Binder1 tuesday may 6, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 77

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Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business

Otedola, Shell begins contract award for $12bn bonga vessel construction ex-Lagos lOpens bids for world’s largest FPSO unit governor, dies at 87}5 S Adeola Yusuf

HOUSTON, TEXAS

hell has commenced the process for the award of contract for

the construction of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) for its $12 billion Bonga South West Aparo development.

Shell’s General Manager for Deepwater Nigeria, Jerry Jackson, who said this in the official journal of the 2014 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)

in Houston, Texas, reaffirmed that the Final Investments Decision (FID) on the field is expected before December 2014. Bonga is located in Oil Prospecting Licence 212 and Shell Nigeria Explo-

ration and Production Company (SNEPCO) operates the field on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under a production sharing contract, in

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

Chibok: Protests spread to Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, C’River lBoko Haram claims responsibility, threatens to sell off abductees lObasanjo, Amosun’s wives lead women’s march lTinubu condemns abduction, faults president’s approach Appolonia Adeyemi, Kunle Olayeni, Wale Elegbede, Muritala Ayinla, Elijah Samuel, Ahmed Miringa, Clement James and Victoria Ewoh

he campaign to free over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram about three weeks ago from Government Girls’ Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, Borno State, took on a new ferocity yesterday as protests spread to more parts of Nigeria. The protests, which began last week in Abuja, have now spread to Lagos, Calabar, Borno, Akure and Abeokuta. After a prolonged silence, Boko Haram, which has been widely suspected of masterminding the abduction of the pupils during a dawn raid on their school also yesterday conC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3

L-R: Wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola; wife of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun; her husband, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Iyalode of Yorubaland, Mrs. Alaba Lawson, during the march to demand the release of the abducted schoolgirls in Abeokuta...yesterday.

We won’t bow to terrorism, say Jonathan, Kenyatta Anule Emmanuel

igeria and Kenya, wracked by a series of terrorist attacks that have claimed hundreds

of lives recently, yesterday sent a strong signal to the merchants of death that they would not be cowed by their activities. President Goodluck

Jonathan and his Kenyan counterpart, President Uhuru Kenyatta, assured their nations that the insurgency in their respective countries would not

deter them from pursuing programmes that would transform the lives of their citizens. The two leaders, who addressed a joint press

conference after holding bilateral talks at the State House, Abuja, said it was clear that the level of terrorist attacks being experiC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

lConfab committee proposes new revenue formula }55 lAnother delegate dies }55

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We won’t bow to terrorism, say Jonathan, Kenyatta C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2

enced presently in the two countries were deliberate attempts to thwart progress. Like Nigeria, which has been under attack by the outlawed Boko Haram, which has killed over 1,000 people this year alone, Kenya has experienced insurgency, coordinated by the al-Shabab, which is linked to Al-Qaida. Just on Sunday, a week after yet another bomb attack on Nyanya, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the insurgents in Kenya bombed buses along one of the busiest highways in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, killing three persons with about 60 others suffering varying degrees of injuries. But Jonathan and Kenyatta expressed their resolve not to be cowed by the terrorists in pursuing their development agenda for their two nations. Jonathan expressed happiness at Kenyatta’s visit, despite the recent terrorist attacks experienced in Nigeria and Kenya, saying “this has always been our message here too that terrorism should not deter us.” “They (terrorists) are people who don’t mean well for our countries; though they are slowing us

down and slowing development, we shall not let them have their way for long,” he stated. Jonathan added that terror attacks were a global trend which has unfortunately spread to Nigeria and Kenya but “we are not going to succumb. Working together, Nigeria and Kenya will move Africa forward.” The Kenyan President who condoled with Nigerians over the recent terror attacks on Abuja and elsewhere, recalled that his country has not been spared such misfortune “in the hands of cowardly criminals who have no value for life.” “These attacks are aimed at cowing the people of our countries and derailing our growth. But we shall fight them and we shall win the battle against them,” he added. He explained that gov-

ernment alone could not fight terrorism and urged citizens of both countries to support their leaders in the battle to defeat terror. “The time to focus on Africa is now. If we continue to work together like this, there is no doubt that in our generation, we shall see the transformation we desire,” Kenyatta said. According to him, terror attacks on Kenya do not mean the country is unsafe for business or tourism but “the important thing is that we must not succumb. That is why I’m here. Terrorism won’t break our spirit and stop us from doing business with Nigeria.” “Our agenda of transforming our economy and improving the lives of our people is unstoppable,” he said. Kenyatta, who arrived in Nigeria with a 41-member delegation for the World Economic Forum

scheduled to begin tomorrow stated that Nigeria is the single largest investor in Kenya’s emerging oil sector and called for further cooperation between the two nations to lift both countries’ sub-regions and entire Africa. The two countries, in a communiqué issued after their bilateral talks, agreed to form a Joint Business Council that will bring together business players and ensure the effective implementation of various agreements signed by them. Kenya and Nigeria thereafter signed three agreements on cooperation in trade, agriculture and integration; and other memoranda of understanding, on cooperation in police service, control in trafficking of narcotics. The Kenyan government offered to host a business summit of the

two countries in 2015 and invited Jonathan to Kenya at a mutually agreed date to be fixed later. Later at the unveiling of the 20-member Joint Business Council, the growth of bilateral relations in the past one year showed that eight Kenyan firms have started business in Nigeria with a larger volume of tourist/ business passenger traffic necessitating Kenyan Airways to increase direct flights to Lagos to 10 per week, with plans to connect Abuja. Also, three Nigerian banks have started business in Kenya while seven Kenyan oil blocs have been awarded to Nigerian companies. The two leaders later met with captains of industry, ahead of the World Economic Forum, scheduled to kick off tomorrow in Abuja.

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L-R: Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga; his Agriculture counterpart, Mr. Akinwunmi Adeshina; Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta; President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, during Kenyatta’s visit to the State House, Abuja…yesterday.

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PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Reps: Jonathan’s stance won’t stop probe of Alison-Madueke over N10bn jet charter

House ignores court summons, get fresh date Tunde Oyesina and Philip Nyam ABUJA

IBADAN

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

n two fronts yesterday, the controversy over the allegation that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, spent N10 billion on chartered jets raged on with the House of Representatives taking on President Goodluck Jonathan over his dismissive comments on its attempt to probe the deal. The case, which is already before a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja also came up for

hearing yesterday without the House showing up to heed the court summons to appear before it to show a purported court order that stopped it from going ahead with its plan to probe the transaction. Reacting to Jonathan’s comments on Sunday during the presidential media chat where he said he was not aware that the minister had taken the House to court and criticised the frequent summoning of minister by the lower chamber, Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, described the statement

credited to the president as” very unfortunate.” He said the House would not be discouraged even if they were called names. “We in the 7th Assembly will not continue to gloss over issues that have direct bearing on the welfare of Nigerians. And let me make it abundantly clear that we are not afraid of any name that we are being tagged for supporting Nigerians. “For a leader to tag an arm of government that has immensely contributed to his political career in that derogatory manner was really uncalled

for,” he added. However, when the case on the probing of the minister resumed in court yesterday, the House did not appear to honour the summons by the Federal High Court to come and show it the purported order stopping it from going ahead with its plan to probe AlisonMadueke. The absence prompted Justice A.R. Mohammed to issue a fresh summons on the House to come on May 26 to show the order and also to show cause why the order for status quo sought by the minister should not be granted.

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

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Nigeria’s external debts hit $9.16bn

lDomestic debts now N8.7 trillion Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

irector General of Debt Management Office, Mr Abraham Nwankwo, yesterday put Nigeria’s external debt profile at $9.16 billion and the country’ s domestic debt profile at N8.7 trillion as at March 2014.

Nwankwo, who appeared before the National Conference Committee on Public Finance as part of the interface between government agencies and delegates at the ongoing dialogue to restructure and reform Nigeria, said out of the $9.16 billion external debts, the states owed 32 per cent while

the Federal Government owed 68 per cent. On the other hand, 82 per cent of the local debts were owed by the Federal Government while the states accounted for the remaining 17 per cent. He allayed the fears of Nigerians about the implications of the debt portfolio on the economy,

saying the debt profile of about 12 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a low debt-GDP ratio and healthy for the country. Nwankwo however warned that the tolerable debt burden must not be an excuse for the various tiers of government to go borrowing. He said it would be an illusion for anyone to con-

tinue borrowing as there was need for prudence in public finance management. According to him, the Federal Government has deliberately decided not to disclose full details of the debt profile of individual states to avoid politicisation of the issue. “It is not appropriate to bring details of states’ debt profile because we don’t need to politicise debts of states; it doesn’t make sense to politicise the debts of states because it is counter-productive. That was why I said we are not going to say or do anything to

politicise the debts of states because the states are very cooperative with the Federal Government to make sure how much they owe to the last kobo. “In that constructive process, it doesn’t make sense to talk in such a way to be throwing figures which many people will misunderstand and may not ask for clarification before arriving at conclusions,” Nwankwo said. Meanwhile, the Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Bright Okogwu, is expected to appear before the same committee today.

Shell begins contract award for $12bn bonga vessel construction CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

L-R: Former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate and Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, during their installation as Cigarin Misau and Dan’Isan Misau respectively in Misau, Bauchi State...at the weekend.

3,034m

The number of mobile-cellular subscriptions of Arab & Pacific regions in 2011. Source: Itu.int

1.4m

The total number of adults and children estimated to be living with HIV in Tanzania in 2008. Source: Blatantworld.com

N11.7bn

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

partnership with Esso (20 per cent), Nigeria Agip (12.5 per cent) and Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (12.5 per cent). The Anglo-Dutch major, in OTC 2014 journal, a copy of which was obtained yesterday, said: “Considering selection for this project, spanning OMLs 118, 132 and 140, was performed in Nigeria. The tender process for the single-point moored facility-which would be the World largest FPSO unit-is still currently out to tender, with bidders including Sam-

sung and Hyundai.” Bonga also lies 120km South-West of the Niger Delta in a water depth of over 1,000m. Managing Director, SNEPCO, Mr. Chike Onyejekwe, had earlier said Shell recorded tremendous success in its Bonga deep water oil field. He said as at December 2012, the company had exported about 450 million barrels of crude oil. The cost of the Bonga field development, including the cost of the Floating Production Storage Offshore vessel C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 5

Chibok: Protests spread to Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Cross River, Borno CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

firmed that it was holding them in captivity. Former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, also threw his weight behind campaign to free the schoolgirls, whose abduction he condemned just as he faulted the strategy adopted by President Goodluck Jonathan to end the reign of insurgency in the country. In Lagos, hundreds of protesters, comprising civil rights and women groups, marched on the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), to demand the release of the schoolgirls. Led by a civil rights activist and lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), the protesters called on the Federal Government to double its efforts and ensure the abducted girls are released unhurt. The protesters, who were decked in black and red attires, were all armed with placards of varying sizes and chanted solidar-

ity songs. They appealed to the government at all levels to explore all avenues to secure the release of the girls. Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “Our future leaders are missing, bring them back,” “Chad, Cameroun and Niger, stop enabling criminals,” “We want our girls back alive,” “Save innocent girls,” “Enough is Enough,” “234 girls, Haba!” “FGN, Free the Chibok Girls,” “Stop Abduction of Innocent Girls Now,” “You Cannot Marry Our Girls,” “Save the Lives of Our Girls,” “The Girl Child is not a Slave,” among others. In his address when they got to Fashola’s office, Falana urged the Federal Government to deploy all the military formations to rescue the abductees. He said: “We demand on the part of government, immediate rescue operation of these girls so that they can join their parents. We urged the Lagos State Government to help convey this message to the

Federal Government. Until these girls are released, we cannot give the government any pass mark, we want the government to re-double its efforts so that these girls can be returned to their parents. “We call on the government to deploy all military forces in Nigeria to collaborate with the international organisations and countries that have gone through this before to ensure the freedom of these abducted girls.” Falana also condemned the arrest of protesters in Abuja. While presenting the grievances of the women, the Convener of the protest, Mrs. Laila St. Matthew-Daniel, urged the Lagos State Government to present the grievances of the women to Jonathan and urged the Federal Government to mobilise all resources to ensure that the girls are rescued and reunited with their families. Chief Executive Officer of Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Mrs. Aisha

Oyebode, one of the coordinators of the protest, said: “The protest has become very necessary because since the girls have been kidnapped, nobody knows what could have happened to them. We want the government to expedite action on how the girls will be released safely and reunited with their families. “The end seems not to be in sight. We want the government to do all within its capability to effect the safe release of those girls.” Among those who participated in the protest are Mrs Ayo Obe, Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN) and others. Responding on behalf of the state government, the state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, assured the protesters that the state government would complement the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring that the girls are returned to their parent unhurt. She, however, called for three-day fasting and prayers by parents nationwide to facilitate the

release of the students. In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the wife of the governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun; wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola, and the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Mrs. Alaba Lawson, also led various women groups to protest the abduction of the schoolgirls. Bearing placards with different inscriptions, the women marched on major roads in Abeokuta. The protesters, drawn from the state’s 20 local government areas, included members of International Federation of Women Lawyers, traders, female artisans and female members of the state executive council. The protest began as early as 7 am when the participants converged on MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta for the trek to the Government House and from where they proceeded to the Ogun State House of Assembly to express their displeasure.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs. Amosun presented a letter to the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, for onward transmission to Jonathan, urging him to find means of ensuring the release of the abducted girls. She said: “I know Mr. President and his cabinet members have been trying, but they should put more efforts for result to come out. The plight and pains of womanhood can be seen on the faces of these women here today. It is our cause; we should not say it is happening over there in the North. It is theirs today, who knows where it will be tomorrow? “It is their children today, it can be our own children tomorrow. Irrespective of political or religious groups we may belong to, this is a cause we must fight collectively. So, we want Your Excellency to use every apparatus within your reach to help us in releasing these young and future leaders of this C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4

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Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Confusion trails whereabouts of Chibok women leader Emmanuel Onani Abuja

s the mystery surrounding the abduction of over 200 students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, is yet to be unravelled, the whereabouts of the community’s Women Leader, Mrs Naomi Mutah, remained unknown yesterday. Mutah was reportedly taken into custody, shortly after she was said to have attended a meeting with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. New Telegraph’s efforts to ascertain her condition at the Asokoro police station, where she was being held, were unsuccessful, as a police officer in mufti simply said, “don’t bother to inquire, because the woman is not here.” When New Telegraph called the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Altine Daniel, for comments, she simply said, “I’m not aware of it.” It was also not possible to get the Force Public

Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, to clear the air on Mutah’s whereabouts, as he neither picked his call, nor did he reply a text message sent to his phone. Meanwhile, a group that goes by the name, BringBackOurGirls Movement, has demanded the immediate release of the Chibok Leader. In an electronic mail signed by one Rotimi Olawale, the group alleged that Mutah’s detention was at the instance of the First Lady. But the Media Assistant to the First Lady, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, denied that Mrs Jonathan ordered arrest of Mutah. Adewuyi, in a statement in Abuja, said Muriah attended the women stakeholders’ meeting convened to discuss ways and best strategies to ensure the release of the abducted children of Chibok Girls secondary School. “We wish to state without any iota of equivocation that the First Lady did not order the arrest of any woman or anyone for that matter before, during and after the meeting.

“It is instructive to note that the meeting ended after three o’clock on Monday morning. And all

those invited to the meeting, including a handful of journalists who stayed throughout the lengthy

meeting, left the Presidential Villa thereafter,” Adewuyi stated. He explained that Mu-

riah, mentioned in one of the reports, came to the meeting as part of the Borno State delegation.

L-R: Deputy Chancellor, Asaba Diocese (Anglican Communion), Hon. Justice Sybil Nwaka; Chancellor, Diocese of Lagos, Justice George Oguntade; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and The Most Revd. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo, during the second session of the 32nd Synod of the Diocese of Lagos in Lagos…yesterday.

36.4

The estimated percentage prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in girls and women (15 - 49 years) of Ivory Coast in 2005. Source: Blatantworld.com

The percentage of global arms supply of France between 2005 and 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com

2.51

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

Chibok: Protests spread to Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Cross River, Borno CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

great nation.” Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Elizabeth Sonubi, urged state and federal lawmakers to come together in securing the freedom of the abducted girls. Amosun, who received the protesters, promised to convey their message to the president. He expressed optimism that the nation’s security agencies would work towards freeing the abducted school girls. In Calabar, children between the ages of eight and 20 marched on some major roads in the Cross River State capital. The protest was conducted under the watchful eyes of policemen who provided security to prevent hoodlums from hijacking it. Dressed in all black, the children, numbering over 700, marched on streets of Calabar chanting derisory slogans against Boko Haram sect. Holding placards with various inscriptions like, “Boko Haram release innocent children,” “FG, we are not safe,” and “Boko Haram, don’t use children as shields,” among others, the children defied the scorching afternoon heat

to dance on the streets, thereby causing serious gridlock along the routes. Addressing the children, one of the organisers, Mr. James Ibor of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, an NGO, said, “We join our voices with the parents of the affected girls and all other well-meaning Nigerians to urge the Boko Haram sect to immediately release the abducted girls in the interest of humanity.” The global condemnation against the abduction of the schoolgirls also spread to Ondo State where women marched on the Governor’s Office to present their grievances to the state’s helmsman, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. Mimiko, who was presiding over the State Executive Council meeting when the protesters arrived in his office, suspended the meeting and in company with council members, received the protesters. The women were all clad in black, and carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Bring back our girls’ , ‘Chibok kidnap is a disaster,’ ‘Release our future mothers,’ ‘Free our girls now,’ among others. Addressing the protesters, Mimiko described the kidnap of the students as

very unfortunate and pathetic, assuring them that the Federal Government would do everything humanly possible to secure the release of the girls. “The people perpetuating dastardly acts in this country are bent on destroying our nation by trying all means to accomplish their aims, but this particular act of taking our girls hostage has taken away something from our collective humanity. It is a major thing that hit the heart of every Nigerian,” said Mimiko. Speaking on behalf of the women, chairperson of the state chapter of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi; Chairperson, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Tope Fasuyi and representative of market women, Mrs Kemi Aisida, appealed to the government to intensify effort so that the girls could be released on time. Also, students and youth associations, under the aegis of Borno Youth Alliance yesterday said they had concluded plans to make Ramat Square in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, their home until the abducted schoolgirls are found. The group at a press

briefing jointly addressed by Yusuf Tom and Fatima Zannah said they would occupy the square if the girls are not found 40 days after the abduction. The group said that they had declared May7 as lecture-free day and called on students and teachers across the world to join them in observing it. Former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, who also criticised the abduction of the schoolgirls, described the attacks and activities of Boko Haram sect as a wicked, vile scheme aimed at destroying the spirit of nationhood by pitting the South against the North. Tinubu in a statement yesterday on the kidnap of the Chibok girls and the deteriorating security situation in the country, lamented the twin bombings in Nyanya by the sect, stating that it was an attempt to demoralise the nation by striking an important transportation hub in the nation’s capital. He admonished citizens not to take lessons of oppression, fear, hatred and death emanating from the sect, but rather to imbibe messages from life, liberty and justice. “They seek to destroy the spirit of this nation and pit us against each

other. They want Christian to curse Muslim and Muslim to curse Christian. They want to pit southerner against northerner. “By the spilling of innocent blood, they hope that we come to blame each other for what they are doing to us but we shall never fall into this fool’s trap. The carnage must stop so that our walk to a better Nigeria may continue unhindered by this weak presence,” he said. While faulting the sole military approach of government, Tinubu said a multifaceted strategy should be adopted to curtail the insurgents. Former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Umar Yar’adua, in her intervention, urged Nigerians to offer special prayers for the immediate rescue of the abducted girls and for continuous peace and unity to reign in the entire nation. Turai who almost shed tears, expressed deep concern over the abduction, saying it is unfortunate that if her husband, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, had been alive, the situation would have been different. Speaking at the second Yar’adua memorial lecture, yesterday in Katsina, she described her husband as ‘a practical leader who

wanted peace in the entire country’. According to her, he was passionate about the peace, unity and corporate existence of Nigeria. As the protests rage on, Boko Haram yesterday claimed responsibility for the abduction. Leader of the terrorists, Abubakar Shekau, in a 57-minute video clip, where none of the girls was shown, said all the girls were in his custody and he was treating them as booty and that he would sell them in markets. Shekau, in the video which could not be independently verified, said: “We would also give their hands in marriage because they are our slaves. We would marry them out at the age of nine. We would marry them out at the age of 12.” Shekau, who spoke in Hausa and Arabic, said he captured the girls because they were attending formal school, saying “Western education is sin, it is forbidden, women must go and marry.” According to him, the abduction of the girls was as result of the continued incarceration of Boko Haram members in prisons. But he did not give any condition for the release of the school girls.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Otedola, ex-Lagos governor, dies at 87 Fashola, Jafojo, Babatope, APC, PDP mourn Etaghene Edirin, Temitope Ogunbanke, Wale Elegbede and Muritala Ayinla

former Lagos State Governor, Sir Michael Otedola, passed on yesterday at the age of 87, at his home in Epe. Until his death, Otedola, father of a businessman and Chief Executive Officer, Forte Oil Plc, Femi, among other children, had been out of the public glare for the past five years after suffering a stroke. Otedola’s widow, Doja, who confirmed his death, said funeral arrangements would be announced soon by the family. Expectedly, his death has attracted tributes from Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; a former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo; former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). Otedola was born on July 16, 1926 into a Muslim family at Odoragunsin, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State. After his primary education, he moved to Lagos to continue his studies and won a scholarship to study Journalism at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London where he graduated in 1958. Otedola began his career as a teacher before working as a reporter at the St. Pancras Chronicle, then as a reporter and later sub-editor at The Guardian and The Times in England. When he returned to Nigeria in 1959, he became an information officer in the defunct Western Nigeria government and was appointed the editor of the Western Nigeria Illustrated. In 1961, he moved into public relations, working for Western Nigeria Television/Western Broadcasting Service (1961-1964) and Mobil Oil Group of Companies (1964-1977). He continued as a consultant to oil company after resigning before going into politics. Otedola, who beat the odds to win the governorship election during the transition election conducted under the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in preparations for the handing over of power to civilians, governed Lagos on the

platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) from 1992 to 1993. He was among the political office holders whose tenure was cut short by the coup spearheaded by former military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, now deceased, which sacked the Interim National Government, headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, and returned the country to full-blown military rule. It is on the record that his administration facilitated the establishment of a campus of the Yaba College of Technology, Yaba in Epe, his home town. Otedola an accomplished technocrat upon leaving office, continued his career as a writer, a consultant holding positions on the boards of various businesses. He was a philanthropist of great repute, a feat that got him Lifetime Achievement Awards from many organisations. Paying tribute to one of his predecessors, Fashola described the demise of Otedola as a great loss to the nation, saying Lagosians will miss the man who gave the state the ‘Centre of Excellence’ sobriquet. Fashola who commiserated with the family of the former governor, told reporters yesterday in Ikeja that the outstanding records of Otedola in the development of the state are indelible. According to him, most of the housing projects embarked upon by the late governor are a testimony to his passion for the development of the state and to uplift the people. He said: “I knew him long before he was governor of the state and in the period that I have been governor, he had suffered some difficult health arising from age. His indelible record of service is still there. The centre for excellence that we proudly proclaim today was his choice when he was invited among other governors to choose a sobriquet for Lagos and that will remain evergreen in our memory. “The housing estates he started, Abraham Adesanya Housing Estate, located at the toll gate some of which he completed and others completed by his predecessor, are part of the contributions he made to the development of the state, that have been appropriately documented.

Also mourning Otedola, the duo of Jafojo and Babatope condoled with the people of Lagos State and the Otedola family. Speaking to New Telegraph, Babatope and Jafojo described Otedola as a man of peace who contributed his own quota to the growth and development of the state. Babatope said: “Sir Michael Otedola was a man of peace. Though we never belonged to the same political party during the aborted Third Republic, he was a nice person. It is a pity that Papa Otedola has died. He lived a simple life and I commiserate with his family, particularly is son.” Jafojo, on his part, said “Otedola gave his all to the state during his tenure as governor. “Papa played a good role and he contributed his own quota to the development of the state as old as he was then when he became the governor. We all admired his administration and he did

his best within a short time because his tenure was terminated by the military. Not even up to four years but within that short period, the old man did what he could do. I thank God for his life and may his soul rest in peace. I sympathise with all his family for the loss of Papa Otedola. He was a great man and may his soul rest in peace.” Also, the state chapter of APC and PDP described the death of the former governor as a huge loss not only to Lagos State but the entire country. Lagos APC in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, said Otedola would forever be remembered for his mature, honest and intrigue-free politics while he was actively involved in politics. It prayed God to receive the soul of the departed former governor and console his family, the government and people of Lagos on this great loss. “No doubt, Otedola made his marks as gover-

nor and contributed to the larger Lagos dream which is unfurling today in the significant growth and progress Lagos continues to record in the comity of states in Nigeria. We see his loss, even at the grand old age of 87, as a great loss to Lagos and to Nigeria as a whole.” The state chapter of PDP expressed the same sentiment in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, saying the immense contribution of Otedola to the state while serving as governor has been lost with his demise. “He won the election by providence as candidate of NRC. SDP was the more popular party in Lagos at that time. He however served the state giving a fair share to everyone, irrespective of the party affiliation. I call on Governor Fashola to genuinely immortalise this great man. “Otedola stands as the second best governor after Lateef Jakande. He is a classical example of who an emeritus governor should be. After serv-

ing as governor, he put himself as an elder statesman. He was an objective analyst of issues and other former governors should learn from him and remain non-partisan in the affairs of the state,” Lagos PDP stated. Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has expressed his condolences to the government and people of Lagos State on the death. Amosun has also commiserated with the Nigerian Judiciary, government and people of Imo State on the death of one of the nation’s legal icons, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, Governor Amosun described Otedola him as “a fulfilled politician and an accomplished technocrat. “Baba contributed his bit to the development of Lagos State as governor between 1992 and 1993 before that democratic dispensation was truncated by the then military junta,” he said.

Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (left), addressing women protesting the abduction of students of Government Girls’ College, Chibok, Borno State, in Akure…yesterday.

Shell begins contract award for $12bn bonga vessel construction CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

built in 2004, came to $3.6 billion. Despite the fact that the drilling of the 19 oil wells will amount to $12.35 billion, the Bonga extension project, according to Shell, may gulp around $33 billion. It was gathered that this might include a $21 billion FPSO proposed for the new Bonga South-

West, $4 billion Bonga East, $1.9billion Bonga North (Aparo), and $3billion Bonga North-East. In spite of the fact that the NNPC had in January 2013 directed international oil companies operating in the country to drastically cut over $30 billion proposed for new projects, Shell said the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), if passed “the way

it is” would drive away investment in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and might stall the 19 Bonga oil wells. The SNEPCO boss called for a PIB that would be investment-friendly. They also said if the fiscal terms of the PIB were reviewed, about $3 billion deep water revenues could be unlocked for the Federal Govern-

ment. Corroborating this, the Commercial Manager, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, Mr. Stefan Vas de Wael, said the development of deep water assets in the country’s oil and gas could contribute $3 billion to the country’s economy as well as generate about 200,000 jobs annually.

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Ekiti 2014

Obas’ council summons governorship aspirants PEACE FORUM Traditional Rulers summon a meeting of stakeholders to find solution to violence in Ekiti election Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

ollowing accusations and counter-accusations of violence by political parties in Ekiti State ahead of the June 21

election, the state’s Council of Traditional Rulers is organising a stakeholders’ forum for the 18 governorship candidates and their parties to find a lasting solution to the problem. Disclosing this in AdoEkiti yesterday at a press briefing, Chairman of the council, the Onitaji of Itaji-Ekiti, Oba Idowu Adamo Babalola, said as the custodians of the custom and tradition of the people, the royal fathers would not watch and allow the state to be set on fire. Though he did not give the exact date that the forum would hold, he added

Oni endorses Fayemi, set to dump PDP Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

ormer Ekiti State governor, Chief Olusegun Oni, yesterday endorsed the incumbent state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for a second term in office, thereby giving indication that he was set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Fayemi’s All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking in his hometown, Ifaki-Ekiti, when Fayemi visited him in the course of his campaign in Ido/Osi Local Government area, Oni said Fayemi was the best for the job. Oni, who turned down pleas by PDP leaders to allow former Governor Ayo Fayose work with him against Fayemi in the 2009 governorship re-run election in the state, said he had reconciled all differences with Fayemi. Fayose, who is now the PDP candidate in the June 21 election, had in 2009,

tried to get back into reckoning in the PDP by volunteering to work with Oni, who as the sitting governor then, was having a running electoral battle with Fayemi. The development eventually led Fayose to work for Fayemi and Oni was later removed from office for Fayemi. However, Oni, while speaking on the endorsement of Fayemi, said he believed the governor was the best for the job and that he would sacrifice personal interests for the corporate interests of the state. Oni, who was flanked by his teeming party supporters, said; “Today, we are erecting a new platform to build the future for Ekiti. To us, the future is paramount in our hearts and what our children would say about us. “Though, we might have a past that was rough, but we have to let the past be the past. We must think of who can take the right decisions for us to build a prosperous future for Ekiti.

Fayose meets Ekiti indigenes in Ondo Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

he governorship canTDemocratic didate of the Peoples Party (PDP)

in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, will on Thursday meet with Ekiti indigenes resident in Ondo State. According to a release yesterday in Ado-Ekiti by the Director General of the Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, the meeting would afford the PDP candidate the opportunity to unveil his programmes to the indigenes. Anisulowo, who described Ekiti people living in Ondo State as central to

the PDP victory in the June 21 governorship election, said Fayose was committed to the welfare of Ekiti people wherever they reside. He said going to Akure to meet Ekiti indigenes was a show of the respect Fayose has for them. “Our people living in Ondo State are very important to us and we have decided to meet them in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Thursday. “Members of all associations of Ekiti indigenes in Ondo State are expected at the meeting, as it will be an interactive forum where issues bordering on the expectations of the people will be discussed,” Anisulowo said.

that apart from politicians and their parties, other bodies involved in the conduct of the poll would be invited as well. The meeting is scheduled to hold at the Abiodun Adetiloye Hall, Ado-Ekiti. According to the Onitaji, the council had observed with concern, the recourse to violence by politicians since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on political campaigns. “We note with dismay that this development portends great danger for this state, which has enjoyed unprecedented peace and

harmony for quite a while. “While we are constrained by our traditional responsibilities that enjoin us to be non-partisan, there is no gainsaying that, as custodians of the culture and tradition of our people, we cannot remain indifferent or silent over this envisaged threat to peace,” the Onitaji said. He said the monarchs, at their April 29, 2014 regular meeting, resolved to take a stand and reach out to all the candidates, as well as their parties on ways to put a stop to violence before, during and after the June elections.

475,550

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

“They should eschew violence and politics of bitterness, in addition, we call on law enforcement agencies to complement our peace efforts by being above board and remaining neutral in the discharge of their duties,” he said. Oba Babalola, who alleged that several cases of attacks and shedding of blood had been reported to the council, said no fewer than three of such cases, occurred in his hometown, Itaji-Ekiti alone in the last couple of weeks. “Let it be known that Ekiti people will freely choose their governor and

N208.5m

The IGR realized from road taxes of Akwa Ibom in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

that inalienable right will not be compromised or negotiated,” he declared. He warned his colleague monarchs to refrain from politics by making sure they welcome all candidates to their domains with royal blessings rather than open display of partisanship. Meanwhile, the Alafao of Afao, Oba Joseph Adebare Ademilua,hassaidthatitwas nottruethatformergovernor of the state, Mr. Ayo Fayose, locked him in his (Alafao) palace to prevent him from attending to Governor Kayode Fayemi during Fayemi’s campaign tour of Afao-Ekiti last week.

3.8

The estimated percentage prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in girls and women (15 - 49 years) of Ghana in 2005. Source: Blatantworld.com

L-R: Sen. Olu Adetunbi (Ekiti North); former Governor of Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni; incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi; Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; and wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, during Fayemi's courtesy visit to the Ifaki country home of the former governor, ahead of the campaign rally to Ido-Osi LGA...yesterday

Ekiti people urged to be vigilant Bamidele tackles Fayemi Temitope Ogunbanke ollowing allegations Fernorship that Labour Party govcandidate in

Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, was planning to step down for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, ahead of June 21 governorship election, the John Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation yesterday urged the people of the state to remain vigilant. The body said the people should reject those who will not hesitate to team up with their kind for the sole purposeof denyingEkitianother four years of peace, progress, prosperityandpositivepeopleoriented programmes. Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the Director-General of JKFC, Bimbo Daramola, called on

the people of Ekiti to reject those who have no interest in building on the progress that the state has achieved in the last three and half years. “We feel compelled to remind the good people of Ekiti State, both within and outside, that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom and that the people must not and will not return to Egypt. “While we are at it, we also believe that we must share with them and indeed all Nigerians the information at our disposal that some of those parading themselves as candidates are not who they are claiming to be. “A particular candidate, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele of the Labour Party, has been telling anyone who cared to listen that he will turn Ekiti into an Eldorado, without saying clearly that his intentions are."

over assets declaration claim Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

governorship canT(LP)he didate of Labour Party in the June 21 election

in Ekiti State, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday faulted Governor Kayode Fayemi’s claim of public declaration of his assets, saying the Code of Conduct Bureau should probe the governor. Reacting to weekend’s comment by Fayemi that he had not acquired anything apart from the assets he got before coming to office, Bamidele, in a statement yesterday by his media aide, Ahmed Salami, said the governor was only trying to hoodwink the people of the state. He also faulted the call by Fayemi that other can-

didates in the poll should publicly declare their assets, saying as a member of the House of Representatives, he declared his after being inaugurated and would also do so while leaving office as constitutionally mandated. Declaring Fayemi’s new song for assets’ declaration as a face-saving slogan targeted at extricating him from the deluge of shady deals that had been perpetrated under his nose, Bamidele said, declaring assets to the public had not in any way stem the tide of corruption in the state. The LP governorship candidate maintained that the public declaration of assets by Governor Fayemi, which he erroneously thought could give his government a strand of credibility.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

S'Court strikes out Katsina lawmakers' appeal SETBACK

Saxked lawmakers' suit suffers setback at the higher court of the land Tunde Oyesina Abuja

he Supreme Court yesterday struck-out the appeal filed by 10 Katsina lawmakers against the judgement of the Court of Appeal that sacked them from office. The appeal was struck-out after their counsel, Olushola Baiyeshea, SAN, informed the court that he had filed a

1.5

notice of withdrawal due to some irregularities in the appeal. He told the court that there is another appeal that will take care of the withdrawn appeal. Two Senators and eight members of the House of Representatives from Katsina State lost their seats in November last year after the Court of Appeal declared that their continual stay in office was illegal. The appellate court ordered the reinstatement of the first set of legislators, whose certificates of return were withdrawn by the Independent National Electoral Commission

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

(INEC) in December 2011 on the ground that they were not the candidates for the elections on the platform of the now defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. There are, however, concerns over the position taken by INEC and the National Assembly in the matter. Some of the lawmakers, whose Certificates of Return were withdrawn by INEC are asking what the interest INEC and National Assembly is in the case by going ahead to file appeal against the judgement of the court that sacked the lawmakers that are currently occupying the seats at the

3.11m

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

National Assembly. The lawmakers that were ordered to be reinstated are Senators Abdu Umar ‘Yandoma and Ahmad Sani Stores. The Representatives are Murtala Isa, Muntari Dandutse, Musa Salisu, Aminu Ashiru and Umar Adamu Katsayal, Muhammad Tukur, Tasi’u Doguro, and Abdu Dankama. Those occupying the seats presently are Reps Ahmed Babba Kaita, Salisu Salisco, Umar Abubakar, Salisu Daura, Isa Doro, Sani Mashi, Abbas Machika and Dr Mansur Funtua and Senators Abubakar Yar’adua and Hadi Sirika.

40.65%

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

Imo North backs Okorocha for second term Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

t least 2, 000 members of the Okigwe People’s Political Movement (OPPM) yesterday declared for the All Progressives Congress (APC). They also pledged to support the re-election of Governor Rochas Okorocha come 2015. The OPPM is the political umbrella of people from the six local government areas of Okigwe senatorial district in Imo State. Speaking at a grand reception organised by OPPM in honour of Okorocha, a prominent leader in the area and the Commissioner for Finance, Deacon Chike Okafor, said Okigwe zone has never had it so good in terms of infrastructural development until the Okorocha administration came on board in 2011. While he assured the governor of the unflinching support of his people, Okafor recalled that the massive participation of

members of the organisation during the APC membership registration exercise was an indication of their support and commitment for a better Nigeria and Imo State in particular. He, therefore, declared that OPPM members are automatic members of the APC. Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu, was on ground to affirm that Okigwe people have enjoyed the dividends of democracy, courtesy of Governor Rochas Okorocha. According to him, the three years of the governor has brought about transformation of the six local governments areas in Okigwe zone through massive infrastructural development. He commended the governor for dualising major roads in Okigwe city, the construction of all roads in Okigwe town, the construction of modern primary schools in each electoral ward of the state, among others.

Saraki denies presidential campaign posters Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano (left), acknowledging cheers from the people as he arrives the venue of the Election Petitions Tribunal with his ADC, Chinedu Aniagboso in Awka...yesterday

Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

he Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday inaugurated the campaign committee that would work for the re-election of the state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for the August 9 governorship election. The committee, which was inaugurated at the party secretariat in Osogbo, attracted chieftains and members of the party from all the 30 local governments of the state. Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the party, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi, who inaugurat-

Osun 2014: APC sets up campaign committee for Aregbesola ed the committee members, said "the selection of the committee members cuts across the nine federal constituencies of the state with chairmen and secretaries appointed in each of the constituencies". Elder Adebiyi charged members of the committee to be committed and dutiful to the great task ahead of them saying "the major challenge for the party was Senator Iyiola Omisore, because confronting Omisore is

like confronting a violent organisation.” According to him, “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its gubernatorial flag bearer, Omisore have nothing progressive to offer the people of Osun State, except violence, rigging and destruction.” "The opposition PDP is counting on violence before and during the poll as a means of winning the election, for the PDP believes in manipulation and rigging.”

He, however, advised the committee members to use constructive peaceful methods to neutralize the PDP’s campaign of terror and also educate the people about the critical issue involved in the coming elections. Adebiyi also pleaded with members of the committee to inform the State Working Committee of events as they happen before the election to ensure that the party wins the forthcoming election.

ormer Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki yesterday dissociated himself from campaign posters pasted in Abuja and some parts of Katisna State, announcing his purported interest in the 2015 presidential race. The former governor, who is currently chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, explained in a statement signed by his media aide, Mr. Bankole Omishore, that he was not part of the design and implementation of the

campaign. He also denied a news report about the campaign posters pasted by an online publication titled “ 2015: Bukola Saraki Presidential Campaign Posters Flood Abuja, Katsina ”. The statement, made available to newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, reads in part: "Senator Saraki wishes to categorically state that the said story is totally false and the alleged posters across the cities mentioned are the handiwork of some mischief makers, who have nothing to do but attack the person and reputation of Senator Saraki."

Strike action: Councils of Polytechnics, CoE meet Wike Babatope Okeowo Akure

he Chairmen of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country have met with the supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyelson Wike. The meeting is in order to proffer solution to the five months industrial action embarked upon by the unions in the institutions. The Chairman of the governing council of Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo, Ambassa-

dor John Musa Jen, who disclosed this yesterday said the strike action embarked upon by unions in polytechnics and Colleges of Education was regrettable and a solution must be found to it. This unsavoury development, he said, made the Chairmen of the governing councils of the affected institutions to have a retreat with the supervising Minister of Education last week, where the decision to engage the unions in useful and productive dialogue was taken.

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2015: Clark’s wife may join senatorial race Kunle Olayeni

Abeokuta

r. Abisola Sodipo-Clark, wife of prominent Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, appears set to throw her hat into the ring for a senatorial seat in Ogun State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The medical doctor, who hails from Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, was in Abeokuta yesterday to consult with PDP chieftains and members apparently in furtherance of her political ambition in 2015. At the PDP State Secretariat, Abeokuta, Mrs. Sodipo-Clark was received by party

chairman, Chief Adebayo Dayo, and secretary, Alhaji Semiu Sodipo, among teeming PDP members. Though she did not deny or confirm the speculation surrounding her ambition to reporters, Clark’s wife simply declared that she was eminently qualified for any political position. She said she was in the state and, her Ward 2 Ikija, to renew her membership card and consult with party members. She said, “I’m not going to say ‘no’ and I’m not going to say ‘yes’. What I’m here for is to consult. I’m somebody that believes in wide consultation and I believe that if somebody is going to take a step in a democracy, you need to consult with your leaders."

Etisalat to sell West African business for $650m James Nwabueze with Agency Reports

elecommunication outfit, Etisalat, which is set to buy a majority stake in Maroc Telecom, has agreed to sell its West African business to the Moroccan firm for $650 million to tap its expertise in that region. The deal will enable the United Arab Emirates telecom operator to offload assets that have added little to its bottom line to Maroc Telecom, whose operations in Gabon, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania posted a 9.5 percent increase in revenue last year. “Maroc Telecom has done pretty well with its own operations in sub-Saharan Africa, so Etisalat’s thinking seem to be that it should take advantage of Maroc Telecom’s demonstrable

expertise in that region,” saidMatthewReed,principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media, in Dubai. Etisalat yesterday said it is selling Atlantique Telecom, its wholly owned West African subsidiary that has mobile operations in Central African Republic, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Togo, plus its Benin unit and separate regional information technology. “Etisalat took on operations in quite difficult and competitive markets where there was probably also a language gap, which may also have been a problem. Maroc Telecom seems to have cracked operating in Francophone West Africa, whereas Etisalat hasn’t, although Etisalat’s Nigeria affiliate is doing well,” Reed said.

