Binder1 wednesday july 16, 2014

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 148

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Nigeria’s economy grows by 6.21% in first quarter N igeria’s economy grew by 6.21 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, up from 4.45 percent in the same period last year, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released

yesterday.

The growth was, however, lower than 6.77 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013, while the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at N18,295, 631.91

or N14,535,420.95 million in real terms .

Nigeria’s economy had grown 6.5 per cent and 7.0 per cent in 2012 and 2013 respectively and is projected by the World Bank to grow at 6.7 per cent, 5.5

per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The services sector, which lifted the nation’s growth, accounted for 52.99 per cent of first quarter GDP and expanded by

7.20 per cent during the first three months of 2014, compared with a growth rate of 6.70 per cent in same period of 2013.

First-quarter crude production however, fell to 2.26 million barrels per

day, down from 2.29 million barrels per day, according to the NBS. But contribution of non-oil sector to the growth of the economy reached 8.21 per cent in CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Nyako’s sack: PDP regains full control of Adamawa

lDeputy resigns as speaker emerges acting governor lAPC, Atiku, Saraki, Hong react lAl-Makura evades impeachment notice service Our Reporters

T

he Adamawa State House of Assembly yesterday sacked the state Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako, thus paving the way for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to regain full control of the state.

Nyako, who was elected

Analysis on page 2 into office on the platform of the PDP, last year defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Another APC governor, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who is also facing impeachment from the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, could not be served with the notice yesterday as security men CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Aleghe succeeds Wali as NBA president }8 Lagos

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Acting Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Ambrose Mammadi (left) administering oath of office on the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru, as the acting governor of the state at the Government House, Yola...yesterday

... Govs back Jonathan for second term Anule Emmanuel

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan has secured the support of a critical power bloc in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governors, for his yet-to-be declared second term bid.

The governors endorsed the president at a meeting on Monday night at the State House, Abuja.

Earlier, the PDP Caucus in the House of Represen-

tatives had also given the president the nod to seek re-election in 2015.

The endorsements, especially from the governors, who control how

delegates from their states will vote during a presidential primary of the party, have cleared the coast for the president to run in 2015.

Although Jonathan has not officially indicated that he will seek a second term ticket of the party in 2015, his associates and aides CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Police arrest Boko Haram’s ‘chief butcher’

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Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

...An Admiral’s costly blunder Felix Nwaneri

ANALYSIS

F

or many people familiar with Nigeria’s peculiar brand of politics, the ouster yesterday of Alhaji Murtala Nyako as Adamawa State governor, has long been in coming. The impeachment of the governor by the House of Assembly, which hurriedly convened to consider the report of a seven-man panel set up to probe allegations of gross misconduct against Nyako and his deputy, Mr. Bala James Ngilari, brought to a denouement a long-drawn battle that Nyako, a retired Vice-Admiral and a former Chief of Naval Staff, had waged against the political elite since his assumption of office in 2007.

However, he had survived all this long because as a governor elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he had the protection of the presidency despite his legion battles that many presidency and party officials found rankling.

Nyako had come out of the blues to emerge as the PDP governorship candidate in 2007 courtesy of insistence of his erstwhile military boss and former President Olusegun

Obasanjo.

He was in his farm when Obasanjo sent for and imposed him on Adamawa State PDP as its candidate even though he did not participate in the governorship primary.

Some aggrieved members of the party had protested the undemocratic means through which Nyako emerged as the party’s governorship candidate, but Obasanjo and the leadership of the PDP had their way, citing party supremacy to justify the imposition.

Perhaps, Nyako’s military background and the

manner through which he emerged as governor explained why he had consistently put forward the wrong foot in the past seven-and-a-half years that he steered the ship of a state that prides itself as the “Land of Beauty.”

He first stirred the hornet’s nest shortly on assumption of office with the appointment of countless aides, including his wives and children. His four wives even had to battle amongst themselves over who would be first lady.

Hardly had his administration taken off than he was accused of ethno-religious cleansing by Christians in the state.

However, the initial hiccups did not prevent Nyako from consolidating his grip on the politics and governance of the state, and the military spirit in him was to manifest shortly during the war of attrition between his benefactor Obasanjo and former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar, a fellow indigene of the state.

He played an active role in trying to frustrate the return of Atiku, who after being forced out of the PDP joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), to the ruling party.

Though succour came the way of the former vicepresident when the nation-

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST ABUJA

30oC 22oC Thunder Storms

PORT HARCOURT

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MAIDUGURI

35oC 26oC Partially Cloudy

ONITSHA

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Aminu Ogwuche, the mastermind of Nyanya bomb blast in Abuja, guarded by Interpol security officers on arrival from Sudan, at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja …yesterday

al leadership of the party intervened by granting him a waiver, Nyako never gave up until he succeeded in stopping Atiku’s bid for the presidency in 2011 by mobilising Adamawa PDP delegates to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ironically, the president, whom he sacrificed his kinsman for in 2011, could not save him when the heat turned his way.

Besides Atiku, Nyako was at loggerheads with virtually all political leaders in the state. They include the former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; former military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. General Mohammed Marwa, who because of Nyako when he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) joined PDP and former Minister of Petroleum, Senator Jibril Aminu.

However, Nyako’s waning influence in Adamawa politics began with the crisis in the state chapter of the party. After the 2011 elections, the then acting PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, organised a congress that produced Nyako’s supporters as PDP executive in the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) kicked against the imposition and demanded a fresh congress.

The crisis that ensued caused a split in the party.

While Nyako was on one side, the likes of Tukur, Atiku, Aminu, Senator Grace Bent, Senator Jonathan Zwingina and others were in the other camp.

