pinnick disclosed that these coaches and exinternationals will, upon their return to Nigeria, be deployed as backroom staff of the Super Eagles ahead of any major competition,

possibly beginning at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, that is, if Nigeria qualifies.

“At the last World Cup (in Brazil), all other countries came with analysts because as a coach, it can be difficult to concentrate (on the game) as all you want is to score and win.

“The ones that are concentrating are right behind you telling you who to mark out of the game, and who to substitute. They are concentrating (on the game) but you (the coach) are looking at the time. So if we have analysts comprising of defenders, midfielders and attackers who have played the game to the highest level it makes it easier for the coach,” added Pinnick who, possibly, dropped a hint on who may likely be on the trip.

“Just imagine someone like Victor Ikpeba, who has played the game to the highest level and has played under Arsene Wenger, and others like Taribo West, Shuaibu Amodu and Fanny Amun who have seen it all acting as backroom analysts for the Super Eagles. And that’s what we are going to provide.”

He added: “Whoever is there as head coach will be helped.”

Sports Editors congratulate new NFF board

....advise Giwa, others to embrace peace

T

he Guild of Sports Editors on Tuesday congratulated members of the newlyelected Nigeria Football Federation board on their victory at the federation’s elective congress held in Warri last week.

The body hoped the polls would signal the end of the crisis that has dogged the country’s football since the Super Eagles’ ouster from the Brazil 2014 World Cup. In a release signed by the president of the Guild, Tony Ubani, the Sports Editors also thanked the stakeholders in Nigerian sports, including President Goodluck Jonathan, Sports Minister, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, as well as members of the National Assembly for their roles in ensuring the peaceful congress in Warri.

“We are highly impressed by the calibre of people on the new NFF board, led

by Amaju Pinnick and we hope they will bring their wealth of experience in the private sector to bear on Nigerian football.

“The elections are just the beginning of the job of repositioning Nigerian football and not an end in itself. We, therefore, hope that the new board members will rise to the challenge of lifting the country’s game to its rightful position in the comity of the world’s best footballing nations,” Ubani said.

The Guild of Sports Editors also urged all aggrieved members of the football family to join hands in rebuilding the fractured football house since all of them want a bright future for the game.

“While we urge the new President of NFF, Amaju Pinnick, to try to bring all the warring parties back to the fold, we plead with Ambassador Chris Giwa, Chief Victor Rumson Baribote and others, who feel offended in one way or the other, to embrace peace as that is the only way our game can grow,” Ubani added.

Enyeama upbeat as 24 players train for Sudan Emmanuel Tobi

S

uper Eagles skipper, Vincent Enyeama, has assured that the team will not let the nation down as they seek qualification for Morocco 2015 Nations Cup. Enyeama made this declaration after newly elected President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, visited the invited 24 players during training on Tuesday evening at the Main bowl of

the Abuja National Stadium.

“Mr President, no shaking.

But we must congratulate you on your election and assure Nigerians that with God all things are possible,” Enyeama declared.

Head Coach Stephen Keshi said after the evening session that he has ruled out Ukraine-based midfielder Babatunde Michael from the encounter because he picked up a knock on the knee while playing for his club. “We have good cover for him and we

pray that he bounces back before the return leg in Nigeria,” he said.

Michael himself was emphatic when he spoke about his injury. “I really wanted to play this game against Sudan but fate says I will not, but I should be back before the return leg in Nigeria. The doctors have assured me that I would be fit within a week.”

Apart from that little setback, the team is in perfect health with travel plans being made for Thursday by the NFF.

NFF inaugural board meeting holds today

l Hayatou hails Pinnick’s election Comfort Chukwu

T

he newly elected board of the Nigeria Football Federation will hold its inaugural board meeting today in Abuja.

New Telegraph learnt from a top official of the federation that President of NFF, Amaju Pinnick, and his board members were already in Abuja, for the meeting.

There are also indications that the federation will boycott the fanfare and handing over ceremony it had planned for the new members as former President, Aminu Maigari, is

Pinnick

currently out of the country.

Maigari and General Secretary Musa Amadu reportedly left for the United Kingdom shortly after the September 30 election.