WEF: Canadian Minister arrives Abuja Louis Achi

Abuja

head of the World Economic Forum kicking off on May 7, the Canadian Minister of International Development, Honourable Christian Paradis, arrives Abuja today and will focus on development priorities as well as meet with the Canada-Nigeria Bi-National Commission during his trip. According to a press statement from Margaux Stastny, Director of Communications, Canadian Office of the Minister of International Development, “While in Nigeria, the minister will participate in the Grow Africa Investment Forum (May 7), the

Africa Health Innovation Meeting (May 7), and the World Economic Forum on Africa (May 8). “During these forums the Minister will speak to Canada's leadership and experience in creating jobs, promoting sustainable economic growth, and seeking new partners and innovative financing mechanisms.” According to Stastny, “Paradis will also speak out on Canada's top development priority, that of mater nal, newborn and child health, and promote Saving Every Woman Every Child: Within Arm's Reach, an international summit that will shape the future of global action on maternal, newborn and child health issues.

L-R: Representative of Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye; former, Pro-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Chief Wole Olanipekun, Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, and the celebrant/Vice Chancellor University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, at the 60th Birthday lecture of Prof. Adewole in Ibadan…yesterday

13.8m

The total population of Bombay, India in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

$US324.8bn

The nominal GDP of Argentina (IMF) in 2009. Source: Blatantworld.com

140.4m

The total population of Russia (representing 2.03% of the world’s population) in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Fashola faults US on terror attack alarm UNDIPLOMATIC

Lagos governor tasks American agency on information flow Muritala Ayinla agos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday faulted the United States over the alarm raised on a possible attack on the state by the Boko Haram sect. He said such warning or alarm raises questions than responding to security issues in the country. The governor, who decried the channels of communication used in disseminating such privileged information, said

the United States government or agency said to have made such alarm or warning to its citizens in Nigeria, could have explored the globally acceptable standard of sharing such information with the government, rather than making such public. The United States Department of State had on May 2, 2014, warned US citizens against travelling to troubled states in Nigeria, saying there were indications that terrorists were planning to attack Sheraton Hotel in Lagos. But, reacting to the alert on terror attack, when he received 100 patrol vans, 150 motorcycles and five mobile cells otherwise known as Black Maria from the Lagos State Security Trust

Fund, LSSTF, Fashola said such alarm would further create fear in the land. He said: “It raises more questions rather than respond to it. We need to first ask whether it was the United States government that made the release. If it is, it raises a new dimension into the obligation of nations and government around the world to ensure peace and to cooperate with one another. I think the thing to say first is that there is a fundamental freedom that seems to have gone out of our daily discusses, which is the freedom for fear and this was a freedom that was recognised in 1948, when the declaration of rights were been adopted

as a global publication. “As I said, until I am certain that peace came from a government agency of the US, I can only speak on the bases of the gravity of such information, assuming that it was true. “It violates conventional global obligation. I think that there are channels of communication that information of that type can be shared without creating panic. I think that citizens of all nationals can be protected without throwing a cat among pigeons. He said as a governor, he once had a privilege information that a bank was about to be robbed, but he never made such information public.

World Bank, UNDP join hands with Uduaghan

Cholera outbreak: 20 feared dead in Plateau

Dominic Adewole

Musa Pam

Asaba

he World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union and other infrastructure providers yesterday aligned for aid effectiveness for Delta State. This was to fulfill the importance of a Donor Development Partnership Policy as demanded by the 2005 Paris Declaration and 2008 Accra Agenda for Action on ownership, alignment, harmonization, mutual accountability and managing for results. Describing the state as their “prime partner

in Nigeria”, they hailed the state for being “a true reflection of what development means.” Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan who wooed them to the state to provide schools, health, water and other donor infrastructure, said a new course would be charted for holistic strategy by conceptualizing the brand identity ‘Delta Beyond Oil’. Speaking during the state’s Donor Partnership Forum in Asaba yesterday, the governor maintained that an enabling environment for efective project-planning and management had been ensured.

Jos

o fewer than 20 people were feared killed while 32 others were hospitalised as a result of Cholera outbreak in Barkin town of Barkin Ladi Local Government Council of Plateau State. A resident of the community, who did not want his name in print, told our correspondent that 20 people lost their lives as a result of the outbreak. While reacting on the issue, Council Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Loman, in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Jos

yesterday, confirmed that five people lost their lives while 32 were hospitalised and were responding to treatment in the area. According to him, the council has ensured that drugs and medical personnel were available to attend to those hospitalised while the council has set aside a day to sensitise the people on the need to wash their fruits very well before eating and to live in a clean environment. Loman identified poor hygiene as one of the major causes of the cholera outbreak and advised the people to keep their environments clean.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

ASUU canvasses urgent steps to save the nation James Nwabueze Abuja

orried by the current state of the nation, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday urged the Federal Government to find an urgent solution to the problems plaguing the nation. Speaking in Abuja, ASUU president, Nasir Isa, particularly warned that ASUU would no longer fold its arms and watch the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria being threatened by insecurity and bad governance. He noted that Boko Haram and insurgency are complex Nigerian prob-

89.2

lems that should not be regarded as northern or northeast problems. "We have reached a point where the more the government claims to have tried to curb the insurgent activities, the more insurgency grows and expands to other frontiers. It is, therefore, apparent that the only recipe will be to undertake a deep, new comprehensive analysis of the root causes of the insurgency that has proved till now intractable and is destroying national integrity. "We have reached a point where ad hoc fire brigade approaches and policies and half measures cannot work, and hence a comprehensive strategy is the answer.

The number of newspaper journalists per 1m inhabitants of France in 2005. Source: Blatantworld.com

These include: socioeconomic development and education, crucially the pursuit of a humanistic socioeconomic development with the goal of fulfilling the needs of the people, society's control of the commanding height of the economy, pursuit of an egalitarian society and abandonment of philosophy of governance that treats Nigeria as if it were a jungle. Nigerians should know that the problem of Boko Haram and insurgency is a complex Nigerian problem, not a northern or new northeast problem," he said. Citing the deadly attack at military facilities in Borno State, Nyanya bomb blasts of April 14

752,614

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

and May 1, and abduction of 274 female students a school in Chibok, Isa noted that the assailants have grown more confident. "As a union of intellectuals, ASUU cannot afford to fold its arms and look, while our unity as a nation is threatened, our peaceful coexistence is being gradually decimated and our collective security and rights, as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are being violated with impunity," he warned. He, however, urged government to put in place immediate relief for persons whose means of livelihood and properties were destroyed in the insurgency attack. "In the end, what will

43.1m

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

L-R: Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo; CME/Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Bola Adesola, during the signing of $1 billion 450Mega Wattz Gas turbine IPP of Azura Power in Abuja….yesterday

Edo APC in disarray as leaders, supporters resign RED CARD

Party bigwigs blame Governor Oshiomhole for cancellation of congresses, threaten to leave APC Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State yesterday appeared to be in trouble as thousands of leaders and members of the party drawn from the 18 local government councils and the three senatorial districts of the state announced their resignation en masse from the party. The aggrieved members who resigned yesterday were led by the

former National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, after several hours of intensive deliberations held in Benin, declared their intention to quit the party. They cited several misgivings heaped at the door steps of the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum issued to the governor, demanding for the cancellation of the outcome of the APC membership registration exercise and the congresses held in the state recently. The mass resignation followed a motion by the former member representing Ovia federal constituency in the

House of Representatives, Hon. West Idahosa and seconded by Mr. K. O. Illavbare and their supporters, several leaders and aides of Governor Oshiomhole from the various wards and councils in the state. Among the key actors that renounced the party are the ex-state Chairman of the ACN, Dr. Tony Omoaghe, the immediate past Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Bright Omokhodion, Chief Amos Osunbor, the Executive Director of the state Poverty Alleviation Progremme, Chief (Mrs.) Evelyn Omokhodion, among others. More than 25 Senior Special Advisers, Special Assistants, chairmen and members of several boards and parastaltals as well as agen-

cies and councils of the different state-owned institutions of higher learning were also involved. But the state Interim Publicity Secretary of APC, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, in his reaction said; “We are happy that the cancerous tumour that has plagued the APC for some time now, has meted out in submission to the fervent prayers of our women wing for quite some months now.” Erhahon continued: “Whereas it was the IzeIyamu that was trying to force the governor to manipulate the process to his favour, he has been too economical with the truth when he told the public that it was the governor that manipulated it.”

resolve the Boko Haram problem is responsible governance, war against unemployment and pov-

erty, and the provision of social welfare amenities for all Nigerian citizens," he added.

WEF: FG happy with local, overseas protest against Chibok girls abduction Simeon Ogoegbulem and Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he Federal Government said that the wide scale demonstrations within Nigeria and overseas against abduction of Chibok girls by the suspected Boko Harram gang are in good faith. This comes as some leading private investors are partnering with government to launch on Wednesday, initiative of six new schools in North East part of the country. Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stated government position yesterday in Abuja at the maiden press briefing to announce the start of the World Economy Forum(WEF) on Africa taking place between May 7 and 9. She said the demonstration showed that Nigeria has active citizenry both at home and abroad adding that everybody was eager to have the girls returned in good health. She said: “We welcome global attention on this issue. But we should also give important urgency and highlight the deliberation we are holding here at the WEF, because if you look at the forum agenda, you will see that good part of

the agenda is devoted to discuss securing development, issue of agility and other issues relating to making sure we have proper environment development. There are issues about skills and education and all these would be discussed.” She said that WEF on Africa with theme, ‘creating jobs and inclusive growth’ was specifically structured to address issues relating to skills and education with emphasis on girls and women empowerment. “We have session on gender because we believe this is also very important for sustainable growth. The country cannot really sustain its growth and move forward unless we also pay attention to these issues of girls, women and education and inclusive growth. The country has had success in growing the economy over the past decade which has been growing at an average of 7 % per year, but we know that the quality of the growth matters and it’s this quality of growth that we are going to discuss in WEF. We are going to talk how we can get the growth create jobs, how do we protect those at bottom end of the ladders- special protection and measures which include providing basic needs from health to education.”

Nine killed in clash between villagers, herdsmen Mohammed Munirat Nasir GUSAU

t least nine people were reported to have lost their lives while seven others sustained injuries in Gobirawa village in Magami District of Gusau Local Government area of Zamfara State, following exchange of fire between the villagers and suspected cattle rustlers. A source in the village said four of the suspected cattle rustlers were killed while five of the villagers lost their lives in the resistance by the villagers, who were said to be on alert since the reception of a strange notification letter of the invasion from the bandits. The source added that since the notification from the suspected rustlers, the villagers

made up their minds to confront the bandits and not to only depend on the security operatives. “Though, it is sad that we lost some of our villagers and others sustained injuries, but the bandits were taken by surprise because, they never expected to meet such severe resistance from us,” he said. Confirming the attack, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, Lawal Abdullahi, said the police have already swung into action on the matter and would ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book. Abdullahi also called on the people of the state to always remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies for necessary action.

10 News

ULTIMATUM

Northern youths urge Mr. President to ask for more from his military chiefs Ibrahim Abdul

Yola

pressure group, the Northern Youths Leaders Forum, (NYLF), has charged President Goodluck Jonathan to give service chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police two weeks to rescue the abducted students

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sack service chiefs if insurgency persists – NYLF tells Jonathan of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok or be sacked. The group also charged Jonathan to step up action in resolving the spate of insurgency plaguing the nation. The National Chairman of the forum, Comrade Eliot Afiyo, who spoke during an interview with newsmen in Yola maintained that the

loss of precious lives to insurgency in the North was becoming alarming hence the need for the ultimatum. Going by the two successive blasts at Nyanya in Abuja, he said, military has not been making much headway in tackling security challenges in the country. Afiyo also called on the

President not to hesitate in declaring full state of emergency in the three states most affected by insurgency and appoint sole administrators in their places. Afiyo said his group would support whatever measure taken by Jonathan as long as it will lead to the resolution of the insurgency in the

country. Afiyo also lauded the removal of the special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on political Affairs, Ahmed Ali Gulak because he had allegedly used his position to wreak more havoc than good to the president. Gulak, he said, used his office to attract more enemies to Jonathan across

the country, particularly in the North. “It is never in our culture in Nigeria, especially in the North to abuse elders or to curse elders in the name of politics.” he said. The NYLF advised president Jonathan to appoint a God-fearing person who can distinguish between government interest and his own.

Rep donates 30 beds, 20 air conditioners to FMC Yola Ibrahim Abdul

Yola

he member representing Yola North, Yola South and Girei Federal Constituency, Hajya Aishatu Ahmed Binani, has donated 30 beds, 30 mattresses and 20 split Samsung air-conditioners to the Federal Medical Center, Yola. After the presentation of the items, in Yola yesterday, Binani explained that the gesture was a personal effort to make the hospital

friendly to patients that will undergo surgery in the oncoming Federal Zonal Intervention Project 2014 which she facilitated. Services to be provided during the Intervention Project include cataract surgery for 1,150 patients, provision of 1,500 reading glasses, hepatitis B and C screening, Ultra Sound Scanning, HIV Screening, outpatient consultation, Vaccination for Hepatitis B full dose for 500 people, General surgery and health education.

Ajimobi lauds contribution of journalists to development

he Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has described journalists as essential agents in the development of democracy and good governance. He stated this at the weekend at his investiture as the Grand Patron of League of Veteran Journalists which took place at the state executive council chambers. According to the governor, journalists had continued to play positive roles in many aspects of development, not only in impacting knowledge and information, but also in

encouraging the people to participate in politics. Governor Ajimobi, who attributed the various achievements recorded by his administration to the support of journalists and the league of veteran journalists in the state, added that his transformation agenda had been very successful through the tremendous cooperation and support of journalists. The state chief executive, while thanking the veteran journalists for the honour, described the gesture as a priceless priviledge.

Omoworare for burial

he body of the late Elder Lawrence Oladeinde Omoworare will be laid to rest at Abalti Barracks along Ojuelegba, Surulere Lagos on Friday, May 9. According to a programme of activities released by his family, a Christian wake keep will be held for him at 12 Okeya Street, Coker Village, Aguda, Surulere. Interment follows immediately after a funeral service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Redemption

House at 23/25 NuruOniwo Street, Aguda, Lagos.

Late Omoworare

L-R: Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Yero; representative of the Minister of Education, Dr. Olu Ayemoh and Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, at an advocacy meeting on the promotion of girl-child education among the nomads in Northern Nigeria, held in Kaduna…yesterday

67.5%

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

N11.4m

The IGR realized from direct assessment sources of Nasarawa State in 2010. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

27.6%

The percentage of households with a computer in developing countries in 2012. Source: Itu.int

‘Run, Mr. President, Run' Walson-Jack fights leadership vacuum

Joe Ezuma and Biodun Oyeleye Port Harcourt /Ilorin

group, the Transformation Actualization Project (TAP), said the monumental achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in the last four years are eloquent testimonies that he deserves a second term in office come 2015. The group, in a statement issued at the end of its meetinginPortHarcourtyesterday, and read to journalists by the National President, Chinyere Chigbu,calledonJonathanto declarehisintentiontorunfor a second term. TAP vowed to mobilize Nigerians to support Jonathan oncehedeclareshisinterestin re-election. "We hereby urge the Presidenttodeclarehisintentionto contest the 2015 presidential election. That we will mobilize Nigerians to support the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan when he declares his intention,” the group said. Also yesterday, members

of the Freedom Group, a pressure group within the Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged Jonathan to declare his second-term interest. A statement signed by one Alhaji Tajudeen Kareem on behalf of the group at the end of its meeting in Offa, Kwara State at the weekend, said it was certain the President would coast home to victory in the election as members of the group and others in the state would work assiduously for his victory. One of the resolutions in the statement was a “Declaration of Support for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in his efforts at addressing the national security Challenges facing the Nation, believing that God will see us through." We also urge the President to declare his interest in the 2015 Presidential Election. The Group, working with PDP state and National structures, pledges to mobilize and work assiduously for his victory at the polls.”

Joe Ezuma

Port Harcourt

top contender for the Rivers state governorship seat in 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nimi Walson-Jack, has said that the leadership vacuum in the state is one of the factors that prompted him to join the race to the Brick House. According to him, he plans to reunite what he described as a badly fragmented and disunited multiethnic Rivers as a prelude to faster development. Walson-Jack a past General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), told New Telegraph at the weekend in Port Harcourt that there would be vacancy attheBrickHousein2015and that naturally somebody must fill it. According to the legal practitioner, criminologist and civic educator, ''The reasons I want to run are first, a vacancy exists. By

our democratic calendar and experience, we are due for for elections and people must step forward to run for public offices. ''Of course, more fundamental is the fact that increasingly, we are becoming a fragmented state; disunity has set in, the cracks of tribalism and its associates are there for us to see. We are running so that we can have a governmental power and authority to unite our people. That is fundamental and that unity will set the stage for development; both economic development, social development and political.'' Jack, a campaigner for morality in democracy and return to the Riverine/Upland dichotomy arrangement that alternates power between the two divides, said he was not discouraged that former governor Peter Odilit came from the same Rivers west Senatorial district, a fact that can put him at a disadvantage.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

ENCOMIUMS

More Nigerians mourn one of the nation’s brightest legal luminaries Tunde Oyesina, Dan Atori, Ibraheem Musa, Philip Nyam and Chukwu David

ore encomiums yesterday continued to pour in for the late retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chikwudifu Oputa, who died in Abuja on Sunday at the age of 96. President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President, David Mark, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, were yesterday among those who eulogised the late legal icon. Also, former Vice-President and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano and a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) and other senior lawyers, paid tribute to the late legal luminary. President Jonathan in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said he received with a deep feeling of immense national loss, news of the passing away of Justice Oputa. The statement said; “On behalf of himself, the Federal Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President extends sincere condolences to the eminent

Jonathan, Atiku, Mark, Ekweremadu, pay tribute to Oputa jurist’s family, relatives, associates and friends.” President said he believed that Justice Oputa will always be honoured now and in posterity for having served the nation as a most distinguished and courageous jurist, who made very significant and indelible contributions to the advancement of Nigerian jurisprudence. Former Vice-President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, described the late retired Supreme Court Justice, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, as an extraordinary jurist with extraordinary pedigree. In a tribute to Oputa issued by his media office in Abuja yesterday, former Atiku said the death of the retired Supreme Court justice was like a huge branch being cut off from the nation’s judicial iroko tree. Speaker Tambuwal described the passage of the renowned jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, as a great loss to Nigeria. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal described Oputa as the Lord Denning of Nigerian judiciary, saying the deceased distinguished himself in both his public and private lives. Mark described him as the pathfinder, who charted the road map for the nation’s judicial system, while Ojo called him “an icono-

‘Wike, PDP chair plot mayhem’

he Executive Council Chairman of OgbaEgbema-Ndoni Local Government Area in Rivers State and All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Augustine Ahiamadu, has accused the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Rivers State, Chief Felix Obuah of sponsoring youths to remove him from office. He also alleged that the steps taken by Nyesom Wike of importing a letter from

the Presidency to authorize the suspended CDC and the youth body to take over the activities of the Council was a violation of the Local Government hand book signed by the present Minister of Sports, Dr Tammy Danagogo, when he was Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the first tenure of Governor Chibuike Amaechi. Ahiamadu spoke this Monday while speaking with Government House Correspondents in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

clast of humanity, the Socrates of our time and one of the finest brews of jurisprudence and commitment to justice.” His tribute was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Monday. The Senate President lauded the unquantifiable contributions of the late jurist to the economic and socio-political development of Nigeria. He said: “He was one of Nigeria’s best and

foremost judicial officers. His landmark judgements are eloquent testimonies to this. “He was a judicial officer per excellence. He remains a reference point on virtually all judicial matters. “Justice Oputa is unarguably a legal giant and he occupies a prominent chapter in the history of Nigeria, especially in the judiciary. “Nigerians and generations yet unborn owe him a debt of gratitude,” Mark said.

According to Chief Bayo Ojo yesterday, Justice Oputa’s death was the drawing of the curtain on an era in the justice sector that generations after would forever long for. “He belonged to that age and his memories are naturally bound to be immortal.” he added. Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Sebastine Hon, described the death of Justice Oputa as a loss to the present generation. According to him; “Our generation has lost a legal

colossus! Our consolation, however, lies in the fact that he left indelible marks on the sand of our legal jurisprudence.” He, however, called on members of the bench to emulate him even as he called on the Federal Government and his state government to immortalise him. In his tribute, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, described Oputa’s death as a monumental loss to the legal profession, the judiciary and the entire nation.

L-R: Past President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Dipo Fashina; President, Dr. Nasir Isa and ASUU Abuja Zonal coordinator, Dr. Suleiman Mohammed, at a news conference on the State of the Nation in Abuja …yesterday

N55.1bn

The IGR realized from PAYE (taxes) of Rivers State in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

57.7%

The percentage of female internet users of Macao, China in 2011. Source: Itu.int

32.2%

The estimated percentage prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in girls and women (15 - 49 years) of Kenya in 2003. Source: Blatantworld.com

Lagos records 32% increase in out-patient clinic attendance Appolonia Adeyemi

agos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has said that attendance at the out-patient clinic departments of secondary health facilities in Lagos State has increased by 32 per cent from 3,102,571 to 4,100,503 between 2011 and 2013. Idris, who disclosed this during the Ministry

of Health’s Annual Press Briefing to commemorate the third year of the second term of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola in office, also noted that the period between 2011 and 2013 witnessed eight percent increase in the bed complement of secondary health facilities from 3,091 to 3,339. The commissioner added that the utilisation

of services at public health services with regard to maternal and child health interventions has also improved tremendously since the beginning of the second term of this administration and stressed that the antenatal clinic attendance has increased by 68 percent from 136,707 in year 2011 to 229,389 in year 2013. According to him; “Deliveries increased by 25 per-

cent from 19,572 in year 2011 to 24,431 in year 2013 and the percentage of fully immunised children, especially measles coverage under one year of age, increased from 73 percent to 87 percent during the same time frame. “The number of DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse in the treatment of tuberculosis) sites also increased from 130 to 273.”

metr We sell

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

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tuesday, MAY 6, 2014

fresh human head for N20,000 –Suspects

BIZARRE Some suspected dealers in human parts say the demand for heads is high Juliana Francis and Taiwo Jimoh

our suspects, in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, have given chilling account of how they used to source and sell human body parts. One of the suspects, paraded yesterday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, Mrs Sukuratu Salami, said that she used to buy each fresh human head for N10,000 and sell for N20,000. According to the 53-year-old mother, human eye balls go for N5,000 and intestines are sold at N1,000. She confessed to have sold at least 10

heads. Salami, who sells herbs, said she decided to go into selling of human parts because there was high demand for heads by “native doctors”. Other suspects are Rasheed Abimbola Tantoloun, Mohammed Yusuf and Waheed Ibrahim. Denying killing people, they said they always get the parts from a cemetery located at Joju area of Ota in Ado-Ado Local Government Area of Ogun State. Tantoloun is the security guard of the cemetery; Ibrahim is the digger who used to dig out the human parts, while Yusuf is one of the native doctors who used to buy from Salami. The Lagos State Com-

The suspects with the human parts recovered from them.

missioner of Police, Umar Manko, explained that the suspects were arrested after the command received a tipoff about their illicit trade and drafted SARS detectives to the area. He said: “We picked interest in this case because of the disappearance of people. It is hopeful that with the arrest of these suspects, we will be able to get to the root of these disappearances. “Most of the parts recovered are fresh. It is criminal to deal in human parts. A few weeks ago, there was the discovery of Soka forest in Oyo State. Crime has no boundary.” The commissioner also disclosed how the suspects were arrested. He said: “After intense monitoring of the faces behind the shameful act, on April 12, one of the SARS detectives posed as a prospective buyer and negotiated to buy one at the rate of N20,000. “Immediately after the operative gained access to the abode of the seller, one Sukuratu Salami, confirmed the existence of human parts

in her house, the Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyarri, led decoy teams to storm the house and arrest Salami, followed by Tantoloun. “A thorough search conducted in the house of Salami led to the discovery of human heads, intestines, liver, kidney, flesh and bones.” According to Salami, she sells herbs, but disturbances from native doctors, demanding for human heads, convinced her to go into the business. She said: “Those who used to bring the heads to me, brings them from burial grounds. I buy for N10,000 and sell for N20,000. People used to ask for broken pieces of human head, I sell those ones for N200. Intestines are also not expensive, I sell those for N1,000. When they bring the human parts fresh, we dry them if there was need. I have sold 10 heads.” Salami, whose eldest child is 30 years, said her husband, who works with one of the top media houses in Lagos, ran away and abandoned her after her arrest. On his part, Tantaloun

Mob burns two suspected kidnappers Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

wo suspected kidnappers were yesterday burnt to death by angry residents of Ikire and Apomu towns in Osun State while attempting to kidnap two children. The suspects were trying to force the kids into polythene and travelling bags before being discovered by the residents.

The angry mob beat and stripped the suspects naked before setting them ablaze. It was learnt that three kidnappers were apprehended at different locations but one of them was spared. “One of the suspects was apprehended and roasted to death at NUD Primary School, Sango area of Ikire town, by the irate residents after taking to his heels when challenged on his mission in the area. “Another one was burnt in Apomu town

Sanctity

Tuesday, M

while the arrested one at Isale Total area of the town confessed that he was in the town to kidnap children but pleaded for leniency,” a witness said. When contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Maishanu, frowned at the trend of jungle justice in the state and appealed to members of the public not to take law into their hands.

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

said on the day Ibrahim went to dig the head that got them into trouble, he was not on duty. He said: “My salary as a guard at the cemetery is N8,000, but my boss told me that I should be able to make

money from the cem knows that the ceme told me that we shou ty those with bodies t posed. The woman wh earlier come to me, t should be selling hum On his own, the 2 him said Tantoloun i to the business. He said: “Tantolou they needed my ass asked what kind of a wanted me to render toloun told me that h help them in diggin cemetery. “Whenever I dug found fresh head, th off and pay N3,000. T have been doing it for Also, the 46-yea herbalist in the sam the herb woman op usually introduces the woman. He said: “As a her er I wanted to use som Madam Sukuratu Sa seller. It was through to know that she sell “I have been serv mediary whenever a to buy human parts my own share of the

Amaechi, Lagos, win security profile awa Abiodun Bello

overnor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has won the maiden edition of the Nigeria Security Profile Awards (NISPA) put together by Security 24/7. Also, the Lagos State Government won the Security Project award while the state Ministry of Transportation won the Road Safety Security award. Other corporate bodies and individuals won in different categories of NISPA, which was supported by Opeifa (left) and organisations such as Halogen Security, Chief Detective Magazine, among The com several others. those who a Speaking at the event held in Lagos ects withou at the weekend, the Rivers State ComShe said: missioner for Information, Mrs Ibim ment contr Semenitari, who received the award on it, you have behalf Amaechi, said the Federal Gov“We shou ernment was not serious in rescuing Abuja CCTV the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Ha- the price?” ram from the Government Girls’ SecAlso spea ondary School, Chibok, Borno State. Lagos State She wondered why would President portation, Goodluck Jonathan and the First Lady said the CC set up different committees on the ab- if the Feder duction more than two weeks after the Accordin installed th incident. Semenitari, who also spoke on the working. bomb blasts in Abuja, wondered why Earlier in nobody had been held responsible for Project Dir the failed CCTV project awarded by Amuwa, sai the Federal Government. “Security, o According to her, if the cameras ity,” meant t were working, it would not have been tion was nec difficult to identify the bombers. insecurity i

Oyo: Ajimobi battles second term jinx/ PAGE 16 | Royal endorsement for Jonathan / PAGE 18

POLITICS

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INEC: Tackling challenges ahead of elections

p-14

TUESday, May 6, 2014

Yet again, politicians and some clerics have come out in their stride to lace religion around the 2015 gubernatorial race in Lagos State. In this report, TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE and WALE ELEGBEDE examine the sentiment.

Lagos: Stoking embers of religion for Fashola’s job

or a cosmopolitan state like Lagos, the prevailing view is that religion is a non-factor. But in the lexicon of some politicians in the state, the candidature of who becomes the next governor of the nation’s commercial capital should be determined on the basis of religion. Since the creation of Lagos State on May 27, 1967 from the Colony province and Lagos federal territory, the state has produced four democratically elected governors; namely Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Sir Michael Otedola, Senator Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola. Jakande and Otedola governed Lagos State during the aborted Second and Third Republic respectively, while Tinubu and his successor, Fashola were voted into office from the advent of the Fourth Republic. Among the four governors only Otedola was a Christian while others were Muslims. Perhaps a lurch to the religion cycle of history and its necessity to serve the immediate interest of some actors in the state in the build-up to 2015, may be responsible for the wild-card promotion for a Christian as the next Lagos governor. Though some political pundits consider the clamour for a Christian governor in the state as a machination from groups and interests within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, others differ, citing an obvious marginalisation of Christians in the political scheme of things, especially in elective offices. Already, the political brewers of the move have directly or indirectly inculcated and receiving the support of some Christian-based groups and individuals for the actualisation of their dream. Advancing the course for a Christian governor in 2015, the Director of Civic and Political Affairs of the Diocese of Lagos Mainland of the Anglican Communion, Venerable Folarin Shobo, said it was time for power to shift in the state, urging Lagos residents to vote a Christian as governor of the state in 2015. According to him, “Lagos residents cannot afford to continue with the present political arrangement whereby political officers were largely people of a particular faith. It is not fair to have a government that is largely tilted to people of a particular religion. “Asking for a Christian governor in Lagos State at this time is not out of place. It is long overdue because Christians over the years have been magnanimous enough. We have worked for people who are not of our faith and we have supported them to be in govern-

Jakande

Tinubu

ment. It is now time for us to come out and take the bull by the horns,” he said. Corroborating Shobo, the Lagos State chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship Nigeria, Apostle Alex Bamgbala, said since 1999, Christians have overwhelmingly queued behind and supported the two Muslim administrations in the state, stressing that it is only fair that Muslims give opportunity to their Christian counterparts to be elected in 2015. “The Christian faith people, who of course, form the majority of the population of Lagos State without any doubt, have supported these two great leaders (Tinubu and Fashola) with their votes.

It is only fair and just, and in line with God’s will, Christians, Muslims and all others of different faiths, as stakeholders, to elect a bonafide Christian of integrity, who will take over the mantle of leadership from Fashola in 2015,” he said. For another group, the Christian Conscience, led by a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr. Enoch Ajiboso, the prolonged dominance of people of other religion has led to the marginalisation of credible Christians in appointments, especially the office of the Governor of Lagos State. The group at a press briefing held

CROSSFIRE

If we have security challenges, a governor would say bad leadership. Bad leadership from whom? A governor has been on seat for almost eight years and we have people in that state that can’t go to primary school… Who is the bad leader? – Goodluck Jonathan

Nigerians should hold the Jonathan administration responsible for all the security challenges in the country... No matter what the President says or does, this government has failed Nigerians -Murtala Nyako

Fashola

last week said: “It is our intention to reach out to every Christian in Lagos State and to partner with them on this project of having a Christian governor to succeed our excellent incumbent governor of Lagos State.” However, analysts opined that the APC may be losing out of salient features to consider for the plum Lagos job, as against the different requirements the party is reeling out, adding that the yardstick of religion, zoning and age-limit, may be the albatross of the party in the long-run. Speaking with New Telegraph on the issue, Jakande said what Lagos needs is someone who is ready to render service to the people, adding that religion should not be a deciding factor. “I think that some people are mainly mischievous by overemphasising religion, which in my own knowledge is not the best. The people of Lagos State are more concerned about services and whoever renders the service, Lagos State people will stand by him,” he said For Tinubu, religion will not be a yardstick in the choice of who becomes the next governor of Lagos, stressing that his party will feature the best candidate in the 2015 elections, whether the person is a Christian or Muslim. Speaking during an APC stakeholders meeting at the party’s secretariat in Ikeja, Tinubu said: “What we are talking about is not an election of a Vicar or Bishop nor of a Muslim Imam or cleric. It is about an individual with the character and the brain and the capacCONTINUED ON PAGE 17

14 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

INEC: Tackling challenges ahead of elections

n the past weeks, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega had engagement with different groups of people at different gatherings but addressing similar issues. He spoke passionately on what the commission has been doing since 2010, when the present INEC came on board. All through those encounters, the chairman had opportunity to deliver lectures on the forthcoming 2015 general elections which has dominated discussions in the media and the entire nation. Since the commission released the timetable for the 2015 and those of governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, there has been talks about the readiness or otherwise of the commission to conduct the 2015 general elections. Some of the critiques even questioned the competence of the present INEC to conduct the election while more reasonable people address some of the issues that impinge or likely to affect the activities of the election management body. It is against this background that the chairman has been invited by certain organisations/groups to speak on what INEC is doing towards 2015 elections. Their invitation was based on their concerns about the task ahead and the fears being expressed in some quarters on what is ahead of Nigeria in 2015. They see the election as a determinant to the existence of the entity called Nigeria. The first group the chairman encountered is one of the major critical stakeholders - the media. He had an interactive session with the Editors in Lagos where he briefed them on INEC’s preparations for the conduct of 2015 general elections. Jega explained in detail what the Commission has been doing since after the 2011 general elections and preparations to ensure freer, fairer, credible and more peaceful elections in 2015. Part of the briefing was also on the innovation the commission has put in place to ensure it has a credible voter register, which is very critical in having credible elections, Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and other measures to secure the electoral materials and other fundamental changes aimed at reforming the electoral process. After the parley with the media executives, the Chairman was at an Inaugural Public Policy Lecture by the Alumni Association of National Institute (AANI) Lagos Chapter to present a paper. The theme of the Policy Lecture is, “Building Credible Electoral Process for Democratic Sustainability” and the Chairman spoke on the topic “Towards Credible Elections in 2015: INEC’s Preparations, Prospects and Challenges.” The chairman commended the Association for the choice of the theme for the lecture which he described as timely as the nation prepares for 2015 elections. Definitely the organisers realised that there are challenges ahead of the elections and needed to hear from the umpire and how it is preparing to address such challenges. Jega informed the gathering that the immediate objective of his team on assumption of office in 2010 was to restore credibility to electoral process based on the fact that quality of Nigeria’s elections was progressively declining, adding that “Our goal for 2015 is not just to make the elections much better than 2011, but also in compliance with global best standards.” Some of the electoral reform measures introduced by the Commission prior to 2011 general elections, which brought about the improvement in the election include but not limited to: Production of a New Biometric Register of voters; introduction of a Re-Modified Open Ballot System (REMOBS); improved security features on sensitive

Chinwe Ogbuka, the Chief Information Officer of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), x-rays the critical intervention the electoral umpire is making to ensure that the 2015 elections remain the best, and Prof. Attahiru Jega’s assurances

Jega

electoral materials such as serial numbering and colour- coding of ballot papers, result sheets as well as security coding of ballot boxes; enhanced voter education and citizens engagement; more transparent procedures on election day, including pasting of results at polling units and collation centre; creation of the Inter-Agencies Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure coordinated engagement of all security agencies during election periods. To assure his audience of the seriousness of the commission to make 2015 general elections much better than previous elections, Jega enumerated some of its plans and programme of activities to achieve its goal. These include among others: A strategic Plan (2012-2016), which is a detailed Election Project Plan (EPP) the implementation of which will ensure seamless execution of specific tasks leading to the 2015 elections; A comprehensive re-organisation and restructuring of the commission consolidation and deduplication of the biometric Register of Voters has been completed, the register has tremendous integrity and compares favourably with the best register of voters on the African continent; Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to be carried out nationwide to get all eligible voters on electronic register before 2015 elections and the commission will not use Addendum register for elections again; Issuance of chip-based Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), which will be swiped with card readers in the 2015 elections to ensure 100 per cent verification and authentication of voters; A Communication Policy/Strategy designed to improve both internal and external communication by the Commission. An electoral Risk Management Tool will be deployed ahead of the 2015 elections to enable the commission gather information about risk factors associated with elections. Though the commission is putting measures in place to ensure a perfect election in 2015, it is pertinent to note

Our preparations in INEC give us the confidence that the 2015 elections will be much better than 2011. Indeed, they will compare favourably with credible elections anywhere in the world. We are painstaking with our plans, and we are introducing new processes that are designed to check the abuses of the past that INEC alone cannot bring about free, fair and peaceful election without the support of all other stakeholders. There are however, challenges ahead of the 2015 elections which the chairman never pretended about as he spoke at the fora. The challenges, though not insurmountable are security, funding, attitude of the political class described as key challenge confronting the electoral system which is of great concern to the commission. This is so because even if the management of elections meets the highest standards, as far as the contestants do not play by the rules, there is definitely going to be problems. The chairman also mentioned other residual challenges which if not properly addressed would affect the general elections. These are pending Amendment to the Constitution and the Electoral Act, Review of Electoral Constituencies and polling units and prosecution of election offenders. But he informed the gathering that “our preparation in INEC gives us the

confidence that the 2015 elections will be much better than 2011. Indeed, they will compare favourably with credible elections anywhere in the world. We are determined in INEC, to ensure that the will of Nigerians are actualised in the 2015 elections,” the chairman assured. Jega was also in Ilorin, Kwara State, where he was invited to a Public Lecture/ Book Launch by the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF). The discussion again was on 2015 elections and challenges, but this time around, the Chairman spoke on “Challenges of Fraud-Free Elections under a Democratic Dispensation.” From the chairman’s presentation, it is obvious that the challenges of conducting fraud-free elections under a democratic dispensation are not different from other challenges earlier listed which the Commission is working hard to address. As Jega confidently informed the gathering at Mustapha Akanbi Foundation lecture that “these challenges are not insurmountable and we will spare no efforts to ensure that the aspirations of Nigerians for free, fair, credible and peaceful elections are actualised in 2015.” Notwithstanding the challenges, “as far as INEC is concerned, the 2015 general elections will see Nigeria take its rightful place in the global comity of nations where electoral democracy is being consolidated,” the Chairman stated but emphasised that it is not a task for INEC alone all stakeholders have important roles to play. Due to the interest the 2015 general elections has generated, members of the IBB International Golf & Country Club, Abuja equally invited the chairman to speak on INEC and 2015 elections. The paper was entitled “2015 General Elections: INEC’s Readiness, Challenges and Way Forward.” He reiterated the commitment and readiness of the commission to give Nigeria the best election that will be acceptable globally provided all other stakeholders in the electoral process, including the electorate play their roles effectively. In fact, the objective of INEC for 2015 is not just to make the elections much better than those of 2011, but also in compliance with global best standards. Based on this vision, the commission is seriously factoring the lessons it learnt in previous elections into preparations for 2015. Some of those lessons according to the chairman are as follows: That good elections require adequate and timely planning; that good elections are about effective partnerships and cooperation with relevant agencies; that good elections are about openness, that is to be open to new ideas that support creativity and be open to stakeholders; that getting our elections right is work in progress, hence the commission commenced preparations for 2015 general elections immediately after the 2011 elections. On the way forward, Jega said confidently that: “Our preparations in INEC give us the confidence that the 2015 elections will be much better than 2011. Indeed, they will compare favourably with credible elections anywhere in the world. We are painstaking with our plans, and we are introducing new processes that are designed to check the abuses of the past.” Judging by the measures the commission is putting in place and the zeal with which the commission is preparing for the 2015 general elections; and if other stakeholders especially the political class and the electorate play their parts, 2015 will no doubt see Nigeria take her place in the global order of nations where electoral democracy has come of age. “Ensuring free, fair and credible elections is not a task INEC alone can deliver. All stakeholders have important roles to play, and we must strengthen partnerships and collaborative endeavours to bring this about.”

POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Labour Party (LP) is poised to make a strong showing in Ogun State in the 2015 general elections with the associates of former Governor Gbenga Daniel taking over the structures of the party, writes KUNLE OLAYENI

How far can Daniel, associates go with Labour Party?

ince Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko earned his second term in office, the Labour Party (LP) seems to have effectively etched itself on the nation’s political scene. In the SouthWest geo-political zone, the profile of the party is also fast rising ahead of the 2015 general elections. In the emerging permutations, however, the LP has been exposed to various contending interests. Despite all odds, Mimiko survived the political landmines in the run-up to the December 20, 2012 governorship election in Ondo State and defeated the major contenders from both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The LP standard bearer polled 260,199 votes, defeating PDP’s Olusola Oke and ACN’s Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) with 155,961 votes and 143,152 votes respectively. To many analysts, the governor’s reelection was a watershed in the annals of Nigeria’s political trajectory. While the Ondo poll popularised the LP, it equally portrayed the party as a potent progressive platform to fight electoral battle across many states. Ifeanyi Ubah contested under the party in the Anambra State governorship election on November 16, last year. A House of Representatives member, Opeyemi Bamidele, is contesting the June governorship election in Ekiti State on the LP platform. In Ogun State, which remains a hotbed of political activities, the LP also appears to be revving for the impending political expedition. On March 26, delegates from the 236 wards and 20 local government areas of the state converged on the historic Centenary Hall, Ake in Abeokuta to elect new state executive council members to run the affairs of LP for the next three years. The exercise, held amid tight security, however, saw the emergence of several political associates of former Governor Gbenga Daniel as party officers. Daniel ruled the state from 2003 to 2011 on the platform of the PDP but recently defected to the LP. Though the two-term former governor was conspicuously absent at the LP state congress, the fact that his loyalists took over the party structures amid dramatic undercurrents opened another vista in the state’s political permutations ahead 2015. The ex-governor’s associate and former state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Niyi Osoba, emerged as the new chairman of LP in the state. The congress, which was observed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), State Security Service (SSS) and Nigeria Police, was, however, boycotted by a faction of the party led by Comrade Olabode Simeon. Simeon, who was hitherto suspended for anti-party activities by the LP national secretariat, had consistently kicked against Daniel and his loyalists. He had even dragged the former governor and some governorship aspirants to court in a bid to wrest the party structures. Apart from Osoba, several other associates of Daniel were elected as LP state officers. They include former PDP scribe, Hon. Dapo Adeyemi, who emerged as LP State Secretary while Hon. Deji Kalejaye became the party’s new Public Relations Officer. Mr. Fatai Yinusa was elected as Financial Secretary. The party also elected six deputy chairmen, including Chief Nuru Olaleye, Mr. Wasiu Agbetokun, Mr. M. Aderopo, Comrade John Laleye, Comrade Samson Okusanya and Alhaja Rafatu Sanni. Other executive officers are Chief Gboyega Okenla (Legal Adviser), Mr. Kelani Ori-

Daniel

satolu (Auditor) and Comrade Michael Adegbola (Organising Secretary). The new State Woman Leader, Alhaja Mujidat Ogunnaike, would be assisted by Mrs. Omolola Soyombo, Mrs. Bosipo and Basirat Adeyemi as Deputy Women Leaders. Former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Bankole Oyebode, emerged as the party’s Youth Leader and will be assisted by Mrs. Tope Obadina, Chief Layiwola Sobanjo and Comrade S.O. Ayeni. In his address, the Deputy National Chairman of LP, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, who supervised the congress, said the exercise was in line with the directives of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. He said he was sure of LP’s victory in the forthcoming elections going by the “crowd and wide acceptance” of the party in the state. Akinlaja added that with the successful conduct of the state congress, the baton of leadership of the party in the state had been passed to the newly elected officials to run party affairs in accordance with party constitution. But since Daniel and his loyalists began their romance with the LP, debates have raged intensely about their ability to translate the political movement into ultimate electoral victory. Critics reckoned that the LP option would end in a fiasco like the similar movement to the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in 2011. In the 2011 general elections, it will be recalled that the PPN governorship candidate, Gboyega Isiaka, came third. The party, whose candidates defected from the PDP at the climax of factional tussle between Daniel and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s groups, won one House of Representatives seat out of the state’s nine federal constituencies and three state assembly seats out of 26. Supporters of the ex-governor, however, contended that their movement was far from being a flash in the pan. They maintained that the defection to the LP was inevitable following the unresolved crisis in the state PDP. To them, the crisis could even get messier in the build-up to 2015 as a result of the plot by some forces to wrest the PDP from the state executive headed by Chief Adebayo Dayo and backed by Prince Buruji Kashamu. The onslaught is reportedly being coor-

Nwanyanwu

You can’t throw away Otunba Daniel’s eight years of first-rated performance just like that. We are convinced he can do it. If we want to win and not lose the election, then he is the perfect choice dinated by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole. Bankole is believed to be nursing governorship ambition in 2015. In this project, the former Speaker has received support from members of the factions loyal to former President Obasanjo, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye and erstwhile associates of Daniel in the PDP. Various meetings have also been held to strategise. However, Kashamu has countered their moves, saying they cannot realise anything in the party through the backdoor. As the PDP battle unfolds, a former chairman of Ikenne Local Government Area, Kayode Adebayo, observed that the LP remains the political party to beat. A former PDP chieftain, Adebayo told the New Telegraph that expending much energy on reconciling different interests in the PDP would amount to a waste of time. He contended that the soul of the PDP in the state had already moved on. Therefore, he said, the resolve by Daniel’s camp to prosecute the 2015 battle on “a clean slate” was justifiable. But the state PDP chairman, Chief Adebayo Dayo, declared that the LP was no threat to his party. In an interview, Dayo described LP as “a mushroom party” and said the numerical strength of Daniel’s associates that defected from the PDP was “so minute and insignificant to make the Ogun PDP lose sleep.” “They ought to have learnt their lessons when they went to the PPN in the last general election and lost woefully. They should know that the popularity of their principal is waning by the day and it is better they retrace their step into the PDP,” Dayo stated, adding that the festering feud in LP was a pointer to imminent misadventure.

Isiaka, however, dismissed the claim by Dayo and other LP adversaries. The former governorship candidate noted that every political party was going through one metamorphosis or the other. While berating Daniel’s critics in the PDP, a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Sina Kawonise, said: “The PDP is a yesterday’s party in Ogun State which lost its credibility and fame as a result of the mass defection of Gbenga Daniel’s faction to the PPN in the wake of 2011 election. The PDP itself knows it would be very difficult to win election without the input of Daniel. He is the issue in Ogun politics of today.” From all indications, the LP leaders at the national level appear comfortable handing the party structures in Ogun State to Daniel. At a stakeholders’ meeting held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, last December, where Daniel was pronounced as the leader of Ogun LP, the party’s National Chairman, Dan Nwayanwu, urged the former governor to use his leadership qualities to ensure victory for the party in 2015. “You can’t throw Otunba Daniel’s eight years of first-rated performance just like that. We are convinced he can do it. If we want to win and not lose the election, then he is the perfect choice,” Nwayanwu stated while justifying the former governor’s choice. In 2003, Daniel defeated the then incumbent governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), by 449,335 votes to 231,982 votes. In 2007, Daniel-led PDP polled 426,000 votes in the governorship election. Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who contested on the platform of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), polled 135,149 votes while the late Dipo Dina of the then Action Congress (AC) garnered 79,915 votes. The governorship election results in 2011 showed that Amosun, as ACN candidate, polled 377,487 votes. General Adetunji Olurin (rtd) of PDP got 188,698 votes and Gboyega Isiaka of PPN scored 137,051 votes. In the election, the LP which fielded Olajide Awosedo, polled 4,109 votes. The 2015 poll may, however, be a different ball game. Already, the face of politics in the state is fast changing with power struggles in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as PDP and LP. For many pundits, the outcome would shape the chances of each of the parties at the next elections.

16 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Oyo: Ajimobi battles second term jinx SOLA ADEYEMO writes on issues that will shape the Oyo State governorship election on February 28, 2015.

to have shifted camp from Ajimobi’s to the PDP’s. A kind of frosty relationship is believed to be brewing between the two, presently. Whichever way this goes and how true or otherwise it is, will surely dictate the way the 2015 election would go.

y May 2015, the political history of the 38-year-old Oyo State would have been revised, and the agelong jinx of ‘no governor rules Oyo for two terms’ would have either been sustained or reversed. Oyo State electorate would have decided through the ballot whether Governor Abiola jimobi should continue for another four years or leave the Agodi Government House for another person from the opposition camp. As things stand now, no one from the All Progressives Congress (APC) appears ready to contest the governorship with Ajimobi, thanks to the series of public consensus adoptions by some local government councils across the state for him. Among the factors and gladiators that would shape the 2015 governorship election in the state include former state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) warriors; former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and the Accord Party (AP) foot soldiers; Teslim Folarin (former Senate Leader and the rumour of being the choice of the PDP for 2015), Mr Seyi Makinde and his ‘Omi Titun’ young generation group; Senator Olufemi Lanlehin and his new-found love with the AP, Senator Ayoade Adeseun and his rumoured gubernatorial ambition. Also standing as a major determinant is the Olubadan of Ibadan with the Olubadan-in-Council coupled with the Ibadan traditional chiefs, who are apparently averse to the manner Governor Ajimobi has handled the issue of chairmanship of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs of which the Olubadan is the current chairman, but which the Alaafin has stalled through a court process. The defected APC loyalists and former supporters of Ajimobi, now in Labour Party (LP) and Accord also have part to play in determining where the pendulum swings in 2015. Others include President Goodluck Jonathan and his secret accord with the Alaafin, who is believed to be a major decider of who rules the state; Ajimobi’s silent cold war with the Alaafin, which is gradually brewing as a result of some acts of the traditional ruler which are not wholly in support of the governor; disenchantment of many of the populace towards the governor’s elitist style of governance; appointment of monarchs’ and godfathers’ children; dislocation of street traders with the neighbourhood markets not really functional; ‘O Yes’ recruits and their dissolution for months without recall; controversial Mokola bridge, which construction cost has been widely touted as over-priced and others. However, one thing is clear, and it is that if all the opposition parties should field candidates each, it would be in favour of Ajimobi, as the votes of the electorate would have been fragmented in favour of Ajimobi. But if there should be any merger arrangement between or among some of the opposition parties to present a consensus candidate, it might be a herculean task for Ajimobi to secure a second term.

Elitist policy Alleged elitist policy of Ajimobi in appointing many of the children of notable monarchs and influential persons in the state to political posts has become a sore point which many people see as untoward. The Alaafin has a daughter as Commissioner for Culture, a son as council caretaker chairman; Olubadan has a son as Commissioner for Information; Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi Ajagungbade has a daughter as commissioner; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao has a son as commissioner, while children of many Ibadan prominent indigenes are in one appointive position or the other. The intendment of the policy to some people was to satisfy the monarchs and the influential people because they are the gatekeepers when it comes to where voting pattern should tilt. To many people in the opposition however, the monarchs cannot force any indigene to go and vote for any particular candidate, just as many of the influential people being favoured don’t go out to vote on election days. If the rich and influential people are being favoured to the detriment of the masses, something is wrong according to them. And they are set to tell the government that the masses also have their franchise power when it comes to election. Should the angry masses, who are allegedly not favoured with appointments make good their threat, money might not be able to arrest their angst.

Chairmanship of Council of Obas and Chiefs On the state Council of Obas and Chiefs, Alaafin had for ages been the permanent chairman until a no-lovelost relationship set in between him on one hand and Oba Lamidi Olayiwola

Ajimobi

Alaafin

Grassroots people are the most important in any state... while the state governor keeps beautifying the metropolis. Many of us are not feeling his infrastructural development impact at the local level at all

Olubadan

Adeyemi and the immediate past governor, Alao-Akala on the other hand over allegation of attempt to assassinate the former by the latter. The situation made the Alaafin to fervently campaign against the second term of Alao-Akala, and it worked eventually. Upon losing the ambition, and to take his pound of flesh back, AlaoAkala used the instrumentality of the state House of Assembly to amend the Chiefs Law of Oyo State and made the chairmanship of the Council rotational. Olubadan was to enjoy it first with the Soun of Ogbomoso and Alaafin taking their turns after. Because Alaafin was heavily instrumental to the victory of Ajimobi by winning all the four local governments in Oyo town to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Alaafin went to court to challenge the amendment of the Chiefs Law, thus preventing the Olubadan from enjoying the chairmanship role he was bestowed legally. In deference to the rule of law that once a matter is in court, it will be subjudice for any of the parties involved to take any further action, the state government refused to tinker with the court decision to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive prayers in the suit. To some Ibadan indigenes who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the governor was silent on the issue in spite of the fact that his monarch has since over three years been unable to preside over the Council’s meetings as it could not hold as before simply because he did not want to go against the Alaafin who was significantly instrumental to

his victory. However, to them, the action amounted to someone cutting his nose to spite his face because in the Yoruba parlance, one should not have a beautiful robustly-hipped daughter and decide to garland another lady’s waist with beads. The Alaafin’s suit has robbed the Olubadan off the privilege the law bestowed on him, which was expected to be protected by the governor. To most Ibadan indigenes, should Ajimobi secure a second term, it will meant that Olubadan had lost his two years rotational chance and the Soun, who would have lost it too would have to see each other as failures to the Alaafin, who statutorily would have been riped for his term by then. When few months ago, President Jonathan paid a private visit to the Alaafin in his Oyo palace, sources had it that the President came to solicit the support of the monarch to win back the state to the ruling PDP, knowing the political influence of the Alaafin and his feat in the 2011 elections. When he was taken to a private reception along with Ajimobi, Alao Arisekola and many other politicians, New Telegraph gathered that the Alaafin later pulled President Jonathan by the hand and took him into another private room where a meeting was held for about 40 minutes between two of them. The duo emerged from the meeting and just moved out of the palace without the entourage knowing details of the discussion. Alaafin had been in the same camp with the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu in the PDP then, and was in fact instrumental to the emergence of Alao-Akala as deputy to Ladoja. Alaafin was proud to associate with Alao-Akala and ensured that Ladoja did not win the second term in 2007. He had to dump PDP because of his face-off with Alao-Akala, even though he still had love for President Jonathan. With the visit of the President recently, the Alaafin has been rumoured

Traders’ angst Though many of the traders who were in 2011 sent packing from the streets were later relocated to the newly-constructed neighbourhood markets, the sour taste of the harsh manner they were driven off their stalls and the street banks, left an excruciating experience in many of them till date. In the wake of the cleansing exercise aimed at making the metropolis neat, as well as save the traders from avoidable auto and electric wire accidents, many containers, stalls, and shops erected close to the roads and on waterways were destroyed by bulldozers. Reports had it that some traders who set up their businesses through interest loans and whose stalls, wares were either destroyed or carted away, died out of shock of indebtedness. Many of them who were relocated to the neighbourhood markets free of charge have however deserted the places, claiming they were not selling as expected. To some of them, the condition and locations of the markets like that at the Scout Camp, Challenge, Ibadan were not amenable to them. The distance to their residences is also another discouraging factor. Many are still of the belief that the government should have constructed the markets first before driving the traders off the roads. The government spokespersons however disagreed, saying accidents would not be announced, and so taking such pro-active measure though could be harsh, but was beneficial. These set of disenchanted people might opt to vote for another party unless the N300 million interest-free loan given to them has assuaged their anger. Controversial flyover The Mokola bridge which was conCONTINUED ON PAGE 18

POLITICS 17

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Benue: Politics of ‘anointed candidates’ Associates and friends of Governor Gabriel Suswam dominate the governorship race in Benue State with most of them claiming to have been anointed for the governorship seat. CEPHAS IORHEMEN reports

he race to the Benue State Government House, Makurdi ahead of 2015 general elections is gradually being zeroed to associates of Governor Gabriel Suswam with several of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants parading themselves as ‘anointed candidates’. While the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is still making broad consultations to field an acceptable candidate to square it up with the PDP, more than 25 aspirants on the platform of the ruling party from the three senatorial districts of the state are in the race to succeed Suswam. It is an irony however that, rather than test their popularity and acceptability at the grassroots, most of the PDP aspirants for the governorship, State and National Assemblies’ positions in Benue have resorted to mounting undue pressure on the governor to anoint them instead of working to achieve their set dreams; a situation political pundits believe is a ploy by the party to scuttle the electoral process and ensure the emergence of an unpopular candidate. Interestingly, a sizable number of the PDP gubernatorial aspirants as well as legislative contenders have hinged their hopes and aspirations on the notion that they were classmates of Suswam at either tertiary or secondary levels or that they were business partners. Prominent among those believed to be banking on Suswam to sail through is Dr. Eugene Aliegba, who served the state in many capacities as commissioner. He is reported to be saying that if Governor Suswam is to ensure the emergence of a preferred candidate and a trusted ally, he, the Gwer-born political scientist who enjoys a glowing relationship with the governor would be on advantage. Until recently when he resigned from the Benue State Executive Council, Aliegba, who is an Associate Professor with the Benue State University before he assumed position as one of the longest serving commissioners

Suswam

under the Suswam’s regime, stood tall above many others eyeing the seat. Basically, his strong bond of relationship with the governor which was said to have kindled in their days at the School of Basic Studies, Makurdi and coupled with the fact that the present administration wields its powers around the crop of old boys from same school, many believe would be harnessed to support Aliegba at the right time. Another PDP governorship aspirant in MINDA extraction who is reportedly counting his success on Suswam is Mr. Hinga Biem, who recently re-

Rather than test their popularity and acceptability at the grassroots, most of the PDP aspirants for the governorship, state and National Assemblies’ positions in Benue have resorted to mounting undue pressure on the governor to anoint them

Aliegba

Biem

tired as a permanent secretary to devote more time to his governorship aspiration. From a reporter in the state-owned newspaper, The Voice, to its editor, Biem went on to serve as an administrator of Ohimini Local Government before his appointment as permanent secretary. Today, as he sets his eyes on the goal before him, sources said his popularity with the elite and kingmakers in the state will likely earn him success. His chances are bright as the MINDA agenda seems to favour his cause at the moment. The only worry at this stage would be his lack of political structure to build a formidable front but being very close to the governor, who has high regards for him, political pundits opined that he is a top contender. Other aspirants for the governorship position in the state such as the incumbent deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani, former Minister of State in this regard. Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Sam Ode; the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Anchaver; Engr. Felix Atume; former Permanent Secretary, Government House, Tivlumum Nyitse as well as Ada Chenge among others are equally banking on Suswam to make it in 2015. Though the governor had stated clearly that he has not anointed anyone to succeed him, the body language of the aspirants speak volumes. It is also clear that most of the aspirants do not have direction to follow in terms of how to run the state if given the mandate, as most of them have at different fora have vowed to follow the steps of Suswam, whose administration, crit-

ics say stand at average. For those gunning for legislative seats, their posture is not different following their undue fraternity with the governor. Today in the state, this retinue of aspirants always follow the governor to functions even where their services are not needed. This is more so that they have refused to resign even as the governor had since directed those wishing to stand for elections in 2015 to tender letters of resignation and face their campaigns properly to avoid distractions. It is on record that most of such aspirants whose posters have flooded the town, did not even deliver their council wards to the PDP on which platform they are seeking election, and as such do not endear themselves to the people of their constituencies most of which are now controlled by the opposition APC. While the politics of godfatherism and ‘anointed candidature’ is no longer fashionable in politics nowadays, those seeking elective positions in future elections in Benue should go back to the drawing board and market themselves properly to their constituents as was the case in the heydays of option A4 - a strategy aimed at measuring their acceptability by the people at the grassroots. This is the surest way of winning the people’s hearts and making them feel the impact of government bearing in mind the tenets of democracy which Abraham Lincoln fondly described as government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Lagos: Stoking embers of religion for Fashola’s job CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

ity to govern. “If you are a Christian and you are good, you will win our support. If you are a Muslim and you are good, you will win our support. If a Christian is competent and qualified in Lagos, we would vote massively for him or her. Don’t listen to their campaign,” he said. Another bump on the path religion promoters is the disregard for traditional worshippers, who are getting more conspicuous, populous and influential in political activities in the state. Leading the pack of Christians being brandished for the Lagos House job in 2015 in the APC is the former Accountant-General of the state, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who many believe is the anointed candidate of the

ruling party. Others believed to be in the race from the Christian fold in the party are the former Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr. Leke Pitan and Commissioner for Finance, Ayo Gbeleyi, among others. While it is clear that the call for a Christian governor wasn’t mooted by residents of Lagos, it is expected that the opposition parties in the state will keep their options open if the APC decides to stick to the religion guns. Whether the new agitation will make a marginal difference in the political fortune of the APC in the state would be determined by the approach and decision of the newly constituted executive of the party. Certainly, the stir has raised the stakes in the choice for the big Lagos job.

If you are a Christian and you are good, you will win our support. If you are a Muslim and you are good, you will win our support. If a Christian is competent and qualified in Lagos, we would vote massively for him or her. Don’t listen to their campaign

Ajiboso

18 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Royal endorsement for Jonathan N Francis Ehigiator

o matter the level of rascality of a Nigerian politician, he would still revere royalty and accept his traditional ruler, not only as the custodian of his own culture and norms, but also as an epitome of morality, wisdom and sound judgement. That is why most Nigerian politicians always try to cultivate and solicit the support of royal fathers. Normally, if, as a politician, you receive the endorsement of your traditional ruler, then, by implication, the people are with you such that you have little or no battle to fight. In certain situations, this may not be exactly the case, as some of the nation’s traditional rulers have been politically corrupted. However, one domain in which the king’s integrity remains intact and where his word is taken as sacred, if not divine, is the kingdom of Benin. Modern-day Benin Kingdom, for those who may not know, evolved from the old Benin Empire which, up till the 19th century, was a major pre-colonial state in Africa, specifically in the South-Western part of Nigeria, spreading to the Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana. It was a well organised state with stable economic, social and political institutions as well as trained and disciplined army. Benin Kingdom had and still has influence beyond what is geo-politically designated today as Edo State. It is that history that accounts for the tremendous influence of all past Benin kings and the current monarch, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa, who is the 38th Oba of Benin. The Oba of Benin is among the few traditional rulers that are highly respected in Nigeria, not only by his peers but also by ordinary Nigerian folks, including academics, professionals, businessmen and politicians, within and outside his domain. When the Oba makes a pronouncement on an issue, it is generally believed that such issue has been resolved. So, when, in April 2012, the Benin Monarch prayed for and endorsed Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s bid for reelection, the message for the entire domain was clear. And, the Oba’s word came to pass, when the governorship election was held on July 14. On Friday, April 25, 2014, the highly respected Oba, who is constrained by age, sent a message of goodwill to President Goodluck Jonathan, through his Crown Prince, Ambassador Eheneden Erediauwa, in which he commended the President, prayed for him and invoked the ancestral spirits of the kingdom to give him the strength to continue with his good

CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 6

structed at the cost of about N3 billion has also been a case for discontentment among many Oyo people, particularly those in the opposition camps. The contract was criticised as being over-priced when another one which is longer and of double lanes in twin form cost Ogun State government much less, even though the same contractor handled the two projects. Ladoja and AP have been most vociferous over the project to which corruption has been attached. The government had given explanations on the quality of the bridge and insisted that it was not over-priced, but whether the opposition is convinced is however a different ball game. Creation of jobs When the governor assumed office, he made good his promise to provide jobs for 20,000 unemployed youths of the state. This led to the birth of ‘O Yes

President Goodluck Jonathan welcoming the Crown Prince of Benin, Ambassador Eheneden Erediauwa on his arrival at the State House, Abuja, recently.

work, in spite of daunting security challenges. The monarch then urged the President to seek a second term to complete his work of transforming the nation. Like the Oba’s support for Oshiomhole, the monarch’s endorsement of President Jonathan was total and unequivocal. In traditional African culture, it is believed that traditional rulers are next to the gods and that they possess the special gift of clairvoyance and the capacity to foretell the future or see ahead what the rest of us cannot see. In many ways, the Benin Monarch has, in the past, demonstrated this ability. His open endorsement of Jonathan means that he has seen more than we, ordinary Nigerians, are able to see. And, as it happened for Oshiomhole in 2012, there is no reason to suggest otherwise in the case of Jonathan. But the Oba’s goodwill message wasn’t just an exercise in precognition or prophecy. It was mainly a commendation of Jonathan’s admin-

Oba Erediauwa is not a frivolous king, nor does he have any partisan leaning... His open endorsement should, therefore, be seen as the collective voice of the people istration for its achievements as well as genuine commitment to move our nation forward. The Benin nonarch must have had in mind achievements in such areas as the economy, agriculture, infrastructure development, power, roads, transportation, etc; he must have recognised developments in the education sector, uplift of Nigerian women, job creation, and efforts at tackling the security challenges in all parts of the country, especially the North East. While hesitating to bring in the

element of luck here, one is tempted to say that President Jonathan is, indeed, a lucky man. In addition to those areas in which he has, on his own efforts, made tangible achievements, many other good things just appear to throw themselves at him. How, for instance, is one to explain the emergence of Nigeria - during the Jonathan era - as Africa’s largest economy with a GDP of $510 billion or consider the massive inflow of foreign investments in a country facing severe security challenges? We all know that Oba Erediauwa is not a frivolous king, nor does he have any partisan leaning. Besides, he hardly interferes in political matters. His open endorsement should, therefore, be seen as the collective voice of the people, not only of Edo State but also of all Nigerians who respect the sanctity of the ancient kingdom. The Oba’s endorsement should serve as a catalyst for President Jonathan and his officials to continue their hard work. Our Oba has spoken! Congratulations, Lucky Jonathan! Ehigiator contributed this piece from Benin City, Edo State.

Oyo: Ajimobi battles second term jinx Corps’, which employed the youths on N10, 000 monthly salary. They worked for some months, but were later disengaged on the ground that opposition had infiltrated the scheme, using their members to tarnish the image of the government through several unwholesome activities. The government promised to sanitise the system, asking the corp members to reapply through e-system. Till date however, in spite of promise to reabsorb them, the government has not been able to do so. Whether the delay is due to paucity of funds or other reason, feelers among the people of the state show discomfort and disappointment. The earlier the government make good its promise, the better to further swing the minds of the populace in its favour.

In furtherance of his urban renewal policy, the administration has completed many dual carriage ways, while others are still underway. The innovation, which has indeed changed the face of Ibadan and other zones of the state has been highly laudable. However, many access roads in the towns and villages are in sorry state. To many residents, the government is only trying to impress visitors through the beautification of the metropolis, at the detriment of the masses in the hinterlands. “Grassroots people are the most important in any state, but because many of the council chairmen are caretakers and not elected, there is little they have been doing in this regard since they have no executive power to spend

their allocation as they wish. This is why many roads in the local areas are in deplorable condition, while the state governor keeps beautifying the metropolis. Many of us are not feeling his infrastructural development impact at the local level at all,” an AP chieftain said. If Ajimobi could correct some of these identified areas of complaint, the sun available for his government, could still dry his clothes. It is also imperative that his government tries everything humanly possible to woo back many of the aggrieved loyalists who had defected to the Accord and Labour parties. Through such, he might break the second term jinx in Oyo State which his predecessors had tried to, but failed over the years.

EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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

TUESday, MAY 6, 2014

Towards protection of electricity consumers

new tariff regime by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) effective from May 1 indicates that electricity consumers would no longer be subjected to the agony of paying more for darkness. The new tariff is meant to alter fixed charges by power distribution companies (Discos). However, that relief has not come without a proviso. Executive Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi who announced the commencement of the new regime explained that it would not apply to cases of non- payment of electricity bill or other actions of the consumers such as tampering with electricity infrastructure, acts of vandalism, or when non availability of power is totally unrelated to the fault of the distribution company. Dr. Amadi further said that “while the commission has determined that the fixed charge remains an essential component of the bill, it is, however, the continued retention of the fixed charge component in the tariff and payment of fixed charge in the light of consumer complaints, particularly with regards to continued payment of fixed charge, even when the energy is not delivered to the consumer. Upon due considerations of these complaints by the consumers, and considering the role of NERC in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), the commission, as

provided under Section 32(d) and Section 32(f) of the EPSR Act 2005, it is hereby ordered that effective May 1, 2014, where any customer of a distribution licensee has not received electricity supply for a period of 15 days in a month, such a customer shall not be required to pay fixed charge, provided the disruption is due to non- payment of electricity bill or other actions of the consumer like tampering with electricity infrastructure, vandalism, or it is totally unrelated to the fault of the distribution company”. We commend NERC for at least, identifying with and addressing the burdens of electricity consumers in the country engendered by the incidence of inexplicable charges. But a lot more still needs to be done to assuage consumers’ sufferings and crushing pains. The need to step up deep-seated palliative packages can neither be gainsaid nor overemphasised, especially now that various aspects of the power sector are, following their recent privatisation and handing over, in the hands of buccaneer capitalists with dizzying appetite for supernormal profit. The fixed charge, though a universal practice and a key element in electricity is not cast in stone that cannot change in any tariff year. It is true too that fixed charge might change from one tariff year to another, but would not change irrespective of what a customer consumed and that

while the energy charge covered actual cost of energy consumed, the fixed charge covered investments made in permanent power equipment such as poles, cables and transformers as well as their maintenance cost and the capacity charge paid to the generating companies. Issues with some grey areas must be addressed by NERC. It may, for instance, be difficult to clearly ascertain what constitutes availability or otherwise of electricity in a day that power comes in a flash and hardly lasts ten minutes. Indeed, the vexed issues of estimated (crazy) bills and the reign of rapacious corruption induced by discretion used with impunity by the officers and managers of the distribution companies are yet to be laid to rest by the regulatory agency. The idea of introducing the prepaid meters is only a necessary condition in the matrix of eliminating the incidence of estimated bills. But implementing the policy and ensuring that all consumers of electricity have it would be a sufficient condition. Unfortunately, the same people who estimate the bills for whatever reasons best known to them maintain with repugnant impunity that they cannot be rectified even with obvious genuine cases. The early resolution of all labour and other industrial relations issues that have caused some friction between workers and own-

ers of the various Discos and generating companies (Gencos) and trashing out the encumbrances in assets and liabilities inherited by the new owners is critical for progress. Regular electricity is essential growth and development in any economy. Anything to the contrary would be counterproductive and must be attacked and eliminated immediately so that progress can be made in our development strides. It has been widely reported that a new wave of tariff springing from the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) would also become effective in July this year. This, we believe, would dampen whatever salutary effect and succour consumers stand to gain from the new rule on fixed charges as prescribed by NERC. As explained by the NERC boss, “the fixed charge is a universal best practice, and is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is to be borne by electricity customers at all times, once they are connected to supply. It is not tied to consumption. Fixed or permanent investments need to be made and need to be paid for and maintained. Electricity customers need to have the required infrastructure that will enable them enjoy electricity either on demand, and when it is available”. But let the best be enjoyed at all times by the investors and consumers, not to the detriment of consumers on the altar of profit maximization. GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief IKE ABONYI Deputy Managing Director/DEIC FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Managing Editor, South SULEIMAN BISALLA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board GEOFFREY EKENNA News Editor PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

OPINION

Charter of Equity: A political hurricane in the South-East

Elvis Agukwe

rom Nsukka to Ngwa, Afikpo to Owerri and indeed all the capitals of South Eastern states, there is only one song, which lyrics and melody have put Ndigbo in an upbeat mood. Everybody is dancing to it because it is sweeter than any hit by FLAVOUR. It stirs at the heart and conscience of the Igboman and what he represents. It speaks truth. It speaks justice and equity. It believes that power should shift to the area which has not tasted it since the creation of the various states or most recently since the inception of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. In Anambra state, power has successfully shifted to the North which hitherto had not produced the governor of the state. The credit goes to Mr Peter Obi, the former governor and the resilient people of the state. They shunned the money bags. They rejected the noise makers who believe in brute force. They cast aside the supposedly strong candidates and voted for justice and equity. That is what the Igboman believes in, equitable distribution of wealth, positions and what-have you. In Abia State, all the movers and shakers in the state have agreed that power must move to the South, to the people of Ukwa-Ngwa who had been shut out of power since 1991 when the state was created. Abia North enjoyed the plum job between 1999 and 2007. Abia Central is completing its eight years in 2015. It is only natural that Abia South should take its turn in 2015. That is the spirit. That is also obtainable in Enugu where the governorship has been zoned to the North, Nsukka, zone and Ebonyi where the political class had endorsed Ebonyi South, Afikpo as the next zone where the governorship will domicile.

Even our neighbours , Akwa Ibom , Rivers etc are not left out. Like a telepathic therapy, the Charter of Equity, which originated from Imo State, is now sweeping through the entire South East and beyond because the message is not only salutary but aimed at cementing the unity of a people who are fighting the political battle of their lives in Nigeria.Its like a razor blade slashing at anybody that stands in its way . Proponents of this power shift have never deluded themselves that it would be an easy battle with reactionaries and power drunk overlords who don’t give a hoot about the feelings of others in so far as they achieve their selfish aim. That is exactly why I am not perturbed over the name calling and insults being heaped on my person since the beginning of this campaign in Imo state. That is the burden of leadership. All the people who made a difference in the world, be it in the field of religion, politics, medicine and even community service suffered the same fate. Those who resist positive change are never in a hurry to yield their comfort zone from where they profit from the sweat and sufferings of their fellow human beings. Unfortunately, time always razes the beneficiaries of injustice from the face of the earth, beginning with history. Again, because such people are driven by selfishness and pecuniary gains, they can never believe that patriotism and altruism flow in the veins of others. When the Imo Political Summit was organised last year, it was made clear that it was purely a people driven initiative without the interference of government. It was an open affair and sponsorship was invited from Imo sons and daughters both within and outside the country. Prominent Imo citizens including Senator Chris Anyanwu who

was then in APGA, former Interior Minister, Capt Emma Iheanacho now in APGA, Chief Jerry Chukwueke, IMO Reps in the House of Rep, engr Ben Ekwueme , Nze IMO Umunna Amb Kema Chikwe and others made financial contributions towards the successful hosting of the summit. Others contributed in kind. These were all publicly acknowledged. Champion Newspaper Publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu was the chairman of occasion. He re-emphasized that the Imo Charter of equity which prescribes zoning among the three geopolitical zones of Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu was drawn up in his Glass House Office in 1998. There has never been any dispute about that. Our brothers from Okigwe zone who showed strong presence at the summit argued that they should be supported to complete their tenure which was abridged by an Orlu man in 2011. The participants had a robust debate and at the end of it all, it was resolved that Owerri zone should be allowed to produce the governor in 2015.A Communique was equally published in the media . However it must be noted that in deference to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nobody is barred from contesting the governorship election in Imo State come 2015. What Imo Stakeholders Forum has been advocating is a peaceful transfer/rotation of power among the three geo-political zones of Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu to engender peace, progress and development.Our method is moral persuasion . Our goal is to ensure that we preserve brotherliness among our people devoid of violence and acrimony which characterize elections in some states. It is our belief that if we morally enforce the charter of equity, there would be political stability in our state. • Agukwe, former Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, is Chairman of Imo Stakeholders Forum

Those in favour of the Pope’s visit to Nigeria (2) Bashorun JK Randle Continued from yesterday ne of them died on the spot while we were there,’ she said. ‘Some seven malnourished human beings looking like living skeletons were also rescued in the bushes surrounding the building. Ilobanafor said police had launched a murder investigation and arrested some suspects at the scene in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state and the third largest city in Nigeria. ‘It is not a common occurrence in Ibadan or in the state. The police will investigate this crime in all its ramifications,’ she said. Some victims of kidnapping in Nigeria are often tortured or sacrificed in black magic rituals. Local media have also reported cases of human body parts being sold across the country, especially in the southern region, for ritual purposes. In urban centres, including the nation’s economic capital Lagos, corpses are often found by the roadside with some of their vital parts missing, especially eyes and genitals. The Ibadan-based Sunday Tribune, Nigeria’s oldest private newspaper, showed gruesome pictures of rotting bodies, human skulls and other body parts littering

the scene, as well as ID papers and ATM cards, shoes, bags and clothes. It also published a photograph of a haggard woman who was allegedly kidnapped in the southern Edo State in 2008 and rescued at what it called the ‘House of Horror’. The newspaper said at least one skeletallooking man was found in the throes of death, groaning in pain as flies hovered around his face. Media reports said 15 or more people had been found in leg-chains inside the building but police put the figure at seven. Some mobile phone numbers were also written on the inside wall of the building, the Tribune said in its report headlined ‘Kidnappers’ den uncovered in Ibadan’. Some other local newspapers carried similar reports about the discovery. The Nation reported that bodies had been dumped in shallow graves and dried-up wells all over the bush. Ilobanafor said some commercial motorcycle riders had stumbled upon the bodies after complaining to police that some of their members had gone missing in suspicious circumstances. The police have arrested six suspects, including five security guards allegedly armed with guns, bows and arrows, found at the scene, the police spokeswoman said.” More lethal ammunition was provided by Fox News; Reuters; AFP; CNN; BBC which

have latched on to the front page headline of “Nigerian Tribune” newspaper of March 25 2014: “THEY SLEPT WITH ME; I SAW THEM SLAUGHTER ABOUT 50 PEOPLE, SAYS LADY WHO ESCAPED FROM BOKO HARAM” “Two ladies residing in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria have given a moving account of their ordeal in the hands of suspected members of the Boko Haram sect and how they managed to escape. Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa service monitored in Kaduna on Monday, Liatu, aged 23, said she spent 12 days in the hands of her abductors inside the Sambisa forest before she escaped. According to her, she had left Maiduguri on her way to the village when she was abducted, adding that the Boko Haram members had barricaded the road just near the Bama bridge, killed some people and went away with others into the bushes. She said after staying with them for the period, “one man suggested that we run away because one can only die once.” And we took a Golf car and ran away, the Boko Haram people chased us on motorbike, shooting us. They killed those who sat at the back. When we were approaching Bama, they retreated and went back. Liatu, who said she was a Christian, explained further that the Boko Haram mem-

bers had earlier asked her to accept Islam as a religion, even as she watched while they slaughtered about 50 people. Similarly, Janet, who was 19 years old, told the BBC that she was in Boko Haram captivity for three months where they had tried to conscript her into their fold after sleeping with her. She narrated that took her along with them to Gwoza town in Borno State where they brought out five people and slaughtered them. According to the lady, they gave her a knife to slaughter one but she could not do it, but the wife of the Boko Haram leader was given the knife which she used to slaughter a man. Till date, she explained, she had continued to be frightened by the nightmare and the gory details of what transpired when the victims were killed. She claimed that most of the Boko Haram members were known faces to her because they were neighbours, but she was able to escape after feigning illness and was allowed to seek for medical attention. “I feigned illness for two weeks, they said I had AIDS and should be taken to their hospital for test, I told them it was stomach pain. That was how I escaped.” To be continued • Bashorun J.K. Randle (jkrandleintuk@gmail.com) writes from Lagos

OPINION 21

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Making fortune out of other peoples’ misfortune Adewale Kupoluyi

he upsurge in criminal activities in the country may also be attributed to the not-so-publicized but the significant role of entities like unregistered and illegal non-governmental organisations littering every nooks and crannies of the nation. No doubt, these illegal NGOs seem to be making fast incursions into the socio-economic life of the nation because of the failure of the appropriate authorities to put a tab on their activities. The proliferation of NGOs has been linked to the end of the Cold War of the 1990s and the attempt to expand both the liberal democratic approach and a neoliberal economic order to governance. NGOs are then seen as the key engines in the drive towards positive change. In Nigeria, the increase in the activities of NGOs actually began in the late 1980s during the military era that promoted the policy on the World Bank/International Monetary Fund-aided Structural Adjustment Programmes while donor support for NGOs was connected to a wider interest and faithbased civil societies as crucial institutional mechanism toward democratization and development. Proliferation of the NGOs in our country may still not be divorced from the prevailing economic climate that has made employment a big issue as many able-bodied men and women daily roam about the streets looking desperately for what to do to survive. As no jobs are forthcoming, they would ordinarily want to try their hands

on anything and many things at the same time, due to restiveness and a bid to survive. Of course, one of such options could be experimenting on floating an NGO with like minds. Manifesting the ugly side of this proliferation, just a few days ago, the Lagos State Police Command arrested six members of a gang that allegedly specialized in using children suffering from various ailments to solicit funds from unsuspecting members of the public, as the operatives rescued a two-year-old girl suffering from cancer of the eyes from them. The kingpin of the gang was said to have abandoned his cart-pushing business for the ‘lucrative, alms-begging business’. As he had allegedly confessed: “I was making small amount of money from cart-pushing until I met my master, who told me that we could make a lot of money by using children suffering from ailments such as cancer and epilepsy, to solicit for alms from members of the public … We don’t use blind kids because people don’t respond to blind persons. We go to remote villages to search for children with serious diseases that can move people”. On their modus operandi, he disclosed that “we convince the parents that we were working for a non-governmental organisation, which cares for the sick and the girl’s father allowed the child and mother to go with us. We lodged in hotels. We made so much money before people could start suspecting us”. What it means is that those engaging in this ‘trade’ are well-organised in that they could have the structure, tactics, offices, operational tools and ‘staff’ that go about luring vulnerable members

of the public into their illegal activities. They even go a step further by convincing the parents of these victim-children by making fake promises and pledge to give them medical aid. But at the end, what happens? They merely bring the children to the cities, use them to beg for money on the streets, enrich themselves and dump them without rendering the promised and so-called medical assistance. No doubt, this is really a big time business. Hear this: “We were making an average of N30,000 everyday and we were paying the money into our director’s account. There is a lot of money in the business because we were paying N6,000 daily as hotel accommodation and we were giving the child’s mother N1,000 everyday for feeding. Our director also bought a motorcycle for our victim’s father and sends him monthly stipend”, the gang leader had confessed. What should be the utmost concern of everybody is the stark reality that not only is the future of these innocent children being mortgaged by these mischievous people; it is saddening that their parents and guardians also get enmeshed in the criminality even without knowing. For instance, an indigent woman was said to have been raped by members of an officially non-existing NGO, which promised to help treat her two-and-half year-old daughter of cancer. The woman said members of the fake NGO approached her and assured her that they could raise money with which to carry out a surgery on her baby in Lagos. Out of excitement, the poor woman was said to have followed them with the consent of her husband - sup-

posedly without knowing the real motive behind the Greek gift. However, the true intention of the men became clearer as they reportedly started soliciting alms on the streets with the child while they were going about with the gullible woman. “They would ask me to stand on the road with my child. People were usually moved with pity on seeing my baby with a swollen face. On several occasions, I have asked them to give me the money realized in order to carry out surgical operation on my baby - who has eye and mouth cancer - but they kept assuring me that they would do that at the right time”, she lamented. In the course of the illicit business, the woman claimed that one of the men forcefully had carnal knowledge of her and in the process got pregnant. Prior to that time, she had said several attempts to convince her husband to allow her go back home failed as her husband always encouraged her to stay on but unknown to her, members of the syndicate had bought her husband a motorbike and remitted an average of N15,000 into his account every month with the blood money! Perhaps, this couple and several others in similar circumstances could have been saved from being defrauded if the husband and wife had been open to each other in their dealings. Most problems plaguing the society are borne out of the inability of the family, a social institution, to be alive to its sacred responsibility in this turbulent world. • Kupoluyi (vide, adewalekupoluyi@yahoo.co.uk, Twitter, @AdewaleKupoluyi) writes from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Mr. President, are you really ‘doing it’? Timothy Akinleye

he 2015 election is just around the corner, and the political temperature of the country is rising steadily. By its very nature, politics requires that politicians sing their self-praise to the electorate in the name of political campaigns. Currently running on most Nigerian television stations is a commercial sponsored by Protectors of Nigerian Posterity, where President Goodluck Jonathan is said to be ‘doing it’. In the TV commercial, references were made to Martin Luther King Jnr, Mahatma Gandhi and Lee Kuan Yew founder of modern Singapore as people who braced all odds and turned around the fortunes of their respective countries even though ‘it was not easy’, yet ‘they did it’. However, the recent events in Nigeria are enough to make one doubt if President Jonathan is really doing it. The hallmark of any government is its ability to guarantee security of lives and properties of its citizenry and also provide enabling environment where value-adding activities can thrive. The activities of Boko Haram in the Northern part of Nigeria have resulted in wanton loss of lives and properties. Just two weeks ago, Nyanya Park in Abuja was bombed which resulted in the death of about 76 innocent Nigerians. Many vehicles, bikes and other means of livelihood of many were also destroyed. As we were still trying to recover from the dizzying limpness of this dastardly act, the evil messengers in the cloak of Boko Haram struck again in Chibok, Borno State in a Girls school. These heartless cowards took away lorry loads of about 276 schoolgirls who were writing their

WAEC exams. Information has it that they spent hours in this heinous crime and drove away, leaving streams of blood, tears and sorrow in their trails. One cannot help wondering how this could be in a state where emergency rule is in place. Mr. President once admitted that sympathisers of the faceless Boko Haram have infiltrated his government. The question is why can’t he name these black sheep in his administration? We should also remember that some Northern political stalwarts once boasted of making this country ungovernable should he (Jonathan) become President. Today, he is president and Nigeria is largely ungovernable, unsafe and unfriendly to economic growth and foreign investors. To my mind, protecting the interest of few regardless of their political statures against the larger interest of over 162 millions doesn’t sound like doing it at all. It is amazing. For two weeks now, these defenceless girls are still in the hands of their abductors; if their parents are left to lick their wounds and left to lead rescue mission; if there are protests in the city of New York attracting attention of international communities and demanding ‘bring back our girls’ then maybe Mr. President, you are not really doing it. If Martin Luther King Jnr were to be a Nigerian and alive, if Gandhi were to be the Nigerian Prime Minister and if Obama were to be the occupant of Aso Rock, is this the way they would have done it? If some of the girls were to be the daughters of Mr. President, Senate President and the Speaker of and House of the Representatives or maybe those of the Minister of Defence, wouldn’t there have been decisive actions taken to rescue these hapless girls? To tell the whole world that Nigeria is under siege, on

May 1, 2014, Boko Haram once again struck near the scene of the previous blast in Nyanya. About 30 Nigerians met their waterloo as they were blown to pieces by another deadly blast. In other countries, where politicians truly know the value and essence of leadership, the situation would be very different. The Yoruba say it is better to lose a child to death than to disappearance. Please Mr. President, remember the oath of office you swore to and which vested in you the power to use state might and resources to protect Nigerians. If the will or ingenuity to evoke this power is lacking, then one can safely say with all due respect sir, that Mr. President, you are not doing it. Lastly, let me conclude this piece by saying that if truly these killings and the parlous state of affairs in the country is because the perpetrators don’t like Mr. President, then I think Mr. President should not contest come 2015. This is not because he is not legally eligible, but for expediency. In life, some things may be lawful but may not necessarily be expedient. If stepping down will bring peace and an end to this carnage, then it is worth it. In the olden days, powerful kings used to lay down their lives for the good of their domain. Mr. President not contesting 2015 election is not an act of cowardice but a noble act and worthy sacrifice on your part for the love of your country. Let not your singular ambition overshadow the larger interest of Nigerians because I’m not sure Nigerians can endure another rounds of killings and unrest for another four years. Think on these things Mr. President and let history record it that when it mattered most, you really did it for your country. • Akinleye (timothyleye@yahoo.co.uk) writes from Lagos

22 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

ARTS TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

he Cinema Hall 2 of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, resonated with theatrical performances on Easter Monday as the National Troupe of Nigeria staged one of its yearly programmes, tagged Easter Chorale. The show which featured music, dance and drumming, was aptly themed “Peace and Unity.” In this regard, the songs that were performed were carefully selected to not entertain the audience but also underscore the need for peace and unity while also showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, a significant feature of shows by National Troupe. As the title of the show suggests, it was indeed an evening of inspiring songs served with a rich blend of our cultural heritage – captured not just in music, but also dance, costume and languages. From popular songs such as Beautiful, a refreshing track by Buloka Elemide, popularly known as Asa, to evergreen highlife numbers Onidodo oni moin-moin, Sisi Eko, Taxi Driver, and Eko Akete, the National Troupe dished out inspiring tunes that got the audience singing along with the artistes. Added to these is Onyeka Onwenu’s classic tune, ‘One Love’. The songs were all beautifully rendered and served with beautiful choreographies. No doubt, the highpoint of the show was the performance of what could go for a stimulating remix of King Sunny Ade’s all-star unity song, The Way Forward. The fusion of rap in some Nigerian languages - Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Efik - into the song drew ovation, turning the auditorium into a big stage as the audience joined in the singing. For the scores of live theatre enthusiasts and guests that included veteran actor, Mr. Dejumo Lewis, Artistic Director of National Troupe, Mr. Martins Adaji, among others, the group, conducted by Oladapo Omideyi really gave everyone something to cheer. Speaking on the choice of the theme, Adaji said the mood of the nation informed it, adding that this is a period that, Nigerians, more than ever before, must deploy all their resources to searching for peace and unity. According to him, unity is vital in achieving peace in Nigeria, a situation which requires all efforts. “We decided to package something

Moses Kadiri

anabe stars will gather in the ancient city of Benin City, Edo State for the first regional audition of ‘Star The Winner’ TV, music, game show. Organisers of the TV music and game show said the edition promises to be an exciting TV music, game show in the country, as the hopefuls are set to bring their all for a lifetime opportunity to battle out on ‘the first-of-its-kind show’. In Benin City, Constantial Hotel, will host vocally talented applicants resident in Benin and its environs. This will spark up a region wide tour spanning five cities in the country. “We already have thousands of registered Nigerians

www.newtelegraphonline.com/arts

The drama is not dead but liveth, and contains the germs of better things.