The battle continued when Tukur took over as PDP national chairman. The rift in the state chapter of PDP CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

PDP governors back Jonathan for second term CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

have been preparing the ground for his eventual declaration since last year.

Briefing State House correspondents yesterday on the outcome of the meeting involving the president, governors, lawmakers and the PDP leadership, PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) Chairman and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio, said all governors elected on the party’s platform expressed their commitment to the continuity of the Jonathan administration.

He also confirmed the endorsement of the president’s second term bid by

the PDP Caucus in the House of Representatives.

Akpabio, however, added that although Jonathan was elated about the governors’ endorsement, he was non-committal on whether he would run in 2015 or not.

“Of course you are aware that the National Assembly caucus met earlier in the day and passed a vote of confidence on Mr. President, the vice-president and the national leadership of the party and in turn, they also urged Mr. President to step forward and contest for the 2015 presidential election.

“In other words, they are urging him to go for-

ward and contest for a second term in office.

We were witnesses when that resolution was taken and of course, they also pledged their unflinching support to the leadership of Mr. President and then congratulated him for being able to pass through rough times despite the distractions as a result of the insecurity situation in some parts of the country.

“The PDP Governors’ Forum was present when the National Assembly Caucus did what they did. I do not want to pre-empt the action of PDP Governors, but I can attest to their loyalty and their commitment to the success of Mr. Presi-

dent come 2015,” he said.

Earlier, House Leader, Hon Mulikat Akande, confirmed the lawmakers’ endorsement of the president.

But when asked why House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, was not at the meeting, she said she did not know.

“I am sure when you see Mr. Speaker, you will ask him. This is a PDP meeting, obviously he will have his reasons why he was not at the meeting,” she said.

Senators who had arrived at the State House for the meeting were however turned back on the excuse that they were invited in error.

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

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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Police arrest Boko Haram ‘chief butcher’ lInterpol hands over Nyanya bombing suspect lSect kills 2,053 civilians in six

Emmanuel Onani Abuja

T

he police have arrested a self-confessed Boko Haram killer, Mohammed Zakari, in Bauchi.

A statement yesterday by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said detectives attached to the Bauchi State Police Command on Saturday arrested Zakari, who confessed to being the “chief butcher” of Boko Haram in Balmo Forest Camp.

Zakari, who was arrested on Darazo-Basrika Road in Bauchi, was said to be fleeing from the intensive military operations currently going on around the forest.

The announcement of Zakari’s arrest came just as a report by Human Rights Watch said Boko Haram had killed no fewer than 2,053 civilians in the last six months.

Also, at least 26 people were killed when suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a village in Borno State and a warplane opened fire to repel the attackers.

Besides, the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the Federal Government of aiding and benefitting from the terrorist activities of Boko Haram.

The police said Zakari was culpable in the recent slaughter of seven people, including women and children.

It added that the suspect was “tutored in the art of insurgency at Gombe Forest under the leadership of a fleeing insurgent, one Abba Taura and moved to Balmo Forest only three months ago.”

The police also fingered Zakari in the April attack on Customs officers at Kari Town, on Maiduguri Road, Bauchi State.

Security agents have also received in custody another Boko Haram kingpin, Aminu Ogwuche, mastermind of the April 14 bomb blast in Nyanya, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The Defence Headquarters, in a tweet yesterday, confirmed the handing over of Ogwuche, who was said to be the brain behind the Nyanya bombing in which no fewer than 118 persons were confirmed dead.

Ogwuche was apprehended in Sudan and after a delay caused by protocols, he was repatriated to Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

months, says Human Rights Watch lAPC accuses FG of abetting insurgency A report by the Human Rights Watch, released yesterday, however accused Haram of killing at least 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014.

The report said the figures were based on detailed analyses of media reports as well as field investigations.

The killings and other abuses were part of widespread attacks on civilians in over 70 towns and villages in the North-East, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and in other parts of Nigeria that are apparent crimes against humanity.

According to the report, this year has witnessed an upsurge in the numbers of casualties from bomb blasts, including several apparent suicide bombings.

“Since January, at least 432 people have been reported killed in 14 blasts in crowded marketplaces, a brothel, a technical college, and, on two occasions, places where people were watching soccer matches.

Three of these attacks were in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital; two in Kano; two in Jos, the Plateau State capital; and three in Abuja, the federal capital.

The Abuja attacks may demonstrate a southward trend of Boko Haram operations,” Human Rights Watch said.

The bulk of the attacks and casualties, according to the organisation, happened in Borno State, where 1,446 people died. Attacks killed 151 in Adamawa State and 143 civilians in Yobe State.

“Boko Haram is effectively waging war on the people of North-Eastern Nigeria at a staggering human cost. Atrocities committed as part of a widespread attack on civilians are crimes against humanity, for which those responsible need to be held to account,” West Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, Corinne Dufka, said.

More casualties were also recorded as a result of Boko Haram attacks as it was yesterday learnt that at least 26 people were killed when the insurgents attacked a village in Borno State and a government warplane opened fire to repel the attackers.

A report by Reuters, quoting residents, said the warplane strafed Boko Haram fighters fleeing in pick-up trucks after raiding Dille, near Lassa on Monday. The attackers fired on inhabitants and burned

homes and churches.

“I counted 26 corpses yesterday evening,” one of the residents, Dauda Illiya, said.

Most of the deaths occurred during the raid but cannon fire from the government jet also killed at least six civilians - four women and two children, residents said.

“The pilot was just spraying bullets anywhere... People were running here and there. Many people were injured from the bullets,” another resident, Suleiman Haruna, said.

The residents and the security source said 20 militants were killed by local vigilantes who fought back and the insurgents carried off their dead in their trucks.

