Binder1 sept 11, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

NIGERIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS Thursday, September 11, 2014

Vol. 1 No. 205

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Nigerian roads, most expensive in Africa â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Report

lIt's between N400m to N1bn per kilometre Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

he combined effect of poor planning, sloppy budgeting process, corruption and lack of

absorptive capacity in the Ministry of Works has pushed up the cost of road construction and maintenance in Nigeria, making it the most expensive in Africa.

A report on Road Infrastructure Development in Nigeria (2009-2013) which benchmarked the cost of road construction in Nigeria against what obtained in some African countries

showed a remarkable difference that suggests an abnormality in Nigeria. The report, published by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Abuja, was based on an earlier study

and benchmarking conducted by the World Bank in 2000. In Nigeria, the CSJ report said a kilometre of road costs between N400 million and over N1 billion, an amount the report CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Minister for Works, Mike Onolememen

Jega: I won't resign lDamns calls to quit office over new polling units lEkwueme, Clark, Okunrounmu insist he must go }4 Quick Read

No going back on Sept 22 resumption, says FG }7 Local hunters kill 75 Boko Haram in Adamawa }7 NECO records 70 per cent pass in school cert exams }5

Igbo take fight for self-rule to }7 court

L-R: Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Senator Femi Okunrounmu; Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark and former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, during a press conference by Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly in Abuja...yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Mark insists on state creation Lagos

Isolated Storms

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Chukwu David Abuja

resident of the Senate, Senator David Mark, yesterday vowed to do everything within his power, even if has to sac-

rifice his life, to pursue to a logical conclusion the creation of more states in the country. "Even if it takes my last breath, I want to pursue the creation of state. I will put in my last breath

to ensure the creation of Apa State for my people," he said. He particularly expressed his resolve to push for the creation of Apa State for his Idoma nation. The just-concluded

National Conference had recommended creation of 18 additional states. Nigeria currently operates a 36-state federation. Mark, who spoke when four members of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

APC invites Okorocha to join presidential race }5

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

New polling units: Jega dismisses call to quit Onyekachi Eze, Tunde Oyesina and Temitope Ogunbanke

ndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday told those calling for his removal over the creation and distribution of 30,027 polling units to forget the idea. Jega told reporters at a press conference in Abuja that resigning was not on the card, adding that his is not worry by the clamour for his removal as this was not the first time people would do so. He spoke against the backdrop of the strident criticisms of the distribution of the new polling units, which some groups and individuals believed was done to favour the North. The criticism got a new vigour yesterday s former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark and Senator Femi Okunrounmu demanded the removal of Jega for allegedly skewing the distribution of the polling units against the South. But Jega countered that he would not lose sleep over the agitation and would focus on his job.

"I am not bothered. It is not about my resignation. Anyone of us can die and work will continue. I did not lobby anybody to get this job. I won't wait to be fired. The day I can no longer do the job, I will resign. I am here in INEC to do national service," he stated. Jega explained that there was no hidden agenda in the distribution of the new polling units and described as mischievous, the allegation of bias against him. "We have taken a decision; we have not even implemented that decision. What is clear that many people have taken a hard position," he said. Explaining further on the criteria adopted for the distribution of the new

polling units, Jega said the commission, after subjecting the 2011 voter registration exercise to Automated Finger-print Identification Software (AFIS) to detect and eliminate duplicate registrants certified a total 70,383,427 as registered voters in the country. According to him, the commission observed that no polling unit was created in the country since 1996 despite "an exponential growth in Nigeria's population." He said Nigerian population had increased from 100 million in 1996 to about 175 million presently and based on the existing 119, 973 polling units, there ought to be an average of nearly 590 voters per polling units.

But he said in reality, most of the large cities had between 750 and 800 per polling units. "In order to ameliorate the challenges of managing polling units with large number of voters, the commission introduced the concept of voting points, where polling units with large numbers of voters are subdivided into multiples of manageable numbers of about 300, with maximum of 450 registered voters, which when exceeded, the polling units are split into two or more voting points, in multiples of about 300 registered voters per voting points," he added. Jega said the use of voting points had been subject of suspicion by political

parties in the run-up to elections, adding that the commission was sometimes accused of secretly creating additional polling units. He described the continued use of voting points as incongruent with the reforms going on in the commission. According to Jega, continuation of the use of voting points will require 250,000 card readers instead of 160,000 which the commission intends to use in next year's general election. This means that some 90,000 card readers will be saved in the process, which would have cost over N2 billion cost. "It is therefore imperaCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

32o C 22oC Thunder Storms

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ENUGU

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IBADAN

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CALABAR

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MAIDUGURI

36o C 23oC Isolated Storms

ONITSHA

Widow of the Vice Chairman, The Sun Newspapers, Mrs. Obioma Igwe and Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, during a condolence visit by the governor to the family of the late Dimgba Igwe in Lagos…yesterday.

Mark insists on state creation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

33o C 23oC Storms

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

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

House of Representatives and nine chairmen of local government councils from his Benue South Senatorial District paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, observed that the desire of most Nigerians was the creation of states to correct the existing imbalances and give every Nigerian and section a sense of belonging in the polity. Responding to the call by his constituents to contest the 2015 senatorial seat, Mark said: "I am a loyal, faithful and dedicated party man. I will only make my intention known when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) releases the guidelines and programme for the elections." He told the people to remain steadfast and loyal to the PDP, claiming that there were good reasons,

including guaranteed dividends of democracy to remain in the ruling party. The Senate President, however, cautioned politicians seeking election to political offices to hinge their campaigns on issues that would positively impact on the citizenry instead of engaging in mudslinging which seemed to be the current practice in the polity. "We should be able to tell the people what we have done and what we intend to do when elected," he stated. Earlier, the leader of the delegation, who is also the Chairman, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, Sunday Ada Ojo, explained that their visit was necessitated by the immense pressure from citizens and opinion leaders from Benue South

Senatorial District to compel Mark to contest the 2015 senatorial seat. Ojo noted that there was no better candidate than Mark in the present time for the Idoma nation, revealing that the body of the chairmen and the executives of the nine local government councils from the zone had endorsed the candidature of the President of the Senate. "The quality representation and stability Senator Mark has rendered to the nation, North Central, Benue State and Benue South Senatorial District is unquantifiable. "We are here to deliver the message from the Idoma elders, women, youths and opinion leaders to you that whether you like it or not, you must stand for another term as a senator repre-

senting Benue South in the National Assembly," Ojo stated. The leader of the delegation listed Mark's dividends of democracy to the zone to include road construction, scholarship, construction and rehabilitation of schools, multipurpose Otobi dam, National Open University complex in the zone and many more federal projects. Speaking on behalf of members of the House of Representatives from Benue South, Hon. Hassan Saleh assured that the Idoma nation was ready to return Mark unopposed in 2015. Members of House of Representatives who were part of the delegation included: Samson Okwu, Ezeikel Adaji and Adamu Entonu.

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

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

APC invites Okorocha to join presidential race

lSays we need him to help us rescue Nigeria Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday drafted Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, into the race for its presidential ticket. The party's National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said yesterday in Abuja at the in-

auguration of the Imo State Liaison Office, that having made a success of his stewardship in Imo State, the party would want Okorocha to help the opposition party rescue Nigeria from the grip of poverty and underdevelopment imposed on it in the last 15 years by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). If he heeds the call,

Okorocha will be jockeying for the APC's presidential ticket with strong contenders such as a former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Also interested in flying the party's flag in the 2015 presidential election is Okorocha's counterpart in Kano State, Dr Rabiu Musa

Kwankwaso. Odigie-Oyegun applauded Okorocha for completing the project, whose foundation was laid 17 years ago during the tenure of Col. Tanko Zubairu (rtd) as military governor of Imo State, but which was abandoned by successive administrations. He described Okorocha as one of the most vital re-

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), with members of the Job Creation Committee, shortly after the inauguration of the committee in Abujaâ&#x20AC;Ś yesterday. PHOTO: TIOMTHY IKUOMENISAN.

Nigerian roads, most expensive in Africa â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Report CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

described as outrageous. According to the report, a 9.52 kilometre Ibadan Township road in Oyo State was awarded at the cost of N5.8 billion, which is approximately N609.24 million per kilometre. Similarly, the contract sum for the Abuja/Abaji/ Lokoja road, a 196 kilometre project being handled by the Federal Government was awarded at an estimated cost of N42 billion in 2006. It was however reviewed upward to N116 billion in 2011, an increase of 176.2 per cent. This was in spite of the declining rate of inflation at an average of 2.52 per cent within the five-year period. With the total cost of the Abuja/Abaji/Lokoja road project, the cost of the project per kilometre is approximately N591 million, which exceeds the upper bound benchmark cost of $1,374,429.60 per kilometre recommended by the World Bank as cost of constructing a kilometre of paved road. In the earlier study by the World Bank, a set of indicators were constructed to perform comparative as-

sessments of the contract procurement and implementation processes in the road sector across 13 countries in Sub- Saharan Africa. The countries used in the study were Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The research generated a specialised data set for 109 road and bridge works contracts and 76 supervision consultancy contracts in projects financed by the World Bank and "the highest cost overruns" were observed in Nigeria, where the contracts increased their original value by an average of 39.7 per cent during implementation. On the other hand, the average cost overrun in Ghana was 34 per cent; about 18 per cent in Mozambique and Tanzania while there were no cost overruns in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. In the Limpopo Province of South Africa, the average cost of constructing a kilometre of road falls within the World Bank road construction

benchmark. The CSJ report attributed the abnormal cost of road construction in Nigeria to insufficient budgetary allocation and other associated problems. "There are too many road projects and resources are so thinly spread. There is a great differential between insufficient budgetary allocations to road infrastructure and the releases and cash -backing necessary for MDAs to utilise the funds. This is not good for road infrastructure development in Nigeria. The continuing and further differentials between the amounts cashbacked and their eventual utilisation show lack of absorptive capacity in the MDAs. "It can be seen that the level of funding does not match the timeline within which the road projects should be executed. Roads that should have been completed within two years or less are still undergoing construction after five years. The delays lead to variations at sometimes about twice the value of the original award. This creates enormous challenges to the fiscal sys-

tem, especially with the huge amounts posted for augmentation of road contracts," the report stated. It recommended the need for enhanced investments and a fresh thinking to get new funds for the road sector while existing laws and policies such as those governing the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and the Infrastructure Action Plan needed to be implemented immediately. Besides, it recommended that budgetary funding for the road sector should be progressively improved. Beyond appropriations, the Ministry of Finance should ensure full and timely release and cashbacking of budgeted funds to the Ministry of Works and other MDAs involved in the road sector. It also called for the reduction in the cost of road project implementation through benchmarking with African and international prices. According to the report, the cost of building roads in other countries such as Ghana, which has nearly the same soil environment as Nigeria, will put extant cost in its proper context.

source persons the APC has in its fold, saying that he has displayed rare vision, energy and commitment to the development of infrastructure, job creation and delivery of positive results in all spheres. "He is obviously one of the most vital resource persons we have. We have several men vying for that position (presidency) and I am proud to say that he is one of our most vital resource persons. He is obviously a man of vision. "He is one of the spearheads of change in this country. He has proved to us that he has rescued Imo State. We need him to help us rescue Nigeria," he said. Odigie-Oyegun explained that contrary to the perception in some quarters that the APC was too young and therefore unprepared to take on the PDP in the 2015 polls, the opposition party was not new to the game as it was formed by four legacy parties that had been actively involved in politics and had garnered all experience. According to him, the PDP has run out of ideas and needed to give way to the APC to give Nigeria a new lease of life. On the recent defection by some eminent members of the APC to APC, Odigie-Oyegun dismissed the insinuation that the

APC was losing ground and challenged critics to also consider the influx of some persons into the opposition camp. "We bid them farewell. Those who truly believe in change and believe that Nigeria deserves the best and that Nigeria will become better have stayed. Just as we have lost people, we have gained people," he added. In his remarks, Okorocha said the PDP had exhausted its package for the Nigerian electorate and should quit the stage in 2015 to allow a party with men of vision, courage and commitment to service to take over the reins of power. "They have been there for almost 15 years and there is nothing to show for it comparatively. This shows that they have done their best. Let us commend them for doing their best but they cannot do better than their best. The truth is there is need for a change so that we can get people who can do better. They have done their best but their best is not good enough and you cannot give what you don't have. Even if you give PDP 100 years, there will be no power supply, we will still have insecurity; we will still not have jobs. So that is why we are saying we want people who can fix Nigeria," he said.

NECO records 70% improvement in exam Dan Atori MINNA

he National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the June/ July 2014 results with remarkable improvement over the previous examinations, with 72.58 per cent credit pass in English Language and 69.49 per cent credit pass in Mathematics. Releasing the results at its national headquarters in Minna, the Niger State capital, the Registrar and the Chief Executive Officer of the body, Prof. Promise Okpala, stated that out of the 989, 622 candidates that registered for the examinations, 978,886 actually sat for the papers. An analysis of other core subjects indicated that 783,975 sat for Biology with 531,784 pass at credit level representing 67.83 per cent; Chemistry had 418,785 candidates with 305,120 pass at credit level

representing 72.86 per cent while 418,440 candidates sat for Physics with 290,310 pass at credit level representing 69.38 per cent. Also 19,067 sat for Further Mathematics while12,827 passed at credit level representing 67.27 per cent; Agricultural Science had 500,897 candidates with 347,834 pass at credit level representing 69.44 per cent. Other subjects fell in the same category of impressive credit passes. Okpala stated that an analysis of the malpractices showed that only 0.44 per cent of those who sat for the examination were involved. The registrar said the trend was an indication that efforts by President Goodluck Jonathan and all stakeholders in the education sector to improve the quality of teaching and learning in secondary schools were yielding positive results.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

2015: Jonathan orders removal of offensive signs, banners lEzekwesili, APC say order is deceitful, callous Lateef Ibrahim, Temitope Ogunbanke and Wale Elegbede

resident Goodluck Jonathan has directed that the offensive #Bring BackJonathan2015 signs and banners around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), campaigning for his re-election in 2015, be brought down immediately. The United Statesbased Washington Post had in its Tuesday editorial, titled “This may be the most inappropriate political hostage of the

year,” decried the #BringBackGoodluck2015 campaign slogan adopted by a support group promoting the re-election bid of the president. “In this context, the new campaign slogan is particularly galling. Jonathan has not brought back the girls, yet his campaign expects Nigeria to bring him back to power. One wonders if it will spawn more rich satire among Nigerians on social media. After all, there’s plenty of precedent,” it said. The Jonathan’s reelection campaign slogan

was an adoption of the #BringBackOurGirls slogan for the release of over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram. President Jonathan, according to a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said he shares the widely expressed view that the signs which were put up without his knowledge or approval are a highly insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag. According to the statement, "President Good-

luck Ebele Jonathan has directed that the #BringBackJonathan2015 signs and banners around Abuja which he and many Nigerians find offensive and repugnant be brought down immediately. "President Jonathan wholly shares the widely expressed view that the signs which were put up without his knowledge or approval are a highly insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag. "While President Jonathan appreciates the enthusiastic show of support for his ad-

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha and Chairman, Agura Hotel, Chief Kanu Maxwell, at the inauguration of Imo Liaison Office in Abuja…yesterday.

ministration by a broad range of stakeholders, he condemns the #Bring BackJonathan2015 signs which appear to make light of the very serious national and global concern for the abducted Chibok girls." However, the former Minister for Education and one of the National Coordinators of the #BringBackOurGirls group, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili has described the order by President Jonathan for the removal of the offensive #BringBackJonathan signs as deceitful and callous. Ezekwesili pointed out that the President cannot claim ignorance of the hashtag that was allegedly started by his aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe. The former minister posted some of the earlier tweets of Dr. Okupe to corroborate her claims. Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said President Jonathan made a mockery of his administration and Nigeria by waiting for an international condemnation of the shameless and brazen usurpation of the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag before issuing the directive for it to stop. APC in a statement issued in London yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, averred that belated as the President's directive on #BringBackJonathan hashtag is, it is

a good step that must be quickly followed by another directive ordering the so-called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) to immediately stop its rallies that have offended the sensibilities and intelligence of Nigerians. ''Had the US newspaper Washington Post not written a stinging editorial skewing the Jonathan administration for appropriating the BringBackOurGirls hashtag for his re-election, the administration would have continued its brazenness without regards to the feelings of the parents of the girls or indeed the Nigerian people. ''Again, the administration has waited for a global opprobrium before doing what is right. Recall that it took an international media campaign before the Jonathan administration acknowledged, after 19 days, that the Chibok girls were missing in the first instance. Recall also that it took a 17-year-old, Yousafzai Malala, to make the President realise that he should meet with the parents of the girls, even if he eventually insulted the grieving parents by inviting them to Abuja instead of going to visit them in their abode? It is important that we don't make a mockery of our own people, so that we don't become an object of international mockery,'' it said.

Ekwueme, Clark, others demand INEC chair's ouster CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

tive for the commission to reconfigure and create additional polling units, if we are to improve on the conduct of elections and make 2015 better that 2011," Jega stated. In achieving this, he said about 150,000 polling units are required based on number of registered voters. He acknowledged that there have been demographic shifts across the country since 1966 when the last polling units were created with many cities witnessing "sizable new settlements," noting that most of the new settlements have no polling units located in them or even within reasonable distance. Jega said that since polling units are created to service registered voters, what the commission did was to distribute the 150,000 polling units amongst the number of registered voters. This it did by dividing

150,000 polling units with the number of registered voters in each state by 500, which is maximum per polling units. He said the commission took the view that no state should lose any polling unit as a result of the exercise, notwithstanding that some states had exceeded their numbers. Jega disclosed that the commission further gave such states relief by providing that 15 per cent of the 30,027 additional polling units be distributed equally across all the states, including the states that had already exceeded their numbers. The Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) had yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove Jega on the grounds that he has lost his credibility. The call for Jega's removal was contained in a statement jointly signed

by Clark (South-South), Ekwueme (South-East) and Okunrounmu at the end of an emergency meeting of the group in Abuja. The leaders of SNPA accused the INEC chairman of "ethnic bigotry, partisan parochialism, and primordial chauvinism,” to give undue political advantage to the North in the creation of the polling units. The group had earlier on Tuesday condemned the process of creation and allocation of the 30,000 polling units. Clark, Ekwueme and Okunrounmu said the South viewed the lopsided allocation of the polling units as "a script perfectly crafted for Prof. Jega to implement, in continuation of the well-known hegemonic agenda, by the enemies of our hard won democracy.” "The people of Southern Nigeria are not only appalled but strongly rejected Prof. Jega's claims

and averment, whatever persuasions may have motivated this very callous, insensitive, disparate, oppressive, and inconsonant decision to give the North a clear political advantage over the South contrary to the reality on ground," it added. It stated that before the reconfiguration, the existing 119,973 polling units were delineated based on the 73 million registered voters, and the conduct of elections were successful, peaceful and hitch-free in Ekiti and Osun States despite the claim by INEC of overcrowded polling units. The group added that given the perennial claims of ghost voters which have been the cause of electoral fraud, INEC introduced what it called the Automated Finger Identification System (AFIS) and the outcome has led to a reduction of the registered voters to 57 million.

It wondered why INEC decided to increase the polling units to 150,000 as against 119,973 polling units when the total registered voters were reportedly 73 million. The group queried the adoption of proportional representation and equality as parameters, which it said "marginalise 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." The pan Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere and the Imo State House of Assembly had on Tuesday criticised the distribution of the new polling units. Afenifere, which passed a vote of no confidence on Jega, saying it doubted his ability to conduct free and fair elections in 2015. Also, the Imo Assembly said the distribution of the new polling units was done

to favour the North. Meanwhile, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani, has said there was no basis for the protest by the Southern leaders. He said: “When one reads the reasons given by the Southern People's Assembly for their rejection of INEC's addition of polling units on the North, they are stunning and make one to be bewildered. “This is because there is nowhere in our statute which supports the protests. More so that our census figures, figures for registered voters and also for identity card, have put the North ahead of the South for the past many decades now. That the South protests such figures for the past many decades does not suggest the figures cannot be used."

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

FG insists on Sept 22 resumption date for schools lReps to meet NMA, ministers, others on Monday Appolonia Adeyemi, Anule Emmanuel, Mojeed Alabi and Cajetan Mmuta

he Federal Government yesterday remained unbending over its decision for schools to resume classes on September 22, despite criticisms from some quarters, including the House of Representatives. According to it, it is not yielding position on the issue because there is no cause for alarm again over the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that had forced it to initially move the resumption of primary and secondary schools to October 13. Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, told State House correspondents in Abuja after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the decision for the resumption date was arrived at following a meeting between the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and commissioners for education from the 36 states of the federation. He said in arriving at

the decision, they relied on information from the Federal Ministry of Health that there was actually no reason now to panic over the epidemic given experts' information available. "I think people should just allow us to do the work we have been doing very professionally. It was based on advice given by the Ministry of Health that the minister of education took the original decision that it was going to be in October and nobody quarrelled with the minister. "Now that the minister, based on expert advice, has come back to give a new date; we don't have any reason to stop that. But everybody is now quarrelling with that decision. I think we should allow the authorities to do their jobs. It is not an ordinary matter to be discussed the way we want to discuss it," he stated. Chukwu called on persons with contrary reasons why schools should not resume on September 22 to come up with concrete evidence. The minister said un-

Igbo take fight for self-rule to court Tony Okafor Awka

orty-four years after the end of the civil war, the Ndigbo have gone to court seeking judicial review of the propriety or otherwise of granting the right of self-determination to the defunct Biafran Republic. Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, made this known in an interview with New Telegraph yesterday. Ikedife said hearing on the matter is expected to commence this month in a Federal High Court. The Igbo leader said this decision was reached by Igbo elders under the auspices of Supreme Council of Indigenous People of Biafra. He maintained that the best option to prosecute the dream of self-determination of the Igbo would be through legal framework. He said they would be prepared to prosecute the legal battle up to the International Court of Justice, "but for now we are at the court of first instance." Between 1967 and 1970, Biafra attempted to secede

from Nigeria in a war that claimed millions of lives, mostly of the Igbo under the leadership of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. Ikedife, Ojukwu's kinsman, said the current battle for self-determination for the area would be battle of wits, hinged on the principles of international laws and conventions. Speaking on the leadership crisis that is currently rocking the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Ikedife described it as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;brotherly quarrelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that would be resolved appropriately. On the recent vilification on the former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, especially the allegation by the Australian negotiator- Stephen Davies- that Ihejirika was one of the sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgents, Ikedife described it as laughable and unintelligible. He said Ihejirika served this country well and retired honourably, adding that he should rather be commended than condemned, describing those launching the attacks on Ihejirika as evil men.

like other countries, there was no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria and that informed the decision to rescind the decision to review the postponement of school resumption from October 13 to September 22. Chukwu also said the total confirmed cases of the disease is now 19 with 15 persons diagnosed with EVD in Lagos and four in Port Harcourt. Despite the Federal Government's refusal to

budge on the new school resumption date, the House of Representatives has scheduled a meeting for Monday with all stakeholders to review the new date. The development came just as a topmost virologist and President of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), Prof. Oyewale Tomori, criticised plans to delay resumption of schools. According to the Chairman, House Committee

on Education Committee, Hon. Aminu Suleman, the new cases of EVD discovered in the country and the need to protect pupils and their teachers require an urgent review of the situation. He added the intervention of the legislature was prompted by concerns expressed by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) about the resumption date. Meanwhile, a former

NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, warned that except Nigeria and other African nations courageously deal with emerging health emergencies on the continent and shun unnecessary reliance on developed countries for help, Africa would be in danger. He said yesterday at a news conference in Benin that African countries must wake up and take issues of public health more seriously.

L-R: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Wali Abubakar and Dr Abdulkadir Oniyangi as well as INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, at a press briefing in Abuja...yesterday. photo: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Local hunters kill 75 Boko Haram in Adamawa lDHQ confirms five soldiers wounded in Mubi battle Ibrahim Abdul and Emmanuel Onani

ocal hunters, who have teamed up with the military to fight Boko Haram in terror-stricken North-East, have killed some 75 insurgents, who were part of those that had occupied some towns in Michika and Madagali Local Government Areas of Adamawa State. A security source told New Telegraph yesterday in Yola that the Boko Haram members were killed as troops advanced on Michika to regain the control of the town. He said: "Yes, the local hunters are helping us and many were killed. We are significantly advancing to recapture the towns taken by the insurgents, already we are in Michika." It was learnt that the insurgents, who have been unleashing terror on some communities in Adamawa and Borno States, had run short of ammunition fol-

lowing a series of bombardments and air strikes by fighter jets. "This situation helped us to track down some of the fleeing insurgents and after engaging them in a serious fight at different locations at least 75 of them were killed," said a local hunter, Kaura Musa, who was part of the operation. He added that though troops were advancing to recapture some of the towns overran by the extremists, the insurgents had been changing tactics by attacking remote villages. "As I am talking to you, they have entered Kirshinga and Kofa holding the villagers to ransom. Some villagers are now on the hill tops living in an atmosphere of despair and agony for fear of possible attacks," he stated. A resident of Michika, Mr. Kwageh Bitrus, who spoke to reporters on phone yesterday, confirmed the incident.

"The militants have now run short of ammunition as they are running out of the town to the bush. As I am speaking to you, our youths and vigilante had ambushed and killed over 75 insurgents because they ran out of ammunition," he said. Also yesterday, the Emir of Mubi Alhaji Abubakar Isa Ahmadu, denied reports that he fled his kingdom for fear of being attacked by Boko Haram after the fall of the neighbouring towns of Michika and Madagali. Spokesman of the emir, Chief John Elias, said in Yola that the emir left Mubi for Yola on Sunday for a meeting on this year's hajj, being the state Amirul Hajj and not because of Boko Haram. Meanwhile, the Adamawa State Government has assured the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of adequate assistance to cushion their sufferings. Secretary to the State

Government, Professor Liman Tukur, who led a government team to the Damare NYSC Camp where the IDPs are living, said the government would do everything possible to ameliorate their sufferings. The team was told that about 1,056 IDPs were in the camp while five pregnant women had been delivered of babies in the camp. The visit of the SSG came just as the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said only two military officers and three soldiers sustained serious injuries from the fierce encounter between troops and Boko Haram insurgents in Mubi. The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a post on the DHQ's twitter handle yesterday, added that an officer was missing in action. Olukolade denied that 23 soldiers were killed in the fierce battle.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Igwe was truly a great man, says Fashola ...His death, great blow to journalism – Ibori Tony Okuyeme and Mojeed Alabi

agos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola has described the late Vice Chairman of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, as a true great man, friend and brother. He added that brief as their interactions had been, he has learnt a lot from the late Dimgba. Fashola said this yesterday when he paid a condolence visit to the widow of the late journalist and author at their home in

Okota, Lagos, to commiserate with the family. He urged the family to take heart and know that Dimgba lived a good life. “My friend and brother, how do I explain this separation or death with our unfinished work? Brief as or interactions have been in the last few years, I have learnt a lot from knowing you. Rest in peace because there is no more sorrow where you are. We will continue the work until we meet to part no more. Dimgba Igwe, a truly great man. Adieu,” Fashola wrote on the condolence

Jonathan, Kalu rejoice with Igbinedion at 80

resident Goodluck Jonathan and a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, have congratulated the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, who clocks 80 today. In a congratulatory letter addressed to the Esama Jonathan also praised trail-blazing achievements in several fields of human endeavour. “In a classic epitomization of the triumph of the will over the temporal limitations of circumstance of birth, you defied all odds and emerged from very humble beginnings to become not just a captain of industry of note beyond the shores of our nation, but also one of Nigeria’s most readily recognizable names. “Through it all, you have not only remained faithful to the rich cultural heritage of the revered Benin Kingdom as one of the most senior Chiefs in the land, but you have also played a significant role in Nigeria’s democratic developmental process. A trailblazer in every enter-

prise you have ventured into. Yours is indeed, a life truly worthy of celebration,” the President wrote. Jonathan prayed that Almighty God will continue to guide the Esama and keep him in good health. In his own message, Kalu described Igbinedion as an enigma that will take generations to unravel. The former governor described the elder statesman as a man of all season owing to his philanthropic gesture across the length and breadth of Africa. In a message signed by his Special Adviser, Prince Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu noted that the large heart and generosity of Igbenidion has earned him love by all and sundry irrespective of tribal, religious and political divides. The statement quoted Kalu as having said: “I join the house of Igbinedion and millions of well wishers in celebrating Chief Igbinedion on the occasion of his 80 the birthday.

Borno NBA crisis deepens, as leadership suspend its erring members Ahmed Miringa

MAIDUGURI

he crack within the Maiduguri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken a new dimension. The leadership of the NBA in Maiduguri yesterday suspended all its members that held a press conference, countering the ultimatum of the executive to sue Federal Government over the allegation made by of the self acclaimed Australian negotiator, Stephen Davies. Addressing newsmen after an emergency congress, the Chairman of the Maiduguri Branch of the NBA, Barrister Abdurrafiu Alfa, said

there was no crack in the Nigerian Bar Association Maiduguri Branch and that any members of bar found wanting will be appropriately sanctioned. He said: “The members have been suspended pending the determination of the outcome of the committee set up to investigate their activities. 14 members that appear on the video clip of the press briefing have been suspended. “They claimed to be 60 but they are not up to that. They are only 14 and they have been suspended. All members of the congress are with us. 90 per cent of the congress are with us. I still stand by what I said because it is a reflection of the view of the members.”

register. Former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori described the death of Igwe as a terrible blow to the profession of journalism both home and abroad. Ibori, who described the late journalist as a consummate professional, added that his success on the job was firmly rooted in his character, leadership skills and the fear of God exhibited. The former governor, who spoke yesterday through his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, said what distinguished Igwe from other journalists was not his prodigious talent or unfailing energy,

but that he elected to walk in the way of temperance, fairness and patriotism. He said: “Igwe did not misuse his podium to ingratiate anyone or to play God either but he walked the wholesome middle road, ladling out his respected opinions and essays in generous doses, ever with a healthy respect for the concept of truth and goodness.” He therefore sent his condolences to the management and staff of The Sun Newspapers and prayed God almighty to grant the late journalist’s widow and children the grace to bear what he described as irreplaceable

loss. Also, President of South-South Media Profession, Mr. Asu Beks, led a delegation on a condolence visit to the Igwe’s family in Lagos. He expressed shock at the news of Dimgba Igwe’s death, and described him as somebody that touched several lives. According to him, The Nigerian media is going to miss him because this is a huge vacuum that will be very difficult to fill. Earlier yesterday, a delegation from the New Telegraph Newspaper paid condolence visit to the Igwe family. The delegation which was led by the Daily Editor of New

Telegraph, Mr. Yemi Ajayi, included the Saturday Editor, Mr. Lawrence Ani; Sunday Editor, Mr. Emeka Madunagu; Admin Manager, Mr. Robinson Ekeh, and Manager Special Projects, Mr. Biodun Durojaiye. While commiserating with the family, Ajayi said: “The death of your husband Dimgba Igwe is not only a loss to you but also to us. He mentored so many of us.” He said that a man of Dimgba’s status cannot die just like that. He, therefore, called on government to do all within its power to apprehend the driver who knocked him down.

L-R: Mrs. Gloria Oriaku; widow, Mrs. Oby Igwe and the deceased's brother, Mr. Hanson Igwe; New Telegraph's Head of Admin, Mr. Robinson Eze and Editor, Daily, Mr. Yemi Ajayi, during New Telegraph's visit to the late Dimgba Igwe’s House in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Fashola justifies N160bn debt Jigawa Speaker faces impeachment ...Says Light rail project may ready next year

Dahiru Suleiman

Muritala Ayinla overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday justified his administration's decisions to take a bond worth over N160billion from World Bank, saying the Federal Government failed to also tell the public that the state government took the loan based on its approval. The governor, who also expressed optimism that the Light Rail project should have been completed by next year, said strategies are in place to ensure that the loan is paid back accordingly. Briefing journalists, shortly after an inspection tour of the ongoing construction of the light rail terminus at Orile-Iganmu, Fashola expressed disappointment that the work did not move as smoothly as expected. He, however, said he didn't know the motive of the Federal Government

for making the state's debt profile public, saying "what they did not say is that they approved it. No state can raise money by bond the way we have done without the FG’s approval." Fashola added: “I think it was the Debt Management Office of the Federal Government that published the report that we have a debt of about N160billion. I don’t know the intent of the publication but if it was to inform the public, I think we have always kept the public informed anytime we borrow money. If there are other intentions behind that, only those who make the publication would know what the intentions are. “But you see, when people talk about debt of a state like Lagos, they forget that after Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and one other country, we have the fifth largest economy in Africa.

DUTSE

eadership crisis may consume the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Adamu Ahmed Sarawa. The crisis, which was started as a result of alleged running of a one man show in the affairs of the house, generated a heated debate yesterday,forcing the Majority Leader, Hon. Jafaru Kukuma to relinquish his position in the House. But on the intervention of some members, he later rescinded his actions. Reports from the state assembly indicated that the 30 member of the House have started an impeachment process on their Speaker earlier last week, an action which has started gaining momentum with two-third majority of the members during an emergency meeting held by the members at undisclosed destination last weekend. The

meeting was held outside Dutse, the Jigawa State capital. Sources close to the assembly, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had informed our correspondent that the members were bitter with the house leadership under, Speaker Ahmed Sarawa, for his alleged one man show and dictatorship tendencies in running the affairs of the House. The Source added that the Speaker sometimes deliberated on several issues without the consent of his colleagues and the government has released Hajj seats for the members but he allegedly disbursed the seats among his family members and close associates. A visit to the premises of the assembly by New Telegraph indicated that members deserted their offices as it was reported that they rushed to the Government House to lay their grievances before Governor Sule Lamido for quick intervention.

news

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

SETBACK Judge's absence stalls Adamawa's former deputy governor's suit

Tunde Oyesina

ABUJA

he suit instituted by former Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Bala Ngilari, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday suffered another setback due to the

Adamawa: Ngilari's suit suffers setback again ...court fixes Sept 26 for hearing absence of the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola. New Telegraph, however, gathered that Justice Ademola travelled out of Abuja. The court clerk later fixed September 26 for parties in the matter to come back. The Adamawa State House of Assembly had declared Ngilari’s office vacant on July 15 after he purportedly resigned from office.

But not satisfied with the action of the Assembly, Ngilari approached the court to challenge the legality of his resignation. Cited as respondents in the suit are the Speaker of the Assembly, the House itself, Ahmadu Fintiri, who was sued as an individual and as the Acting Governor of the state; former Governor Muritala Nyako and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

At the last adjourned date, INEC had refused to attend the court and was neither represented by a counsel. Ngilari, among other things, is seeking an order compelling his swearing in as the governor. Ngilari’s counsel, Festus Keyamo, who said INEC had been served with the court processes, told Justice Adeniyi Ademola, that the electoral body was likely to “care

less about this matter.” Keyamo also told the judge that he had filed a further affidavit reporting to the court that the acting governor of the state, Mr. Ahmadu Fintiri, had written a letter to INEC calling on the commission to conduct the bye-election “as quickly as possible”. INEC is constitutionally required to conduct the bye-election within 90 days of the removal of the former governor, Murtala

Nyako, on July 15. The court had on August 8 turned down the request by Ngilari to restrain INEC from conducting the governorship bye-election in the state pending the determination of his suit. Rather than granting such interim order, Justice Ademola, while ruling on Ngilari’s ex-parte motion, ordered that INEC be put on notice and appear in court.

Gumi advises Nigerians to vote neutral leaders Ibraheem Musa

Kaduna

L-R: President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tanbuwal, at the 50th birthday prayer organised for the wife of the former Governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, Toyin, in Ilorin

61%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Cyprus in 2012. Source: Itu.int

59,125

The total number of internet users in Andorra in 2008. Source: Blatantworld.com

28.3%

The percentage rise of capital importation of Nigeria in 2013 over the previous year. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Akeju’s resumption: PDP frowns on INEC’s decision

Probe: UniAbuja serves Reps with supporting documents

Adeolu Adeyemo

Philip Nyam

OSOGBO

State chapter of the Oty,(sun Peoples Democratic ParPDP), yesterday

warned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega against the resumption of Ambassador Rufus Akeju as the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC of the state. The party, in a statement by the Director of Publicity, Prince Diran Odeyemi in Osogbo, frowned at the development. He described it as a calculated attempt to perpetrate fraud for the APC in the 2015 general elections. Odeyemi stressed: "When a court of competence jurisdiction ruled that Akeju must not con-

duct 2011 poll in the state, Jega still appealed the ruling. "Till today, there had not been a counter ruling. Still, Akeju, who was removed from the Osun State after exposing all sensitive INEC data to the APC and later brought back, a day to the commencement of the inspection of materials used for fraudulent August 9 poll. "Jega should tell Nigerians the rationale behind posting Akeju back to Osun State. Is Akeju the only REC in INEC? Why bringing him back to Osun when there were insinuations that the acclaimed winner of the poll is desperate to cover up its tracks? Is Akeju now in-charge of the electoral commission that he could determine where to be posted?"

Abuja

he Governing Council TAbuja of the University of has submitted the

necessary documents to justify the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor; Prof. Michael Adikwu. The vice chancellor disclosed this in a chat with New TelegraphinAbujayesterday. He said although, the House has not invited him yet and that the matter was in court, the pro-chancellor, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, has already sent supporting documents to the House Committee concerning the process that led to his appointment. “The pro chancellor sent some documents to them to justify my appointment. Personally, I have not been invited for

investigation. You know the matter is in court”, he said. Adikwu, whose appointment was greeted with protests, however confessed that the action of his opponents was expected because Nigeria is under a democratic dispensation that creates room for varying opinions and views. “The protests were expected. The school (University of Abuja) is in the capital city of Nigeria and everybody can lay claim to it. But this is democracy; so, people are free to hold their opinion and express themselves” The vice chancellor disclosed that his administration has set in motion machinery to reconcile all dissenting groups in the university by setting up a university harmony committee.

aduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has advised Nigerians to vote only leaders that are neutral and untainted with the sins of the past and not polarising candidates, in the coming elections. In a statement issued yesterday, the cleric said “Nigeria needs new blood and new set of visionary leaders. Call him Nigerian Obama or Putin. A polarizing figure is not an option. A figure that will not claim he is opposed because he comes from certain region or religion.” Although political campaign has not yet started, President Goodluck Jonathan, General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice president Atiku Abubakar are widely believed to be in the contest for the presidency in 2015.

Similarly, posters adorn every town and village in the country, proclaiming sundry aspirations. Gumi also advised Nigerians to ignore both the ruling and leading opposition political parties if they don’t offer them credible candidates. He warned against ethnoreligious manipulations in the run-up to the 2015. According to Gumi:“If the PDP or APC are not ready to field candidates of these qualities, peace loving Nigerians should vote for another party with such a candidate. If you want peace to prevail, heed my advice. Otherwise, don't blame anybody for your misfortune.’’ Gumi also pointed out that Nigeria does not need ambitious politicians, who are not ready to step down for reconciliation, or politicians whose will to rule supersede national interest or harmonization.

Amosun's trade mission arrives Germany State Governor, Osungun Senator Ibikunle Amohas arrived Berlin to

further promote economic relations between his administration and the German government. While on the tour, the Governor, together with German Federal Minister, Gerd Müller, will discuss the new Africa policy of the country's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu said in a statement that the governor is also scheduled to engage in discussions with the President, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), Reinhold Festge; Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam Germany, Marion Lieser, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union and Parliamentary State Secretary, Ministry of Economic Cooperation and

Development of Germany. Amosun was accompanied by the Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals (MDG's), Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello; Special Adviser on Public Private Partnerships (PPP's), Dr. Tunde Sodade and Special Adviser on Research and Documentation, Barr. Adeleke Adewolu. Olaniyonu said that BMZ seeks "to partner with Africa and help it transform itself from a continent in crisis into a continent of opportunity. "The aim now is to discuss BMZ's new strategy and develop it further by engaging in dialogue with representatives of its African partner countries and members of the wider expert community in Germany. This discussion will focus on people’s expectations of such a partnership and possible ways in which it could be implemented.

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/metro

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

ThursDAY, September 11, 2014

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

0802 393 8212

Five-man gang rapes student to coma in Delta

}Robbery suspect dies in

shoot-out Evil

Five men lure and sexually assault a female student

police in Delta State have apprehended five men who raped to coma a student the state-owned Ozoro polytechnic.

One of the suspects, Ekperierie Weomazino, lured the victim, identified as Favour Orji, to Owhelegbo junction, near Ozoro, where the gang ambushed the lady. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Celestina Kalu, said at the command’s headquarters in Asaba yesterday that on reaching the junction, Weomazino and four other hefty guys descended on Orji, raped her and thereafter took her photograph naked, while she was unconscious. She said: “But on receipt of the report, detectives swung into action and arrested the said Ekperierie Weomazino and his cohorts, including one Awolowo Abel, Chukwuka

IG, Suleiman Abba

Godspower, Wilson Odili and Ojumah Kelvin.” Kalu said the hoodlums had threatened to post the photograph on facebook, if she told anyone. She said investigation was in progress to make the suspects “face the full wrath of the law”. The PPRO also disclosed one of the suspected armed robbers who raided Jugbale Market, Ovwian Aladja in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State was killed yesterday in a shoot-out with the police. The hoodlums, numbering five, had invaded the market before policemen swooped on them. On sighting the police, the robbers opened fire, which led to a shoot-out. Kalu said at the command’s headquarters in Asaba, that in the ensuing gun duel, the suspected robber was gunned down while others escaped with bullet wounds. She listed the items recovered from the hoodlums to include a locallymade cut-to-size gun and one live cartridge.

Scene of a petrol tanker accident at Anthony…yesterday

Again, two injured as cooking gas explodes in Epe Muritala Ayinla

arely 24 hours after a gas explosion in Epe, another explosion rocked Epe yesterday leaving two children seriously injured. The latest inccident occurred at 21 Kalesanmi Street, Epe. The injured children were rushed to the General Hospital where 22 persons who suffered serious burns from Tuesday’s explosion were being treated. It was gathered that the latest incident, which occurred at Chief M. T. Awe Street, Iraye, was caused by the two children said to be playing with matches near the gas cylinder in their kitchen. Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, the Director of Lagos Fire Service, Mr Razak Fadipe, said the personnel of the

state fire service had been immediately deployed to the scene. He also urged parents to always have fire extinguishers at home and warned residents against keeping their cooking gas cylinders in their kitchens. Fadipe warned against leaving children at home with inflammable domestic materials, saying people must learn and practice safe culture at all times. He said: “People are found of leaving their underage children at home. The children must have been watching their mother cook with gas. They will want to imitate their parent by playing with matches near the cylinder. “Besides, gas cylinder should not be installed in the kitchen. Safety of lives is far better than se-

curity of the cylinder. If the cylinder is inside the kitchen, how will the firefighters fight the fire when it occurs? The fire won’t stop unless the gas is exhausted. Forget about the Security of the cylinder. “Whoever must use cooking gas must also have good sense of smelling to enable them detect outbreak of fire or smoke.” Also, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesperson, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed that the incident was caused by the kids. He said: “The two of them suffered burns and were rushed to the General Hospital, Epe where the earlier 22 victims are being treated of similar gas explosion.” Earlier in the day, tragedy was averted when a petrol tanker with registration number XE 187

KRD crashed at Anthony area on Ikorodu Road and spilled its content on the road. It was gathered that the incident caused a gridlock as fuel filled parts of the road. The State Fire Service personnel were quickly drafted to the scene to prevent explosion. The policemen drafted to the scene were urged no to shoot to prevent outbreak of fire which would have consumed many people and vehicles. Fadipe said the accident occurred early in the morning when many motorists were heading to their workplaces. Also yesterday morning, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus was said to have caught fire around Bolade area of Oshodi. Men of the fire service also rushed to the scene.