TONY OKUYEME

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

― WILLIAM ARCHER

THEATRE

Tony Okuyeme

NEW TELEGRAPH

National Troupe sings for peace, unity

Members of the National Troupe in performance during the Easter Chorale 2014

We should emphasise the things that unite us. The things that hold us together should not be allowed to divide us. In as much as we have challenges, we still have hope; and that hope is that we will get over it that can lift the mood of the people. This country remains unbreakable and

unshakable. There is no one that will drive us away and we should join hands and fight the enemies living within us. We should emphasis the things that unite us. The things that hold us together should not be allowed to divide us. In as much as we have challenges, we still have hope; and that hope is that we will get over it. Let us do what will advance the growth of our nation, Nigeria as one indivisible country that we are. Our oneness is more important than our religion,” Adaji said. He urged the guests to be agents of peace in all they do and to be their brother’s keeper irrespective of their religious, tribal and socio-political differences.

Mr. Lewis described the performances as “beautiful,” saying that they make him more proud to be a Nigerian. According to him, the National Troupe has continued to live up to expectations. “We have all been enjoying the beautiful performances in songs, dance and music that the NTN has been dishing out to us. The beauties, the talents, the resources, both human and natural, that abound in this country have been displayed here today. I am proud of National Troupe. It is very clear that they have done well. Nigeria is a great country that has all it takes to be the greatest country in the world. We all have to play our part to make it so,” he said.

Star The Winner auditions begin ready for the auditions and we cannot wait to begin the first step to finding the winner of the maiden edition of this lifechanging show,’’ says Tokunbo Adodo, Marketing Manager Star, Goldberg and Export. “The response we have received so far has been overwhelming, Nigerians are about the most talented vocalists in the continent and we are certain that Star The Winner Is will provide yet another solid platform to re-emphasize this,’’ he adds. ‘Star the Winner’, a music talent game show, delivers

an unbeatable combination of competitive singing duels, instant money, dramatic decisions and a grand prize of 10million naira and a brand new car. The show has an unusual feature of 101 in-studio panel of music enthusiasts and specialists judging finalists who emerge from the final auditions. The auditions is open to soloists with outstanding vocal talents began Enugu, on Tuesday, May 1. The auditions which then moved to Port Harcourt, on Saturday, May 3, and

Omideyi (right) and members of the National Troupe in performance.

Abuja, on Monday, May 5, will hold in Lagos on Wednesday

and Thursday, May 7 and 8, 2014.

24 ARTS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

At Catholic Praise Concert, Edwards, Axios choir, Prisca_d Nightingale thrill

Idubor

SSB, one of the dance groups that thrilled the audience at the concert

Ebere Ameh

he maiden edition of the Catholic Praise Concert brought together musicians, dancers, choral groups from across the country in an evening of praise, dance and thanksgiving to God. In his introduction, the convener of the occasion, Engr. Peter Egbumokei said “We are trying to reach out to the young at heart and the youngsters in the church. We are trying to reach out

to even non-Catholics, nonChristians to understand what Christianity is about and draw them in using music. Primarily, I can say that we are giving God a praise offering and we are praying to God to deliver us as individuals and as a nation, from the clutches of evil. We are also doing it in gratitude to God that despite all the hardship, we are still standing strong and God will rise and help us overcome.” An Engineer by profession, Egbumokei is a living witness

of Divine Mercy and Divine predestination. Having been shot multiple times and taken for dead, decided to follow God every step of the way. Using his Felicia Michael Foundation, he decided to minister to fellow Catholic, other Christians and even pagans through music. “I stand here because God gave me a second chance. He has kept me for a time like this. I’ve had an interesting adventure of faith so far. I had died once and God brought me back to life. I say so far

because I’m alive and I still have many more decades to live by His grace. Though I hope it won’t be as dramatic as my past.” The event which has been described as the first of its kind in the African Sub-region saw music lovers, Catholic families and the youth who thronged the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, venue of the event. Singer and producer, Frank Edwards was on hand to thrill the people with inspiring gospel tunes. Other artists and

groups that performed at the event include the Axios choir from the Babcock university; Desugad, a dance group; SSB, another dance group; St Augustine’s Choir from St Leo’s Catholic Church Ikeja; Prisca, a solo gospel artist popularly called Prisca_d Nightingale and Keller thrillz, the equivalent of PSquare in the gospel music industry. Speaking exclusively with New Telegraph, Frank Edwards advised that “Christians get united in purpose and worship”.

COOL DJ Lala fights piracy with mixtape Moses Kadiri

COOL DJ Lala

AST rising disk jockey, Dare Alebiosu (a.k.a COOL DJ Lala) is waging the war against piracy with his forthcoming commercial mix tape. The project, when released is expected to put smiles on the faces of up-an-coming artistes and established artistes who are being milked of their hard-earned money. The chubby DJ is also planning to sign a royalty agreement with every artiste whose song or sound appears on his commercial mixtape which will be distributed exclusively by a major content distribution company. He’s calling on interested artistes to be a part on the project by following him @deejaylala on twitter to add their songs to his forthcoming mixtape. COOL DJ Lala, said the

idea behind the project is that he realised that DJ’s and musicians work hand-in-hand to achieve a goal. “In as much as the relationship between the DJs and musicians are symbiosis in nature, where no one cannot do without each other, there is need to motivate each other for continuity of the game,” he said. COOL DJ Lala, who broke into the Nigerian entertainment scene few years ago during his undergraduate days at Olabisi Onabanjo University where he studied Computer Science and has since become a force among the upcoming DJs, noted that the initiative will reduce the rate of piracy in the country, and give artistes a sense of belonging. COOL DJ Lala has performed at several high profile parties and concerts; notable among them is the LASAA 2013 Lagos Count Down, among many others.

BUSINESS TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

WHAT'S NEWS Local content investments pool exceeds $5bn The investments pool for local content in Nigeria has exceeded $5 billion, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend.

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Local content: FG targets 40, 000 jobs by 2015 The federal government has commenced plans to achieve a target of 40, 000 jobs through the local content Act by 2015.

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Consumers flay NERC’s 15-day window on fixed charges Consumers of electricity in Nigeria came down hard on the Nigerian Electricity Regulating Commission (NERC) at the weekend over its new regulation.

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S'Africa: New visa conditions underway for expatriates Immigration Directive 43 of 2010 was withdrawn by the Department of Home Affairs on February 24, 2014. The withdrawal of this directive means that even where a foreign national has an application for residence pending in South Africa, such a foreigner would be fined for an overstay if he attempts to depart from South Africa in the absence of a valid visa.

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BUSINESS CREW AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business) SIMEON OGOEGBULEM, Dep. Business Editor BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime) SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) SIAKA MOMOH, Asst. Editor (Industry/Agric) JONAH IBOMA, ICT Editor DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

VERDICT

Shell has communicated to preferred and reserved bidders Adeola Yusuf

hell has communicated to companies that emerged preferred and reserved bidders in the bid process for its N480 billion ($3 billion) assets in Nigeria, New Telegraph has gathered. The losers in the bids, which Shell described as confidential also had their bids returned to them. A management staff at the Dutch Headquarters of the company said at the weekend that it might take up to one year before the process will be completed. “Yes the process may take one year to complete, other divestments too take that long to complete but I can tell you that it is progressing,” a source close to the deals, who does not want his name in print because he has not been authorised to speak told this newspaper. He added: “The process of renegotiation and revaluation on the assets will soon start between the seller and the prospective buyers and this may drag for months.” The sales of assets by Shell are part of the company’s plan to reduce its footprint onshore Nigeria, where militant attacks and oil theft have slashed the company’s output since 2006. The Federal Government is also considering legislation that could make it easier to confiscate non-producing or dormant oil fields from companies. Meanwhile, the Shell’s N480 billion assets’ sale, according to a source at Shell, followed all the due process and was free and fair. Each of the bidders, including the highest bidders, Aiteo, according to the source, got equal opportunity to bid. The bid, which is already behind schedule, is presently

CHUKS ONUANYIN, Energy NNAMDI AMADI, Reporter

AYODELE AMINU, DEPUTY EDITOR, BUSINESS

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

undergoing scrutiny by the foreign security agencies, the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). While many see this probe as a normal requirement for such transaction, others have cast aspersion on companies that bided for the assets. These aspersions against Aiteo and others, the source said, were unfair. The four oil wells, in which Shell has a 45 per cent stake, are OML-18, OML-24, OML25 and OML-29. Successful

bidders for the four blocs are to pay over $5 billion for the stakes held by Shell, in conjunction with two other international oil companies. Aiteo has actively been participating in the downstream sector since 1999 when it started as Sigmund Company Limited. Dangote/Dansa, Midwestern/Mart/Notore and Sahara Consortium bided for OML18, while Sahara Consortium, Pan- Ocean/Newcross, Shoreline and Aiteo/Taleveras bided for OML-24. Lekoil, Crestar, GreenAcres/CCC/Signet Petroleum,

NDPR/SAPETRO and Essar bided for OML-25 while Vertex/Seplat/ Maurel&Prom/ VP Global, Glencore/Neconde, Transcorp and Aiteo/Taleveras are also bided for OML29. Sale of OML-18, OML-24, OML-25, OML-29 are six weeks behind schedule. A Shell spokesman confirmed that the four blocks were up for sale but declined further comment. Industry executives and analysts said that the sales reflect a shift by Shell CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

L-R: Head, Retail Distribution, FBN Insurance, Odinaka Umekwe; Director, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Lucas Dada; General Manager, FBN Insurance, Segun Balogun; and Manager, Mobile Financial Services, Etisalat Nigeria, Seun Omotosho, at the launch of "Sure 4 Life", an airtime-based FBN Insurance life policy in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria, held in Lagos.

Airlines fret over poor navigation facilities at Lagos, Kano airports Group petitions Minister over air safety challenge Wole Shadare

irlines have raised an alarm over safety of Nigeria’s airspace - especially the state of radio communication and navigational facilities in Kano and Lagos Area Con-

trol Centre (ACC), which they insist is appalling. Consequently, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) plans to petition the Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Sam Ortom, to ensure that the country’s air-

space remains safe. A letter sighted by New Telegraph and signed by top officials of NUATE, stated that pilots and other airport CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Rates Dashboard

DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor ABDULWAHAB ISA, Finance Editor

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

N480bn assets’ sale: Shell returns bids to losers

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor

NEW TELEGRAPH

HOW DELAY IN GRANTING PLAN APPROVAL HAMPERS HOUSING DELIVERY }p-33

INFLATION RATE March 2014...........................7.08% February 2014........................7.70% January 2014 ........................8.00%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Maximum Lending Rate..25.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at May 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169.50 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N284 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N236

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at May 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N155.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N262.70 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N215.88 Source: CBN

26 BUSINESS | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Local content investments pool exceeds $5bn LOOPHOLES Stakeholders want the FG to create a conducive atmosphere for local content to thrive Adeola Yusuf

he investments pool for local content in Nigeria has exceeded $5 billion, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend.

This came as stakeholders in the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry tasked the Federal Government to create a more conducive environment for the local content to thrive. Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Ernest Nwapa, had earlier put the investments attracted by local content drive at $5 billion. But findings by this newspaper showed that the investments’ pool has increased with about $700 million with global infrastructure giant, General Electric, committing some $2

million through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Cross River State to upgrade and equip the mechanical/electrical workshops of the Government Technical College, Ikot-Effanga, Calabar, Cross River State. Also, the Future Concerns Nigeria Limited (FCNL), indigenous supplier of safety equipment, has partnered with MSA, a United Statesbased manufacturer, provider and distributor of personal protective equipment (PPE), to build West Africa’s first Safety Service Centre in La-

gos, Nigeria. Managing Director, Future Concerns Nigeria Limited, Engineer Tony Oguike, who took newsmen round the Safety Service Centre after it was commissioned by Ernest Nwapa, an engineer, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), said that the center is worth N3 billion. Meanwhile, Nwapa stated that the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act by the Federal Government would continue to attract investments. Already, it has attracted $5 billion worth of investments into the economy and created about 38,000 jobs since 2009. Nwapa called on youths in the state to take advantage of GE’s investments in the state especially the $1 billion dollar investment in a manufactur-

ing and assembly facility. He said that the increasing ownership of rigs and vessels by Nigerians made it imperative for the establishment and upgrade of existing dockyards in the country to service marine vessels working in the industry to ensure the retention of spend otherwise taken out of the country for such services. In his address, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, called for sub-Nigerian content, which would extend the benefits of Nigerian Content implementation to local communities. He said that it was important for indigenes from oil producing communities to have access to opportunities provided by oil and gas exploration in their localities to ensure the sustainable operation of the industry.

IT bodies flay exclusion from national confab Jonah Iboma

T L-R: Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Adeola Olatunji; Winners in the Hobie Class Event, Carole Boissier; David Kruyt, and National Commercial Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Matthieu Seguin, at the NBC 2014 CocaCola Cup held in Lagos. C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

workers are saddened by the "turn of events in our industry and poor communication and navigational facilities being erratic after so much had been promised to be done.” The officials said: "We are constrained to submit this letter to your good office for your speedy intervention to avert any other mishaps and restore the nation’s glory." The group stated that having written several letters to government in particular and the Federal Ministry of Aviation without tangible response/intervention but unfilled promise, it has become imperative that, "we once again draw your attention to the pitiable, frustrating and endangering status of radio navigation facilities under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as can be attested to by the attached Air Safety Report (ASR), among others, from the captain of Ethiopian Airlines, one of the frequent operators into Nigeria.” The ASR is an avenue through which pilot and crew-members, in a data form, report or complain to NAMA and copy the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on relevant safety matters or issues observed in the course of their flight. Ethiopian Airlines report dated November 3, 2013 with flight ET 507 informed that

Airlines fret over poor navigation facilities at Lagos, Kano airports "all are concerned about radio communication problem on Kano FIR and Lagos FIR," stressing that the Kano Very High Frequency (VHF) radios had readability problem throughout its FIR. The captain equally reported that congestion of Kano VHF frequencies by too much information being asked and replied by air traffic controllers and traffics examples like department/ARR airport, aircraft type and registration, estimate of each checkpoint, even when radar is operationC O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

to favour offshore fields over land-based projects in Nigeria. Other oil majors also are weighing sales of onshore parcels, said local oil industry executives. Those moves could speed the rise of local energy companies. “This is the first time in Nigeria’s history that you have a number of small local operators,” said a partner at the Nigerian law firm Aelex, which regularly advises on oil deals, Soji Awogbade. “Six years ago there weren’t any,” he said. Locally owned companies including Niger Delta Exploration and Production PLC, Chrome Oil Nigeria Ltd. and Seven Energy International Ltd. each are biding on Shell

al and so on. Lagos ATC on VHF 127.3 is said to be busy that it is very difficult to get slot for communication. To mention most of the reasons, air traffic controllers request all flights, departure/arriving airport, estimates of all checkpoints allows the routes, aircraft type and registration, the level and so on. Most domestic flights are said to interrupt radio communication and transmit without getting the “go ahead” from air traffic controllers.

he Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), has decried the decision of organisers of the ongoing national confab to exclude information technology professionals and their professional bodies from the event. NCS President, Prof. David Adewunmi, who said this in an interview with New Telegraph, stated the decision by government was very wrong and it showed that the country’s leadership did not fully understand the importance of IT in national governance. According to him, the issue of neglect of IT professionals from the conference was first noticed when the initial list of those to attend the conference was released. He said it was discovered that although 13 professional bodies were invited, none of them had anything to do with IT. He said that based on this discovery, the two leading IT professional bodies, the Nigerian Computer Society and the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria, (CPN) wrote to the govern-

ment, protesting their exclusion. Sources at CPN, the body charged with the control and supervision of the computing profession in the country, said that the IT community was very pained not only by the exclusion, but failure of government to even acknowledge their mails. Adewumi argued that for a nation looking for ways to fast-track development, IT should have been given greater focus at the conference as it affects almost every sphere of economic life. Meanwhile, condemnation has also trailed the use of ‘yahoo’ email address by the conference secretariat. IT experts noted that the move was a clear reflection of the fact that an IT professional was not really in the national confab to advice on the best way to use the internet to get the best for Nigeria The National Conference, last Tuesday, showcased means of reaching or contributing memoranda on any subject matter for discourse, and one of the emails addresses given was ‘nationalconference2014@yahoo.com.’

N480 bn assets’ sale: Shell returns bids to losers parcels. Seven Energy has raised close to a $1 billion in its pursuit for new production properties. Shell has narrowed the preferred biders for its prized parcel to five from 18 companies. The five include Nigeria’s Oando PLC, backed by AngloFrench company, Perenco and Chinese-owned, Addax Petroleum, and Shoreline Energy International, supported by UK-based Heritage Oil PLC, according to the person familiar with the matter. The identities of the other three preferred biders could not be confirmed. The four blocks Shell is selling are lo-

cated in the western swamps of the Niger Delta. Shell is the operator of the blocks, with minority partners France’s Total SA and Italy’s ENI SpA. Nigeria’s national oil company, the Nigeria National Petroleum Cororation (NNPC), has a controlling stake in the four blocks. “It’s a portfolio rationalisation,” said Simbi Wabote, a general manager at Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC. “You have to ask if it’s profitable to produce those wells rather than focus on the areas that are a priority, so why don’t you give it to smaller companies.”

A Shell parcel known as OML 30 is currently producing 45,000 barrels a day. Two of the other properties are producing an estimated 26,000 barrels a day combined and have potential for significant natural gas production, according to the person familiar with the matter. The remaining property is not currently producing oil. If a local company buys OML 30, the transaction would thrust a local player into ranks of top Nigerian producers at a time when political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has pushed crude prices above $100 a barrel.

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Infrastructure-for-oil: China’s PM leads 129-man team to Nigeria today To sign six pacts, MoUs INVESTMENT The world’s second biggest economy will unfold its mission at the plenary session of the World Economic Forum for Africa in Abuja Stories by Adeola Yusuf

hinese Premier, Mr. Li Keqiang, is to meet President Goodluck Jonathan today as he leads a 129man delegation on a visit to Nigeria and three other African countries. China, which is one of the major consumers of Nigerian oil has been advocating that Nigeria should pay for her infrastructure with oil, a move

DISCOURAGEMENT West African high crude offers deter Nigerian buyers

igeria’s crude has suffered bearish sale as buyers shunned the country’s crude grades during transactions at the global market at the weekend. The country exports about 1.84 million barrels of crude per day for sale at the international market. The sales of the Nigeria’s cargoes for June loading were, however, slowed down. This bearish sale of cargoes from Nigeria was caused by the high price placed on the commodity. “High offers deterred buyers,” Reuters said, quoting a trader source. The benchmark Qua Iboe grade of crude oil was offered as high as Dated Brent plus $3.80 per barrel. This was around $1 per barrel higher than for cargoes trading at the end of last month, and was significantly above bid levels, traders said. West African crudes, which are benchmarked against Brent crude, have become less attractive to Asian buyers as the discount for Dubaibenchmarked crude against European oil has grown. "I've seen offers at $3.80 plus dated Brent and people can afford to hold back," a trader said.

which the Africa’s biggest crude exporter has resisted. Chinese officials confirmed that the visit would discuss oil deals but maintained that it would not be simply for energy deals alone. “China increasingly aims to boost Africa’s living standards is the cardinal reason for the visit,” the officials said. The visit is slated for May 6-8, 2014. The Premier, who will be visiting Nigeria as part of his four-nation tour of Africa, is expected to also attend the plenary session of the World Economic Forum for Africa. While in Nigeria, Keqiang, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expected to meet President Goodluck Jonathan. Besides, Nigeria and China are expected to sign six major agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs). The expected pacts are –

Oil rig

agreement on economic and technical cooperation between the government of both countries; handover and acceptable certificate for the malaria diagnosis equipment and consumables for China-Nigeria anti-malaria centre, exchange of letters for China-aided Nigeria anti-malaria drugs pro-

1.8m Nigeria’s crude sale suffers setback Qua Iboe Cargoes have been offered as high as dated plus $3.80 this week (last week) but traders said levels around $3$3.20 a barrel would be more realistic for deals to be done. Shell declared force majeure on its Forcados Blend last March and has given no indication that it has been removed. Traders confirmed that crude cargoes from Nigeria were delayed. For Angola, crude has sold well, with just around four or five cargoes of a total of 52 for June loading yet to find buyers, traders said. Three Girassol and one Cabinda grade cargoes were the only vessels available for sale, a trader said. For Asian Tenders Pertamina issued a tender last Friday, with the result expected yesterday or today, a trader said. Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, had earlier expressed optimism that buyers will continue to look for Nigeria’s oil. Stating that this is due to the low level of Sulphur content of Nigeria’s crude, she said that the recent award

of crude oil term contracts primarily to indigenous oil and gas companies is part of Federal Government’s larger objective to encourage effective local participation in the operations of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The minister’s defence came amidst allegations that she had still not responded to any of the queries from the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts, demanding information on the charter of two private jets for her personal use by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Alison-Madueke, in a statement from NNPC, said that the decision to award over 60 per cent of the 2014 to 2015 crude oil term contracts to local firms was taken after a painstaking pre-qualification process. In the statement by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, she said that the balance of 40 per cent was shared among some international oil trading companies, refineries and some countries with bilateral trade agreements with Nigeria.

gramme and Bilateral Air Services agreement between both governments. Also included is the Memorandum of Understanding between Food and Drug Administration of China and National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on regulatory cooperation of pharmaceutical products, medical devices and cosmetics and agreement of special facility for the development of Africa’s SMEs with Nigeria’s banking sector. Also, several agreements will be concluded by the organised private sectors of the two countries. The trips by Chinese leaders to Africa are often marked by big natural resource deals; triggering criticism from some that China is only interested in the continent's mineral and energy wealth. Africans broadly see China as a healthy counterbalance to Western influence but, as ties mature, there are growing calls from policymakers and economists for more balanced trade relations. China is also keen not to be perceived as an imperial master. Li's May 4-11 trip will also take in Ethiopia and Kenya, and Assistant Minister of Commerce, Zhang Xiangchen, told reporters that there would be more than just oil agreements. "During Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the four African countries, all the relevant countries will sign some cooperation agreements between financial organisations and between companies, which are quite large in scope, not just on oil and natural resources," Zhang said. "There are also many on agriculture, manufacturing, people's livelihood and basic infrastructure," he added, declining to provide details or financial figures.

Angola is China's secondlargest source of crude oil after Saudi Arabia. Li's delegation will sign agreements in the four countries, which "will provide a solid foundation for future China-Africa trade and economic development," Zhang said. He declined to say which company executives would accompany Li. It will be Li's first visit to Africa since he became premier last year, and follows a trip to the continent by President Xi Jinping in March 2013, when he renewed an offer of $20 billion in loans to Africa between 2013 and 2015. Neither Zhang, nor Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming who was at the same news conference, would say if any new loans were in the offing. "Aid to Africa is just one part of China and Africa's friendly cooperative relationship. It includes politics, trade and the economy, culture, society, peace and security," Zhang Ming said, areas Li would discuss on his trip. China has a relationship with Africa, which pre-dates its current resource-hungry economic boom. In previous decades, China's Communist leaders supported national liberation movements and newly independent states across the continent. Li's visit comes virtually on the 50th anniversary of then-Premier Zhou Enlai's landmark trip to 10 African nations from December 1963 to January 1964. Yet gratitude for China's aid is increasingly tinged with resentment about the way Chinese companies operate in Africa. Industrial complexes staffed exclusively by Chinese workers have occasionally provoked riots by Africans looking for work.

28 BUSINESS | ENERGY SEARCHLIGHT The National Assembly has begun probe of the process that led to the concession of ASRM Stories by Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government may revoke the 2005 concession of Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill and the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMC) from two Indian firms. Nine years after the concession, the process to revoke the deal has begun with the on-going probe of the concession. Mr. Ben Nwankwo (PDPAnambra), while moving the motion, noted that the mill and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMC) in 2005 were concessioned to two India firms without due diligence. According to him, the concessionaires, Global Infrastructure Holdings Limited and Global Steel Holdings Limited, allegedly operated in ways contrary to the concession agreement. He said that due to complaints on the operation of ASRM and NIOMC by the concessionaires, the Federal Government revoked the concession agreement of ASRM in 2007.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

FG plans revocation of Ajaokuta steel, NIOMC concession This, he said, led to protracted arbitral proceedings at the International Centre for Commercial Arbitration in London. The lawmaker said that the pendency of the arbitral proceedings further compounded the woes of the mill. He, however, said that recent disclosures indicated that the Federal Government had “successfully’’ reacquired ASRM from Global Infrastructure Holding Limited in circumstances not clear. He said that the fate of NOIMC was still not clear. Nwankwo expressed concern that the employment potentials of the mill had not been exploited. He said that when fully operational, the rolling mill was capable of generating no fewer than 15,000 direct employments. The House of Representatives, however, mandated Committees on Steel, Priviatisation and Commercialisation and Justice to investigate the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill (ASRM). It also mandated three standing committees to probe

the affairs and failure of the mill and report back to the House for further legislative actions. The resolution followed a motion by Ben Nwankwo

NOSDRA has lamented adverse impact of oil spill on the ecosystem in oil communities

gainst the backdrop of increasing connection between crude oil theft and oil spillage in the Niger Delta region, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has solicited the support of the military in checking the menace. The Chairman of Governing Board of NOSDRA, Major Lancelot Anyanya (Rtd), made the appeal during a courtesy visit with the management of the agency to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Kenneth Minimah, in his office in Abuja. Major Anyanya, who lamented the adverse impact of oil spill on the ecosystem, human health, means of livelihood and social peace of oilbearing communities, said that the army will be of assistance to NOSDRA in providing security to the officials in accessing oil impacted sites in the volatile region. According to a statement by Henshaw Ogubike, Deputy Director (Public Affairs) of the agency, Major Anyanya

commended the efforts of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the fight against crude oil theft, emphasising that the efforts would help reduce the rate of incessant oil spills and the associated environmental degradation, which he described as a kind of war without border because of the multiplier effects. In his address, the DirectorGeneral/Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA, Sir Peter Idabor, noted that the rising cases of oil pollution in the Niger Delta region had necessitated the support of the military in combating crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals. Sir Idabor disclosed that the centrality of the armed forces in tackling oil spill in the country justified their inclusion as key stakeholders in the implementation of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP). In his remarks, the Chief of Army Staff, who expressed his delight at the visit by NOSDRA officials, said the army would remain committed to partnership with the agency in oil spill management operation in the country. Lt-General Minimah stressed that this was imperative considering the debilitating effects of oil spillage on socio-economic activities of people and the ecosystem.

the house to look into the matter so that the lofty ambitions of the mill’s founding fathers of meeting the nations steel needs and providing employment were achieved.

Ajaokuta steel project

NOSDRA gets Army’s T support against oil spill, theft POLLUTION

(PDP-Anambra), which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha. Nwankwo, therefore, urged

he federal government has commenced plans to achieve a target of 40, 000 jobs through the local content Act by 2015. Minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke had earlier said that the 30, 000 jobs were created through direct and indirect employment schemes in the oil and gas industry. But the Executive secretary, , Engineer Ernest Nwapa said at the weekend that his agency had partnered the Bank of Industry (BOI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN, Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) and Galaxy Backbone to get more jobs and deepen the achievements of the Act. Additional 10, 000 jobs are to be created through this partnership in the next one year he said. Nwapa said in a statement: “We have observed from feedback that unless we expand the basket to accommodate other sectors of the economy, we will not get the optimum benefits. "For instance, while investors will say that 800,000 tons annual steel demand by the oil and gas industry is not enough to attract a pipemill factory, when the demand from water and railway are added, the picture becomes more appealing.” Nwapa added, “The sectorial linkage forum will expand the market for all of us and in the process meet the expectation and the vision of Mr. President which is to create more job opportunities for Nigerians, create more shop floors, establish positions where Nigerians can begin to learn to

Local content: FG targets 40, 000 jobs by 2015 innovate and apply the innovation to real life activities.” Finance, according to NCDMB helmsman, "is a major issue. We need financial engineering to fund the acquisition of big ticket assets like marine vessels and rigs. It is a matter of national security to ensure local ownership of these assets.” The new partnership, the statement noted, is in a bid to deepen Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry and extend the implementation to other critical sectors of the economy. Other participating agencies that joined the inaugural meeting of chief executives in Abuja recently for this purpose included the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), National Office for Technology Adaptation and Promotion (NOTAP), Presidential Committee on Power and the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Nwapa explained that the Board conceived the linkage programme with key agencies of government to institutionalize a platform for information exchange on ways and means of harnessing the resources of individual agencies towards the common goal of national economic development. According to him, the collaboration was also aimed at linking the mandates and outputs of the agencies to benefit local content and support Federal Government’s drive

for employment generation, in-country value addition and overall economic transformation. He stressed the need for the agencies to assess their capabilities and achievements and synergise them for wellcoordinated economy, adding that agencies with mandate to develop local capacity needed to avail other sectors with the expanded capacities while agencies that have fund pools needed to work together to support local supplier development. Nwapa charged agencies involved in training of the need to synchronise the skill sets that were needed by the economy, while other agencies dealing with technology development, investment promotion needed to help the agencies that depend on their output, adding that such synergies would have enduring impact and help to galvanize the economy. He stressed that such collaborations would address worrisome scenarios whereby some agencies committed funds and trained experts but cannot find jobs for them. He noted that technology was being acquired but not being deployed because the industry is too far away and investment promotion efforts are going on and a lot of people are coming into the industry. He said: “But we are not getting traction because they do not know exactly the policies of government that supports investment.

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Oil contracts, 2015 elections and local content devt Indigenous oil firms secured 60 per cent of the $40 billion oil lifting contracts, which were recently announced by the Federal Government. Energy Editor, ADEOLA YUSUF examines allegation that many political associates of President Goodluck Jonathan benefitted from the deals preparatory to the 2015 polls.

he Federal Government, penultimate week, did what it failed to do last year as it announced the award of oil lifting contracts worth $40 billion. With the contracts, government had slashed oil-lifting contracts to foreign companies to 40 per cent with plans to do more in the 2017 contracts while the indigenous firms got this lion share of 60 per cent. The cut in foreign firms' share and increase in local firms’ stakes is billed to hit 65 per cent by 2017, New Telegraph had gathered. Minister of Petroleum resources, Diezani AlisonMadueke, had earlier given this hint at a press conference where she explained that the plan was in favour of the local firms. Already, these indigenous companies had 60 per cent of the $40 billion 2014 oil lifting contracts and AlisonMadueke who doubled as the Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) board, described the recent award of term contracts for crude lifting majorly to indigenous companies as part of the Federal Government’s objective to encourage effective local participation in the oil and gas industry. “With the level of commitment of government on its local content drive, the cut in contracts for foreigners will hit 65 per cent by 2017,” a source at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources told this newspaper. He maintained that the minister already had the mandate to ensure protection and development of the local content drive of the federal government. Controversy As local content friendly as this new contracts look, controversy has continued to trail the award of a new $40 billion oil exports by the Federal Government. The allocations are said to favour powerful businessmen close to President Jonathan’s administration ahead of what are likely to be closely fought presidential elections set for February next year, Reuters said, quoting industry sources. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, is one of a small group of major oil producers that allocates its crude directly to trading houses, offering middlemen an opportunity to make margins through reselling the crude. Although many large trading houses were absent from the list, they may have other ways of accessing the oil. As in Nigeria’s upstream sector, where Glencore recently submitted a bid as part of a consortium of local companies for $3 billion in energy assets, partnerships with domestic firms, according to Reuters, can help global traders get a share of the business. Vitol may have indirectly won a share of the Nigerian exports to market via a Bermuda- based firm called Calson, in which it is a minority shareholder. “It’s not that the Swiss traders are being left out, it’s that they’re forcing

them to share their pie with the indigenous companies,” said an industry source in Nigeria. Another way for traders to access oil is to buy the contract from a winning firm at a premium. A number of other former winners were also absent from the 2014/2015 list, which will take effect from next month (June). China’s Unipec, the trading arm of top Asian refiner Sinopec Corp (600028. SS), as well as Azeri state oil company, Socar, were former contract holders and did not feature on the new list. Non-governmental organisations, such as Switzerland’s The Berne Declaration, have criticised Nigeria’s sales method, saying it is opaque and offers no guarantee that the oil is sold at fair value. Government has repeatedly denied there is lack of transparency in the process. Londonbased think-tank, Chatham House, estimated in a report on Nigerian oil last year that local traders could score up to 40 cents a barrel, amounting to around $5 million a year on 12 cargoes, just by “flipping” the contract to a bigger trading company. A 2012 study commissioned by Nigeria’s Oil Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and headed by former head of the anti-corruption agency, Nuhu Ribadu, criticised the sales system whereby contracts were given to “briefcase traders with little or no commercial or financial capacity.” Alison-Madueke said that at the time there were no informal contracts and everything was done on official tender, not by any discretionary awards. A portion of Nigerian oil is also sold via swap deals whereby crude oil is given in exchange for imported fuels. Producers operating in the West African country such as Italian oil group, Eni (ENI. MI) and oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), also sell some oil directly or refine it themselves. The Federal Government awarded most of its long-term oil contracts worth an estimated $40 billion (23 billion pounds) a year to local companies, a confidential list of crude export allocation has shown. Reuters, which reported this, maintained that the allocation showed that global traders need to partner with

In a break with tradition, no contracts were given directly to foreign traders such as Glencore, Trafigura and Vitol, with only Switzerland’s Mercuria winning a contractº

President Goodluck Jonathan

local firms to access crude from Africa’s top producer. Global commodity traders, refiners and Nigerian dealers jockey at an annual tender for access to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) member’s prized crude oil, which is easy to refine and produces more high-value fuels. The contracts cover around 340 million barrels of oil, worth close to $40 billion annually based on current Brent prices and run for a year, though they can be renewed. They were allocated to just 28 companies, versus around 50 in 2012, the last time they were awarded. In a break with tradition, no contracts were given directly to global trading houses, Glencore Xstrata (GLEN.L), Vitol VITOLV. UL, Trafigura TRAFGF.UL or Gunvor, with only Switzerland’s Mercuria winning a contract, according to a list that four industry sources verified as accurate. The trading companies that missed out on direct oil contracts declined to comment. The list, released by the NNPC, is preliminary and subject to revision. NNPC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Why local firms got it In a press statement by the corporation, the minister stated that over 60 per cent of the 2014 to 2015 annual term contracts for the lifting of Nigeria’s crude oil was decidedly awarded to local firms after a painstaking prequalification process. She said that the 40 per cent balance was shared among some international trading companies, refineries and to some countries with bilateral trade agreements with Nigeria. “When we unveiled the Nigerian content law a few years back, the overriding principle was to grow indigenous capacity in an aggressive manner and I am happy to report that today, in the oil and gas sector, Nigerian content has been placed on the path of irreversible progress,” the minister said. She noted that the award to local players was in line with the aspiration of President Jonathan for effective transformation of the petroleum industry. The minister said that the advent of the Nigerian content law has encouraged indigenous investment in critical infrastructure. She said: “We have seen robust indigenous investments in Marine vessels of various categories and wholly owned Nigerian vessels have increased astronomically through the years.

“These vessels are the Category one and Category two types. Investments in reception, storage and distribution facilities such as jetties, depots, trucks, vessels and modern retail outlets have more than doubled over the past few years, and this has helped to increase the nation’s sufficiency level in petrol,” the Minister said. Mrs. AlisonMadueke remarked that as at the last count, indigenous investments in the sector have created over 40,000 jobs across the hydrocarbon value chain. “We have witnessed increased local investments in asset, in land, swamp and offshore rigs, which are vital performance indicators in business growth in Nigerian service companies. As we speak, Nigerian companies are forging partnerships for deep water rig ownership and are evolving strategies that will increase rig ownership among local players,’’ she noted. The winners Mostly Nigerian companies comprising Aiteo, Taleveras, Barbedos and others benefitted from the deals. In a break with tradition, no contracts were given directly to foreign traders such as Glencore, Trafigura and Vitol, with only Switzerland’s Mercuria winning a contract. The crude lifting contracts cover around 340 million barrels of oil, valued at close to $40 billion annually based on current Brent prices, and run for a year, though they can be renewed. They were allocated to just 28 companies, as against about 50 in 2012. Several Nigerian oil companies that featured on the annual list for the first time include oil trading company Hyde Energy, oil and gas firm Springfield, and Barbedos Group, a conglomerate that also provides luxury aviation services. Another way for traders to access oil is to buy the contract from a winning firm at a premium. A number of other former winners were also absent from the 2014/2015 list, which will take effect from June. China’s Unipec, the trading arm of top Asian refiner Sinopec Corp as well as Azeri state oil company Socar, were former contract holders and did not feature on the new list. Conclusion Nigerian companies should continue to enjoy capacity building through contracts like this, but considerations must continued to be given for due process and global best practices.

BUSINESS | ENERGY

WORLD ASSEMBLY Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) begins in Houston Stories by Adeola Yusuf

he proposed oil industry reform law currently before the National Assembly for legislative action would form the focal point of global discourse at the on-going Offshore Technology Conference, OTC 2014 in Houston, Texas, United States. Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

OTC 2014: PIB tops agenda Madueke is billed to deliver the Keynote Address at the global oil meet described as the oil and gas industry equivalent of the Olympics. The minister had last year disclosed while receiving a delegation of top management of ExxonMobil Nigeria led by its Managing Director/Chairman Mark Ward, that apart from offering a platform for the propagation of the central objective of the PIB, the OTC serves as a ready platform for indigenous operators to up the ante on technology trends in the industry.