The militants who attacked Dille, which is not far from the Cameroun bor-

der, were believed to have come from Boko Haram’s Sambisa forest stronghold where at least some of the kidnapped schoolgirls are thought to be held.

The insurgents also on Monday attacked another village in the state, Mandafuma in Biu Local Government Area, injuring one person while property worth millions of naira were destroyed.

One of the villagers told New Telegraph yesterday that the militants attacked the village at about 10pm on Monday during which they burnt many houses and motorcycles.

Meanwhile, the APC has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of aiding and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency.

The party said the mismanagement of national resources, massive corruption under the PDP watch

and the incompetent handling of what started as a localised insurgency have been responsible for the festering of the crisis.

The party in a statement yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also accused the Federal Government of using the fight against the insurgency as an excuse to punish and persecute the opposition, trample on civil liberties and abuse national institutions.

It said had the PDP-led Federal Government not misgoverned Nigeria since 1999, perhaps the country could have been spared the canker worm of terrorism, epitomised more than anything else by the Boko Haram insurgency.

According to the party, the international community is aware that the Federal Government has been the

biggest impediment to efforts to tackle Boko Haram, apparently because the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has seen the insurgency as its surest ticket to re-election and international acceptance. ‘’Under the guise of ensuring security, the Maiduguri Airport has been closed, hence the Borno governor and the people of the state, including the pilgrims, heading to less hajj, have been forced to travel by road to Kano to board their flights. However, the reason for shutting the airport has suddenly vanished as the private plane bearing Ali Modu Sheriff was allowed to land at the airport on Monday, the same day the governor had to travel by road to Kano to see his brother who was involved in an accident on the same road!”

L-R: Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga; Chairman, Bank of Industry, Mr. Abdulsamad Rabiu and Managing Director, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, during the inauguration of the board of directors of the bank in Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: Elijah Olaluyi

...An Admiral’s costly blunder CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

snowballed to a crisis that among others consumed Tukur as PDP national chairman.

Irrespective of Tukur’s ouster, an aggrieved Nyako was among seven PDP governors who staged a walkout at a special national convention of the PDP in Abuja to later form the New PDP. The governors, along with other PDP chieftains including Atiku, Baraje were to defect to the opposition APC. However, Nyako made a tactical blunder when he left PDP. Unlike his colleagues such as Mr. Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Dr.

Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) who defected with majority of lawmakers in their states, Nyako left only with his aides and a few PDP chieftains in the state. Even the four APC lawmakers who were in the state legislature before his defection to APC crossed over to the PDP immediately the Admiral arrived. Nyako’s deputy also remained in PDP. To discerning minds, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Nyako extended his frontiers beyond Adamawa’s border. He incurred the

anger of many Nigerians in April when he wrote a letter to the Northern state governors and accused Jonathan of genocide against the Northerners over the activities of the Boko Haram.

In a memo titled “Ongoing Full-Fledged Genocide in Northern Nigeria,” Nyako, among others described the military campaign to check the atrocities of Boko Haram insurgents as a “full-fledged genocide” against the North.

He accused the president of masterminding the massacre of Northerners by troops, adding that it was part of a plot to eliminate the Northern elite.

The grievous allegations, even forced supporters of the governor to admit that he was taking his combative attitude too far and distanced themselves from him. Fellow governors from the North also disowned him at a National Security Council meeting in Abuja.

His eventual impeachment yesterday was the fallout of his political miscalculation and combative approach to governance.

With him gone, the party has now regained control of the state as PDP looks good to win back the state in a bye-election to be conducted by INEC.

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FG, states, LGs share N755.95bn as June allocations Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

T

he three-tier of government, federal, states and local governments have shared N755. 95 billion as revenue from the Federation Account.

The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), at a meeting yesterday in Abuja,

approved the sharing of N755.95 billion among the three tiers of government.

It also approved the transfer of N50.35 billion to the Excess Crude Account (ECA), which now has $ 4.05 billion in its kitty.

A breakdown of the allocated amount showed that N582.93 billion was shared under statutory allocation; N66.414 billion

was distributed under Value Added Tax (VAT) while the balance of N71.04 billion was shared from nonoil revenue.

The Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda who presided over the FAAC meeting put the gross revenue received in June at N784.88 billion.

The figure, he added,

showed a decrease of N59.15 billion over the N844.03 billion received in May. The committee also reiterated its advocacy for the removal of fuel subsidy, describing its retention as a fraud against the masses.

The Chairman, Forum of Commissioners of Finance of the 36 States of the Federation, Mr. Timo-

thy Odaah, made the position known while briefing reporters.

He said notwithstanding the fact that they had not received the report of the 12-man committee set up on the review of fuel subsidy, they maintained their position that the purpose for the subsidy had been defeated.

“The issue of sub-

sidy removal re-echoed today(yesterday) and it became an issue of discussion and the report of the committee set up three months ago is being awaited and we still stand on the removal of subsidy as it will be of much benefit to the states because what we have now is like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he added.

Nigeria’s economy grows by 6.21% in first quarter CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

L-R: National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; Chief Executive Officer, Overland Air, Captain Edward Boyo and Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, during the commencement of the inaugural flight of Overland Air into Dutse International Airport, Jigawa…on Monday.

PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

the quarter under review, representing an increase of 0.76 per cent points from the 7.44 per cent growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2013.

However, relative to Q4 of 2013, non-oil growth was a marginal 0.57 per cent points lower.

Also in the first quarter, oil GDP was valued at N2,612,066.21 million in nominal terms, compared to N2,756,313.26 recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2013 while real growth in the oil sector was recorded at -6.60 per cent in Q1 2014, indicating better performance

compared to -11.40 per cent growth recorded in the corresponding 2013 quarter and the -9.36 per cent growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Non-oil real growth reached 8.21 per cent in the opening quarter of 2014, representing an increase of 0.76 per cent points from the 7.44 per cent growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2013.