Commercial sex worker steals customer’s N500,000

Kumuyi takes ‘Explosion of Supernatural Miracles’ to Osogbo

23-year-old commercial AEbikeme, sex worker, Rosemary was yesterday

he General Overseer of TPastor Deeper Life Bible Church, William Kumuyi, is

convicted by a Life Camp Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja and sentenced to 100 days imprisonment for stealing $3,200 belonging to her customer. The Senior Magistrate, Abdulahi Ilaleh, who convicted Rosemary after she pleaded

guilty to a one-count charge, however, gave her an option of N5,000 fine. Ilaleh cautioned the convict to desist from the crime, saying that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others. The prosecutor, Ona Odigiri, had told the court that on September 4, one Aleixandre Sachir of Tack Continental

Estate, Life Camp, reported the matter to Life Camp Police Station. The prosecutor, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), added that the complainant met the convict in a cinema hall and took her to Waxride Hotel. He said that the convict stole $3,200 about N500,000 from the complainant on September 2 and eloped.

expected in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, from September 19 to 21 for a crusade. The three-day event tagged: “Explosion of Supernatural Miracles,” according to the Osun State Overseer of the church,

Pastor Biola Adeniran, will be transmitted live all over Africa and beyond. Adeniran said in a statement issued by Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo that the crusade would hold at Deeper Life Camp Ground, Halleluyah Estate, Agunbelewo, Osogbo. He added that the programme would start by 5pm

daily. “It is noteworthy that Pastor Kumuyi has visited several states of the federation for the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ this year alone, with great signs and wonders, healings and miracles following. He is one preachers that believes and has faith in the Nigeriaproject,”Adeniransaid.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Amosun presents staff of office to Onimeko

METRO

We raped NTA reporter, collected N1m ransom, say suspects

Kunle Olayeni

Shola Adefuwa

Abeokuta

overnor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State yesterday he presented the staff and instrument of office to the Onimeko-elect, Oba Benjamin Olanite Oyekan (Akanku IV) in Imeko-Afon Local Government. The new monarch, who is the 16th Onimeko, emerged following the demise of the former traditional ruler, Oba Reuben Alabi Adebayo, on December 6, 2013. At the coronation in Imeko town, Amosun was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa. The governor commended the kingmakers and natives of the town for comporting themselves in a lawful manner since the demise of their former monarch. The governor said the selection of the new monarch, who had been elected since August 25 by the kingmakers, was devoid of rancour. He said: “It is indeed commendable that the vacancy was filled devoid of rancour. I equally want to commend the entire people of Imeko for their peaceful disposition in ensuring that law and order were perfectly maintained during the interregnum.” Presenting the staff and instrument of office to the new monarch, Amosun said: “Kabiyesi, by your appointment, you have become a first class oba, a member of Yewa Traditional Council and a permanent member of Ogun State Council of Obas. “It is my hope that you will join hands with other members to contribute effectively to discussion on promotion of the culture and welfare of the people of Yewaland in particular and Ogun State in general.” In his acceptance speech, Oba Oyekan promised to discharge his responsibilities in accordance with the constitution and laws of the state. The new Onimeko, who was born on March 3, 1977, lauded the state government for its investment in developmental infrastructure across the state. He urged all sons and daughters of the kingdom to contribute their quota to the development of the town.

Commercial motorcyclists, police clash in Owo Babatope Okeowo Akure

wo suspects, arrested for inter-state armed robbery, have claimed they raped a kidnapped journalist working with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), after collecting N1 million ransom from her family. The suspects, Bashiru Raji (36) and Christian Jacob (35), were arrested by the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command. The police said the suspects robbed in Delta, Ondo and Lagos states. They were arrested on August 16. According to the police, the suspects kidnapped an NTA journalist in 2012, raped her several times and still collected N1 million ransom from her family. The police explained that the two suspects were arrested at the Egbeda roundabout, Lagos. The suspects were

believed to have fled to Lagos after committing a crime in Delta. “They came to Lagos, with the intention to rob a bank and a hotel. But they met their waterloo in Lagos,” a police source said. They were arrested after the officer in charge of SARS, Mr Abba Kyarri, received a tip-off about their presence and plans to attack the bank and hotel. “The Ondo State SARS has been on their trail for long. But they were arrested by the Lagos SARS. They have other members who are still at large. We’re hunting them,” another policeman said. Raji, father of seven and marries two wives, said he was initiated into robbery by a young man in the compound he used to live. He added that always drives during robbery operations by fiveman gang. He said: “It happened after my wife died. There was a young man who

The suspects

used to smoke Indian hemp in our compound. He introduced me to the gang. We picked the journalist on Ibadan Road, Akure. We took her to our hideout in Odigbo. Some other members of our gang also raped her. “We later released her after we collected N1m ransom. My share of the money was N200,000. We

have kidnapped on two other occasions. On the kidnapping issue, we are wanted by the Ondo State SARS. So we fled to Delta State.” Raji said that a man, who was an informant to the police in Lagos, called them, saying there was an operation that would make every member happy.

According to him, at that point, they did not know they were dealing with a police informant. “We thought he was also a robber. We came and were arrested. He told us on phone that he had a Hausa neighbour who had dollars and also a bank we could rob. We did not know he was an informant.” Jacob, a trader who sells foodstuff, said that his friends called him to participate in the abduction of the woman. He was given N10,000 for that operation. Aside from selling foodstuff at Oja Oshodi in Ondo State, he was also selling Indian hemp. He disclosed that he has an Indian hemp farm. “My farm is at Odogbolu. I sell the weeds to buyers from the North. I’ve been into Indian hemp farming in the last three years. Most times I get N150,000 from the northern buyers. The harvest of weeds is after seven months,” Jacob added.

Three nine-year-old girls held for defiling boy Juliana Francis

hree nine-year-old girls have been arrested and detained for allegedly sexually defiling a sixyear-old boy at the Ajegunle area of Lagos State. The girls, identified as Stephanie, Juliet and Martha, were arrested on Tuesday. According to the police, the girls allegedly connived to have carnal knowledge of Usman at Bale Aiyetoro Street. Usman’s mother told the police that her son, who was just on the verge of marking his seventh birthday, was

raped by the trio. Usman’s mother reported the incident to policemen attached to the Ajegunle Police Station. Some policemen went to the area and arrested the three girls. “Stephanie was washing plates at their Bale Street residence when policemen pulled her into the vehicle and drove her to the station. Stephanie’s father, Nathaniel, insisted that his daughter was just a victim of circumstance. He said that she was not involved in sexual act,” a police source said. Nathaniel was said to

everal people were injured at Owo SOndo in Owo Local Government Area of State after commercial motor-

cyclists, popularly known as okada riders clashed the police. The fracas, sources in the ancient town, said paralysed social and economic activities for hours. Many of the people got injured while running into safety. A witness said trouble began when the patrol van of the police chased and knocked down an okada rider for riding an unregistered motorcycle at Owaluwa area of the ancient town. The source said immediately the news reached the town that the rider had given up the ghost after he was knocked down, many of his colleagues trooped out into the street to protest his alleged death. It was gathered that the motorcycle riders attempted to attack the policemen on patrol and the police stations in the town but were repealed by policemen on duty.

have told the police that he believed the story was a fabrication, contrived by the victim’s mother, who was demanding for N60,000 from the girls’ parents. A resident said that Martha, who stays at Raliatu Street, is the oldest among the girls, for she will soon mark her 10th birthday. The resident added: “Juliet is nine-yearold and lives at Bale Aiyetoro Street. Juliet’s parents said it was like someone was trying to embarrass and humiliate them. They said the allegation couldn’t be

true.” He added that it was usual to see underage girls like the trio, indulge in sexual activities in the community, with older boys, but for underage girls to sexually violate a boy, was rare. The resident said: “How can a boy, not up to seven years old, make love to three girls above his age? Nobody will believe that story. No right thinking person will believe that. That the police detained the three girls is wrong because they are too young. The police are hardening those girls instead of

counselling them. Why are we so hard on children in this country?” One of the parents of one of the girls, who pleaded anonymity, asked: “How can three girls be making love to the small boy at the backyard of their residence, where anybody can see them? Can the police who detained our daughters produce scientific proof that the girls had carnal knowledge of the minor? We should not lose our senses in this country because of filthy lucre.”

Court orders arrest of LASU students

File picture of LASU students during the protest

n Ikeja Chief MagAterday istrates’ Court yesissued a bench warrant for the arrest of seven students of the Lagos State University

(LASU) charged with breach of peace during their June 4 protest against hike in fees. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Eniola Fabamwo, also

ordered that their sureties be arrested for disobeying court order. The students are Olamide Bolarinwa (23), Oludare Olayinka (18), Victoria Oni (18), Timilehin Fatukasi (19), Taiwo Ajayi (24), Taiwo Olatimihan (20) and Segun Akani (27). Fabamwo said the decision followed the non-appearance of the students and their sureties in court since their arraignment. Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Samson Ekikere, had applied for the warrant, saying the defendants had refused to attend court sittings to frustrate the prosecution of the case.

He said: “It is a tactic to delay and frustrate the prosecution of this case. “I have my witnesses and the complainant is present in court. I hereby apply for a bench warrant against the defendants.” According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the accused were arraigned along with one Babatunde Bolarinwa (24), who was, however, present in court. They were arraigned on June 4 on a charge of breach of peace. According to the prosecutor, the seven students conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by hijack-

ing a Lagos State Government mass transit bus (LAGBUS). He alleged that the students hijacked the bus with registration no. SMK 719 XK on June 3 at Ladipo Bus Stop, Oshodi, while protesting the hike in their school fees. The offence contravened Section 166 (d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, Ekikere said. The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, were granted bail in the sum of N10,000 each with one surety each in like sum. The magistrate adjourned the case to October 29 for mention.

12 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Return to PDP now, Aliyu tells Umaru Dan Atori MINNA

iger State Governor NAliyu Dr. Muazu Babangida has advised the

All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the last senatorial bye-election for the Niger east senatorial district, Mr. David Umaru to return to the Peoples Democratic Party if he still wants to realize his political dreams. Aliyu spoke in Minna yesterday when he received a delegation of the PDP from Niger East Senatorial district and also presented the certificate of return to the Senator-elect for the zone, Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu at the government house Minna. He said: "David Umaru should return to PDP that is where he started, and that is where his success lies". However, in a statement released by the APC, the party declared that the out-

come of the just concluded massively rigged election and the emerging facts had shown who the real failed politicians are. The party spokesman, Comrade Jonathan Vatsa said that "though, PDP had been declared as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Niger East Senatorial by-election provided the platform for the real failures to emerge as providence would have it. Governor Aliyu added that the defeated APC senatorial candidate who lost the governorship elections in 2007 and 2011 will be in position to serve the people better if he teams up with the PDP because according to him 'PDP will always win election in this state'. Vatsa further said: "Virtually all PDP leaders from the zone failed, but through massive rigging and falsification of results, the PDP stole APC's mandate."

Protesting PHCN retirees in Lagos…yesterday

18.4%

The percentage of households with internet access at home in the world in 2005. Source: Itu.int

27.87

The average age of Colombia team in Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Telegraph.co.uk

19%

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

Defunct PHCN pensioners protest unpaid entitlements protest

Defunct PHCN pensioners send an SOS to President Jonathan over unpaid entitlements Camillus Nnaji

bout 11,000 retirees of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) took to the streets across the Nation in protest yesterday. The Pensioners also used the platform to send a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to prevent more untimely death of their members as a re-

sult of non-payment of their monthly stipends from May to August 2014. They are also asking for their gratuities, Electricity Rebate Arrears since 2009, Harmonization and Monetization arrears of 133% and 33% increase granted by the Federal Government to all pensioners since 2013. In Lagos zone comprising eight zones with over 4,000 retirees, Chairman Alimosho Local Government chapter, Comrade Lawrence Aremu who addressed journalists during the protest said they are facing serious difficulty with the present National Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) who took over from PHCN in receiving their monthly

Kogi APC pushes for council boss' removal Muhammad Bashir Lokoja

All Progressives ConTonhegress (APC), has called the Legislative arm of Kabba/Bunu Local government Area of the state to commence immediate process of impeachment on the embattled council Chairman, Funsho Emmanuel Otu over maladministration. Otu was suspended by the legislative arm of the Council last week for alleged financial recklessness. The state chairman of the APC, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo in a statement in Lokoja yesterday also urged other local government legislative arms to rise up and make their chairmen accountable,

saying, it is the only way to save the Local government councils from the hands of their chairmen who have refused to pay salaries despite public outcry and protest from the workers. He commended the patrotric zeal of the councilors who refused to give in to intimidation and threats from the cabal that have held the Kabba/Bunu chairman hostage. The APC Chairman who accused the PDP administration of underperformance said his party is working to ensure the ruling party is rooted out of the state in 2015 general election. The council chairman was suspended following the alleged diversion of funds and award of contract without due process.

stipends and other allowances. Aremu regretted that since January, 2014, their pensions have been paid in the most haphazard way. “For instance, our January and February pension were only paid in March. March and April were paid in June while pensions for the months of some part of May, June, July and August, have not been paid as at today”, he said. New Telegraph gathered that the Pensioners believed that NELMCO under the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Abgbogun have decided to withhold their pension, describing it as deliberate and selfish. Our correspondent exclusively gathered that the approved bud-

get of N14b by the National assembly have been paid in the first and second quarter of the year with an unaccounted shortfall to the tune of N500m. In a letter dated 16 march, 2014, with Ref. no /MD/HMF/ OPS/95/13 addressed to the Director General, Budget Office, Federal Secretariat Abuja, a total sum of N3.5b of the total sum of N14b was approved for payment of pensioners passed through the Pensions Transition Arrangement Department(PETAD) of the Federal ministry of finance and handed over to NELMCO. Surprisingly, only N3.25b was released leaving a shortfall of N250m, thus making it impossible for June payment. The same

situation took place during the end of the second quarter, with another unaccounted shortfall leaving the total amount of shortfall unaccounted for, to the tune of N500m and four months unpaid pensions till date. According to the Chairman, several meetings have been held with NELMCO over their unpaid arrears, but “all we hear are strange stories like, the minister of Finance has traveled abroad for treatment, ‘there is no shortfall in allocation’, we are under capital vote, we shall pay you next week” Aremu fumed. In his own contribution, Auditor of the chapter, Comrade Tiamiyu Tajudeen asked the Federal Government to

remove pensioners from the said capital vote and place them on the recurrent vote because of their daily needs which means if budget is not approved they will not receive their pension. Another Pensioner, Mr. Rotimi Fasina asked the Government to resolve the bottlenecks in pension payment, saying they need to have their money while alive. ”Over 100 of our pensioners have died waiting for their pay, 2,199 have been hospitalized at Osogbo. We heard that a pensioner hung himself because he could not meet family demands. Let the President intervene and let the Managing Director of NELMCO explain to us why the difficulty”, Fasina said.

INEC approves additional 1,169 polling units for Zamfara Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had approved additional 1,169 polling units for Zamfara, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Jibrin Zarewa, announced yesterday. Zarewa made this known in Gusau when he inaugurated 11-member committee to review the location of the existing polling units and stations in Zamfara. He said the aim was to make voting convenient and ensure nobody was disenfranchised.

In a related development, INEC has been urged to review the voters' registration strategies to accommodate those who are yet to register or update their voter registration card. The National Coordinator of a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) known as Global Network for Peace in Nigeria (GNPN), Ambassador Odion Okpebholo, who made the call in a chat with journalists in Abuja yesterday stated that many Nigerians would be disenfranchised for the 2015 elections, if the system of voter registration was not looked into.

Okpebholo disclosed that a survey carried out by his group showed that many Nigerians were yet to be registered. However, the resident electoral commissioner said that after considerable observations by INEC in all the states, approval was given for additional polling units according to the need of each state. “This led to the increase of polling units from 2,516 to 3,679 in Zamfara State,” he said. He said the committee, which would be chaired by the Secretary of the Local Commission, Alhaji Ahmed Zogirma, would be responsible for the citing

of the new polling units. He noted that some polling units that had more than the required 500 voters would now be adequately taken care of by the increase in polling units. Zarewa said the polling units and stations would be situated within one kilometre radius for voter convenience. The commissioner said that no polling unit would be sited at places of worship, private residence, premises of traditional rulers and public buildings marked for demolition. He said the committee would submit its report in two weeks.

NASS’ll fully support confab report –Igbokwe / PAGE 14 | Okunniyi: Indirect referendum, best for confab report / PAGE 16

POLITICS

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/politics

ayodele Ojo

Deputy Editor, politics

ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

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THURSday, September 11, 2014

Former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu was at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday where he conferred with the leadership of the ruling party. He spoke to journalists on democracy, insurgency and his political future. ONYEKACHI EZE reports

Onoja: Mark must vacate Senate in 2015

p-15

Kalu: Boko Haram is politically motivated

What brought you to the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? You know that the National Chairman, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, is more or less my brother. And there is no way I can work in parallel with him. The National Chairman has me as his younger brother even when we were governors. So, when he became chairman, he called few of us and explained to us why he is the chairman and wherever he is, is where we are. It’s not about contesting anything. First of all, we are to support him to succeed as national chairman of the party and as the game changer which he is. September 15 is the International Day for Democracy. Do you think that we have fared well as a nation? Well, for no other thing, we have been able to maintain democracy. And democracy is all about people and you can see people outside there jubilating and talking about democracy. At least, you journalists can now go to court and not be oppressed by anybody, unlike before. So, democracy is good. And I think as a country, we have done very well democratically although we still have a long road to go. But we have fared very well as a country in a democratic process and I wish and hope that we do better. What do you make of the possibility that the 2015 elections will be marred by violence and that the PDP, according to the All Progressives Congress (APC) might lose the Presidency? How can the PDP lose the seat of the president when it has people like us who are very popular and creating jobs everyday? PDP has done very well. And for your information, President Goodluck Jonathan has been able to bring stability to this party and the country. So, I do not see how PDP will lose the 2015 elections. Mind you, democracy is not about one man or about President Jonathan. It’s about Orji Kalu, it’s about Adamu Mu’azu, it’s about Peter Odili, it’s about Boni Haruna, it’s about Godswill Akpabio, it’s about T.A. Orji. So, all these people will be able to bring their own vibrancy into the election. President Jonathan just happened to be our president. So, everybody will bring a collegial effort to be able to win election. So, people who are instigating Boko Haram and fighting this President should stop doing that because this is not a fashionable way of practising democracy.

Kalu

If you were the President, how would you get the Chibok schoolgirls back? I’m not a president and President Jonathan is doing everything a president should do to get the girls back. And mind you, Nigeria has never seen anything like this insurgency before. It’s not in our culture. The insurgency is something new. Let me be honest with you, we must thank our military for what they have done. We have been arming our military in different capacity. So, it’s going to take some few more months to be able to come together and fight Boko Haram. I’m sure in the next three to four months, the Federal Government and its allies will be able to handle this issue. Do you really think that this insurgency is politically motivated? The insurgency is politically motivated because there is no other thing. Some people think that Jonathan cannot be president, but it’s not right. Four years in the life of a country means nothing. And I feel that the country can make that four-year sacrifice to allow him to

complete his second tenure and be able to move forward. Do you see Theodore Orji as an asset to

How can the PDP lose the seat of the president when it has people like us who are very popular and creating jobs everyday? PDP has done very well... President Goodluck Jonathan has been able to bring stability to this party and the country. So, I do not see how PDP will lose the 2015 elections

PDP in Abia State? Every governor is an asset to PDP. And I believe he is a very great asset despite what anybody will say. I mean I have never discussed T.A Orji in public or private. Anything I want to say about him, I write in my Leadership Circle. So, I don’t discuss him as a matter of policy. And that is the way I want to live and that is how it should be. So, I don’t like discussing him and I will not discuss him here. Where are you going to in 2015? I don’t know where I’m going to. I’m a very accomplished and established businessman. So, that is what OUK (Orji Uzor Kalu) is. And that is what I’m still doing. I have not told anybody that I want to run for election. But my boys have been going around printing posters, trying to drag me into politics. Have you asked them to stop? I have always asked them to stop. But if it’s the will of God and my party nominates me to run, I will run.

14 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Hon. Raphael Igbokwe represents Ahiazu/ Ezinihite Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In this interview with CHUKWU DAVID in Abuja, he speaks on the just concluded National Conference and its report; insurgency and the $1 billion loan request by President Goodluck Jonathan amongst other issues. Excerpts: The report of the National Conference has been submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan. In your view, how do you want the report to be handled in order to achieve the fundamental objective of the confab? Well, I must congratulate the President first and also the delegates at the confab for doing a good job. Now that they have concluded their work, we expect that the proposed amendment will be forwarded to us. And I want to assure you that every right thinking member of the parliament; every member with good conscience, every member who means well for Nigeria will give support to the amendment being proposed by the confab report. So, I want to assure you, that contrary to opinions of some people, the report is going to get the full support of the parliament, to ensure that those recommendations that deserve constitutional amendment see the light of the day. So, for once we can have a constitution that is at least close to being a reflection of the wishes of Nigerians, unlike the existing constitution that was handed over to us by the military. One critical question many Nigerians are asking is whether or not the report should be subjected to a referendum. What is your take on the issue? Well, the decision still lies with the people but as it is, what the law accommodates is amendment to the constitution, and if you watch, in Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) it clearly states that the National Assembly may, subject to the provisions of this section alter any provisions of the constitution. So, what the existing constitution has captured is the alteration of the constitution. And if you watch events that took place towards the end of the confab, you see that the issue of the nomenclature of proposed new constitution or amendment to new constitution was a very topical one, which had to create a lot of problems until delegates were able to come together at a roundtable and agreed that the report should be named ‘proposed amendment to the constitution’. Now, some people think that the report of the confab should be subjected to a referendum, I will say that it would have been apt if it was an entirely new constitution. It is only logical that if we are presenting a new constitution that such constitution should be subjected to a referendum of the Nigerian people, on whom the sovereignty of this country lies. Right now, there is a bill before the House of Representatives sponsored by myself, and my proposal is all about amendment to section 9 to give room for the Parliament to have power to introduce a new constitution, and also to

Igbokwe

NASS’ll fully support confab report –Igbokwe give power to the Nigerian people to also introduce a new constitution through a national conference. With the opposition of some lawmakers to the national conference, what is the assurance that the report will not be thrown out by the National Assembly? I want to state emphatically that this report will get the support of men of goodwill; men of good conscience, legislators that love this country, who are interested in the peace and progress of our society, that are in support of the good initiative of President Goodluck Jonathan in bringing the convocation to be; that these legislators will support the report and it will see the light of the day. Anybody of contrary opinion, I think is living in the dark and needs to open up his mind and see the good side of trying to amend this constitution, which is not to the benefit of any person rather than to lay solid foundation for our country, our society, our democracy to continue to grow. Accepted, at the beginning of the confab, a lot of people had reservations. And those within the legislative arm who had concern was because of the suspicion that the confab was coming to take over the powers of the parliament as provided by the existing constitution in amending the constitution. Now that a group of people have come out to reflect over issues bothering us as a people and a nation and to decide the very foundation of democracy in this country, there is nothing wrong about it. The most important thing is that whatever decision made should be sent to the Parliament which has the constitutional and legal power to amend the constitution. So, the fear was that the confab was coming to propose an entirely new constitution. But I think that fear has been laid to rest with the final winding up of the sittings of the confab, where it was clearly stated that the report has been named as proposed amendments. Are you satisfied with the scope covered

I want to state emphatically that this report will get the support of men of goodwill; men of good conscience, legislators that love this country and resolutions taken on issues by the conference? Yes, I am satisfied. In fact, the delegates took far-reaching decisions that affected almost the entire constitution, especially in critical areas that formed the burning issues that have tried to threaten the very foundation of our democracy, unity and identity as a people. I am happy that they were able to make the positions of Nigerians clear on those issues. Some of those issues are indigeneship, resource control, revenue sharing formula, creation of new states and devolution of power, and state police. So, I welcome the development; I welcome the confab report. I think it is going to take us to the next level. How do you see the insurgency in the North East even with the emergency rule in place? Well, I will rather urge that it will not be proper to be pessimistic. The truth is, if you look at the development on the security issue, you will appreciate the fact that the government is giving serious attention to the problem. And I want Nigerians to continue to encourage the government on the efforts it is making to solve the problem. Moreover, I want the people of Nigeria to understand that security issue is not an affair of government alone. There is no doubt that it is one of the primary responsibilities of government to the citizens but those who are to be protected also have a role to play. So, I see it as a symbiotic relationship so

that we will not be carried away with the belief that it is the sole responsibility of government. So, we have a role to play. The government has shown increased concern and dedication. Before we went on recess, the Federal Government had written to us, requesting for additional $1 billion loan to be able to procure some equipment to enable our security agencies confront this challenge. And I want to assure you that a lot of legislators of good conscience have already expressed their opinion about the matter, that it is a worthy course because it is about the security of lives and property of all of us. Life comes first; and anything that will go into saving the lives of Nigerians should be supported If getting that loan to improve the performance of the security agencies is so important, why did the National Assembly not expeditiously approve the request of Mr. President before you embarked on your annual recess? Well, if you observed, the request came at the tail end of the session. It is a crucial issue, and normally there is a legislative procedure. When such request comes in, it is natural you take one or two legislative steps. The committees responsible for the armed forces are expected to come up with a background report, so also the committees on Loans and Debts. If we don’t follow the procedure, it will send a wrong signal as if there is something else apart from the genuine request from Mr. President. But I will tell you that the request is as good as passed because majority of members are in support of it. I’m in support of the request. I also know hundreds of my colleagues who have expressed their support for the request. It is only intended to keep the country safe and protect the lives and property of the citizenry. If we say no, it means that we don’t want to protect the interest of the people who elected us to serve and protect them. The loan is going to have direct effect on the lives of Nigerians and that is why it has to be supported.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 15

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Dr. Mike Onoja, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence, has vowed to unseat Senate President David Mark in 2015. He is contesting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for Benue South Senatorial District with the Senate President. In this interview with PHILIP NYAM, he speaks on why Mark must vacate the senatorial seat. Excerpts: You contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primaries in 2007 and since losing out not much has been heard about you. Do we expect anything from you in 2015? Well, I have formally declared my intention to represent the Benue South Senatorial zone in the National Assembly. I am presenting myself as a candidate for the Senate in Benue South that is Zone C. I know the first questions that will be on the lips of some people will be: Why is he coming out? Can he stand the incumbent? But I will tell you why? The people of Zone C are saying that it is wrong for one person to be in an elective post for 16 years; not just for 16 years, to be there forever. The people of Zone C are tired and are now saying the idea will no longer be acceptable since an elective post is neither a birthright nor a traditional title which you can hold unto for life. It is also wrong to have a position where you will almost think you are forming a political dynasty. The continued stay in office of Senate President David Mark is becoming a very big embarrassment to the people of Zone C. Let me give you this typical example. In Zone A where you have Kwande, Vandeikya, Ushongo, Konshisha, Logo, Ukum and Katsina-Ala, Prof. Daniel Saror was in 1999 elected as a senator; Senator Joseph Akaagerger took over from him in 2007, and now Chief Barnabas Gemade is currently serving as a senator for that zone. In Zone B senatorial zone, four people have served since 1999. Senator JKN Waku was the first person to be elected in 1999 and in 2003 Senator Joshua Adagba replaced Waku. When he died, he was replaced by Senator Ortii and now Senator George Akume who is presently the Minority Leader in the Senate. But coming to Zone C, it has been Senator Mark since 1999. Does it mean that the Idoma people have no other credible person to represent them? This is unfair, this is unacceptable. The Idoma people are demanding that the seat of the Senate in Zone C should be rotational just the way it has been done in Zones A and B of the state. Every right thinking Idoma person is saying that it should and must be rotational. Zoning and rotation is also clearly outlined in the constitution of the PDP. It is unprecedented in the history of democracy in Nigeria for somebody to be in the Senate for 20 years which he (Mark) wants to do; it has never happened, even in the Senate before now, he is the longest serving senator. Is it that we do not have competent people to represent Zone C? So, on the basis of that, I am contesting the Senate for Zone C come 2015. The people of Zone C have been clamouring for the creation of Apa State for many years and with Senator David Mark as Senate President, it is believed that the interest of the Idoma will be better served. Don’t you share this view? I know that the priority of the peo-

Onoja: Mark must vacate Senate in 2015

Onoja

ple of Zone C is to have Apa State but they should also bear in mind that the creation of Apa State is not the job of one person; it is the collective efforts of everyone and requires the two-thirds approval of the Houses of Assemblies, House of Representatives and the Senate. So, you cannot say you are using the creation of Apa State to remain a senator for life. Enough is enough; we have to imbibe the spirit of democracy, rotation and to ensure that every aspect of Zone C is entitled to the seat. What he can do, any other person can also do. For these reasons, I am offering my services to go to the Senate come 2015. It is true that he is my friend but on principles, it is wrong for one person to be there permanently as if it is his birthright. How prepared are you to challenge Mark for the senatorial seat, considering the fact that he is the Senate President? We are very prepared because David Mark is not a demi-god; he is there because the Zone C people want him to be there and like I said, the seat is not his birthright; he is not going to force anybody to vote for him, we are prepared to challenge him in every aspect of the election. We are ready to face all the challenges. It is going to be an issuebased campaign; it’s not going to be personalised. We are going to talk on issues why I want to go to the Senate, he has overstayed, and I am going to make sure that I try to influence constituency projects that will bring about improvement in the zone. If you are going to Idoma land today, the road between Aliade and Otukpo is very bad and so are most of the roads in Zone C. In Otukpo today, for the past nine months, there is no water for anybody to drink. So, it is going to be an issue-based campaign that will leave the Idoma with the option of a choice. He is not a demi-god and will not force

the people to vote for him. Do you have the capacity to fight David Mark? I have the capacity to compete with him in every aspect of the race but I will not tell you the strategy; that is our own election secret. With Mark’s influence. It has been rumored that if he contests under PDP, the ticket will be his on a platter of gold, how do you see this? It is God that gives victory no matter how hard you try. There are so many instances where the incumbents are defeated in elections. It is not a question of whether he is going there again to become the Senate President. For the past 16 years, what has he done for the people of Idoma land? What has his being a senator translated in democratic dividends in Idoma? As I am talking to you, there is no potable water in Idoma land, no good roads, and there is nothing substantial to show for being number three man. Don’t you think the Idoma people deserve the best since they have him there as the number three man? You are in politics for a number of reasons and the number one to me is community service before you talk of

It has been Senator Mark since 1999. Does it mean that the Idoma people have no other credible person to represent them? This is unfair, this is unacceptable

individual service; community service should be very primary and if the community service is not okay, then to me you have failed. We are saying that in terms of community service, we are not happy with him; he has not done enough. How are you sure he will do better if he comes back again since he has wasted all the opportunities he had? In 2007, you tied on votes with Hon. Gabriel Suswam in the PDP governorship primaries but some aspirants allegedly donated votes to Suswam to emerge at your expense. Why didn’t you challenge the donation of votes, which many described as illegal and undemocratic? That is history but if I recall, there was to be a rerun between Governor Suswam and myself and there were a lot of discussion among elders. As a matter of fact, Suswam himself came and appealed to me and so many other people advised me that if I wanted a rerun, it was not just going to be between me and him alone but the entire people of Benue State, that it was going to be a war between the Idomas and the Tiv people and that since I would not want a tribal war in the state, I should let it be. Immediately after the donation of votes at the stadium, Akume and Tilley Gyado came to my house and appealed to me that what they did to me was wrong but that if we had a rerun, it was going to be a tribal war. In that election, the Tiv people supported me immensely, they are my very great friends. I could have challenged the outcome of the primaries in court even if they had submitted the nomination to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but then peace prevailed and I think Benue is better for it. Suswam is my friend, I am not bitter and I don’t regret going for the election. I am not regretting the fact that peace prevailed. Life goes on.

16 POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

NATIONAL CONFERENCE Comrade Wale Okunniyi is the Publicity Secretary of Pro National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) and a delegate to the just-concluded confab. In this interview with WALE ABIODUN, he bares his mind on the outcome of the national conference and Ogun State politics. Excerpts: As a delegate to the National Conference, what is your assessment of the confab? I was among the initiators of the national conference through Pro National Conference (PRONACO). I worked closely with the late Chief Anthony Enahoro, Prof. Wole Soyinka and other well-meaning Nigerians on this. Over the years, I have been an advocate of convocation of true national conference. So, I represented the true Nigerian nation at the conference. The national conference has helped to create a new template for Nigeria to move forward and it has also helped to create a process to resolve political conflicts in the country. The conference has produced a process that can give the people the ownership of the country. For me, I think it is the first step in resolving Nigeria’s problems by producing a constitution for the country. My advice to Mr. President is to implement the resolutions of the conference in order to make the nation stable and stop the blood-letting and militancy that is going on in the country. The process has started and we have started well with the convocation of the national conference for the development of this nation. Don’t you think this conference might go the way of the previous ones? I think if we implement the recommendations of the conference it will not go the way of the former ones. Also if we consider the efforts and consensus we reached on this conference, it may not go the way of the former ones. People must buy into the constitution. For instance, some recommendations are being misunderstood by the people. Like in the area of local government affair; some people are thinking that we called for the abolition of local government. No; we did not call for the abolition of local governments. What we recommended was that local governments should now be the affairs of state, instead of local governments being the affair of Federal Government. The two federating units will be the state and the centre. What we have recommended is that owners of the nation should be in control of the centre, not that the centre will be in control of the owners of the nation. The major player in the governance is the state, which is a federating unit. We need to do a lot of advocacy, enlightenment and popularization of the conference’s recommendations before we move to referendum. Some stakeholders are calling for a referendum to adopt the recommendations of the conference. What is your view on this? The National Assembly by the 1999 Constitution can only amend the existing constitution; it has no right to make a new constitution. It is only the people of Nigeria that can make a valid constitution. It is an aberration to ask the National Assembly to make a new constitution. Government cannot give people a constitution; government can only make laws. Even if it is coming from an arm of government, it must go for referendum.

Okunniyi: Indirect referendum, best for confab report People must endorse it before it becomes a constitution. But I think Nigeria should adopt indirect referendum, which I have canvassed because of the peculiarity of our politics. We play the kind of politics where money rules, and moneybags have their way to buy the people over. Most of our people are impoverished and referendum is an issue of “Yes or No”. So that people will not go and be saying No, No. And if the No surpasses Yes it means that the whole exercise will be thrown out. That is the reason I am canvassing for indirect referendum. The people that are to endorse these recommendations should be given time to study the resolutions; we need to do a lot of campaigns and enlightenment. Mass media campaigns and mobilisation should be put up by government. Some of us are ready to help in that direction. We need to popularise the resolutions of the national conference among the people. After the campaigns and popularization of the resolutions, people can now go ahead and elect their representatives from their constituencies. These elected representatives will go and formally endorse the constitution on behalf of the people. These elected representatives for the purpose of endorsing the constitution will now form Electoral College or what we call constituent assembly. These people will now look at the constitution thoroughly and approve by voting their Yes and No on the recommendations. These representatives will need to campaign for the support of the people and the people need to be convinced that a credible candidate is endorsing a constitution on their behalf. The delegates can range from 400 to 500 in number. It will be easier than when you ask everybody to go and endorse the constitution. Due to the kind of politics we play in Nigeria, people might vote ‘No’ to the whole resolutions but those resolutions might be good and beneficial to the nation. We need what I call indirect referendum to endorse the constitution. How prepared are you for Ogun State 2015 governorship election? I am still in the race and very much prepared for Ogun State 2015 governorship election. I have my structure in place in all the local government areas, wards and in the three senatorial districts in the state. I am contesting on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC). Our campaign slogan is Esoji 2015, meaning Ogun indigenes should wake up. People have seen what I have done at the national conference; people have seen what I have done in PRONACO. So, people are convinced that we can effect a positive change in Ogun State. People have seen my passion for the Nigerian state. I am gifted and experienced, having worked with well-meaning Nigerian leaders like late

Okunniyi

Chief Enahoro, Prof. Soyinka and Alhaji Lateef Jakande among others. We believe that our campaign must be ideologically based. By the grace of God, I’m the next governor of Ogun State. We have various developmental agenda in our blueprint, but we are going to have collective government where people will be adequately involved. From the first day, we are going to carry the people along. We will carry every community along. We will go to every community and ask for their needs; that is, their priorities. This will help to know where and where government needs to come to their aid. For the first time, people are going to see the people’s government in action. Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has attempted to do something in that direction based on his background. We are going to put into practice what we have learnt and what we have advocated for over the years. My aspiration is to effect positive change in Ogun State. I know that I can think outside of the box. We are going to do more in Ogun State. For the first time Ogun people will have their own constitution. That constitution will determine how our government is run in Ogun State.

Nigeria should adopt indirect referendum, which I have canvassed because of the peculiarity of our politics. We play the kind of politics where money rules... Most of our people are impoverished and referendum is an issue of “Yes or No”

Don’t you think the political differences between Olusegun Osoba and Governor Ibikunle Amosun might work against the success of APC at the poll? Well, there are people who have been making efforts to resolve the matter. I think that is ongoing. Even at that there are opportunities for political alignments, realignments and coalition. My objective is to be governor of Ogun State. I want to bring out the new life and prosperity of the people of the state. What is your assessment of the Ibikunle Amosun government in Ogun? I think he is trying his best but his best is not good enough for the people of Ogun State. We think that we can do better than what is obtainable now. I am coming out to bring about a new model for the people of Ogun State. Late Chief Bisi Onabanjo tried his best, there are rooms for improvement. We think improvement will come through us. We are not supposed to be static; we believe that things can be better for the people of Ogun State.

POLITICS | THURSDAY INTERVIEW 17

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Okon: APC, no match for PDP

Elder John Ochot Okon is the Cross River State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Clerk of the State House of Assembly. In this interview with CLEMENT JAMES, he talks about the state of his party, crisis in the state legislature and the perceived threat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP’s dominance. Excerpts:

There was a report recently that some 2,000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekori, Yakurr Local Government Area defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). How do you see the development? Well, of course, we had information about the development. A lot of people are coming over to PDP. We have the leadership at the ward level to receive them. To us, it is a normal trend where people believe in the leadership of Governor Liyel Imoke, believe in the party and they all are coming together for the good of the state. Some top people have had to defect to the party. It’s just that we don’t like carrying out publicity stunt. There are many top personalities who have come into the party and we received and encouraged them. The APC has also received some 300 PDP members at the Bayside area of Calabar South. Well, you know the calibre of people they may be talking about. But I don’t think anybody will leave PDP without informing me. I doubt if that is true. There are all kinds of publicity stunt here and there. Before people move, there must be leadership that is moving. People don’t move just like that. In Ekori, you know the House of Representatives member is from there. So, we are talking about the kind of person who can attract such movement. But this is democracy, so we don’t hold anybody at gun point. Everybody has free movement. I think if there is any significant movement, as the party chairman, I should know about it. The continuous voters’ registration has been concluded. Were you satisfied with the exercise? Well, as you know, both the government and the parties co-operated and it was a successful exercise as far as we are concerned. Our members are well educated. They ensured that they fully participated in the exercise. And thanks to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge here, Barr. Mike Igini, who extended the period and it gave our people more time to register. And they did that. There is this threat that if a popular candidate does not emerge at the primaries of your party, some people may pull their weight behind APC in the state. Are you aware of this threat? Let me assure you that those who issued that threat were not ready to be in the PDP in the first instance. Anybody who is a member of the PDP family will not even think about himself. In PDP, we look at the party and the family interest. That’s what we look at. So, if anybody is thinking that way, it means that he has already prepared his mind to leave. We in the

Okon

Cross River PDP build our structure. We don’t believe in individuals because individuals don’t win a match. It’s like a football team. Whatever you think you are, without team spirit, you cannot win a match. That’s the way we have been running the party. That’s the way the leader of the party, the governor, has asked us to run the party. So, it’s a team spirit and there’s nobody who can tag himself as being popular. Popular in what sense? This party has been here since 1998. Where were these popular people? The party is well-structured and has its roots in the various communities. So, that’s a non-issue. It’s about the party and I can tell you that the party will be fair to all its aspirants. And out of them, the party will select a credible person that the party structure will drive. It’s the party that will drive and not a person. We are not going to have one election but many crucial elections where all the positions in all the elections will be contested for. It’s a big challenge for me. So, I am looking at the party’s structure which I know we have built to the foundation. It doesn’t affect us in any way. With this structure you are talking about, how prepared are you to confront the imminent challenge by APC in the state? (Laughs) I don’t think I am envisaging any challenge from APC. Seriously, I don’t have any APC challenge. Look, this state is a PDP state. We deserve it, you know it. Our governments have performed very well. We have provided roads, electricity, water, schools and other social amenities. We have trained people. We have built capacities and trained people on various skills. We have done all these across the state. So, where is the threat coming from? I have all the 196 councillors in the state who will mobilise for me. I have 18 local government chairmen who will mobilise for me. I have my commissioners. I am not a one-man party chairman. It’s the structure and good governance that gives the party confidence. Where then will the APC threat come from? Don’t bring the hype here. Go to other states and do the hype. It doesn’t work here because

we are confident of ourselves. When are you going to lift the ban on your members to start political campaign? People just believe that the chairman stops us from campaigning. I keep saying this; Cross River State is a lawabiding state. We may see things happening in other states, we don’t behave that way. There’s the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and party guidelines. We will not allow our members to go in breach of the law just to prove a point because that will be going against the electoral law. We are still waiting for the national office. Even myself, I am waiting. But politicking is not a matter of making noise, defacing the town with posters and banners. We have asked our members, those we believe are members of the party to consult, and they know who and where to consult. There are structures at ward, local government, senatorial district and state levels. So, people are politicking. For some time now, there has been crisis in the House of Assembly as some members have asked the Speaker to either voluntarily resign or be impeached… (Cuts in) They are sitting right now. Have you gone to the House? In fact, they had their sitting this morning. I think the House is very mature. I think the House, like any other organisation, have issues and they know how to resolve them. I was the Clerk of the House. I know those issues come up but they know how to resolve them. They have started sitting after their recess and the

I don’t think I am envisaging any challenge from APC. Seriously, I don’t have any APC challenge. Look, this state is a PDP state. We deserve it, you know it

Speaker is there. I think those dynamics will be there, but my members are loyal; they work with us, they work with the governor. So, they are sitting. That means you don’t see the Speaker being impeached? No, I can’t speak for the House members. It will be arrogant to say that. But I know that the House members respect the party. They respect the governor. If there are challenges, they will come to the party and go to the governor and we know how to resolve them. We don’t have that kind of a House that generates crisis. That House is full of intelligent people. They are working and the Speaker is there with them. He is one of them and not a stranger. The last time we spoke, you said Goddy Jeddy-Agba was not a member of the party because he was still a civil servant. He has since resigned from his job. Is he now a member of the party? We must be fair to Jeddy-Agba because, for once, the kind of abuse on the party leadership from his end seems to have ceased, because if you are a member of the party, you must respect the party. I must give him credit that we no longer see those campaigns of calumny from his end. We are still observing him. He has resigned, he has talked to some people. I have not seen those negative things that drew him far from the party, because if you are a member of the body, you don’t go negative. So, we are still observing him. In arriving at the choice of your candidates, are you expecting a consensus arrangement? I think it is a very wrong assumption. Even after consensus, we will still go to the primaries. The party constitution insists that we must conduct primaries. Yes, we try to build bridges. Building bridges is to ensure consensus. And what does consensus do for you? It reduces conflict and crisis. We’ll try that and see how it goes. But it doesn’t mean we’ll not go to the primaries. If God gives us a candidate based on consensus, I’ll be the happiest person. But if it’s a contest, we are ready for it.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

OPINION Stephen Davis and tale of Boko Haram sponsors Chuks Iloegbunam

“T

he first casualty when war comes is truth.” This quote is credited to Hiram W. Johnson, a Californian politician who served in the US Senate from 1917 to 1945, when he died. This was the first thought that came to mind when a certain Stephen Davis, said to be an Australian hostage negotiator, started throwing around the names of certain Nigerians he claimed are sponsors of the terrorist group Boko Haram. According to news reports, Dr. Davis mentioned a “senior official at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)”, former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Onyeabo Ihejirika, as three of the culprits in the nefarious and treasonous business. Alhaji Sheriff called a press conference in Abuja to deny Davis’s accusations and profess his innocence. General Ihejirika also repudiated the label of terrorism sponsorship. Expectedly, there is no word from the “senior official of the CBN”, either in corroboration or refutation, giving that his or her accusation is little other than a pebble thrown into a pool. It will create some ripple without disturbing any living thing inside the pool. Are senior CBN officials not in the hundreds? That is where the puzzle begins. Why did Stephen Davis mention Ihejirika and Sheriff by name but not the senior official at the CBN? “Dr. Davis told SaharaReporters that he did not want to name the CBN official as this may prejudice investigation by Nigeria’s security services”! This simply points to something uncoordinated or disarticulated about Dr. Stephen Davies. The naming of the CBN official’s complicit in the sponsorship of Boko Haram may prejudice investigations but not the naming of both Ihejirika and Sheriff. How rational! What are Stephen Davis’s antecedents? The Internet yielded precious little on this fellow, save the report that the late President Yar’Adua had hired him in connection with Niger Delta militancy. If, as his promoters are saying, Stephen Davis was contracted by the Nigerian President to negotiate the release of the abducted Chibok girls, would the right procedure not be for him to first report his findings to the Nigerian leader, rather than go singing in the

media? If Stephen Davis was indeed contracted to negotiate the release of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls, he would have earned a tidy sum for his troubles. Yet he purportedly spent four months in Nigeria without negotiating the release of even a single girl. Were his fees not money down the drain? Was his signal failure to achieve anything not down to his questionable credentials? Of course, Nigerians are adept at searching for things in Sokoto that are in their sokoto trousers. Davis is Australian, from Down Under, therefore, he must be an expert on the subject at hand. But his story is laughable. Dig this: ““Boko Haram commanders told me they would be prepared to release some as a goodwill gesture towards a peace deal with the government, so I went to Nigeria on the basis of being able to secure their release. The girls were there, 60 girls. There were 20 vehicles with girls. We travelled for four-and-a-half hours to reach them, but 15 minutes before we arrived, they were kidnapped again by another group who wanted to cash in on a reward.” Of course, the above is fairy tale. Why would Boko Haram require 20 vehicles to transport 60 girls? After travelling for nearly five hours, Davis was just 15 minutes away from the hostages when they were re-kidnapped by “another group who wanted to cash in on a reward”. How did Davies know this? He was told by Boko Haram! Since he never got to where the girls were kept, how did he know their number? And how did he come about the number of vehicles that conveyed them? Boko Haram had also told him! Thus, we have in Stephen Davis no more than a megaphone, a repeater station, regurgitating the hogwash force-fed him by his sponsors. How is it credible that Davis, said to have a PhD in political geography, discussed journeys that ran into hours without mentioning the name of a single location, town or village; without reference to state boundaries and without discussing distances in terms of miles or kilometres? I personally am not sleepless about Davis’s other speculations. But, for two reasons, his accusation of General Ihejirika, deserves closer attention. One, Ihejirika is not a politician and, therefore, may not dabble in the doublespeak of, say, a Nasir el Rufia, the partisan politician who first splashed Stephen Davis’s ordure through cyberspace. Again, the charge of terrorist complicity against a former head of the Nigerian Army should elicit prompt reaction. Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika (58) is from Ovim in Isuikwua-

to Local Government Area of Abia State. A member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 18th regular combatant course, he received his Army commission in 1977. Before his appointment as Army Chief in 2010, a position he held for three and a half years, he had been Chief of Defence Logistics at Defence Headquarters, former GOC of 81 Division in Lagos and former Director of Engineering at Defence Headquarters. Boko Haram “triumphs” were at their lowest when Ihejirika ran things. He fought the terrorists with incisive military resolution, so much so that many northern politicians threatened to drag him to the International Human Rights Tribunal on “war crime” charges. To date, the threat has not been carried out, not even at the Maidugiri Magistrates Court. But it is obvious that a new attempt is on to calumniate General Ihejirika, and also distract attention from the efforts to identify and apprehend the real sponsors of terrorism. Of the 28 officers, both foreign and indigenous, that have headed the Nigerian Army, Ihejirika is only the second Igbo, the other being General AguiyiIronsi, who was murdered in the counter-coup of July 1966. Detractors have found it impossible to live down Ihejirika’s attainment. Please study critically this other quote from SaharaReporters: “Asked to explain why Mr. Ihejirika, a non-Muslim who hails from the predominantly Christian southeastern part of Nigeria, became a Boko Haram ‘sponsor’, Mr. Davis said, ‘Boko Haram commanders and some connected with them told me on several occasions Ihejirika was one of their sponsors.’” This is tendentious, to say the very least. Why should it be the word of “Boko Haram commanders and some connected with them” – arsonists, suicide bombers, rapists, terrorists – against the distinction and integrity of a Nigerian General? Because some Australian fairy-tale manufacturer said so? The Stephen Davis story regarding General Ihejirika amounts to sawdust. Terrorists told him Ihejirika is one their sponsors. He did not ask in what ways the military brass sponsored them. He did not cite any evidence they showed him. Truth is being made the central casualty of the war against Boko Haram. The Federal Government must not allow this. It must quickly identify the real sponsors of terrorism, the head of the serpent, and decapitate it. • Iloegbunam (iloegbunam@hotmail.com) is the author of Ironside, the biography of General Aguiyi-Ironsi.