A reliable source in-

formed our correspondent that Amadu returned to Nigeria on Monday, leaving Maigari in London Meanwhile, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has hailed the election of Amaju Melvin Pinnick as the new president of the NFF. Speaking from his base in Yaounde, Cameroun, Hayatou said, “I want to congratulate you for the victory at the election which held last Tuesday in Warri. Your election is a call to service and we in CAF will be there to help Nigeria further football in your country. I am looking forward to working with you,”

SPORT | INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

53

Dutch return excites Robben W inger Arjen Robben said he was happy to be back in the Netherlands squad after spending the last round of international fixtures swearing in front of the television set.

Robben retur ned on Monday to the Dutch squad for the first time since the World Cup in Brazil after injury ruled him out of the last two internationals – a friendly loss in Italy and a last minute 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifiers last month.

“I’m glad to be back and want to set things right,” he said as the Dutch began

Ronaldo

France D boss out to stop Ronaldo

preparations for the qualifiers against Kazakhstan in Amsterdam on Friday and Iceland in Reykjavik on Monday.

“I was very cranky watching us lose in the last minute to the Czechs, I was sitting on the sofa like a supporter at home and could not believe how we gave it away, losing to such a clumsy goal.

I was swearing so loudly my wife had to chide me. ‘The kids are sleeping’,’ she said.”

Robben added the Dutch had a simple task in the next two Group A matches.

“We have already fallen behind so we must simply win twice,” he told reporters.

Robben his three-goal haul against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

And Deschamps knows the Euro 2016 hosts must curb the influence of Ronaldo at the Stade de France.

“It’s complicated [trying to stop Ronaldo], difficult, because he is a player that has a very high efficiency,” Deschamps told reporters. “Even if that is more on display at his club, he is also effective with his national team.

The fans who will come to

idier Deschamps plans to neutralise the threat posed by Cristiano Ronaldo when France host Portugal in an international friendly on Saturday.

Ronaldo has been in scintillating form for Real Madrid, scoring 15 goals in eight games in all competitions for the European champions.

The FIFA Ballon d’Or winner also equalled the all-time record for the most La Liga hat-tricks after

the stadium will be happy to see him.

“But I don’t know if he will play or how long for because they have an important game three days after this friendly. There will be a lot of special attention on him because in a headto-head, in a one-on-one, he is someone who manages to make a difference.

“It will be important to limit his influence on his team. But then inevitably it leaves more freedom to the other players.”

Hazard’s our Messi – Fabregas I thought about quitting United – De Gea

C

esc Fabregas believes Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard plays a similar role to Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

Fabregas played alongside four-time world player of the year Messi for three years before making a close-season move to Stamford Bridge where, alongside Hazard, he has helped Chelsea to the top of the Premier League.

While the ex-Arsenal captain has been consistently impressive since returning to the English top flight, Hazard too has been in fine form - winning and scoring the penalty that opened the scoring against

Fabregas’ former club on Sunday.

And Fabregas feels the performances of Hazard will be key to Chelsea’s success this term.

“He is the link between midfield and attack for us; he is our Messi because he makes the difference,” the Spaniard told radio station Cope.

“We have a young team but we are very positive about the future.”

Much of the discussion prior to Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal had centred on Fabregas coming up against a club he spent eight years at before returning to Barca.

Monaco to pursue Rooney

M

onaco are reportedly weighing up a move for Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney.

Rooney agreed a new fiveand-a-half year contract at Old Trafford back in February and was handed the captaincy by Louis van Gaal shortly before the current campaign got underway.

However, the wealthy Ligue 1 side feels that they can still persuade Rooney to move away from United, according to The Telegraph.

Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev is quoted as saying: “One year ago, we were discussing one of the top players of the Premier League, a top English player.

Rooney

“But it was on the table.

This opportunity finally did not happen, but I think one day that it will come, that it will happen.”

Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev has tightened the purse strings at the club after a divorce settlement and a tax dispute with mainland France ended up costing the Russian around £2.75bn.

M

anchester United goalkeeper David de Gea admitted he considered quitting Old Trafford after a difficult initiation into the Premier League.

De Gea was heavily scrutinised during his debut season with United, having arrived from Atletico Madrid as a £17.8million replacement for Edwin van der Sar in 2011.

The Spaniard’s physique and decision making were brought into question, while a dip in form saw him axed by Alex Ferguson in favour of understudy Anders Lindegaard.

De Gea De Gea - winner of United’s Play-

er of the Year award last term - has gone on to silence his critics and in a big way after singlehandedly denying Everton victory in a man-of-thematch display on Sunday.

Looking back at his early struggles, De Gea conceded he was forced to think about a return to Spain, but feels he is better for the experience.