`` The OTC being one of the world’s foremost gatherings in technology as far as the oil and gas industry is concerned, clearly sets the pace in what happens on the technology front and this is a highly technology driven industry. So, participation in the OTC gives us a lot of understanding, provide platform for knowledge transfer and above all exposure for our indigenous operators,’’ the Minister had said. She stated that the experience garnered over the years has impacted positively on

the productivity and general output of indigenous operators and service providers. Founded in 1969, the OTC is held annually in Houston's Reliant Center and it is the offshore oil and gas industry's foremost event for the development of hydrocarbon resources in the areas of drilling, environmental protection, exploration, production development, innovation and technology. The OTC's daily technical programme of presentations and the innovative breakfast and lunch sessions provide a

dynamic forum for discussing the technical challenges facing the offshore oil and gas industry. Areas of Interest for Offshore Technology 2013 include: Exploration and Production, Field Development Concepts, Floater and Mooring Systems, Geotechnical Sampling and Survey, and Marine Geoscience and Geohazards. Others are Materials Technology, Ocean Engineering Resources, Offshore Pipelines, Riser Systems and Subsea Production and Processing Systems.

‘One killed in Ghana pipeline blast’

t least one person has been killed after an explosion on a pipeline linking Ghana’s 45,000 barrel-per-day Tema Oil Refinery to a nearby port, according to a report. The state-owned refinery was not operating at the time of the explosion as it had been shut down for annual maintenance, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed employee of the refinery. The employee said a fire had broken out on a five-kilometre stretch of pipeline linking the refinery to the eastern Tema port. “Firemen are battling with the fierce fire. It is very intense with a thick black smoke,” the employee told the news wire. “It has destroyed part of the cocoa processing building nearby.” The refinery has been hobbled by repeated shutdowns over the last few years but Ghanaian President John Mahama said in February that Tema was close to signing a joint venture agreement with PetroSaudi International.

TOTAL Electricity consumers have advocated total removal of fixed charges

onsumers of electricity in Nigeria came down hard on the Nigerian Electricity Regulating Commission (NERC) at the weekend over its new regulation that customers with no power supply for 15 days in a month are no longer required to pay the monthly N750 fixed charge to their respective Distribution Companies (Discos). The consumers, who described the new regulation as incomplete, advocated total removal of the fixed charges. The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, who issued the directive on the fixed charges at a briefing in Abuja, said that it became necessary after the commission carried out investigations into complaints from consumers over continued payment of

Headquarters of the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

Consumers flay NERC’s 15-day window on fixed charges fixed charge even when service is not delivered. Amadi said: “While the commission has determined that the fixed charge remains an essential component of the bill, it has, however, reviewed the continued retention of the fixed charge component in the tariff and payment of fixed charge in the light of consumer complaints, particularly with regard to continued payment of fixed charge even when the energy is not delivered to the consumer. “On considerations of these complaints by the consumers, and considering the role of NERC in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), the commission, as provided under Section 32d, and Section 32f of the EPSR Act 2005, hereby order that effective May 1, 2014, where any customer of a distribution licensee has not received

electricity supply for a period of 15 days in a month, such a customer shall not be required to pay fixed charge.” But Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunlana told New Telegraph that Amadi should have totally removed the fixed charges. “How on earth do you want to measure the 15 days, when in actual fact, Amadi and his commission knew that over 75 per cent of electricity consumers are not properly metered,” he said. He added: “What he (Amadi) should have done is to totally remove the fixed charges and concentrate on the elimination of crazy billing metering and other ways through which the distribution companies have been ripping Nigerians off.” Ogunlana’s view was corroborated by Jumoke James, a co-host of a programme: ‘Your view’ on Lagos-based

Television Continental (TVC). “Why should the customers still be required to pay for any fixed charges when in actual fact they are still made to pay heavily for the light they do not enjoy? I give kudos to the NERC for the decision but I still believe that they should fix the issue of crazy billing while making the removal of the fixed charges to be total,” she said. Amadi, however, warned that the order stands provided the disruption is not due to non-payment of electricity bill or other actions of the consumer such as tampering with electricity infrastructure, vandalism or unrelated to the fault of the distribution company. He stated that there have been several complaints from consumers over the fairness or legality of the monthly fixed charges, which prompt-

ed the commission to embark on independent investigation that led to the order. “There have been a lot of comments from consumers about the fixed charge and the concern is whether it is fair and legal,” he said. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has reassured electricity consumers of improved power supply, following ongoing rehabilitation work on Kainji and Jebba power plants. Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, who gave the assurance in his presentation to the Energy Committee of the on-going national conference in Abuja, said that more power would be made available to Nigerians from the two facilities before the end of the year. Nebo said that the two plants, which have not undergone maintenance for decades, are now being serviced for optimum performance. He also appealed to the delegates to make recommendations that will lead to legislation for sufficient and sustainable power supply.

BUSINESS | ENERGY

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Schneider Electric inducts 250 into Nigeria’s Green Club

chneider Electric has launched the Schneider Electric Green Currents loyalty programme for electricians as part of its initiative to develop the electrical retail business in Nigeria. At an induction event to welcome the first 250 members of the club in Lagos, Marcel Hochet, Country President, Schneider Electric said: “The essence of the programme is to build a critical manpower base for the electrical retail sector by connecting and growing the electricians club members to a network of accredited distributors and resellers ensuring availability but more importantly, safety and reliability of new or renovated electrical installations.” Hochet noted that electrical installations are a strategic part of any building as the safety of lives and property depend on it. Also speaking at the event, Tonye Briggs, Vice President, Retail Business, Schneider Electric, stated that the loyalty programme was designed primarily to reward loyal electricians and electrical contractors and encourage them to patronise only an accredited network of resellers. He explained that the idea is to build a network of distributors of reliable electrical solutions. He said “Schneider Electric is a major player in the power sector today, partnering with government, especially in ensuring stable and reliable distribution of power at the grid level. Today, we have added another focus to our business, electrical retail. This is to ensure that the final consumer in his home or office receives the full benefit of the power privatization which essentially is safe, clean and available power.” Briggs noted that the Schneider Electric Green Currents Club offers four levels of membership with associated discounts, trainings and rewards based on level of purchases. “One of our goals with this loyalty programme is to structure our market so that everyone in the value chain benefits.” He revealed that the company plans to extend this programme to enroll up to 6,000 electricians across the country and create a network of no less than 300 resellers. Commenting at the event, the Public Relations Officer of the Licensed Electrical Contractors of Nigeria (LECAN), Mr. Bada, commended Schneider Electric for this initiative and reiterated the association’s commitment to support companies investing in developing the electrical and business skills of the sector. He noted that training as one of the rewards of the club would help to improve the expertise of the sector and prevent electrical accidents.

Electricity sub-station

SCAM Some foreign contractors to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or purchaser of Nigerian crude oil have been duped Stories by Adeola Yusuf HOUSTON, TEXAS

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has become the prime target for cyber criminals, the corporation has said. NNPC which is the cash cow for Nigeria stated this on its website. “There is a current growing global trend of cyber-crime and unfortunately in the case of Nigeria, NNPC is prime target for use as a cover story in many of the instances,” it said. The corporation noted: “Indeed, over the years, several scams have been perpetuated on victims all over the world

‘NNPC now prime target for cyber criminals’ by unsavoury characters purporting to be bona fide staff of NNPC or contractors to NNPC or purchaser of Nigerian crude oil or contractors to the Nigerian Government. “This type of scam is sometimes described as “419” as it stems from the violation of Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code. The scam combines the threat of impersonation and fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter, email, or fax is received by the potential victim. “The communications emanating from these fraudsters are usually set along the following scenarios: The recipient is offered the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars for assistance in placing large sums of money in overseas bank ac-

counts. “Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are siphoned out of Nigeria or a bank account of the victim. “The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationary, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying information using a facsimile number provided in the letter. “The recipient is coerced into a scheme that depicts entry into a contract with the NNPC. These scams which run into millions of dollars and the supporting documents usually appear genuine unless where they are verified by appropriate officers of NNPC or

the government.” According to the corporation, it is important to note that NNPC does not conduct contractual business by e-mail or telephone. “Please apply the following checklist to mail purportedly received from any “official of the NNPC”: Authenticate every contract document by conducting a due diligence and proper verification through NNPC offices in Nigeria and in London. If in doubt about the authenticity of any communication received, visit the Nigerian High Commission or Consulate Office in your country of residence. “Alternatively you may wish to contact the High Commission or Consulate Office of your home country in Nigeria.”

FG progresses in sale of $5.7bn NIPP plants CAPACITY The government reinstated target of combined operating capacity of 5,774 megawatts (MW) from plants Adeola Yusuf

HOUSTON, TEXAS

he Federal Government has advanced the sale of 10 thermal plants, which it built under the National Independent Power Plants (NIPP) scheme. A source at the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) told this newspaper that the process would be completed soon. The seller of the thermal plants is the state-owned Niger Delta Power Holding Com-

pany. Bids have been accepted for the assets, and the Bureau of Public Enterprise has suggested that the sales proceeds could reach US$5.7 billion. “Now that the successor firms of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have been handed over to core investors, the second phase of the power sector reform programme is well advanced with the sale in stages of an 80 % interest in the 10 national integrated power projects (NIPPs),” a report obtained by New Telegraph showed. The plants, it continued, “will have a combined operating capacity upon completion of 5,774 megawatts (MW). “Another positive development has been the involvement of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), which has allocated a reported US$100 million to the power sector from its infrastructure fund (one of its three distinct operations). The NSIA has an-

nounced an agreement with an unnamed private equity house, which is to match the authority’s funding on a 2:1 basis. A report from FBN Capital obtained by this newspaper stated: “The Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME) announced in early March that Azura-Edo, one of the most advanced independent power projects (IPPs), had secured US$1 billion in funding. The listed lenders included household names in commercial banking (mostly foreign), the World Bank group and several of Nigeria’s bilateral partners. “This Wednesday (last week) marks the end of sixmonth contractual agreements between the new owners of the generation and distribution companies, and those employees of the PHCN whom they retained for the short-term. “On March 3, the Power

Minister said at an investor meeting in Abuja that generation then stood at 4,000MW. Two days ago (April 27), the generation figure was 3,750MW. Generation has been stucked in the 3,000-4,000MW ranges for several years now. “Notwithstanding, there is movement in power reform, which is not captured by the generation figures. With the sector now largely privatised, we expect to see improvements over the coming years. We warn, however, that this progress may be slowed by major challenges in both transmission and fuel-to-power (gas). “We question the fixation with the setting of overambitious targets. A record of overly optimistic targets does not inspire confidence. The most recent was a generation target of 12,000MW by end-2016. Unless there is movement in transmission and gas supply, these targets are meaningless.”

32 BUSINESS | WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

WEF Africa: Why Nigeria can’t be ignored As over 1,000 leaders from across politics, business and civil society converge on Abuja tomorrow to discuss innovative structural reforms and investments that can sustain Africa’s growth, AYODELE AMINU writes on why Nigeria cannot be ignored

hat Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation – with over 160 million inhabitants is hosting the first-ever edition of the World Economic Forum in Africa is no longer news. The newsworthy aspect of the three-day event, which kicks off tomorrow, is that despite the security challenges in the country orchestrated by the notorious Boko-Haram that has continued to hold the nation to ransom, world leaders, CEOs, bankers, politicians, academics and big thinkers are still coming to grace the event. What is also significant about the hosting of this forum by Nigeria is that since the World Economic Forum Africa made its debut in 1990 in Switzerland (the only time it was held outside of Africa) it has been held only in South African cities except on five occasions – Zimbabwe (1997); Namibia (1998); Mozambique (2004); Tanzania (2010); and in Ethiopia (2012). The growing interest in WEF Africa is foregrounded particularly by the bold steps made by African economies in the last decade to embrace economic reforms and move away from stagnation to growth. Measurably, the economic reforms have witnessed increased attraction of foreign direct investments (FDIs) and increased international relevance for Africa. And given that Africa’s remarkable growth trajectory is projected to remain above five per cent in 2014 with West Africa the fastest growing sub-region, representing the continent’s largest business opportunity, such momentum is a welcome and necessary boon to a region whose youthful population offers the prospects of a significant demographic dividend fuelled by growth in consumer industries, manufacturing and business process outsourcing. Nigeria already plays a crucial role in advancing the continent’s growth with a projected economic growth of 7.3 per cent this year, up from 6.4 per cent in 2013, yet it is also emblematic of the challenges of converting natural wealth into solutions that address persistent social challenges. As the foremost gathering on the continent, the Forum is expected to bring together regional and global leaders to discuss innovative structural reforms and investments that can sustain the continent’s growth while creating jobs and prosperity for all its citizens. Nigeria’s strong fundamentals Nigeria has the highest rate on returns in Africa. This was made possible because the nation’s macro-economic stability is much stronger than most developing countries in Africa. This has made Nigeria to become the highest destination for investment in Africa, attracting investment of about $8.6 billion in 2012. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN), despite security and infrastructural challenges, the total foreign investments in Nigeria as at 2012 was in excess of $16 billion, compared with $7.9

Okonjo-Iweala

Olusegun Aganga

billion in 2011. Besides, Nigeria also has a huge market, raw material, capital and technology know-how. All these are factors that make Nigeria a favorable destination for investors despite its challenges. Added to these are the macro-economic stability and the nation’s stable banking system, which are among the key factors considered by investors.

Plc, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc; Nigerian Export – Import Bank (NEXIM), Oando Plc and Seawolf Oil Services Ltd. Others are Shoreline Energy International, TAK Agro, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, The Tony Elumelu Foundation; UBA Group; Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, and Zenith Bank Plc. These organisations have engaged WEF over the years and have clamoured for the Africa edition of the World Economic Forum to be held in Nigeria. Their efforts have recently been supported by the economic team of Mr. President and recently by his direct engagement when he attends the meetings.

Benefits for Nigeria WEFA is an unprecedented occasion for Nigeria to showcase its vast economic opportunities to the world and deepen the dialogue on economic reforms between the international and Nigerian private sector on one hand and the Nigerian Government and international and domestic investors on the other. And the theme that has been chosen by WEF for the 2014 summit – Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs – aligns perfectly with the medium and long-term aspirations and commitment of the Federal Government. Hosting the WEF will thus not only ensure that Nigeria remain the largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa, but also ensure the investments are broad based. The World Economic Forum on Africa is the culmination of the efforts of Nigerian firms like the Dangote Group, First Bank Group, Oando and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), who are increasingly active in the World Economic Forum and the recent engagement of the organisation by the Federal Government of Nigeria and its economic team. More importantly, it is a reflection of the growing attraction of Nigeria to international capital as one of the world’s most rewarding new markets, following recent painful but highly rewarding set of economic reforms generate millions of jobs for our youthful population. Nigeria has had four successive general elections, translating to about 15 years of unbroken democratic governance, and the country’s per capita income has nearly trebled, from $970 to $2,600. During the period, the country had an historic debt forgiveness that brought its debt lower than $4 billion from $36 billion, and its current debt/ GDP ratio at 19 per cent is one of the lowest in the world. With political stability and improved economic and investment conditions, including single-digit inflation rate, the country has attracted FDI totalling over $20 billion in the last three years, 10 per cent of the entire African continent’s FDI. Currently, the WEF Africa has 18 members from Nigeria. They are Access Bank; AG Leventis Nigeria Plc, Central Bank of Nigeria, Dangote Group, Diamond Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria

The WEF The WEF Africa is both an African and global event. On average, over 800 delegates attend the WEF Africa from 70 countries all over the world. But this year’s WEF with the theme, “Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs,” will bring together over 1,000 leaders from across politics, business and civil society, including Premier Li Keqiang of China and 11 African heads of state and government, as well as President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and senior members of the Nigerian government. As a norm, prevailing economic conditions, policy and thinking on the continent shape the WEF Africa themes. For example, the 2012 theme of “Shaping Africa’s Transformation” reflected the measure of economic transformation taking place on the continent as at that time. This dovetails from the 2011 theme of “From Vision to Action, Africa’s Next Chapter,” which underscored the fact that the various transformations in African economies have not met some of the desired aspirations of Africans, especially in relation to employment opportunities and poverty reduction. The WEF is a Swiss non-profit foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is dedicated to improving the state of the world through the facilitation of engagement between businesses, governments

Added to these are the macro-economic stability and the nation’s stable banking system, which are among the key factors considered by investors

and the civil society. Many people know WEF for its flagship event - the annual meeting in the small Swiss town of Davos. WEF organises regional meetings annually in Africa, East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and North America. Since the World Economic Forum is composed of member firms and not a political organisation, its events go where members think there are economic opportunities or opportunities for businesses to contribute to social good rather than awarded by right or in rotation. Demonstrating the organisation’s influence, the Davos event is attended by over 2,500 people including CEOs of the world’s largest corporations and over 250 public officials ranging from heads of states and ministers to chief executives of international organisations such as the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations. It is through creating a platform for these leaders to discuss global problems and generate consensus around solutions that the World Economic Forum pursues its vision to improve the state of the world through the facilitation of engagement between businesses, governments and the civil society.  The World Economic Forum is a membership-based organisation with several global firms as partners and or members, including in Africa. The organisation encourages businesses, governments, and civil society to commit together to improving the state of the world. An organisation committed to improving the state of the world, the contributions of WEF to socio-economic and political development in Africa has been tremendous. From inception, WEF was committed to free and broad democracy in Africa, and the first joint public appearance between Nelson Mandela, President F. W. de Klerk and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi outside South Africa was at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in 1992, signifying to the world the readiness to put peace in South Africa ahead of their individual interests. On the global stage, in relation to reduction in poverty and diseases in Africa, the forum has also been the catalyst for a number of significant global initiatives, such as the Global Compact (developed jointly with the UN); the GAVI Alliance (initially the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation); the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  As expected, however, it is in the area of economic growth and development that WEF has helped expand the knowledge of the fundamentals of economic growth. For instance, annually, the nonprofit organisation releases the global competitiveness ranking and began including African economies in early 1990s. It has progressed to producing regional reports specifically focused on the economic competitiveness of the African region since 1998. With this report, WEF seeks to shape discussion and agenda for the promotion of economic growth and development in the region. As part of its contributions to improving the state of the world in Africa, providing and improving the dialogue between businesses, civil societies and the governments is central to the work that WEF does. Through this multi-stakeholder engagement on the continent, the WEF is committed to an action-oriented dialogue. Some other initiatives that have emerged from these multi-level engagement include the Grow Africa initiative, a business oriented agriculture development in African economies, currently with eight members, including Nigeria, initiatives on energy access and infrastructure and regional integration. All these initiatives will be expanded further at the Nigeria meeting.

PROPERTY&ENVIRONMENT PAGE 33, Tuesday, May 6, 2014

How delay in granting plan approval hampers housing delivery SETBACK Experts identify hurdles in securing plan permit as a major bane of housing provision. Dayo Ayeyemi

ll stakeholders invited had settled down on the seat except the Commissioners for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, who had been selected as one of the speakers at the forum. The issue on the front burner at the one-day seminar bordered on bottleneck in the procedures associated with planning approval, which all stakeholders in the built environment have blamed for the slow development of the real estate sector in Nigeria. The late arrival of the commissioner gave room for group discussions among participants, who are largely members of FIABCI International Real Estate Federation, Nigeria chapter. The world president of the association, Mr Flavio Gonzaga Nunes, was in attendance. “I pray the commissioner will be here in time. There are many questions for him to answer. He should come and explain why my building plan approval should be delayed for two years now in his office,” one of the real estate developers told his friends. “It is not only you that is eager to see the commissioner, others are waiting too. For over five years now, the ministry refused to grant planning permit for one of my clients embarking on residential development in Lekki axis,” the friend responded, paving the way for another to share his view. However, the various agitations stopped as the commissioner walked in, in company of some of his officials, providing the impetus for the commencement of the forum themed: “Challenges of planning approval and its effects on housing development in Nigeria.” Justifying reasons for the choice of the theme, President of FIABCI International Real Estate Federation, Nigeria chapter, Chief Kola Akomolede, said that the subject was important to all stakeholders in the building industry due to the delay suffered through the process of securing planning approval for their projects. According to him, the pro-

Blocks of luxury apartments in Amen Estate, Lekki, Lagos

Ayinde

cess of securing planning approval has not been easy, recalling that the problem has been there since 1980s. Delay in building approval process, he said, was responsible for the haphazard building development in the metropolis. Chairman of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, Mr. Williams Odudu, corroborated Akomolede, stating that delay in planning approval was responsible for the interruption being experienced in housing delivery. When the commissioner mounted the rostrum, he noted tha his experience as a private consultant before his appointment was not different from others. “I processed a six-floor building for five years - I mean from 2007 to May 2011 before I became a commissioner,” he said. He described the process as time wasting and strenuous, stating that when he came in as

Odudu

If you don’t know what to do if you want to apply for planning approval, start with the planning information to find out if the use is approvable or not commissioner, he asked many questions by carrying out an experiment to know how the system works. “I wanted to make it fast and I collected the drawing and sent it to vetting section to look at it. So it was passed. I later collected its structural drawing and soil test and the authority passed them. Then I took the Environmental Impact

Akomolede

Assessment (EIA) report and it was passed. Later, I went to the client and asked him to pay for the assessment fee,” the commissioner explained. He told the audience that the mistake usually made when applying for planning approval was failure to seek planning information, which stipulates basic requirements and documents to be submitted. According to him, planning information tells applicants what to do. He explained to participants at the forum that they were also responsible for delay in approval process as most of them would not submit the required documents. In order to overcome the delay, Ayinde urged the real estate managers to submit their drawings for pre-screening, pointing out that until the drawings are assessed and deemed approvable, they should not pay any fee. In order ease the process, he

disclosed that Lagos State government has set up a committee to work on the reduction of one of the charges, which is infrastructure charge. According to him, government has discovered that one of the ways to measure an enabling environment is to organise the construction industry. “If you don’t know what to do if you want to apply for planning approval, start with the planning information to find out if the use is approvable or not. If not, please don’t go ahead,” he said. He listed lack of value for the due process, corruption and inability to do what is right as challenges associated with planning approval process. “Some get approval for residential building, but go ahead to build school,” he said. Ayinde allayed fear of the audience, saying that the planning approval process in the state was improving. “Apart from pre-information and pre-screening, we are working on e-planning. Government had started the process in 2007 but later it was aborted. We have invited consultant to review the process.” Managing Director, Aircom Nigeria Limited, Mr. Yemi Idowu, said that planning approval in Nigeria is revenue, adding that less than 25 per cent of buildings in Nigeria have planning approvals. Owing to high charges, he said that majority of people abandoned planning approval process, pointing out that this situation made it to become something for the elites. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 4

property & ENVIRONMENT

CONTRACTS Lagos and developers intend to develop islands that will be fully serviced community located on Lagoon waterfront Stories by Dayo Ayeyemi

agos State government has signed agreements with Messrs Orange Island Development Company and Gravitas Investment Limited on the development of new waterfront schemes. The two projects aim to develop islands that will be fully

Lagos, developers seal deals on new waterfront estates

serviced community located on Lagoon waterfront of Lagos. Orange Island project, which is about 450 metres off the Lekki Phase 1 headland, comprises residential, commercial and leisure uses as well as public areas with an estimated population of 12,000. Gracefield Phoenix project with Gravitas Investment Limited is also a mixed-use develop-

Delay in granting plan approval hampers housing delivery C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 3

He urged professionals to, as a matter of urgency, embark on education of the populace in eplanning. He said: “If we continue to build one man, one housing, we will find it difficult to bridge the housing deficit in the range of 16 million to 17 million units. What Nigeria needs is mega housing delivery. We should try and manufacture houses rather than building. Everything should be assembled on site.” 10,000 housing units with one approval plan rather than oneman-one-house. To bridge the housing shortage in Nigeria, he stressed the need for African master plan that reflects the culture of the people. Also, Principal Partner, Mepas and Prodel Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olusegun Emdin, a town planner, said that the

The following are the various steps involved in the approval process of a simple residential development. Step 1 After land purchase and architectural work or design, you should instruct the architect to give you a copy first, which you will take to the planning office for vetting, to confirm if your design is in conformity with the approval standards and order for the area which the land is located. This will ensure that when printing the five sets for approval, there will be no errors, and no cause for you to have to pay the architect more money to make corrections that may be detected and observed at the planning office if you just take your full drawings at the end of the process. Step 2 If your proposed development is found satisfactory by the planning authority, assessment will be given. The assessment is based on the volume of your building multiplied

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Town Planning Law was clear about the need for planning approval for building development, but decried the process, saying that it was cumbersome and unpredictable. He explained that when he was in the service of Lagos State government, he and his team brought some consultants, but did not give what the state wanted. On solutions to the problem of delay in planning approval, he suggested that government should see it as a technical issue rather than administrative. He also suggested that planning approval should be done within three weeks to speed up development process. FIABCI world President, Mr Flavio Gonzaga Nunes, after narrating how it was being done in his country, Brazil, urged participant to ensure that all solutions recommended at the forum are implemented.

ment, sets on approximately 100 hectares of land. The project is designed to have low-density residential area, recreational facilities such as parks, lakes and a promenade on the Lagoon front that will have cafes as well as a business park. Located on the Lagoon waterfront, the project takes its main access from the Chevron Drive. Briefing newsmen during the 2014 ministerial press briefing on the achievement of his ministry in the last one-year, Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru, disclosed that Lekki Comprehensive Master Plan allowed reclamation of land from the lagoon for such developments. According to him, the Orange project encompassed the dredging of sand from the bed of the

Lagos Lagoon, reclamation of a 150 hectare Island, construction of an access land bridge and provision of infrastructure to service the island. Speaking about the updates on Eko Atlantic City project, the commissioner said that as at the end of March 2014, the developer of the project has been able to reclaim over 5,000,000 square meter land from the ocean. He said: “33,085,877 M3 of sand has been pumped so far since the second phase started in November 2011. The total number of accopodes placed is 21,043 pieces. The length of core revetment is 4,367m.” Oniru hinted that the development of the first building owned by Afren Nigeria Limited has reached four-floor level, adding that the construction of the city’s phases one and two infrastructure - road, electricity, wa-

Reclaimed land for Eko Atlantic City project

Steps in approval process by the rate applicable to your land location. Usually you are to raise three bank drafts for payment to: The Lagos State government, the relevant local planning authority of the land location and Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority. Depending on your proposal, there are some additional fees that will be paid to the Lagos State government. At this stage you are to know the various requirements to be submitted for approval, so getting them ready before payment is cleared will save you time. Step 3 Before submission of your application, you will be asked to take an officer of the authority for site inspection (pre-site inspection). This is the first of three inspections that your site will be subjected to at the very least, the others being the construction inspection and post development inspection. The inspection officer is going to confirm if the site in ques-

ter and drainage are on-going. Speaking on holistic solution to the Atlantic Ocean surge, the commissioner said that 18 Groynes (sea breakers), have been constructed at intervals of 400 metres along the entire length, covering 7.5 kilometres between Goshen Estate and Alpha Beach. According to him, the project was awarded in November 2012, but was divided into three phases for funding reasons, adding that the three groynes in the first phase have been completed. The commissioner said that work has commenced on the phase two of the project since January this year. Besides, he hinted that the state government has been able to restore Kuramo Lake, which was ravaged by recent ocean surge.

tion is the same as the one being proposed for development, and this can be done by confirming that the pillar/beacon numbers tally with the ones in the survey plan and also to confirm that you have not commenced construction before approval. He will also relate the site to its immediate environment to see if proposal is in conformity with the existing land use, and if the size of the plot is as presented in the survey plan and design proposal. Also other things such as physical texture of the land, sandy, firm, water logged or swampy will be taken into account. He will also confirm that the site is accessible. If the inspection report is satisfactory, the application will then be registered, provided all documents have been submitted. Step 4 This is the time your application spends within the planning office, under processing. The following are the steps that a registered file goes through within the planning office:

a. The file is endorsed for registration by the district officer (D.O) or Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) and registered by the clerical officer who assigns the file number and receives all sheets of the drawing submitted. b. This is provided all relevant documents are submitted. The file is sent to the table of the DO/CEO, who sends it to the field officer to include his site sketch and report. While another file is opened with all relevant payment receipts and sent to the accountants office at LASPPDA headquarters for payment confirmation c. The field officer returns file to the DO/CEO, who will act on the report. If satisfied, the file will be sent to the charting officer to determine the conformity of the land with the land use of the area, and the actual status of the land, if it is freehold, government acquisition, scheme, water catchments, drainage channel and green zone. d. The file is returned to the DO/CEO who acts on the

charting report to determine the next line of action. If the report is satisfactory, the file is sent to the table of the engineer for vetting of the structural drawings. If the development is not a bungalow, but located in an area which does not have a firm land and requires a foundation different from a strip, then structural drawings is required even for one floor buildings (bungalows). e. The engineer will treat the application and revert to the DO/CEO who will act on the engineers report. If found satisfactory, then, the file is sent to the Recommendation Officer to vet and recommend as appropriate. f. The recommendation officer’s job is very important, as he/she will go through the entire file to ensure that all that should be done has been done, all requirements in terms of documents and fees have been included in the file, the site will also be re-visited to confirm that construction has not commenced, before recommending to the DO/CEO if application should be granted approval or not. g. The DO/CEO will act on the recommendation.

property & ENVIRONMENT

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Climate Change: Developed countries need robust finance for local adaptation FUNDING Industrialised nations must scale up finance for adaptation to climate change.

overnments of developed countries have been urged to scale up public finance for local adaptation to climate change. This was one of the resolutions of participants at the eighth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change, which ended in Kathmandu, Nepal, at the weekend. Delegates argued that without adequate finance, vulnerability to climate change would increase and adaptation would become more resource-intensive. In what they termed “Kathmandu declaration on financing local adaptation to climate change,” deligates urged that resource mobilisation and distribution of finance must be scaled up and accelerated, adding that the Green Climate Fund must deliver on its promise for a 5050 split between adaptation and mitigation over time, including through its result area on Community Based Adaptation (CBA). They said: “International finance bodies, including the Green Climate Fund, should prioritise systemic and transformational change and channel funding to the local level by scaling up successful practices and strategies into planning and implementation processes, including integrating with disaster risk reduction, humanitarian aid, conservation, development, forecast-based financing, as well as building the capacities of countries and communities to access and manage funds. “Funding should be needsbased and made available through enhanced direct access

mechanisms by following equitable, simplified and transparent processes, some of which are explicitly mentioned in the governing instrument of the Green Climate Fund.” According to the delegates, finance should be focused on building natural capital, climate-resilient work and livelihoods, community assets, urban as well as rural resilience, health, nutrition, technical capacity, institutional strengthening, and building resilience in basic services infrastructure, accounting for ecosystems services, and without compromising environmental integrity or national sovereignty. Delegates at the conference comprised of civil society representatives, private, local, regional, international agencies, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The delegates reiterated the provisions of all pertinent existing international declarations related to sustainable development and climate change, emphasising the need to imple-

ment them, while calling for a focused and human rights based approach to financing local adaptation to climate change. As part of shared principles to achieve community based adjustment, the delegates want adaptation finance to be based on the principles of equity, climate justice urgency, efficiency, effectiveness, adequacy, transparency, gender equity, accountability, inclusivity, participation, sustainability, as well as pro-poor, flexible, locally driven, long-term and based on sound scientific and indigenous knowledge, and human rights as well as democratic, participatory, and inclusive processes. They reiterated that funding must reach local communities and target the most vulnerable, arguing that financing local adaptation can only succeed if it is led by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged countries and communities, tailoring approaches to context-specific needs, and capitalising on communities’ values and strengths. They canvassed that the

needs and priorities of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities and groups, including the poor, women, children, youth, indigenous people, landless people, persons with disabilities, whose capacity should be strengthened to access resources for adaptation, should be programmatically prioritised. The delegates, therefore, emphasised the need for stakeholders to be able to access information about availability, deployment and utilisation of adaptation funding to ensure mutual accountability and transparency, including tracking financial flows at all stages. “There is the need to guard against maladaptation. Strong environmental and social safeguards and robust multi-stakeholder consultation processes is required to ensure that adaptation interventions do not increase the vulnerability both within and across national borders, and limit the well-being and choices of future generations,” they declared.

Proposed floating houses for Makoko waterfront community in Lagos

Requirement for building plan approvals in Lagos

he following documents must be submitted at the point of registration of applications for building plan approval in line with the state policy on operation 30-30; an acronym for speedy processing/approval of building plan applications: Five sets each of: 1. Architectural drawings, 2. Structural drawings with detailing/calculations and letter of structural stability from COREN certified engineer 3. Sanitary and plumbing drawings 4. Electrical drawings 5. Mechanical drawings where applicable. 6. One (1) sun print copy of survey plan. 7. Proof of land ownership such as certified true copy of title

document (C of O), Letter of Ratification in case of government acquisition or revocation areas, land purchase receipt (if it is purchase receipt, it must be duly stamped and predate the Land Use Decree 6 of 28 March, 1978. 8. Receipts of all land charges paid to date in case of state land. 9. Current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) of the applicant. If corporate body, two of its directors’ P.A.Y.E returns of staff and Certificate of Incorporation of the company. 10. Receipts of Lagos State Special Development Levy in respect of the TCC. 11. Receipt of Tenement rate paid to government in respect of rateable properties owned by the applicant in Lagos State or sworn affidavit in lieu. 12. Receipt of processing fees

payable in cash or bank drafts to Lagos State government at designated banks. 13. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in respect of all commercial industrial, institutional applications and some other uses prepared by an Urban and Regional Planner registered by NITP/ TOPREC. 14. Five (5) N20 postage stamps and 10 envelopes. 15. Letter of clearance from the following government agencies: Change of Use & Approval in Principle from Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development. Planning Information from Special Applications Unit in respect of special applications: Places of worship, filling stations, shopping complex, schools, banks, eateries, mortu-

aries and hotels. Land Use and Allocation Directorate: all state lands and government schemes. Land Services Department: For governor’s consent and subsequent transactions on landed properties. Ministry of Transportation metro line project, in case of properties around the proposed metro line alignment/ corridor. Drainage Department of MEPP: Applications within, drainage alignment, gorge, flood plain, river/water bodies, Lagoon and shoreline. Urban Renewal Board: applications that fall within Urban Renewal Scheme Areas. Lagos State Surveyor General’s Office: for applications that fall within acquisition, revocation and excision boundaries.

NCF plans 25% forest cover agenda he Nigerian Conservation Tcluded Foundation (NCF) has conplan to vigorously

pursue all actions aimed at returning Nigerian vegetation to 25 per cent cover. Working on a five-year strategic plan, the leadership of the foundation had concluded arrangements to ensure that efforts are put in place to engage all stakeholders on environmental issues in Nigeria towards ensuring that the 25 per cent forest cover, as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is achieved. Led by its President, Chief Philip Asiodu, NCF at its retreat resolved that it would devote more energy to advocacy and stakeholders’ engagement on the need to protect the remaining forest cover while supporting massive tree planting initiative throughout the country. NCF believes that improvement in vegetation cover will not only enhance livelihoods but promote Nigeria’s ecological integrity while ameliorating the impacts of climate change. According to Asiodu, the foundation will continue to advocate a sustained bolder programmes towards achieving 25 per cent forest cover for our Nigeria beyond year 2020. He said: “We will put more efforts on forest regeneration and protection strategy with the aim of increasing our forest reserves from less than five per cent now to 25 per cent as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). “It behooves the leadership and the elite in Nigeria to adopt and energetically implement a comprehensive agenda for the environment – perhaps a new 2020 agenda which would only require a minor updating of the environment chapter of the abandoned Vision 2010. This corrective agenda must be a long term programme with properly sequenced measures to be implemented immediately and to last for two decades or more.” As part of its five-year strategic plan which will commerce this year, NCF will take up the challenge by offering suggestions and advice to government on environmental issues from time to time. Also, as part of its mandate, the foundation will continue to promote environmental conservation and sustainable development in Nigeria. Executive Director of the Foundation, Alade Adeleke, said: “We are very much aware of the severe environmental challenges confronting Nigeria. Through our conservation projects, which cut across the country, we have developed unique conservation strategies that cater for the needs of the people while maintaining ecosystem stability. "

36 property & ENVIRONMENT

Wardrobe is an integral part of a bedroom, both for style and functionality. The style aspect of the wardrobe is mostly shown through the doors. Poorly crafted or poorly made wardrobe doors can make an entire room look shabby and drab. This is why choosing doors that fit both your personality and your house’s personality as a whole is so important. The best way to decide what wardrobe doors are right for you, according to experts @ www.wardrobechoice.com. au, is to look into what’s available.

ne of the things many people look for in wardrobe doors is sleekness and elegance. This is why many choose sliding doors for their wardrobe. When choosing a sliding door, you will find options for vinyl, wood, clear glass, coloured glass, and many more. These doors bring a modern look to any room and are easy to use. The new types of sliding doors are

Choosing the right wardrobe doors

nothing like the old, squeaky, wooden doors that get warped with the weather. These doors are built with steel roller fittings that keep the door on track and smooth. They are built for both style and durability. There are many types of sliding doors to choose from. One option is the frameless mirrored sliding doors. These doors serve a double function

AREDOLS plans N350m secretariat building Dayo Ayeyemi in the informal sector Dof evelopers under the umbrella of Association Real Estate Developers of Lagos State (AREDOLS), are planning to build a multi-purpose secretariat building befitting their status. Besides, the association is also set to launch monitoring/task force vehicles to inspect construction projects being undertaken by members in support of government’s efforts to put an end to the incessant collapse of buildings in the Lagos metropolis. In preparation for these two projects, the association, according to its Chairman, Prince Nureni Akinsanya, has concluded arrangement to hold a fund raising ceremony in order to make the plans a reality. He said the N360 million secretariat

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

fund raising, which will be chaired by Senator Ganiu Solomon, Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Commissioner for Works, Obafemi Hamzat, Chairman, MITV, Chief Muritala Gbadeyanka, Dr. Jimi Agbaje and Mamman Inbrahim Tsafe, would be held at Degree Events Centre at Oregun, Ikeja on 18th of May this month. Dignitaries at the event include Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Ibeto Group, Chief Cletus Madubugwu Ibeto; and President, Forte Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola and others. Governor Babatunde Fashola is the chief host. AREDOLS boasts multi-billion naira investment base in Lagos environs, most especially in Lagos Central Business District and the Mainland.

as both doors and a mirror. Frameless mirrored sliding doors are a great option if your room is not spacious enough to fit a mirror or if you are looking for ways to find more free space on the walls. You could also choose a glass door, which come in both clear glass and coloured glass, for a different kind of sleek look. If you’re looking for a customisable door, there are many options of doors that come in white but are made to be painted. Or, to save some work, you could choose a door already painted in your colour of choice. The doors are one of the most customisable aspects of the wardrobe, which leaves plenty of room for your own creativity.

There are so many options for wardrobe doors it can be overwhelming to choose one. But it doesn’t have to be such a hard decision to make. Simply look around your room and try to envision what sort of doors would fit in or make the room look even better. Then, research to try to find the doors that are closest to your dream ones. There are so many style options out there you should easily be able to find something close to what you’re thinking of, or maybe even something you never envisioned but that works perfectly. Your perfect wardrobe doors are out there, waiting to be discovered and installed. Sometimes, it’s good to ask for the advice of a professional if you feel this would help.

Aviation terrorism: The evolving p–38 threats

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

BUSINESS 37

Barajas Airport terminar, Madrid

Wole Shadare

ometime last week, Simon Michael was to attend a crucial business meeting in Abuja. He had prepared for the meeting which, among other things, could have led to financial breakthrough for him. A day before the trip, he asked his younger brother to buy him a ticket from one of the leading airlines. The ticket was purchased in earnest. He had booked the 6.45am flight because he wanted to get to Abuja early and go through the business plans. That was not to be as the flight was delayed for no other reason than, ‘operational reason.”. It had been rescheduled for 11am. Confused, Michael called his business partners to inform them of the new development. They agreed to shift the meeting to 1pm. At 11am came another announcement that the flight was to depart at 7.30pm. Disappointed, he dashed to other airlines counters to see if he could secure a seat on any of the carriers. He was further disappointed when he was told that the next flight on other airlines would be at 6 and 7pm. A number of things raced through his mind. He not only felt disgusted with the way airline business is done in Nigeria, but felt more aggrieved with the seeming lack of protection of passengers’ right and it appears that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) may have gone to sleep in the enforcement of passengers bill of right. Michael told New Telegraph that the disappointed painted him as an unserious business man, claiming the missed flight cost him his reputation,

Airlines’maltreatment of passengers: Is the fight waning? just as he plans to file a suit against the airline. The aviation industry is global in nature, hence operators are obliged to synchronise their operations with global best practices of strict adherence to rules and regulations and respect for consumer protection. The situation got to a head last week as the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) could not tolerate the inhuman treatment meted out to travellers on a daily basis. As a result, the CPC ordered Aero Contractors to pay monetary compensation to passengers of its flight AJ132, who were left stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on November 8, 2013. According to the CPC, the flight, which was supposed to convey 135 passengers to Lagos, failed to take off at the scheduled time of 6pm and the passengers were delayed for 15 hours till 9am the following day. The council added that about 39 of the passengers were stranded overnight at the airport, while others were provided alternative flights. The Director-General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, told journalists in Lagos that the council, after three hearings held between December 17, 2013 and February 6, 2014, and other investigations, was giving the airline 30 days to pay the affected passengers and report back to it or face serious sanc-

tions. The council said that in line with the Passenger Bill of Rights developed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the passengers should be paid N5,000 for snacks and drinks due to them after one hour of delay, and meals and drinks due after two hours of delay. Other payments include N1,000 for two free telephone calls, SMS or email; N10,000 for return transportation to and from hotel accommodation in Abuja; N25,000 for one night of hotel accommodation, and 25 per cent of the passengers’ ticket values for the cancellation of the flight without notice. Apart from the payment, the council has also ordered the airline to present written assurances that it will refrain from any conduct that will be detrimental to the interest of

The list includes flight delays, cancellations, denied boardings, baggage losses and shabby treatment by airline check-in officials, among others

consumers within 30 days. Atoki said that the council made the recommendations in order to assuage the affected consumers and institute the adoption of international best practices in handling consumer issues. The above is just a little of the various violation of rights usually experienced by Nigerian passengers on daily basis. Last year alone, the NCAA said that it received over 40,000 complaints bordering on various cases of violation of passengers rights within nine months. The list includes flight delays, cancellations, denied boardings, baggage losses and shabby treatment by airline check-in officials, among others. Experts in the travel industry say possession of an air ticket symbolises a contract between the carrier and the passenger, and as such, passengers are not meant to be maltreated. They noted that service delivery in Nigerian airports is at “zero level,” adding that there is the need for an urgent step to be taken to save the situation. According to them, “the service level is so bad that when a passenger asks an airline official at the counter some questions on certain things he wants to know, such staff sometimes snob him or reply in a bad manner. The passenger has the right to know.” According to the travel ex-

pert, Nigerian airlines have become used to violating passengers’ right that they don’t bother about compensation. To them, “compensation is given to passengers everywhere else in the world because it is contained in the Warsaw Convention, which Nigeria also ratified. Now, it says if you delay the flight for two hours the passenger is entitled to at least a bottle of water and snacks. We have issues here that if you miss your flight, you cannot come back for your refund immediately. Some airlines tell you that it would take one month. “And you find out that sometimes when you don’t make it for the flight, it is classified as ‘no show.’ The percentage deducted from your ticket fees I consider to be too high. Because sometimes you lose as much as N7,000, some, you lose N4,000. And if you now want to re-route the flight, you make extra payment to enable you fly. Now if it is working in Europe and it is working elsewhere, why would it not work here?” Former Directors-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren and Capt. Fola Akinkuotu vigorously fought for the bill that would protect passengers. While Demuren put in place the legal framework for the bill, Akinkuotu ensured its implementation and worked tirelessly to ensure it remains in place and drew passengers’ awareness to it.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

AIR RAGE

WITH

Wole Shadare

Aviation terrorism: The evolving threats 11, 2001 - now Saneptember known simply as “9/11” - is unforgettable day in U.S.