Arthur Eze’s courage and Gov. Orji’s deception (3) Orji Kalu Continued from yesterday

et me ask again: Should a state with this retinue of personalities be led by a lacklustre governor? Should one man (out of sheer des¬peration for power) take all of them for a ride and they keep quiet? They need to address these questions because things are quickly getting out of hand. Abia State is now being governed by a man who has no respect for the rule of law or constitutionality. I must have made a mistake in the choice of Governor Orji, but it was a mis¬take of the mind, not of the heart. At the time we settled for him as my successor, he did not show any of the strange attitudes he is exhibiting to¬day. I had told the story in this column how I met him and how he worked as my chief of staff in Government House, Umuahia. Nobody in my position would not have fallen victim to the facial trickery of this man. He can change as easily as the leopard gecko changes her skin. He has taken his trickery to the governance of Abia State and sowed the seed of rancour and hatred among our once-united people. The lev¬el of harm he has done to the state is such that it will take another eight years of hard work to remedy. The people have been cowed into sub¬mission and nobody dare utter a word against the man or his son. His son traverses every nook and cranny of the state like a colossus. In fact, he is the one that determines how the state is governed

and who gets what. All the security apparatuses are seemingly under his control. And he uses them as he so wishes. I find this very debasing. That was why I drew the atten¬tion of the President and the security chiefs to what is happening in Abia State. The governor and his son tell whoever cares to listen that they are in control of the army, the police, the navy, the air force and the directorate of state services. Who are they deceiving? They cannot fool all Abians at the same time. These military institutions cannot be cajoled by any¬body, because they are professionally organised and can easily smell mischief. The government of Abia State thrives on name-dropping. The governor goes about tell¬ing people how close he is to the President and his wife. He also tells his brother-governors that the wife of the President is his sister. Hiding un¬der the cover of these people, they perpetrate all kinds of heinous things against the innocent and unsuspecting members of the public. Feelers reaching me indicate that they are already hoping to use the security agencies, as was the case in the past, to intimidate people and do whatever they like in the forthcoming elections. This to me is wishful thinking. I wish to remind them that never again will our people condone such illegality in our land. Our people have suffered enough and are ready to take their destiny in their own hands. The era has passed when they watched, while their votes were be¬ing stolen. We will defend our votes with the last drop of our blood. This is the proper thing to do.

Nigeria’s democracy has come to stay. As far as we are concerned, the President has set the standard for future elections with what had transpired in Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states. It will be antithetical to the reform agenda of Mr. President for anybody to think it would be business as usual. As I wrote this column, the government of Abia State under the watch of Theodore Orji was using its terror-agents to unleash mayhem in the state. They go about hunting and hound¬ing the opposition. Just last weekend, the con¬voy of a serving Senator from the state, Nkechi Nworgu, was attacked by hoodlums led by the governor’s thugs under the supervision of one Ginger from Isiala-Ngwa North. The thugs blocked her convoy from passing through their territory. Senator Nworgu is also a bona fide daughter of Ngwaland and comes from Osi-sioma Ngwa Local Government Area. Her hor¬rible experience is what every oppositionpoli¬tician in the state experiences on a daily basis. I wish to let the governor know that no amount of name calling or intimidation will deter me from standing up for what is right. He can go about deceiving the people and labelling projects he did not do as his, all that will not obfuscate the truth. It is not in doubt that my administration was the one that did all the major roads in Aba, which he has refused to maintain. We did the 40 km-Obehie-Azumini Road, Lo¬mara-Leru Road, Nkporo-Item Road, Igbere- Bende Road, Alayi-Nkporo Road, and numer¬ous other roads across the state. We built three housing estates in

Umuahia, Aba and Ubakala. We also built the commissioners’ quarters and other edifices. Shamelessly, he claims he did them. This shows how terrible the man is. Three blocks of mansion his administration has been erecting within the premises of the Com¬missioners’ Quarters are yet to be completed since they were started three years ago. I will take out time to address some of these projects and other extant issues to put a lie to all the gibberish the man is dishing out to the public, supported by some of our prominent citizens that have chosen to defend the indefen¬sible and basking in infamy with a man they are fully aware whose time is nigh. I wonder why Governor Orji did not see me as a bad man all these years until now he has got all he wanted from me. If God had not used me and other well-meaning Abians to make him governor, who would have known him for what he is today? He goes about bragging, boasting and intimidating innocent people, for¬getting that it is the same people that made him governor and he is accountable to them at the end of his tenure. I call on President Jonathan to institute a spe¬cial panel to verify the authenticity or otherwise of these allegations. That is the only time our people will breathe fresh air of relief. I commend Chief Arthur Eze again for his statesmanship and candour and for taking the bull by the horns. Concluded • Kalu, an acclaimed international businessman and politician is former governor of Abia State.

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Nigeria: The literacy challenge

s Nigeria joined the rest of the world on Monday, September 8, 2014, to mark International Literacy Day (ILD), one of the critical issues that the country would need to tackle with urgency is the integration of the 10.5 million out-of-school population into the basic education system and a guarantee that this critical mass completes the primary circle. Proclaimed by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 17, 1965, ILD was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. This year’s theme is “Literacy and Sustainable Development.” According to UNESCO, globally about 774 million adults lack the minimum literacy skills. One in five adults is still not literate and twothirds of them are women. About 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. The 2013/2014 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (EFAGMR), claims one-fifth of the children in Nigeria are not expected to enroll in primary school before 2015. Given that since 2012, Nigeria’s out-of-school population has stabilized at 10.5 million, while the

illiteracy population is only projected to drop to 49 per cent in 2015 from the 51 per cent in 2011. Unfortunately, this development has given rise to the categorization of Nigeria among countries that are progressing slowly or even moving away from the target such as Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), through the reduction of literacy and integration of out-of-school population to the basic education system. Besides, Nigeria needs about 13 per cent of the 5.2 million primary school teachers required globally to improve its literacy level and other educational indices by 2015, including the enrolment of its 10.5 million out-of-school children. Within the Sub- Saharan Africa, Nigeria requires over 700,000 that is, 37 per cent of the 2.5million teachers by 2015 to achieve universal primary education. This shocking creation is a sad commentary on a country that prides herself as the giant of Africa and, which in reality, is supposed to be in the forefront of meeting this all important global goal by reducing illiteracy rate by 50 per cent before 2015. Unfortunately, Nigeria is lagging behind in this critical area with a significant segment of her population being illiterates, unmindful as it were, of the role literacy plays in personal empowerment, reduction

in poverty, child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. The Nigerian education sector exists in a climate of deprivation, while the teachers have low morale and uncertainty. This is not only deplorable, but also a disservice to the future of Nigerian children. This is bad for her development. The Federal Government must reverse this state of affairs by discouraging the influx of poorly-trained teachers who find the sector porous enough for illegal hibernation. Several factors continue to pose challenges to the education sector such as poor funding, shortage of instructional materials, lack of qualified teachers, lack of incentives, policy somersault, among others. These can undermine the sector and dampen the enthusiasm of even dedicated professionals. Another critical group that is at the receiving end of this problem is women. The EFAGMR observes that “if all women had a primary education, child mortality could fall by a sixth and maternal deaths by a twothirds.” Nothing can be taken away from this assertion as women are squarely in view; evidence is irrefutable that literate women have a positive ripple effect on all development indicators. It is wrong, therefore, not to reverse years of neglect experi-

enced by this group. There is no doubting the fact that literacy as a human right is one of the key elements needed to promote sustainable development, as it empowers people to make the right decisions in the areas of economic growth, social development and environmental integration. Considering the import of literacy, therefore, the onus is on governments to redouble their efforts in the fight against illiteracy by showing commitment in combating those things that have continued to deny the country the much needed progress. A successful educational system is dependent on the quality of teachers and quality of service delivery. As a matter of urgency, we urge the various governments to expedite action on critical issues in the education sector and without much delay, pay more attention and deploy resources to the promotion of literacy, knowing the full implication of further negligence and ineptitude. Suffice it to say that we are not unaware of their investments in this sector. But, it could have been better. There is dearth of instructional facilities as well as book famine in the country. Occasion such ILD could be used to promote reading and literacy among children with a view to stemming the tide of illiteracy. MANAGING DIRECTOR/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Eric Osagie DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTORS

Gabriel Akinadewo Felix Oguejiofor Abugu MANAGING EDITOR

Suleiman Uba Gaya EDITOR, DAILY

Yemi Ajayi EDITOR, SATURDAY

Laurence Ani EDITOR, SUNDAY

Emeka Madunagu DEPUTY EDITORS, DAILY

Emeka Obasi Ayodele Ojo BUREAU CHIEF, BRUSSELS

Leo Cendrowicz BUREAU CHIEF, WASHINGTON DC

Marshall Comins EDITORIAL COORDINATOR, EUROPE

Sam Amsterdam CHAIRMAN, EDITORIAL BOARD

Emman Shehu (PhD) NEWS EDITOR

Geoffrey Ekenna ADVERT MANAGER

Taiwo Ahmed AG. SALES/MARKETING MANAGER

Uchey Okezie HEAD, GRAPHICS

Timothy Akinleye HEAD, ADMIN.

Robinson Ezeh

20 POLITICS Hilary Ogili is the National Coordinator of Regeneration Group. In this interview with WALE ELEGBEDE, he speaks on President Goodluck Jonathan’s performance and Enugu State politics. Excerpts: What is the Regeneration Group all about? Regeneration Group is made up of individuals of high professional standing with keen interest in the socio-political and economic advancement of the Nigerian people, most especially Enugu State citizens. Our main objective is to re-think our shared vision in the context of the politics of the state primarily, with a view to redouble our collective effort to galvanise the people through political engineering and sensitisation. The group basically focuses on the new leadership thinking which involves the dynamics of modern day governance – the role of youths and professionals in government business, interfacing both practical and realistic policies and programmes that would impact the lives of citizens at all levels, support the government through mass mobilisation and education of citizens to key into government programmes and activities. Furthermore, we organise workshops, seminars and events aimed at mentoring youths and other aspiring leaders on selfactualisation, hardwork, commitment to the service of community, integrity etc. What is your assessment of the Sullivan Chime administration in Enugu so far? Beyond rhetorics, the administration of Governor Chime has done well. His administration could be assessed from some major planks viz: Human Capital Development, his administration has invested hugely in youth empowerment programmes such as skill acquisition, development of the education sector through the state’s free education policy and general improvement in the education infrastructure such as building of new classroom blocks, equipment of state schools with modern educational materials and provision of logistics to enhance better learning conditions. In the area of general infrastructural development, his administration’s commitment towards urban renewal is manifest in the transformation of the state capital. Further to that is the equitable distribution of projects to the various communities in the state, for example, the construction and rehabilitation of roads to open up rural, agricultural communities; building of hospitals and schools, rural electrification, sinking of boreholes for rural citizens to access potable water and the success recorded so far in the development of housing estates through Enugu State Housing Development Agency and many more. Prior to this administration, the level of insecurity in the state was mindboggling. Factors like unemployment, youth drop-out from schools and the unsavoury political disposition of some individuals at the time, exposed the state to all manner of criminal activities. Although, no society can be entirely rid of criminal elements, but violent crimes have been reduced to the barest minimum since the inception of his administration. Another area which his administration has scored very high is in its consistent and democratic conduct of local government elections since inception in 2007. Indeed, his administration is the flagship in terms of giving the local governments practical autonomy. Do you support the zoning of the governorship seat to Enugu North ahead of 2015 general election? As a group that advocates for justice, equity and commitment to inclusive leadership, we support in its entirety

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Confab is Jonathan’s landmark decision –Ogili the zoning of the governorship seat to Enugu North for next year’s election. It is important to know that Enugu State since creation in 1991 has a tripartite arrangement by the three senatorial zones. This is popularly known as the Triangular Equilibrium. It is like an unwritten social contract that is engrained in the psyche of the average Enugu person-politicians and the non-partisan alike. The idea behind this arrangement is to ensure balanced, equitable and just distribution/rotation of political power and other social opportunities to the various zones. This, to a great extent, is the hallmark of the peaceful co-existence among various groups and interests within the state. Therefore, the zoning of the governorship seat to Enugu North Senatorial District ahead of next year’s general election is a welcome development and requires the support of people from other zones. It is politically correct, socially commendable and morally justified. Recall that at the commencement of the democratic dispensation in1999, Enugu East produced the governor in the person of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, who relinquished power to the incumbent governor at the expiration of his tenure in 2007. The incumbent is from Enugu West. It is pertinent to state that the zoning of governorship seat to Enugu North will further strengthen the unity and feeling of oneness by both the people of the zone and the rest of the citizens in the state. Beyond that is the fact that the zoning has the potential to boost the electoral fortunes of the party in the state given the population of the zone – it has over 40 per cent of the state’s population.

In your view, what quality should Chime’s successor possess? It is said that the character and disposition of a leader, to a great extent, rubs off on his followers and more fundamentally, on those who work closely with him. By that token, the person who will succeed the governor should evolve from amongst the people who have been part and parcel of the planning and execution of most government programmes and policies in order to ensure continuity in the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people. The person should be somebody who would adopt Chime’s leadership style of discipline, uniting all the segments of the state and development-oriented, etc. The candidate must have a listening ear as well as the right education and knowledge of the dynamics of the state’s politics. He must be willing to work with people who have the desire to add value to governance in the state, irrespective of their affiliation. Above all, the candidate should be somebody who has the capacity to protect the collective interest of the entire citizens of the state and not just his associates – political or otherwise. He should, while maintaining the

The Jonathan administration courage to organise a national conference that allowed Nigerians... to bring the burning issues concerning our nation to the table for discussion is a landmark political decision

Ogili

7 Questions standard and foundation laid by Chime, also set new and achievable targets for himself and his administration. Ahead of the 2015 elections, do you see the opposition parties dislodging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship poll in Enugu? The need to deliver democratic dividends can only enhance the popularity of the party in government both at the federal and state levels. It is in the interest of any government to come up with policies and programmes geared towards the enhancement of citizens welfare. That, the Chime administration has done, and that puts it in good stead to further consolidate the PDP foothold in Enugu State. Moreover, the zoning arrangement by PDP which favours Enugu North is a huge political masterstroke that would give the party an edge in the poll. In any case, politics is a game of calculation and surprises, therefore, opposition parties should not be taken for granted. However, the experience we have from the recent elections, and developments prior to the elections in Ekiti and Osun states and even our neighbouring state, Anambra, show that identifying with people at the grassroots level and implementing programmes that impact their lives positively are just the key needed to lock out the opposition. Therefore, given the level of people-oriented and inclusive leadership style of the governor, it will be a herculean task for the opposition to dislodge the PDP in the state. What is your assessment of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration? The Jonathan administration in our estimation has done well in the most critical areas outlined in his transformation programme. For example, his administration has continually addressed the issue of infrastructural development

with so much zeal and commitment. The construction and rehabilitation of our roads, railways, airports, using some agencies such as SURE-P, and the effort at developing social institutions like the Almajiri schools in the North, the introduction of micro credit scheme and the concession granted farmers and those in the agricultural sector, etc., are some of the measures adopted by his administration for youth empowerment, job creation and capacity building. His administration’s courage to organise a national conference that allowed Nigerians, represented by the conferees, to bring the burning issues concerning our nation to the table for discussion is a landmark political decision. In the area of security, his government has tried very hard to contain insurgency in the North as well as ethnic and communal clashes and other criminal activities in the country. Insurgency is a global malaise that requires the support of every citizen to combat. Furthermore, the administration has the enviable record of being more gender sensitive than all the past governments in Nigeria. What is your advice to Enugu people ahead of the 2015 polls? First is that the citizens should know that democracy offers them the opportunity to freely decide their individual and collective destinies. The need for citizens to exercise their franchise cannot be over-emphasized since it is said that bad leaders are elected by good citizens who do not vote. Therefore, it is necessary for the people of Enugu State to identify with people who have their interest at heart; those who will promote the common good. They should shun politicians who come with Greek gifts during campaigns. One man, one woman, one vote is the current mantra and together their votes would ultimately give them individuals of integrity who will manage their collective patrimony for the greater good.

LAW THURSDAY, september 11, 2014

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/law

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

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

electoral offences: Yamah canvasses for special courts }p-24&25

Six-year single tenure split lawyers Lawyers were yesterday divided over the proposed six-year single term. While some believe that the six-year single term would strenghten the nation's democracy, others differ. JOSEPH ONYEKWERE, TUNDE OYESINA and APPOLOS CHRISTIAN report

arely one week after President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a six-member committee to ‘study and draw up a comprehensive strategy’ for the implementation of the 2014 National Conference report, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, have cautioned the committee on the contentious six-year single term. Although the confab report may not contain the controversial six-year single term, the Senior Advocates who spoke to New Telegraph bared their mind on why such single tenure may not have the approval of Nigerians. The six-year single term for president and governors, 50 per cent derivation and the scrapping of the 774 local councils were some of the highlights allegedly contained in the 2014 National Conference report. Apparently miffed by its alleged inclusion in the report, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, Chiefs Mike Ozekhome, Anthony Idigbe and Awa Kalu, all Senior Advocates expressed their fear on the contentious six-year single tenure. Besides, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Mr. L.T.C Eruba, Olusoji Toki and Wahab Toye bared their view on the matter. For instance, while Adekoya, Idigbe , Ozekhome and Eruba kicked against the six-year single term, Awa Kalu, Keyamo, Toki and Toye threw their weight behind its proponents, insisting that ‘It is an idea that is worth selling and I believe that six years will be long enough for a person to deliver the proverbial dividends of democracy and leave when the ovation is loudest’. But Adekoya, Idigbe,Ozekhome and Eruba differ. Instead, they said the sixyear single term was not only bizarre but undemocratic as it would rob the electorate of their rights to exercise their constitutional duty. For instance, Idigbe said the six-year single term would bring political instability as against two terms of four years that would ignite ‘political flexibility’. This, the Senior Advocate cautioned the proponents especially on series of negative implications the six-year single term would bring on the nation. He said: “Well, it boils down to the fact that democracy is about reflecting the desire of the people. Unfortunately such desire may be driven by short term considerations. “There is presently intense competition for access to power. Perhaps it was felt that a single term of six- year tenure will bring stability to the political process and assuage the fears and uncertainty of re-election thereby giving others better opportunity to access power.

Kalu, SAN

Adekoya, SAN

Idigbe, SAN

Keyamo

“On the other hand, six years is a very long time particularly for a bad administration. It is enough time for bad governance to destroy a country. A four term with re-election, gives more flexibility to the people to remove a bad administration and retain a good one for another four years. This flexibility is totally lost in a single term of six years. “So, we should be very careful what we have wished for and in constitution making, we should not be carried away by short term passion. I can foresee vicious attempts to get some flexibility in the new arrangement through more active impeachment procedures. I personally support whatever majority of Nigerians want but we should know the implications of our every step and institute remedial measures for their likely fallout”. Idigbe was echoed by Adekoya, who, simply said she was not in support of the six-year single term project. She said: “I do not support the idea of a single term, be it four, six or twelve years simply because the whole purpose of election or re-election is an opportunity for the electorate to determine whether the executive is doing well. “But if it’s a single term, all you need to do is to ensure at all cost you get there,

It boils down to the fact that democracy is about reflecting the desire of the people. Unfortunately such desire may be driven by short term considerations and when you eventually get there, you are there unless you are impeached. So, the whole benefit of re-election is to stir on those who want more than one term to perform. “It is the opportunity that the electorate have to give them an accolade to stay on or go away while you are not doing well. So, that is what I have against single term issue, and I really, really don’t see anything good about it. And if the thinking is about the sitting president or governor using public funds for their campaigns for re-election, we then need nothing but to address the issues that have to do with re-election. “If that is the case, we should then have an electoral commission that is geared towards monitoring the source

of funding for election campaigns. I don’t know if we have that already. In some other countries, after the elections you have to submit your election expenses and they are monitored and audited. And if it’s found you have used public fund in any way for your elections expenses, you will be sanctioned, and this will set a level playing field between whoever is the incumbent and the challenger. And that is what we should address”. She was corroborated by Ozekhome, who, while dismissing the inclusion of the six-year single term in the confab report, said no Nigerian could support such a project as the conference still retained the two terms of four years. He said: “There is nothing like single term of six years as the conference only agreed on two-term of four years. "If there is anything like that in the draft, it must have been smuggled in. Although, there is a proposal to that effect but the conference did not vote in its favour as anything contrary to the four years of two terms should be discountenanced". In his view, Eruba believes the much touted six-year single term will collapse CO NTINUED O N PAGE25

LAW | interview

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Olugasa: Why lawyers must go digital

He is the managing director of Grace Info Tech, publishers of LawPavilion Electronic Law Report. Mr. Ope Olugasa in this interview with APPOLOS CHRISTIAN speaks on how to digitalize legal practice and other law related processes young lawyers to have access to our electronic law reports with a complete library of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judgments from 1970 to date for just N3, 000 monthly. So, nothing should stop a Nigerian lawyer from adopting and using ICT. Moreover, because of our passion and drive to aid speedy dispensation of justice, we are consistently doing our best to ensure that we employ the best ICT tool as obtains in other climes and bringing them into Nigeria to ensure that the legal industry is well equipped to speed up administration of justice.

Olugasa

What did your company, LawPavilion exhibit or showcase at the recently conclude Owerri 2014 NBA Annual General Conference? We’re there in our capacity as the official ICT partner of the NBA. The essence is to drive the adoption of ICT in the legal industry thereby bringing advancement in technology and support to the growth of the legal industry at large. We are here to encourage lawyers to embrace Information Technology (IT) considering the fact that we are in a world where digital technology has increased productivity for the rest of the world by over 400 per cent. However, over 52 per cent of lawyers in Nigeria are yet to embrace information technology. A cursory look at e–mail addresses of Nigerian Lawyers, indicate that about 85 per cent still use yahoo.com, which makes us wonder how serious multi-national and blue chip companies will engage the services of such lawyers. Communicating via email using yahoomail does not show a good brand or high level of professionalism. It is necessary to state that there are three major challenges hindering ICT adoption in the Nigerian legal industry, according to latest research. First is irregular power supply. Second is lack of IT knowledge in using technological gadgets (technologically challenged). The third is cost. Nevertheless, we are set to confront these challenges. Law Pavilion as part of its IT support for the NBA Annual General Conference has officially launched the LawPavilion TABLETARIZATION Campaign. The Campaign will put a tablet in the hands of every lawyer, with the support of international and

LawPavilion has an Electronic Law Report platform that works on Android devices, even without Internet access, such that if you can use a mobile phone, you can easily use LawPavilion local allies, especially Samsung. With LawPavilion Tabletarization scheme, power failure cannot be a hindrance anymore. The Samsung Note Tablet for example, offers about 10 Hours Battery Life which most computers can’t offer. LawPavilion has adapted its products to work seamlessly on Tablets and Mobile Phones and if you can use a mobile phone, then you can use the tablets that LawPavilion is unveiling. LawPavilion has an Electronic Law Report platform that works on Android devices, even without Internet access, such that if you can use a mobile phone, you can easily use LawPavilion. The android phone makes it so easy for lawyers. What is the cost implication of this device? At this Conference, we are offering every lawyer in the country an opportunity to own a tablet at a greatly reduced cost, starting from as low as N40, 000.00. Meanwhile, the premium brand LawPavilion also unveiled a subscription model thereby enabling

What then would be the ICT advocacy role in legal practice? I will like to say that we are working closely with Samsung and other partners to unveil public support for young lawyers and we enjoin all senior lawyers to take advantage of this rare opportunity to empower their juniors. We feel strongly that senior lawyers/ employers need to refrain from seeing their juniors as apprentices rather they should be seen as a vital support structure that needs to be empowered, motivated and equipped with the necessary tools. Otherwise, seniors will find themselves practicing what we can call “management by shouting”, the practice of seniors shouting at their juniors. This does not facilitate the existence of a good and cordial relationship. If juniors are properly equipped and empowered, they will certainly be more productive. What we are saying is that every smart lawyer deserves a tablet. We are so very excited to announce that we have a new case management system. We released it last year, but have now added a new feature this year and it is the “Courtroom Proceeding Live-Chat”, which enables you to communicate with your team members on their tablets while in or out of court. The Courtroom Proceeding Live-Chat will ensure that legal expertise is made available to your team, in spite of physical separation. For example, in the situation where a junior lawyer is befuddled by the opponent’s objection on grounds of inadequate quit notice. The junior lawyer quickly sends a message to the senior saying “should I ask for adjournment?” The senior quickly responds, saying “No. Quote Section 13A of Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011. She is a tenant at will and not entitled to a notice to quit.” This kind of scenario is only possible with LawPavilion “Courtroom Proceeding Live-Chat.” So from your device you can monitor all proceedings easily. We are not only the ICT partner in this NBA conference, but we desire earnestly to be the ICT partner of every lawyer in this country and we can say LawPavilion brings premium digital experience to all lawyers by telling them that they have been given the

best and therefore deserve the best. We have worked extensively to ensure that our law reporting and case management platforms are commensurate with what obtains anywhere else in the world. We are the official electronic law report in use in 17 States’ judiciary, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, and the National Industrial Court, which just came on board. We are extensively cited in various courts including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as LPELR. We have been partnering with the Court of Appeal since 2012 to promptly analyze and publish their judgments. We are also the only paginated and paragraphed electronic law report in Nigeria thus making it easy to cross reference and cite authorities from our reports. In partnering with the NBA in this year’s Conference, we are providing free internet access, and flash drives which contains the conference programme and lecture papers to all delegates at this Conference. I cite Lord Denning “If you never do anything which has not been done before, we shall never get anywhere. The law will stand whilst the rest of the world goes on and that will be bad for both.” We are planning to launch training campaign for every lawyer in Nigeria, after this conference. We will be going round local NBA branches to see branch chairmen and secretaries on the adoption of ICT and assist them in acquisition of ICT tools. LawPavilion also in conjunction with Samsung Nigeria intends to unveil a support facility for young lawyers to acquire technology tools with ease. This is aimed at driving towards a complete revolution of the Nigerian legal industry through ICT. Any aspiration to compete with any world acclaimed brand? I can easily say yes, but we are not aspiring to be like any world brand. We want to be the world brand. We want to empower Nigerian lawyers to have legal expertise, even outside this country. But in all honesty, we want to be a global brand. We were at the International Bar Association Annual Conference (IBA) which took place at Boston last year which had a significant number of Nigerian delegates in attendance. We hope to attend other international Conferences to showcase our products and draw attention to Nigeria positively. We celebrate being the 1st African country to exhibit at the IBA and hope others will follow suit. We are keen on exporting technology from Nigeria to other parts of the world. I believe Nigerians are intelligent. Whatever the Americans and the Chinese can do, we can do also. We aspire to be a global brand so that others will emulate us. It is a matter of time.

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

ENCOMIUM Lawyers shower praises on former President, Okey Wali on the completion of the NBA Lagos Building Foluso Ogunmodede

arely one week after he stepped down as the 26th president of the lawyers' umbrella body-the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following the expiration of his tenure, Mr. Okey Wali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has continued to receive commendation from his colleagues. Particularly, Wali received a torrent of accolades at the 54th Annual General Conference, tagged Owerri 2014, held between August 24 and 29 as a short documentary detailing the completion of the association's Lagos six-storey building was shown to the crowded audience during the weeklong event. The documentary was the completion of the second phase of the NBA sixstorey and fully-service house on the Victorial Island, Lagos. The project conceived and implemented on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement, was spearheaded by Dr. Wale Babalakin, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The documentary shown to guests and participants at the opening ceremony of the conference on August 25, opened with the video of the inauguration of the six-floor edifice, by Wali , and witnessed by his successor, Mr.Augustine Alegeh, Babalakin, among other dignitaries. The building is located on a prime, but landlocked, plot on the highbrow Victoria Island, which had laid fallow for years. The documentary, was however witnessed by a former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon , AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, who stood in for President Goodluck Jonathan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha and his Delta state counterpart, Emmanuel Uduaghan, among others. In the video, Babalakin applauded Wali, who he said was committeed to the project all-through Babalakin said: “Wali dedicated himself thoroughly to the project. He came to Lagos specifically on a number of occasions, and I recollect with great appreciation, and sometimes nostalgia that we walked round the premises, not only once, not twice, when we were trying to identify the entry to the building. “The building was

Babalakin, others applaud Wali on NBA Lagos towers landlocked. The only way we could go in was if we were able to create an access road. And with his determination and the Director-General of the Law School and the Chairman of Council of Legal Education, they made it happen. “Whatever obstacles were thrown in our way, they were able to overcome them, because of focus and determination. We are proud to be associated with you, and we wish you a post NBA successful life. We also pray in the same vein that whatever obstacle is thrown in your way, God will turn them to stepping stones for the attainment of greater heights.” While also highlighting some of his achievements, during his opening address, Wali disclosed that the new NBA House was built by Stabilini Visinoni Limited, one of the companies under the Bi-Courtney Group, owned by Babalakin, in collaboration with the NBA under a Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement. Besides, he added that his administration had commenced the construction of the national headquarters of the association at the Central Business District, in Abuja. Wali had last month in Lagos, commissioned the NBA House. At the commissioning were his successor, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN and other past officers of the association. While commissioning the six-storey building, the outgone president described the NBA as the largest professional group in the African continent with over 90,000 members and 109 branches spread across the nation's 36 states including Abuja. Wali said: "The NBA

deserves a magnificent edifice of this size. This new building is the second phase of the construction of NBA House in Lagos. “The first phase of the NBA House is the building that is currently being occupied by Diamond Bank Plc., which is also within the same vicinity. That this building is standing tall on this land today is a testament to the power of partnership between the NBA and the Council of Legal Education. “After the Council of Legal Education secured this large expanse of land from the Federal Government, it allocated this part of the land to the NBA to build our National Secretariat in recognition of our partnership in the administration of justice. “After the NBA completed the phase 1 of the NBA building which is now being occupied by Diamond bank, my predecessor in office, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, initiated this phase 2 project as the then NBA President. "Going forward, my other predecessors in office continued to support this building project until it got to the stage it was when I became the President of the NBA. “I commend my predecessors in office for keeping faith with the philosophy of this gigantic edifice. This has demonstrated the continuity of policies in the governance and leadership of NBA. "Since my assumption of office, I have supported the speedy completion of this project and have also cooperated with the construction company, whose Chairman is incidentally one of our own, Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN. “Towards the end of the completion of the project, we were confronted with the challenge of access road to this building.

Babalakin (fifth left) and other NBA officals

I promptly wrote to the Council of Legal Education under the Chairmanship of O.C.J. Okocha, SAN, a past President of the NBA, requesting that the Council grants the NBA access road to the property adjoining the Nigerian Law School; and after due deliberation at a meeting of the Council of Legal Education, the Council graciously approved our request.

LAW | NEWS

"I must also thank the immediate past DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Mamman Tahir, who graciously pushed the aforesaid approval through the Council of Legal Education, and personally travelled with me from Abuja to Lagos to inspect the route and location for the construction of the access road. Our debt of gratitude goes to Dr. Mamman

Tahir. "I also commend Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN for the role he has played in ensuring a speedy completion of this project and ensuring that this commissioning holds today. This he achieved even in the face of daunting challenges. Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN, we thank you. It is important to note, that, this project was conceived and implemented on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. "This means that the construction company and developer will manage this building for some years before handing it over totally to the NBA”.

NBA Building

L-R: Former NBA president, Wali, NBA President, Alegeh and other officials

24 JURIST

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Electoral offences: Yamah canvasses Desmond U.M Yamah practices law in Abuja. Yamah, who is the chairman of the Unity branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja, speaks on the 2015 elections, judiciary, 2014 National Conference report, heavy security during elections and sundry issues. TUNDE OYESINA met him.

lthough the Federal Government has set up a presidential committee to look into the 2014 National Conference report, Desmond U.M. Yamah, who chairman a branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja believes the confab report may not see the light of the day as there remain a legion of hurdles before it. Reason: Yamah envisaged as follows, some of the hurdles the confab report must face should it become binding on Nigerians. Some of the hurdles, according to him include the controversy over whether the report must go through the National Assembly or be subjected to referendum. This, Yamah said would pose a greater challenge to the implementation committee even though ‘the confab did a wonderful job’. Yamah said: “Well, the National Conference addressed some vital national issues. I think the challenge will be in the implementation of the resolutions made by the conference. While some are saying the recommendation should be passed to the National Assembly so as to be drafted into laws, others are saying it should be subjected to a referendum wherein it will now truly reflect the opinion of Nigerians as the position being taken by Nigerians. These are some of the challenges, otherwise, the National Conference was a wonderful innovation and I think some good recommendations were made to improve the lives of Nigerians”. However, Yamah canvassed the need to subject some of the key issues raised by the confab to referendum. To him, issues such as derivation, devolution of power and the restructuring of the Nigerian state should as a matter of fact be subjected to people’s opinion as they remain in the people’s exclusive list. He said: “It is not all the resolutions that need to be implemented. If we look at the economic committee, for instance, some of the recommendations they made are things that should be passed on to ministries or government agencies as to formulate policies. “But some key issues will need to be subjected to referendum. For instance, derivation, power devolution, re-structuring of the Nigerian state, among others, I think are very sensitive issues that need to be subjected to the opinion of the people before final decisions are taken. And I think, the idea of trying as much as possible to make government hands off religious affairs, should be a way forward. This is because every human being has a right to worship or serve any god he chooses to serve, so as such it should not be a state affair. I also think, the oil producing community deserves a better share of the resources that is derived from that region. Also, the NBA chairman applauded the contentious heavy security deployed to Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections, describing it as a welcome development. Yamah said: “Nigeria is place where we have experienced a lot of electoral violence. So, security personnel to states at it were, is a welcome development. But our democracy is still emerging, as it were, the attitude of Ekpo politicians and those who win elections is the major challenge we have in this country. “Where for instance, you see a man who could hardly afford a bicycle before he was elected and all of a sudden, there was a dramatic change in fortune. I think, we need to be more disciplined in the area of funding those elected into political offices. There is need for accountability, physical discipline to check corrupt practices. If a man wins for instance the office of a senator, you look at the quarterly allocation is worth staggering and people want to do anything to get to that position. If we discourage the monetary aspect of politics, we would have a much more refined and structured political system. On whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the requisite capacity to conduct the 2015 elections, Yamah said “INEC, for me, I have always said that it is a small body to conduct elections for over 200 million people”. He went on: “INEC over the years has been ex-

periencing serious challenges. Of course, they are taking steps on their capacity and funding. For instance they embark on voters registration, trying to make people appreciate the value of their vote and all that, despite the way the structure is, because of the influence of many, and the benefits of winning an elected office in Nigeria, it has made it very difficult for INEC to face all the challenges in the cause of conducting elections because people are desperate. People see it as a do or die affair, they see it a drawing line between poverty and stupendous wealth. As long as all these things are there, INEC will be over stretched to the maximum capacity, in terms of capacity, security, ballot boxes snatching and all that. So, I think basically, the money aspect of politics should be discouraged. On Judiciary, he said: “Well, that is one of the issues we are working on, we have made a proposal, for instance to INEC on the need for us to look at the process or procedure of the system of prosecuting electoral offenders. “In Nigeria today, electoral offences are prosecuted in regular courts. This has made it a very difficult thing. The idea of establishing special tribunals to try electoral offences has been rejected by the Federal Government. We think, there should be a way out. And we are organizing a workshop on that in conjunction with the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the INEC. As soon as all logistics are put in place, we want to ensure that a communique will be issued as to the way forward. However, Yamah lamented the Federal Government’s inability to rescue over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the dreaded Boko Haram over five months ago, describing it as bizarre. He said: “Well, it is rather unfortunate. Nigeria is in a state of war. I have had a cause to say that a situation where young girls are abducted for obvious reason of sexual exploitation in this 21st century is totally unacceptable to us. And I also want to say that Nigerians had put up a global pro-

Yamah

test to condemn the action and to bring back those girls. I think it is a very unfortunate way of life to exploit the schoolgirls sexually. The government should not relent in its efforts to bring back the girls. On terrorism, Yamah had a word: Terrorism has gone beyond the normal level. He attributed it to the fall of the late Libya dictator, Mamah Ghadaff. Y a mah said: “Well, terrorism has been given several angles,

JURIST

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

for special courts The way out of this, is to bring perpetrators to justice because, terrorism is criminal and it should be treated as such terrorism as it is has gone beyond the normal level and nobody could believe that it could get to this stage of cutting off people's head, bombing. I look at terrorism beyond the coffers of Nigeria state here. I see terrorism in Nigeria today as the fall of Ghadaffi ‘s empire. It is a major contributor because they have the largest chunk of ammunition and my thinking was that Europeans and the Americans and other Western nations, who should have shared their intelligence, have refused to do so. And we do not have the premonition of what was going to be the likely outcome of allowing a huge cache of ammunition to private hands which is now being used to threaten the institution. “So, looking at it, there is an international outlook on the terrorism bid. I think also in Nigeria here, most people are missing the point by saying that Boko Haram is as a result of bad governance and lack of employment. I would not want to agree entirely to the fact that the expectations of Nigerians were not met and the Nigerians are terribly disappointed by the manner and process of governance. The way out of this, is to bring perpetrators to justice because, terrorism is criminal and it should be treated as such. I think government should take much more proactive steps to stem this ugly trend facing our national life. Asked on government’s under-funding the judiciary, Yamah said “It is unfortunate that the judiciary is being underfunded. “There are three arms of government- Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. The judiciary is the least funded of the three arms of government. T h e situ-

Ozekhome, Kalu differ on six-year single tenure

ation where the budget of the judiciary is on the continued decline is unacceptable, that is why we have the judiciary that is weak, judiciary that cannot train judges, judiciary that lacks equipment, judiciary that cannot pay judges allowance as at when due. Look at this for instance, the trial of Oscar Pistorious in South Africa. You could see how the trial process went, you finished a trial, they have stenographer, automated court, you finish trial, before you leave the court the processes is handed over to you as a lawyer to look at the case. “For the judge, to release the process of that day will go a long way to help our judiciary. This is what underfunding is costing us in the country. When you now have a situation when trial goes on for 10, 11 to 15 years is quite discouraging. So, I think underfunding the judiciary is destroying the nation’s economic development just as it destroys the political and social life of the nation. And the effect is that we have a nation that cannot develop. So, the judiciary must be adequately taken care of. On corruption allegations against the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, he said there was no smoke without fire as he who alleges must prove especially as the Chief Justice of Nigeria alone had the opportunity to discern on the authenticity or otherwise of the allegation. If she has her facts, Yamah said, the allegation then must be holistically looked into with a view to bringing such culprits to book. He said: “Well, the CJN is in a better position to access some of these things. I am sure the CJN has her facts and figures to make such allegation and that if the CJN said that SANs contribute to the corruption of the judiciary, it is not a statement that should be taken lightly, I think the legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee must step up activities to ensure such corrupt people are brought to book. Should the rank be scrapped instead? He said no, insisting that there was need for a reward for excellence. Yamah said: “The rank of SAN in my view should not be scrapped because it encourages hard work and people aspire to be there. It is a professional achievement. The privileges committee should ensure that only qualified lawyers are awarded the rank. I am against that position. It is a thing that encourages hard work in the profession but some have argued that it is a kind of discriminatory thing in that the SAN gets a better brief than those who are not. I think the legal profession is highly personalized. On young lawyers’ poor remuneration, he said: “I think welfare of young lawyers is paramount. I have always said that young lawyers have genuine agitation, they should listen to them. “Now, looking at the situation we have today in Nigeria, everybody, whether Senior Advocate or senior lawyer had at some point in time a junior lawyer. The experiences or the things we hear on a daily basis apart from the poor remuneration, some accumulated arrears of salary, I think it is bad enough. But let us ask people to take a clue from those who have made so much impact on the profession. For instance, someone like Chief Kanu Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria has given back to the profession. I think, young lawyers’ agitation should not be dismissed. They need to take a second look on how to make life more comfortable to young lawyers. “But as it is, it is difficult to fix a minimum salary scale. Efforts have been made towards this, because somebody can come to say that he cannot afford that salary and there is nothing anybody can do to it. As private practitioner, you can pay that and there is so many people looking for job. So, because of a large number of lawyers looking for job, it is difficult to regulate this, but I think that as Professionals, based on our conscience we should have to look at the plight of young lawyers”.