“Sometimes it was difficult when you get a lot of criticism like I did,” said De Gea, whose form was rewarded with his first Spain cap in June. “But I kept strong and I always tried to remain positive. I loved training. It was a great pleasure, so I just did my work and worked through it.”

Mourinho didn’t stop me from joining Spain – Costa

C

helsea striker Diego Costa has insisted that manager Jose Mourinho did not try to interfere with his international duty after he was included in the recent Spain squad.

Mourinho recently suggested that the forward cannot play more than two games within a short space of time because of his niggling hamstring problems.

However, Costa has insisted that he is fit enough to represent Spain for their upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers.

“Mourinho hasn’t said anything to me,” Costa told Marca.

“You have to bear in mind that often I’m the one that makes the decision.

“I have to see how I’m feeling. I have the trust of the gaffer and the coaching staff here.

Bale gets Welsh player award R eal Madrid forward Gareth Bale was named the Football Association of Wales player of the year for a record fourth time on Monday.

Bale retained the top honour at the FWA awards dinner in Cardiff as he surpassed Mark Hughes and John Hartson, who both won the prize on three occasions.

It capped a successful year

When I have a problem, I say as much. I wouldn’t come here and play if I were injured because that would make things worse.

“I’ve played three matches in the last week. The coach knows the score and that I’ve had some niggles, which I receive treatment for during the week. I’m hanging in there and am feeling better and better.”

for the 25-year-old, having won the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and the Copa del Rey with Real.

Bale, who also scooped the Vauxhall fans’ player of the year for a fourth consecutive year, has scored 21 goals for both club and country in 2014 so far.

“It’s been a fantastic year.” Bale he said.

54

SPORT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

2015 AFCON QUALIFIERS

Eagles target 12 points – Omeruo

S

uper Eagles defender, Kenneth Omeruo, has said that the team will claim the 12 available points in their remaining four qualifying matches to guarantee their passage to next year’s AFCON in Morocco.

The African champions, who failed to qualify for the 2012 edition are third in Group A with a point after they lost 3-2 at home to Congo and held hosts South Africa to a goalless draw last month.

Congo lead the standings with six points, while South Africa are second with four points.

The Super Eagles tackle Sudan on Saturday in continuation of the qualifying tournament before they host the same team in a reverse clash on Wednesday, October 15.

Their other qualifiers are away to Congo in Pointe-Noire and a final group game against South Africa all in November.

“We are aware of the task ahead and so we have resolved to work hard to pick the available 12 points in our remaining qualifiers,” said Englandbased defender Omeruo, who was among the 17 players who trained in Abuja Tuesday morning ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash in Sudan.

“You can see the response of the boys in the first day of training, it underlines our intention ahead of the games. All we ask of Nigerians is their support and confidence in the team.

“We know there are no minnows anymore in African football.”

Babatunde Michael out of Sudan match kraine-based winger BabaOfficials told AfricanFootball.

U tunde Michael was the only com the squad will also train twice Eagles star who did not train on Wednesday before departure the with the rest of the squad on Tuesday morning in Abuja.

Babatunde appears to be nursing a thigh injury, but it does not seem very serious for him to still report to training camp for the AFCON qualifiers against Sudan.

The left winger also suffered a right wrist injury which required surgery at the World Cup in Brazil and it was believed that was what stopped him from quitting Volyn FC in the summer.

next day to Sudan.

Saturday’s match in Sudan will kick off by 5.30 pm Nigerian time.

Babatunde

Omeruo (right)

Sudan move Nigeria clash to artificial pitch

S

udan have moved Saturday’s AFCON qualifier against African champions Nigeria to the Municipal Stadium in Khartoum which has an artificial pitch, officials have disclosed.

“We have just been informed that the match will now be played on an artificial pitch and not a natural one. That is why we are now training at

the FIFA Goal Project,” said Eagles co-ordinator Emma Attah.

“It’s a late change, but we have to rise up to the challenge. We will play even on a concrete floor to win this match.”

Attah also confirmed that 17 players trained in Abuja Tuesday morning.

They include Mikel Obi, Vincent Enyeama, Kenneth Omeruo, Em-

manuel Emenike and Elderson Echeijile.

Meanwhile, coach Stephen Keshi has asked that the team fly out to Sudan on a chartered flight to avoid fatigue.

A commercial flight would mean the Eagles will most likely stop over in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and only arrive in Sudan the night before the Saturday showdown.