London Heathrow Terminal 5

S'Africa: New visa conditions underway for expatriates POLICY New immigration regulations were proposed to come into effect on 1 April 2014.

mmigration Directive 43 of 2010 was withdrawn by the Department of Home Affairs on February 24, 2014. The withdrawal of this directive means that even where a foreign national has an application for residence pending in South Africa, such a foreigner would be fined for an overstay if he attempts to depart from South Africa in the absence of a valid visa. This is the case even where the foreigner’s application for status was submitted well before the expiry of the existing permit. The Directive 43 previously allowed foreigners awaiting the outcome of applications for temporary residence permit to leave and to re-enter South Africa on the basis that they had an application pending within the country, by presenting their acknowledgement of receipt from the Department of Home Affairs as proof of the pending application. Upon presentation of such proof, a for-

eigner was allowed to depart and re-enter the country even if their permit had expired. It allowed individuals from non-visa exempt countries to travel and to re-enter South Africa without obtaining a visa. Such individuals were granted a thirty day visitor’s visa upon re-entry. Although the directive was partially reinstated on February 28, 2014, this only benefits foreigners who were out of South Africa at the date of its withdrawal by allowing them to re-enter the country. Although a visa exempt national is still authorised to reenter the country provided he/ she holds a return ticket and is entering for the purpose of visiting or to await the outcome of the application, such an individual is still precluded from working. Under the partially reinstated directive, a nonvisa exempt national will now be denied re-entry into South Africa in the absence of a visa. New immigration regulations were proposed to come into effect on 1 April, 2014. The changes have, however, not yet come into operation and there is no certainty when they will. Among other proposed changes, the new regulations propose that any foreigner who overstayed his visa for even one day will automatically

Aircraft parked on the tarmac of OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg

be declared an undesirable person. The period for which such a foreigner will be prohibited re-entry into South Africa ranges from two to ten years, depending on the length of the overstay. In light of the dire penalty associated with being regarded as having overstayed one’s visa, no person should travel after their existing visa has expired and every individual should ensure that he/she holds a valid visa when exiting and re-entering the country. A visa exempt national may return after the expiry of a permit, but would need to hold a return ticket in order to be landed on a visitor’s visa. A non-visa exempt national who attempts to return after his existing permit has expired will be denied re-entry into South Africa. It has become imperative to allow sufficient time not only for the processing of one’s application for renewal of temporary residence application, but also for any delay that may be associated with the granting of such renewal. Individuals dealing with such matters must seek advice well in advance of any travel needs which may overlap with residence application processes and /or visa expiry.

history. On that day, terrorists destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center and severely damaged the Pentagon building using hijacked commercial airliners as weapons of mass destruction. Thousands of innocent people were killed on the ground and in the air. Since that period, airports authorities had come up with plans to periodically review security methods to protect aerodromes and lives of their citizens. In Nigeria, the recent spate of bombings across the nation has made the desire of the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) and security officials to protect these facilities commendable. Experts say terrorists usually target areas where the impact of their dastardly actions would be felt most. And since airports are ‘home’ to different nationals, the successful detonation of explosives inside an airport terminal or the success at bringing down an airplane usually sends the cruelest of messages that they (insurgents) are very much around. A security expert told New Telegraph that protecting airports demands a high level of vigilance because a single lapse in aviation security can result in hundreds of deaths, destroy equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars and have immeasurable negative impacts on the economy and the public’s confidence in air travel. The terrorists’ attack, exploiting the lapses in the US aviation security on September 11, 2001, did indeed produce the catastrophic results. Despite general agreement on what aviation security entails, and the goals of aviation security system, public controversy abounds on how to regulate and provide this important activity. If aircraft and passengers, as well as property and people on the ground, are to be protected, potential perpetrators of aviation terrorism must be prevented from breaching security checkpoints and gaining access to secured airport areas and to aircraft. Given the interconnectedness of the air transport system, a sufficiently high level

MMA 2

of security must be provided throughout the entire system. Flexibility to respond quickly to new information about aviation security threats is a must. Equally important is the offering of incentives to both the regulators and security providers so that aviation security improvements can be devised and implemented. At the same time, however, the costs associated with providing security must be incorporated in the decision making process and weighed against the benefits. The fight against terrorism and other acts of unlawful interference has been focused mostly on passengers with less attention being directed at the threats posed by airport workers as insiders. It is worthy to note that security breaches committed at airports have the direct or indirect involvement of airport workers. These include pilfering of passenger baggage, surveillance of sensitive areas, disclosure of confidential or sensitive security information, bypassing of security checkpoints, weapon smuggling and the like. Thus, insider vulnerabilities represent real concern that need to be addressed, particularly in view of all the other measures that have been put in place to mitigate the risks to passengers and other users of the airport. It has been observed that perpetrators of unlawful acts often look for the weakest link in the security chain of defence of which airport employees could be one, as they have detailed knowledge of the operational procedures and weaknesses of the system. These could easily be exploited by disgruntled elements to perpetrate acts of unlawful interference. Airport workers have opportunities of having access to Security Restricted Areas (SRA) and could be used to smuggle weapons or place items to be used to perpetuate terrorism and sabotage at the airside or even on the aircraft. Airport workers need to be subjected to 100 per cent screening measures similar to that of passengers whenever accessing SRA of the airport. Prompt payment of workers’ wages and other incentives are germane to mitigating threats from within.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Soaring Ontario fuel tax will hurt province’s jobs, economy –IATA RIP-OFF Air travelers in Ontario are paying a heavy price for the government’s shortsightedness. he International Air TransTclearing port Association (IATA), the house for global air-

General Manager, Corporate Communications, Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), Basil Agboarumi receiving the Beacon of ICT award from Gbenga Adebayo of CNSSL Call Centre Limited.

Iberia launches own scent, ‘Mediterráneo de Iberia' INNOVATION This new fragrance will be used on all Iberia airplanes and VIP lounges, starting from May 1, 2014. Wole Shadare

beria continues to renew its image, by becoming the first airline to create its own scent, which it has named “Mediterráneo de Iberia.” It is a fresh, soft and delicate fragrance that provides a sense of well-being, a warm welcome to the airplane. The “Mediterráneo de Iberia” fragrance has notes of fruit, flowers and wood, with a touch of citrus: lemon, orange, bergamot and mandarin, elegantly combined to high-

light the delicate scent of orange blossom. “Our aim is to go further than a simple brand image change. We want to transform the customer experience in every point of contact. The sensory element, such as the music and scent, support this change. We have created an exclusive, fresh and lively scent, with a Spanish touch, which is consistent with our brand personality,” points out the Director of Marketing at Iberia, Carolina Martinoli. This new fragrance went on use on all Iberia airplanes and VIP lounges, from May 1, 2014. The new image also makes a difference to on-board music “With the aim of improving our customer experience, Iberia has also chosen a new music selection which our passengers will be able to enjoy

from tomorrow, as they board and disembark their planes, and also while they are on board. Up to now, these 12 new songs were available on Iberia’s long-haul flights, but, starting tomorrow, they will be played on short and medium flights. The tunes chosen reflect the lively and expressive attitude of the new Iberia, with a selection of Latin and Mediterranean nuances which convey freshness and energy. ‘De momento abril’ by La Bien Querida, ‘Inevitable,’ by Amparo Velasco ‘La Negra’ and ‘Si tú fueras mi novio,’ by Soleá Morente are some of the new songs that will be playing, according to Martinoli. With these latest additions, the brand encompasses the five senses; it can be seen, heard, perceived, and tasted.

NAHCO bags aviation company of the year

he Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, (nahco aviance) has again confirmed its leadership position in the nation’s aviation handling sector by emerging the 2013/2014 Aviation Handling Company of the Year at the Nigeria Transport Awards and Lecture held recently at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. This latest feat brings to two the number of industry awards already garnered by the company in the first half of the year. The company recently won the NIGAV Awards, as the “Cargo Company of the Year 2013” at the 6th Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Conference, Exhibition and Awards held at the Tinapa Resort, Cross Rivers State. The second Nigeria Transport Awards and Lecture is powered by Transport Day

Newspaper and Moving Up Marketing Communications. It seeks to bring together stakeholders in the entire transportation industry to chart ways for growth and development. nahco aviance has remained steadfast in its leadership position in the aviation handling sector of the transport industry with major achievements in areas of strong and exceptional corporate governance, broad working knowledge of the nation’s aviation industry, certification and membership of various international aviation bodies, quality service delivery, impressive clientele base and ownership and operation of the largest warehouse in sub-Sahara Africa and recently a license to operate a free trade zone Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc. (nahco aviance) is a Nigerian diversified enterprise with interests in aviation

cargo, aircraft handling, passenger facilitation, crew transportation and aviation training. The company currently serves more than 35 airlines at seven airports across Nigeria, with plans to expand operations to other African countries. It handles about 70per cent of domestic and foreign airlines operating in Nigeria. nahco aviance was incorporated on December 6th 1979 as an aviation servicing company but started operations in April 1979 with the commissioning of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The Federal Government of Nigeria, through Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), initially held 60% equity interest in the company while four foreign airlines - Air France, British Airways, Sabena and Lufthansa - shared the remaining 40 per cent in various ratios.

lines, has expressed shock and disappointment over the Ontario government’s proposal to more than double the Province’s aviation fuel tax. The fuel tax already costs Ontario travelers and shippers over C$60 million yearly. When fully implemented, the increase from C2.7 cents per liter to C6.7 cents per liter will add over C$100 million per year to the cost of air transport in the province. “At a time when government is proposing to spend some $2.5 billion to attract businesses to Ontario, why make air connectivity more expensive? Businesses depend on cost-efficient air connections. So the proposal runs at cross-purposes to the initiative to attract new investment by making the province less competitive,” said Tony Tyler, IATA Director General and CEO. “If implemented, this tax hike could literally drive travelers and shippers away from Ontario’s airports. Aviation is intensely competitive and air travelers and businesses have options to spend their dollars elsewhere, using nearby airports,” Tyler said. According to the Hotel Association of Canada’s Annual Travel Survey, already 17 per

cent of Canadian travelers crossed the border for less expensive tickets last year. For Ontario, the figure was 23 per cent. “Dollars and jobs are flowing south, away from Ontario, and this tax increase will only hasten the exodus,” Tyler added. Aviation in Canada contributes C$42.3 billion or 2.8 per cent of GDP and supports some 550,000 jobs including the benefits of aviation-supported tourism. “Toronto Pearson is Canada’s busiest airport. Air travelers there are paying a heavy price for the government’s short-sightedness. Ontario should follow the example of British Columbia, which eliminated its provincial fuel tax, a step that helped Vancouver International Airport consolidate and strengthen its position as a leading transpacific gateway,” said Tyler. Taxing fuel for international flights (including trans-border flights) violates longstanding international agreements including the Chicago Convention. “This tax hike is just wrong and must not be implemented. It makes no economic sense because it will be a blow to Ontario’s competitiveness at a time when job creation is a priority. Flouting ICAO standards and agreements sets a very bad precedent at a time when the Canadian government is calling on other governments to follow ICAO’s leadership in key areas such as the environment. And adding insult to injury for the travelers and shippers who will be affected, none of the planned increase is fuel tax will be invested in aviation,” Tyler observed.

…Reaches pact with EASA on Information sharing European Aviation Tthehe Safety Agency (EASA) and International Air Trans-

port Association (IATA) announced an agreement on sharing of safety information and joint analysis of safety trends. These analyses primarily will be based on the information derived from the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) program, and the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). EASA and IATA expect that this collaboration will provide an excellent basis for better identifying important safety issues and has the potential for further improvements to the auditing process including the Third Country Operators (TCO) assessments and authorisation requirements of the European Union. “Safety is aviation’s highest priority and IOSA is the global benchmark for airline operational safety management. Working together through this information and trend-sharing

partnership will contribute to making aviation even safer, while offering the potential to optimise the audit processes,” said Tyler, Partick Ky, EASA Executive Director, said: “Partnering with IATA on data sharing is a major stepping stone towards our common goal to promote the highest possible level of safety in aviation. This close and pragmatic relationship with industry will in particular facilitate the demonstration of compliance to the new rules affecting non-European Union airlines.” IOSA is a requirement of membership in IATA; additionally, some 150 airlines that are not members of IATA participate in IOSA. SAFA ramp inspections are random safety inspections on a given aircraft and its crew, focusing on the flight preparation and the technical condition of the aircraft. Approximately 11,000 inspections are recorded every year.

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Air France-KLM narrows Q1 loss amid overhaul

he Board of Directors of Air France-KLM, chaired by Alexandre de Juniac, met on April 29, 2014, to approve the accounts for the First Quarter 2014. First Quarter 2014 revenues stood at 5,554 million euros versus 5,681 million euros in 2013, down 2.2 per cent, but stable on a constant currency and scope basis (like-for-like). Currencies had a negative 108 million euro impact on revenues. Operating costs were reduced by 3.4 per cent and by 2.0 per cent on a constant currency basis. Ex-fuel, they decreased by 2.3 per cent, and by 1.3 per cent on a constant currency basis. Unit cost per EASK1 (Equivalent Available Seat Kilometer) was reduced by 4.3 per cent, and by 1.7 per cent on a constant currency, fuel price and pension expense basis, against capacity measured in EASK up by 1.2 per cent. The fuel bill amounted to 1,553 million euros, down 6.3 per cent, and down 3.5 per cent on a constant currency basis. Total employee costs including temporary staff were down 3.8 per cent to 1,846 million euros, and by 3.6 per cent on a constant currency basis. At constant pension expense and scope, they declined by 60 million euros, well on track towards the 120 million euro reduction targeted for the full year. EBITDA amounted to -50 million euros, an improvement of 66 million euros. The EBITDA margin stood at -1.0 per cent, a 1.0 point improvement on 2013. The operating result stood at -445 million euros versus -532 million euros in 2013, an 87 million euro improvement. Currencies had a 15 million euro net negative impact on First Quarter operating result. Net result, group share stood at -608 million euros against -641 million euros a year ago. It was impacted by 117 million euros of foreign exchange losses, in particular related to an adjustment in the value of the cash held by

the Group in Venezuela, to take into account the currency conversion risk. On an adjusted basis, the net result, group share stood at -485 million euros against-652 million in First Quarter 2013, a 167 million euro improvement. Earnings and diluted earnings per share both stood at -2.05 euros (-2.17 euros in 2013), and at -1.64 euros on an adjusted basis (-2.20 euros in 2013).

Passenger business First Quarter 2014 passenger revenues amounted to 4,365 million euros, down 1.9 per cent, but stable on a constant currency basis. The passenger business was particularly impacted by the calendar effect of Easter, which fell in March last year. The operating result of the passenger business stood at -378 million euros, versus -447 million euros in Q1 2013, an improvement of 80 million euros on a constant currency basis. Total passenger traffic rose by 2.1 per cent while capacity rose by 1.3 per cent leading to a 0.6 point improvement in load factor to 82.8 per cent. Unit revenue per Available Seat Kilometer (RASK) fell by 2.5 per cent and by 0.7 per cent like-for-like. Unit costs (CASK) were reduced by 3.9 per cent and by 2.4 per cent like-for-like. Long-haul traffic rose 2.2 per cent for a 2.1 per cent rise in capacity, leading to a stable load factor at 85.2 per cent. Long-haul RASK was down 0.4 per cent like-for-like. Cargo Business As planned in the framework of Transform 2015, mediumhaul capacity was reduced by 2.2 per cent. Traffic rose by 1.6 per cent, leading to a 2.7 point improvement in load factor to 73.3 per cent. Medium-haul RASK improved by 0.6 per cent like-for-like. First Quarter 2014 cargo revenues amounted to 676 million euros, down 3.4 per cent and

by 1.3 per cent on a constant currency basis. Traffic experienced a slight upturn, rising by 1.9 per cent for a 0.9 per cent decline in capacity, leading to a 1.8 point increase in load factor to 64.8 per cent. However, the yield remained weak, leading to a 1.0 per cent decline in unit revenue per Available Ton Kilometer (RATK) on a constant currency basis (-3.0 per cent on a reported basis). Thanks to a reduction in unit cost (down 3.7 per cent on a constant currency basis, and 5.4 per cent on a reported basis), the operating result improved, from -50 million euros in Q1 2013 to -34 million euros. Nevertheless the recovery of cargo demand is taking longer than expected, and further scenarios are now under consideration to restructure the full freighter business in order to accelerate the turnaround. Maintenance First Quarter 2014 third party maintenance revenues amounted to 290 million euros, down 4.0per cent and by 1.9 per cent on a constant currency basis, reflecting quarterly variations in the scheduling of engine

shop visits. The operating result stood at 22 million euros, up 2 million euros year-on-year. The operating margin stood at 2.7 per cent versus 2.5 per cent a year earlier. In the quarter, the group recorded a 15 per cent increase in its order book to 5.2 billion euros, including a major contract with Air China to cover the maintenance of GE90 engines. Other business: Catering First Quarter 2014 third party catering revenues amounted to 73 million euros, down 13.1 per cent reflecting the deconsolidation of Air Chef. They were up 12.3 per cent at constant scope.

Financial situation The further improvement in EBITDA translated into an 84 million euro increase in cash flow before change in WCR and the cash out related to Voluntary Departure Plans. In the First Quarter net investments before sale & leaseback transactions stood at 327 million euros, in line with the Transform 2015 full year capex budget. Operating free cash flow amounted to -80 million euros, versus a positive 40 million eu-

ros a year earlier, partly due to the fact that Q1 2013 benefited from a cash inflow of 77 million euros from sale and lease-back transactions. Net debt amounted to 5.54 billion euros at 31 March 2014, versus 5.35 billion euros at 31 December 2013. The slight increase in net debt reflects foreign exchange losses partly relating to Venezuela. At 2.9x, the net debt / EBITDA ratio was stable compared to 31 December 2013. Outlook Delivery on the Transform 2015 plan is fully on track. However, the general operating environment remains tough. Under these conditions, the group remains committed to its objective of an EBITDA in the region of 2.5 billion euros in Full Year 2014, subject to the successful implementation of the measures aimed at compensating for the slower than expected recovery in cargo demand and the network adjustments linked to the situation on the Caracas route, and no reversal in other operating trends. The group will continue to reduce its net debt in line with its objective of 4.5 billion euros in 2015.

This is how passengers travel around in Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Virgin Atlantic brings Apple iBeacon to London Heathrow V irgin Atlantic passengers in London Heathrow Airport will become some of the first people to experience a new technology designed to give personal notifications to their phones. The airline is using Apple’s

iBeacon technology, which uses Bluetooth Low Energy and geofencing, to provide a connected service through their airport experience. Using iBeacon devices created by Estimote, a technology

start-up building a sensor-based analytics and engagement platform, smartphones with Apple Passbook downloaded in range of a device, can receive communications from the beacon related to their location in the

Cost pressures mount over MH370 search ith the search for missing said on Monday could take six bear the financial and logisW Malaysia Airlines flight to eight months to search. tical burden of a potentially MH370 entering a new, much But despite US President lengthy and expensive search. longer phase, the countries involved must decide how much they are prepared to spend on the operation and what they stand to lose if they hold back. The search is already set to be the most costly in aviation history and spending will rise significantly as underwater drones focus on a larger area of the seabed that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Barack Obama publicly promising to commit more assets, the United States appears keen to begin passing on the costs of providing sophisticated sonar equipment that will form the backbone of the expanded hunt. That means Australia, China and Malaysia - the countries most closely involved in the operation - look set to

"We're already at tens of millions. Is it worth hundreds of millions?" a senior US military official told Reuters news agency. "I don't know. That's for them to decide." He made it clear that Washington was intent on spending less from now on, making it the first major donor country to scale back its financial commitment to the search.

airport. For example, an Upper Class passenger approaching the private security channel can receive a notification for his phone to open electronic boarding pass ready to be scanned by security. In the main area of the airport, passengers using the service will receive special partner offers, such as lower commission as they pass the MoneyCorp currency exchange booth. Brand and Customer Engagement Director, Virgin Atlantic, Reuben Arnold, said: “At this stage, we’ve only skimmed the surface on the advantages that this technology can offer our customers. “In the future, we expect it to further personalise our passenger’s journey, such as notifying an Upper Class passenger that there is an open appointment in the Clubhouse spa or introduc-

ing the crew members on their flight as they board the aircraft. “Our passengers are increasingly more connected as they travel and by using advanced technology we can improve customer experience and continue to put innovation at the heart of the flying experience.” Earlier this year, the airline completed a successful trial testing Google Glass trial in its Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow airport. From the minute Upper Class passengers stepped out of their chauffeured limousine and were greeted by name, Virgin Atlantic staff wearing the technology were able to update passengers on a range of relevant information about their onward journey, including the latest flight times, available seats on-board, destination weather and arrival transportation details.

MOM&PARENTING

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/mum&parenting

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

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

Allow your girl child a breather In order to make their daughters appear good and correct, some parents go to any extent in protecting them. There’s nothing bad in protecting your daughter, but over protecting could make her rebellious or damaged. OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI writes on where to stop the imperiousness

“I

cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”, said Sigmund Freud. When parents, particularly fathers go the extra mile to protect their daughters, they are often perceived as over-bearing or wicked daddies. Some daughters even turn their parents’ enemies in the process of struggling for liberation in the hands. In the determination to ensure a emergence of decent girls of their daughters, some parents do all sort of things to tie them to their aprons. Of such example is Torera Shomade, popularly called Aunty Sho, a retired Accountant. By every standard, Aunty Sho is a pretty woman, who under normal circumstances, shouldn’t have any problem settling down with a man of her choice. In fact, by now, she should be would have been a grandmother or mother-in-law. Life didn’t go that way for her. What happened? Her father mortgaged her life and her life happiness in the name of protecting her. He did some traditional rites on her, so that she would not be attractive to any man until she is 30 years old, the age he believed, she would be old enough to marry. Reason is that, he doesn’t want men to mess her up before her marriage time. Well, she got to that age without any man seeking for her attention; hence, she became jittery when she got to age 35 and no man still sought for her attention. She complained to her mother, who consoled her that it is not yet “God’s time” for her. She took it calmly and went on with her life. Quite successful, before the age of 40, Aunty Sho had already built four houses. At age 45, she became desperate and cried out to family members to plead with her parents to set her free, “I want to marry. I want to be

A couple showing love on their daughter

like any other woman. I want to taste what other ladies are enjoying. I just want to be a normal woman,” she cried. The cry jolted the parents out of their cool closet. In the process of looking for the solution to the problem they created for her while she was 10 years old, her father died in a ghastly motor accident on his way from Ede in Osun State. The mother changed from an Anglican church to a Christ Apostolic Church that is widely believed to be fervent in prayers; still no solution to Shomade’s predicament. At 58, Aunty Sho has no husband or child of her own. She is bitter, subjected to internal conflicts. In fact, she does not wear a smiling face; she is ever nagging, always at war with her tenants and everyone around her. One may be right to think that Shomade will never forgive her parents. Yes! She did not

Now, look at me, men are scared of me because of my father. It’s as if they inform themselves to beware of me

attend her father’s burial because of his way of protecting her, which she termed wicked. Theresa Adesuyi, 38 is another victim of father’s extreme protection. She is neither in a relationship nor hopeful of any marriage. She told New Telegraph that when men were flocking round her, her father would go all out to chase them away. He would use gun at times to threaten them. She recounted vividly a drama that occurred when she was a sophomore at the University of Benin. She was critically sick to the point of fainting. Nobody agreed to take her home because of the nature of her father. Finally, a good Samaritan in the person of her course mate, agreed to bring her home. On getting home, as the boy was about to knock the gate, her father, who had sighted them from afar, perhaps misunderstood the hugging to be affront before his eyes. He came out with his double barrel gun and shot into the air. He pounced on the innocent guy, got him arrested and detained for four days at the station. When the boy got home and narrated to his own parents, it was war between the two families. “Now, look

PHOTO: stockxpertcom_id

at me, men are scared of me because of my father. It’s as if they inform themselves to beware of me,” she lamented. Shomade and Adesuyi are just two out of the many out there suffering under the auspice of parents’ protection. Experts warn that when parents become too protective, it could erase the girl’s life confidence and could make her become unnecessarily inquisitive about life or what the parents are shielding her from, thereby becoming wayward. Oh good! There was the old story of a father who was very strict with his 23 year old daughter. He would not allow her to go out, he would not let her play with friends and school mates. At school, he instructed people to monitor her. The poor girl felt chocked. There was very little or nothing her mother could do to save her from the bondage of her father’s protection. Out of desperation, she found a friend and confidant in her father’s driver, Emmanuel, whom she eventually got pregnant for. For almost two months, the girl maintained that it was her father who got her pregC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4 2

MOM&PARENTING

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Where to draw the line with daughters C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 1

nant. After much pleading and with elders’ intervention, she told them who impregnated her. Her father had no option than to allow peace reign and learn from the disgrace brought upon him by himself. However, a cross section of opinions with different fathers about protecting their daughters indicated that no one can monitor or protect a girl child other the protection of God and sound moral upbringing. Joseph Odogbo, a Senior Manager with Nestle foods told New Telegraph that the best way to protect girls is to befriend them, make them be bold to confide in their parents. He said he sees his two daughters as special species that must be well protected. “I am their best friend. I tell my wife to talk to them about the female aspect like sex education, dating, menstrual flow, e.t.c. My first daughter wants to be a Petroleum Engineer. I am happy for that and I encourage her by exposing her to all the practical aspects of it. Socially, I let her go

out with children of parents I know. I expose her to browsing but well guided. I introduce what is known as firewall to her computer and her phone so that there is limit to what she can see.” Martins Olarewaju, a lecturer with the Lagos State University, said there’s a limit to which a father can monitor his daughters. But he advocate for sex education at an early stage with solid moral upbringing, so that when they are on their own, without the parents presence, they have the fear of God which is the basis of wisdom to guard them. He borrowed a quote that says “the father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, “Daddy, I need to ask you something,” he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan.” Samson Okenyi, a technician, said

if there’s good and sound training, even if they are exposed to bad characters or obscene views, they will be guided by the godly knowledge in them. “The morals keep them on guard,” he said. As far as a girl is concerned, he said, there is a limit to which one can guide female children because they get exposed naturally, especially in this jet age that children are faster than their age. Already, he added that a girl is open to sex at the age of eight, when she starts having the vital signs on her. Okenyi gave example of his five year old girl, who already has fallen in love with a boy of her age in her class. “My daughter naturally loves Nwaokolo, the boy in her class to the extent that she asks us to package snacks for him. If the teacher flogs him, my daughter comes home to complain and ask us to come to school.” He said because of his daughter’s obsession for him, they had to become family friends with the boy’s family. “The protective thing has a limit.” According to Dr.Phil.com advice,

overprotective parents mean well. After all, it’s a parent’s job to protect children from harm but some parents go a little too far. “Overprotective” means a parent is on the extreme end of the spectrum and is likely causing some unintended consequences. He said overprotective parents think that they are doing a favour for their children by keeping them safe without realizing that this parenting style has severe effects on children, such as robbing them the essential life skills that they need in order to have a healthy personality and to face life problems. He added that an over protective parent sends an unconscious message to the child, telling her that the world is not a safe place. “As a result of this parenting style, the child grows up into an adult, who fears to take risks. That child might live his life in the comfort zone he was taught to live in even if his life was miserable and even if stepping out of this zone would make him or her happier.”

Parenting styles

Scolding child: Pressure to be perfect

veryone’s entitled to their own opinion, and parenting is no exception. There are different types of parenting styles. It depends on one suitable to mothers. From helicopter parents to serenity parenting, every style of child rearing has its pros and cons, passionate believers and doubters. The terms can get a little bit confusing, though, so check out this quick guide to common parenting styles as explained by circle of moms. Helicopter Parenting (or Cosseting Parenting): Helicopter parents, put simply, are parents who hover. These parents pay close attention to their child’s experiences and problems and intervene if and when they see fit. Critics say helicopter parents are overprotective or too involved. Attachment Parenting: Dr. Sears says, attachment parenting is the style

PHOTO: AWW.COM.AU

of parenting that follows the theory that a secure, trusting attachment to parents during early childhood (and beyond) results in secure and independent adults. Bed sharing and baby wearing are both big parts of attachment parenting. Baby-Led Parenting: This style of parenting is very similar to attachment parenting, in that these parents keep their baby close at all times, feed on demand, and co-sleep. However, the main principal of this style, coined by Dr. Benjamin Spock, is that baby is boss. Parents look for baby to decide what she needs next rather than creating a schedule for feedings, rest, or play. Natural Parenting: Natural parents have the desire to live and parent responsively and consciously. Natural parents are eco-friendly, holistic, and known for gentle methods of disci-

Tiger parenting?

pline. Tiger Parenting (or Chinese Parenting): These parents are known for being strict and for putting their children’s academic careers before anything else. Free-Range Parenting (or Slow Parenting): In contrast to tiger, parents are free-range parents (or slow parents). This philosophy believes that instead of planned or organized activities, children should simply be allowed to explore the world at their own pace. Serenity Parenting: Serenity parenting emphasizes that a child’s nature is more prominent than nurture. Bryan Caplan, author of the book “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent Is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think,” encourages moms and dads to follow this type of parenting by us-

PHOTO: THOUGHTCATALOG.COM

ing the wise words of the Serenity Prayer to accept the things they cannot change about their child. Doing the Best You Can Parenting: This style of parenting is the type of parenting that most of us try to follow. Sure, we borrow here and there from attachment, natural, and baby-led. We wish we did more serenity and free-range. And there certainly are those times where we get all helicopter and tiger on our kids. But mainly we’re just doing the best we can. Each of these examples of parenting styles affects the development of the child in either positive or negative ways depending upon the degree and type of parental demands and responsiveness involved. Please vote for your choice of parenting styles and the reason for it, through the above email address.

FEATURES

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ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES EDITOR

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

Lunatics or ritual killers? Reported discoveries of human parts from several ‘mad people’ in the SouthWest in the last couple of weeks have changed people’s perception of lunatics, writes ABIODUN BELLO

sychologists describe a madman or woman as someone who has lost complete touch with reality. Amadmanissomeonewhobehavesin a wild, uncontrolled way, according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Generally, there are behavioural patterns associated with those regarded as mad people. In the advanced clime, these groups of people are usually given medical care, particularly in psychiatric hospitals. AlthoughtherearefacilitiesinNigeriatocare for mad people such as the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, etc. But many of the people receiving treatment in most of these facilities are from rich homes. Unfortunately, Nigeria cares for nobody.Mad people are always treated with contempt; they are ‘catered’ for on the street. Mad people in the countryliveunderthebridge,intheopen.Infact, no one identifies with a madman. There is a saying in local parlance that ‘there is no madman’s mother in Lagos.’ But in the recent time, there has been an ugly twist in the treatment of the perceived mad people,particularlyintheSouth-West.Thetrend started a few weeks ago with the discovery of a supposedly ritual killers’ den in Soka forest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. At the place, about 18 people were rescued with gory tales of how some of them were abducted and kept there for ritual purposes. The discovery, which raised a lot of condemnation from almost every segment of the society, aroused a new consciousness. Many people becamemoreawareof theirenvironmentandalso becamesuspiciousmovementsof strangepeople near them. With this, many supposedly madmen and women have reportedly been discovered to be kidnappersindisguise.Manyof theso-calledmad persons are said to be working for some moneyfor-ritual killers. A few days after the Soka discovery, a ‘madman’ was allegedly caught at Ring Road area of Ibadan South West Local Government. Thesuspect,whowassaidtohavebeenhibernatingbythesideof thenewly-constructedbridge at Oni and Son bus stop, was said to have been perpetrating evil acts for some months. A witness disclosed that luck ran out on the middle-aged man when some residents of the area, who had been suspecting his movement, discovered his notorious act and decided to deal

A madman suspected to be a ritual killer

Another suspected ritual killer

with him with the support of the police. It was gathered that while searching him, more than 400 campaign posters of a governorshipaspirantwasamongtheitemsfoundunder thebridgewherehekepthislootanddangerous weapons. Alsodiscoveredwerevariousbrasandpants of differentsizeswithfemaleclothesbelievedto belong to his victims. Another witness added that human bones and tongues were also found at the scene. Policemen from Oluyole Police station rescued the man from the angry mob. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),SPOlabisiIlobanafor,saidthenthatthe man found with human tongue was homeless. She said it was a forensic test that could confirm whether what was found on him was human tongue or not. But, as usual, police are yet to release the result of the test, it was ever conducted. In another part of Ibadan the same day, a manandawoman,whoalsoappearedtobein

sane and were staying close to the Muslim flyoveraroundOdinjoarea,werealmostlynched. Somepeople,whosuspectedthe‘madpeople’ as ritual killers in disguise, searched them and allegedly found a blood-stained cutlass, a white cloth, a long torch and a short gun. Strangely,however,themadpeople,according to witnesses, were reciting incantations when the angry mob poured fuel on them and tried to set them on fire. “The man and woman were seized by the people, beaten so much, but they kept muttering some words of incantation. “The people poured fuel on tyres and drenchedthemwithitbeforethrowingmatches onit.Thepetroldidnotburn.Muchastheywere setting fire to the people, the efforts proved abortive,” a witness said. Similarly,anothermadmanwasfoundatElekuro area of the city the same day with a lot of N50 and N20 notes kept in a polythene bag. Immediately the mob discovered the money, they reportedly descended on him and almost lynchedhimbeforehewasrescuedbythepolice. About N50,000 was said to have been recovered from him. As if that was not enough, on April 2, an underground cell suspected to be operational base of someritualkillerswasdiscoveredatEwekoro in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State. The den, discovered under a bridge at Iyana EgbadovillageontheAbeokuta-LagosExpresswayveryclosetothepopularcementfactory,was allegedlylitteredwithslicedhumanparts,bloodfilledplasticcontainers,femalepants,brassieres, men and women’s shoes, blood-stained dresses and duvet. Other items found included knives, assorted soft drinks and damaged electronics. A middle-aged man, identified as Gbenga,

was arrested by policemen from the Itori Division in connection with the incident. It was gathered that the suspect, who hitherto was perceived to be a lunatic, was in possession of severed human parts when he was apprehended. Witnesses disclosed that the suspect had attempted to kill an unidentified woman, who was rescued by a passer-by. The passer-by became suspicious of Gbenga’s cellophane bag and later tore it only to discover severed human parts. The man raised the alarm which attracted people from the cement factory. The enraged crowd attempted to lynch the suspected lunatic. A witness, Samuel Oladele, told journalists that the suspected madman pleaded with the crowd not to kill him, brought out a mobile phone and made some calls. It was claimed that the suspect later confessedthathebelongedtoafive-mansyndicate which had operated in the Ewekoro axis for nine months. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident but said members of the public should not rush into conclusion. During a visit to the Soka forest, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Zone 11, comprising Oyo, Osun and Ondo states, Mr Femi Omolaja, urged the people to be sensitive to whatever goes on in their environment and report any suspicious movement to the security agents. Omolaja, however, warned the public againsttakinglawsintotheirhandswhenever they suspect any one, mad or not, but should report to law enforcement agents. It, however, seems that the hunt for lunatic kidnappers has just begun.

44 FEATURES The recent promotion in the police has elicited different reactions from the rank and file. While some are angling for strike, others promise to do more, reports ELIJAH SAMUEL

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Police promotion: Different strokes

olice is a profession which not many will want to enrol in, considering the avalanche of risks associated with it. Besides, the social resentment and opprobrium against it is sufficient deterrence to wilful enrolment. Until recently, not many would believe that a profession they have always derided is now witnessing a wind of transformation, permeating its rank and file. On resumption of office as the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, announced as a mission of his regime: which is “to pursue a transformation that will engender an efficient, effective, well-trained and highly motivated workforce, with deliberate aimed at improving capacity and welfare of all officers and men of the force”. Abubakar must have envisioned that, for the realisation of his mission for the force, the wholesome execution of his lofty agenda must be held sacrosanct and pursued with relentless vigour. This probably was the reason for a series of promotion the IG has ordered. But good as the gesture may appear, it has not gone down well with some rank and file of the police. The recent promotion exercise has created rumbling and grumbling in the force. Some policemen have accused the police hierarchy of marginalising them in the promotion breeze blowing across the rank and file of the force. To protest their alleged marginalisation, some aggrieved policemen recently issued strike warning. Their grievance is that they were sidelined in the promotion, which was at the behest of Abubakar. The policemen and women held a meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, after which they issued the warning that they would embark on strike from May 15 if their request for promotion was not granted. In their letter, the aggrieved policemen expressed disappointment over the delay in the promotion of about 2,299 rank and file to the level of assistant superintendent of police (ASP). The 2,299 policemen had sat for promotion examination about five years ago. They also alleged that after the examination, which was conducted by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), by the rank and file and inspectors who possess university degrees or Higher National Diploma (HND), the police authorities instead released in two batches the names of some of those who did not participate at all in the promotion examination. In the petition, the policemen also alleged that “for the two batches so far released, those that scored 23 per cent are

Abubakar (right) decorating one of the newly promoted officers

today deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), while those that scored 50, 51, 52 and 53 are still rank and file and inspector of police till today”. As part of their demands, the policemen also requested for the immediate payment of benefits to the families of those who died during insurgencies in parts of the country, including scholarship for their children. A senior police officer in Lagos, who craved anonymity, outlined what he felt ought to have been the guiding norm in the recent promotion exercise. He said: “The usual practice is for police personnel to be promoted every four to five years. But a policeman can be promoted on merit without recourse to the laid down promotion principle. “They are telling those that were assessed through promotion examination in 2008 and 2009 to send signal for promotion. But there is no way those of 2009 batch will be promoted before those of 2008.” However, in his reaction, the Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, dismissed the strike threat. He said: “Where was that coming from? Who were the people threatening to embark on strike in the police? I don’t think that is coming from men of the police. “If you carry out your research, you will discover that the police have witnessed and enjoyed unprecedented promotion benefits in this present administration. “On the 4th of March, there was a press release announcing the promotion of 24,118 personnel cutting across rank and file. About two weeks after, precisely on the 25th, another batch of 16,691 police were sent on promotion course. With all these, I can tell you the morale has never been as high as it is now in the police.” But it is curious that the issue of promotion in the police has turned out to be different strokes for different folks. Some officers at the Federal Special AntiRobbery Squad (FSARS), who benefitted from the promotion, would not want to support the plan by some of their aggrieved colleagues to embark on strike. Speaking with our correspondent while

being decorated with their new ranks, they expressed gratitude for being beneficiaries of the promotion exercise. The 25 FSARS officers applauded the IG for keeping to the terms of his mission, which seeks not only to reward dedication and hard work, but to also engender professionalism and the unalloyed loyalty of the men to the force and the country. Some of the beneficiaries poured encomiums on Abubakar at the decoration exercise held at the FSARS office. One of the beneficiaries, James Anyanwu, was full of gratitude for his elevation. He said: “I’m so happy and thank God for making this possible for me, especially when I consider how He has protected me during the dangerous times on the job.” But what then could have attracted Anyanwu, just like every other policeman, to have enlisted in a profession that is socially disparaged? “It is hazardous and also a thankless job. I mean thankless because the public which we are serving never have trust in the police. Truly, there are bad eggs but it is not all policemen that are bad. There are a good percentage of conscientious people in the force. “Nonetheless, my advice is that those bad ones should change because the future holds good for them. “Although I still have a few more years in the police, I will render more service to my fatherland even after my exit from the force,” he added. Anyanwu also responded to the notion that policemen lead a worthless life and often don’t have time for family responsibilities. “I thank God for how He has enabled me to achieve all that I have achieved. My family has long accepted my job’s nature; now, they are filled with great joy that this elevation came. “My children are good; two of them, girls, are doing well at the University of Ibadan,” he said. Nonetheless, in the face of the poor security situation across the country, Anyanwu said, “security is a problem of everybody. If the government can keep up the tempo of encouragement to the security agencies, the security problems are surmountable”. Also, another beneficiary, ASP Otoide,

Mba

relished his new status. He said: “With this promotion, I am more than happy and give glory to God. This will impel me to work harder and get another promotion.” Having spent 25 years, with about a decade more to serve, Otoide believes “nothing shall be impossible to achieve, with God being on my side”. The first in a family of 11 siblings, Otoide, who taught Mathematics and Agricultural Science for nine years in Edo State, joined the police by providence. He said: “I was teaching with Grade Two before the government came up with a policy that anybody with certificate less than the National Certificate of Education (NCE) should quit. “I left and came to Lagos. It was my intention to advance myself academically, but when I considered the financial incapacitation on the one hand, and my position as the first born, I had to grab the opportunity that came at the time to enlist in the police. “Since the time that I joined the police, God has been so good to me. I have been able to train my younger siblings, many of whom are graduates today. Apart from this, I have two of my children who are now graduates.” As Otoide’s love for policing has overtime grown so deep, he proudly declared that “if we get to heaven, I’ll tell God that I want to be a policeman again”.