First quarter 2014 Nigeria’s nominal GDP (at basic prices) was estimated at N20, 169,778.04 million or N15, 438,679.50 million in real terms, which represent 6.1 per cent increase in 2014 first quarter.

Deputy resigns as speaker emerges acting governor CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

at the Government House prevented the clerk of the Assembly from doing so.

The lawmakers, at an emergency meeting convened to consider the report of the seven-man panel set up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy, Mr. Bala James Ngilari, upheld the recommendations of the panel, which found Nyako guilty of some of the allegations levelled against him.

However, Ngilari escaped the hammer as he forwarded to the Assembly his resignation letter which the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, to the lawmakers.

With his resignation, the Assembly made no reference to whether the panel cleared Ngilari or not.

With the removal of the governor and the resignation of his deputy, Fintiri was later in the day sworn in as the acting governor pending when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts a fresh election to fill the vacancy within three months.

The impeachment of Nyako drew flaks from

some of his political associates, including former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar; former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, now a senator and the APC. But a former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong welcomed it, saying Nyako should have been removed a long time ago.

Security was tight at the Assembly complex as the lawmakers considered the report and only staff and journalists were allowed access into the Assembly.

Eighteen out of the 25 lawmakers adopted the report of the panel after Fintiri had read it on the floor of the Assembly.

The report found the governor guilty of all the 16 allegations of gross misconduct levelled against him by the Assembly.

The motion for the governor’s impeachment was moved by a member representing Gombi constituency Mr. Jerry Kumdisi.

The motion was seconded by the Deputy Speaker Kwamoti Laori.

All the 18 members present at the meeting signed the resolution removing the governor.

The House also passed a

motion that Fintiri should be sworn in as the acting governor.

The seven-member investigative panel, which concluded sitting on Saturday, had submitted its report to the Assembly on Monday.

During its sitting, neither Nyako nor Ngilari appeared before the committee.

Shortly after the Assembly adjourned proceeding, the state acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, inaugurated Fintiri as interim governor.

In a short remark after his swearing-in, Fintiri promised to pay civil servants’ salary arrears.

Part of the allegations against Nyako was the alleged cut in civil servants salaries for June.

Fintiri will hold office for a maximum of three months during which INEC is expected to conduct a fresh governorship election.

“The civil servants will get all their entitlements and benefit, including the two months salaries they are yet to receive,” he added.

He urged the people to join hands with him to redeem what he called “the

lost glory of our dear Adamawa state.’’

According to him, this is a new beginning for the state as the people have fought and conquered the war, promising that new dawn shall be heralded.

The acting governor also promised to pay attention to security and peaceful coexistence of the state.

However, reacting to the development in the state, Nyako’s Director Press and Public Affairs, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, said although they had accepted the sack in good faith, the former governor would go to court to set the record straight for posterity.

The APC is however to meet soon over the impeachment of Nyako.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during a telephone interview said the meeting would be convened soon.

Also reacting, Atiku warned the PDP over the excessive use of power.

Atiku in a statement from his Media Office in Abuja said using impeachment to settle scores with elected public officeholders would needlessly build up tension in the country.

He added that the reck-

less use of impeachment to could not have been the intention of the framers of the 1999 Constitution.

According to him, the frequency with which elective officials were being impeached would destroy the whole purpose of inserting the impeachment clause in the constitution.

Saraki also regretted the removal of Nyako, saying that the action was inimical to the growth and development of the democracy.

He added that the most important challenge in the country, which should attract the attention of all Nigerians, was the security threat in and not impeachment of a governor.

He also expressed concern that some other governors are being marked out for impeachment by their state Houses of Assembly, cautioning that impeachment should not be made a priority at this stage of the nation’s democratic development.

However, Hong welcomed the impeachment, describing it as long overdue.

In a telephone interview yesterday in Abuja, he said Nyako’s impeachment was to tell those entrusted with

position of authority not to take the people who elected them for granted.

“We, in Adamawa welcomed the impeachment and we commend the legislators for that. All we are saying was that it could have come earlier than now”, he added.

According to him, the former governor had subjected the people of the state to untold hardship due to maladministration and mismanagement of the state resources.

Meanwhile, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly may resort to using the media to serve Al-Makura notice of impeachment as attempts made by the Clerk of the Assembly, Ego Maikeffi Abashe, yesterday to serve the governor were unsuccessful.

Addressing reporters in Lafia, the clerk of the house, said he had made two attempts to serve the governor the notice of impeachment at the Government House but security personnel at the gate stopped him.

According to him, the Assembly would be left with no option than to serve the governor through the media if he could not be reached personally.

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FG mulls additional tariff for electricity users Adeola Yusuf

lectricity consumers in Nigeria will soon be billed an additional tariff for minor replacements and maintenance of rural electrification projects, the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo hinted yesterday.

Nebo, who said this when a group of officers from the Defence Command and Staff College of Bostwana, led by Brigadier Shadrack Moloi visited the Ministry, maintained that the Ministry would soon put in place a well structured governance, that will ensure that electricity users are made to pay some amount into a pool for this purpose.

The money, he said, according to a statement by

E

Deputy Director (Press), Timothy Oyedeji, would be channelled towards minor replacements and maintenance. Stating the Federal Government's determination to improve rural electrification in the country, the minister noted that solar technology solution would replace the traditional use of generators run with diesel as primary source of energy for the rural electrification projects across the country.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Amb. (Dr.) Godknows Igali, the minister said that with improvement in the storage capabilities of solar, it is now possible for rural folks to enjoy basic electricity throughout the night, that will provide them basic lighting.