In Nigeria today, electoral offences are prosecuted in regular courts. This has made it a very difficult thing. The idea of establishing special tribunals to try electoral offences has been rejected by the Federal Government

Ozekhome, SAN

It is an idea that is worth selling and I believe that six years will be long enough for a person to deliver the proverbial dividends of democracy and leave when the ovation is loudest CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

as it is undemocratic. He said: A single term of six years for president and governors, to my own understanding, is not a sound democratic norm in the sense that the public will not have the opportunity to assess the administration of a particular government as to whether it is responsive to the needs of the people. “So, it surcharges the electorate and removes from them the power to assess the governance delivered to them by an administration of a president or governor. The reason behind my opinion is, if people are given the opportunity to vote out an unpopular government, such opportunity would no longer be available in a six-year single term. This, in itself is not a good democratic practice as power belongs to the people. Nobody should back such idea because it is an idea to give blanket to an elected officer to do whatever he likes and get away with it. But Chief Awa Kalu differ. He is pushing for the six-year single term, urging Nigerians to give it a trial. Kalu said: “Presently, the Constitution allows any person who occupies the office of the Governor or President to serve not more than two terms of four years. What this means is that a person representing a power bloc may occupy such office for a period spanning eight years. “In the Nigerian context, that may be too long for certain power mongers or blocs. In addition, the need for a person to fight for a second term involves the incumbent in a political dog fight which often generates more heat than light. “The tussle for power consumes energy and enormous resources and often overshadows the need to pay ultimate attention to development. “Accordingly, a single term of six years means that a person who gains access to presidential or gubernatorial office will presumably, devote his attention to development efforts rather than the profligacy of pacifying those who may erect obstacles to a second term. “It is an idea that is worth selling and I believe that six years will be long enough for a person to deliver the proverbial dividends of democracy and leave when the ovation is loudest”. To Festus Keyamo, six-year single term would strengthen the nation’s nascent democracy. “I totally support the idea of six-year single term because statistics shows that 90 per cent of the executives seek re-election”, said the activist lawyer.

26 LAW | news

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

herefore, the law enforcement authorities must do the needful within the provisions of the law and use such discretions as permitted by the enabling laws and case laws to conduct identification parades. Police bail is a constitutional right of the accused person when not related to capital offences. Capital offences are those punishable by death or life imprisonment which includes offences of Murder, Homicide, Rape, Armed Robbery, Mutiny, War Espionage (internal enemy of our country in times of war), et al. Therefore, right to bail for a suspect under police custody is constitutional under Section 35 (4) (b) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended). Pre-trial bail is available to the suspect at the police station and police extract of his statement in the presence of his lawyer or on video if offence is committed in Lagos. Section 35 (6) provides that â&#x20AC;&#x153;any person who is unlawfully arrested or detained shall be entitled to compensation and public apology from the appropriate authority or person specified by law.â&#x20AC;? The second kind of bail is the Pretrail bail in court after the charges have been read to the accused person and upon acceptance that the matter should be tried in that court. If he objects to the trial of the case in the Magistrate Court and want it tried, for instance, in the High Court, suspect will be reminded in prison custody pending when case file will be transferred to the High Court through the usual administrative procedure. Once bail is granted, the accused person and his or her surety is expected to meet the bail terms or conditions. Upon satisfying the court on the terms, his or her bail is processed and accused released on bail. Usually, sureties are made to sign congnisance forms which specify the amount to be forfeited to the court if the accused person jumps bail or cannot be produced in court by the surety. It is strongly recommended that the surety should trust the character or pedigree of the accused person before signing bail bonds in court. It follows that an accused person who is arrested or detained shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time, and if he is not tried within a period of two months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case

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

FredLatimore Oghenesivbe

Pre-trial investigation in criminal litigation Police bail is a constitutional right of the accused person when not related to capital offences of a person who is in custody or is not entitled to bail; or three months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case of a person who has been released on bail, he shall without prejudice to any further proceedings that may be brought against him; be released either unconditionally or upon such conditions as are reasonably necessary to ensure that he appears for trial at a later date as decided in Eda v. Commissioner of Police (1982. In a situation where bail is refused in violation of the constitutional rights of the accused or where bail is an issue based on his or her fundamental rights to liberty under section 34 (1), Section 35 (4) (5) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended), the suspect is entitled to apply to court under the legal instrumentality of Habeas Corpus to order the person or authority to produce the body of the accused and not whether he is guilty or not. The emphasis here is the production of the physical body of the accused in court and to show cause for the further detention of the accused person or suspect without trail. Habeas Corpus proceedings are usu-

ally governed by State Laws and application is made ex-parte accompanied by a deposition of Oath, stating the facts and circumstances of the wrongful detention necessitating the filing of the application. It is a provision of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 and is a potent and reliable weapon for the restoration of abridged and deprived fundamental rights of detainees anywhere in Nigeria. In the case of Alhaji Manfred v. Inspector General of Police & others, the court ordered the immediate release of the applicant from detention as well as the release of his confiscated properties on the grounds that the Police lacked the power to carry out his arrest without sufficient evidence, and also had no powers to confiscate his property and personal effect without a valid court order. It follows that where a police officer or authority confiscates or seize properties which belong to the suspect or accused without first obtaining the order of court, such action is illegal and void ab initio and offends the rule of law. For example, the police have no right whatsoever to seize and retain the international passport of an accused or suspect without the order of the court as was decided in Director of State Security Services (SSS) v. Olisa Agbakoba. In that case, the SSS was made to pay compensation plus public apology to the plaintiff. Exhibits in police station are kept by the police in the registry department away from the reach of the accused person and tendered in court as evidence. However, there are a lot of difficulties

connected with this especially in Nigerian Police Stations where there are lacks of proper facilities to keep exhibits. Sometimes, exhibits disappear in police stations before the case commences in court. Police Officers are prohibited from keeping exhibits in their private custody. All exhibits must be kept at the registry or such safe areas as provided by the police authorities. Exhibits must be directly connected to the offence or crime committed by the accused person. Any other properties belonging to the accused persons not related to the offence committed should not be interfered with by the prosecution. However, if the prosecution is convinced that certain properties so acquired by the suspect or the accused person is related to the proceeds from such offences, application must be made to the court and approval obtained before such properties can be confiscated. These include the personal effects of the accused person, monies in bank accounts, Vehicles, landed properties, et al. In conclusion therefore, pre-trail investigations must be conducted or carried out with due compliance to the judgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rules and other enabling laws and enactments. Time is of the essence in criminal law litigation which is why law enforcement agencies and officers must of a necessity be proactive in the discharge of their duties. Unnecessary delay of court proceedings by the prosecution or the defense counsel constitutes to a large extent delayed justice which is why some of the criminal cases especially in the Magistrate Courts are dismissed or struck out where the court is of the opinion that too much time is being wasted as a result of multiplicity of adjournments coupled with failure of both complainant and accused person to attend proceedings. A criminal charge may also be dismissed if the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and in such circumstances the accused person will be discharged and acquitted by the court. A person can be discharged but not acquitted. In such cases, the matter can be re-visited or revived in the future by the prosecution. But when an accused person is discharged and acquitted; the case dies or brought to an absolute finality and the accused person is clean as if he was never accused of the commission of the offence.

Arepo bunkering: Court declines bail for 20 accused persons Joseph Onyekwere

Federal High Court, Lagos, has turned down the bail applications filed by 20 persons accused of killing nine anti-vandal policemen in Arepo, Ogun state suburb. The accused are Felix Yayu, 25, Ijoufaya Legbe, 42, Yakubu Ebiwei, 45, Augustine Ebiwei, 28, Tamara Dembofa, 32, Owei Atile, 37, Agabra Tiewei, 43, Rufus Godwin, 45, Tierry Koiyetin, 22. Others include, Ebis Sobijoh, 22, Ibori Lawrence, 45, Eberebu Ibori, 30, Atinuke Odewale, 42, Fatai Ishola, 32, Ahmed Bashoru, 42, Odewale Waheed, 43, Susan Vianana 54, Tuesday Filatei, 36, Yeiyah Yellow, 28 and Ismail Abdullahi, 47. They are standing trial on a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful killing of nine police officers, malicious burning of NNPC pipeline and unlawful tampering of free flow

of refined petroleum products. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, while turning down the bail applications, held that: "it is settled law that it is at the discretion of the court to admit the accused persons to bail. "In exercising this discretion, court will ensure that justice is done. "The accused persons are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, having considered the nature of the case, gravity of the offence and the risk of the accused jumping bail, the court will not take a decision that will affect the trial of this case. "On considering the severity of the offence upon conviction which is life imprisonment, it is my view that it is not safe admitting the accused to bail. " I have my doubt if they will attend court and attend trial". Besides, Abang held that the prison author-

Chief Judge, Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta

sons. Mr. P.O. Idogun represented the 13, 15, 16, 17 and 19th accused persons. Mr. Tope Ashaonu represented the 20th accused person and held the brief of Mr Kayode Okimoba for the 14th accused person. The accused persons had urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms and supported their application with affidavits and written addresses which provided that they had credible people to stand as their sureties. In their written addresses, the accused also denied committing the alleged offence.

ity should ensure that adequate medical services are provided to the accused persons while in custody, expenses to be taken care of, by the prison authority on behalf of the federal government. He said that accelerated hearing had already

The prosecutor, Mr. Mathew Omosun, had on August 7, told the court that the accused persons allegedly committed the offence on May 24 at Arepo. Omosun alleged that the 20 accused persons broke petroleum pipe-

commenced on the case in which two witnesses had given evidence. Counsel to the accused persons had on August 21, applied for the bail of the accused persons. Mr. Paul Kurekure, represented 1st to 12th and 18th accused per-

line and tampered with the free flow of refined product. He said that the accused unlawfully dealt on refined petroleum products and set fire on the pipeline. The prosecutor also alleged that the accused persons unlawfully killed nine police officers who were on duty. He said the police officers killed were: ASP. Abdullahi Bature, Insp. Raymond Oriere, Insp. Usman Mohammed, Insp. Tijani Jimoh, Cpl. Elogbamen Timothy, Insp. Oguntihemen Kolawole, Cpl. Yakubu Aliyu. Others are, Cpl. Usman Abdulkarim and Cpl. Dauda Mohammed. He alleged that the accused shot the officers with a pump action. He said the alleged offence contravened Sections 3 (6), 4 (a), 7 (a) (b), 17 (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 and. Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federation, 2004

HEALTH

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stigma fight will clear ebola misconception

}p-27 appolonia adeyemi appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline. com

THURSday, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Ebola: Breaking walls of stigma to integrate survivors

ews of discharge of the first Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) patient in Nigeria in August was greeted with resounding applause. Journalists and other stakeholders including representatives of the United Nations agencies, who received the information with expression of joy momentarily, forgot that they were at the gathering at the Federal NeuroPsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos for an update on the Ebola health emergency. The general mood was that of joy as the shout of ‘Aleluyah’ rent the air. The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu who disclosed the information had interrupted the news briefing to announce it just as it was broken to him. As at Tuesday, September 9, the total number of survivors treated and discharged after being certified free of Ebola virus in Nigeria is 11, according to Chukwu. Given the excitement displayed by journalists and others, it should be expected that integrating these Nigerians back into the society should come on naturally. After all, they are the lucky ones who scaled through the jaws of death occasioned by EVD, and emerged alive and safe. Sadly, re-integrating them into society is being hindered on the fear that they may infect anyone who has contact with them. Based on this notion, not many interact with them, resulting in some relations, friends, colleagues, and other contemporaries deserting them. The story of Mr. Dennis Akagha, the husband-to-be of late Miss Justina Ejelonu, the nurse, who contracted and died of EVD, is well known. He was not only stigmatised by friends and relations, Akagha was abandoned by coworkers and neighbours. Relating his experience on stigma after he was certified healed from Ebola, Akagha was reported as saying, “I was a marketer in an oil and gas company. I worked on commission basis, but at a point, I realised that people were not calling me and when I called, they won’t pick my calls. Even the person that I report directly to refused to pick my calls and also refused to associate with me.” All these were based on unfounded scare among Nigerians. This negative attitude is equally extended to other EVD survivors, raising questions on how appropriate is it to stigmatise EVD survivors? Are these survivors truly free of Ebola virus as the authority in charge of their treatment claim? Can they infect those who have contact with them? Responding to a question on whether EVD survivors are free from the virus, Chukwu an orthopaedic surgeon affirmed that they are safe, having been subjected to the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol for the treatment of the disease. Speaking in similar, vein, Dr. Wale Ahmed, a medical doctor and commissioner for Special Duties in Lagos State, said before any EVD patient is discharged, he/she has tested negative three consecutive times. Similarly, he noted that EVD, “being a viral infection, runs its course and goes like the regular common cold. It is not as if it continues to reside in the body. When the person has gone through it and has turned negative, the chances of a re-in-

With medical experts giving clean bill of health to Ebola survivors, discrimination against them on account of scare may contribute unnecessary stress to their livelihood, writes APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

Brantly who survived Ebola Virus Disease hugs Dr. Bruce Ribner Bruce S. Ribner, MD, Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine and Department of Medicine, Division of Emory University

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola plans to celebrate Ebola virus disease survivors as part of effort to stop the public stigmatising them

fection may be possible only with other strains of the virus, not that particular strain that had been cured.” That explains why the American, Dr. Kent Brantly, 33, a christian aid worker, that was healed after being infected with Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia last month, was hugged publicly by his fellow countrymen, Ahmed reasoned, adding that stigma is the main reason why EVD survivors in Nigeria have maintained low profile. “The reason why you have not seen some of them coming out is because this Ebola disease is little understood in our environment and some stigmatisation may accompany it. That is why those survivors have not come out. It is not because they are dangerous.” The Lagos State commissioner for Special Duties hinted of plans by the Lagos State Government to celebrate the survivors with a view to showcase their safety and discourage stigma. Dr. Jide Idris, a public health physician

and commissioner for health in Lagos State, said before discharging the Ebola survivors, the Ebola Rapid Response Team duly followed the WHO protocol for treatment and would equally conclude all follow-up treatment for all survivors, adding that they are safe. However, both Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Innocent Ujah and Dr. Bridget Okoeguale, Director, Department of Public Health in the Federal Ministry of health, stressed that men who have recovered from the illness should abstain from sexual intercourse till about eighth to ninth week of total recovery because. "Any man that has recovered from the Ebola disease should wait for eight to nine weeks after recovery before having sexual intercourse, in order not to transmit the virus to another person," they counseled. Okoeguale added, “There are many literatures that say that after men are infected, when the virus is not found in the blood, it tends to stay in the semen for about seven weeks to three months. “What we did according to the WHO protocol is that we made sure that when

The reason why you have not seen some of them coming out is because this Ebola disease is little understood in our environment and some stigmatisation may accompany it. That is why those survivors have not come out. It is not because they are dangerous

the men are discharged they are given enough condoms, if they cannot abstain for that period. “We advise them to abstain from sex but where they cannot abstain, they are provided condoms and after the (abstinence) period, we double test to make sure they are free’’. Prof. Oyewale Tomori, foremost virologist and president of the Nigerian Academy of Science said the index case of the current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and presently ravaging Nigeria is caused by the Ebola Zaire species. What this means in effect is that all the Nigerian EVD survivors whose infection are traceable to Sawyer and automatically linked to the Ebola Zaire species are safe and cannot be re-infected with Ebola Zaire species. However, the survivors can be infected with the other four Ebola virus strains including the Ebola-Sudan, the Bundibugyo virus, the Reston Ebola virus and Tai Forest Ebola virus. According to Tomori, of the five known species of Ebola virus, the Ebola-Zaire species has been the most devastating, responsible for 14 outbreaks which resulted in 3,515 cases and 2243 deaths – killing two out of every three infected case. In a recent release on ‘Curtailing the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria’, president of the NAS said, “The Ebola-Sudan species was implicated in seven outbreaks, with 792 cases and 426 deaths, that is, a little more than one death in two cases. “Bundibugyo virus, the third Ebola species has been responsible for two outbreaks, resulting in 66 deaths out of 206 cases, a fatality rate, a bit less than one in three. “The other two Ebola species, the Reston Ebola virus and Tai Forest Ebola virus have not been associated with any outbreak.” As the foremost independent scientific body in the country, and based on available evidence from the 22 other outbreaks of EVD that have occurred in the East and Central Africa in the past, the NAS stated that the persons discharged after having been certified virus-free by the laboratories at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba and Redeemer’s University, should be warmly welcomed and not stigmatised.

Akhaga

28 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Ebola: FG to deploy vehicles, motorcycles for border control

with Dr. Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe

ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

Rosacea: Looks like pimples but different

R Alex-Okoh (l) receives keys of vehicles procured by the federal government for surveillance activities at nation's borders for the containment of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from Logistics Manager, Elizade Nigeria Limited, Banji Oladipupo, held at Elizade Nigeria Limited, Ogba, Lagos recently

Appolonia Adeyemi

ince the importation of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, the need to police Nigerian verse borders land, air and sea borders has become compelling. To this end, the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) recently procured some 22 vehicles including 17 Hilux vans and five Hiace ambulances as well as 32 motorcycles that would be channeled to monitor the borders and ensure the containment of Ebola virus. Taking delivery of the vehicles and motorcycles from Elizade Nigeria Limited in Lagos recently, Dr. (Mrs) Morenike Alex-Okoh, director of Port Health Department in Lagos, a division of the Federal Ministry of Health, said the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) procured the vehicles and motorcycles to facilitate the containment of the EVD in the country. According to her, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Enugu and Sokoto have been listed as the first set of states that would receive some of the 22 vehicles and motorcycles. According to Alex-Okoh , â&#x20AC;&#x153;the pur-

pose of this procurement is to facilitate the containment of the Ebola Virus. Since the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria in 2014, the federal government has taken various steps to contain it and this is just an added measure by providing these vehicles to scale up activities that would facilitate the logistics for the containment of the outbreak. She said basically, they are to be used at international airports, sea ports and land borders for surveillance activities and other activities related to the containment of the EVD outbreak. Since the importation of the EVD into Nigeria by an American Liberian, late Mr. Patrick Sawyer in July, there has been advocacy to heighten surveillance at the borders to check access of those infected with the virus, who might pose a risk to public health. Although, with the procurement of vehicles and planned distribution, the federal government is rising to the responsibility of policing the borders, it is not clear at press time if this investment is made from the N1.9 billion Ebola emergency fund which the federal government earmarked to address the health emergency.

NAFDAC champions water processing standard Shola Adefuwa cal parameter and tasteâ&#x20AC;? He stated that protecting the over 167 ver 167 million Nigerians will benefit million Nigerians against Water borne from preventive approach to water diseases requires a preventive approach borne diseases as the National Agen- which is a global strategy on health and cy for Food and Drug Administration and wellbeing. Control (NAFDAC) on Monday flagged In his own remarks, Food, Safety off its annual Monitoring of Water Qual- and Applied Nutrition (FSAN in ity Standard and Compliance in Lagos NAFDAC), Mrs. Mainasara OgochukState. wu stated that in compliance with Delivering his address, Director Gen- appropriate standards and quality eral of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhii said the specifications for packaged water, ceremony is organised to remind water NAFDAC through its water quality manufacturers of the need for effective initiative brings laboratory analysis compliance with NAFDAC guidelines of packaged water to factories while and procedure. every water packaging facility whose Similarly, Orhii said that building re- water is analysed would be issued a liable data base of water quality at fac- laboratory report of which NAFDAC tory level before distribution and sales keeps a copy. She said this is in in line in compliance with industrial standard with the Global Trend of Transparand NAFDAC regulations on bottled and ency between regulators and the inpackaged water would be achieved. dustries. Responding to this initiative, State He regretted the proliferation of water production facilities which has not Chairman Association of Table Water passed regular laboratory evaluation to Producers (ATWAP) Mr. John Olorunascertain their drinking quality wheth- toba said the annual exercise will imer portable or not.â&#x20AC;? A data of review of prove water processing standards and both sachet and bottled water samples best practices in packaging, it would collected and submitted for laboratory guarantee high quality of processed analysis during registration recorded a drinking water, prevent outbreak of high percentage of failure rates due to water borne diseases while improving microbial pathogens, colour, PH, Chemi- the quality of life of Lagosians, he said.

osacea is a common skin condition but often overlooked and mistaken for acne that might end up with facial disfigurement, eye sight complications and emotional distress if not properly treated. The condition occurs in persons between ages 30 and 50 (about the same time of adult on-set acne) and more in fair skinned women, and in more women than men. The main cause of rosacea is unknown but it is worsened by a combination of environmental, chemical, emotional and psychological factors. A manifestation of severe rosacea results in significant enlargement of the nose, caused by excessive growth of sebaceous glands surrounding connective tissue, the nose is reddened and marked with vein lines.

Presentation of rhinophyma, due to untreated rosacea. PHOTO: aafp.org

They present as complaints of off/on central facial flushing and redness, with no itching. Some may have a stinging pain, facial redness/ flushing, and swelling more around the cheeks, closer to the nose . Common factors that aggravate rosacea are sun exposure, emotional stress, hot weather, alcohol, spicy foods, exercise, wind, hot baths, cold weather, hot drinks, and skin-care products Comparison with acne: Acne is commonly confused especially in middle-aged adults with late onset acne, vein spreading ( telengiectasis) is consistent with rosacea but comedo (blacke heads ) are common with acne , eye symptoms are not associated with acne and the area of distribution on the face differ. TREATMENT: NON PHARMACOLOGIC THERAPY--- initial approach is avoidance of known triggers, aggravating factors, avoiding sunlight, wearing wide brimmed hats when outdoors, avoid facial cleansers or astringent or other skin products that contain alcohol , menthol, clove oil, hazel, using hypoal-

Main cause of rosacea is unknown but it is worsened by a combination of environmental, chemical, emotional and psychological factors

lergenic products, avoiding emotional stress, irritating skin care products and heavy cosmetics should be avoided. Topical therapies are the first line of treatment because there is less side effects. One of the most effective topical antibiotic treatments based on evidence based trials is metronidazole gel and other gel based antibiotic medications. Azelaic has also been shown to be productive. Oral antibiotics can be used in severe resistant cases as in acne, when the eye is involved, a short treatment of topical corticosteroids can be added to the treatment panel. When there is no positive result from antibiotics, minor surgical procedures like excision of the overgrowth tissue with a laser, dermabrasion and cold (cryosurgery) could

be done. There is no cure to Rosacea but it can be effectively managed unlike acne which one can outgrow with age, learning trigger factors and taking avoidance measures could help.

HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

NACA funding: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Withdrawal of donor support will be disastrousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DEAD END International donor fatigue should trigger local resources It is obvious that the Anti-Gay Law has elicited negative responses from donor agencies especially those from developed nations that make huge donations to the fight against HIV and AIDS. In the light of this, what is the current level of Funding coming from these donors since the Anti-Gay Law was signed by the President Good luck Jonathan? How true is the rumour that these donor agencies have withdrawn support to NACA as a result of the Anti-Gay Law? t is not true. It is true that some donors are not increasing their funding but they are also not reducing it. What I mean is this: they are not expanding the resources they provide for us and the lack of expansion can never be attributed to the Anti-Gay Law. The reason for their not expanding support is because they are expecting our government to be responsible and inject more resources. Our government previously refused to do this. Foreign donors, too base their reason here as the cause of their refusal to increase funding. HIV/AIDS is not like agriculture where you produce something this year and if you do not produce next year it may not affect you much. In HIV/AIDS once you are under treatment you continue to be for life. So, what the people (donor agencies) are saying is that if government of Nigeria refuses to increase resources, they too will not increase theirs. So, it is not because of Anti-Gay Law that they have not increased resources they provide for us to fight HIV but because they are not happy that our government is not doing enough.

Dr. KayodeOgungbemi, Director, Strategic Knowledge Management, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) reacts in an interview with OBINNA ODOH on the withdrawal of resources by donor agencies as a result of anti-gay law signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan and other topical Issues in the Agency. Excerpts:

But if eventually donor agencies decides to withdraw their funding, what do you think will be the fate of NACA and health sector with regard to managing people living with HIV? Well, if eventually they decide to withdraw God, forbid but if that happens, it will be a total disaster and horrible. Why? Because if you are on drug as a HIV/AIDS patient and stop for three months, that will lead to death. That is why they are not increasing their support. They expect our government to step up their commitment in saving the lives of her people. If they finally withdraw, it will be terrible and portend great danger for NACA and health sector in general. Let me also inform you that President Goodluck Jonathan is the first leader to increase government funding in Nigeria and that is commendable. It is under his administration for the first time that government of this country increased funding of resources provided by government for the fight against HIV/AIDS and I am not sure whether you are aware that last year he invited all the governors of the 36 states and pleaded with them to fund the programme of HIV/AIDS within their states. Since then, there is great improvement in the running of HIV/ AIDS programmes in all the states of the nation. If they continue like this I think in the next one to two years we shall have tremendous improvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Sir, in tandem with Universal Health Coverage targeted at 100 percent health

Ogungbemi

What the people (donor agencies) are saying is if the government of Nigeria refuses to increase resources, they too will not increase theirs for all, Nigeria cut theirs down to 30 percent. What effort has your agency made towards meeting this target in Nigeria especially at local government level where over 70 percent of Nigerians live? What is the prevalent rate of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria now? The country has made significant progress in terms of reaching our target. In fact, what I mean by our target is this: we have currently what we call National Strategic Plan that span from 2010 to 2015. In this plan we have out lined the target we are to reach by 2015 in HIV/AIDS response and our target is Universal target. The way we map out this target does not necessarily mean that we will reach 100 percent but at minimum we must reach 30 percent access to all Nigerians. This is because we are budgeting according to our resources. In that case we can say that we have reached the Universal Access Target. If you look at the key programme areas in HIV response, they include treatment of all the people who are eligible for treatment. At about five years ago (2010) the country was at 50,000 persons under treatment. This involves people

living with HIV/AIDS. But as at the end of December 2013 about 639,000 persons were receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS. This is the result as at December 2013. We validate our data every six months. As you can see in 2010 we had 50,000 persons under treatment but now we moved to 639,000 persons by December 2013. This figure shows we have made significant improvement in our effort in tackling the problem of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The figure you see here is collected from public health facilities that report to us directly. We have many other private health facilities which do not report to us but the report we presented here is from public health facilities and faith base facilities that report to us. Faith based are the health institutions under christian or islamic health institutions. These faith based are registered with us and we provide them with support and because we provide them support, they report directly to us. So what I am trying to emphasise here is that there are many other private health facilities that do not report to us. The total figure will definitely be more than this but our figure/data is reported from public health facilities which can be verified. This is because we have a report and facilities that are data based as part of our monitoring and evaluation process of data collection and assessment. We also have what we call denominator: how many people are eligible for treatment. In denominator we have about 1.5 million people by our estimations who are responsible and eligible for treatment out of which we have 639,000 that are currently receiving treatment. This figure represents about 40 percent. Actually we have not got to Universal target but our earnest target is at least by the end of 2015 we shall reach 80 per-

cent. Currently we have about 40 percent coverage and have close to two years to go and hope to reach universal set target by then. We are working hard to achieve 80 percent coverage by next year. That is what we have in our strategic plan. Well, at local government and states level we have done a lot but the federal system of government which we operate provided responsibility for each tier of government. The local governments to provide health care services through Primary Health Care to the people of the area. While state governments are to take care of general hospitals and states teaching hospitals within the states. Federal government is to take care of tertiary health institutions like teaching hospitals, specialist hospitals etc. But the programme of HIV/AIDS within NACA capacity does not follow this order. We support Primary Health Care, General Hospitals, and Tertiary Hospitals like Teaching and Specialist Hospitals. We don't wait for states or local governments in the discharge of our duties because the service we offer bothers on saving people's lives and in performing this task our services knows no bound. The issue of HIV/AIDS is such that once you are infected you need treatment to survive and if you do not get you will definitely die no matter where you came from. Because of this truth we provide services to every body whether in primary, secondary or tertiary health institutions. How do we do this? We look at all the hospitals and assess them based on their strengths. We look at those ones that can provide efficient and effective services based on facilities they have and give them our support. Things we consider before endorsement are if they have doctors, nurses, pharmacists and good storage system for the drugs etc. When we assess the hospitals and notice they have minimum facilities that are required to provide treatment we give them our support by providing drugs, training of their staff (health workers) etc. We also build monitoring and evaluation groups that help us to collect data for evaluation and assessment. These services are provided through the department of monitoring and evaluation NACA. What are the most difficult challenges confronting NACA? The most difficult challenges we face as government agency ranges from societal to government. I will start with the societal one. At the level of society people are not changing their behaviour. You know issues of HIV have to do with behaviour to a large extent. Until society appreciates the need to change behaviour we will continue to suffer problem of HIV/AIDS and its prevention. If the society refuses to change behaviour we will continue to have problem of HIV/ AIDS. What I mean by this is that when you consider the level of casual and unprotected sex people engage in despite their knowledge of the HIV pandemic you will be forced to question people's sensitivity. When you go round the streets/hotels in Abuja in the night and C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 3 0

30 HEALTH

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

26 organic products for total wellness debut Appolonia Adeyemi

owards improving the lives of Nigerians, health wise, a line of supplement products named Organic India, has been launched in the country. At the launch ceremony which was held last Friday at Ikeja, the Managing Director, Organic India, in Nigeria, Dr. Felix Adeduro, lamented the fact that Nigerians died from diseases that should not have taken their lives. This basically prompted the need to introduce the product line in Nigeria. A total of 26 products were officially introduced at the launch, some of which include Immunity, which strengthens the immune system against viral and bacterial infections; Tumeric formular; Bowel care; LiverKidney care; Ashwagandha, which inhibits and retards tumours, reduces chronic fatigue, kidney ailments, among other functions. Among medical conditions that Organic product therapy can tackle are fibroid, stroke, stress, among others, he said, adding that the event goes be-

Tumeric plants

yond product launch as Organic India is packaged with ‘total care’, total and true wellness because of the organic nature of the products. The high point of the launch featured an award session, where Mr Bunmi Babs, and associate of Organic India and a major distributor of Organic India products won the sum of N3.7 million and a Toyota Lexus Jeep for his commitment

towards the company. According to the managing director of Organic India products in Nigeria, in the farms where the plants used to produce Organic India products are groomed, all plants are cultivated

naturally, without fertilisers nor pesticides and every product is contained in glass bottles to avoid chemical interactions like in plastic bottles, which reduces the organic potency of drugs.” Speaking further, he said the farms where the plants used to produce organic India products, from the beginning is 100 percent organic seed in organic soil and it takes over five years to yield before being harvested organically, no fertiliser and no chemicals. Organic foods are produced using methods of organic farming. Currently, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain special certification in order to market food as organic within their borders. In the context of these regulations, organic food is food produced in a way that com-

plies with organic standards set by national governments and international organisations. Organic food production is a heavily regulated industry, distinct from private gardening and so is organic herbs used to produce organic medications and supplements. The managing director noted that “it took us four years to get approval from the Indian government to bring the products into Nigeria. We eventually got the permission and it came to Nigeria in January but we decided to save the launch for September.” According to him, the product had been approved under the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO); United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); EU Organic Certification; National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) among others.

Study: Sleeping on animal fur fights asthma Oluwatosin Omoniyi in a peer-reviewed journal. "Previous studies have suggested new research has shown that that microbes found in rural setinfants who sleep on animal tings can protect from asthma. fur may less likely develop An animal skin might also asthma later in childhood. be a reservoir for various kinds The study included more of microbes, following similar than 2,400 healthy city-dwell- mechanisms as has been obing newborns in Germany who served in rural environments," Christina Tischer, from the were followed until age 10. Of those children, 55 per- Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen cent slept on animal skin in Research Center in Germany, their first three months of life. said in a European Lung FounCompared to other youngsters, dation news release. "Our findthose who slept on animal skin ings have confirmed that it is in infancy were 79 percent less crucial to study further the likely to have asthma at age six, actual microbial environment and 41 percent less likely to have within the animal fur to conasthma by age 10, the investiga- firm these associations," she added. tors found. While the study found an asThe study was presented on Sunday at the European Respi- sociation between exposure to ratory Society meeting in Mu- animal skins and fur during nich. The data and conclusions infancy and decreased risk of of research presented at medi- developing asthma, it did not cal meetings should be viewed prove a cause-and-effect relaas preliminary until published tionship.

Research, NACA’s guiding principle C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 9

see what men are doing with commercial sex workers (prostitutes), you will be puzzled. Some of these men who engage in unprotected sex are married and after sleeping with these girls without condom they go home and sleep with their wives and transmit infection to them. So, at society level we need a change of behaviour. This change of behaviour can be achieved through religious and community leaders by educating their members on the dangers inherent in unprotected sex and need to avoid it. We expect churches, mosques, community leaders to, as a matter of habit always inculcate in

their members the necessary information and education about HIV/AIDS. Also, people living with HIV/AIDS should adhere strictly to the guide they receive during counselling and be serious in taking their drugs. At government level, we need improved funding because as I am talking to you now up to 75 percent of our funding is coming from foreign donors. This 75 percent of funding is not sponsored by our government and you know what this could mean. If they decide to withdraw their resources, that will mean a big mess and total collapse of our health sector.

Director, Organic India, Pastor Femi Akinkuade; Managing Director, Organic India, Dr. Adeduro F. Adesanmi; Miss Safety International, Miss Amaka Nwakalor; Associate of Organic India, Mr. Bunmi Babs; and Vice President of Organic India, Mrs Peppy Okeke at the launch of some organic India products held in Lagos recently

Do bras cause breast cancer?

Oluwatosin Omoniyi

hen it comes to breast cancer risk, women's bras are off the hook, a new study has confirmed. To determine if concerns that have surfaced in the past over whether wearing bras might increase the chances of tumors, the researchers looked at types of bras women wore, when they began wearing them and how long they wore them each day. "We found no evidence that wearing a bra is associated with breast cancer," said study author Lu Chen, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She's also a doctoral student in epidemiology at the University Of Washington School Of Public Health. Chen decided to look at the issue because media reports have suggested that bras may hamper lymph circulation and drainage and interfere with waste removal, thereby boosting breast cancer risk. In a book published in 2005, the authors claimed to have evidence of a link between bras

and breast cancer risk. And there are concerns that breast cancer may be more prevalent in developed countries, where women are more likely to wear bras, she said. But the topic has rarely been studied scientifically, Chen noted. The new research, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, is published September 5 in the journal 'Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.' Chen's team evaluated more than 1,000 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2004, comparing them to 469 women without breast cancer. All of the study participants were past menopause, ranging in age from 55 to 74. Those with breast cancer had one of two common types invasive lobular cancer or invasive ductal cancer. The researchers gathered information about bra cup size, whether the bras they wore had underwire, how long each day they wore them and when they started wearing a bra. Women also told the researchers about any family history of breast cancer, their

height and weight, education level, race, income, whether they used hormone replacement therapy and whether they had had a recent mammogram. The bra-wearing habits were not linked with breast cancer risk, Chen found. "Our study found no evidence that wearing a bra increases a woman's risk for breast cancer," she said. "The risk was similar no matter how many hours per day women wore a bra, whether they wore a bra with an underwire, or at what age they first began wearing a bra." The new study is solid, said Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, a professor of cancer prevention at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "This study tells the obvious, the logical, that it is safe to wear a bra," he said. When another Internet scare story crops up about bras and breast cancer risk, women would be wise to ignore it, he added. "The Internet is a treasure, but it contains plenty of nonsense," Trichopoulos said. "Women have enough to worry about without having to worry about wearing a bra or not."

BUSINESS

31 NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Thursday, September 11, 2014

What's news NISER raises red flag on Nigeria’s foreign debt Worried by the rapid rate by which states and the Federal Government increase the nation’s indebtedness to foreign bodies, the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, on Tuesday, canvassed for a ceiling to foreign debt and government borrowing.

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Firm launches $500,000 seed investment scheme An Information Technology entrepreneurship centre in Nigeria, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), has boosted its incubation programme with the launch of a $500,000 seed investment fund to support early stage start-ups over the next two years.

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ISPON decries low devt of local software The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has lamented the low development of indigenous software application in the country, calling for collaborations from stakeholders on the need to focus on developing Nigeria’s software ecosystem.

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‘Nigeria will witness less inactive telecoms licences’ A telecoms expert and Chief Executive Officer, Medallion Communications, Mr Ike Nnamani, has said that the keen interest investors currently have in Nigerian telecommunications market will reduce cases of redundant operating licences in the country.

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BUSINESS CREW AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business) Simeon Ogoegbulem, Dep. Business Editor BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime) SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) Godson ikoro , Asst. Editor (Money Market) DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor

KUNLE AZEEZ, Senior Correspondent Chuks Onuanyin, Energy Nnamdi Amadi, Reporter JOHNSON ADEBAYO, Asst. Production Editor

}p-33 ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

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

Electricity firms mull electronic bill delivery EFFICIENCY E-billing is expected to reduce the overhead costs of DISCOS Jonah Iboma

echnology is expected to play a greater role in Nigeria’s electricity industry as several electricity distribution companies are planning to introduce electronic bill delivery to customers. The move, which is expected to commence before the end of the year, is being planned to cut down on the overhead costs of distribution companies. New Telegraph gathered that currently several distribution companies including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Ikoyi Electricity Distribution Company and Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, have commenced discussions with a leading technology firm, Lagetronix Nigeria Limited, to help them deploy a robust billing system that has electronic bill delivery system. Contacted, the Chief Executive Officer of Lagetronix Nigeria Limited, Mr Femi Adesanya, confirmed that there are on-going discussions between his firm and some distribution companies. Lagetronix has for long been working for the National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) before it was renamed Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as part of government’s efforts towards privatising the firm. The firm is known for billing utilities and had been running its applications at over 100 locations of the former PHCN. Adesanya revealed that the distribution companies inherited a lot of problems from the former PHCN including the issue of poor billing of custom-

CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor Abdulwahab Isa, Finance Editor

Rising expenditure pushes telcos to embrace outsourcing

L-R: Executive Director (Small and Medium Enterprises), Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr. Waheed Olagunju; former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and Charles Khiran, at the Nigeria Arise Awards organized in London by BEN Television to honour Nigerians at home and abroad… recently

ers. A major requirement for the success of the electronic billing system is a reliable and updated database of customers with their phone numbers and possibly electronic mail details. In order to achieve the objective, some of the distribution companies have commenced enumeration and

customer validation exercises. In Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company for instance, the exercise started about two weeks ago and it is expected to continue till the end of the month in Rivers State. Adesanya explained that the move to enumerate customers in order to introduce

electronic bill delivery by discos, was one of the steps necessary to improve overall service delivery. According to him, over the years, the former government monopoly paid very little attention towards blocking revCONTINUED ON PAGE 32

47m phone lines in Nigeria inactive –NCC CONNECTED PHONES

Kunle Azeez

The country’s total connected phone lines on all telecoms networks is 178.1m

bout 47 million connected telephone lines in the country are currently inactive, New Telegraph has learnt. According to latest official data obtained from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s connected

phone lines is 178.1 million. Of this figure, however, only 131.1 million lines are active as at the end of May, this year, leaving some 47 million phone lines inactive. The data shows that redundancy of lines on mobile network has been a recurrent CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE July 2014.................................8.3% June 2014................................8.2% May 2014....................................8%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at Sept 05)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N168 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . . 11.57% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N290 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N228 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $39.65bn as at 4/09/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at Sept 05)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N156.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N255.32 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N202.76 Source: CBN

BUSINESS | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

NISER raises red flag on Nigeria’s foreign debt CAUTION The tolerable debt burden must not be an excuse for the tiers of govt to borrow

Godson Ikoro

orried by the rapid rate by which states and the Federal Government increase the

nation’s indebtedness to foreign bodies, the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, on Tuesday, canvassed for a ceiling to foreign debt and government borrowing. Mr Amos Ogunwale of the institute’s Surveillance and Forecasting Department, made the call at NISER September seminar held in Oyo State. As at March 2014, Nigeria’s debt profile was N10.1 trillion. This money represented the total external and domestic

debts incurred by the federal and state governments, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Out of $9.16 billion, which was the overall external debt, the states and FCT owed $2.8 billion, which was placed at 32 per cent, while Federal Government borrowed $6.3 billion, representing 68 per cent of the total debt.  Domestic debt of states was put at N8.7 trillion, while that of the FCT was 17 per cent. The debt profile, which is, however, about 12 per cent of

the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is a low debt GDP ratio.  Speaking on the topic: "Macro-economic Effects of External Debt Accumulation in Nigeria,” Ogunwale, argued that given the external debt situation in Nigeria, there was the need to maximise collection of tax revenue to finance recurrent and capital expenditures. "Capital investments designated for financing with foreign loans should be subjected to rigorous vetting and proper cost benefit analysis to ascertain their economic viability and the country should maintain a healthy mix among loans, bonds, grants, aid, portfolio and direct foreign investments to finance its development aspirations rather than depending heavily on loans,” he advised. The expert emphasised the need for a sustained long run growth of the economy and im-

proved export performance to achieve an enduring strategy for addressing the debt issue in Nigeria. Specifically, he said: "This entails the removal of structural bottlenecks in sectors as power, roads, rail as well as implementation of supportive policies for local and foreign investments to flourish in sectors such as agriculture." In this regard, he stressed the importance of keeping domestic inflation low to avoid spikes in the volume of external debt. Noting that a high interest rate policy may contain inflation and help stabilise the exchange rate, he said interest rate should be lowered in order to stimulate consumer and business investment spending. Commenting on the seminer, the Director-General NISER, Prof. Olufemi Taiwo, said it was the eighth edition organised by the institute this year.

47m phone lines in Nigeria inactive CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

L-R: Mrs Debola Osibogun, President, Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (CIBN); Mr Herbert Wigwe, GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc and Chizoba Mojekwu, Director, Human Resources, Central Bank of Nigeria, during the 2nd Annual Seminar on Promoting Gender Economic Inclusion, sponsored by Access Bank Plc in Lagos.

SUPPORT The programme aids aspiring technology entrepreneurs Kunle Azeez

n Information Technology entrepreneurship centre in Nigeria, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), has boosted its incubation programme with the launch of a $500,000 seed investment fund to support early stage start-ups over the next two years. Start-ups will receive sums ranging from $10,000 -$25,000 to support business model experimentation and operations. Initial beneficiaries of the seed programme are Vacantboards, Truppr, Traclist, 500shops and Genii Games. The announcement was made at first anniversary of the company’s incubation office, which amongst other services, provides

Firm launches $500,000 seed investment scheme entrepreneurs with mentorship, user testing, access to markets, office space and administration. The initial beneficiaries of the seed investment went through CcHUB’s pre-incubation programme, which identifies and supports aspiring technology entrepreneurs looking to address local market problems with relevant solutions. Through the $90,000 Tony Elumelu Foundation/CcHUB pre-seed fund, beneficiaries started out with a grant award of $5,000 each to support their ideas, build working prototypes, carry out initial market testing anf proof their concepts. These ideas grew steadily, earning revenues, increasing their user bases and building partnerships hence needing a different kind of support. “CcHUB incubation office launched in response to the

need to provide business development, mentoring and funding support to start-ups that showed traction from our impactful Pre-incubation program,” said Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of CcHUB, Mr. ‘Bosun Tijani. “Our seed investment ensures start-ups have a sure footing post-pre incubation to concentrate on rapidly executing their plans and learning from the market.” Also speaking, Director of Incubation at CcHUB, Mr Tunji Eleso, said: “Discussions are already underway with investors to provide additional funding to two of our initial beneficiaries and we hope to break the news in the coming months. “We welcome startups looking to transform the way Nigerians live, play and do business to apply to join our portfolio,” he further stated.