METRO

of Truth

May 6, 2014

metery. My boss etery is full. He uld dig and empthat had decomho sells herb had to tell me that I man parts to her.” 26-year-old Ibraintroduced him

oun told me that sistance. When assistance they r for them, Tanhe wanted me to ng graves at the

g any grave and hey would cut it That was how I r about 15 years.” ar-old Yusuf, a me area where perates, said he ‘customers’ to

rbalist, whenevme roots, I go to alami the herbs h this that I got ls human parts. ving as an interanybody wants s and then I get money.”

Gunmen abduct three Dutch, three Nigerians Joe Obende

Niger Delta, Mr Sunny Ofehe. Ofehe doubles as the founder/executive director of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign. They visited the communities to see how they could attract material support to meet the healthcare needs of the people but were seized at the jetty by the gunmen.

Warri

unmen have abducted six media workers, including three Dutch, at Letugbene in Ekeremo Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Letugbene is a boundary community between Delta and Bayelsa states. The three Dutch nationals, two males and a female and three Nigerians (males) were abducted about 4:30pm on Sunday after a courtesy visit to the palace of the traditional ruler of Iduwuni Kingdom, King Joel Ibane (Ogiobo IX). They had visited the monarch as part of their itinerary to the Dodo River communities on fact-finding mission during which they were conducted round a local hospital in Amutu II, which serves over 16 communities along the Dodo River. Though the identities of the hostages were not fully confirmed at press time, they were believed to include Femi Soewu (Nigerian), the creative director of Africa Web TV; Marianne Hendricks-Vols (Dutch) and Erhard Leffers (Dutch) who were led into the country by a Nigerian Netherlandsbased publisher of a magazine, Inside Some of those believed to have been kidnapped

The gunmen were said to have come in a Passport speed boat, shooting sporadically into the air with their AK47 rifles and operated in a commando style, seizing their victims, after the monarch had seen them off. Two Nigerian journalists (names withheld) who were part of the team from Warri in Delta State were lucky

n Nigeria Youths set suspected lunatic ablaze over kidnap attempt ards

d Semenitari at the event

mmissioner also warned always get government projut executing them. “Anytime you get a governract and you short-change e short-changed your life. uld ask for who supplied the V. At what cost? Who pays

aking in the same vein, the e Commissioner for TransComrade Kayode Opeifa, CTV in Abuja could work ral Government so desired. ng to Opeifa, Lagos State he cameras and they are

n his welcome address, the rector, NISPA, Mr Richard id the theme of the award: our collective responsibilthat everybody’s participacessary in the fight against in the country.

Babatope Okeowo Akure

n irate mob yesterday set ablaze a suspected lunatic in Ondo, Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State over an alleged botch attempt to kidnap a seven-year-old boy. The ‘lunatic’ popularly called ‘Ayaba’ was caught while attempting to kidnap a school boy who was sent an errand by her mother. A witness, who craved anonymity, said trouble started around 7:30am when the ‘lunatic’ was forcefully drag-

ging the boy along Oluseyi Street in Ondo town. He said the boy, already dressed in the uniform of a private school, was shouting for help as the ‘madwoman’ was dragging him. This attracted some youths who took the courage to rescue the boy from the woman’s hands. Thereafter, the youth attempted to apprehend the ‘madwoman’ usually seen around the dumpsite at the street but she became violent. In the ensuing melee, the items the supposed mad-

woman used to disguise fell off and the youth discovered she was very neat. According to the witness, the youth removed the wig and the dirty clothes she wore and discovered that she fixed her nails and had a clean hair shave. They also recovered Blackberry and Nokia phones in her hands. The witness said it was during interrogation that the ‘lunatic’ confessed that she was not in sane, adding that she only pretended in order to capture her preys. According to the witness, the ‘lunatic’ confessed that she usually comes from Osogbo in Osun State and returned after she must have accomplished her mission. She also confessed that she used to visit other towns for similar missions.

as they were spared by the abductors, though they lost valuables such as iPads, laptops, cameras and handsets to them. “I was in the boat with the three Dutch nationals and three Nigerians when the gunmen rounded us up at Letugbene community and ordered everybody to lie face down in the boat. “They collected all our belongings including handsets, cameras and iPads. I heard them say take the white men away. I don’t know if the other Nigerians were equally seized because after they left, we couldn’t find the two Nigerians. “Some persons in the second boat, including community leaders from Dodo River, jumped into the river following the heavy shooting. We learnt some of them are missing, including the Dutch basedNigerians who came with the foreigners,” one of the Warri-based journalists narrated his ordeal. The hostages, led by Ofehe, had on Saturday briefed members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents’ Chapel of their mission to the coastal communities. There are indications that the Dutch Embassy in Nigeria was not well informed of the abductees’ visit to the country.

Herdsmen kill two farmers in fresh attack Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

hree armed suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have shot and killed two peasant farmers when they attacked the Tiv ethnicdominated village in Chinkai district of Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the village in the early hours of last Wednesday and opened fire on the farmers who had just returned to their ancestral homes,

following a peace truce brokered to end the conflict. The farmers had earlier fled their village and took refuge in Benue State following a brutal attack on them by the herdsmen. The father of one of the victims who is also the District Head of Mbawar in Wukari council, Chief Shiaondo Yongo, while narrating the incident to our correspondent in Makurdi yesterday, named those killed as Alumunga Yongo (his son) and Ikyegh Anyamor, his relation. Shiaondo disclosed that the deceased were

Man dies during marathon sex with undergraduate Ewa Nnanna Abakaliki

middle-aged man died yesterday in Abakaliki while having marathon sex with a female student of Ebonyi State University. The incident, it was gathered, happened at the girl’s hostel room at the Presco Campus of the university. Sources at the hostel said the man died inside the said female student’s room of the located at Goddy Ogbaga Avenue during a marathon sexual intercourse with her.

It was gathered that the girl dumped the man’s body in his car before reporting his death to the police. But the police arrested and detained her. A student in the hostel, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the incident occurred in the afternoon. She said: “It threw the entire hostel into confusion as everybody began to run helter-skelter in order to evade arrest. Some of the students have been arrested by police.” The source added that it was not

clear whether the girl had been in a relationship with the man. She said: “I did not know what was happening until when police stormed our hostel and began to arrest everybody on sight. But from what I heard the man visited the girl and in the process of making love, he died. “I cannot say for sure if the man was a mere acquaintance to the girl or not. All I can say for sure is that I have not been seeing the man with the girl in the past. “I cannot say I know the girl very well because our hostel is very big. It is

a three storey building and many students are leaving there. I do not know ‘who is who’ except my own friends. So I cannot with certainty say I know the name of the girl, department or her level.” The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the report but said he had not been fully briefed on the details of the incident. He said: “Currently I have no details about the incident. I just made enquiry and I was told it happened at Goddy Ogbaga Avenue. I have not got any other information about it.”

46 BUSINESS | CAPITAL MARKET

Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at May 5, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Bonds)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal

Bond Name 13.05% FGN AUG 2016 Federal Totals

Symbol FG102016S1

DEBT Board Totals

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 99.90

Bond Activity Totals

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 102,783.98 102,783.98

100

102,783.98

100

Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 FINANCIAL SERVICES Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

Other Financial Institutions ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

102,783.98

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers Healthcare Providers

EKOCORP PLC. UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. Fishing/Hunting/Trapping Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 2 36 10 48

Current Price 0.50 33.95 37.05

Quantity Traded 75,000 373,629 168,561 617,190

Value Traded 37,500.00 12,733,919.95 6,245,185.05 19,016,605.00

Symbol ELLAHLAKES

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 4.26

Quantity Traded 500 500

Value Traded 2,025.00 2,025.00

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 3.14

Quantity Traded 24,030 24,030

Value Traded 71,849.70 71,849.70

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol LIVESTOCK

AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. CHELLARAMS PLC. JOHN HOLT PLC. S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

54 Symbol AGLEVENT CHELLARAM JOHNHOLT SCOA TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 6 3 2 2 331 37 381

CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. Building Construction Totals Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 Building Structure/Completion/Other Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053 COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Activity Summary on Board EQTY Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053 NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. UNION DICON SALT PLC. U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 Household Durables Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY

19,090,479.70 1 of 15

Quantity Traded 196,814 92,257 14,636 19,787 32,902,044 106,529 33,332,067

Value Traded 294,560.30 346,886.32 16,831.40 95,175.47 121,572,535.87 5,808,536.05 128,134,525.41

33,332,067

128,134,525.41

2 of 15 Value Traded 17,910,866.55 17,910,866.55

Quantity Traded 290 290

Value Traded 3,036.30 3,036.30

1,967,804

37,060,139.63

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

Current Price 90.00

Quantity Traded 8,000 8,000

Value Traded 684,000.00 684,000.00

Page Quantity Traded 96,213 1,628,671 320,707 840,938 1,683,495 399,910 100 200 1,096,439 6,066,673

3 of 15 Value Traded Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC 762,442.90 MiningStock Services Totals © 15,018,435.41 Published by The Nigerian Exchange 21,949,713.55 NATURAL RESOURCES Totals 3,093,486.76 841,747.50 OIL AND GAS 4,583,814.86 Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC 2,091.00 Energy Equipment and Services Totals 2,682.00 568,224.31 Integrated Oil and Gas Services 46,822,638.29

No. of Deals 9 9

Symbol

No. of Deals 32 44 76

Daily PZ Summary (Equities) UNILEVER

Quantity Traded 166,804 166,804

Value Traded 708,215.08 708,215.08

Current Price 36.00 48.01

Quantity Traded 221,280 191,065 412,345

Value Traded 7,858,677.28 9,254,013.64 17,112,690.92

Page 9,126,673

NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 B.O.C. GASES15:31:53.053 PLC. Printed 05/05/2014 Chemicals Totals Metals ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. ALUMINIUM MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Activity Metals TotalsSummary on Board EQTY

Value Traded 10,736,454.16 204,788,153.33 28,253,043.18 7,191,810.70 194,702,920.60 4,401,803.70 252,347.00 1,433,438.86 75,729,768.31 683,857,783.73

No. of Deals 1 16 11 7 1 1 4 3 2 43 (Equities) 1 8

Current Price 0.50 0.79 0.96 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.53 2.20 0.50 0.75 0.50 0.55

Quantity Traded 500 1,499,606 2,146,000 667,850 Page 1,500 1,500 92,000 80,000 51,000 11,591,700 1,000 3,276,080

Value Traded 250.00 1,177,808.46 2,100,198.20 334,263.00 5 of 15 750.00 750.00 48,800.00 176,080.00 25,500.00 8,730,348.90 500.00 1,901,504.80

Symbol PRESTIGE REGALINS SOVRENINS STACO STDINSURE UNIC UNITYKAP UNIVINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 2 2 1 3 1 4 1 3 69 184

Current Price 0.58 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.72

Page Quantity Traded 56,800 770,000 200 316,285 200 347,860 10,000 101,500 12,516,975 33,528,556

6 of 15 Value Traded 32,944.00 385,000.00 100.00 158,142.50 100.00 173,930.00 5,000.00 50,750.00 9,019,315.38

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

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.85

Quantity Traded 21,000 21,000

Value Traded 17,640.00 17,640.00

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

Symbol ASOSAVINGS INFINITY

No. of Deals 2 1 3

Current Price 0.50 1.61

Quantity Traded 15,000 500 15,500

Value Traded 7,500.00 765.00 8,265.00

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC.

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB

No. of Deals 70 69 667 105

Current Price 2.91 2.52 13.03 3.50

Quantity Traded 1,461,405 14,774,117 24,829,650 8,999,338

Value Traded 4,286,519.69 37,446,633.11 318,278,657.76 31,615,001.87

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Symbol AFRINSURE AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST GNI HMARKINS INTENEGINS MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM Daily Summary NIGERINS OASISINS

Page

No. of Deals 7 2 9

Current Price 1.77 0.50

Quantity Traded 634,472 3,250 637,722

Value Traded 1,121,585.56 1,625.00 1,123,210.56

2,945,828

149,885,183.33

234 Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 6.47

Quantity Traded 2,650 2,650

Value Traded 16,297.50 16,297.50

Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities) 1 ALEX ALUMACO 1 2

Current Price 10.50 7.75

Quantity Traded 200 90 290

Value Traded 1,996.00 663.30 2,659.30

Symbol MULTIVERSE

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000 Page

Symbol JAPAULOIL

3,940

19,456.80

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 173,900 173,900

Value Traded 86,950.00 86,950.00

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 193 193

Current Price 15.50

Quantity Traded 2,260,896 2,260,896

Value Traded 35,310,282.25 35,310,282.25

No. of Deals 1 21 3 11 (Equities) 33 12 20 101

Current Price 0.50 49.20 3.61 148.99 115.00 51.72 150.00

Quantity Traded 100,000 40,960 1,500 17,913 45,819 5,128 26,839 238,159

Value Traded 50,000.00 1,866,859.48 5,145.00 2,535,585.15 5,442,628.35 251,989.92 4,073,357.02 14,225,564.92

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO Daily Summary MOBIL MRS TOTAL Symbol

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 22 22

Current Price 632.03

Quantity Traded 25,136 Page 25,136

Value Traded

Value Traded 15,906,102.79 of 15 15,906,102.79

2,698,091

65,528,899.96

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 5,000 5,000

Value Traded 2,500.00 2,500.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 12 12

Current Price 1.19

Quantity Traded 514,375 514,375

Value Traded 606,221.69 606,221.69

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 5 3 8

Current Price 4.26 2.13

Quantity Traded 150,940 957 151,897

Value Traded 643,098.40 1,955.48 645,053.88

Symbol

No. of Deals 1 4 1 6

Current Price 4.55 0.63 3.88

Quantity Traded 100 122,650 3,164,556 3,287,306

Value Traded 433.00 76,590.00 12,278,477.28 12,355,500.28

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 30,000

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

Symbol LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 18 8 26

Current Price 1.66 3.99

Quantity Traded 241,846 107,744 349,590

Value Traded 398,686.64 428,860.48 827,547.12

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 0.83

Quantity Traded 925,966 925,966

Value Traded 766,331.12 766,331.12

Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC Specialty Totals

Symbol INTERLINK

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 4.90

Quantity Traded 50 50

Value Traded 233.00 233.00

Transport-Related Services

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 5 25 30

Current Price 2.14 4.70

Quantity Traded 43,800 393,950 437,750

Value Traded 95,032.00 1,861,282.97 1,956,314.97

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED EXPRESS PLC Daily Summary asSTAR of 05/05/2014 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053 Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL PLC IKEJA HOTEL PLC TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Hotels/Lodging Totals

SERVICES Media/Entertainment Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

AIRLINE Daily Summary as of SERVICES 05/05/2014 AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053 Transport-Related Services Totals

SERVICES Totals

320

Value Traded 500.00 500.00 15 of

Symbol AFROMEDIA

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

24,322,035.24

Value Traded 15,817,952.53 126,689.43 4,186,273.23 3,076,659.86

Symbol CUTIX NIWICABLE

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

Quantity Traded 5,628,566 7,635,610 8,097,770 3,306,061 28,365,412 443,109 504,694 1,474,775 3,360,090 75,698,498

Quantity Traded 836,588 14,198 107,409 339,429

Current Price 18.75 8.75 40.35 9.05

Value Traded 81,611,335.06 8,130.75 119,798.00 8,820.00 43,806,313.91 148,761,972.77

OIL AND GAS Exploration and Production Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Exploration and Production Totals

Current Price 1.90 26.80 3.50 2.22 6.76 9.85 0.50 0.98 22.55

11,747,594.70

Quantity Traded 360,578 7,343 234,700 2,000 405,861 2,308,106

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

No. of Deals 132 254 113 51 189 61 5 23 201 1,381

23,434,557

Current Price 226.51 1.06 0.51 4.20 108.00

Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Printed 05/05/2014 BECO15:31:53.053 PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC

Symbol FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

11,000,000.00

No. of Deals 47 2 6 2 40 225

OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Value Traded 97,940,097.82 17,236,284.93 41,191,661.14

Value Traded 11,000,000.00

22,000,000

No. of Deals 60 13 18 37

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

4 of 15 436,524,592.68

Quantity Traded 22,000,000

Symbol DANGCEM DNMEYER FIRSTALUM PORTPAINT WAPCO

NATURAL RESOURCES

Current Price 4.30

574

Symbol

BERGER CAP CCNN

Value Traded 5,000.00 of 15 5,000.00

Daily Summary (Equities) ASHAKACEM

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. Building Materials Totals

Value Traded 262.20 47,451,687.92 17,635,931.25 1,710.00 177,737,863.81 242,827,455.18

Quantity Traded 10,894,493 2,771,403 3,216,515

FINANCIAL SERVICES Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. UNIC INSURANCE PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC Summary on Board EQTY CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Current Price 9.01 6.25 12.81

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 20 268,301 702,845 500 1,197,758 2,169,424

Symbol VITAFOAM

No. of Deals 4

Current Price 13.79 175.20 25.00 3.59 149.41

Value Traded 11,369,319.24 116,985,355.47 128,354,674.71

Value Traded 3,434.00 3,434.00

Symbol MTI

No. of Deals 1 46 25 1 85 158

Quantity Traded 163,785 109,805 273,590

Quantity Traded 5,050 5,050

Telecommunications Services MASS TELECOMMUNICATION INNOVATIONS NIGERIA

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW JOSBREW NB

Current Price 71.32 1,070.00

Value Traded 703,333.50 221.00 703,554.50

Value Traded 14,918.50 14,918.50

No. of Deals 153 (Equities) 92 107

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GREAT INSURANCE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © PLC Daily Summary as ofNIGERIAN 05/05/2014 CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. OASIS INSURANCE PLC

Activity

Current Price 0.71

8,698,769.64

Page

Quantity Traded 1,406,667 100 1,406,767

Quantity Traded 29,837 29,837

No. of Deals 38 51 89

No. of Deals 2 2

ICT Totals

Page Quantity Traded 731,743 731,743

458,374

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 0.50 2.32

Current Price 0.50

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

Value Traded 6,084.00 387,015.92 8,054,268.00 122,295.22 5,850.00 29,624.00 8,605,137.14

No. of Deals 11 1 12

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 7.78 9.16 68.50 3.66 0.50 11.46 22.01 14.11 0.51

Quantity Traded 2,600 147,716 116,993 68,714 5,000 4,232 345,255

Symbol CHAMS ETRANZACT

Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 38 79 44 29 1 35 1 1 10 238

Current Price 2.46 2.62 69.50 1.78 1.18 7.36

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC Processing Systems Totals

Value Traded 17,737,880.90 17,737,880.90

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR MULTITREX NASCON NNFM UNIONDICON UTC

No. of Deals 3 5 13 9 1 3 34

Value Traded 18,235.00 17,371.20 35,606.20

Quantity Traded 256,405 256,405

2 2

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN

Quantity Traded 3,500 9,240 12,740

Current Price 69.40

7UP

Value Traded 2,972.06 2,972.06

Current Price 5.48 1.97

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals

126

Quantity Traded 1,633 1,633

No. of Deals 2 2 4

Value Traded PLC 1,407,700.68 Daily Summary asTelecommunications of 05/05/2014 Services Totals 1,407,700.68 Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

Current Price 11.02

Current Price 1.91

Symbol CWG TRIPPLEG

Quantity Traded 979,236 979,236

No. of Deals 2 2

No. of Deals 3 3

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

Current Price 1.43

Symbol UPDCREIT

Symbol MORISON

Symbol COURTVILLE

Value Traded 40,660.44 50,000.00 90,660.44

Value Traded

Quantity Traded 10,000 Page 10,000

No. of Deals 25 25

Current Price 24.10

Quantity Traded Quantity Traded 11,486 100,000 111,486

Current Price 0.50

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 67 67

1,140,529,774.06

Current Price Current Price 3.72 0.50

No. of Deals 1 1

Value Traded 655.20 655.20

Symbol UAC-PROP

178,097,910

No. of Deals No. of Deals 3 1 4

Symbol OMATEK

Quantity Traded 130 130

31 31

Value Traded 649.00 2,190,707.31 38,505,881.35 432,324,050.09

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Activity Summary BoardTotals EQTY Computer Basedon Systems

Current Price 5.30

JBERGER

Quantity Traded 1,100 98,298 18,670,448 68,834,356

Symbol Symbol EKOCORP UNIONDAC

HEALTHCARE Totals

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

ICT Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Computers and Peripherals Totals

Symbol ACCESS Daily Summary DIAMONDBNK ETI

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking FIDELITY BANK PLC 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. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC NIGERIA-GERMAN Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014CHEMICALS PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

No. of Deals 1 1

CONSUMER Daily Summary as ofGOODS 05/05/2014 Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals

Symbol ARBICO

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS Totals

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED

Current Price 1.50 3.95 1.21 5.06 3.66 55.25

381

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

641,720 Page

Current Price 0.62 23.00 2.04

2,687

HEALTHCARE

Daily Summary (Equities)

AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. Daily Summary as of 05/05/2014 PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Printed 05/05/2014 15:31:53.053

Symbol No. of Deals ROYALEX 2 STANBIC 23 UBCAP 181 Daily Summary (Equities) 1,117

CAPHOTEL Daily Summary (Equities) IKEJAHOTEL TOURIST

Daily Summary (Equities)

EQTY Board Totals

Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS

ProductsStock Exchange © Published byFood The Nigerian MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Equity Activity Totals

Value Traded 13 15,000.00 of 15 15,000.00

104

5,701,934

17,174,702.06

4,551

258,408,898

2,014,394,117.97

No. of Deals 1 1

ASeM Board Totals

30,000

Current Price 1.34

Page Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

14Value Traded of 15 1,280.00 1,280.00

1,000

1,280.00

1,000

1,280.00

4,552

258,409,898

2,014,395,397.97

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 1 2 3

Current Price 2,019.00 17.44

Quantity Traded 17 3,030 3,047

Value Traded 34,323.00 53,263.20 87,586.20

ETF Board Totals

3,047

87,586.20

ETP Activity Totals

3,047

87,586.20

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Page

BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS 47

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

5-May-14

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

Description 9.20 29-JUN-2014 9.25 28-SEP-2014 4.00 23-APR-2015 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 10.00 23-JUL-2030

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

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

9.20 9.25 4.00 13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00

45.00 100.00 535.00 435.27 452.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 75.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

Bid Price

Offer Price

0.15 0.40 0.97 2.28 2.98 3.23 3.32 4.07 5.15 5.47 7.73 9.86 14.57 15.05 15.55 16.22

10.83 11.17 12.40 12.97 13.04 12.98 12.98 12.97 13.04 12.97 13.03 13.04 13.28 13.31 13.34 13.43

9.85 10.77 11.80 12.89 12.98 12.85 12.85 12.87 12.96 12.88 12.97 12.99 13.23 13.26 13.27 13.38

99.71 99.23 92.56 100.10 104.95 91.92 90.43 92.97 110.80 77.13 116.00 106.30 110.96 94.74 68.60 77.50

99.86 99.38 93.06 100.25 105.10 92.22 90.73 93.27 111.10 77.43 116.30 106.60 111.26 95.04 68.90 77.80

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

4,264.84 Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

***LCRM

Description

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

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

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.49 1.05 1.54 2.60 2.96 3.17

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

12.50 15.11 14.91 14.90 14.46 13.98

94.27 85.79 103.24 93.47 90.48 89.02

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

0.25 0.45 1.32 0.93 1.22 1.23 2.96 1.79 3.66 2.63 4.42 2.63 2.63 3.21 3.28 5.55 3.25 3.96 6.56 6.66 3.96 4.00

4.88 5.99 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 7.60 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21 1.00 2.46 1.94 2.74 2.74 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

16.05 17.43 17.01 15.55 17.00 16.02 18.56 20.33 14.76 14.71 13.97 13.91 14.12 13.98 15.44 14.91 15.72 15.71 13.97 14.91 14.41 14.92

99.36 98.53 94.80 98.18 96.89 99.77 81.16 90.51 97.85 98.66 100.07 101.40 111.64 101.35 100.26 98.48 97.71 97.34 98.00 100.31 108.46 108.13

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

0.42 0.62 0.66 0.80 0.88 0.96 2.40 2.47 3.41 2.02 2.18 2.35 2.35 4.38 2.45 2.54 6.53

1.00 5.21 8.71 4.88 1.00 2.63 1.00 1.34 4.52 1.88 3.48 5.20 5.06 3.06 2.29 6.11 2.76

12.41 16.95 20.52 16.97 13.24 15.02 13.87 14.22 17.49 14.68 16.31 18.06 17.92 16.03 15.17 19.00 15.73

99.59 97.99 97.85 95.04 99.11 99.47 98.24 100.04 88.78 106.80 99.62 100.18 101.94 93.73 101.21 96.49 98.07

11-Feb-18

3.77

1.00

13.97

89.18

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,304.32

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

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

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

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

572.90

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

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

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

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

175.67

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.18

5.01

108.83

109.82

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.42

4.20

102.65

103.49

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.63

5.50

105.25

106.23

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

Corporate Eurobonds AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.84

3.30

112.71

113.69

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.19

4.47

104.40

105.82

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.14

5.93

99.45

100.29

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.12

6.66

100.35

101.67

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.22

7.70

95.48

97.20

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.27

4.49

113.61

115.18

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.30

6.14

99.80

100.46

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.15

6.62

103.95

105.95

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.54

6.23

100.33

101.55

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

ACCESS BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

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

FIXINGS Maturity 15-May-14 22-May-14 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 26-Jun-14 3-Jul-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.20 10.40 10.30 10.60 10.70 10.60 10.70

Offer Discount (%) 9.95 10.15 10.05 10.35 10.45 10.35 10.45

Bid Yield (%) 10.23 10.45 10.37 10.70 10.84 10.76 10.89

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.5917 12.6645 13.3109 14.3360

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.25

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.50

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

158.66 158.94 159.19 159.78 160.94

158.76 159.22 159.57 160.50 162.27

O/N Tenor Call

REPO

Rate (%) 10.25

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

27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10

16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00

600.00 75.00 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

7.73 9.86 14.57 15.05 15.55 16.22

13.03 13.04 13.28 13.31 13.34 13.43

12.97 12.99 13.23 13.26 13.27 13.38

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

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

978.35 24.56 6.00 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.49 1.05 1.54 2.60 2.96 3.17

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 1.00

Agency Bonds

Description

Issue Date

48 BUSINESS | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS AMCON FMBN

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

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

Stock market closes southwards ***LCRM

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

BULLISH

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

Equities open in negative trajectory

Chris Ugwu

rading activities on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, opened the week on a negative

note the5-AUG-2014 stock market lost 14.00 as KWARA 14.00 NIGER points and15-OCT-2014 returned to the red 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 territory following sell pres13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 sure on blue chip companies. 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 The market perfor15.50 IMO twin 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 mance indices - the NSE ASI 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 and market capitalisation, 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 drop by 0.34 per cent as the 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 market tempo lowered. 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 At EKITI the09-DEC-2018 close of trading, 20 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 stocks recorded price appre15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 ciation, while 32 others con15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 stituted the losers’ table. 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 The twin market indicators, 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

Dangote posts N47.619 billion Q1 PAT TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Corporate Bonds

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

Chris Ugwu

116.30 106.60 111.26 95.04 68.90 77.80

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

12.50 15.11 Tuesday, 14.91 14.90 14.46 13.98

94.27

Sanctity of Truth

85.79 May 6, 2014 103.24 93.47 90.48 89.02

1,304.32

Sub-National Bonds

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

116.00 106.30 110.96 94.74 68.60 77.50

4,264.84 Issuer

27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30

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

angote Cement Plc yesterday reported a dip in profit after tax (PAT) from N53.735 billion in the first quarter of last year to N47.619 billion in the corresponding period of this year. Similarly, the cement maker recorded a profit before tax (PBT) of N53.014 billion in TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE the Q1 of 2014 compared with Supranational Bond in the correN53.683 billion AAA/S&P sponding period of IFC 2013. TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Revenue climbed up 8.5 per cent to N103.569 billion from Rating/Agency Issuer N95.428 billion in the same period of 2013. FGN Eurobonds Chairman, Dangote CeBB-/Fitch;Alhaji B+/S&P ment, Aliko Dangote said at the Annual General BB-/Fitch; FGN BB-/S&P Meeting (AGM) that the comBB-/Fitch; pany’s BB-/S&P expansion drive would increase capacityVALUE and add TOTAL OUTSTANDING additional 9 million metric Corporate Eurobonds tonnes. He expressed satisfacB-/S&P; B/Fitch AFREN PLC I of tion that the importation GTBANK PLC I cement into the country has B+/S&P; B+/Fitch continued to thinGTBANK out PLC with B+/S&P BANK PLC an estimate of justACCESS 1.1million B/S&P; B/Fitch FIDELITY BANK PLC metric tonnes imported in 2013 B/Fitch AFREN PLC

down from 1.9million in 2012. He said that the company would “stop at nothing” to expand because presently, most of Nigeria’s neighbours are importing cement from Far East. “And we are confident that Nigeria’s cement will prove more attractive than the imports, particularly within the 15 member ECOWAS.” To stabilise the price of cement and free the consumers from the profiteering middlemen, Dangote, said that his 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 company would intensify direct-to-consumer deliveries. Insisting that his company Description has not increased the price of cement, he explained that though prices of most inputs JAN 28, 2021 into cement6.75production has gone astronomically high but 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 that his organization is com6.38 JULthe 12, 2023 mitted to making commodity available to consumers at the most reasonable price. “We have not increased the 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 prices of our product, we have 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 embarked on an initiative to NOV 08, 2018 improve the6.00standard of ce7.25 JUL 25, 2017 ment sold in6.88 Nigeria and our MAY 09, 2018 belief is that 42.5 strength ce10.25 APR 08, 2019

05-Aug-09 14.00 the All-Share Index dropped 15-Oct-09basis points 14.00 or 0.34 by 130.89 31-Aug-10 per cent from 38, 12.50 578.78 last 30-Sep-10 13.00 Friday to 38,447.89, 30-Jun-11 close at14.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 while the market capitalisa10.00 or 0.34 tion 19-Apr-10 fell by N43 billion 30-Jun-10 13.75 per cent from N12,700 trillion 30-Dec-10 14.00 to N12,657 trillion. 30-Sep-11 14.00 Further analysis 04-Oct-11 14.00 of the 14.50 day’s09-Dec-11 trading showed that 12-Dec-13 14.00 Transcorp Plc topped the gain14-Feb-12 15.50 ers’ 02-Oct-12 table with 7.02 per cent 15.50 each22-Nov-12 to close at N3.66 14.50 while UPL12-Dec-12 Plc trailed with14.75 5 per cent 30-Sep-13 27-Nov-13 31-Dec-13 31-Dec-13 06-Jan-14

14.75 13.50 15.00 14.50 15.00

05-Aug-14 to close at N3.99 per share.0.25 Ac15-Oct-144.89 per 0.45 cess Bank added cent 1.32 each to close31-Aug-15 at N9.01. 30-Sep-15 0.93 On the flip30-Jun-16 side, AG Leventis 1.22 30-Jun-16 1.23of led the losers with a drop 2.96 6.25 per cent19-Apr-17 to close at N1.50, 30-Jun-17 1.79 FBNH shed31-Dec-17 N5.58 per cent to 3.66 close at N13.03 while Presco 30-Sep-18 2.63 dip by 5 per04-Oct-18 cent to close 4.42 at 09-Dec-18 2.63 N37.05 12-Dec-18 On the activity chart,2.63the 14-Feb-19 3.21 Banking sub-sector dominat02-Oct-19 3.28 ed in volume terms with5.55 75.6 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 3.25 million shares worth N683.8

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

30-Sep-20 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 06-Jan-21

3.96 6.56 6.66 3.96 4.00

4.88 16.05deals. The 99.36submillion in 1381 5.99 was enhanced 17.43 sector by98.53 the ac4.44 17.01 94.80 tivities in the shares of UBA 3.23 15.55 98.18 and 4.46GTB Bank 17.00Plc. 96.89 3.48 16.02 99.77 Other financial services 5.59 boosted 18.56 81.16 sector by the activities 20.33 90.51 on7.60 the shares of FBNH Insur1.79 14.76 97.85 ance followed with 68.8 million 1.80 14.71 98.66 units, N432.3 billion 1.00 worth13.97 100.07 in 1.00 deals. 13.91 101.40 1,117 1.21 14.12 111.64 In all, investors exchanged 1.00 13.98 101.35 a total of 258.4 million shares, 2.46 15.44 100.26 worth N2.0114.91 billion in 4,552 1.94 98.48 2.74 15.72 97.71 deals. 2.74 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

15.71 13.97 14.91 14.41 14.92

97.34 98.00 100.31 108.46 108.13

Unity Bank to raise N39.2bn

572.90nity

Bank PLC has concluded arrangement to from 07-Oct-11 11.50 11.80 raise N39.2billion 07-Oct-14 0.42 Rights Issue18-Dec-14 of 38,446,689,710 18-Dec-09 13.50 13.17 0.62 01-Apr-10 17.00 2.00 31-Dec-14 of 50kobo 0.66 ordinary shares 17-Aug-10 10.00 15.00 17-Aug-15 0.80 each at N0.50kobo per share; 09-Dec-10 12.00 37.50 09-Dec-15 0.88 and Private Placement of 40 06-Jan-11 14.00 1.50 06-Jan-16 0.96 billion ordinary 29-Sep-11 13.00 15.00 29-Sep-16 shares 2.40of 50kobo each25-Oct-16 at N0.50kobo2.47per 25-Oct-13 14.25 5.53 30-Sep-10 13.00 20.00 30-Sep-17 3.41 share. 30-Nov-12 18.00 0.94 30-Nov-17 2.02 From the Rights Issue, 09-Apr-11 16.00 8.01 09-Apr-18 2.18 which is on the basis of one 09-Sep-11 18.00 3.63 09-Sep-18 2.35 ordinary share for every2.35 one 09-Sep-11 16.00 1.00 09-Sep-18 ordinary share 22-Sep-11 14.00 35.00 22-Sep-18 held as 4.38 at 18-Oct-13 15.75 3.00 18-Oct-18 2.45 December 16, 2013, the bank Dangote 17-Feb-12 17.00 0.54 17-Feb-19 2.54 intend to raise N19.2billion; 14-Nov-13 15.25 2.05 14-Nov-20 6.53 ment, is the most appropriate while from the Private Place175.67 for general use now. ment, the bank targets to raise “We have recently intro- N20billion. 11-Feb-13 10.20 11-Feb-18 duced 52.5 strength cement, 12.00Acceptance list for 3.77 the which is appropriate for heavy 12.00 Rights Issue opens on May load-bearing structures such 12, 2014 and closes on June 18, Issue Date and Coupon (%) Issue Value ($'mm) Date for Bid (%) as bridges flyovers, we 2014; whileMaturity placing theYield Prihope to increase the market vate Placement opens on June share in the short-term by 20, 2014 and closes on June 23, 07-Oct-11 the level6.75 28-Jan-21 5.18 increasing of direct- 500.00 2014. Post offer, Unity Bank’s to-customers deliveries and market capitalization will in18-Dec-09 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 4.42 competing on product superi- crease from N19.223 billion to 01-Apr-10 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 5.63 ority”, he stated N58.446billion. He also expressed optimism 1,500.00 Speaking yesterday in Lathat the current year would gos shortly after the compleoffer better returns because tion board meeting of the 01-Feb-11 11.50 robust 450.00 01-Feb-16Unity Bank 3.84 trading has remained offer, chairman, 19-May-11 7.50 compa500.00 5.19 Nu’uman 19-May-16 Barau Danbatta in the country and the 08-Nov-13 6.00 6.14 in said, “This08-Nov-18 is a good step ny has started witnessing solid 400.00 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.12 the history of the bank. It can start09-May-13 to the year with demand 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 8.22 only get better.” up in08-Apr-12 all regions. 10.25 300.00 08-Apr-19 5.27

He said: “The more fundamental is the underlying changes we are in the 1.00 12.41 making 99.59 bank. restructur5.21 A complete 16.95 97.99 97.85 ing8.71is going20.52 on. Considering 4.88 16.97 where we are coming95.04 from 1.00 13.24 99.11 and the challenges environ2.63 15.02 99.47 ment, to run 1.00 the bank 13.87is ready98.24 - in1.34terms of14.22 corporate100.04 gover4.52 17.49 and manage88.78 nance structure 1.88 14.68 106.80 ment expertise.” 3.48 16.31 99.62 The primary purpose of the 5.20 18.06 100.18 rights offer 17.92 is to enable 5.06 101.94 the bank 3.06 shore up 16.03 its capital 93.73 ad2.29 15.17 101.21 the equacy in compliance with 6.11 Central Bank19.00 of Nigeria96.49 (CBN) 2.76 15.73 98.07 directive on capital adequacy for banks in Nigeria based on the new prudential guideline. 1.00bank’s capital 13.97 89.18will The raise improve the debt/equity mix, increase internal capacities Offer (%) Bid Pricetransactions, Offer Price forYield large ticket improve its information techPrices & Yields nology and expand its branch 5.01 108.83 109.82 network. Speaking also at the meet4.20 102.65 103.49 ing, Henry James Semeni105.25 director, 5.50 managing 106.23Unitari, ty Bank said, “This is a new dawn in the history of Unity Bank Plc.” 3.30 112.71 113.69proHe added: “The offer 4.47 will be 104.40 105.82 uticeeds judiciously 5.93 in line with 99.45 best practice 100.29 lised 101.67 as6.66 contained100.35 in the offer docu7.70 95.48 97.20 ment.” 4.49 113.61 115.18

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.30

6.14

99.80

100.46

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.15

6.62

103.95

105.95

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

360.00

09-Dec-20

6.54

6.23

100.33

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

09-Dec-13 6.63 FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,460.00

5-May-14101.55

The FMDQ Daily Quotations List (DQL) comprises market and model prices/rates of foreign exchange ($/N) products, fixed income securities and instruments in the OTC market. The use of this report is subject **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) to the FMDQ OTC PLC TermsMaturity of Use and Disclaimer Statement. Offer Discount (%) DTM Bid Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%) FGN

10 17 Bonds24 31 45 52 Rating/Agency 59 66 73 80 87 94 101 108 115 122 NA 157 213 248 262 276 290 304 339 353

15-May-14 22-May-14 29-May-14 5-Jun-14 19-Jun-14 Issuer 26-Jun-14 3-Jul-14 10-Jul-14 17-Jul-14 24-Jul-14 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 28-Aug-14 4-Sep-14 NA 9-Oct-14 4-Dec-14 8-Jan-15 22-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 9-Apr-15 23-Apr-15

10.20 10.40 10.30 10.60 10.70 Description 10.60 10.70 10.35 9.20 29-JUN-2014 10.60 9.25 28-SEP-2014 10.70 4.00 23-APR-2015 10.50 13.05 16-AUG-2016 10.25 15.10 27-APR-2017 10.25 10.35 9.85 27-JUL-2017 10.70 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 10.70 30-MAY-2018 10.80 16.00 29-JUN-2019 10.45 7.00 23-OCT-2019 11.20 16.39 27-JAN-2022 11.30 11.30 14.20 14-MAR-2024 10.90 15.00 28-NOV-2028 11.30 12.49 22-MAY-2029 11.40 8.50 20-NOV-2029 11.40

9.95 10.15 10.05 10.35 10.45 10.35 Issue Date 10.45 10.10 29-Jun-07 10.35 28-Sep-07 10.45 23-Apr-10 10.25 16-Aug-13 10.00 27-Apr-12 10.00 10.10 27-Jul-07 10.45 31-Aug-07 10.45 30-May-08 10.55 29-Jun-12 10.20 23-Oct-09 10.95 27-Jan-12 11.05 11.05 14-Mar-14 10.65 28-Nov-08 11.05 22-May-09 11.15 20-Nov-09 11.15

10.00 23-JUL-2030

23-Jul-10

10.23 10.45 10.37 10.70 10.84 10.76(%) Coupon 10.89 10.55 9.20 10.83 9.25 10.96 4.00 10.77 13.05 10.53 15.10 10.55 10.68 9.85 11.07 9.35 11.10 10.70 11.33 16.00 11.13 7.00 12.12 16.39 12.30 12.36 14.20 11.93 15.00 12.47 12.49 12.75 8.50 12.81

10.00

*from theOUTSTANDING Amortising TOTAL VALUE

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

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

***LCRM

Modified Duration Buckets

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

Description

Issuer

<3 3<5 >5

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

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 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 Porfolio Market Total Outstanding 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 Value(Bn)

910.92 1,085.24 14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 458.47 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 2,454.62 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

Tenor O/N 1M 3M Outstanding Value 6M

(N'bn)

Rate (%) 10.5917 12.6645 13.3109 14.3360 Maturity Date

45.00 100.00 NITTY 535.00 Tenor 435.27 1M 452.80 2M 3M 20.00 6M 100.00 9M 300.00 12M 351.30 233.90 600.00 NIFEX 75.00 Current Price ($/N) 75.00 BID($/N) 150.00 OFFER ($/N) 200.00 591.57

OBB

10.25

O/N

10.50

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

10.25

Tenor Spot 7D Offer14D Yield 1M (%) 2M 3M 9.85 6M 10.77 1Y

1M 11.54 0.15 10.83 3M 12.39 0.40 11.17 6M 13.27 0.97 12.40 11.80 2.28 12.97 12.89 NOTE: 2.98 13.04 12.98 :Benchmarks 3.23 12.98 12.85 * :Amortising 3.32 Bond 12.98 12.85 µ :Convertible Bond 4.07 12.97 12.87 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 5.15 13.04 12.96 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 5.47 Mortgage Bank 12.97of Nigeria 12.88 FMBN: Federal 7.73 13.03 12.97 IFC: International Finance Corporation LCRM: Local Management 9.86 Contractors Receivables 13.04 12.99 NAHCO:14.57 Nigerian Aviation 13.28 Handling Company 13.23 O/N: Overnight 15.05 13.31 13.26 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company 15.55 13.34 13.27 WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company 16.22 13.43 13.38

29-Jun-14 28-Sep-14 23-Apr-15 Rate (%) 16-Aug-16 10.1482 27-Apr-17 10.6968 10.7137 27-Jul-17 11.1939 31-Aug-17 12.1273 30-May-18 12.8449 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 158.7425 22-May-29 158.8425 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30

Bid ($/N) 158.66 158.94 159.19 Bid159.78 Price 160.94 162.17 99.71 165.73 99.23 172.57

Offer ($/N)

Price

158.76 159.22 159.57 Offer Price 160.50 162.27 164.10 99.86 169.87 99.38 181.47

92.56 93.06 100.10 100.25 104.95 105.10 NA :Not Applicable 91.92 92.22 # :Floating 90.43 Rate Bond90.73 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 92.97 93.27 110.80 111.10 †: Bond rating expired 77.13 77.43 116.00 116.30 106.30 106.60 NGC:110.96 Nigeria-German111.26 Company UBA: 94.74 United Bank for Africa 95.04 68.60 68.90 77.50 77.80

4,264.84

# bonds,

Rating/Agency

NIBOR

Bonds

Volume(Bn)

28-Dec-11 24-May-10 03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 Weighting by 06-Jul-12 Vol Outstanding

Coupon (%)

Issue Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

0.00

978.35

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 Weighting by Mkt 0.00/16.50 Value

6.00 112.22 116.70 Bucket66.49 Weighting

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

0.49 1.05 1.54 2.60 2.96 Implied 3.17Yield

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.49 Implied 1.00 Price Portfolio

12.50 15.11 14.91 14.90 14.46 INDEX 13.98

94.27 85.79 103.24 93.47 90.48 YTD Return 89.02 (%)

0.00 BOND INDEX 24.56 FMDQ FGN

1,304.32

888.07

36.53

37.11

0.37

19.53

13.01

111.2271

1,056.43

5.6431

951.30 591.57

39.13 05-Aug-0924.33 15-Oct-09 100.00 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

44.21 14.00 18.68 14.00100.00 12.50 13.00 14.00 15.50 10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00

0.39 0.24

39.77 05-Aug-1440.70 15-Oct-14 100.00 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

13.03 0.2513.43 0.4513.19 1.32 0.93 1.22 1.23 2.96 1.79 3.66 2.63 4.42 2.63 2.63

124.2204 4.88 85.4289 5.99 110.0338 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 7.60 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 1.21

1,051.85 16.05 1,034.19 17.43 1,044.08 17.01 15.55 17.00 16.02 18.56 20.33 14.76 14.71 13.97 13.91 14.12

5.1851 99.36 3.4186 98.53 4.4078 94.80 98.18 96.89 99.77 81.16 90.51 97.85 98.66 100.07 101.40 111.64

2,430.94

17.00 6.00 8.50 16.50 13.00 18.50 57.00 50.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00

1.00

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE 49

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Insurgency won't affect investments, says Alade

IFC invests $172.5m in Basel Ill for emerging markets Godson Ikoro

CHALLENGE

Investors are aware of efforts being put in place by government Mojeed Alabi

he Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Sarah Alade has insisted that the rising spate of violence in Nigeria won't be allowed to affect the country's efforts at bringing investors into the major sectors of the economy. Alade spoke yesterday at the Covenant University, Ota, in Ogun State, where she chaired of discussions on key economic issues in Africa and Nigeria in particular. She said the fact that Nigeria has identified insecurity as a major challenge means she is prepared to mitigate it and that investors are aware of the efforts being made to address the situation. She said: "There is no nation in the world without a specific challenge and since insurgency has been identified as a major hurdle to our investment drive in Nigeria, the Federal Government has been committed to mitigating it and I so much believe we will overcome." Also speaking, one of the

Alade

keynote speakers at the event and Nobel Prize Winner in Economic Sciences and lecturer at New York University, United States of America, Prof. Thomas Sargent, said insecurity is not peculiar to Nigeria, and that since identified, the world should come together to fight. He said the potentials of Africa to address the food and energy needs of the world would guarantee the global support against the insurgents. Sargent explained that the academic institutions in Af-

rica should emulate the Covenant University in bringing together scholars to provide solutions to the challenges facing the continent. The Chief Host and Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr. David Oyedepo said the decision to stage the programme was aimed at producing valuable recommendations and concrete action plans "that will result not only in the economic wellbeing of the middle class in Africa, but will also impact positively on the quality of lives at the grassroots."