Chibok: Parents of abducted girls shun Jonathan Anule Emmanuel, Chukwu David and Philip Nyam Abuja

arents of over 200 Pthree schoolgirls abducted months ago from

Government Girls Secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, yesterday turned down a meeting slated between them and President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Our correspondent gathered that President Jonathan had waited patiently to receive the parents. He had deployed aides and security officials to convey them where they were hosted in Abuja for the meeting scheduled for 4pm.

Consequently, the President issued a statement through his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, announcing the cancellation of the

scheduled meeting since the parents did not make themselves available.

The meeting was at the instance of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani education activist and her foundation,.

But the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, yesterday implored various campaign groups working for the release of the abducted Chibok Secondary School girls to collaborate with government agencies for the eventual release of the girls .

Mark made the call while receiving in audience members of the 'Bring Back Our Girls Campaign', who carried their protest to the nation's apex legislative complex, the National Assembly. They came to impress on the leadership of the Parliament to intervene in the issue of the abducted girls and ensure that they were released safely.

Shot Abia commissioner dies, wife devastated TRAGIC Abia is in mourning following the death of Kenneth Nwosu, Commissioner for Agriculture Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

A

bia State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Kenneth Nwosu, who was shot last week by unknown gunmen, has died.

Nwosu, New Telegraph gathered passed on late Monday night. Sources close to the family confirmed the news of Nwosu’s death saying the wife was so devastated by the news.

Confirming his death, the Commissioner for In-

formation and Strategy, Dr Eze Chikamnnayo, said it was with grief and deep sense of loss that he made the address.

“Last night, we received the very sad news that the easy going Ken Nwosu was gruesomely attacked on his way home by unknown gunmen. The state government on getting that information made spirited effort to save his life at the Specialist and Diagnostic Centre. The government made sure that the best team was assembled promptly. After that, we looked forward for the quick recovery of Dr Ken Nwosu. The idea was to stabilize him before flying him abroad for medical treatment. The changes he brought to the Agriculture ministry are too obvious even from the environment.

“It is on this sad note that I on behalf of Abia State

government announce the demise of Dr Ken Nwosu.

From his antecedents, we have lost a colossus. Security agencies have been directed to fish out those involved in the dastardly act.

The burial arrangements would be made public subsequently,” Dr Chikamnayo said.

It would be recalled that the Commissioner was shot Wednesday night on his way home after work.

He was rushed to the Abia State Specialist and Diagnostic Hospital Aba Road where the Chief Medical Director, Professor Augustus Mbanaso, led a team of doctors to save his life.

Mbanaso had said that what the Commissioner needed was prayers as the medical team had done what was clinically possible to save him. He said the Commissioner lost so much

Abuja

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ontrary to insinuation that Nigeria is divided along religious line, the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on political affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali said that religion does not divide Nigeria as believed by some people.

Rather, it is political differences that is threatening the unity of the country.

Alkali stated this yesterday in Abuja during a political summit organized by a coalition, under the aegis of the Southern and Northern Amalgamated Support for President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Special Adviser, who

went down memory lane, cited the cordial relationship that existed between Muslims and Christians during the era of the country's founding fathers and hardly believed the two religions dominant in the country are living cat and dog-like life.

"Nigeria is not divided by Muslims or Christians, not north or south dichotomy; it is politics that is dividing us.

This PDP and APC tussle for power" he stated.

Also speaking, the National Secretary, Goodluck Support Group, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, said there is need for religious harmony, maintaining that religion cannot divide the country.

blood in the incident.

But hospital sources confirmed that the Commissioner died last night.

The source said the injury from the gun shot was fatal; he could not survive it. According to the source, apart from the intestines that gushed out, the shot also shattered his femur.

At the Ministry of Agriculture, staff were seen in groups discussing in low tones. However, no member of his immediate family could be reached at the time of filing the report.

Nwosu was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture in Abia State cabinet in September 2013. He was the immediate past Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike.

He hailed from Amizi Olokoro in Umuahia South LGA.

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle); Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke; Chairman, Mr. Igho Sanomi and other members of the National Council on Heritage and Endowment for Arts, during their courtesy visit to the State House, Abuja… yesterday.

PHOTO:TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Senate passes N271bn FCT budget

Nigeria is divided between lApproves N322.6 bn for NDDC, N50.2bn for NCC PDP, APC, says Alkali Kenneth Tyohemba

5

Chukwu David Abuja

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he Senate yesterday approved a N271 billion budget for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the 2014 fiscal year.

Of the amount, N161, 804,111,031 is for capital expenditure and N109,238,434,881 for recurrent expenditure.

A breakdown of the recurrent component shows that N60,03,490,023 is for the overhead while N49,200,944,858 is for personnel cost.

According to the report of the Senate Committee on FCT, which did the final legislative work on

the fiscal bill, the capital provision will take care of projects for the service of the FCT, including the expansion and rehabilitation of Airport and Kubwa Expressways and the provision of infrastructure to ongoing districts such as Jahi, Wuye, Maitama Extension and Abuja North-West.

Also, N6 billion was allocated for security in the nation’s capital in 2014. The decision of the Senate to give priority to security was informed by the increasing security challenges in the FCT, especially with the recent bomb attacks that took place at the city centre and some suburbs of the

territory.

For the health sector, the Senate approved N16 billion for spending this fiscal year.

Vice Chairman of the Committee on the FCT, Senator Domingo Obende, who presented the report at plenary, explained that the provision was made to address the health needs of the territory.

According to him, the health facilities in Abuja are being overstretched by the population explosion being witnessed in the territory recently and the terror attacks on some parts of FCT. The Senate also approved N322.6 billion as

the total budget estimate for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

President Goodluck Jonathan had on June 4, presented the budget proposal of the commission to the Senate for approval.