Ngcongca to miss Congo matches players. Togo was even nele Ngcongca has been weekend and was expected to friendlier than Kumasi. Aruled out of Bafana Bafa- arrive for national duty late Some even suggested we na’s two Africa Cup of Na- Monday evening.

Ghana FA explains choice of Tamale lAs Black Stars storm Casablanca for Guinea

T

he Ghana Football Association has said the decision to play this month’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea in Tamale forms part of their rota-

tional policy.

It has been suggested that the hostile reception by fans in Kumasi during last month’s match against Uganda forced the Ghana FA to look elsewhere.

But President of the Ghana FA Kwesi Nyantakyi has dispelled that.

“Not at all, it is not because of the rejection in Kumasi, it is a rotational policy and we want to stick to that,” Nyantakyi said.

“The Kumasi rejection was like a pinch on the

play our home matches in Togo but home is home.

“It doesn’t mean we have abandoned the Kumasi stadium forever.”

Meanwhile the Black Stars have chosen Casablanca as their base ahead of the qualifier against Guinea on Saturday.

Interim coach Maxwell Konadu left Accra on Sunday and expects to have a full house before Wednesday morning training.

tions qualifiers against Congo-Brazzaville, coach Shakes Mashaba said on Tuesday morning.

The experienced KRC Genk defender played a full 90 minutes for his club over the

Sierra Leone’s Kamara to miss Cameroun game

F

or mer Middlesbrough and Norwich City forward Kei Kamara has pulled out of the Sierra Leone squad that will face Cameroun twice in the forthcoming 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Yaounde.

The 30-year old, who is currently without a club, was among 20 overseas players called up for the two ties.

“I will not be available for the two matches against Cameroun because I’m dealing with contract talks and I need to be around in case of any emergency travels,” Kamara told BBC Sport.

His replacement has not yet been named after a row broke out over the coaching staff to take charge of the Leone Stars for the matches on October 11

and 15.

Kamara scored the Leone Stars’ only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast in Abidjan last month, to take his goal tally for Sierra Leone to four.

The Leone Stars went on to lose 2-0 to Democratic Republic of Congo in Lubumbashi and are currently bottom of group D in the qualifiers.

Ngcongca

But Ngcongca was absent from Tuesday morning’s training session in Rustenburg.

“We got an email from his team Monday that he’s injured. We’re waiting for them to take him for a scan,” Mashaba told reporters after training.

“They’ll send us the report, he’s not going to be with us.”

Ngcongca became the second player to withdraw from the 26-man squad, after team manager Barney Kujane confirmed on Monday that Ayabulela Magqwaka would not be part of the squad.

The latest injury, a second to Mashaba’s defensive department, prompted a rethink after the coach said on Monday that he would not call up a replacement for Magqwaka.

“We’re considering [replacements], just to make sure that we don’t run short. We expected this,” Mashaba said.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

55

Sanctity of Truth

On Marble

I guess the only time most people think about injustice is when it happens to them.

– Charles Bukowski

World Record

The oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world is the University of Karueein, founded in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014

N150

Is Obama’s security relaxed because he is black president?

R GUEST COLUMNIST

Peter Baker

epresentative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland was at the grocery store the other day when he ran into an elderly black woman who expressed growing concern about President Obama’s safety. Why, she asked, wasn’t he being better protected by his Secret Service agents?

The furor that led to last week’s resignation of the director of the Secret Service resonated deeply among blacks, outraged that those supposed to be guarding the first black president were somehow falling down on the job — and suspicious even without evidence that it may be deliberate.

“It is something that is widespread in black circles,” said Representative Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri, who like Mr. Cummings is an AfricanAmerican Democrat who has been approached repeatedly by voters expressing such a concern. “I’ve been hearing this for some time: ‘Well, the Secret Service, they’re trying to expose the president.’ You hear a lot of that from African-Americans in particular.”

Omar J. Gonzalez, who jumped the White House fence this month, reportedly got as far as the entrance to the Green Room before being stopped.

Both Mr. Cummings and Mr. Cleaver said that they did not believe the Secret Service lapses reported recently had anything to do with Mr. Obama’s race and that they had tried to dispel the notion among their constituents.