Jumia eyes 36% growth in Egyptian Unit

frica’s leading online retailer, Jumia, said it sees its market share surging beyond 36 per cent in Egypt in the next few years. Jumia, which currently leads the North African country’s e-commerce space, said that Egypt is one of its strongest markets in the African region.

It credits this achievement to the attention it pays on consumer’s needs. According to a communique by the company and obtained by Ventures Africa, one of the ways it plans to achieve this is by providing collections of products and different payment options, which includes “pay on

delivery.” “The incredible market potential and the technology infrastructure, combined with the human factor, are the main drivers behind this growth,” Jumia CEO, Mattia Perroni, said in a recent study conducted by his company and the Boston Consulting Group.

phenomenon in the sector. For instance, most connected telephone lines on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks that have gone moribund in the country now have a large chunk of inactive or redundant lines. Besides, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operators such as MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat also experience telephone inactivity on their networks. In January this year, it was learnt that the number of inactive telephone lines in the country was 44.9 million while in February, it grew to 48.2 million. The number however declined to 46 million in March; in April, the number of inactive phone lines rose to 48 million, and in May, it went down by 1 million. “The phone inactivity may be attributed to many things. For me, I think as mobile phone operators engage in competition and they woo subscribers to their networks, there is the tendency that subscribers may throw away their current network to pick a new one, thereby rendering the former phone line unused and thus inactive,” said an industry analyst, Mr Yusuf Kayode, who works with Telecoms Answers Associate. NCC's Public Affairs Director, Mr Tony Ojobo, said that with the introduction of mobile

number portability scheme, instances of inactive lines may reduce because “when new customers buy phone lines, they only need to switch from one network to another without losing their lines.” Meanwhile, teledensity in the country has grown from 19.40 per cent in January to 93.70 per cent at the end of May. Teledensity is the percentage of the number of phone users per population at a given period of time and its growth is proportional to the growth in the subscriber base. On annual teledensity growth trend, teledensity increased from 0.73 per cent in 2011 to 1.89 per cent in 2002 and in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006; it increased to 3.35 per cent; 8.5 per cent; 16.27 per cent and 24.18 per cent respectively. In 2007, teledensity increased to 29.93 per cent and in 2008, it hit a record 45.93 per cent. Also, with the growth in active subscriber-base hitting 74.52 million by the end of 2009, teledensity also reached 53.23 per cent, while the figure rose to 63.11 per cent in December, 2010 and to 68.49 per cent as the end of December, 2011. In 2012, teledensity rose to 80.85 per cent and by the end of December, 2013, the figure moved up to 91.15 per cent. The figure is poised to hit 100 per cent by the end of this year, according to industry experts.

Electricity firms mull electronic bill delivery CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

enue leakage; leading to a situation whereby close to 50 per cent of revenue that should otherwise have accrued to government was lost. Currently, the 11 electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) are struggling to stabilise their networks and create a proper database of their customers but despite their efforts, little success

has been recorded, especially as the power situation has not improved in many parts of the country. Energy loss, low customer confidence in estimated billing and poor collection of revenue are some major issues that distribution companies are grappling with, which the electronic billing system is expected to help them overcome. This is also expected to instill greater transparency.

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Rising expenditure pushes telcos to embrace outsourcing Overwhelmed by the increasing capital expenditure (CAPEX) being incurred in maintaining their site infrastructure, telecoms operators in Nigeria are opting for outsourcing model, which, experts say, remains a more effective model for running their operations in a more efficient way. KUNLE AZEEZ reports.

etwork operators, have, in the last 13 years of telecoms sector liberalisation in Nigeria, earmarked on huge capital outlay in establishing passive mobile infrastructure, which includes tower sites and all infrastructure on them, such as towers, shelters and power and cooling facilities (excluding radio equipment), to roll out services in the country. For obvious reason of competition, licensed mobile network operators (MNOs) build their respective infrastructure separately in new market development areas without sharing such facilities with their competitors coming into the same market. Suffice to say that the operators’ focus right from the outset has always been to increase their market share against analysts’ advice that collocation or infrastructuresharing model presents a more sustainable business model for them in the face of increasing capital expenditure (CAPEX) and declining revenues. Statistics According to the latest official data from the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as of April this year, investment in the sector had reached a whopping $32 billion (about N4.9 trillion), up from around $500 million in pre-liberalisation era in 2001. Analysts say that a large chunk of the N4.9 trillion in-

vestments is believed to have gone into the deployment of infrastructures such as telecoms towers and other cable infrastructures, all of which are essential for providing services to subscribers. Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, recently disclosed that as at mid last year, the number of telecoms towers so far built in the country had reached 27,000. Experts say, 12 months after the minister’s declaration, the sector may have attracted about 3,000 additional towers, bringing the total figure of tower sites deployed across the country to about 30,000. Investigation showed that, of these figures, MTN has about 9,000 towers, Globacom and Airtel have about 6,000 each while Etisalat has close to 4,500 and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators and independent infrastructure firms such as Helios Towers, IHS Nigeria, Swap Technologies and others, share the rest. However, industry experts maintain that the current number of cell sites in the country is still far below what the country requires in order to have ‘perfect’ quality of service if the operators are to stick to deploying their infrastructures individually without collaboration. “The industry would need about 60,000 tower sites across the country if we must have top-rated service delivery,” said Mr Olusola Teniola, an engineer. In addition, as part of their operational cost, huge sums are spent on diesel used to power the base stations for a round-theclock operation. For instance, New Telegraph’s investigation revealed that telecom firms spend in excess of N16.5 billion on fuel monthly to run generating sets deployed at each cell site. Experts say all these expenditures increase both the general CAPEX and operating expenditure (OPEX) for operators after having incurred the cost of building the sites, even as Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) declines. According to information gathered, the current cost of building a cell site is conservatively estimated at $250,000 (about N39 million). Despite all these, telecoms

million, will help Airtel reduce debt and on-going CAPEX. “It is an important step towards the consolidation of tower assets across Africa that will drive industry-wide cost efficiencies through infrastructure sharing. The agreement will further help in accelerating the growth of telecom services in the continent and at the same time benefit the environment by avoiding duplication of infrastructure,” he said. In the same vein, Nigeria’s fourth largest telecoms firm, Etisalat has also joined the race of outsourcing. The UAE-owned telco has sold 2,136 of its towers in Nigeria to IHS, as part of a broader strategy to drive improvements in the quality of its network performance. Etisalat’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Matthew Willsher, said that the partnership with IHS, which will see IHS committing $100 million into the management of the acquired towers, was designed to promote network sharing, ensure higher quality, sustain reliable mobile services and lower overall costs. “Continued demand for mobile connectivity along with increased consumption of data required reliable and effective networks that were also costefficient for the network operators. The partnership will, therefore, help us to promote a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage and increased investments in alternative energy solutions,” he said.

Telecom base station

investment in the sector had reached a whopping $32 billion (about N4.9 trillion), up from around $500 million in pre-liberalisation era in 2001 operators, until recently, still prefer to build and own their infrastructures separately. Today, operators are embracing outsourcing model. “The truth of the matter is that infrastructure sharing is what has come to stay. Outsourcing is actually the future of telecoms business model for efficiency. That is literally where everybody is going,” said Mr Ike Nnamani, President and Chief Executive Officer, Medallion Communications Limited. “If you check over the last few months, you will notice that even the major operators have started selling out their towers, base stations to companies that specialise in cell site management and infrastructure sharing because, ultimately, it is going to make it more efficient to and cheaper for them to operate it.”

Rush to sell towers Apparently inundated by the rising CAPEX, three telecoms operators in Nigeria - MTN, Etisalat and Airtel - have recently entered into separate agreements with IHS Holding Limited (HIS) to sell a combined 14,387 of their towers. Just last week, IHS Holding Limited (IHS) acquired 9,151 of MTN’s mobile network towers in Nigeria. Commenting on the deal, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr Michael Ikpoki, said: “The separation of MTN Nigeria’s mobile network towers and operation of the underlying towers business by IHS reflects a major part of our strategy to optimise network quality and technological assets towards creating value and driving innovation to meet our customers’ needs now and in the long term.” Similarly, Bharti Airtel had announced it was in talks to sell around 3,100 telecom towers in four African countries to Helios Towers Africa (HTA), the leading tower operator in the continent. When the deal is sealed, Helios Towers will acquire the telecom towers from Bharti Airtel and lease them back to the telecoms company to use for its mobile services. According to the Chairman of Bharti Airtel International Netherland, Mr Manoj Kohli, the deal, valued at about $500

Benefits According to the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr Gbenga Adebayo, “one major benefit of outsourcing is in the protection of our environment by reducing proliferation of infrastructure and facility installations.” He also said that “in general, co-location reduces the infrastructure requirements, like telecom towers of operators. Infrastructure sharing also offers other benefits such as shared energies,” he added, pointing out that infrastructure sharing depends largely on “regulation and legislation.” An industry analyst, Mr Akin Akinbo, said that “operators are taking up the infrastructure-sharing business model as telecoms operators are now outsourcing their telecoms towers to be managed by infrastructure companies to drive efficiency.” According to him, telecoms subscribers benefit from the model “because it increases competition in the market and forces prices down,” stressing that co-location brings a significant reduction in CAPEX outlay as well as recurring operation capital for the operators. “So, for me, I believe this infrastructure leasing or outsourcing model is long overdue in a country like Nigeria where operational costs for the telcos is coming from high cost of Right CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

34 BUSINESS | ICT ACCESS Collaborations required to make Internet access cheap for users Stories by Kunle Azeez

n Internet business expert, Ms Funke Opeke, has called for a concerted effort between private sector players and government, towards ensuring collaborations that will bring about reduction in the cost of Internet services in Nigeria and other African countries. The Chief Executive Officer of MainOne made the call when she joined global policy makers, international organisations and other global internet stakeholders in Istanbul, Turkey, during the week to discuss “Policies Enabling Access, Growth and Development on the Internet.” The 9th Annual Internet Governance Forum conference with the theme: “Connecting continents for enhanced multi-stakeholder internet governance,” was a collaborative effort under the guidance of the United Nations for stakeholders from various regions of the world to engage in policy dialogues on the future of the internet. Opeke spoke on a panel that included the Nigerian Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, United States Government, Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda; the Commissioner for Digital

MainOne advocates affordable Internet access Agenda and President of the European Economic and Social Committee, NeelieKroes; Deputy Director General, United Nations Educational, Science, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), GetachewEngida; among others. The session brought forth diverse experiences from both developed and developing countries on policies that have worked to enhance digital inclusion to drive growth and development. A critical consensus was formed on the need for deeper collaboration between the private and public sectors, and users on the implementation of strategies to enhance global internet access for the world’s four billion unconnected individuals. Johnson opened the session with a brief presentation of Nigeria’s broadband plan and the drive to increase fiber rollout and to make more spectrum available to drive broadband rollout, while Opeke further highlighted other developments in open access networks in Nigeria. Explaining measures being taken by MainOne to support low-cost Internet availability despite the challenging operating environment in Nigeria, Opeke

Firm introduces video surveillance technology player in network video, Aannounced Axis Communications, has the local avail-

ability of the Axis P39-R Network Camera Series offering protection against dust and water and able to withstand tough conditions such as vibrations, shocks, bumps and temperature fluctuations. The company said that the new series also features active tampering alarm function that allows for the detection of tampering attempts such as blocking or spray-painting. Speaking on the video solution, Sales Manager at Axis Communications, Mr Jason McGregor, said that Axis is the pioneer in developing COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf), mobile-rated IP cameras. “The Axis P39-R Series is our third generation suite of ruggedised cameras designed for the on-board environment and, for customers who want to upgrade to this latest version, the P39-R Series shares the same physical interface as Axis M31R cameras,” he explained. The cameras are specially adapted to respond quickly to changes in light levels, ensuring that high image quality and image usability are maintained. Also, the use of progressive scan enables the cameras to show moving objects without

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

distortion. Traffic Light mode helps to better distinguish colours of traffic lights in very dark scenes. “In addition to the rail and bus markets, we are seeing more and more mobile applications for this type of highly reliable camera for rugged environments that include cargo and freight, emergency, mining and other types of utility vehicles,” McGregor said. The P39-R Series includes the Axis P3904-R network camera with HDTV 720p resolution, the Axis P3905-R with HDTV 1080p resolution and the Axis P3915-R with HDTV 1080p resolution as well as audio-in and I/O capabilities. Each model is available with either a male RJ45 connector or a rugged M12 connector. AXIS P39-R Series allows for a quick and reliable installation, as the desired field of view and leveled image can be easily achieved by using the supplied lens tool to direct and rotate the ball that holds the lens and image sensor. He said that the tool can also be used to exchange and focus the lens when a lens with a different angle of view is required. “The cameras provide a pixel counter for verifying that the pixel resolution of an object meets specific requirements,” McGregor added.

stated that the firm is currently building a data centre in Lagos as a booster for local content. Meanwhile, the panel took a keen interest in Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, and the role the data centre could play in distributing that content via the Internet. Speaking at the panel ses-

sion, MainOne’s CEO said: “We realise that internet access can improve economic outcomes for the large youth population that we have in Nigeria. Delivering affordable internet services to more of our youth will make a critical difference in our economic development and deserves the Industry’s utmost

attention.” Opeke noted that MainOne has been at the forefront of enabling affordable Internet access in West Africa with investments in the growth of the local Internet economy, stressing that participation in matters of Internet Governance further reinforces that commitment.

L-R: Education Lead, Microsoft, Mr. Patrick Onwumere; Managing Director, Mr. Hassan Alao, and Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Mr. Mike Olajide, both of Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Executive Secretary/Chief Executive, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, Prof. Godswill Obioma; Executive Director, Software Solutions, Sidmach Technologies, Mr. Adebayo Arogundade and Corporate Affairs, Intel, Mr. Akinola Babatunde, at the launch of e-Curriculum Initiative in Abuja recently.

120 teachers get UNESCO, Microsoft IT certifications COMPETITIVENESS Nigerian teachers receive IT training for competitiveness

o fewer than 120 teachers from Doregos Private Academy and St. Bernadette School in Nigeria have become the first set in Nigeria and Africa to undergo training at the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Standard, Digital Literacy and Microsoft certifications in the country. The certifications will allow the teachers to prepare students for the new academic session with modern skills needed in a world where technology is prevalent and quickly changing. They are now Microsoft Certified Educators (MCE) and Internet and Computing Core Certified (IC3). These certifications have differentiated Doregos and St. Bernadette Schools from their counterparts in Nigeria and Africa. Microsoft Partners in Learning Group has a professional development programme to help teachers develop the attributes needed for innovative teaching. The teachers are undergoing rigorous training for four

weeks at New Horizons, the world’s leading IT training institution in Nigeria where they will also sit for the international certification online to test their competencies in all areas based on the examination body’s specification. This landmark achievement has set a standard of Information and Communication Technology digital literacy and teaching with technology in schools today for others to emulate. Commenting on the development, the proprietres of the two schools, Mrs Clementina Doregos, expressed delight at the training her teachers are undergoing at New Horizons, one of Microsoft Partners in Learning Group, noting that it will aid them to be at par with their counterparts abroad. She explained that her visit to top schools in the United States and the United Kingdom where teachers and students are collaborating, innovating and solving problem in classroom in real time, shows that teaching has gone beyond didactic method of training to collaborative method, where teachers and students share knowledge real time in the classroom with the aid of technology. Managing Director of New Horizons, Mr Tim Akano, de-

scribed Mrs Doregos as “an exceptional proprietress that is ready for change driven by innovative way of adding value to her students, teachers, parents and schools.” New Horizons has developed a curriculum for teachers in line with UNESCO Standard, Digital Literacy and Microsoft certifications to empower and equip them with 21st century teaching skills and test their competency aimed at addressing one of the reasons for mass failure in West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Also, Head of National Office, WAEC, Mr Charles Eguridu, said that many Nigerian teachers were not competent, saying that some could not even read, asking how one will impart knowledge he does not possess. Eguridu also said that most teachers find it difficult to pass competency tests, stressing that the inability of most states to constantly conduct competency test has led to a situation where it is difficult to vouch for teachers’ competence. “Educators, holding an MCE and Internet and IC3 have the competencies needed to apply technology skills to the teaching and learning process, creating a richer learning experience for students, and saving precious time,” he said.

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Phablet shipments to reach 175m units – IDC GROWTH Study indicates phablet sales will overtake PC’s this year Stories by Kunle Azeez

orldwide phablet shipments will reach 175 million units this year, surpassing the 170 million portable PCs expected to be shipped during the same period. Phablets are smartphones designed with screen sizes from 5.5 to less than 7 inches. This is according to a new forecast from the Interna-

tional Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker report. According to IDC, next year, total phablet volumes will top 318 million units, surpassing the 233 million tablets forecast to be shipped in 2015. While phablets are a relatively new category of device, first picking up volume in 2012, the pressure that the category has placed on the tablet market has already been clearly observed as the growth of smaller, 7 inch tablets, has begun to slow. IDC expects more consumers to shift back toward largersized tablets with their next purchase. However, that trend

has not made up for the decreased shipments of smaller sizes, which has resulted in lower overall expectations for the tablet market in 2014 and beyond. “With Apple expected to join the space in the coming weeks, we anticipate even more attention on phablets as larger screen smartphones become the new norm,” said Senior Research Manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Melissa Chau IDC expects phablets to grow from 14.0 per cent of the worldwide smartphone market in 2014 to 32.2 per cent in 2018. As the Smart Connected Device market matures and

emerging markets drive more of the growth, the percentage of the market made up of phablets plus regular smartphones is expected to increase. In 2014, IDC expects smartphones to represent about 70 per cent of the total market. By 2018 that will grow to 75.6 per cent. While consumers in places like the United States and Western Europe are likely to own a combination of PCs, tablets, and smartphones, in many places the smartphone, regardless of size, will be the one connected device of choice. Dropping average selling prices (ASPs) for phablets and

smartphones will help drive this trend. In 2013, a phablet cost an average of $568 versus a regular smartphone at $320, while IDC forecasts that in 2014, those prices will drop to $397 and $291, respectively. “Clearly, mobile computing is a space where consumers are still trying to figure out what mix of devices and screen sizes will suit them best,” said Program Vice President with IDC’s Devices and Displays, Tom Mainelli. “What works well today could very well shift tomorrow as phones gain larger screens, tablets become more powerful replacements for PCs, and even smart watch screens join the fray,” he said.

She Leads Africa showcases female IT entrepreneurs he Leads Africa has anShosting nounced that it would be its inaugural Entre-

Smartphones

NIGCOMSAT refutes alleged deal with Netlink DENIAL FG’s satellite company says it only had a DTH leasing deal with PPTV

igerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), the company saddled with the responsibility of commercialising the country’s satellite resources, has denied signing any technology agreement to lease its Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform to an indigenous company, Netlink Technologies. Instead, the satellite company, in a statement by its Head, Corporate Communications, Mr Sonny Aragba-Akpore, said that the DTH agreement it had was with an indigenous investor, PPTV. According to the statement, the agreement signed with PPTV was formalised recently at an event attended by the Acting Managing Director, NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Abimbola Alale and PPTV Chairman, Mr Dumebi Kachikwu. The statement said that the handing over followed a series of update meetings between the two companies on June 5

and August 8, this year. Alale said: “The agreement with PPTV was signed in November, 2013, after which PPTV carried out a technical audit to ascertain the workability of the system vis a-vis the desired services to be delivered. Having been satisfied with the process, we decided to hand over the platform to PPTV today.” Also, Kachikwu commended NIGCOMSAT team for the exercise, stating that the platform will definitely make a difference to Nigerians because PPTV will leverage on the NigComSat-1R capacity and DTH Head end to provide triple play services for subscribers. Stating that while PPTV is the service provider, NigComSat is the brand in the deal, Kachikwu said: “PPTV is already holding talks with major telecommunications operators such as MTN, Etisalat and others, which will key into this project to provide voice communication to their subscribers while the other aspects of video and data transmission shall be delivered by PPTV.” Kachikwu disclosed that an assembly plant to manufacture the set-top boxes shall be

put in place to complement the technology that is on ground, saying that prototypes of the set up boxes were already in place. “This shall take off in a matter of weeks because the equipment has already been imported,” he said. He also said that his team, in collaboration with NIGCOMSAT staff, has packaged a module for the educational sector for which talks were in progress with the Federal Government to take the services across secondary and tertiary institutions across the country riding on the NigComSat-1R satellite. Responding to Alale’s presentation, Kachickwu averred that the partnership would benefit greatly from the optimal utilisation of the existing expertise of NIGCOMSAT staff trained on the functionality of the DTH Headend. “The ceremony closed with an assurance from PPTV that services shall be delivered before the end of the year. This is contrary to the insinuation in a newspaper report recently that the DTH agreement with Netlink Technologies had collapsed. There is no such agreement,” the statement said.

preneur Showcase later this month in Lagos. According to the social enterprise, dedicated to fostering the spread of business growth and ideas in Africa, the showcase would provide female entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business ventures to a panel of potential mentors and investors, and compete for cash and other prizes. The organisation said it had selected ten entrepreneurs from about four hundred applicants representing 27 countries who entered the challenge to win $10,000 and $5,000 cash prizes for the overall winner and runner-up, respectively. This is in addition to other prizes such as phones and tablets, brand consultation, free office space, access to prominent venture capitalists and angel investors, and additional tools needed to expand their existing start-ups and achieve their business dreams. “We are incredibly excited about the finalists for the inaugural She Leads Africa competition,” said Co-Founder of the outfit, Yasmin BeloOsagie. According to him, “these finalists represent some of the

best and the brightest entrepreneurial talents in Africa and we look forward to seeing the outcome of the competition. “Starting a business is challenging for any young person in Africa and at times the challenges can multiply for young women,” said Co-founder, Afua Osei. “Access to education, financing, and useful networks are limited, and cultural stereotypes can curtail a woman’s ambition.” She Leads Africa’s vision is to provide entrepreneur development, networks and funding for promising female entrepreneurs, who have the ambition and drive to be the business leaders of tomorrow, building companies that will become pan-African and global leaders.” Over a period of one month, the finalists would consult key figures in the private equity, management consulting, and financial industries. “Africa as a whole is poised for greatness, with significant potential for wealth,” further said Osei. “With the guidance and mentorship of those that have become proven successes in their fields, we can ensure that this new period of growth creates opportunities in new sectors and for a new generation of Africans.”

Telcos embrace outsourcing CONTINUED from PAGE 33

of Way, multiple taxation, vandalism both accidental or wilful damage. To meet up with the subscribers’ demands, therefore, telecoms operators would need to look for a more efficient business model.” Meanwhile, the Medalion CEo has asserted that the growth of outsourcing among the operators portend a god development for the industry. “Through the selling of their towers, the operators seem to have demonstrated that they are no longer playing the num-

ber game of how much infrastructures and sites they own but rather; they are now looking for ways to share their infrastructure to run more costeffective operations to reduce CAPEX. “Operators should start focusing on network expansion, increasing coverage using the most economic and efficient means possible to promote rapid growth in the industry and reduce operational costs, as they face the core business of providing top-notch services to their over 130 million subscribers,” he said.

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ISPON decries low devt of local software LOCAL CONTENT Software practitioners collaborate to develop local software ecosystem Stories by Kunle Azeez

he Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has lamented the low development of indigenous software application in the country, calling for collaborations from stakeholders. Consequently, they streesed for the need to focus on developing Nigeria’s software ecosystem.

The software advocacy group spoke on the side line of the formalisation of Microsoft’s corporate membership of ISPON, following extensive discussions and mapping out of strategies on how best to collaborate towards the development of the Nigerian software ecosystem. At a ceremony attended by key officials on both sides, certificate of membership for Microsoft Nigeria was presented alongside the handover of a white paper on the sustenance of a strategic partnership between the two industry heavyweights. Speaking at the event, President of ISPON, Mr Pius Okigbo,

Jr., reiterated ISPON’ resolve to build indigenous capacity by bolstering software local content as well as protecting and advocating intellectual property rights as it concerns indigenous software development. He said that ISPON will plan to achieve this target through its various channels and events and stated that Microsoft Nigeria must play a key role in the realisation of these goals. Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr Kabelo Makwane, expressed pleasure at the approach of ISPON towards addressing the key issues, stressing that the partnership should be on a long-term basis judged

by the enormity and importance of the issues identified. He tasked ISPON on the need to facilitate a unified and strong software industry which will speak with one voice and thereby lend credence to the advocacy of its cause. In his contribution, immediate past president of ISPON, Dr. Chris Uwaje, described the partnership between ISPON and Microsoft as a welcome development, tasking the company to assert its role in the development of the Nigerian software ecosystem. He stated that Nigeria has a pool of young talented software developers, a large percentage of which will be churned into the software ecosystem in the next decade, creating a vibrant software industry.

Microsoft Nigeria confirmed its acceptance of the strategic partnership with ISPON and pledged its support to participate at the forthcoming ISPON National Software Conference & Competition holding in Tinapa, Calabar, Cross River State, in October. Microsoft Corporation recently elevated Microsoft Nigeria to a stand-alone subsidiary in recognition of the maturity of the market and the immense opportunities the country offers. These opportunities include fast economic growth, the largest Gross Domestic Product in Africa, a new generation of entrepreneurs and a businessfriendly government that is rapidly expanding ICT infrastructure development.

New Dell PC portfolio debuts n Information Technology BIOS and driver updates across Aadditions firm, Dell, has released new a company’s Dell devices. to its Latitude and With K1000 Express, cus-

L-R: President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr. Pius Okigbo Jr. and Country Managing Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr Kabelo Makwane, duringthe formalization of Microsoft’s corporate membership of ISPON in Lagos.

Three new smartphones launched in Nigeria

icrosoft Corporation has announced the Nokia Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM smartphones running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. These phones are bringing industry-leading imaging technology to more affordable price levels. Microsoft also announced two new accessories that provide innovative ways for people to interact with their phones, plus the Lumia Denim update, which brings extra features and enhancements to existing Lumia smartphones. With a slim design, the Lumia 830 is an affordable flagship that delivers high-end innovations such as optical image stabilization and PureView imaging to more people. Offering wide-angle, frontfacing cameras; an attractive price tag; and slim, compact style, the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are built for Skype calls and selfies. Existing Lumia smartphones continue to get even better with the Lumia Denim update, which combines great new features

from the latest Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 with exclusive enhancements such as Lumia Camera, which brings highquality images at the fastest speeds. “Our strategy is to help people do more with stunning products that unite and showcase the best of Microsoft’s digital work and life experiences,” said Corporate Vice President of Mobile Devices Sales at Microsoft, Mr Chris Weber. According to Weber, “the Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM combine popular Microsoft services such as Skype, Microsoft Office and OneDrive with amazing Lumia innovations in design and imaging to bring experiences that people value, at prices they can afford.” Lumia 830 is the affordable flagship and offers the best of Lumia and the latest from Microsoft in a pocket-friendly design and price. The Lumia 830 captures highquality images and videos, day or night, with a 10-megapixel PureView camera with ZEISS optics, Rich Recording and the

thinnest optical image stabilisation system to date on a Lumia. It delivers the best of Microsoft with pre-loaded Microsoft Office Mobile; the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim; and OneDrive with 15 GB of free storage, allowing content to be synced and shared easily. It comes with flagship Lumia innovations such as integrated wireless charging in a sleek and light aluminium and polycarbonate design. Lumia 830 will begin rolling out globally this month, priced around 330 euros before taxes and subsidies. Meanwhile, Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are built for Skype and selfies. With wideangle, front-facing cameras and a slim, pocketable style, the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 let people easily capture and share more. The front facing, wide-angle, 5-megapixel camera is great for Skype video calls, letting people share more of the world around them or bring more family and friends into a call. CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

OptiPlex portfolio. The new products include the Latitude 7000 Series 2-in-1 detachable laptop; the Latitude 3000 and 5000 Series laptops; the Latitude 14 Rugged laptop; and the OptiPlex 9020 and 3020 Micro desktop PCs. Providing the most secure, manageable and reliable commercial PC solutions, Dell, also introduced its Chromebox and Chromebox for meetings solutions and new additions to its monitor line-up further expanding its global leadership in flat panel displays. Speaking on the products, Vice President and General Manager, Commercial Client Solutions at Dell, Mr Kirk Schell, said: “Dell understands the complexity of supporting the wide variety of devices present in today’s evolving workforce environment.” Schell said: “Our new portfolio enables businesses of all sizes to embrace sleek and innovative form factors their workforce will be proud to use day after day to accomplish their productivity goals. Even though they look like thin and light consumer devices, these commercial PCs are backed by the industry’s best security and manageability that only Dell provides.” The firm further said that it offers comprehensive encryption, advanced authentication and leading edge malware prevention from a single source via its award-winning Dell Data Protection portfolio. “Dell builds management capabilities into its Latitude and OptiPlex portfolio to help customers maximise their hardware investment and the all-new Dell Client Command Suite offers free automation tools to help significantly reduce time spent on deploying, monitoring and updating systems,” it said in the statement. Also introduced, Dell KACE K1000 Express, is a free, easyto-use IT inventory solution exclusive to Dell customers that manages warranty status,

tomers gain a holistic view of all of their hardware and software assets, encompassing tablets, desktops and servers. To help ensure outstanding reliability, Dell offers its award winning enterprise-class Dell ProSupport and each Latitude and OptiPlex system is built to last with each component tested beyond industry standards. “Systems also undergo rigorous accelerated life cycle and torture tests for extreme heat, hinge endurance and twists. Dell also uses premium materials including aluminum chassis and LCD display backs, and touch screens are clad with Corning Gorilla Glass for up to 10x scratch resistance over soda lime glass used in most other laptops,” Dell stated. Dell’s new additions to the Latitude family of commercial PCs offer a variety of work styles and use cases—from the executive road warrior to the rough and tumble demands of workers in the field. The new Latitude 13 7000 Series is the world’s most secure 2-in-1, combining a lightweight business Ultrabook and a detachable tablet in one powerful device without compromise. This “laptop-first” 2-in-1 offers a large 13.3-inch display and a professional, ISO-certified backlit keyboard, bolstered by the convenience of Instant Go from sleep mode, a feature often reserved for smart phones and traditional tablets. When paired with the Dell Mobile Office, a suite of accessories specifically designed for this device – a carrying case, sleeve, power companion and universal dongle, the Latitude 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 detachable laptop offers ultra-mobile professionals a first-class productivity experience. According to a preview from Dell’s latest Evolving Workforce Study to be released in full later this year, flexibility and the ability to work anywhere continues to demonstrate considerable benefits for overall health and well-being.

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FORERUNNER Major investment in highspeed Internet technology recorded in Ghana Stories by Kunle Azeez

telecoms services company in Ghana, Surfline Communications, has officially launched the country’s first 4G single Long Term Evolution (LTE) service. With this, the company is able to provide high-speed broadband Internet service ahead of competitors in the country. With nearly 300 cell sites, Surfline becomes the largest single LTE deployment in Africa to date, as it makes a splash in the Ghanaian market. Surfline’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Mr John Taylor, has invested over a $100 million to launch the network in Accra and Tema. He noted that “across the world, people are enjoying super-fast internet speeds powered by 4G LTE. Surfline is proud to bring this technology into Ghana for the first time and for Ghanaians to experience the difference it brings.” Taylor believes that “Surfline will open the economy to new jobs and industries in technology, like application development, while also helping other sectors, like banking, retail and energy, do business more efficiently.” In order to create a worldclass network, Surfline, last year, selected a telecoms in-

African operator rolls out $100m LTE network frastructure provider, Alcatel-Lucent, to set-up and deploy its industry-leading 4G LTE ultra-high speed mobile roadband product capabilities that include: LTE Radio Access Network, Evolved Packet Core and Professional services to install, optimise, maintain and manage the LTE network. Vice-President of AlcatelLucent in Africa, Mr Daniel Jaeger, said: “Alcatel-Lucent is proud to be Surfline’s partner in developing and launching its 4G LTE wireless broadband network in Ghana. This network has been built from scratch and based on best-inclass technology to deliver much higher speed than previous deployed technologies. “This is a key success factor for LTE networks everywhere. We congratulate Surfline on its successful LTE launch, and look forward to this network and associated services changing the way customers in Ghana communicate and consume data.” Surfline started testing its 4G LTE network in June in an attempt to shape customer experience before the commercial launch, but that was just the beginning. When the curtain was drawn and Surfline’s Flagship Store (in Osu) was revealed to the public for the first time, the audience was overwhelmed by

Etisalat inaugurates judges for innovation contest igeria’s fourth largest tele- als in their different fields as Nassembled coms network, Etisalat, has judges and custodians of the a strong judging prize will further encourage panel for the 2014 Pan-African Prize for Innovation. The judges are Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chocolate City Group, Mr Audu Maikori; Managing Director of Kitskoo Limited, Mr Babatunde Fafunwa; Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer of Rancard Solutions, Ehizogie Binitie; Entrepreneur/Consultant, Henrik Palsson and Chief Information Officer at Etisalat Nigeria, Otuyemi Otule. A board of innovators comprising of CEO of Main One, a telecoms solutions provider, Ms Funke Opeke; Vice President Commerce at Etisalat Group, Mr George Held and Chief Executive Officer at Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Matthew Willsher, has also been established to compliment the panel of judges. Announcing the judges and board of innovators, Willsher said: “The thinking behind the ‘Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation’ is to encourage and celebrate valuable innovation for driving or facilitating mobile broadband use in the Africa market.” According to him, having some of the notable profession-

and reward corporate organisations; small and growing businesses as well as individuals who are constantly contributing to the development of mobile broadband solutions and platforms in Africa. He said entrants can be assured a critical assessment of their products/ideas, and winning entries will represent the very best. He noted that “each year, finalists demonstrate fresh thinking and bold technology integration, pushing the boundaries of possibilities in this constantly evolving broadband arena. Finalists will attend the 7th annual AfricaCom awards taking place in CapeTown, South Africa, in November.” Launched in 2012, the Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation is aimed at encouraging and celebrating valuable innovative ideas and products in the African market and drive the use of mobile broadband. The first prize of $25, 000 is for the most innovative product or service launched in the last 12 months and a second prize of $10,000 for the most innovative idea.

the superior quality. Surfline’s ultra-modern experiential stores are the brainchild of Surfline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Justice Taylor, who envisioned something different for the new tele-

communications brand. While giving personal tours of the shop at the launch, Taylor remarked that “after years of researching technology retail outlets throughout the world, I knew that this wasn’t

just something Ghana needed, it was something Ghana deserved. Our in-store technical support lounge, reSTART, is the first of its kind in Ghana and will only enhance the level of service our customers receive.”

L-R: Head, Innovations, Computer Warehouse Group Plc., Mr Tayo Oduwole; Group Chief Technical Officer, CWG Plc., Mr James Agada; Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Mr Bature Umar Masari; Group Managing Director, CWG Plc., Mr Austin Okere and Regional Manager, North,CWG, Mr. Nasiru Izegwire, during a meeting with SMEDAN in Abuja recently.

ISP tackles early data depletion A

n internet service provider in the country, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, has introduced new features to counteract unnecessary data depletion, while browsing the internet. The innovation tagged Blocking Buttons and Speed Control, will help customers, especially internet users, to stay long on the internet without experiencing early data depletion. The solution will also help to boost broadband penetration in the country, in line with the objectives of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan. Speaking on the solutions, Chief Corporate Services Officer of Smile Communications, Ms Lee-Ann Cassie, said that the Blocking Buttons and Speed Control were introduced to enhance customer experience while on the Internet.

For Blocking Buttons, she said: “We were able to identify four categories of websites that consume a lot of data and we created buttons that once activated will block access to these categories of websites.” She listed the websites identified as major causes of data depletion due to unprompted downloads and updates to include Cloud Storage, Automatic Update, Video Streaming and Bit Torrenting. Cassie explained that “customers also have the additional functionality to block access to high data usage sites via MySmile Account in order to manage their data usage.” The identified sites could be blocked and unblocked at the click of a button as required by the customer, she said, adding that this inevitably gives customers the power and abili-

Three new smartphones launched CONTINUED from PAGE 36

With an offer for a free, three-month Skype Unlimited World(1) subscription, it’s easier than ever to have an international voice call with friends and family on their mobile and landline phones, right from the Lumia 730 or Lumia 735. With the integration of onetap Skype video call access during voice calls,1 people have even more ways to share their stories,

no matter where they are. Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 will also begin rolling out globally this month, featuring a 2220 mAh battery, 8 GB of internal storage and 15 GB of free OneDrive storage. The Lumia 730 Dual SIM will be priced around 199 euros before taxes and subsidies, while the Lumia 735 with LTE/4G and wireless charging support will be priced around 219 euros before taxes and subsidies.

ty to control the speed, options of 1mbps, 2mbps, up to 5mbps. This is against the background that speed capping prevents streaming sites defaulting to high definition (HD), which uses more data. Recently, Smile made it possible for its customers to change the speed of their Internet connection at will, via their on-line Smile account. Being able to change speed of the Internet connection will enable customers to manage their data usage by ensuring that sites that automatically select high definition data for very fast networks do not use up data unnecessarily. Smile said on its network that YouTube detects the speed of Internet connection and automatically delivers high definition video, whereas on slower networks, the customer gets standard definition. With the new solution, customers now have the option of reducing their connection speed when using sites like YouTube and then going back to high speed for emails, browsing or downloading. According to Smile, “The overall aim of introducing the solution is the desire to encourage customers to fully optimise the huge Smile network capacity that abound in the Nigerian market as well as maximize all possible and accruing benefits while on the Smile network.”

38 BUSINESS | ICT GROWTH New telecoms licensees are envisaged to put their licences into immediate use Stories by Kunle Azeez

telecoms expert and Chief Executive Officer, Medallion Communications, Mr Ike Nnamani, has said that the keen interest investors currently have in Nigerian telecommunications market will reduce cases of redundant operating licences in the country. According to Nnamani,

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

‘Nigeria will witness less inactive telecoms licences’ over the years, the industry has witnessed a situation, where some players licensed by the regulator have failed to put their licences into proper usage to provide services for the countries. “This is particularly in the area of spectrum allocation. Spectrum, which is key to a country such as ours where most telecoms services are deployed through wireless links, is a scarce resource and there

is the need for proper management. He stressed that with the broadband revolution being driven by the country and the yearning for more spectrum by new players, it is expected that licences issued to new players will now be put into proper use. He said: “In the past, we have had a lot of licences picked up by some telecoms players not being put into use

L-R: Communications Manager, Nokia West and Central Africa, Airiafo Orinuebho; Nokia Care Channel Manager, David Efanga and Retail Team Lead, South-South Region, Modestus Igbosofulu, during the commissioning of Nokia Care Centers in Port Harcourt and Aba

40 start-ups showcase IT innovations to investors ENTREPRENEURSHIP Nigeria gets opportunity to drive its vision of becoming Africa’s ICT hub by exposing youth IT innovators

igeria is set to host this year’s edition of Demo Africa, where about 40 startups in Information Technology product development and innovations will mount the stage to showcase their inventions to both local and foreign investors. Addressing journalists on the event holding later this month in Lagos, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Demo Africa, Mr Yele Okeremi, said that the event has the potential to add great value to the economy. “This is the first time this event is coming to Nigeria and we are happy that, out the 40 start-ups that have qualified to launch their products on the Demo Africa later this month,

Nigeria tops the list with 14 start-ups,” Okeremi said. Nigeria is followed by Kenya, Ghana and Egypt. Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa and Ethiopia will each have two representatives while Tunisia, Benin, Cameroon, Uganda and Zimbabwe have earned their space at the Demo Africa platform. During the event, the 40 start-ups will lunch products for addressing sectors such as communications, education, finance and banking, health, media and retail. The event, which is being hosted in Nigeria for the first time since its debut in Kenya two years ago, is in recognition of the increasing ICT innovation and entrepreneurship springing up across the country. In her reaction to the event, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said: “It’s our vision to make Nigeria the ICT hub of Africa by harnessing and consolidating the growth of the ICT sector, as well as increase the integration of ICTs

across all sectors in a manner that supports the diversification of the economy while achieving job and wealth creation.” She noted that while Africa might have missed out in industrial revolution, “we surely will not in the ICT revolution,” adding that, “through innovation, we will put Nigeria and Africa in general on the ICT map.” Meanwhile, another member of the Demo Africa LOC in Nigeria, Mr Tunji Eleso, said: “With technology entrepreneurship, there is a window through which you derive value. The event presents the opportunity for the start-ups to stand before a global audience to showcase the unique features in their solutions. “It also provides opportunity for the audience to see opportunity for them to benefit for the solutions showcased. So angel investors, venture capitalists should see this as a great opportunity to investment in technology,” Eleso said.

and this is a major challenge for the industry. “Going forward, we anticipate that more strategic key players are coming into the market and this time, people are not just coming to pick up licences as we have seen in the past, where people just picked licences without having concrete plans of what to do with them. “This time, people are picking up licences with a clear-cut business plan and mandate and what they want to achieve. We are going to see less idle licences going forward, which is ultimately good for the country and subscribers in particular. “So, what happens is, as more people come into the market, especially if they are coming into an established telecoms market like Nigeria - you expect a price reduction by existing players in order to maintain their shares, which is good for the subscribers,” said. According to Nnamani, competition among operators is also driving innovation in the sector. He stressed that licensees that are ready to come up with innovative services be issued licences by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry watchdog.

“Today, we have also seen good and innovative services being introduced over and above what is happening at the moment, which also is good for the subscribers, because subscribers want to have good services that are affordable and that can enable them achieve their goals and objectives for the day, make life much easier and comfortable for them in an innovative way,” he said. He, therefore, stated that “as new service providers come into the market, we would see a lot of that innovation happening, not just in terms of price reduction but in terms of new services being offered in the industry.” Nnamani, however, lamented that, over the last few years, the country has witnessed reduction in the number of players in the sector. “In terms of number operators, from having a state monopoly, we have gone through where we had, at least, over 20 operators. Then, over the last few years, we have seen some consolidation and shrinking and, I think, at least, today, we have about 10 major and semimajor operators in the industry. But the interesting thing is that, though, the number of major players have reduced, we have seen network infrastructure increasing.

Facebook eyes increased ad revenue from Africa acebook said it is planning “There is a fantastic opportuFnumber to leverage the increasing nity for business as well if you of Africans logging are local or a global business. on to the social platform to shore up its advert revenue. According to Facebook, one in 10 Africans are logging on to Facebook every month, the world’s No.1 online social network said, presenting a new target audience for advertisers. According to Facebook, “of those 100 million people, 80 per cent are accessing the platform via mobiles on a continent with very low internet penetration and smartphone ownership.” Facebook’s global mobile advertising revenue jumped more than 150 per cent in the second quarter, accounting for about 62 per cent of overall ad revenue.

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg

Knowing that there are all these people now in Africa that you can connect with, that is exciting as well,” said Facebook’s Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Nicola Mendelsohn. Seven in 10 African consumers access the internet through their mobile phones, compared with six per cent who use desktop computers, according to an Ericsson study earlier this year. Facebook would be pouring more resources into Africa to understand how consumers use its product and was considering opening an office on the continent in 2015, Mendelsohn said, without saying where the office might be. “The company is customising products to fit the needs of individual countries,” she added. “For example, it can now target users based on their internet speeds.” Facebook has more than 1.5 million active advertisers and more than 1.3 billion active users globally, reports Reuters. Mendelsohn could not say how much Africa contributes to advertising revenues but said the Europe, Middle East and Africa region makes up 30 per cent of global revenue.

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Dubai to spend $32bn on airport expansion

ubai will spend $32 billion on expanding its second airport to handle over 200 million people annually by next decade, roughly triple the current level of passenger traffic through the emirate, airport authorities have said. The expansion could allow Dubai’s fast-growing flagship carrier Emirates to shift its operations to the new facility by the mid-2020s, airport officials said. That might prompt other international airline operations in Dubai to follow suit because of business ties to the Emirates group.