In the approved estimate, projects development expenditure received N295,051,170,000.00 while capital expenditure (internal) is to gulp N2,281,280,000.00. Personnel got N15,080,730,000.00 and overhead, N10,186,820,000.00.

In addition, the Senate approved the N50.2 billion budget proposal for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

osun 2014

Four expelled PDP members join APC

F L-R: Secretary to Oyo State Government, Mr. Ismail Olalekan Alli; retiring Head of Service, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu and Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, shortly after a valedictory State Executive Council meeting in honour of Alhaji Aremu, in Ibadan…yesterday

our out of the six expelled members of the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a promise to ensure the victory of the party in the August 9 governorship election.

The expelled members, who joined the APC at its campaign in Ilesa, are the Deputy Chairman of the

party, Bashiru Salam; former Secretary, Mr. Yinka Adeojo; Mr. Teslim Igbalaye and Alhaji Rasaq Oyelami.

Speaking on behalf of others, Oyelami described the APC as the only auspicious party, charging those still in the PDP to quit the party before it would be too late.

He then promised that they would do their best to ensure the victory of

the APC at the poll.

He added that they would play prominent roles in their different local governments to prove their political strength and popularity against the rival party, the PDP. While welcoming them into the APC fold, Aregbesola charged the defectors to be upright and steadfast in their politicking, assuring them of maximum cooperation.

Second term: We have not gone Speaker charges electorate to to sleep after victory – Mimiko shun religion in politics Babatope Okeowo Akure

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overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State yesterday denied the allegation that his government has not done anything after the governorship election of October, 2012, won by the ruling Labour Party (LP).

He also dismissed the allegation by the former representative of the state on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Benson Enikuomehin that the government has squandered the funds that had accrued to the state from the 13 percent

derivation fund.

Mimiko, who spoke with reporters through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Eni Akinsola, said the government had increased responsibilities in view of the dwindling revenue from the federation account, which led to the allegation in some quarters that the government has gone to sleep after the last election.

According to him, the responsibilities of government have increased since the 2012 election and these he said included the appointment of medical consultants, increase in the wage bill of workers and the maintenance of on-going projects.

The governor said there were only four medical consultants when the government came on board in 2009 and the figure has increased to over 70 while more people are now patronising the Mother and Child Hospitals in Akure and Ondo township.

He said the Cost of Abiye, which has been scaled up, street lights which are powered by diesel, free bus shuttle and on-going projects in each of the senatorial districts cost government a lot of fortune. These services, he said, are social responsibilities in which government did not get any money in return.

Niger earmarks N.4bn to curb street begging Dan Atori MINNA

of efforts to curAjiristailpart the influx of Almainto Niger State, the

government yesterday said it has approved N428, 206, 205 to improve their lives.

Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Shehu Haruna, said this after a meeting of the executives in Minna yesterday.

He said the money would be shared among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“We have constituted a committee that comMuhammad Kabir Kano

State government Kterano has accused the Minisof Information, Mr.

Labaran Maku, of intentionally skipping Kano in his Good Governance Tour, ‘because he was afraid of the monumental projects he would meet on ground.’

The government said Maku and his team are afraid of the achievements made by the government of Governor Rabiu Musa kwankwaso in the last three years; ‘and that is why they can come to Kano in their Good Governance Tour.’

prises of the Ministries of Youth, Gender Affairs; Religious Affairs; Education; Agriculture; Culture and Tourism and SUREP. We are going to contribute from our votes to make up the money.

“The purpose of the distribution is to enhance the takeoff of the committee to see that Almajiris are taken off the streets in Niger State. It was agreed that in July N113, 193, 523 will be spent, August to September N134, 515, 273; October to November N108, 030, 375 and December to January 2015, N72, 467,

034 will be spent.

“The amount approved by the State Executive Council is N428, 206, 205.

We are taking a cue from the Kano State government.”

Haruna added that the palliatives put in place by the government are the best that will improve the lives of the target audience, especially with the establishment of Almajiri Quranic and Arabic schools. Any person that is not ready to cope with our plans has to leave, because we encourage education in Niger State.

Good governance tour: ‘FG afraid of Kano’s achievements’ Speaking after visiting the Kano Press Center as part of his oversight functions, the Commissioner of Information, Dr. Nuhu Danburam Abubakar, said ‘for three times, the minister kept asking us to shift after we had fully prepared to received them, and there was no any serious excuse.’

Abubakar further hinted that the failure of the minister to come to Kano might not be unconnected with the fact that when they come,

they will be shocked to their marrow the developmental projects put I place by Governor Kwankwaso in less than three years.

Speaking further, the commissioner dismissed insinuations that his government had intentionally killed Triumph Newspapers Company, saying the issues have been dully deliberated during the State Executive Council meeting and they agreed to bring in co-partners to run the place.

Stories by Adeolu Adeyemo, Osogbo

Speaker of the Osun TblyheState House of Assem, Hon. Najeem Salaam,

yesterday said politics should not be a barrier in electing the next governor on August 9.

Salaam, who said this while speaking with newsmen in his country home, Ejigbo, argued that the life and fate of any

state, society or organisation could be best determined by who steers its ship, charging the people not to allow religion play a role in the election of the next governor.

The Speaker, who equally said that the life of a state or organisation could be destroyed, if a wrong person is voted into power, warned the electorate not to be deceived or cowed by reli-

gious fanatics, who always acts on sentiments on issues.

The lawmaker further said that politics and religion are different and people should not use such to determine who governs them, saying it may not work because, “you may be a Christian or a Muslim and you may not have the ability and capability to govern your people.”