But the profound doubts they have encountered emphasize the nation’s persistent racial divide and reflect an abiding fear for Mr. Obama’s security that has unnerved blacks still mindful of the assassinations of Malcolm X and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is a longstanding fear. Colin L. Powell’s wife urged him not to run for president in 1996 out of fear that he might be targeted. And when Mr. Obama took office in January 2009, the Secret Service recorded an alarming surge in threats against him. The threat level since then has actually fallen back to a rate more typical of previous presidents, officials said, but potential racial animosity persists in risk calculations by the Secret Service as it seeks to protect Mr. Obama.

The Secret Service does not discuss the nature of threats against Mr. Obama in much detail, but said the agency was fervently devoted to his security.

“The Secret Service is committed to protecting the first family and the president at all costs,” said Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the agency. “We recognize that protecting the president is a sacred trust we have with the American public and that they place in us. It’s never mattered to the service who the president is because

Former Army Sgt. Kyle Jerome White, receiving the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama at the White House

we recognize that trust.”

Mr. Obama has consistently made a point of expressing faith in the Secret Service teams that surround him each day. “The president has no shortage of appreciation for the men and women who serve in the Secret Service, their bravery, their sacrifice,

Some supporters of the president have long asserted that he has been treated with less respect by political opponents and the media, attributing that to his race. That has fueled suspicion that perhaps the Secret Service has not been as committed to him either

their determination, and the hard work and the courage they put on the line every day,” Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman, told reporters last Thursday.

But concern over Mr. Obama’s security has been a quiet but consistent theme from the beginning of his rise in politics. Michelle Obama expressed worry even before he was elected to the Senate in 2004. She later said she dreaded the day he would receive Secret Service protection because it would indicate that threats were being made. And in fact, the agency assigned agents to guard him starting in May 2007, the earliest a presidential candidate has ever been provided protection.

It became such a refrain during that campaign that Mr. Obama found himself constantly reassuring supporters even as some of his aides fretted that his possible vulnerability would discourage some blacks from voting for him. “I’ve got the best protection in the world,” Mr. Obama reassured supporters who brought up the issue. “So stop worrying.”

The Secret Service did detect a spate of threats around the time Mr. Obama won the presidency and took office. But without providing numbers, the agency flatly denied reports that he had received three or four times as many as other presidents and added that they eventually subsided.

“After his first election, there was a spike in his numbers,” Mr. Donovan said. “They’ve leveled out and they’ve been consistent and similar to his predecessors.”

For many blacks, the recent series of missteps by the agency charged with his protection has echoed powerfully. “One of the greatest fears

of a first black president was harm being done to him,” Roland Martin, the talk show host, said on his radio program this week. The ability of a fence-jumper to make it all the way into the White House brought that home. “I can understand one or two, but for five layers to fail in the White House of all places?”

Charles D. Ellison wrote on The Root, a black-oriented online news site, that the episodes raised questions. “There could be only two reasons that Secret Service protection for President Barack Obama is slipping these days,” he wrote. “Either agents missed the memo that he’s the first black president or they really are just that overwhelmed.”

Such sentiments are not uncommon. Joshua DuBois, a former White House aide to Mr. Obama, said the president’s security feels personal for many blacks. “There’s a broad extended family around the country of moms and aunts and uncles who feel a real sense of kinship with this first family and they want to make sure they’re protected and whole,” he said. “So, you see a lot of concern right now.”

Some supporters of the president have long asserted that he has been treated with less respect by political opponents and the media, attributing that to his race. That has fueled suspicion that perhaps the Secret Service has not been as committed to him either.

Donald W. Tucker, one of the first black members of the Secret Service, who retired from the agency in 1990 and wrote a book about his experiences, said that he had no reason to believe the agency had not protected Mr. Obama vigorously but that he heard the concern regularly.

“I would say over 75 percent of the African-American community are suspicious and think that could be a situation, based on all the other things they think has happened to President Obama because he’s an African-American, politically,” he said.

“They’re adding that to the pot.”

Representative Steven Horsford, a Nevada Democrat who is black, was among those who grilled Julia Pierson during a hearing before she resigned as Secret Service director this week. “I was at my church on Sunday and people were asking about it; they were concerned about it,” he said in an interview afterward. “They are shocked and outraged by the lack of competence.”

Mr. Cleaver said that even though “I’m as paranoid as anyone else,” he rejected the suspicion and added that its prevalence troubled him. “There’s nothing further from the truth, and it’s a little dangerous for us to allow that thinking to grow and spread,” he said. “To the degree we can dismantle it, we should. I’m going to dispel it as much as I can.”

• This article was first published in New York Times

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.