Al Maktoum International Airport began accepting passengers in October last year and currently has a capacity of only about five million people per year. It opened some four years later than originally planned after a financial crisis forced Dubai to revise some of its mega-projects. The emirate is now reviving development plans as its real estate market recovers and its safe haven status in the turbulent Middle East attracts heavy inflows of money. Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum

has approved plans to enlarge Al Maktoum to that it can eventually accommodate more than 200 million passengers, Dubai Airports said in a statement. The expansion is expected to be the biggest airport project in the world, the company said. It would take place in two phases over six to eight years, with the entire development covering an area of 56 square kilometres (22 square miles). The emirate’s current main airport, Dubai International, is already one of the biggest in the world and has a capacity of 75 million passengers. Traffic has

been growing at double-digit rates and hit 66.4 million people last year. Further expansion is planned to permit traffic of almost 100 million passengers by the end of 2020, but that is still too small to accommodate additional business, which Dubai expects to attract through its role as a travel and tourism hub. “With limited options for further growth at Dubai International, we are taking that next step to securing our future by building a brand new airport that will not only create the capacity we will need in the coming decades but also provide state of the art facilities...” said Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports’ chief executive. Dubai officials have not said how they will fund the project. Dubai lacks the big oil resources of its neighbours and is still working through a large debt burden, the legacy of its 2009

financial crisis, but its strong economy has allowed it to borrow cheaply from international markets in the past 18 months. Dubai Airports estimated the broad aviation sector, including tourism and related businesses, would support over 322,000 jobs in the emirate and contribute 28 per cent of its gross domestic product by 2020. Big international carriers, including Emirates, have so far not indicated any plans to move to Al Maktoum, with just a handful of airlines currently operating out of the facility. Authorities have not said what will happen to Dubai International if the big airlines do leave it. According to Reuters, Emirates, one of the region's largest operators and the biggest customer of the Airbus A380 superjumbo, flew 44.5 million passengers in its fiscal year to last March.

Coca-Cola battles Ebola in Liberia, invests $13,500 mid incessant national a robust women economic emAbattle and international efforts to powerment program in conforand crush world’s latest mity with its corporate social L-R: Former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji; former Chairman, Board of Directors, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Pascal Dozie and MD/CEO, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr. Uche Orji, at the official launching of the Nigerian Banking Sector Report 2014 by Afrinvest in Lagos

Dell eyes $21bn India opportunity for IT solutions T

he $58-billion PC maker Dell, which has embarked on a journey of transforming itself from a pure-play hardware vendor to an end-to-end scalable solutions provider, says India will soon become its fourth largest market in the world. The company, which raked in revenues of $12.5 billion from Asia Pacific & Japan last year, says it expects to have a fantastic run in India over the next 3-5 years. India is currently the eighth largest market for Dell. The company is trying hard to shrug off customer perception of Dell as a PC-maker and is investing heavily in people, portfolio and development in its software business, which is the next step of evolution for the company. “We have much better solutions than our competitors, which are not understood in the marketplace. The perception of Dell as a PC-company should go. We would like customers to understand our products, services and solutions much better than it is today,” Amit Midha, President, Asia Pacific & Japan and Chairman, Global Emerging Markets Dell, told BusinessLine at the Dell India IT Executive Summit 2014, held in Dubai recently.

Dell is eyeing a $21-billion market opportunity in India which is a conservative estimate of the market opportunity, said Alok Ohrie, President & Managing Director of Dell India. The company’s India business is growing at a steady clip of seven per cent year-on-year. “With the new government winning the majority mandate and after reading the early signs of the new Budget, this $21-billion market opportunity should go up dramatically over the next few years. All our four business units — End User Computing, Dell Services, Enterprise Solutions Group and Dell Software Group — will drive growth for us,” added Ohrie. Stating that the privatisation of Dell last October has hastened the pace of execution of Dell India’s new go-to-market strategy effective Q1 (FebruaryApril), Ohrie said the strategy has been designed with clear geographic accountability for regions across India. While Dell was working with 40,000–50,000 customers directly for the last six to eight years, the new strategy includes a threepronged approach: Dell-led, partner-led and distribution-led. Explaining the approach, Anil Sethi, Director and General

Manager, Channels, Dell India, said, “Dell-led is all about the sales force directly engaging with a few large key enterprise customers, including new customer acquisition and retention of existing customers. These could be for complex IT projects or large end-to-end deployments. Partner-led would involve Dell’s 2,500 partners (260 active partners) who will engage with mid-size enterprises, where special pricing and special products are a focus.

daunting and deadly Ebola virus which has initially invaded three West African countries, including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and reportedly spreading across the region, the Liberia Coca-Cola Bottling Company (LCCBC), has made an initial huge contribution in cash, water and anti-Ebola sanitizing materials, among others, as part of effort to eradicate the killer disease and help those who have already contracted the virus and undergoing treatment. LCCBC’s Country Manager, Mr Seth-Adu-Baah, said that as corporate entity operating in Liberia, it was timely and absolutely necessary for the company to join the nation-wide campaign against the deadly virus in an effort to save precious lives, which are under threat following the unprecedented outbreak of the virulent disease. The LCCBC which has made tremendous contribution to boost Liberia’s health and education sectors and at the same time implementing

responsibility in Liberia, has refused to sit idle without making substantial attempt in the ongoing anti-Ebola campaign. However, in its initial attempt in the raging Ebola war, the Coca-Cola Industrial Plant has distributed 22,800 bottles of mineral water in some affected communities and health centres, including ELWA and JFK hospitals, Dolo Town, Margibi County, West Point, Montserrado County and Foya, Lofa County. In addition, the company has provided 25 pieces of thermometers to few health centres and hospitals, including S.D Cooper Clinic, Benson Hospital, James Davis, Redemption, SOS and Dr. Swaray medical centre in Paynesville, among others. Other items distributed by the LCCBC include, 450 giantsize containers and buckets to help in the fight against the alarming deadly plague, which has kept the nation in perpetual terror since its outbreak few months ago.

Firm to acquire insecticide maker for $1.4bn uriga Industries of Den- debt, Auriga said. company’s outstanding shares, Aagreed mark has said that it had “Cheminova is a company including its largest shareholdto sell its insecticide that we have long considered er, Aarhus University Research maker, Cheminova, to the FMC Corporation for about $1.4 billion in cash, plus the assumption of debt. The deal is expected to bolster operations at FMC, which supplies insecticides, fungicides and other chemicals to the agriculture industry. FMC, which is based in Philadelphia, would pay about 8.5 billion Danish kroner, or about $1.5 billion, in cash for Cheminova, Auriga’s sole operating subsidiary, and assume about 2 billion kroner in

to be an attractive potential partner,” Pierre R. Brondeau, president, chief executive and chairman of FMC, said in a statement. The deal is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and is expected to close in early 2015. A meeting of Auriga’s shareholders is expected in October. Auriga’s board of directors has recommended that shareholders approve the transaction. Shareholders representing more than 50 per cent of the

Foundation, have agreed to support the deal, the company said. Cheminova, based in Harboore, Denmark, supplies insecticides and other crop protection chemicals. Founded in 1938, the company employs over 2,200 people in 24 countries. In 2013, Cheminova posted revenue of 6.6 billion kroner. “FMC brings the scale and financial strength necessary to develop a true world leader within crop protection,” Jens Due Olsen, the chairman of Auriga, said in a news release.

FEATURES

NEW TELEGRAPH

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Investment in education through Lagos Eko Secondary School Education Project (LESEP) is returning public schools’ old glory, writes MURITALA AYINLA

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

Tackling poor academic performance with Eko Project

nrolment in private schools is increasing almost on a daily basis because of the fallen standard of education and the consequential poor performance in the public examinations. The number of students who obtain credit in five subjects including English and Mathematics keeps reducing despite efforts by stakeholders in the sector to address the problem of mass failure among students in external examinations. Many people have blamed the failure on poor reading culture among the youth, while others attributed the mass failure to lack of proper supervision by teachers and the inconsistency in the education system. Yet, to others, lack of competent skills among the teachers expected to impact knowledge on the students is responsible for the continuous mass failure recorded in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) every year. For instance, in the 2014 May/June examination, a total of 529,425 candidates, representing 31.28 per cent of the total candidates that enrolled in the examination, obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics. Such was the recurrent failure constantly recorded as performance of students in the public examination. Although compared to the 2012 and 2013 May/June WASSCE diets, there was marginal decline in the performance of candidates as 38.81 per cent was recorded in 2012 and 36.57 per cent in 2013. But to address this ugly trend, the Lagos State Government is relying on its Eko Secondary School project. The Lagos Eko Secondary School Education Project (LESEP), inaugurated by the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2009, is now credited with the academic improvement in the state. It is a partnership between the Lagos State Government and the World Bank. Apart from facilitating dramatic remarkable improvement in the academic performance of students, the project has also aided training of 12,000 teachers in leadership and core subjects such as English, Mathematics and science subjects. Overtime, the project’s success has restored confidence in the public school system. No doubt, public school students have consistently emerged the overall best in annual Spelling Bee Competition organised by the New Era Foundation in which the winner acts as Oneday Governor of the state. Right from inception, the primary objective of the LESEP is to improve the quality of public junior and senior secondary education in the state. Expectedly, the impact of the project in the turnaround improvement recorded in the academic performances of the students of public primary and secondary schools in the state

Fashola (fifth left), Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye (fourth left), Ms Azeez (fourth right), Chairman, House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King (third right), pupils and others holding a symbolic cheque of N268m presented to 134 secondary schools by the governor during the Governor’s Education Awards/Secondary Schools Performance Presentation 2013/2014 on August 6.

The new IDA credit of over $42 million to the Lagos EKO Secondary School Project is an addition to an original credit of $95 million is being felt by the parents who are acknowledging the performances of their wards in the internal and external examinations. Mr Gbenro Oyeleke, who, like many Nigerians, had lost hope in the public school, said that his perception had changed with the experience of his daughter, Kemi, an SSII student at Ogba Grammar School, a public school in Lagos. According to him, most of the quiz and debate competitions Kemi participated in during the last holiday, she emerged the overall best. He added that the competitions were largely dominated by pupils of highly expensive private schools in the state. Speaking in the same vein, the parents of the 2014 One-Day Governor, Mr Sunkanmi Edun and his wife, Blessing, said they were proud to associate with the achievement in public schools. They said their son, Olabanji, an SS2 student of Army Children Secondary School, Ikeja, would not have emerged the best, if the government had not invested so much in public schools.

Olabanji, whose mother is a truck driver with the Lagos State Waste Management (LAWMA), won this year’s edition held on Wednesday March 19 by beating 55 other finalists from across the six educational districts of the state. Apparently impressed by the remarkable improvement in the standard of education in public schools in the state, the World Bank recently supported LESEP with $42 million to boost the sector. The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise MarieNelly, said the grant would provide children from poor homes opportunity to access quality education. Marie-Nelly added that the money, already approved by the bank’s board, was an addition to the existing loans to the state. She said: “The new IDA credit of over $42 million to the Lagos EKO Secondary School Project is an addition to an original credit of $95 million. This systematically benefitted over 620,000 students a year in 667 public secondary schools in Lagos State between 2009 and 2013. “It will allow strong results to be sustained and evaluated in hundreds of secondary schools and expand others.” The country director said that the grant had also helped to increase the number of poor children accessing quality secondary education. Reeling out improvement statistics, she pointed out that, “student scores from beneficiary schools went up from 30 per cent to 70 per cent in English, 31 per cent to 45 per cent in Mathematics and 27 per cent to 65 per cent in Basic Sciences.

“It is observed that the results of the June 2013 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate external examinations showed that 41 per cent of students from beneficiary schools passed with five credits and above compared with over 18 per cent before the project”. Also harping on the successes of LESEP, Governor Babatunde Fashola said though he was delighted at the progress the state had made in performance at public examinations, he had extracted a commitment from the teachers that the performance would move up to 60 per cent in subsequent years. He said: “Apart from the improvement in the academic performances of the students in the public examinations which have greatly improved from seven per cent in 2007 to 41 per cent in 2013, efforts are being made to ensure it is not less than 60 per cent performance every year.” Explaining government’s expenditure on the public schools across the state, the Special Adviser to the governor on Eko Project, Ms Ronke Azeez, said the project helped the public schools to procure 839 projectors, 753 internet modems, 3,441 software and 656 generators. Azeez said the investment had also led to the provision of 525 libraries, 305,000 textbooks, 10,899 reference materials and facilitated the training of 16,832 teachers and 2,609 principals and vice-principals, adding that the personal benefits of the project were equally enormous. She said teachers and principals had also been trained under the project in order to empower them with the wherewithal to effectively manage their pupils.

business | MONEY LINE

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Underwriters seek more patronage from govt mitment to the banking sector in the insurance industry. Director-General, NIA, Mr. Sunday Thomas made this call in Abeaokuta, Ogun state yesterday. He lamented that that the level of insurance patronage by the various governments in Nigeria was poor given the fact that it is still the biggest spender in the economy. Thomas, who spoke at the joint media retreat organised by players in the sector for journalists, put the level of the patronage at less than 25 per cent.

Speaking on "The Media and the Promotion of Insurance Culture in Nigeria," the DG observed that if the government had increased insurance patronage to the level of its commitment to the banking sector, the insurance industry would have been better for it. "Contribution of government to gross premium income (GPI) is less than 25 per cent. This is not to demean the catalytic role of government but if the level of government patronage of insurance is equal to that of banking, the industry will be

better for it." He, however, said that a lot of positive transformations portraying the sector in good light had taken place with the signing into law of the new Pension Reform Act 2014, which is promoting the Group Life aspect of Compulsory Insurance. The media he stressed, should acknowledge this development

FG to raise N100bn in bonds

July 2, when the local currency closed at N163.10 to the dollar. "A lot of demand targeted at the NNPC dollar sale hit the market, reducing the impact of the fresh dollar flow and weakening the naira further," one dealer said. Dealers said some lenders took the opportunity of the NNPC sale to cover their short positions, which left the market with little left to meet growing demand from importers and other foreign exchange endusers. The local unit had fallen to a seven-week low last Tuesday, hit by strong dollar demand and a squeeze in availability of the US currency. "Unless we see further dollar flows from offshore investors buying local bonds, and from some oil companies yet to sell dollars in the market, the naira will cross the N163 to the dollar mark soon," another dealer predicted.

COMMITMENT Insurers put the level of patronage from government at less than 25 per cent Sunday Ojeme

he Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has called on the Federal Government to replicate its financial com-

Naira hits two-month low

he Federal Government plans to sell N100 billion ($615 million) worth of bonds with maturities ranging from 3 to 20 years at an auction next Wednesday, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said yesterday. The naira also closed at N162.87 to the dollar, compared with Tuesday's close of N162.80. The debt office said it will auction N15 billion in the 3-year bond, 50 billion in the 10-year paper and N35 billion in the 20year debt note, using a Dutch auction system. The bonds according to Reuters, are reopenings of previously issued debt notes, the debt office said, noting that the results of the auction will be released the following day.

"Successful bidders will pay a price corresponding to the yield-to-maturity bid that clears the volume being auctioned, plus any accrued interest on the instrument," the debt office said. Meanwhile, the naira fell to its lowest level in two months against the US dollar yesterday, as the sale of greenbacks by state-owned energy company Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to meet market expectations. Traders said NNPC sold around $300 million to some lenders, but this was not enough to give support to the local currency. Meanwhile, the N162.87 to the dollar closing exchange, was the lowest level seen since

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

BOI’s ED honoured at Nigeria Arise Awards ank of Industry’s Executive Director, Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr Waheed Abiodun Olagunju, has been conferred with the award of Corporate Ambassador at the 2014 Nigeria Arise Awards ceremony organized by BEN Television of London. According to the award citation, Mr Olagunju was honoured primarily for his services to the corporate world, “most especially his selfless and dedicated service to the BOI since its inception in 2001 that has enabled the bank make considerable impact on Nigeria’s industrial development.” The organizers specifically noted the central role that Mr Olagunju played in the successful “New World Nigeria International Campaign” that was one of the business and cultural side events of the 2012 London Olympics, the high point of which was the High Level Business and Investment Summit on Nigeria that took place at the Dorchester. According to the citation, Mr. Olagunju, who joined the BOI’s precursor institution - the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) in 1990 as a Senior Manager rose to the position of Executive Director (Business Development) in 2012. He also acted as Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the BOI between 11th April and 16th May, 2014 and was recently reassigned as the Executive Director (Small and Medium Enterprises) under the Bank’s management team led by Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa, BOI’s new Managing Director and Chief Executive to whom the organizers sent their warmest congratulations. Prior to Mr Olagunju’s ap-

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

Olagunju

pointment as a member of the Bank’s Board of Directors in 2012, he served as the Company Secretary of NIDB/BOI for 15 years (1997 – 2012) and concurrently as General Manager, Strategic Planning and Corporate Communications between 2007 and 2012. In those capacities he was one of the architects and strong drivers of BOI’s outstanding turnaround and transformation into one of Africa’s best Development Finance Institutions (DFI). While thanking the organisers of the Nigeria Arise Awards for the honour and recognition, Mr Olagunju dedicated the award to his professional colleagues at the BOI. According to him, he was part of a formidable team that worked in concert to build one of Africa’s best development finance institutions despite daunting challenges. He expressed his gratitude to the bank’s successive managements and Board of Directors over the 24 years for giving him the opportunity to realize his potentials.

Fitch rates Helios Towers 'B'

Money Market

in their reportage. In his goodwill message, the President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu, said it was common knowledge that one of the problems confronting the insurance industry is low acceptance, occasioned by poor awareness about the benefits of insurance to everyday living.

itch Ratings has assigned telecom infrastructure group Helios Towers Nigeria Limited (HTN) a Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'B' with a stable outlook. This according to a statement from Fitch, followed a successful placement of USD250million of 8.375 per cent senior unsecured notes due 2019. The notes have been assigned a final 'B' rating and recovery rating of 'RR4' upon receipt of final documentation conforming to preliminary information already received by Fitch. HTN issued USD250million of senior unsecured notes maturing in 2019 through a fully owned Dutch finance subsidiary, Helios Towers Finance

Netherlands B.V. The notes are guaranteed by HTN and Tower Infrastructure Company Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of HTN, which owns part of the group's tower infrastructure assets. The notes are rated at the same level as the company's IDR of 'B' as they constitute a direct, unconditional and unsecured obligation of HTN and of the other guarantor, and rank pari passu with all existing and future unsecured obligations of HTN. The bond documentation includes cross-default and change of control provisions as well as incurrence tests limiting additional indebtedness and restricted payments.

42 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

10-Sep-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

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

Description 9.25 28-SEP-2014 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

28-Sep-07 23-Apr-10 16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

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

100.00 535.00 530.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 281.35 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 70.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,591.19

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,660.52

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

Description

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

0.05 0.62 1.93 2.63 2.88 2.97 3.72 4.80 5.12 7.38 9.51 14.22 14.70 15.20 15.87 19.85

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

10.15 10.99 11.38 11.32 11.35 11.36 11.43 11.50 11.62 12.06 12.15 12.45 12.46 12.47 12.23 12.24

7.19 10.72 11.30 11.26 11.29 11.30 11.33 11.42 11.54 12.00 12.10 12.41 12.41 12.41 12.18 12.20

99.94 95.93 102.80 108.35 96.37 95.04 97.80 116.20 82.51 120.75 111.40 116.77 100.17 73.21 84.50 99.30

100.09 96.08 102.95 108.50 96.52 95.19 98.10 116.50 82.81 121.05 111.70 117.07 100.47 73.51 84.80 99.60

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

0.14 0.70 1.31 2.25 2.61 2.82

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.60 13.67 13.55 13.37 12.34 12.35

98.42 91.11 104.64 101.22 99.63 97.12

15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 30-Sep-20 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 06-Jan-21

0.10 0.97 0.58 1.10 1.10 2.61 1.65 3.31 2.28 4.07 2.48 2.48 2.86 2.93 5.20 2.99 3.61 6.21 6.31 3.79 3.82

3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

13.67 15.65 14.19 15.70 14.72 16.93 12.34 13.18 13.16 12.46 12.34 16.12 12.35 12.36 12.65 14.10 12.42 12.94 13.91 12.88 13.39

99.96 97.25 99.45 98.72 101.30 85.83 102.37 102.09 101.74 104.77 104.71 96.04 104.95 107.69 106.85 101.54 106.44 102.29 104.42 104.75 104.69

1,301.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,283.14

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

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

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

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

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

6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00 14.96 11.13 27.00 17.28 80.00 28.37 11.40 87.00 5.00 4.78 4.79

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds

484.10 490.32

A+/Agusto; AA/GCR

LAFARGE WAPCO

11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCT 2014

Aa/Agusto

GTB µ NGC

17.00 NGC 31-DEC-2014

Nil

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

Bbb-/Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

BB+/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

*FLOURMILLS

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

NAHCO

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

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

FSDH

A/GCR

13.50 GUARANTY TRUST 18-DEC-2014

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

*C & I LEASING *DANA#

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

*TOWER *TOWER

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

*DANA NAHCO

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

07-Oct-11

11.50

11.80

07-Oct-14

0.07

1.00

11.27

99.98

18-Dec-09

13.50

13.17

18-Dec-14

0.27

5.21

16.32

99.14

01-Apr-10

17.00

2.00

31-Dec-14

0.31

8.71

19.79

99.01

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.69

4.88

15.91

96.50

09-Dec-10

12.00

13.62

09-Dec-15

0.77

1.00

12.08

100.53

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.60

06-Jan-16

0.84

2.63

13.75

100.79

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

2.05

1.00

12.39

101.07

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

2.12

1.34

12.72

102.73

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

3.06

1.00

12.36

101.56

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.73

30-Nov-17

1.87

1.88

13.25

108.98

09-Apr-11

16.00

7.20

09-Apr-18

1.83

3.48

14.85

102.09

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

2.25

5.20

16.57

102.51

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

2.25

5.06

16.43

101.61

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

4.03

1.35

12.81

103.65

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.70

18-Oct-18

2.10

2.29

13.67

104.04

17-Feb-12

17.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.43

6.11

17.46

99.30

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

3.31

2.16

13.55

106.32

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

6.18

2.76

14.69

102.16

11-Feb-18

3.42

1.00

12.40

94.00

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

141.62

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

144.07

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

12.00 11.28 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

4.72

4.57

111.06

111.95

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

3.96

3.75

104.10

104.84

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.04

4.92

109.41

110.28

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,622.87

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

3.18

111.13

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.35

105.04

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

6.72

101.35

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.55

8.02

94.83

96.42

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

5.97

5.65

100.08

101.28

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

8.69

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

6.13

100.48

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

8.94

8.69

99.26

100.19

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

103.01

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

AFREN PLC III

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

7.69

94.77

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC II

9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021

24-Jun-14

9.25

400.00

24-Jun-21

8.76

8.59

102.88

103.73

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

7.61

101.13

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.67

8.44

99.50

100.67

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,760.00 4,848.51

**Treasury Bills DTM 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64

FIXINGS Maturity 18-Sep-14 25-Sep-14 2-Oct-14 9-Oct-14 16-Oct-14 23-Oct-14 30-Oct-14 6-Nov-14 13-Nov-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.10 10.20 10.35 10.00 10.30 10.35 10.30 10.15 10.65

Offer Discount (%) 9.85 9.95 10.10 9.75 10.05 10.10 10.05 9.90 10.40

Bid Yield (%) 10.12 10.24 10.41 10.08 10.41 10.48 10.45 10.31 10.85

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.7083 11.9944 13.0092 13.9618

NITTY

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.50

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.75

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

162.75 162.93 163.19 163.80 164.95 166.08 169.75

162.85 163.17 163.50 164.38 166.20 167.87 173.11

O/N Tenor Call 1M 3M

REPO

Rate (%) 10.50 11.97 12.76

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,283.14

Sub-National Bonds A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR Thursday, September A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto A-/GCR Sanctity of Truth

OBSTRUCTION

NIGER KADUNA *EBONYI *BENUE *IMO LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA 11, 2014 NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI *NASARAWA

Recapitalisation attempts made in the past met brick wall

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Stories by Chris Ugwu TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Corporate Bonds he Securities

and Exchange Commission LAFARGE WAPCO Aa/Agusto GTB (SEC) has reinstated its µ NGC Nil resolve to go ahead with Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC the new capital requirements A-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS for market operators, which is BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS expected to be completed by A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO December 31, 2014.FSDH A-/Agusto A/GCR Director General, UBASEC, Ms. BBB-/GCR Oteh, said*Cthis & I LEASING Arunma yester# BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *DANAjournalday while addressing # A-/DataPro†; BB-/GCR *TOWERCapital ists at the Third Quarter AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER# Market Committee (CMC) press A/Agusto; A/GCR UBA briefing Lagos. *LA CASERA Bbb+/Agusto;in BBB+/GCR She said the commission BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS# isBBB/GCR determined to ensure that *DANA A+/Agusto;operators A-/GCR market meet NAHCOthe new A+/Agusto; AA/GCR

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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

capital requirements at the stipulated date. Oteh noted that the initiative has become necessary if the stock market must be made to operate in line with what is obtained globally. She explained that recapitali11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 2014made sation attempts have7-OCT been TRUST 18-DEC-2014 since13.50 theGUARANTY last exercise but they NGC 31-DEC-2014 have17.00 met brick wall, adding 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 that 12.00 theFLOURMILLS failure contributed to 9-DEC-2015 the crisis in the market between 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 2008 13.00 andNAHCO 2009.29-SEP-2016 14.25 FSDH “Based on25-OCT-2016 the report with the 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 implementation team, we are 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 satisfied that efforts are being DANA 9-APR-2018 madeMPR+7.00 by the operators to meet MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 the new capital requirements. MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 Different trade groups have en14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 gaged with us and agreed that 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 raising theCHELLARAMS standards is necesMPR+5.00 II 17-FEB-2019 II 1-APR-2019 sary16.00 for DANA the development of the 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 market.

Supranational Bond

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

0.10 0.97 0.58 1.10 1.10 2.61 1.65 3.31 2.28 4.07 2.48 2.48 2.86 2.93 5.20 2.99 3.61 6.21 6.31 3.79 3.82

3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

13.67 15.65 14.19 15.70 14.72 16.93 12.34 13.18 13.16 12.46 12.34 16.12 12.35 12.36 12.65 14.10 12.42 12.94 13.91 12.88 13.39

0.41

17-Feb-19

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.05

14-Nov-20

99.96 97.25 99.45 98.72 101.30 85.83 102.37 102.09 101.74 104.77 104.71 96.04 104.95 107.69 106.85 101.54 106.44 102.29 104.42 104.75 104.69

2.43

6.11

17.46

99.30

3.31

2.16

13.55

106.32

6.18

2.76

14.69

102.16

No going back on new capital, says SEC

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

IFC igeria’s growing financial TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE services sector is set to reTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION ceive a boost – courtesy of LeapFrog Investment’s N16 bilRating/Agency Issuer lion (US $100million) new fund. The proposed investment FGN Eurobonds in Nigeria, is part of the N65 billion (US $400million) fund, BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P which BB-/Fitch; will invested in high FGN growth businesses in Africa BB-/S&P BB-/Fitch; and Asia, by the investment BB-/S&P firm. TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE LeapFrog is the world’s largTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION est dedicated equity investor in emerging markets financial Corporate Eurobonds services, with partner compaB/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I nies serving 22.7 million people B+/Fitch; B+/S&P PLC I across 16 countries.GTBANK The organB+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC isation invests in high-growth B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC companies across Asia and AfB+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC rica offering empowering tools B/Fitch AFREN PLC II such as insurance, savings and B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC investment products to emergB/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC ing consumers. B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC Mr. B/S&P Dominic Liber, LeapFrog B-/Fitch; AFREN PLC III partner in a statement said: B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II

business | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS 43

“Our judgment is that we have done what is necessary. We will expect that all market operators will meet the requirements on December 31, 2014,” she said. Given the transformation ongoing in the capital mar07-Oct-11 11.50 ket with increased volume of 18-Dec-09 the board 13.50 transactions, of SEC 01-Apr-10 in pursuant to section17.00 313 (6) of 17-Aug-10 10.00 the Investments and Securities 09-Dec-10 12.00 Act (ISA) 2007, approved the 06-Jan-11 14.00 new minimum capital require29-Sep-11 13.00 ments for all categories of capi25-Oct-13 14.25 30-Sep-10 tal market operators. 13.00 30-Nov-12 the amendments, 18.00 Following 09-Apr-11 16.00 the capital requirement for bro09-Sep-11 18.00 ker/dealer was increased from 09-Sep-11 16.00 N70 million to N300million. For 22-Sep-11 14.00 broker18-Oct-13 only, the capital 15.75outlay was increased million 17-Feb-12 from N40 17.00 to N20001-Apr-14 million; while for 16.00dealer, 14-Nov-13 from N30 15.25 it was raised million

to N100 million. The minimum capital for Issuing House was jerked up from N150 million to N200 million; while that of underwriter 484.10 went up from N100 million to 490.32 N200 million. For a registrar in the Nige11.80 capital market, 07-Oct-14 0.07 rian the mini13.17 capital 18-Dec-14 mum requirement 0.27 rose 31-Dec-14 to2.00 N150 million from N50 0.31 mil3.61 17-Aug-15 0.69 lion; while for those in trustees 13.62 09-Dec-15 0.77 business, the06-Jan-16 capital require0.60 0.84 ment was raised to N300million, 15.00 29-Sep-16 2.05 from 5.53 N40 million. 25-Oct-16 2.12 20.00 30-Sep-17 3.06 Furthermore, the minimum 0.73 30-Nov-17 1.87 capital requirement for rating 7.20 09-Apr-18 agency was increased from1.83 N20 2.90 09-Sep-18 2.25 million to N150 million; while 0.80 09-Sep-18 2.25 the capital 22-Sep-18 requirement4.03for 35.00 corporate investment adviser 2.70 18-Oct-18 2.10

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 “Nigeria is a highly appealing investment destination, with stable economic indicators and an increasingly welcoming Description business environment. “The Nigerian financial services industry presents a real 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 and opportunity for growth there are a number of compa5.13 JUL 12, 2018 nies that are targeting the country’s vast emerging consumer 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 market.” He noted that LeapFrog’s fund will make equity investments of up to N8 billion in any one company. These must 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 be established businesses that 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 deliver insurance, savings, 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 pensions, investments, credit, 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 remittances or 6.00 payments. NOV 08, 2018 Liber added:10.25 “We have played APR 08, 2019 a leading role for decade 6.25over APR 22,a 2019 in insurance product design, 8.75 May 21, 2019 regulation and reinsurance 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 across the continent. 6.63 DEC 09,“We 2020 will be looking to invest in financial 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021

remains at N5 million. From an initial capital requirement of N500, 000 every individual investment adviser is expected to have at least N2 million as capital; while fund/ portfolio manager’s minimum capital requirement was raised 1.00N20 million 11.27 to N150 million. 99.98 from 5.21 16.32 99.14 reThe development has 8.71 19.79 99.01 ceived a public outcry as most 4.88 15.91 96.50 operators faulted the move, sug1.00 12.08 100.53 gesting that the stock broking 2.63 13.75 100.79 firms’ should 1.00 minimum 12.39 capital 101.07 be 1.34 determined 12.72by the level 102.73 of 1.00 12.36 business they want to 101.56 do. But 13.25have remained 108.98 the1.88 regulators 3.48 14.85 102.09 irrevocable in their resolve to 5.20 16.57 102.51 ensure that operators meet the 5.06 16.43 101.61 requirements, as many 103.65 of them 1.35 12.81 are2.29 currently13.67 inactive. 104.04

Union Dicon diversifies 141.62

LeapFrog to invest N16bn in Nigeria AAA/S&P

6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00 14.96 11.13 27.00 17.28 80.00 28.37 11.40 87.00 5.00 4.78 4.79

nion 144.07

Dicon Salt (UDS) Plc is diversifying into the agricultural and industrial 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 3.42 services businesses with strong goods sector,11-Feb-18 in a bid to grow 12.00 management teams, an appetite its businesses. 11.28 for growth and profitability, and Chairman, Union Dicon Salt, a focus on the emerging con- retired Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, said Outstanding Value Issue Date Coupon (%) Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) sumer.” this ($mm) while addressing shareLiber, who noted that Nige- holders at the 21st annual genria is a priority country for the eral meeting (AGM) in Lagos. 07-Oct-11 6.75 500.00 firm, said that the organization He said the28-Jan-21 company intends 4.72 has a strong track record in Ni- to amend its memorandum and 12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 3.96 geria, adding that in 2012, the articles of association to accomorganization modate the diversification. 12-Jul-13 orchestrated 6.38 Leap500.00 12-Jul-23 5.04 frog’s strategic partnership Danjuma assured the sharewith leading asset manager, As- 1,500.00 holders that the management set and Resource Management 1,622.87 and board of Union Dicon are Company, to invest in ARM Life, committed to the continuous which presently benefits over review of company’s strategy 11.50 450.00 01-Feb-16 3.18 600,00001-Feb-11 Nigerians with life in- and operations. 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 4.35 surance. “Our company will experience 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 6.72 Jumoke Ogundare, Deputy a significant improvement in for09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.55 CEO of08-Nov-13 ARM, said the investtunes before the end of the next 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 5.97 ment firm was grateful10.25 to Leap- financial year,” Danjuma said. 08-Apr-12 300.00 08-Apr-19 8.69 frog’s hands-on operational supThe financial statement of 22-Apr-14 6.25 500.00 22-Apr-19 6.13 port to21-May-14 company management, the company21-May-19 at the end of 8.94 31st 8.75 200.00 noting 07-Aug-13 that they have 8.25 not only December 2013 showed an7.44 im300.00 07-Aug-20 gained09-Dec-13 a capital provider, but provement as its profit after 6.63 360.00 09-Dec-20 7.69 also a trusted tax negative figure 24-Jun-14 partner. 9.25 400.00rose from 24-Jun-21 8.76

of N20.415 million in 2012 to N11.814 million at the end of the 2013 financial year. 1.00 12.40 94.00 Its current liabilities however, still exceeded its current assets by N917.499 million. The company also had a negative Offer Yield (%) Bid Price OfferN1.082 Price shareholders fund of billion at the end of 2013 financialPrices year.& Yields The turnaround efforts 4.57 111.06 111.95 the company had moved beyond the 3.75 104.10 104.84 drawing board with the CBO Capital taking over as new 109.41 4.92 110.28core investors. The board of UDS has appointment Bex Nwawudu and Chuka Mordi, both directors of CBO Capital, as Co-Managing 3.18 111.13 111.13 Directors co-Managing Direc4.35 105.04 105.04 tors to run the company . 6.72 101.35 101.35 With assumption of the 8.02 94.83 96.42 private equity and investment 5.65 100.08 101.28 management group based in La8.69 105.75 105.75 gos, the statement said former 6.13 100.48 100.48 Acting MD of99.26 UDS, Col.100.19 Henry 8.69 Mgbemena, reverts to his for7.44 103.01 103.01 mer Director 7.69role of Executive 94.77 94.77 – Production. 8.59 102.88 103.73

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

7.61

101.13

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

8.67

8.44

99.50

100.67

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

4,760.00 4,848.51

10-Sep-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 **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market FMDQ OTC PLC Terms of Use and Disclaimer Statement on www.fmdqotc.com. Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) 8 18-Sep-14 10.10 15 25-Sep-14 10.20 FGN Bonds 22 2-Oct-14 10.35 29 9-Oct-14 10.00 36 16-Oct-14 10.30 Issuer Description Rating/Agency 43 23-Oct-14 10.35 50 30-Oct-14 10.30 9.25 28-SEP-2014 57 6-Nov-14 10.15 4.00 23-APR-2015 64 13-Nov-14 10.65 13.05 16-AUG-2016 71 20-Nov-14 10.10 15.10 27-APR-2017 78 27-Nov-14 10.70 9.85 27-JUL-2017 85 4-Dec-14 9.90 9.35 31-AUG-2017 92 11-Dec-14 10.70 10.70 30-MAY-2018 106 25-Dec-14 10.60 16.00 29-JUN-2019 113 1-Jan-15 10.80 NA NA 120 8-Jan-15 10.75 7.00 23-OCT-2019 127 15-Jan-15 10.80 16.39 27-JAN-2022 134 22-Jan-15 10.50 14.20 14-MAR-2024 148 5-Feb-15 10.60 15.00 28-NOV-2028 162 19-Feb-15 10.35 12.49 22-MAY-2029 176 5-Mar-15 10.35 8.50 20-NOV-2029 211 9-Apr-15 10.20 10.00 23-JUL-2030 225 23-Apr-15 10.30 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 239 7-May-15 9.90 330 10.40 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 6-Aug-15 358 3-Sep-15 10.35 TOTAL MARKETbonds, CAPITALISATION *from the Amortising the average life is calculated and not the duration

Offer Discount (%) 9.85 9.95 10.10 9.75 10.05Date Issue 10.10 10.05 28-Sep-07 9.90 23-Apr-10 10.40 16-Aug-13 9.85 27-Apr-12 10.45 27-Jul-07 9.65 31-Aug-07 10.45 30-May-08 10.35 29-Jun-12 10.55 10.50 23-Oct-09 10.55 27-Jan-12 10.25 14-Mar-14 10.35 28-Nov-08 10.10 22-May-09 10.10 20-Nov-09 9.95 23-Jul-10 10.05 18-Jul-14 9.65 10.15 10.10

Bid Yield (%) 10.12 10.24 10.41 10.08 10.41 (%) Coupon 10.48 10.45 9.25 10.31 4.00 10.85 13.05 10.30 15.10 10.95 9.85 10.13 9.35 11.00 10.70 10.94 16.00 11.17 11.14 7.00 11.22 16.39 10.92 14.20 11.08 15.00 10.85 12.49 10.89 8.50 10.84 10.00 11.00 12.1493 10.59

NIBOR

Bonds

11.48 11.52

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

Rate (%) 10.7083 11.9944 13.0092Date Maturity 13.9618

100.00 28-Sep-14 535.00 23-Apr-15 530.27 NITTY 16-Aug-16 452.80 27-Apr-17 Tenor Rate (%) 20.00 27-Jul-17 1M 10.1412 100.00 31-Aug-17 2M 10.5151 300.00 30-May-18 3M 10.7374 351.30 29-Jun-19 6M 10.8874 9M 10.8905 233.90 23-Oct-19 12M 11.5280 600.00 27-Jan-22 281.35 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 NIFEX 22-May-29 200.00 20-Nov-29 Current Price ($/N) 591.57 23-Jul-30 BID($/N) 162.5750 70.00 18-Jul-34 OFFER ($/N) 162.6750

4,591.19

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.50 10.75

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON NA

FMBN Modified Duration Buckets ***LCRM

<3 3<5 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION>5 Market

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Sub-National Bonds A-/GCR A+/Agusto A/Agusto Nil A+/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A/Agusto A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto

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

Description

Issue Date

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

1,035.73 1,132.71 813.30 2,981.74

983.07 951.30 872.92 2,807.29

Coupon (%)

28-Dec-11FMDQ FGN0.00 BOND 24-May-10 0.00 03-Apr-12 17.25 Weighting by Weighting by Mkt 09-Dec-11 0.00/16.00 Outstanding Vol Value 20-Apr-12 0.00/16.50 06-Jul-12 0.00/16.50

35.02 33.89 31.09 100.00

15-Oct-09 31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 30-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Price

162.75 162.85 162.93 163.17 163.19 163.50Price Offer Bid Price 163.80 164.38 164.95 166.20 99.94 100.09 166.08 167.87 95.93 96.08 169.75 173.11 102.80 102.95 177.13 185.41 108.35 108.50 96.37 96.52 95.04 95.19 97.80 98.10 NA :Not Applicable 116.20 116.50 # :Floating Rate Bond ***: Deferred 82.51coupon bonds82.81 120.75 121.05 †: Bond 111.40 rating expired 111.70 116.77 117.07 100.17 100.47 73.21 73.51 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 84.50 84.80 UBA: United Bank for Africa 99.30 99.60

WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

4,660.52

Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

Tenor

Spot 7D REPO Bid Yield (%) Offer 14DYield TTM (Yrs) (%) Tenor Rate (%) 1M Call 10.50 2M 0.05 10.15 7.19 1M 11.97 3M 0.62 10.99 10.72 3M 12.76 6M 1.93 11.38 11.30 6M 13.58 1Y 2.63 11.32 11.26 2.88 11.35 11.29 NOTE: 2.97 11.36 11.30 3.72 11.43 11.33 :Benchmarks 4.80Bond 11.50 11.42 * :Amortising µ :Convertible 5.12Bond 11.62 11.54 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 7.38 Management Corporation 12.06 12.00 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 9.51 12.15 12.10 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 14.22 12.45 12.41 IFC: International Finance Corporation 14.70 12.46 12.41 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 15.20 12.47 12.41 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 15.87 12.23 12.18 O/N: Overnight 19.85 12.24 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company 12.20 O/N

34.74 37.99 27.28 100.00

14.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

INDEX978.35

24.56 3.30 Bucket 112.22 Weighting 116.70 66.49

0.35 0.34 1,283.14 0.31 1.00

1,301.62

6.00 8.50 6.08 6.27 7.37 57.00 29.92 25.00 37.25 9.00 14.96 11.13

Maturity Date

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

16.26 34.50 49.25 100.00

15-Oct-14 31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 30-Jun-16 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

0.14 0.70 1.31 Implied2.25 Yield 2.61 2.82

11.35 11.89 12.20 11.96

0.10 0.97 0.58 1.10 1.10 2.61 1.65 3.31 2.28 4.07 2.48 2.48

# Risk Premium (%)

1.00 2.63 2.27 Implied 2.00 Portfolio Price 1.00 1.00

119.2159 135.1605 103.2958 119.6687 3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

11.60 13.67 13.55 13.37 INDEX 12.34 12.35

98.42 91.11 104.64 YTD Return 101.22 (%) 99.63 97.12

13.67 15.65 14.19 15.70 14.72 16.93 12.34 13.18 13.16 12.46 12.34 16.12

99.96 97.25 99.45 98.72 101.30 85.83 102.37 102.09 101.74 104.77 104.71 96.04

1,132.31 1,144.49 1,205.03 1,136.72

13.2308 14.4487 20.5029 13.6725

Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014

Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043

business | CAPITAL MARKET

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043

Daily Summary (Bonds)

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at September 10, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 270 12 12 294

Current Price 0.60 33.50 36.00

Quantity Traded 83,282,191 77,220 143,721 83,503,132

Value Traded 51,840,196.65 2,594,098.70 5,105,374.26 59,539,669.61

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 3.19

Quantity Traded 248,661 248,661

Value Traded 787,571.20 787,571.20

83,751,793

60,327,240.81

Quantity Traded 33,240 5,930 16,068,930 3,986,245 20,094,345

Value Traded 48,274.80 27,693.10 101,967,834.91 235,163,151.14 337,206,953.95

20,094,345

337,206,953.95

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 Diversified Industries Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

311 Symbol AGLEVENT SCOA TRANSCORP Daily Summary UACN

No. of Deals 6 1 325 (Equities) 58 390

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONGLOMERATES Totals

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

Current Price 1.52 4.91 6.32 59.05

390

Symbol COSTAIN GCAPPA

No. of Deals 29 2 31

Current Price 0.96 14.46

Page Quantity Traded 1,232,632 500 1,233,132

1 of 14 Value Traded 1,191,078.12 6,870.00

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

Symbol JBERGER ROADS

No. of Deals 14 1 15

Current Price 63.99 8.46

Quantity Traded 27,393 4,666 32,059

Value Traded 1,672,552.77 41,434.08 1,713,986.85

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 21 21

Current Price 15.30

Quantity Traded 228,374 228,374

Value Traded 3,440,827.32 3,440,827.32

1,493,565

6,352,762.29

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS

Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 Automobiles/Auto Parts Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC

Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC.