Women are least corrupt in politics, says AP candidate State governorOthesun ship candidate under platform of Accord

Party (AP), Hon. Niyi Owolade, yesterday said that women in politics are the least corrupt, going by the history of politics in the country.

Owolade, who made the assertion while speaking with newsmen in the Osogbo, remarked that

women are often prudent in government, charging men in politics to emulate them.

The Accord Party candidate said their involvement in politics is inexplicable saying; they are well known at the grass roots, because of their incessant availability to relate and consult with the people at the localities.

He said he was against frivolous spending in politics and governance, maintaining that politics goes beyond money spending, cautioning the electorate not to allow themselves to be bought over by politicians who would at the end of the day, destroy their future and that of generations yet unborn.

Aregbesola's wife woos women ife of Osun State W gover nor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, yesterday charged the electorate in Osun to ensure that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is re-elected in the coming governorship election in a peaceful manner.

Mrs. Aregbesola made the appeal in Osogbo, at a rally tagged: “Women in Politics,” organised

by the office of the governor’s wife and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

The governor’s wife, who preached against violence, gave kudos to women for their contribution to the growth of politics in the state, charging them to maintain the tempo.

The first lady further commended women

groups for supporting the re-election of her husband, appealing to them to liaise with women in the local governments to support her husband by voting for APC in the poll.

Mrs. Aregbesola described women as the salt of life and likened their presence in every gathering to a blessing bestowed on such generation.

...As he makes u-turn on inciting statements sun State governor, Oterday Rauf Aregbesola, yesmade a U-turn on his previous inciting pronouncement that voters should made use of charms to protect themselves during the August 9 election.

Aregbesola, who called on his followers at various campaign rallies in the past that whosoever that has charms, magical powers and other spiritual materials should use them during the election,

said in his re-election campaign held in Ilesha that they should now go to the polling booths with the name of God. The governor, however, had unprintable words on whoever might want to disturb the peace of the state, saying God would not allow their diabolical acts to prevail on the people.

The governor, who said that it is a taboo for soldiers and other security agents that would be on

ground that day to molest or harass innocent voters, said they would not do it, because according to him, it is our money is used in maintain them.

“The money they use on them is tax payers’ money. It is not Goodluck Jonathan's money, neither does it belongs to the PDP. “It is our money that they use in sewing their uniforms and it is our resources that they are using to finance them.”

NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Catholic bishop defends MASSOB, Biafran Zonists Tony Okafor Awka

Catholic Bishop of Tbrahe Awka Diocese, AnamState, Most Rev Dr

Paulinus Ezeokafor, has enjoined the Federal Government and its agents to stop embarrassing members of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra(MASSOB) and the Biafran Zionist Movement(BZM). He said that the two groups are not the problem of Nigeria.

The bishop also commended the National Conference for the approval for the creation of more states in the country, especially in the south

east to put the region at par with others.

Ezeokafor, who spoke to journalists during a pastoral visit to Owerre Ezukala, Orumba South Local Area of the Zone, said the seeming marginalisation of the area would be assuaged with an additional state.

On the frequent attack on MASSOB and allied organisations in the south east by security agents, the bishop said in as much as he did not support the attempt by members of BZM to forcefully seize a radio station in Enugu, the security agents should stop dissipating energy harassing such harmless groups.

Our legislators are hypocrites, says Soyinka Tony Okuyeme iqued by what he bePbehaviour lieves as two-faced of members

of National Assembly in Nigeria, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has described them as hypocritical. He urged government to stay out of matters between two consenting adults, referring to homosexuals.

The erudite scholar, prolific dramatist and activist, who turned 80 on Sunday, said this while responding to questions when the 80 finalists – students drawn from various schools across the country – in the essay competition for this year’s WS International Cultural Exchange Programme, paid him a visit in his Ijegba residence in Abeokuta, Ogun Sate. It was part of the activities

celebrating his birthday organised by Zmirage Multimedia Company for the purpose of using the platforms of literature, arts and culture to affirm and uphold the dignity of man. The students were accompanied by the organisers of the project, members of the panel of judges, teachers and journalists.

Homosexuality, he said, is not a social vice, but a biological fact. “Whether we like it or not, we’ve got to recognise that sooner or later, to leave matters between two consenting adults. The state should stay out of matters between two consenting adults. It is a biological fact; gender is a very complex issue. Whether I like homosexuality or not is business of mine.

The state should stay out of it.

Three years after, Onitsha seaport still not operational in limbo

Ocean going vessels may never benth in the South-East as osha port fails to Onah. O. Onah Onitsha

T

hree years after it was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Onitsha seaport is yet to become operational.

Traders in Anambra

Abuja

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he Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SUREP) will collaborate with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), under its Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) component, to actualize its target of training 2 million youths annually.

The Chairman of SURE-P, General Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd.) stated this at the commissioning of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity Skills Acquisition Centre, Bauchi and the Industrial Training Fund Centre of Excellence, Jos. According to him, the ability of government to continue to provide adequate and appropriate training for the nation’s teeming youths relied critically on the establish-

ment of some form of sustainability.

Agwai, who was represented by the Project Technical Adviser on TVET, Mr. Olukayode Soremekun, disclosed that “additional skills training effort is planned to impact more than 5000 beneficiaries who have indicated interest on SUREP portal.

He added that SUREP would soon graduate over 5,000 Nigerians, who are currently undergoing client-based training in different entities under the SURE-P TVET. Commissioning the Training Centres, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, urged the youths to take advantage of the centres.

While calling on those particularly in the North East to embrace the training programmes, the Minister stressed, “This

State had hoped that the seaport will commence economic activities in the state. But it appears their hopes are dashed now.