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

FC, a member of the World Bank Group, has invested the sum of $172.5 million in FirstRand Bank Limited in a bid to boost the first cross-border investment in Basel lll tier 2 instruments in South Africa. The investment is one first in emerging markets globally. A statement from the group said that the debt will be provided by IFC Capitalization Fund, which is managed by the IFC Asset Management Company. According to Andries du Toit, FirstRand group treasurer, the financing from IFC Capitalization Fund is expected to provide support to the group’s strategy to grow lending to small and medium sized entities (SMEs) in South Africa and the rest of Africa. Further to the transaction, "FirstRand continues to grow and improve access to finance by expanding its lending operations in South Africa and beyond,” said Marcos Brujis, Head of the IFC Capitalization Fund, a $3 billion fund which

was made possible by commitments from IFC and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). In South Africa, the investment is expected to increase FirstRand’s funding to SME’s over the 10-year life of the project. The investment will also provide support to FirstRand’s expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa. The South African bank is making a significant strategic and financial commitment to Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, where it will increase lending to retail clients and SME’s. This is expected to benefit the economies of these countries, create jobs, enhance competition and develop the necessary skills and capacity required to further strengthen the banking sectors in these markets. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. Working with private enterprises in more than 100 countries, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to help eliminate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.

NPF: PenCom allays fears over N4tn pension assets Sunday Ojeme

ollowing a newspaper report on the fate of pension assets in the event of the Nigeria Police Force operating under a new and an independent Pension Fund Administrator, the National Pension Commission has assured that the development will not in any way affect the existing assets under its watch. The Commission in a statement on yesterday said the issue of threat to pension assets did not arise under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) because the management and custody of pension assets were respectively undertaken by separate licensed operators, namely the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs), under the strict supervision of the Commission. The statement, signed by Head, Communications, PenCom, Mr. Emeka Onuora, said the NPF Pensions Limited, which was recently granted an Approval-in-Principle, would operate like any other licensed PFA where the pension assets under its management would be held in custody by licensed PFCs under the supervision of the Commission. The Commission pointed out that the Federal Government had never granted any approval to the Nigeria Police to pull out from the Contributory Pension Scheme, stressing that the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force were still under the Contributory Pension Scheme by virtue of Section 1 of the Pension Reform Act 2004. According to PenCom, the Whitepaper recently issued by the Federal Government on the Report of the Orasanye Committee on the Rationalisa-

tion of Federal Government Institutions clearly indicated that the Federal Government had accepted the recommendation that , with the exception of the Military which had already been granted exemption, no Federal Government Institution or Force should be exempted from the Contributory Pension Scheme. The statement emphasised that, “Following the enactment of the Pension Reform (Amendment) Act 2011, which exempted the personnel of the Military and State Security Services from the Contributory Pension Scheme, the Nigeria Police and other agencies agitated for exemption from the Scheme. However, the Federal Government decided, after careful consideration of the submission made by the Nigeria Police, that the Police personnel should remain under the Contributory Pension Scheme and that the Nigeria Police Force should seek administrative solutions to the grievances of their personnel within the framework of the Scheme. “Accordingly, after extensive consultations with the Commission, the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force decided to incorporate a limited liability company (NPF Pensions Limited) and apply to the Commission for licence to operate as a Pension Fund Administrator exclusively for the Nigeria Police personnel in order to address their peculiar concerns. Sequel to a rigorous and thorough review of that application, the NPF Pensions Limited was found to have satisfied all the stringent Approval-inPrinciple conditions without any concessions,the Commission granted the NPF Pensions Limited an A-I-P for a licence to operate as a PFA.

50 WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Obama asked to block BBC show, Top Gear over racism

resident Obama has been asked to consider blocking broadcast in the U.S. of BBC motoring show “Top Gear” after its star, Jeremy Clarkson, was accused of allegedly using racist language. A firm of lawyers, Equal Justice, is to write to Obama and the ambassadors of more than 200 countries in which “Top Gear” airs to ask them to consider the evidence, and then decide if the series should con-

tinue to be broadcast in their countries, the Guardian has reported. The firm was referring to footage from the show in which the nursery rhyme “eeny, meeny, miny, mo” was recited, and in which it has been alleged the n-word was used. The footage was not broadcast, but the Daily Mirror has put the footage on its website. Clarkson claims he mumbled something that sounds like the offending word, but not the

word itself. Lawrence Davies, director of Equal Justice, said: “Clarkson claimed he ‘did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the program that was transmitted’ The obvious thing that any non-racist would have done is to not use the rhyme at all or failing that to simply substitute

another word such as ‘tiger’ in the take. There was never any need to mumble the N-word repeatedly.” Davies added that the BBC should have sacked Clarkson and his team for alleged “gross misconduct,” but won’t because “they are making money out of the show. “It is not the first time the show has been accused of us-

ing racist language. qual Justice rapped Indian-born actress Somi Guha when she filed a complaint to the BBC about “Top Gear” after Clarkson used the word “slope” when referring to an Asian man. The firm also rapped Iris de la Torre, who complained about the use of racial stereotypes in an episode about Mexican vehicles.

China to extend over $12 billion in aid to Africa

hinese Premier Li Keqiang unveiled extra aid for Africa totalling at least $12 billion yesteray, and offered to share advance technology with the continent to help with development of high-speed rail, state news agency Xinhua reported. Li pledged the additional funding in a speech at the Organisation of African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. China will increase credit lines to Africa by $10 billion and will boost the China-Africa Development Fund by $2 billion, bringing it to a total of $5 billion, Xinhua said. It provided no details of the timeframe. Li “depicted a dream that all African capitals are connected with high-speed rail, so as to boost pan-African communication and development,” the report said. As China has advanced technologies in this area, Li said China was ready to work with Africa “to make

this dream come true”. China will also offer $100 million in aid for wildlife protection, Li added. It is Li’s first visit to Africa since he became premier last year and follows on from a trip to the continent by President Xi Jinping in March 2013, when he renewed an offer of $20 billion in loans to Africa between 2013 and 2015. Li said that the new $10 billion credit line would be on top of the existing $20 billion already offered, the China News Service reported. Chinese officials said last week that Li’s trip, which also takes in oil-rich Nigeria and Angola, would not simply be for energy deals and Beijing will be seeking to help boost African living standards. Trips by Chinese leaders to Africa are often marked by big natural resource deals, triggering criticism from some quarters that China is only interested in the continent’s mineral and energy wealth.

U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama steps into the limousine as President Barack Obama and herself depart for the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner from the White House in Washington at the weekend. PHOTO: REUTERS/JOSHUA ROBER

S.Africa’s AMCU says platinum strike to continue, no talks

outh Africa’s Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) said yesterday its striking members had rejected the latest wage offer by the world’s three biggest platinum mining companies. The strike has been run-

ning for nearly four months at Anglo American Platinum, Lonmin (LSE: LMI.L - news) and Impala Platinum and has hit 40 percent of global production of the precious metal. The three companies took their latest wage offer directly to the roughly 70,000 strik-

Malaysian plane’s likely flight path gets second look

n international panel of experts will re-examine all data gathered in the nearly two-month hunt for the missing Malaysia jet to ensure search crews who have been scouring a desolate patch of ocean for the plane have been looking in the right place, officials said yesterday. Senior officials from Malaysia, Australia and China met in the Australian capital to hash out the details of the next steps in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which will center on an expanded patch of seafloor in a remote area of the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. The area became the focus of the hunt after a team of

analysts calculated the plane’s likeliest flight path based on satellite and radar data. Starting tomorrow, that data will be re-analyzed and combined with all information gathered thus far in the search, which hasn’t turned up a single piece of debris despite crews scouring more than 4.6 million square kilometers (1.8 million square miles) of ocean. “We’ve got to this stage of the process where it’s very sensible to go back and have a look at all of the data that has been gathered, all of the analysis that has been done and make sure there’s no flaws in it, the assumptions are right, the analysis is right and the deductions and conclusions are right,” Angus Houston,

head of the search operation, told reporters in Canberra. Investigators have been stymied by a lack of hard data since the plane vanished on March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A week-long search for surface debris was called off last week after officials determined any wreckage that may have been floating has likely sunk. “Unfortunately, all of that effort has found nothing,” Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss said. “We’ve been confident on the basis of the information provided that the search area was the right one, but in practice, that confidence has not been converted into us discovering any trace of the aircraft.”

Houston has warned the underwater search is likely to drag on for up to a year. Houston and Truss met with Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang in Canberra yesterday to map out the next steps of the underwater search, which will focus on a 60,000 square kilometer (23,000 square mile) patch of seafloor. Officials are contacting governments and private contractors to find out whether they have specialized equipment that can dive deeper than the Bluefin 21, an unmanned sub that has spent weeks scouring the seafloor in an area where sounds consistent with a plane’s black box were detected in early April.

ing miners after wage talks with the union collapsed. The firms said many of the strikers had expressed a desire to return to work. The companies are offering increases of up to 10 percent and other benefits that they say would raise the overall minimum pay package to 12,500 rand ($1,200) a month by July 2017. AMCU had initially demanded an immediate increase to 12,500 rand, but softened that stance in March to staggered increases that would amount to 12,500 rand within three or four years. “There are no talks scheduled,” AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa told a news conference. AMCU would call an industry-wide work stoppage should Anglo American Platinum, the biggest producer, close shafts because of the strike, he added. Employees have lost more than 7.3 billion rand ($698 million) in wages so far, according to an industry website that provides a running tally (http://www.platinumwagenegotiations.co.za/). Companies are staring at revenue losses of more than 16.4 billion rand.

C’wealth Games: Ogunkoya calls for proper preparation Charles Ogundiya

former Nigerian international, Falilat Ogunkoya, has advised Nigerian athletes to step up their prep-

aration so as to make impact at the world relay competition and the Commonwealth Games. She stated that the best athletes would be coming for the

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

competitions and the best way to make impact was to prepare well. Speaking to New Telegraph in Benin, Ogunkoya said; “As an athlete, you must train and

NEW TELEGRAPH

compete to know your current position, that was why Nigerian athletes were in the USA, and I believe that they did very well, but we still have to prepare betCONTINUED ON PAGE 54

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

From the year 1962 to 1996, the World Cup was won alternatively by the Europeans and South Americans

TUESday, may 6, 2014

WORLD CUP LIST

Don’t accuse NFF of interference –Bassey

}p. 54

lEagles provisional list out today lKeshi focused on the Mundial - Alaiya Dzeko leads Bosnia’ World Cup squad }p-53

F’Eagles: Manu drops two players, reads riot act }p-54

Brazil: I’m ready to assist Keshi -Westerhof }p-54

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Countdown to Fifa World Cup 37

Navas

Days To Go

Costa Rica not scared of Italy, England -Navas

Costa Rica international and Levante goalkeeper Keylor Navas, in this interview with FIFA.com speaks on his life in Spain and the daunting challenge of playing in a group with three former World Cup winners: Uruguay, Italy and England. How does it feel to be considered the best goalkeeper in what is a very tough Spanish league? I’m delighted and very grateful, mainly because I’ve been able to stay healthy and keep improving. I try to take everything in my stride and remain humble, and to enjoy playing as much as possible. It’s a very competitive league and standards are very high, so to have my performances recognised in this way makes me very happy. Speaking of improving, who do you think you can learn from? Each of the top goalkeepers has a particular quality to teach me. I look at Diego Lopez, Iker Casillas, Víctor Valdes, Gianluigi Buffon… they all have tremendous experience and ability, and have spent years proving they are the best. In recent years more and more players from Costa Rica have moved to Europe. Do you consider yourself to be a pioneer? The players who have been in Europe for a while have always tried to represent our country well, so that the football world can see that Costa Rican players are talented and have lots of potential. We tried to open the doors for those who had the ambition and the dedication to follow the same path. And how does the national team help with this process? It’s very important. Acquiring international experience helps us to mature in lots of ways, and when we get together with the national team each player brings a little bit of what he has learnt,

which makes the squad more complete. Costa Rica qualified in second place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal and conceded just seven goals - the fewest in the competition. How do you explain the team’s change in style? We worked hard on our defending and improved that side of our game a lot. We concentrated on improving communication between the goalkeeper and the defence, and we treated each training game as if it were a real match. And that helped us to feel good about the way we play and to get comfortable with the system, and we soon saw the results. What part did Jorge Luis Pinto play in helping the team qualify for Brazil? He made us work hard. He’s very demanding. We have worked hard in all areas, but especially on our organisation as a team. I think it was something we needed, and now we’re a much more organised side. What is your first memory of the FIFA World Cup? Korea/Japan 2002. I watched all the Costa Rica games with my friends from school. The time difference made things difficult, so we all slept at the house of one friend and then woke up in the middle of the night to watch the games. It was a lot of fun. At least Costa Ricans won’t have to stay up all night to watch the games during Brazil 2014. But now it’s down to you to make people back home happy. The fans seem a little pessimistic about the team’s chances

in Group D. Are you more hopeful? Of course! Nothing is impossible. The other teams in the group are all very strong with great World Cup records. But this is something that motivates us. It’s a great challenge in our lives and in our careers as footballers. But we will have to do our talking on the pitch. We’ll bring a lot of enthusiasm and will stay positive for the whole 90 minutes. Let’s look at the teams one by one. You played in goal when Uruguay beat Costa Rica in the 2010 World Cup South Africa qualifying play-off. What do you remember about the defeat? Is it time to get revenge? We were knocked out because we lost the first game in Costa Rica. That was what turned the tie in Uruguay’s favour, because in Montevideo we managed to get a draw, which was a respectable result. They’re tough memories, but we can’t ignore them. We didn’t enjoy losing, but now we have the opportunity to write a new chapter in the history books. But it’s not about revenge. It’s the World Cup and we desperately want to get off to the best possible start. Uruguay have some great players, like Diego Forlan, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez. Who scares you the most? They’re all great players, but we can’t show them too much respect. Our mission is to try and make their lives as difficult as possible while sticking to our game plan. We can’t allow them to get comfortable at any time. England have Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge. What is your

opinion of the Roy Hodgson’s team? They have a very strong squad. Individually each player is important. We can’t relax at all. And to finish we have Italy with Rossi, Balotelli, Pirlo. Is it a dream or a nightmare to play against a team like that? I play in a very competitive league and every Sunday I come up against some of the best players in the world, so I stopped being nervous about facing big-name players a long time ago. I feel quite relaxed. For me it’s a great challenge to play against the best. It will test us to the limit and allow us to find out just how good we are. They’re all great players. But we have one big advantage. They’re so well known that we know all about their strengths. So we just need to make sure we defend as well as we can. With so many big names, who will you swap your shirt with at the end of the game? Maybe Buffon. It will be a great game, a good contest. How have you approached the final games of the season, leading up to the World Cup? A number of players, such as Victor Valdes, have suffered injuries. Do you worry about that happening to you? Are you playing a little more cautiously at the moment? I put everything in the hands of God. He takes care of us and helps us. If he wants me to play in the World Cup, he’ll protect me. If it isn’t his plan, then I have to keep working, making the most of every day, and not get distracted by other goals.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sport

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with Emmanuel Tobi emmanuel.tobi@newtelegraphonline.com

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Jude Opara Abuja

n an effort to fulfill part of the agreement reached with the Nigeria Football Federation during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last month, Orlean Invest has concluded arrangements to commit the sum of 5 million Euros to the construction of two additional training pitches for the use of Nigerian national

Orlean Invest plans €5m for Abuja training pitches teams. Managing Director of Orlean Invest, Damier Miskovic told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that apart from the construction of the facilities, the company will equally rehabilitate the FIFA Project building located at the Package ‘B’ of the Abuja National Stadium which has become dilapidated due to non maintenance over the years. “As part of our agreement with the football federation of Nigeria, we have decided to construct three new training fa-

cilities for the U-20, U-17 and the national female team; today there is only one pitch but I believe that in the next six to eight months, there will be additional two which will make it easier for all the teams to train any time.” In his remarks, Chairman of Orlean Invest, Gabriel Volpi said; “We are here now because Orlean Invest has been commit-

ting two percent of our profit yearly to develop various fields, starting with the local community, the schools, water, roads and many others. In the past three years, this company, that has been here in Nigeria, for over 26 years, has been investing in football, we have established the Football College in Abuja, and now we want to construct these two training pitches for the national teams.”

(L-R) Orlean Invest Managing Director Damier Miskovic, Chairman of the company, Gabriel Volpi and President NFF, Aminu Maigari at the Abuja National Stadium over the weekend.

AWC qualifiers: Mabo slams NFF over Nkwocha’s invitation Mercy Jacob Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Bank Limited, Mallam Ahmed Kuru (left) handing over a commendation plaque to Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (middle) with Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, President, Nigeria Supporters Club admiring at the 2nd edition of the 10km Okpekpe International Road Race over the weekend in Edo State.

he invitation of former women African footballer of the year, Perpetua Nkwocha, by the Nigeria Football Federation for the Super Falcons, African Women Champion-

Kanu boosts Abesan Dzeko leads Bosnia’ World Cup squad teen footballers

egendary Super Eagles star, Nwankwo Kanu, at the weekend took some time off his busy schedule to inspire aspiring footballers in Abesan Estate, Ipaja as part of the annual Greensprings-Kanu Football Camp. The event, which was organised in collaboration with the Abesan Youth Sports Development Association, led by Seyi Matilukuro, came up at Abesan Estate’s Greenland playground and saw the former Ajax, Inter Milan and Arsenal star taking group photographs with the kids, as he offered words of advice to them on how best to go about their fledgling football careers. Prior to Kanu’s arrival though, the kids, numbering over 100, were put through the basics of the sport by a combined team of AYSDA and overseas-based coaches led by West Brom youth team coach, Liam Wall, before engaging in a three-a-side competition much to the delight of parents and well-wishers present at the venue. “This is just our own little way of giving something back to our neighbourhood, and we are grateful to Greensprings and Kanu for making it possible for these kids to experience something such as this,” Matilukuro said.

As Coach Susic unveils 24 players

EmmanuelTobi

anchester City striker, Edin Dzeko, will spearhead Bosnia’s attack at the World Cup in Brazil as coach Safet Susic on Monday named his provisional 24-man squad for the competition. The Manchester City forward scored 10 goals in qualifying as Bosnia emerged from Group G as the best runners-up. Coach Susic who listed Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and Vedad Ibisevic of German side, VfB Stuttgart) in the squad, also named only one local based player in Asmir Avdukic, a goalkeeper with Borac Banja Luka FC, a club based in the city of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia reached the World Cup for the first time in their history and will face Argentina, Iran and Nigeria in Group F. BOSNIA’S WORLD CUP SQUAD Goalkeepers: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City), Jasmin Fejzic (Aalen), Asmir Avdukic (Borac Banja Luka) Defenders: Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke), Ermin Bicakcic (Eintracht

Braunschweig), Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor), Toni Sunjic (Zorya Lugansk), Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split), Mensur Mujdza (Freiburg), Ervin Zukanovic (Gent) Midfielders: Zvjezdan Misimovic (Guizhou Renhe), Haris Medunjanin (Gaziantepspor), Miralem Pjanic (Roma), Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim), Senad Lulic (Lazio), Izet Hajrovic (Galatasaray), Senijad Ibricic (Erciyesspor), Edin Visca (Istanbul BB), Tino Susic (Hajduk Split), Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), Anel Hadzic (Sturm Graz) Forwards: Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Vedad Ibisevic (VfB Stuttgart).

Dzeko

ship qualifying match, against the She - Amavubi of Rwanda, has not to gone down well with former Super Falcons coach, Ismaila Mabo. “Female football in Nigeria has gone down the drain, if not I don’t see why any body should lose sleep over Rwanda that a club side in Nigeria can beat easily. Each time I remember the glorious time I had with the Super Falcons and seeing what is happening now, it gives me cause for concern. If NFF is developing women football, we don’t need to invite Nkwocha who has, on the number of occasions, announced her retirement, to help us qualify for AWC which was a small matter in my days with Falcons,” said Mabo who directly blames NFF for the decline of women football. “I think it is time Falcons coach Edwin Okon, took a bold step just as past coaches of the team did, and rid the team of aged girls to pave way for the young players. I did it in my time; coach Paul Hamilton also did it. This is not to say that Nkwocha is not a good player, but my grouse is that we don’t need to disturb her if we are doing the right thing, even more so when age is no more on her side. Mabo said. Mabo, however, advised Okon to pick his team for the AWC qualifiers against Rwanda based on current form and fitness, irrespective of where the players ply their trade. “I will suggest that the coach considers the form and fitness of the foreign pros before including any of them in the team, because big names do not play football,” Mabo said.

SPORT | EURO FOOTBALL

Don’t accuse NFF of interference –Bassey Adekunle Salami

member of the Nigeria Football Federation technical committee, Paul Bassey, has said it is unfair to accuse the soccer ruling body of interference while the body was working in line with its legitimate functions. He noted that Keshi was still enjoying the free hand to pick players for every game or competitions involving the Super Eagles. Bassey said his committee had been grossly misunderstood by many Nigerians. He said, “We are only asking questions and offering suggestions to the technical crew and that we are doing on behalf of Nigerians. When there are obvious cases of players that should be in or out we ask questions but the coach still has the final say.

”The decision to push the date forward was reached to allow for consultations and deep thinking on some of the issues raised at our last meeting.” Bassey said there had been consultations in various ways just to attain the best result for Nigeria. After all the hues and cries over the provisional list, the NFF will release the list on Tuesday (today) in Abuja. On April 22, the meeting between Head coach Stephen Keshi and the technical committee of the federation was not conclusive as both parties disagreed on some names on the list. “We have made progress between then and now. The 30-man list is ready. There is no war anywhere; we are just trying to put things in perspective to get things right for Nigeria. On Tuesday, all the tension will reduce when the list is released.” Bassey said.

The Super Eagles spokesman, Ben Alaiya, told New Telegraph that the general apprehension over the list is understandable. He said Keshi and the technical crew members were working hard to make Nigerians happy at the forthcoming Mundial which starts on June 12. “Focus is on the World Cup and I can confirm that Keshi knows his core players and is already working on strategies for the World Cup proper. It is normal to have expectations here and there based on personal preferences, but all this will be over soon,” Alaiya said. The Super Eagles will compete for honours in Group F of the Mundial against Iran, Bosnia Herzegovina and Argentina. The global football showcase holds between June 12 and July 13.

F’Eagles: Manu drops two players, reads riot act Ifeanyi Ibeh

Manu

lying Eagles coach Manu Garba has dropped two players from the team as part of his screening exercise for the new look U-20 team The players, goalkeeper Abdulazeez Abubakar and defender Ifeanyi Nweke, were dropped from the 20-man squad to Benin and so 18 players will fly out to East Africa. He said any player who fails to prove himself would be shipped out from the squad for this weekend’s 2015 AYC qualifier in Tanzania. The Nigeria U-20 lost 1-0 to hosts Benin Republic in a warmup game played in Cotonou. “You have to prove yourself by our next game or you go home,” said a tough-talking Manu on Monday.

“Sunday’s game in Cotonou is now in the past. We have seen some of our lapses and we will correct them before the qualifier in Tanzania. “We remain positive and so we wish to win in Tanzania so that the return leg will be a mere formality.” The Flying Eagles returned to Lagos Monday morning and are due to fly out to Tanzania on Wednesday afternoon. However, hosts Tanzania are yet to confirm match day. The Ngongoro Heroes edged past neigbours Kenya on penalties after both legs of their first round qualifier failed to produce any goal. Two years ago, the Flying Eagles eliminated Tanzania 4-1 on aggregate with the Nigerians winning the first leg in Tanzania 2-1.

Mourinho eyes ‘killer striker’

helsea boss Jose Mourinho intends to sign a striker with a “killer instinct” this summer. Mourinho has been linked with a big-money swoop for Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa this summer, with Fernando Torres potentially returning Mourinho (left) to his former club in part-ex- he will need a different kind of striker in his armoury. change. “Against the teams that are The 0-0 draw with Norwich on Sunday all-but ended Chel- more defensive, more aggressea’s chances of winning the sive, more worried about trying Premier League and Mourinho to keep a clean sheet than resays that to take that next step, ally to play, we keep saying the

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Brazil: I’m ready to assist Keshi -Westerhof Chimaobi Uchendu

ormer Super Eagles coach, Clemens Westerhof, has declared his readiness to assist coach Stephen Keshi in Brazil. Speaking on, Megasports, the Dutchman said he would work for free but hinted that his services would cost some money, if the team gets to the semifinals. Westerhof, arguably, Nigeria’s best ever foreign coach, arrived the country Wednesday night and continued to speak on Nigeria’s chances at the 2014 World Cup. He said he was proud of the job Keshi has been doing with Nigeria, adding that he expected nothing less going by the leadership quali-

Westerhof

ties Keshi displayed as captain of the Eagles. Westerhof also pleaded for Ike Uche’s return to the Eagles. “I had watched a couple of games Uche has played this season and I can say that he has been in great shape.” “It is bad if Uche behaved like that. If a player did that to me off he goes, I tell you. But sometimes a coach is a father to the whole team.”

C’wealth Games: Ogunkoya calls for proper preparation C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 1

ter because we are going for the Commonwealth Games with the world relay coming first. “We need to work and prepare well because the toughest people we can compete against are coming for the Commonwealth Games; England, Scotland, America and so on; we must work harder, but again we must appreciate our own.” On what Nigerian coaches lack that inforned the appointment of former American 100 metres world record holder, Maurice Greene, she said Nigerian coaches were still very good. “Not that we lack anything, Nigeria has good

coaches. Remember when Nigeria won the gold medal in the 4x400 metres relay in Sydney 2000, the team was trained by a Nigerian. When we won the silver medal in the 4x400 metres relay Atlanta 1996, we were trained by a Nigerian. Maurice Greene is a world-class athlete, no doubt; Olympics champion, World champion, former record holder, he can contribute, but let me tell you, we have good coaches in Nigeria,” the Olympics silver medalist said. She however prays for selection of a good team ahead of the two competitions, the world relay and the Commonwealth Games.

Suarez wins Football Writers’ player award

same,” Mourinho told Chelsea TV. “We have good players, but we don’t have the kind of striker able to, in a short space, to make an action, to score a goal, to open the gate. “In these kind of Suarez matches you just need to open the gate. When you open the iverpool forward Luis Suarez has been voted the 2014 Footgate, the gate is open and you go on to win much more. We baller of the Year by the Football weren’t able to do that. We have Writers’ Association. to try to win as a team.” The Uruguay international, 27,

topped the poll of 300-plus journalists with a victory over Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard, the England captain. Suarez’s 30 goals have helped propel Brendan Rodgers’ men towards a first championship in 24 years. The Liverpool forward will be honoured with the prestigious FWA accolade, which has been running since 1948, at a gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on May 15. Suarez was last week also named Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Committee proposes new revenue allocation formulae

ALTERATION l FG- 42.5% l State- 35% l LGA- 22.5% Power Devolution Committee unanimously agree on new revenue sharing formula

Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

he National Conference Committee on Power Devolution yesterday recommended an upward review of the monthly allocation of the states and local government councils in the country. Under the new formulae, the states will receive 35 per cent while the local councils will take 22.5 per cent, bringing the total to 57.5 percent as against their current total allocation of 47 percent. In the light of this proposed alteration, the federal government which used to have the

NEWS 55

FROM THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Sanctity of Truth

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

lion share allocation of 53 per cent will now have 42.5 per cent. Co- chairman of the Power Devolution Committee, Obong Victor Attah disclosed this yesterday at the end of a four hour closed door meeting of the committee. Attah explained that the delegates unanimously agreed on the new sharing formula. "The issue is that we reached not just consensus, but a unanimous decision. When we come back from lunch we are going to look at horizontal sharing formula. "On resources control, we would also look at horizontal sharing formula and then we. This decision was unanimous. We believe that with more confidence, we would reach unanimous decisions again, because we have provided for every part of

this country to be developed. There are mineral resources and we need diversification so that if you want to go into agriculture, there is something for you and everyone would have something from which to get a derivation payment. Once that is established, we are confident that we would reach an agreement on what that level of derivation ought to be,"Attah said. A member of the committee, Senator Jack Tilley-Gyado disclosed that the committee decided to reduce the allocation due to the federal government by about ten per cent because about 20 items were knocked out of the Exclusive Legislative List and sent to the Concurrent Legislative List. "Its being a smooth day today. We discussed the sharing formula, with various sugges-

tions coming from members. We have arrived at a consensus, after debating. We unanimously agreed to the position where some funds must be taken from the federal government and devolved to the states and local governments. "We felt that the federal government is too hegemonous, we are still conscious of the fact that federal government is in charge of police, agriculture because we have devolved some powers from federal government to states and local governments, we generally agreed to knock out ten percent of current allocation of federal government and push them down to state and local governments. "We talked about agriculture, health, even up to tertiary education,20 items were knocked off. We have about 80 of them on the Exclusive List,”he said.

Committee adamant on labour matters listing Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

he National Conference Committee on Devolution of Power yesterday rejected a move to have its earlier decision to move labour matters from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List rescinded. President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mallam Abdulwaheed Omar last week, led other labour leaders on a protest against the decision of the committee to move labour out of the Exclusive List. The labour leaders said the decision was against the interest of Nigerian worker, as, according to them, it will impact negatively on workers when it comes to the issue of minimum wage. The protest was meant to mount pressure on the committee to reconsider its position on the matter. However, Co-Chairman of the committee, Obong Victor Attah, disclosed yesterday that the request was turned down

by members of the committee when it came up for review. During the protest Attah explained to the labour leaders that the decision to put labour on the concurrent list was taken in the best interest of the country. He said it was absurd for every state to compete with the Federal Government when it comes to salaries and wages. He recalled his experience as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, where a he established a university in the state and provided it with state of the art facilities and competitive remuneration, only for the union to shut it down on the excuse of "sympathy strike" with other universities in the country. In turning down the request, some delegates argued that a situation where labour leaders shut down the entire country over wage issues which are meant to benefit only Federal Government workers, was no longer acceptable in a democracy.

Confab loses another delegate Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

L-R, Members of the National Confab Committee on Citizenship and Immigration Mr. Mohmud Aminu, Barr. Anthony Akika, Dr. Bilkisu Magoro and Mr. John Dara during the Committee’s meeting at the National Judicial Institude, Abuja yesterday. PHOTO; TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

he National Conference sitting has, again, lost one of its delegates, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar Jumare, bringing the number of death at the conference to two in a few weeks. AIG Mamman Misau, (retired), one of the six delegates representing the Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, died about five weeks ago. Jumare’s death was confirmed yesterday in Abuja in a statement by the Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, Mr. Akpandem James. Jumare, who died yesterday, according to

the statement, hailed from Kaduna State. Until his death, Jumare was one of the delegates representing Elder Statesmen at the conference. He has since been buried in his home town, Zaria. The late Dr Jumare was born on August 20, 1943 in Kwarbai, Zaria City. His burial was attended by the Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Ramalan Yero and the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji (Dr) Shehu Idris. The National Conference was represented by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Assistant Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration.

Delegate Ray Ekpu wants House of Reps scrapped Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

member of the National Conference's Committee on Politics and Governance, Mr. Ray Ekpu, yesterday advocated scrapping of the House of Representative leaving Senate to be the only national law-making chamber. Ekpu, a Journalis, expressed his opposition to the present arrangement where there is a Senate and House of Representatives; describing it as wasteful and overburdened.

...Backs unicameral legislature

Ekpu informed the Committee that the two chamber parliament is a breeding ground for discord and disagreement as there are endless supremacy battles between the Senate and House of Representatives. He called for increase in the number of senators from each state to four and one for the Federal Capital Territory. His words, “I will like to vote for unicameral legislature because at present, we are already overburdened. We have

774 parliaments in the local government. We have 36 States Houses of Assembly. And we have two at the national level. “I am advocating the scrapping of the House of Representative. I will vote for having the Senate. We can increase the number of Senators to four per state. "In that case, we will have 144 Senators plus one representing the FCT. We will reduce the cost. We will reduce the friction that currently occurs between the House

of Reps and the Senate. “The House of Reps is called the lower house; they said they are not lower house. We are equals. But the constituencies are not equal. The salaries that they earn are not equal. “Nobody in the House of Commons will say Members of Lords, we are equal. They do different things. The Senate does confirmation hearing, but the House of Representative don’t, but they say we are equal”, he said On the issue of state police, Mr. Ekpu supported it and went on

to advance reasons for aligning himself with the clamour: His words, “My position (on state police) is not an armchair presentation. I am speaking because I was a member of the Police Service Commission for five years. And I have knowledge about how the federal police work. “If you have true federal system, you will have state police, state courts etc. These all go with true federalism. We are complaining already with the problem we have in security. And look at the

blame game going on between the federal government and the Borno State government. “If you have a police service that is close to the people; that nearness provides protection. It provides cover for the rural populace. Local police will know the territory. “If I post a policeman from Abuja to my village; he doesn’t know the arrangement, he doesn’t know the terrain. If you don’t have a local police, you will be denied of local knowledge of happenings – customs and people and so on.”

On Marble

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

– Jim Rohn

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

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

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha TUESday, MAY 6, 2014

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Sergei Bubka broke the pole vault world record 35 times during his long career. He became the first man to clear 6m, and remains the only one to clear 6.10m. He set the world record of 6.14 in 1994, and officially retired in 2001.

Why the West worries about Nigeria’s terrorism surge

his past month has been a nerve-jangling ordeal for Nigerians facing the dramatic surge in ruthless home-grown terrorism. The two bombs at Abuja bus stations, and the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls were all attributed to Boko Haram Islamists, who have ramped up the scale of their attacks, penetrating the federal capital and parading a cruelty that surpasses an already shocking and vindictive record. Anguished families and friends of the schoolgirls are still waiting for news from the kidnapping, with some reports saying they have been taken across the border. They are painfully aware that Boko Haram has few qualms about slaughtering hostages, having murdered 43 pupils in a college in Yobe State in February. Nigeria now has the unwanted distinction of vying with Iraq as the most terrorism-prone nation on Earth. Boko Haram’s killing spree over the past 15 years is thought to be more than 12,000 lives, not to mention the nearly half-a-million people displaced by the violence, and the hundreds of schools and government buildings destroyed. The horror is being watched with disbelief by policy-makers in Europe and America, who are now shifting their Nigeria dossiers to the top of their pile of priorities. The redirection of attention has been slow: it was only last July that the United Kingdom formally designated Boko Haram a terrorist organization, with Washington following suit in November. After the kidnapping, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton forcefully condemned the abduction, adding, “The EU stands with the people and the government of Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and violence and for the rule of law and human rights.” UK Foreign Secretary William Hague offered help in the hunt for the schoolgirls, saying, “It is a stark reminder of the threat of sexual violence faced by women and girls in conflict-zone areas.” And former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, now a United Nations education envoy, said Boko Haram’s threat had to be addressed urgently. “The world must wake up to the escalating tragedy now engulfing Nigeria,” Brown said. Today’s terrorists have frighteningly destructive weapons, using

World View LEO CENDROWICZ Brussels Bureau Chief, New Telegraph

While Europe has already put boots in the ground in Africa to combat jihadists in northern Mali, no-one is suggesting any similar operation to help the Nigerian army

Scenes of the Nyanya bomb blast in Abuja.

bombs triggered by cellphones, and bragging about it on YouTube. But the phenomenon has been with us since the ancient times, and the late 19th century debates in London about anarchists destroying the fabric of life have an eerie familiarity. While September 11, 2001 is remembered for the most shocking terrorist attacks ever seen, the West has come to realize that for all its responses, violent Islamist extremism is not about to fade away. Some of Islamism’s hydra heads may be cut off, but they can sprout elsewhere, including Africa. While Boko Haram does not seem to want a universal caliphate, which is one hallmark of jihadist groups, it violently opposes all Western education for threatening the purity of northern Nigeria’s centuries-old Islamic society. Europe has taken note: writing in The Observer on Sunday, Nick Cohen said that we should describe the schoolgirls as being ‘enslaved’ rather than ‘abducted’. Boko Haram is, “A religious cult so reactionary you don’t have to stretch the language too far to describe it as fascistic,” Cohen wrote. Last May, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three states and pledged that the

military would take “all necessary action” to stamp out the terrorists. Last November, I interviewed President Jonathan’s mentor, Chief Edwin Clark, for Huffington Post. He declared emphatically that the group was on its way out. “I can assure you that in the next six months, Boko Haram will be a thing of the past,” he told me. If only. The threat now is worse than ever. This is not least thanks the hapless military, at one point last month erroneously claiming to have freed the schoolgirls in an army operation. Jonathan has admitted that security forces still do not know where they are being held. Nigeria’s budget for security this year is more than $6 billion, double the allocation for education, but it does not appear to translate into effective action. When Jonathan fired a group of senior generals in January, some thought he had been too drastic, but events of the past few weeks suggest he should have done it much sooner. While Europe has already put boots in the ground in Africa to combat jihadists in northern Mali, no-one is suggesting any similar operation to help the Nigerian army. But European officials are already reaching out to their

Nigerian counterparts, sharing intelligence and expertise. They have to act forcefully. Boko Haram is no longer a local phenomenon. It is now has attracted global attention, and the West needs to work with Nigeria to ensure that this is as far as it goes.

OmoBaba

PDP WON’T NAME PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BEFORE APC - President

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