CONSUMER GOODS

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Beverages--Brewers/Distillers

JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. PREMIER BREWERIES PLC Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 UNION DICON SALT PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Activity on Board EQTY FoodSummary Products--Diversified Totals

CONSUMER GOODS

Household Durables Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

67 Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 6,175 6,175

Value Traded 3,087.50 3,087.50

No. of Deals 5 (Equities) 1 105 18

Current Price 7.91 0.77 173.50 28.26

Quantity Traded 53,000 100,000 391,540 368,543

Value Traded 429,400.00 77,000.00 67,864,232.15 10,416,027.56

No. of Deals 1 104 2 236

Current Price 2.46 177.01 3.65

Page Quantity Traded 10,912 566,733 78,547 1,569,275

2Value Traded of 14

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 14 14

Current Price 134.00

Quantity Traded 33,824 33,824

Value Traded 4,759,036.80 4,759,036.80

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR MANDRID NASCON NNFM UNIONDICON

No. of Deals 48 82 50 41 1 53 9 2 286

Current Price 6.97 8.41 64.76 4.00 5.35 9.48 21.99 14.11

Quantity Traded 93,727 2,809,388 50,974 639,231 125 1,085,722 95,398 1,400 4,775,965

Value Traded 621,342.00 23,735,494.74 3,183,646.12 2,558,401.15 636.25 10,411,078.56 2,097,812.02 18,774.00 42,627,184.84

Symbol

No. of Deals 48 47 95

Current Price 55.01 1,010.01

Quantity Traded 309,726 75,023 384,749

Value Traded 17,069,698.95 75,897,296.77 92,966,995.72

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 17 3 20

Current Price 4.30 0.88

Quantity Traded Page 243,975 4,100 248,075

3Value Traded of 14 1,017,527.67 3,772.00

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 41 46 87

Current Price 34.22 48.00

Quantity Traded 174,980 239,384 414,364

Value Traded 5,852,665.15 11,293,200.04 17,145,865.19

7,432,427

337,863,897.23 Value Traded 196,345,094.14 35,816,945.95 113,451,740.75 30,686,520.73

Symbol CHAMPION Daily Summary GOLDBREW GUINNESS INTBREW

Symbol JOSBREW NB PREMBREW

Daily Summary (Equities) CADBURY NESTLE

Daily Summary as ofGOODS 10/09/2014 CONSUMER Totals Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Activity Summary onPLC Board EQTY FIDELITY BANK

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © PLC ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNIC INSURANCE PLC.

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

1,197,948.12

739 Symbol ACCESS

No. of Deals 236 42 74 122

Current Price 9.60 6.20 18.20 2.00

Quantity Traded 21,354,163 5,778,066 6,200,074 15,360,266

No. of Deals 298 129 84 154 301 4 27 232 1,703

Current Price 30.00 2.93 2.20 7.30 10.00 0.50 0.91 24.00

Quantity Traded 42,362,101 6,783,772 5,521,458 11,735,886 10,829,591 1,100,000 691,934 Page 6,241,369 133,958,680

No. of Deals 29 11 22 19 1 3 12 11 19 (Equities) 6 2 1 2

Current Price 0.80 0.98 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.50 0.54 0.76 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,431,333 550,600 227,830 3,622,600 150,000 66,000 107,955 12,827,245 1,476,452 317,194 5,500 15,000 7,424

Daily Summary (Equities) DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK

Symbol GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST INTENEGINS LASACO LAWUNION MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM Daily Summary NIGERINS PRESTIGE REGALINS UNIC

Page

25,534.08 100,241,537.17 286,696.55 179,340,427.51

1,021,299.67

Symbol WAPIC

No. of Deals 56 194

Current Price 0.75

Quantity Traded 1,472,860 22,277,993

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

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.99

Quantity Traded 90,000 90,000

Value Traded 90,030.00 90,030.00

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

Symbol ASOSAVINGS RESORTSAL UNHOMES

No. of Deals 1 2 1 4

Current Price 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 60,000 100,000 1,000 161,000

Value Traded 30,000.00 50,000.00 500.00 80,500.00

Symbol No. of Deals AFRIPRUD 50 CUSTODYINS 23 FBNH 501 FCMB 44 ROYALEX 21 STANBIC 39 UBCAP 100 Daily Summary (Equities) 778

Current Price 3.34 4.00 14.80 4.15 0.61 30.00 2.10

Quantity Traded 770,309 809,951 19,079,390 7,217,561 1,022,643 112,734 61,181,271 90,193,859

Value Traded 2,573,171.13 3,216,324.04 282,679,897.35 29,924,576.92 631,960.71 3,386,734.74 128,665,875.55 451,078,540.44

246,681,532

2,493,556,904.76

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 FBN HOLDINGS PLC Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Activity Summary on Board FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals EQTY HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

2,682

Value Traded 1,084,918.08 13,301,481.08

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals Processing Systems Daily Summary as of PLC 10/09/2014 CHAMS Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 Processing Systems Totals

No. of Deals 1 77

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

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Building Materials CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 BETA GLASS CO PLC. Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 Packaging/Containers Totals

NATURAL RESOURCES Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Chemicals Chemicals Totals Metals ALUMINIUM MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Metals Totals

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals Petroleum Petroleum Products Distributors Daily Summary as of and 10/09/2014 BECO 15:01:43.043 PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC Printed 10/09/2014 CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA Activity Summary onPLC. Board EQTY

Quantity Traded 11,000 11,000

Value Traded 6,050.00 6,050.00

Symbol CWG NCR TRIPPLEG

No. of Deals 1 3 2 6

Current Price 5.00 13.50 1.88

Quantity Traded 100 10,035 1,680 11,815

Value Traded 500.00 132,484.00 3,007.20 135,991.20

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,320,000 2,320,000

Value Traded 1,160,000.00 1,160,000.00

2,342,815

1,302,041.20

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER

No. of Deals 63 8

Current Price 33.00 8.60

Quantity Traded 566,257 20,680

Value Traded 18,610,465.25 179,619.50

Symbol CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER FIRSTALUM PAINTCOM PORTPAINT WAPCO

No. of Deals 23 34 32 2 1 1 7 33 204

Current Price 39.70 14.50 220.00 1.15 0.50 1.60 5.01 118.00

Page Quantity Traded 129,024 469,352 113,632 5,000 3,000 310 128,000 254,160 1,689,415

8 of 14 Value Traded 5,038,743.04 6,757,908.51 24,976,907.21 5,500.00 1,500.00 496.00 658,750.00 30,003,917.00

Symbol CUTIX NIWICABLE

No. of Deals 8 1 9

Current Price 1.82 0.50

Quantity Traded 59,666 28,100 87,766

Value Traded 111,755.48 14,050.00 125,805.48

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 1 2 3

Current Price 1.75 18.85

Quantity Traded 1,761 3,180 4,941

Value Traded 2,940.87 58,986.00 61,926.87

1,782,122

86,421,538.86

216

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 5.48

Quantity Traded 513

Value Traded 2,672.73

Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 513

9 of 14 Value Traded 2,672.73

Symbol ALUMACO

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 7.75

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 35 35

Current Price 0.51

Quantity Traded 1,690,049 1,690,049

Value Traded 857,116.09 857,116.09

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 255 255

Current Price 25.69

Quantity Traded 13,158,837 13,158,837

Value Traded 336,732,698.82 336,732,698.82

Symbol No. of Deals BECOPETRO 1 CONOIL 29 ETERNA 45 FO 91 Daily Summary (Equities) MOBIL 28 MRS 7 TOTAL 24

Current Price 0.50 58.89 4.00 220.02 180.00 55.96 180.00

Quantity Traded 30 33,562 1,035,190 161,955 64,119 2,850 36,655

Value Traded 15.00 1,878,409.40 4,037,252.50 35,911,928.91 11,388,410.63 151,534.50 6,603,993.61

Symbol

No. of Deals 225

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 1,334,361

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 6 6

Current Price 650.00

Quantity Traded 8,121 8,121

Value Traded 5,414,620.55 5,414,620.55

16,191,368

402,975,980.01

521

Symbol MORISON

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.82

Quantity Traded 67,351 67,351

Value Traded 122,578.82 122,578.82

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

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH

No. of Deals 10 13 23 8 22

Current Price 2.10 3.30 65.00 1.45 1.05

Quantity Traded 43,430 540,640 730,628 190,190 622,473

Value Traded 86,875.06 1,784,447.00 47,462,313.08 274,614.50 660,052.94

10Value of Traded14 59,971,544.55

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 0.95

Quantity Traded 362,360 362,360

Value Traded 345,297.00 345,297.00

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 4.79

Quantity Traded 132,975 132,975

Value Traded 606,366.00 606,366.00

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 5,245 5,245

Value Traded 2,622.50 2,622.50

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

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

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 Printed 10/09/2014 Support15:01:43.043 and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

SERVICES Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Activity Summary on Board ASeM EQTY Board Totals CONSUMER GOODS Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol CILEASING

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 54 54

Current Price 1.24

Quantity Traded Page 1,392,378 1,392,378

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 20,000 20,000

Value Traded 10,000.00 10,000.00

Current Price 1.55 1.60

Quantity Traded 1,000 7,551

Value Traded 1,480.00 11,877.52

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals ACADEMY 1 LEARNAFRCA 2

Traded14 11Value of 1,700,085.40 1,700,085.40

Symbol UPL

No. of Deals 20 23

Current Price 4.15

Quantity Traded 308,476 317,027

Value Traded 1,161,432.00 1,174,789.52

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 12 12

Current Price 0.74

Quantity Traded 315,508 315,508

Value Traded 226,366.94 226,366.94

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 2 41 43

Current Price 2.00 5.00

Quantity Traded 6,000 1,213,074 1,219,074

Value Traded 12,600.00 6,102,818.00 6,115,418.00

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 5.14

Quantity Traded 264,050 264,050

Value Traded 1,342,996.00 1,342,996.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol ROKANA

175

4,041,043

5,192

386,561,444

3,788,274,318.17

Quantity Traded 3,600 3,600

Value Traded 2,052.00 2,052.00

No. of Deals 1 1

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Page

Current Price 0.60

3,600

ASeM Board Totals

3,600

Equity Activity Totals

5,193

386,565,044

Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals

17,862.30

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers

Daily Summary of 10/09/2014 R T as BRISCOE PLC. Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Printing/Publishing

Value Traded 6 of 14 275,000.00 275,000.00

2,574

Value Traded 37,278.00 37,278.00

DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Quantity Traded Page 550,000 550,000

Value Traded 15,189.57 15,189.57

Quantity Traded 12,426 12,426

Daily Summary as of 10/09/2014 Printed 10/09/2014 15:01:43.043 Media/Entertainment

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,061 2,061

Current Price 3.15

IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

No. of Deals 1 1

86,233,806.51

No. of Deals 3 3

SERVICES

Symbol UNIONDAC

50,687,917.40

Symbol LENNARDS

2,747,860 Current Price 0.55

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. Apparel Retailers Totals

Value Traded 22,036.00 50,290,338.58

No. of Deals 1 1

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

Quantity Traded 3,148 2,130,509

Symbol COURTVILLE

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASESon PLC. Activity Summary Board EQTY

Current Price 7.36

ICT Totals

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

Value Traded 1,147,010.75 539,850.00 113,915.00 1,811,300.00 75,000.00 33,000.00 278,995.03 6,916,327.30 1,128,605.92 158,597.00 2,750.00 7,500.00 3,712.00 of

Symbol NIG-GERMAN

HEALTHCARE Totals

OIL AND GAS Published byPetroleum The Nigerian Exchange © andStock Petroleum Products Distributors Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Value Traded 1,270,546,715.16 19,875,352.18 12,086,129.69 85,802,045.38 113,619,640.71 550,000.00 626,950.10 4 of 14 149,599,218.45 2,029,006,353.24

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

Page

11,561,219.36

2,052.00 13

2,052.00

3,788,276,370.17

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 2 2 4

Current Price 1,967.00 18.61

Quantity Traded 270 5,000 5,270

Value Traded 531,150.00 93,049.88 624,199.88

ETF Board Totals

5,270

624,199.88

ETP Activity Totals

5,270

624,199.88

Page

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

PSN donates anti-Ebola materials to Abia Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

he Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Abia State chapter yesterday donated anti-Ebola Virus Disease materials to the state Ministry of Health to fight the disease from getting to the state. The materials include three cartons of surgical gloves, two cartons of syringes, 48 pieces of zinc oxide adhesive roll plaster, four cartons of Izal disinfectants, four cartons of Dettol and 48 pieces of instant hand sanitisers. Speaking in Umuahia while handing over the materials to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Okechukwu Ogar, Chairman of PSN in Abia State, Chief Albert Opara, said the materials were part of their efforts to help in the war against the virus. Opara said though Abia has not recorded any inci-

dent of the dreaded virus; “We want to be proactive with the materials we have donated in the event that it finds its way into the state and we are doing it through our little contribution.” The PSN chair used the forum to commend Governor Theodore Orji, for the wonderful things he has been doing in the health sector, including empowering the health ministry to provide the necessary materials and logistics to fight against any outbreak of Ebola in the state. He commended the health commissioner for his untiring effort in the area of sensitising the people on how to fight the Ebola war. “Your advocacy and enlightenment programmes are equal to none in any state since the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country,” he observed.

NIS to monitor foreigners, sets up border patrol Cheke Emmanuel

LAFIA

General of the Cviceomptroller Nigerian Immigration Ser(NIS) yesterday said that

the service has set up internal monitoring and control of activities of foreigners that could found their way into the country to unleash terror on Nigerians, thus jeopardising national security. To this end, the NIS boss said the service have mapped out places within the security matrix to carry out vigourous profiling of foreigners from houseto-house to register them with a view to removing criminal elements that could be involved in acts inimical to our national security interest, including electoral malpractices. This was made known

when the NIS boss paid a courtesy visit on Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State at the Government House, Lafia. The comptroller general said NIS has concluded plans to carry out profiling of foreigners from house-tohouse in Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue States and in others states of the federation to register foreigners with a view to removing criminal elements, who have no value to add to good governance or electoral process to the country. In a remark, Governor Al-Makura said government would collaborate with the NIS by mobilising traditional rulers and council chairman to give information to the service of suspicious characters at the grassroots.

PDP UK: APC representation to Cameron on Boko Haram misleading

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) United Kingdom chapter has described as misleading the recent representation made by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on the security situation in Nigeria. In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Publicity Secretary of PDP UK, Ogbueshi Oburota and Rasaki Sulu-Lola, the body accused the APC UK of desperately seeking to burnish the party’s soiled image. It will be recalled that on August 7, leaders of the APC UK visited Cameron to hand over a message alerting him of dangers capable

of derailing Nigeria’s democracy, which the PDP UK contends was nothing more than a desperate attempt to burnish the opposition party’s already tainted image. The said visit to Cameron was given publicity in the Trumpet Media Group publication of August 8, 2014 and a couple of other news organisations. The PDP UK contends that its counterpart was conveniently ignoring the fact that recently, two members of the British House of Commons posed some questions and notices requesting the Foreign and Commonwealth Minister to investigate allegations of a relationship between the APC and Boko Haram.

Nigeria emerges best Africa nation for investment in retail market Ayodele Aminu

igeria, Egypt and Ethiopia offer some of the best opportunities for retailers looking to invest in Africa, according to a report by Rand Merchant Bank. The report ranked the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya fourth and fifth while South Africa was number 15 on the list. The report by the Johannesburg-based investment banking unit of FirstRand Limited, released to clients yesterday, was compiled using criteria such as population size and growth rates, gross domestic product per capita and urbanisation rates. “Those are probably the most favourable prospects for retail investors, but they aren’t the only markets

104

available. In the next few years, you could see that changing as your income dynamics change,” Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana, an Africa analyst at RMB, said in an interview with Bloomberg, yesterday in Johannesburg. With about 173 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and has the continent’s biggest economy. McKinsey & Co. said in its last July’s report that the West African nation could be one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2030 with a consumer base exceeding the current populations of France and Germany. Disposable income in Africa will probably grow at an average rate of 5.5 per cent a year until 2030, the bank said in a report on in-

The sex ratio of women to 100 men in Burundi in 2012. Source: Un.org

vesting in Africa. By then, the continent’s highest-performing cities will have a combined purchasing power of $1.3 trillion, compared with $750 billion currently, according to RMB. While population trends are a key driver of opportunities for retailers, largescale urbanisation pose risks in terms of social problems and unemployment, said Celeste Fauconnier, an Africa macro strategist for RMB. “The risk of urbanisation is that your slum areas are dominant” within fast-growing cities. Africa’s got the youngest population in the world, which is great for productivity, if they had jobs,” he stated. Other negative shortterm factors for African markets include political

140

The number of refugees and people in refugee-like situation in Thailand assisted by UNHCR at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

risks, vulnerability to changes in commodity prices, income inequality, weak institutions and gaps in infrastructure, RMB said. It also listed low government spending on education and skills among key risks for the continent’s future. “We don’t want to present this as an unrivaled proposition. Africa is 54 distinct economies and there is abundant opportunity. But be very cautious of the risks, and there are numerous risks,” Ramkhelawan-Bhana said. While South Africa ranks outside the top 10 as a prospect for retailers, Africa’s second-largest economy remains the most-attractive country for overall investment, according to RMB.

112,620

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

L-R: Special Assistant to the Governor on Education, Mr. Mathew Kwaza; Chairman, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Ishaya Akau and Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali, at a Workshop on Ebola Virus Disease preventive measure s for Primary and Secondary School Teachers in Kaduna …yesterday

Court adjourns contempt case against PDP chair Biodun Oyeleye

Ilorin

n Ilorin High Court yesterday adjourned till September 15, hearing in a contempt case filed against the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo. The complainant in the case and claimant to the party’s chairmanship position in Ilorin West Local Government, Alhaji Toyin Olososa, had dragged Oyedepo before the court, alleging that the defendant had been in contempt of the court for inaugurating a party leadership in the

council in defiance of an existing court order. The chairman was absent at the court without reasons on Tuesday, when the matter first came up before Justice I. A. Yusuf, hence, the order for his appearance yesterday. Oyedepo had on Wednesday, September 3, sworn in the Alhaji Yusuf Amuda Olugbon-led PDP executive in the local government, claiming that he had not obtained the court’s order before the act. But counsel to the applicant, Mogaji Oba Abdulkadir, told the court on Tuesday, that Oyedepo’s absence

in court without reason was “a clear disobedience to the court order.” Abdulkadir prayed the court to issue a warrant of arrest against Oyedepo and compel his court attendance. However, in his submission, Oyedepo’s counsel, A. O. Abubakar, argued that the process of the contempt proceeding was “pre-mature and defective,” saying the defendant is entitled to seven days to file a response to the allegations in accordance with Order 11 Rules 1 and 2 of the court. While ruling on the matter, the court agreed with the applicant’s counsel that

Oyedepo’s absence was a disobedience to the court order, hence, he ordered him to appear on Wednesday to respond to the contempt charge. However, upon his appearance yesterday, Oyedepo’s counsel filed a counter-affidavit challenging the processes of the contempt proceeding as well as the jurisdiction of the court. The applicant’s counsel asked the court for time in order to file in responses to the counter-affidavit, but still prayed the court to allow the contemnor (Oyedepo) respond to the allegations of contempt.

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Eulogies as Osun chief Imam goes home Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

he remains of the PresTLeague ident-General of the of Imams and Al-

fas in Yorubaland, Sheikh and Chief Imam of Osun State, Mustapha Ajisafe, were yesterday interred at his family house in Arikalamu area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital. The burial ceremony, which attracted people from all walks of life, saw renowned Islamic scholars pouring encomiums on the departed soul. Also in attendance were Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori and the Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam. They described him as a devout Muslim, who used his life time to transform the lives of new and old and charged all and sundry to emulate his good deeds while on earth. Earlier, at the Osog-

L-R: Representative of the Chairman, Board of Trustees,Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund), Mr. Oladipo Saku; representative of the Rector, Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr. Muhammed Aliyu and Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Bala Muhammed, during a capacity building Workshop for Laboratory Technologist in Tetfund Benefiting Institutions in Kaduna …yesterday

HURDLE

PDP senator-elect, Zagbayi, may have one more hurdle to scale in the Niger East senatorial election Dan Atori MINNA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said there will be no automatic ticket for Niger East senator-elect, Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu, as he has to go through the party’s primaries if other party men show interest in the position. Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Enagi, dropped this hint in Minna, when he

31.8%

2015: No automatic ticket for Zagbayi, says PDP addressed journalists on the just concluded senatorial bye-election in the state. Enagi in answer to a question said; “There will be no automatic ticket for Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu, if more people show interest in the seat, we will have to go for primaries.” The party boss admonished politicians in the country to always respect the rule of law, saying ‘as politicians, our ability to respect the rule of law will go a long way in making sure that it is only the people that decide who governs

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

them.’ “Since the people of Niger State have spoken through the ballot box, it is our duty as democrats to respect their decision,” he said before asking “the defeated APC candidate and the party as a whole in the state to accept the verdict of the election in the spirit of sportsmanship, so that together, we can forge ahead in bequeathing to generations yet unborn, a Niger State that they shall be proud of. “As the PDP chairman, whose party won the election, I wish to assure the people that

The sex ratio of men above 60 years per 100 women in Austria in 2012. Source: Un.org

the confidence reposed in us will be adequately justified in the course of discharging our constitutional responsibilities. “We are all victorious in establishing democratic culture in our land and I hope other contestants will take it as such.” Enagi also appreciated the security agencies involved in the election, ‘for doing a marvellous job’ and the media, for portraying the polls in good light, which he said has contributed to the success recorded in the two elections.

Aliyu sacks 178 aides for non-performance Dan Atori

Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said the exercise, which was expected to last for about one month, would enable the commission ascertain the authenticity of the projects, level of completion and the efficiency of the contractors. He said that 31 key projects across the country had been selected for the exercise.

address, called on INEC to put in more efforts on voters’ enlightenment programmes. He said the success of the 2015 elections would largely depend on a successful voters’ registration exercise. He said there has been a remarkable improvement in the way INEC’s

affairs as regards preelection preparation are conducted. However, Ilo advised the electoral body to do its utmost in terms of voters’ education, noting that; “If people are well educated on the exercise, they will respond better to it and that will be a boost to the 2015 elections.”

arely a week after the Bbye-election, Niger East senatorial Governor

N269.5m

The IGR realized from other revenue sources of Imo State in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

According to him, five of the projects are in the North-Central, five in the North-East, four each in the North-West and South-South. Muruako said the verification would commence in the South-East, with eight projects worth N8.24 billion, adding that South-West with five projects would follow. He added that the proj-

Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has sacked 178 special assistants for inability to deliver for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their various units. It will be recalled that Aliyu, after a meeting with party loyalists, gave a matching order before the just concluded byeelection, to deliver for PDP in their areas or consider themselves sacked. The governor started by sacking 178 coordinators and political mobilisation officers, directing the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Saidu Idris Ndako Kpaki, to stop the payment of their salaries and allowances henceforth, urging those who are still interested to re-apply. However, further investigation by our correspondent revealed that the governor expressed dismay over the failure of the party in most polling units despite the special assistants in the communities. He had

earlier appealed to them to ensure that the administration touches the lives of every community and in return get their votes in times of need. Governor Aliyu told political appointees at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House, Minna that politics is about the delivery of dividends of democracy. He added that people, who are interested in holding appointments or running for elective offices, must be people-based. While expressing satisfaction over the success of the just concluded byeelection, Aliyu insisted that there is the need for party members to eschew political rivalry between party members, which when added will always affect the fortunes of the PDP at the polls. According to him; “I am pleased with the outcome of the bye-election, but we must see the conduct and process as a wakeup call to all political appointees and elected politicians to always be grassroots based and dividend of democracy oriented.”

MINNA

FRC to inspect N65bn federal projects

cting Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Mr. Victor Muruako, yesterday said the commission would soon commence nationwide verification tour to Federal Government projects valued at N65 billion. Muruako made this known in an interview with the News Agency of

bo Township Stadium, where the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheik Haroon Suara, led the Janasa prayers on the body of late Ajisafe, he was described as a good ambassador for Allah and charged his followers to step into his shoes and act as he acted by moving closer to God at all times. In his sermon, Sheikh Sulaimon Siraj, from Morkas Agege, Lagos, described death as inevitable for all and sundry and charged all to move closer to God. Siraj charged them to also be steadfast, honest and straightforward and allow the fear of God to dwell in them always while alive. In his remarks, Governor Aregbesola eulogised the life and time of the departed soul, saying what he added to humanity would forever linger in the lives of those who appreciated the quality of the heroic transformer.

ects to be monitored were in health, works, agriculture, water resources, transport, and the education sectors. He listed the construction of Inland River Ports in Niger State; the Osogbo-Ede 132KV power plant; Federal College of Education, Zaria and the Federal Medical Centre, Yenogua, as some of the projects.

Civil society groups canvass support for INEC Tunde Oyesina Abuja

ivil Society OrganisaCurged tions (CSOs) yesterday Nigerians to sup-

port the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make the 2015 general elections a success. The CSOs made the

plea at an interactive session with top INEC officialsin Abuja. The session was jointly organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and the Open Society Initiatives for West Africa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Govern-

ing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, said although INEC under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, was not a perfect institution, the commission, he said had demonstrated integrity, which hitherto was lacking in the organisation. He, however, asked

the commission to take into account the security challenges in the country in preparing for the next general elections. According to him, recent elections conducted by the commission had shown tremendous improvement. The Country Officer of OSIWA, Jude Ilo, in his

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Lagos plans to strengthen security at grassroots insurgency

With thousands fleeing troubled towns in the North East, Lagos could be increasing in population Muritala Ayinla

ollowing the influx of people from the North East region of the country into Lagos and the security implications, the state government in conjunction with the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) yesterday strategized on strengthening security. There have been intelligent reports that

more Nigerians from the region which has been practically taken over by the dreaded Boko Haram sect are arriving Lagos in droves. But the state government said its local security outfit, also known as Neighbourhood Watchers had been fortified to tackle the attendant security challenges in all the nook and crannies of the state, urging residents and traders to partner with government through dissemination of useful information to the relevant authorities. Speaking at a workshop on security re-engineering and grassroots awareness held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the Chairman of Conference 57, Mr. Hakeem Sulaiman

said the state's local security outfits would partner with the police to handle any challenge that may arise from the population surge. Sulaiman said: "The security strategy, therefore, is for State and Local Government police to be taken into consideration and given full support so that they would be able to manage criminality and tackle the problem of insecurity because the local police will be able to reach everywhere in a given state better than federal police from other parts of the country. It will also allow for more communication network between the police and the community. "In the same vein, we should entrench equity,

fairness and justice in our relationships at personal, inter-governmental and societal levels, as the absence of social justice is invitation to chaos and violence, which threatens our security. Closely related is the imperative for us to have mutual respect for one another regardless of our religious, ethnic and cultural differences, to engender peace, unity and harmony. We should institutionalize policies and programmes that foster national integration and citizenship, and avoid pitfalls that undermine our unity and patriotism as Nigerians. This is because of the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos State. According to him, "given these dynamics therefore, security is not

an end in itself, but a critical means to the realization of National, State and Local Government interests and aspirations. This is because we are all bound by the provisions

of the Nigeria Constitution, which states inter alia in section 14 subsection 2b that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.

Displaced persons hit 1,300 in Adamawa he Commandant, AdTplaced amawa Internally DisPersons Camp,

Mr. Abdulmumini Jauro, yesterday said no fewer than 1,300 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been registered at the camp. Jauro made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Bajabure refugee camp in Girei Local Government Area. The commandant, who is a member of Nigerian Red Cross society, said that nine pregnant women were among the IDPs. “We have so far registered over 1,300 Internally Displaced Persons who escaped from insurgent attacks in Madagali,

Michika and Mubi North and South Local Government Areas of the state,” Jauro said. He said that among the refugees were 162 students of the Federal Polytechnic and the Adamawa State University, Mubi, who were indigenes of Taraba. According to him, 360 and 175 among the refugee were women and children, respectively. The commandant also confirmed that among the nine pregnant women, two had delivered and that both mothers and the babies were in good health. He thanked various individuals and organisations for their massive assistance to the refugees.

Ekiti signage agency to shut down defaulting firms

Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

Signage and AdverEdaykiti tisement Agency yestersaid it would start to

L-R: Minister of State for Agriculture, Asabe Ahmed; Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide and Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyankenyi, at the Federal Executive Council Meeting, in Abuja…yesterday

Wamakko: Govt alone can't handle insecurity

ov. Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State on Wednesday urged members of the public to give maximum support to all security agencies in the country. Wamakko made the call in Sokoto when he received five patrol vehicles donated by the MTN Foundation to the Police Command in Sokoto State. The vehicles were

handed over to Wamakko at a ceremony in Sokoto for onward delivery to the command. The governor urged other organisations in Nigeria to support security agencies to enable them function effectively. He said: “Battling the security challenges is not for the government alone but for all the citizens. Support to the various se-

curity agencies will surely bolster their operations as well as further motivate them to discharge their duties without any blemish.’’ He commended the foundation for supporting the efforts of the federal and state governments in ensuring that the lingering security challenges were reduced to the barest minimum. Wamakko also urged

the police to utilise the vehicles properly so as to further guarantee the security of lives and property. The Director-General of the MTN Foundation, Hajiya A'isha Sadauki, said the foundation initiated the support programme to complement the efforts of government in tackling the security challenges in the country.

S/W PDP leaders strategise on 2015 polls Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

head of the 2015 general election, the South-West caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met for several hours on Tuesday night up till the early hours of yesterday, in Abuja, during which they deliberated extensively on how to ensure unity and cohesion within the party with a view to ensuring victory at the polls. The meeting, held at the Nicon Luxury hotel, which

attracted top politicians like Chief Olabode George, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was however boycotted by the Ekiti State Governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose and another leader of the party from the zone, Chief Buruji Kashamu. Competent sources at the meeting told New Telegraph that discussions at the meeting centred on the need to avoid division and rancour as the 2015 election draw nearer. The PDP South-West

caucus also called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to dismiss the recent suspension of its zonal chairman, Chief Ishola Filani. Filani, it would be recalled, was recently pronounced suspended by some members of the party in the zone. However, the SouthWest PDP leaders dismissed the suspension of Filani, insisting that the action by the members was illegal. The South-West PDP leaders said their intervention was geared towards

discouraging any form of crises within the party. The convener of the meeting, George, said those who suspended Filani lacked the power to do so, because the constitution of PDP stipulates that only the National Executive Council (NEC) of PDP has such power. George maintained that those who suspended the PDP zonal chairman failed to explore the laid down channel of effecting such action since they did not lodge a formal complaint against him before announcing his suspension.

shut down industries and companies operating in the state, which are defaulting in the payment of their dues and fees. Briefing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Director General of the agency, Prince Adewole Ajakaiye, said the closure of the defaulting companies would start on Monday, September 15, 2014. Ajakaiye, who regretted the nonchalant attitude of some telecommunication companies

to the payment of the appropriate dues on their signages and other outdoor advertisements, said such would no longer be tolerated. Ajakaiye pointed out that the era in which defaulting companies were allowed to operate freely after removing their signages and billboards was over, saying “their offices will be closed down as well while enforcing the operation.” He said in spite of the snags being encountered in the collection of the dues, the agency raked in the sum of N20 million into the state’s coffers in 2013.

AfDB approves $150m loan for Lekki Port project

he African Development Tapproved Bank (AfDB) says it has 150 million dol-

lars loan to Lekki Tolaram Port to build a Greenfield Seaport in the Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFTZ). This is contained in a statement issued by the bank yesterday in Abuja. The LFTZ is 60 kilometres east of Lagos. The statement said the project would be managed by Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise for 45 years under a build, own, operate and transfer concession granted by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). It said the loan (about N23 billion) would be used for the construction of breakwaters, quays, approach channels, dredging of the basin and captive utilities such as water

and power. According to the statement, the port, when completed, will handle 2.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 16.7 million tonnes (MT) of liquid cargo and 4.5 MT of dry bulk. It explained that the construction would start in January 2015, while the container terminal would begin in December 2018. The statement added that the project, which was estimated at 1.675 billion dollars, would be financed through a 54/46 debt to equity ratio by the bank and the handlers. It said the project was in line with the Nigeria’s Strategy Paper (2012-2016), which stresses infrastructure development in the non-oil and transport sector.

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Polytechnic workers demand rector’s removal, dissolution of council Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

taff of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, yesterday demanded the removal of the rector of the institution, Dr. Mrs. Theresa Akande and the dissolution of the governing council over what they described as the institution’s inability to provide quality leadership. The staff, under the auspices of the three industrial unions - the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) - made the call while declaring an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their

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CONTISS 15 approved by the Federal Government for federal polytechnics since October 2013. Besides, the unions also alleged that rather than being promoted to the next level, some of them had been demoted and had their salaries cut illegally. Leaders of the unions, Dr. Ayeni Oluwole (SSANIP); Tunji Owoeye (ASUP); Adekunle Adeniyi (NASU) and the National Secretary of SSANIP, Mr. Monday Jegede, took time to address the workers in turns in front of the institution’s gate, which was put under lock and key by the unionists. They also accused the management of nonremittance of the money deducted from workers’ salaries for staff cooperatives amounting to N250

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Thailand in 2010. Source: Itu.int

million. Calling on both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to scrutinise the financial books of the institution, the workers vowed that they would not dialogue with the management until all their demands were met. The ASUP chairman said: “We will not have anything to do with the management, because the management has committed illegality and must face the wrath of the law. “It is illegal to reduce workers’ salaries without recourse to the law. They have to do something about this and pay us in full. All these must be fulfilled be-

fore we can dialogue with the management.” The aggrieved workers carried placards with different inscriptions such as “Akande pay us our money,” “Federal poly is a one-man show,” “N16m for one overseas trip,” “Do we have a Governing Council, ICPC, EFCC come to our aid.” The protesters also sang unprintable songs to denounce the management’s action. Jegede, in his comment, said the national bodies of the unions were solidly behind the workers’ action. He said: “This is a battle that must be won, the national secretariat is aware of this action.” He warned workers not to report to duty, vowing that any worker who sells out would be dealt with.

610,000

The life expectancy (in years) at age 60 years The number of adults and children estimated to be living with HIV in Thailand in 2007. of women in Mozambique in 2010-2015. Source: Blatantworld.com Source: Un.org

‘Ebonyi South should produce next governor' Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

group, Ahassocio-cultural Ebonyi Equity Forum, lent its voice to the clamour for the governorship of the state to shift to Ebonyi South Senatorial district come 2015. The group in a ninepoint communique issued at the end of its inaugural summit held in Abakaliki, commended Governor Martin Elechi for his giant strides in the state, especially the construction of unity bridges, Ochoudo secretariat, Abakaliki International Market, the ultra-modern water schemes in Ukawu and Oferekpe and the power projects. The communique, which was signed by Hon. Daniel Ogiji, Eze Monday Ken and Senator Emmanuel Onwe, chairman, secretary and patron respectively, observed with concern the raging controversy over the desirability of power shift as it regards the gu-

Work against Jonathan, lose our support, youths tell politicians Tony Okafor Awka

youth organisation, ReA(RYG) alisation Youth Group has vowed to work

L-R: Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi; her Oyo State counterpart, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi; guest speaker, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi and wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Funsho Amosun, at the National Women’s Summit in Ibadan…yesterday

Activists eulogise Fawehinmi Muritala Ayinla

uman rights activists yesterday paid glowing tribute to the late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawhinmi, calling on Nigerians to emulate the late legal icon in standing up against oppressors in the country. They also berated the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for eroding the values of the founding fathers of the students’ union body. Speaking at a book presentation ceremony held at the Nigerian Law Publication

House, Alausa, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, said Nigerians must uphold Fawehinmi’s virtues. Opeifa, who said he knew Fawehinmi while he was a 200 Level student in the university, called on Nigerian students and other activists to rise against injustice at all times. He said: “Seriously speaking, we need to do something about NANS. It is going out to of control. At a point, we used to have up to three NANS presidents, because the body became politi-

cised. Now, it has become one body again. That one body has started going its own way; I think we have to do something. Appropriately, Nigerian students will do the right thing. For mer NANS President, Lanre Arogundade, another activist, said the time has come for for mer past leaders of NANS to speak to students’ union bodies to uphold the virtues of NANS, saying they became Gani Fawehinmi’s sons and daughters because of his doggedness and commitment to justice.

bernatorial position of Ebonyi State to Ebonyi South senatorial district in the 2015 general elections. The communique further noted that even though, there was no written charter of equity on power rotation, it was not the intention of the founding fathers that fought for the creation of Ebonyi State, to have a state where one section or district will be marginalised. The forum also noted that notwithstanding the absence of a written power rotation arrangement in the state, Dr. Sam Egwu of Ebonyi North, after eight years on the seat, handed over to Chief Martin Elechi, of Ebonyi Central, proving a positive disposition to an equitable power rotation arrangement or charter of equity which, though not written on paper, was boldly etched on the hearts and consciences of the people and so, is binding.

against any candidate in the 2015 polls, who may try to undermine the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan next year. The youth group based in Awka, Anambra State, said that it would use its network nationwide to ensure that the 2015 project of President Jonathan was realised. In a statement signed and issued in Awka yesterday by Onyeka Emembolu and Comrade Romanus Nwafor, the Coordinator and Secretary of RYG respectively, the

group, which said it also had special interest in the characters that would represent Anambra State in both the national and state assemblies in 2015, warned those it called mischievous politicians to steer clear of the contest. Lamenting the poor performance of previous representatives of Anambra North senatorial district in recent times, the group said time had come for a change. Their statement reads in part; “Since we are supporting President Goodluck Jonathan's second term come 2015, we will mobilise all our members to work towards the realisation of the 2015 project of our president."

Kwara PDP promises enhanced welfare programmes he Peoples Democratic TState Party (PDP) in Kwara yesterday promised to provide enhanced welfare programmes for the people if voted into office in the 2015 general elections. PDP Chairman in the state, Mr. Iyiola Oyedepo, made the promise on Tuesday at Afon, Asa Local Government while inaugurating the secretariat of the party. He said the party’s five-point agenda would promote the welfare of the people through programmes such as free antenatal and postnatal care for pregnant women as well as free medical treatment for children. The chairman decried

the level of neglect in Afon, saying the council headquarters lacks good roads, potable water and electricity supply. He pledged that a PDP government would focus on the provision of rural infrastructure while farmers would receive support to promote commercial agriculture. “Farmers in Kwara State will no longer be condemned to the traditional farming system that brings fatigue and illhealth to them,” Oyedepo said. He also promised that a PDP government would arrest the declining education standard in the state. “Nobody in primary

and secondary school in the state will pay any form of levy or school fees once a PDP government is in power,” Oyedepo said. He added that skills acquisition, massive employment and empowerment of youths and women would form the cornerstone of the party’s empowerment programme. He said the inauguration of the party’s secretariat in Afon, was an indication that the party was vibrant in the state. Oyedepo, however, charged other local government chairmen of the party to emulate Asa by establishing a secretariat in each of the 193 wards in the state.

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Police to partner with teachers state CommisPrulateau sioner of Police, NasiOki has said that the

police will partner with teachers in the state to access information from remote communities. Oki stated this in Jos while speaking to Journalist, saying teachers in the state will also help to reduce crime by accessing information from remote communi-

ties to the Police force. He noted that teachers posted to some inaccessible communities would be used actively as partnering assets to the police in order to promote a free society. He said such synergy with teachers would help to facilitate quick access to information as they were closest to the people.

Council boss tasks Wada on infrastructure Muhammad Bashir

Lokoja L-R: Executive Commissioner (Legal and Enforcement), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mrs. Sa’adatu Bello; Managing Director, FBN Capital, Mr. Kayode Akinkugbe; Director General, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh and Executive Director (Corporate Services), Zakawanu Garba, at the third quarter Capital Market (CMC) meeting in Lagos…yesterday

FEC approves N13bn for rice milling, cassava processing plants Anule Emmanuel he Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved N13 billion for the procurement of 10 integrated rice mills and six high quality cassava flour mills to boost rice and cassava production in the country. Briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunwi Adesina, said 10 mills each have a capacity to mill 36,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice, mak-

ing it a total of 360,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice to be finely processed. He said this would assist government in achieving rice sufficiency in the country and add up to the nation’s import capacity. The Minister, who was joined by the Ministers of Works, Mike Onolememen; Information, Labaran Maku; Health, Onyebuchi Nwachukwu and the Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, said the rice mills will be located in 10 states of the federation. The rice mills are ex-

pected to be located in Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ogun, Bayelsa, Niger, Kogi, Anambra, Benue and Bauchi states, while the cassava mills will be located in Ondo, Ogun, Abia, Delta, Cross River, Nassarawa states. He said council deliberated extensively on the need for more integrated rice mills across the country as it is currently working at the total blackout of the importation of rice. He said that government will no longer fold it's arms and watch the private sector do the job, rather it is

taking the lead and doing the right thing. "There are still those who go around trying to get waivers to import rice and throw us into poverty. This will no longer be possible" he said. FEC also yesterday gave approval for the award of contract for the additional construction of 1x60MVA, 132/332KV transformer to the Maiduguri 1x150MVA, NK330/132 Substation, in favour of Merssrs Best Crompton Engineering (Africa) Limited in the sum of $2,250,446.72.

Jonathan’s chief physician loses father

Anambra women back Umeh for Senate

Anule Emmanuel he Chief Physician of the President, Dr. Fortune Fiberesima, has expressed sadness over the death of his father Mr. David Peter Fiberesima. Fiberesima died on September 3, 2014. A statement by Dr. Reuben Abati, special adviser on media and publicity to the President said Fiberesima was born on December 31, 1927 to the family of late Mr. Peter and Mrs. Okosemiema Fiberesima

Yekeen Nurudeen

of Opukpe War Canoe House in Okrika, Rivers State. The late Pa Fiberesima worked at various times as court messenger in the state Customary Court and court bailiff in the Ministry of Justice, before retiring in 1987 as a revenue collector in the Internal Revenue Division of the Rivers State Ministry of Finance. Dr. Abati said the burial programme will be announced later by the family.

Abuja

ambition TofheofAllsenatorial factional chairman Progressives Grand Alliance National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh yesterday received another boost as Anambra Central Women Forum (ACWF) endorsed him for the National Assembly seat. The women, in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity, Mrs. Adanma Chukwuma said Umeh is

an action man with passion for the masses, who can effectively represent Anambra Central Senatorial Zone in the Senate. They noted that he is ending his tenure as APGA boss and having weathered unprecedented storms in his quest at building a strong, virile progressive party, winning many legal battles and election victories for the party, Umeh is considered appropriate for the Senate.

Gombe IDPs' camp: NEMA 2015: Group endorses Atiku calls for learning materials Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

head of his formal declaration as presidential aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 election, a South West group under the aegis of 'Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Collectives' (AAA Collectives), has said the former Vice President is the best

person to rescue the nation from the social, economic and security challenges. Speaking on behalf of the group, the Zonal leader, Hon. Bode Ajewole, said in Ibadan yesterday that Atiku remained the only core and tested democrat who has the passion to turn around the fortune of the country in all the spheres of human endeavour.

Ugo Willies

Gombe

he Acting Head of OpTEmergency erations of the National Management

Agency (NEMA) for Gombe Office, Hajyia Zainab Umar Ali has appealed for more teaching and learning materials for Children at the Internally Displaced Person’s Camp situated in Gombe.

Ali told our correspondent that the pupils are in desperate need of learning materials such as text books, writing materials, pencils and many other facilities. According to her, the Gombe camp which houses over 630 persons most of whom are children are in dire need of learning materials for the temporary Primary School.

Chairman, Ofu LoTinhe cal Government Area Kogi, Almajiri Isah

Ameh, has called on governor Idris Wada to give more consideration on human development, by way of stomach infrastructure in his avowed transformation Agenda. Ameh made this call yesterday, when the governor made a thank you tour to the people at Ugwolawo, the headquaters of the Local Government

Area. The chairman, who compared Captain Wada's style of governance, to a flying plane without turbulence, said the local government under his administration as not derailed from the key guiding principles of infrastructural development, such stomach infrastructure, Agriculture, Human Capital Development and maintenance of Law and Order despite the staggered allocation from the central government.

Only God can determine my fate – Fintiri Onyekachi Eze

Abuja

damawa State ActAUmaru ing Governor, Ahmed Fintiri, yesterday,

said only God could decide whether he could contest the February 28, 2015, governorship election in the state or not. Fintiri, who was at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat, disclosed that his immediate pre-occupation at the moment was to prepare and win the October 11, 2014 governorship bye-election which his party just nominated him to contest. The National Secretary of PDP, Prof Wale Oladipo, had on Tuesday said the party would enforce its decision that restricted the governorship of Adamawa State to Adamawa Central Senatorial District by 2015. He said the party would insist that Fintiri should

not be allowed to contest the February 2015 governorship election in the state because of an agreement he had entered into with the party. According to him, Fintiri voluntarily agreed to opt out of the 2015 race after all the aspirants agreed that the position should be restricted to Adamawa Central in 2015. "I was the Secretary of the Committee that met with them and what happened was that we pointed it out that it will be morally wrong for whoever wins now to contest the 2015 election. This means that such a person will only rule the place till the expiration of original term of Murtala Nyako. And eight of them voluntarily withdrew that they would prefer to wait and contest the 2015 election. Nobody was forced. We don't have a class captain in PDP."

Monarch rallies support for flood victims Ugo Willies

Gombe

mir of Gombe, AlEAbubakar haji Abubakar Shehu III has called

for support for last weekends’ flood victims in Gombe metropolis which claimed about six lives and properties worth millions of naira.

The Emir who spent most part of yesterday going round all the areas affected by the flood to sympathize with the victims was accompanied by many traditional title holders of the Emirate. He called on people of the state to pray against a reoccurrence of such devastating floods.

WORLD | NEWS

rime Minister David Cameron begged Scots yesterday not to rip apart Britain’s “family of nations”, in an attempt to stem a steep last minute rise in secessionist support ahead of a Sept. 18 referendum on independence. In a sign of new panic in the British ruling elite over the fate of the 307-year-old union, Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband scrapped their weekly question-and-answer session in parliament to speak at separate events in Scotland. “I would be heartbroken if this family of nations was torn apart,” Cameron, speaking in the atrium of the Scottish Widows building in central Edinburgh. The prime minister, whose job may be on the line if he loses Scotland, warned Scots that a vote for secession would be forever and that Scotland would not share the British pound. Using unusually strong language, the prime minister added: “I think people can feel it is a bit like a general election - that you make a decision and five years later you can make another decision if you are fed up with the effing Tories, give them a kick and then maybe we’ll think again. This is totally different to a general election: This decision about not the next five years but a decision about the next century.” Cameron has until now been largely absent from the debate after conceding that his privileged

Cameron to Scots: I would be heartbroken if you rip apart our UK ‘family of nations’ background and center-right paid for by expenses,” he said. the euro, with traders citing an for independence over recent politics mean he is not the best “There’s so much at stake, and it unverified web poll conducted by weeks, discomfiting investors person to win over Scots, who re- seems so real already, I just hope an independent blogger which and raising the biggest internal turned just one Conservative law- we make it.” Sterling hit a fresh gave the “Yes” camp a strong challenge to the United Kingdom maker out of 59 in 2010. Given the 10-month low against the dollar lead. Several opinion poll surveys since Irish independence almost unpopularity of the Conserva- and a three-month low against have shown a surge in support a century ago. tives in Scotland, Cameron’s trip is fraught with danger: if Scots vote for independence, Cameron will be blamed just as Britain prepares for a national election planned for May 2015. Cameron, Miliband and third party Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg - all English born - raced up to Scotland. They spoke at rallies in major cities surrounded by supporters bearing “No” posters. But nationalist leader Alex Salmond said the visits were a sign of panic that would only help the secessionist “Yes” cause. “If I thought they were coming by bus I’d send the bus fare,” Salmond said, describing Cameron as the most unpopular Conservative leader ever among Scots and Miliband as the most distrusted Labour leader. In Edinburgh, independence supporter James Curry, 33, said he found the visits by politicians from London “insulting and patronizing”. “They should’ve Members of Britain’s royal family cheer as competitors participate in a sack race at the Braemar gathering in Scotland. been up here ages ago. Instead, they’re having a wee day trip,

Thousands mourn Italian nuns killed in Burundi

housands of mourners in Burundi celebrated the lives of three Italian nuns brutally murdered this week, in tearful farewells before their bodies were taken to Democratic Republic of Congo for burial. The emotional and sombre mass in a large Roman Catholic church in Burundi’s capital was attended by as many as three thousand mourners, including the vicepresident and top politicians. Mourners sobbed as Archbishop of Bujumbura Evariste Ngonagoye praised the life of service the three nuns had given in the impoverished nation, and condemned the “inhuman” crimes of the killer. The three Roman Catholic nuns were named as Olga Raschietti, 83, Lucia Pulici, 75, and Bernadetta Boggian, aged 79. Photographs of the elderly nuns were placed on top of three white coffins laid alongside each other in front of mourners, with candles burning alongside. The three will be buried Thursday in the nearby town of Bukavu, in neighbouring DR Congo, where their order has a church. “I loved them, everybody loved them very much. They helped the poor, they have been with us during the hard times of the war,” said one mourner, who gave her named only as Alice, who had come from DR Congo to accompany the bodies. Pope Francis Monday issued his condolences. “The Holy Father begs the Lord to welcome into his kingdom of peace and light these three faithful and devout nuns,” he said in a statement. Burundian Vice-President Prosper Bazombanza has said the gov-

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

ernment was “appalled by such barbarity”. Police have arrested a man who they said has confessed to the killing of the nuns in twin attacks in their convent. Sunday afternoon two nuns were stabbed to death and the killer then battered one with a rock. Hours later, before dawn Monday, another nun in the same convent was killed, her body beaten and head hacked off. Burundi, a small nation in Africa’s Great Lakes region, emerged in 2006 from 13 years of brutal civil war and its political climate remains fractious ahead of presidential polls due in June 2015. In 2011, a Croatian nun and an Italian charity worker were killed in an apparent botched robbery in northern Burundi.

China-funded Sudan palace to replace historic building

udan yesterday announced the completion of a Chinafunded presidential palace to replace the colonial-era offices where British General Charles Gordon died in a battle that defined Sudanese history. The new three-storey domed palace has been built with a grant from Beijing, the official SUNA news agency reported without specifying the amount. SUNA said the project confirms “the strong relations between Khartoum and Beijing”, whose ambassador Luo Xiaoguang attended a signing ceremony with Sudanese officials to confirm completion of the project. The heavy-looking, greybrown stone of the new palace contrasts with the whitewashed old palace that recalls Britain’s colonial past. Both

buildings are near each other along the Blue Nile River. President Omar al-Bashir has his offices at the palace, which was originally built in the early 19th century during Turco-Egyptian rule. A plaque inside the old palace marks the spot where General Gordon was killed in 1885 by the forces of a messianic Islamic reformer called “the Mahdi”. From 1877-79, Gordon was governor of Sudan under the Turco-Egyptian administration. After the British occupied Egypt in 1882 and the Sudanese Mahdist revolt intensified, Britain again dispatched Gordon to Khartoum. Despite his efforts to defend it, the garrison was destroyed and the Mahdi’s conquest ushered in a period of Islamist rule. SUNA said

Russia: Ukraine ‘bears responsibility’ for MH17 crash

ussia’s defence minister yesterday told his Malaysian counterpart that Ukraine bore full responsibility for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash that left 298 dead. “The crash happened in the airspace of Ukraine which bears full, total responsibility for what has happened,” Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Hishammuddin Hussein, who was in Moscow to discuss the ongoing MH17 investigation. “I am convinced that if Ukraine solved its domestic problems without the use of armed forces, without the bloodshed there over the past month, without the use of heavy artillery... this tragedy

would not have happened,” Shoigu said in televised remarks. Hishammuddin arrived in Moscow a day after Dutch investigators released a preliminary report on the July 17 disaster “I very much appreciate your patience,” he told Russian authorities, referring to the ongoing investigation. Kiev and the West believe the Boeing 777, which plunged out of the sky en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a rebel surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Hishammuddin was also due to meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, Malaysia’s Moscow embassy and the Russian foreign ministry said. “The

visit will last less than a day,” a spokeswoman for the embassy said. Hishammuddin was in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Tuesday and will visit Amsterdam next, the spokeswoman added. Dutch experts two days ago, released initial findings in their probe into the crash, saying MH17 “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside”. While the report from the Dutch Safety Board does not apportion blame over the July air disaster, it could heighten Western pressure on Moscow over its role in the bloody Ukraine conflict.

construction of the new palace began in 2010. It will be inaugurated January 1, the country’s Independence Day. Emad Sayed Ahmed, the presidential press secretary, told AFP that the government has outgrown the existing palace. However, official ceremonies will still be held in the historic building even after the administration moves to the new palace, Ahmed said. He had no details about the cost but said the new palace “reflects Sudan and Sudanese culture”. The Chinese embassy spokeswoman could not be reached for comment. China, a major trading partner and investor in Sudan, has also built a riverfront convention facility in Khartoum as well as infrastructure including roads and bridges.

Poroshenko to address U.S. Congress

krainian President Petro Poroshenko has been invited to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, congressional leaders said yesterday, an honor intended to underscore Washington’s commitment to his country as it battles separatist pro-Russian rebels. Republican John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, invited Poroshenko to address a meeting of the House and U.S. Senate Sept. 18. “Having President Poroshenko address Congress is another signal of our steadfast commitment to the aspirations of his people,” Boehner said in a statement.

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

Did you know?

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

That American twin Bob and Mike Bryan were the first doubles pair to win 100 titles together by winning the 2014 US Open men’s doubles

ADEKUNLE SALAMI, DepUTY Editor, SPORTS kunle.salami@newtelegraphonline.com adekunles@yahoo.com

tHURSday, september 11, 2014

Wingless Eagles fail to fly

lSouth Africa 0 Nigeria 0 Ifeanyi Ibeh Super Eagles on WednesTlesshe day night played out a goaldraw with South Africa’s Ejide

Bafana Bafana in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played in Cape Town.

The result meant that the reigning African champions remain in third place on the Group A log behind secondplaced South Africa, and firstplaced Congo, who defeated Sudan 2-0 earlier in the day. Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi,

following last Saturday’s 3-2 defeat against the Congolese, made three changes to his starting lineup, bringing in Emmanuel Emenike, Gbolahan Salami and Nosa Igiebor in place of Uche Nwofor, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Ramon Azeez. Following a first half that saw both sides failing to get a shot on target, the game came to life 10 minutes from the end with Igho-

daro Osaguona, who came in as a second half substitute in place of Salami, almost made it a dream debut with a goal-bound header that was only cleared off the line. And a minute later, Sone Aluko, who also came in as a second half substitute, saw his effort from the edge of the area saved by Senzo Meyiwa. But the South African came even closer to winning the game six minutes from the end when Ranti was out through on goal only for his shot at goal to be saved by Austin Ejide.

Keshi

Onazi (left)

Etim

Eagles are just average players, Etim BLASTS Emmanuel Tobi and Charles Ogundiya

ormer Nigeria midfielder Etim Esin, has said the Super Eagles will continue to struggle because all the players in the team are average. Speaking in Lagos with New Telegraph, Esin, known as Maradona in his playing days, noted that the team has lost the fear factor that worked for the players in the past. According to him, opponents now look at the Super Eagles as ordinary and their confidence grow

as a result whenever they confront the team. Esin said the team lacked players that could change the course of a game when they run into trouble during matches. “When we were playing, we had players like Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Felix Owolabi, Austin Okocha, Etim Esin, Sunday Oliseh, Kanu Nwankwo and others that show authority in games. Opponents were scared of some of us and immediately the lineup was released, they would be scared even before kicking the ball which gave

us a psychological edge,” Esin said. “Looking at the current players I can easily say they are all average individuals that don’t create fear in opponents. “Do we have a player that could dribble two to three opponents when the need arises? Do we have someone that hits the ball from outside and the goalkeeper will tremble? Do we have a player that could thread a pass through the opposing defence for the strikers to score? Nobody,” he stated. “We all watched Kelechi Iheanacho in action during Manchester

Murder: Pistorius to know fate today

City’s pre-season tour where he distinguished himself. The confidence Man City coaches had in him must be complemented by Stephen Keshi who needs to invite him now to play for the Eagles. “I hate to hear people say some players are still young because I started playing for the national team at the age of 18-19. Young players are being encouraged across the world, so it’s time we integrated some of these former Eaglets like Musa Yahaya, Iheanacho and the captain Musa Mohammed into the team,” he said.

} P 52

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Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Murder: Pistorius to know fate today

he eyes of the world will be on a Pretoria courtroom today (Thursday) as Oscar Pistorius lear ns his fate after a gripping sixmonth trial. The Paralympian faces life in prison if convicted of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius, 27, claims he mistook the model for an intruder when he went to investigate a noise coming from his bathroom. And the double amputee has maintained he did not mean to rapidly fire four shots from a 9mm pistol through a locked toilet door. Steenkamp, 29, was on the other side and died after being hit in the head, pelvis and ar m. The jury system was abolished in South Africa during apartheid so Judge Thokozile Masipa alone must deliver a verdict by answering the key question – what

was going through Pistorius’s mind when he pulled the trigger? To convict him of the most serious charge, premeditated murder, the judge must believe he knew Reeva was in the bathroom and thought about killing her before he fired. If the Blade Runner is found guilty, he would be sentenced to life in jail with no parole considered for 25 years.

Sports Data Base and Hall of Fame. According to the Director General of the NSC, Gbenga Elegbeleye, the terms of reference for the committee would be spelt out during the inauguration ceremony. Speaking on the reason for setting up the committee, the Director General said that: “The primary objective for the setting up of

John Ogu Wishing my Mates Success in Today’s Game..#GOSUPEREAGLES ..We Praying for you Guys from our Various Destinations. @ogujohnugo Etim10 Wake up Super Eagles. Pistorius

the Committee is to monitor virtually all the serving and retired sports men and women living in Nigeria and abroad and to ascertain the level of their living conditions and to determine if the sports commission should offer assistance to them if necessary. “We want to monitor our sports men and women wherever they are in the country, continent and abroad and to help those that need help if needs be.

The only way we can do this is to have a data base where their names and profile/data would be captured,” he said. The 10-member committee members are: Mrs Hauwa-Kulu Akinyemi (Director/Cordinator), Peterside Idah (Chairman, Technical Committee), Mrs Maria Wophil (Secretary), Nkechi Obi, Dr. Felix Waboso, Onochie Anibeze, Mr. Hart Jonah, Mr. Akintunde Akinsemola, Mary Onyali and Ahmed Bala.

igerian football golden girl, Asisat Oshoala, has declared her readiness to work harder for a regular shirt in the senior women team, the Super Falcons, ahead of the African Women Championship billed for Namibia from October 11-25. The Rivers Angels player dazzled at the last FIFA U-20 Women World Cup in Canada where she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player but in a telephone in-

Africa Junior Tennis: Four Nigerians qualify for S’final

he potential of Nigerian tennis will be in the global limelight on Wednesday as the country dominates the ITF West and Central Africa Circuit currently taking place in Togo. Four Nigerian players have booked their places in the semifinal of the junior tournament. With players from the USA, Germany, Britain, India, Austria, Thailand also featuring in the event which will be rounded off on Saturday, Nigerian players gave a

good account of themselves with Mohammed Mohammed setting up a semifinal clash with compatriot Emmanuel Sunday which automatically guarantees Nigeria a place in the final while an all-Nigeria final would be in the card should Joseph Imeh triumphed over Ouatarra Abdulkarim of Cote d’ Ivoire in another semifinal match. Rising youngster Elizabeth Garos-Pam, who as a debutante, was a finalist in the 2014 year’s CBN Open Championship in Lagos, is

expected to have her hands full when she confronts American Miller Krasilnikov in one of the semifinal matches at the Hard Court tournament holding at the Stade Omnisport, Lome. Nigeria Tennis Federation President, Engr. Sani Ndanusa said: “This is a point-ranking tournament by the ITF and what it means is that our players will move up in the world rankings which could fast track their development in the game. This speaks well of tennis development in the country.”

NIPOGA Games 2014: Bida promises best Games ever

President of NIPOGA CounTnic,hecilBida, and Rector, Federal PolytechEngineer Sule Abdullai,

has promised all the participating institutions that would converge in Bida from November 5 to 15, 2014 of the best Games ever when the 18th edition of the NIPOGA Games begins. Abdullai stated that efforts are being intensified to ensure thata

athletes from the various polytechnics compete on brand new ultra-modern facilities in Bida. He noted that in as much as the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, would not want to win at all costs; the institution’s athletes are preparing adequately to ensure that the overall title of the 2014 edition of the Games does not elude Bida.

@etimmy10

Idah Peterside Carol is crazy about Yaya. Every time he touches the ball she screams.. # @SimplyCarol8 #ssfootball @IdahPeterside Danny Swift Garcia Success comes with a price, and I paid my dues. @DannySwift Devon Alexander Name a fighter who was champ 3x before they were 25 @TheRealDevonA Amir Khan Big thanks to @sizkoolkutz and his children for the cheque to @amirkhanfoundation. @AmirKingKhan Lewis Hamilton This is for my dear friend Emilio Botin has sadly passed away. I will miss you dearly! @LewisHamilton

I’m ready for Falcons shirt war –Oshoala hails Nkwocha, Oparanozie’s influence Emmanuel Tobi

Oshoala (Right) in action for Nigeria against North Korea keeper Min Yukyeong and defender, Lee Subin

TWITTER |@NTelegraphSport

EMMANUEL EMENIKE OH LORD i just want say a big thanks to u for my life and anything u have done for me. @E29EMENIKE

NSC set up Committee on Sports Data Base

National Sports ComTa hemission (NSC) has set up Committee on Nigerian

Sport Trending

“With the facilities we are putting in place, the athletes in all the scheduled 16 events would have the luxury of competing on standard platforms that would aid their performances just as it is in international competitions. We expect that new records would be set and old ones broken, as star athletes would be at home with our facilities.”

terview with New Telegraph on Wednesday she admitted that she had to forget that success and prove that she can survive in the senior team. “Although I have been part of the Super Falcons even before I went to the U-20 World Cup, I have to work harder now, people will expect so much from me because of what I did in Canada. But the senior national team is a different thing. I have to fight for my place, I have to prove that I can also do well in Falcons,” she said. The player said senior play-

ers in Falcons will make the job easier for her. She said that she formed great understanding with players like Perpetua Nkwocha and Desire Oparanozie and that will help her to grow. “I enjoy playing behind Oparanozie and Nkwocha in the attack. They really make my job so easy, and I make their job easy too. I have been working hard since I came back from the World Cup and I want to make sure that I help the national team if I am given the opportunity again,” she said.

S/Africa’s Gerber to tutor Nigerian Rugby team lAhead Africa Cup Sevens in Kenya

of tries playing outside South Africa’s first ever head of November’s Africa Cup Sev- black player Errol Tobias at ens, taking place in Kenya, South Ellis Park in Johannesburg. African rugby icon, Danie Gerber, will AFCON QUALIFIERS RESULT be in Nigeria next week to share some of his enormous wealth of experience South Africa 0 - 0 Nigeria with some of the country’s players. The visit of the retired Springbok Congo 2 - 0 Sudan star to the country, alongside another Malawi 3 - 2 Ethiopia Springbok great, Breyton Paulse, is on the bill of South African Airways. Angola 0 - 3 Burkina Faso While in the country, Gerber will work with players at the National Lesotho 1 - 1 Gabon Stadium, Lagos, to help the Nigerian national team, the Black Stallions, Sierra Leone 0 - 2 DR Congo prepare for the Africa Cup Sevens in Cameroon 4 - 1 Ivory Coast Kenya in November. The 56-year-old won’t be limited to scrimmaging sesTogo 2 - 3 Ghana sions with rugby players throughout his stay in Nigeria though, as he will Uganda 2 - 0 Guinea get to attend a gala dinner at the FedMozambique 1 - 1 Niger eral Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, next Wednesday. Cape Verde 2 - 1 Zambia Gerber’s finest hour came near the end of his career when in 18 minutes Botswana 0 - 2 Senegal he blitzed England, scoring a hat-trick Ifeanyi Ibeh

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Hiddink upset over Netherlands defeat N

etherlands coach Guus Hiddink says he was “livid” with his side after their 2-1 defeat to Czech Republic on Tuesday. The Oranje’s Euro 2016 qualification campaign got off to a disappointing start as Daryl Janmaat’s defensive blunder allowed Vaclav Pilar to steal a win for the hosts in stoppagetime. After the match, the coach, who is now in charge of the national team for a second time, did not hide his anger. “I am livid,” he told NOS.

“In the last seconds of a game, you should never lose. “We could have left here with a 1-1 draw, but we gave it away in a stupid way. Even when I talk about it now, I am still really mad about it. “When I look at the situation clearly, which is very difficult for me in the current situation, I think that Memphis Depay was our best player. That’s a good point for the future, no more than that.” Hiddink wasn’t the only one enraged by the team’s display, as Wesley Sneijder also

said the players should be disappointed with their start to the campaign. “I’m very angry,” the midfielder said. “We need to look in the mirror. It’s not about the coach or the system, this has something to do with the players. “We can’t look back at the World Cup anymore, that’s useless. If you play away at Czech Republic, you need to fight. Of course, Arjen Robben is important, but even without him we had to win here in Prague.”

SPORT | EURO FOOTBALL

Rooney initiates England reform

ew England captain Wayne Rooney has revealed that he has introduced players-only meetings to the national set-up following their World Cup disappointment. The Three Lions were eliminated from the competition with just a single point – taken from surprise package Costa Rica in a dead rubber. And Rooney insists he and his team-mates are determined to put their problems behind them, and praised the nation’s performance in their 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Switzerland on Monday night. “We have worked hard and, to be fair, the players have taken a lot of responsibility,” Rooney told reporters. “We have had meetings amongst ourselves - just players in the rooms - watch-

ing videos and discussing how we can do better as a team. “In the meetings, you’re having players speak up who wouldn’t normally when coaches are there. They’ve been good and I think the players have really stood up (against Switzerland). “Obviously after the (Norway) game last Wednesday it has been quite difficult at times, but we’ve worked hard.”

Rooney

Klopp: Dortmund can cope without Reus

urgen Klopp believes Jcope Borussia Dortmund can without injured star

David Limbersky and Janmaat

Brazil coach unhappy despite victory razil coach Dunga blamed a poor Blems pitch for his side’s striking probin Tuesday night’s friendly

player Marco Reus for four weeks. The Germany international was left in agony after being felled by Charlie Mulgrew in the dying seconds of his country’s Euro 2016 qualifier with Scotland on Sunday and it was initially feared that the attacker had aggravated the same ankle problem that ruled him out of this summer’s World Cup. H o w e v e r,

day, as the pitch was not ideal for our pacey strikers,” the World Cupwinning midfielder told reporters. “But I don’t think there were negatives. We are more focused, and seemed more aware on the field.

win over Ecuador. Willian scored the only goal of the game in New Jersey as the Selecao made it two wins from two under the 50-year-old, who kicked off his second stint in charge with a 1-0 win over Colombia last Friday. There was some suggestion that the decision to play without a classic No.9 contributed to their struggles to create and score but Dunga insisted that his troops had been hindered by a sub-standard playing surface at the MetLife Stadium, which hosted an American Football game at the weekend. “Our forwards had difficulties to- Dunga

Juventus receive Vidal injury boost

Vidal

received welcome news on Jkeyuventus Wednesday when it was revealed midfielder Arturo Vidal’s latest injury appears to be relatively

minor. The Chile international underwent knee surgery at the end of last season and, although he played at the World Cup, he struggled for fitness as his country exited at the last-16 stage to host nation Brazil. Hopes of a trouble-free start to the 2014-15 campaign were swiftly dashed when he sustained an injury prior to the friendly against Mexico on Saturday. He played the full 90 minutes against El Tri but was then released from the squad and sent back to Turin prior to the midweek game against Haiti. He insisted on Tuesday the setback was not a recurrence of the knee injury and that was confirmed by Juve 24 hours later.

Suarez

LS u c o u l d

u i s are z m a ke his Barcelona debut

subsequent scans have revealed only strained ligaments, meaning Reus will be able to return to action in a month. “It could have been worse,” Klopp told Bild. “I am, of course, very sorry for Marco, but four weeks will go quickly. We just have to work now and score without him.” Dortmund’s hopes of doing just that appeared to have been jeopardised by a hip inju-

ry suffered by striker Ciro Immobile during Italy’s 2-0 win over Norway. However, even though the club’s star summer signing was taken from the field on a stretcher, Azzurri team doctor Enrico Castellacci insisted that Immobile had already made a rapid recovery from the blow. “Immobile suffered a bruised hip and, at first, he could barely move,” he told Rai Sport. “But after a few minutes he was already doing much better.”

Suarez could make Clasico bow

in the first Clasico of the season after the clash with Real Madrid was scheduled for October 25. The Uruguayan, who signed from Liverpool for a fee believed to be around €90million (£70m) during the close-season, has been unable to play competitively for his new club after being caught biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. FIFA initially suspended the forward for four months from all football-related activity and Uruguay’s next nine competi-

tive internationals. That ban was subsequently revised, with the 27-year-old allowed to train and play friendlies for his club, but the end is now in sight for the striker after details of the ninth round of La Liga fixtures were released. Suarez would only have missed out had the match been set for Friday October 24 - the final day of his ban. The former Ajax man made a brief cameo in Barca’s 6-0 victory over Leon in their final preseason friendly last month. Barca have since won their opening two league matches against Elche and Villarreal.

Italy coach warns Balotelli

ario Balotelli has to M demonstrate his desire to play for his country if

he is to return to the Italy setup in the near future, coach Antonio Conte has said. Speaking after the Azzurri had begun their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win in Norway on Wednesday, Conte told reporters the squad he had chosen for his first two games was largely the one he wanted to continue working with. But he stressed that play-

ers such as Balotelli could force their way into the reckoning by showing the same commitment as the players who won in Oslo on Wednesday night. “I need players who are hungry, not players who are famous,” Conte told RAI television. “There’s no going back. I need players who are willing to churn up the field, so that when the game is over they need to lay a new pitch. I need people who think about playing for the team.” Balotelli was heavily criticised after Italy’s exit

in the group stages of the World Cup -- and since then, Sassuolo’s Simone Zaza and Borussia Dortmund’s Ciro Immobile have impressed for the national team.

Balotelli (right)

54 SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

I never thought I would be a Grand Slam champion –Cilic Croatia’s Marin Cilic fulfilled the promise of his stellar junior career with a maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open, silencing self-doubts he admits made him wonder if his day would ever come.

the pressure. I mean, overall with all these last three players or four players that I played against I had losing record. So even coming into any of those matches was, you know, trying to win and not sort of knowing that I’m going to do it. Considering everything, I mean, it’s a miracle. You gave a terrific, emotional talk the final, The good

What does it mean to you being a Grand Slam champion ? It seems completely unreal to be called Grand Slam champion. I was dreaming about this all my life, and suddenly last four, five days everything started to change. And with my tennis especially. I started to play absolutely unbelievable starting with the fifth set with Simon. After that I had unbelievable run of matches against these top guys. And what it means to me, it means everything. It’s just a huge accomplishment and huge moment for myself and for my team and for everybody around me who were with me all these years supporting me, believing in me and never giving up. So this is just the peak of the world. With your absence from tennis last year,do you think that was in a way a stepping stone for you? I felt the first part that helped me was the mental toughness, being much stronger and I was much tougher with myself on

the tennis court when I was practicing and also when I was playing matches. The other part was enjoying much more on the court in these last years since I had really good success in 2010. Then I started to slip a little bit and I was not enjoying so much on the court. I was always looking for the result, hoping it’s gonna come back. It was not working. So things changed and I began to enjoy every moment, which helped me to be much more relaxed. I feel that was the most important part for my game. You’re going back to Croatia.What do you feel? What can you tell your Croatian friends because you made them so proud? I spoke with a couple of people, with my family at home, with my godfather in Zagreb. He told me that I cannot imagine how it is like everybody celebrating. Everybody was glued to the TVs. He was like, I mean, World Cup atmosphere all over Croatia. So for me the message would be to everybody

big, big for all and beT h a t me stronhungry special day special day

thank you the support lieving in me. definitely made ger, made me more to win. I think it’s a for me, but extremely for all of Croatia.

Any idea this was possible when you landed in New York? Did you have to change your flight home and hotel booking? No, no, I mean, everything was planned to stay, that we leave on Tuesday. Yeah, everything was planned to leave Tuesday, I was hoping, but I felt it was really far for me. You know, when you start a tournament you sort of win first match, second match, and you are playing well but you’re not playing against top guys. Sort of you don’t know what to expect, how you’re going to deal with

right after the post-match. address was: work hard; things will come. How hard was it? You seem to be a very caring guy. You have feelings. How hard was it to not break down at that point? Work hard and good things will pay off. It was very motivational.

Definitely. That’s what I felt in last several years. I was swirling around ranking top 20, 25, 15 and things were some days going well, some not. You are a lot of the time up and down. It’s, I feel, very inspirational for all the other guys out there who are, you know, working and sometimes losing motivation, having trouble to dig deep and to believe in the achievements. I would definitely feel much stronger if I would see somebody like me accomplish things like this. It sort of came out of nowhere for me. Few things clicked just right before tournament sort of. I felt great about them, and match after match I played really good tennis. These last three matches, everything was working perfectly.

2015 NATIONS CUP QUALIFIERS

In-form Cameroun whip Cote d’Ivoire 4-1

ameroon move top of their 2015 AFCON Qualifying Group following a convincing 4-1 win over Ivory Coast at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in the country’s capital of Yaoundé on Wednesday. Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N’Jie scored a brace apiece to register the Indomitable Lions second win from two qualifying games. Cameroon opened the scoring through N’Jie in the 15th minute. The Lyon forward’s left footed strike took a deflection off an Ivorian defender before settling in the back of the net. The visitors only took 10 minutes to level matters. Fabrice Ondoa spilled Serge Aurier’s cross into the path of Manchester City ace

Yaya Toure , made no mistake from close range. Aboubakar restored the hosts lead in the 37th minute, running onto Maxim ChoupoMoting’s chip over the defensive line, before firing a low shot past Boubacar Barry. The Porto forward stretched the Lions lead nine minute into the second-half, curling N’Jie’s cross into the top corner to complete his brace. N’Jie completed his double in the 76th minute, bringing down Aboubakar’s cross with his chest before firing an unstoppable volley into the back of the net. The Elephants next Group D encounter is away at the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Cameroon will travel to Sierra Leone next month.

High-flying Congo shoot to the top Red Devils of Congo Tofhe shot to the top of Group A the AFCON qualifiers af-

Quadri

Malawi knock Ethiopia further back

thiopia’s struggles in the 2015 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers continued as they lost 3-2 away to Malawi in their second Group B game on Wednesday. Ethiopia opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 home defeat by favourites in Group B Algeria on Saturday. Malawi can thank their South Africa-based striker Atusaye Nyondo for his brace of goals, which began after 18 minutes. Another South Africa-based play-

er, Ethiopia midfielder Getaneh Kebede, equalised on the stroke of halftime. But Frank Banda restored Malawi’s advantage with a 62nd minute goal before Nyondo added the third four minutes later. Then, right at the death in referee’s optional time after the 90, Ethiopia striker Yussuf Saleh made it 3-2 but the damage was already done. Overall, Malawi had the upper hand in a hard-fought game and fully deserved their victory.

ter they beat Sudan 2-0 at the Stade Municipal in Pointe Noire on Wednesday. Congo now have six points after they stunned African champions Nigeria 3-2 in Calabar at the weekend. The other match in the group between South Africa and Nigeria will be played later Wednesday in Cape Town. Bulgaria-based midfielder Fode Dore gave Congo the lead after four minutes. Prince Oniangue, who scored in Nigeria on Saturday, made the game safe for Congo in stoppage time with a second goal. Next month they will take on South Africa both at home and away. They will welcome Bafana to Pointe Noire on October 11 and four days later, they will be in South Africa. Interestingly, Congo were instated in the qualifiers for Morocco 2015 only after Rwanda were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the previous round of the qualifying series.

SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Thursday, September 11, 2014

TURNING POINT

Charles Ogundiya

“L

ooking back into my playing days, I cannot really recall how I came into football or what motivated me into sports generally. I came from a family where sport was part of our daily activities. My father was a sportsman in his days and while growing up, two of my senior brothers (Kwaghgba and Terfa Kpakor) were established footballers in Benue State. Of course, this could be assumed to be a motivating factor for me. But I believe it was far beyond that, I can easily say that sport runs in my family. “I will say my career turned around when I was invited to the Flying Eagles camp in 1981 with players like Emma Akpan, Tajudeen Disu, Wahid Adesina, Dahiru Sadi, Humphrey Edobor, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Ali Jeje, Samson Siasia, Tarila Okorowanta, Dehinde Akinlotan, Wilfred Agbonavbare and several others. It was then I became a popular figure in the country and the only way to maintain that status was to work hard and God crowned my efforts. “Today, I believe that invitation and the players I contended with during training was the major motivation that helped me to succeed as a player in a career that spanned over 17 years. “I am most grateful to our coach, late Chris Udemezue for giving me my break in football. Like I said before, it was all about hard work and also waiting upon God to crown my efforts. I remembered there were too many excellent footballers to select from during our days. We usually give the coaches

Flying Eagles call-up changed my career – Kpakor

Kpakor

much difficulty in selecting a team. “It was not easy playing for the national team during our days, the rigours of training, the treatment of the players in terms of welfare which was nothing to write home about. We all coped because we wanted to serve the country with all our strength, to protect the national pride. “We all made sacrifices in our days

which today’s players would not make. I can also tell you that we the older generations would not allow them to make such sacrifices. “However, I am exceedingly thankful and grateful to God for making me successful during my football career, because there were numerous players out there that were better than me during our generation.”

Startimes brings European qualifiers to Nigerians Charles Ogundiya

igerians will have the priviledge of watching live European qualifying matches after leading Digital Terrestrial Technology Pay TV service provider in the country, NTA Star TV Network, received exclusive rights to air the matches in Nigeria. The qualifiers which kicked-off during the week will be available on StarTimes Sport 2 and StarTimes KungFu when there are simultaneous matches of some of Europe’s most prestigious footballing Nations. 54 European countries would be involved in the tournament; countries like Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Turkey etc, will have their matches shown live. In a release in Lagos, the company enjoined soccer fans to lookout for the exciting line-up of stars as, “StarTimes Sport 2 has a rich, diverse and global outlook aimed at meeting the teeming needs of current and prospective customers who are constantly searching for rich sports content. “It will offer StarTimes sports inclined customers as well as prospects a diverse range of sports like soccer, tennis, golf, rugby, car-racing, cricket and extreme sports. The content of StarTimes Sport 2 will include live broadcasts and highlights, sport news, sports programs, sports movies and exercise education.” StarTimes Sport 2 began airing on July, 19 on StarTimes Channel 252. The channel will also be home to Summer Football (2014), and Ligue 1 matches amongst other exciting sports line-up.

Keshi should stop fighting players – Segun Oguns Charles Ogundiya Nigeria internaFhasormer tional, Segun Oguns, urged Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, to stop fighting with his players as the team battles to salvage their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign. Keshi has fallen out with a number of his senior players in the past and Oguns said the coach needs to manage his wards like a father. “Keshi understands

Quadri

Quadri aims high at Belgium Open Ajibade Olusesan

frican table tennis champion, Aruna Quadri, has expressed determination to do well at the Belgium Open which served off yesterday. The player could not go beyond the quarterfinal stage at the Czech Open last month, but he said he can go further in Belgium. He is seeded number five in the tournament but he said he will not allow that create extra burden for him as he plans to use the tournament as build up for the World Cup slated to hold next month. “My main objectives is to surpass my past performances in world tour and I believe God will crown

my efforts. I think I am going to be fully ready for the World Cup as this tour is part of my build up. I featured in Czech Open where I got to the quarterfinal and there was some improvement because I lost in round of 16 at the Spanish Open but in Czech Open I moved one more further. “Also, Belgium Open is part of my preparation and after this I will take part in the Portuguese Super Cup. In my club I will also be playing matches against some tough teams in the league and I think all these are enough for me to get ready for the big world event next month. If there is enough time, I will also like to feature in German Challenge series next month,” he said.

the players more than anyone; he should do more by controlling his ego. Keshi is still behaving like a player; joining issues with his players on the pages of newspapers is not good for him. He is like a father to the players and he should manage them very well. “He must also work with his assistants; I can see him being too domineering. He must come down from his high horse especially with the way he relates with the players, they can make or mar a coach,” he said.

Keshi

Maigari to attend CAF, FIFA meetings

lInyama, Yusuf also off to Addis Ababa

ut-going President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, will next week attend a meeting of the Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations during a week of meetings of CAF sub –committees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Maigari, who will preside over the two Extra-Ordinary Congresses to be convened by the NFF in line with the directives of FIFA, to usher in a new NFF Executive Committee, will join other members of the Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations for a crucial meeting in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, 17th

September. It is at the meeting that the committee will, among other things, recommend to the Confederation of African Football a date for the staging of the Draw Ceremony of the 30th Africa Cup of Nations, taking place in Morocco early next year. The event will come up after the last round of qualifying matches on 19th November. Also traveling for the CAF meetings are two Members of the out–going NFF Executive Committee, Mr. Emeka Inyama and Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’. Inyama is a member of the CAF Media Committee while ‘Fresh’ sits on the Technical and

Development Committee. From Addis Ababa, Maigari, who has also previously served on the Organising Committees for the CAF U-23 Championship and the African Nations Championship, will fly to Zurich, Switzerland for a meeting of his FIFA Players’ Status Committee at the home of FIFA. Maigari was appointed member of the influential FIFA panel in December 2011, by FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The Committee deals with eligibility of players for the various nationalities in FIFA. The meeting of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee will take place between 22nd and 23rd September.

World Record

On Marble

Change will never happen when people lack the ability and courage to see themselves for who they are.

– Bryant H. McGill

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

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

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

The Ontario Highway 401 is considered to be the widest road in the world. This Highway in Canada has 18 lanes in the main highway and extra 4 lanes as connecting ramps making it 22 lanes.

N150

The Oyakhilomes, decree nissi and decree absolute

n terms of composure, charisma, affluence, presentation of the word of God and magnetic pull of television viewers, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome ranks among the top five clerics in Nigeria. As a Christian, you either love or hate him but you can’t ignore the charming and extremely handsome televangelist who is the President of Believers’ Love World Incorporated, the registered name of Christ Embassy Church. Equally charming is his wife, Rev. Anita Odegwa, the Vice President of Believers’ Love World Incorporated. In Nigerian christian circle, they are seen as models, enjoying a cult-like following. They are always zealous to preach the gospel, making them to stick out like a goldfish with no hiding place. So, it was not a surprise that Nigerians would react, positively or negatively, when the news broke that the wife filed a suit (No FD14D01650) on April 9, 2014 at Divorce Section A, Central Family Court, First Avenue House, High Holborn, London, UK, seeking the dissolution of their marriage which produced two beautiful girls, Sharon and Charlyn. She engaged Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors for the case. The divorce document, decree nissi, has been served on Oyakhilome. According to lawyers, decree nissi is like a yellow card in a football match, a warning, so to say, which is still okay. That means the situation “is not beyond salvage”. Legally, what follows this, if the situation is irredeemable, is decree absolute which will legally and effectively end the marriage and the court will order how property, money etc will be shared and who will take custody of the children. Every divorce case is delicate. When husband and wife insist that their union must be legally dissolved, there is always a very big risk of dire consequences, including early death to either of the parties. The death in Lagos last week of a policeman was widely reported. During a scuffle with his wife, he was thrown down from the balcony of their storey building. He died instantly. Neighbours later revealed that the duo fought almost on a daily basis. If they had divorced before the fatal fall, the probability is that the man will still be alive today.

Pastor Oyakhilome

Rev. Anita Oyakhilome

There are also some cases on the verge of divorce but ultimately, reason prevailed and the couples are living happily today. That is why what the Oyakhilomes need today is our prayers, not condemnation because nobody knows the undercurrent, from the family to the church, leading to this move for a decree nissi. I have read many comments on this imminent divorce and what I deduce from this ‘babel’ of commentaries is that many Nigerians are happy with the misfortune of others, no matter how temporary. Everything is on a fast lane now: fast comment, fast food, fast miracles, fast marriage, fast divorce etc. The institution of marriage is threatened and some parents, in-laws, friends, neighbours, church leaders and business partners are willing tools in the hand of

lucifer. That was why Matthew 10: 36 says: “A man’s foes are members of his household”. Jeremiah 5: 26 corroborated this by saying: “Among my people are found wicked men...”. With the type of acidic responses I read, it was as if some people were already waiting for the filing of decree nissi to unleash their venom on Pastor Oyakhilome, out of prejudice. Educated and learned people know that it is wrong to continue to report or comment on allegations contained in court processes without looking at the contents of the processes. When I read the contents of the divorce papers, there was no mention of adultery but some people want the Oyakhilomes to swell the statistics of clerics with broken homes, knowing that this

My 419 friend

ing the urgency in his request. “Sorry about that. Send account details,” I replied. He sent this: “Thanks for your assist. Below is Engr Morgan Bank account details. UBA (United Bank of Africa) Account name: Morgan Nwabuasugo Account number: 2074071148 I await your reply once done, Thank you. Thanks MCK Ubah, Esq”. When he didn’t get an immediate response, he resent the same message. I replied: “My guy, I already instructed the United States President, Barack Obama, who is a very close friend of mine, to send the money to you. Just be patient. You are getting it soon as my word is my bond, you hear?” My guy has not bothered me since then. End of story.

am already used to their tricks. Since I believe in hard work, mails and text messages from fraudsters automatically go into the trash bin, except when I just want to taunt them, like I did last Tuesday. With the awareness in the land, various arrests and court cases, I don’t know why some people still fall victim of fraudsters called 419ers. It is either fraudsters are promising you a bogus sum from an imaginary contract (in some cases, money left behind by someone who recently died) or they are stranded in a foreign land and they need quick cash which will be refunded immediately they return to the country. Last Tuesday, I received this message: “My dear, how are you doing? I am right now on one week vacation in Ghana. i traveled on Sunday. I was meant to give Engr Morgan who is handling a very important project for me the sum

TALKING TOUGH GABRIEL AKINADEWO gabyfola@hotmail.com - 08023010222 (sms only)

of 234,000 naira today and i just discovered that i forget my token for online transfer. i was hoping you could help me remit the funds to him even if is not the exact amount so that the project will not be delayed, I will refund you as soon as i return on Sunday definitely you will get the money on Monday. Please let me know how possible this could be for you so I can forward Engr Morgan bank account details to you. Thanks. MCK Ubah, Esq” Initially, I ignored the message but 10 minutes later, my guy, Ubah (can you imagine a fraudster using ‘Esq’) resent the message. Since I was not particularly busy at that time, I replied, greeting him and asking: “Long time, how you dey?” Immediately, he responded, reiterat-

will affect their church, businesses and two beautiful children. In this country, some people, when they see you progress, will do anything and everything to bring you down. These people are called enemies of progress. That is why I don’t envy Oyakhilome’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). In an advertorial in several newspapers, he admonished commentators on the wave of false, malicious and fabricated stories being published about Oyakhilome. He said, inter alia, “Our client is seriously concerned that under the guise of reporting a divorce proceeding involving him, publishers resorted to an unjustified and malicious attack on his reputation for reasons not unconnected with the respective publishers’ selfish motives of prospect of material and financial advantage attendant to the wide circulation their distorted and fabricated stories would enjoy. It is our client’s instructions to inform members of the public that the news or story presently circulating in the media is nothing but a complete distortion of the facts in the pending proceedings in the United Kingdom, to the knowledge of the publishers. Be warned, therefore, that unless the concerned media houses desist from further publishing words and stories which are false and damaging of our client’s reputation and the church, we shall, without further recourse to the concerned publishers, promptly embark on appropriate legal machinery with a view to protecting our client’s reputation and that of the church” Will the Oyakhilomes’ marriage collapse? Millions of Nigerians can answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from now till next year but it is only the Oyakhilomes who will give a correct answer. If the marriage can still be salvaged, the duo will play a critical and decisive role, putting into consideration the feelings and future of their children. But if it is ‘To your tents, O Israel’ (decree absolute), may God continue to bless them, their church, businesses and children.

OMOBABA

HOW GOVERNORS LOOT TREASURY, BY EFCC

– How many have you prosecuted and jailed?

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