Investigations by New Telegraph revealed that the traders are worried over what was holding the long awaited seaport commissioned by Jonathan in 2011. New Telegraph also gathered that snakes and other reptiles have taken over the area, which was a beacon of hope for the South-East In interview in her office at the Onitsha bridge-

81%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Austria in 2012.

Source: Itu.int

head, a manager, who did not want to disclose her name for security reasons, blamed some major stakeholders in the south who have refused to pay attention to such a big government project while paying their taxes to other states.

According to her, there are no sea ports in the entire south east state because none of the two sea port in Onitsha and Oguta is not functional.

She stated that with the completion of the dredging of the River Niger In-

134.3

The number of newspaper journalists per 1m of Saint Vincent & Grenadines in 2004.

Source: Blatantworld.com

land vessel, any bottom flat baggers can berth at the Onitsha sea port.

The manager decried a situation where importers still travel long distances from Lagos and Port –Harcourt to clear and transport their containers from the wharf She, however, thanked the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, for his new security measures, which according to her, will contributed immensely to the flourishing of business in all parts of the state

462,840

The total area (in sq. km) of Papua New Guinea.

Source: Worldfactsandfigures.com

L-R: Commissioner, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), North Central, Mrs. Helen Ogoro; Executive Secretary, Mr. John-Kennedy Opara; Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed; Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kwara State, Bishop Israel Amao and others, during a courtesy visit to Government House, Ilorin...yesterday

SURE-P, ITF to partner in training 2m youths annually Lateef Ibrahim

7

is better than taking to insurgency and other activities which are inimical to the growth of the region. This is a programme of the President that is aimed at repositioning the youths to be responsible tomorrow”, the Minister explained.

Speaking further, Wogu stated that over 5,000 youths are currently benefiting from the TVET sponsored training programmes in various vocations such as; ICT, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering for the Power Sector, Building and Construction and Automotive trades among others.

He assured the Bauchi Community that additional vocational skills in the areas of Plaster of Paris (POP), Tricycle and GSM repairs would be added to the existing trades run by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity skills acquisition centre Bauchi.

Oyinlola charges Bode George on PDP crisis

F

ormer Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has charged a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, to come out publicly on what was discussed at a recent meeting of some south west leaders of the party in his residence in Abuja.

Oyinlola, in a statement issued on Monday in Osogbo, Osun state, said the call became necessary following what he described as subjudicial comments on the position of National Secretary of the party by some persons, who claimed to have been part of the meeting.

"I have been reading some funny, sub- judicial comments from some comical fellows purporting endorsement, at that meeting, of someone for a post that is subject of a case at the Supreme

Court. One does not need to be a lawyer to know that it is not only futile, but contemptuous of our courts for a group of people to be making moves to overreach and undermine the justice system.

"I am quite aware, through my sources at that meeting, that claims of endorsement of any pretender by the south west are false as no decision of such was reached. I am, however, worried that the convener of that meeting, Chief Bode George, has not come out to call the characters, who are making such false claims to order. I believe he should do so in the interest of the party.

"I have known Chief George over time, right from our years in the military. Although, since he came out of his recent challenges, we have not

been close as we used to, I do not think his out - of -circulation experience would blunt his sense of justice, fairness and forthrightness infused in us by military training. I say these because the respected chief does not cut the picture of someone who would keep quiet in the face of falsehood as in this case when a meeting convened by him and held in his house is being misreported, " Oyinlola stated.

On those calling on him to join the campaign train of the PDP in Osun state preparatory to the August 9 governorship election, Oyinlola reminded such individuals that the party said he is on suspension "and a suspended member of any organisation cannot be expected at the same time to be part of its activities."

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NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Lagos accuses PDP of vandalising Gani Fawehinmi Park

L-R: Acting Registrar/CE, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Seye Awojobi; President/Chairman of Council, Mrs. ’Debola Osibogun; Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe and Executive Director, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, during the signing of a new Code of Conduct in the Nigerian banking industry in Lagos… yesterday

Muritala Ayinla The Lagos State Government yesterday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of vandalising the late Gani Fawahinmi park, Ojota, during its rally recently held at the park.

The accusation was coming barely 24 hours after the state Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, lambasted the party for hosting Ekiti State Governor-elect, Mr Ayodele Fayose at the park despite the party's criticism on the establishment.

The State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, who made the accusa-

tion while conducting newsmen round the vandalized park, expressed shock at the level of destruction, saying that the destruction of the facilities at the parks was a big slap on the face of Lagosians whose Tax was used to build the Park.

B e l l o, h oweve r, called on Lagosians to be weary of an administration that tramples on people’s right of expression as 2015 election approaches ,describing the development as the 'beginning of another ploy to deceive Lagosians in their impossible mission to rule Lagos state at all cost'.

NBA: Alegeh to replace Wali Augustine Alegeh, affairs in the next two Ogun APC crisis: Amosun FIFA ban: Reps urge minister, Mr.SAN and Notary Pub- years, were also elected. lic yesterday emerged Some 100,000 lawyers NSC to resolve crisis rejects Kaka’s donation winner of the Nigerian from 109 branches yesKunle Olayeni Abeokuta

T

he crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed a new dimension on Monday as the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in the state distanced itself from the inauguration of a block of three classrooms donated by Senator Adegbenga Kaka.

Kaka, who represents Ogun East Senatorial District, had initiated

the project at the Mahdiyyat Memorial Primary School, Onirugba in Ijebu-Ode as part of his effort to uplift the education sector in his constituency.

The block of classrooms was completed with toilets and an office for the headmaster of the school.

Before the inauguration of the project scheduled for Monday, New Telegraph gathered that it was allegedly frustrated by some agents of the state government.

Philip Nyam Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday at the plenary urged the Minister of Sports and the National Sports Commission (NSC) to ensure a speedy resolution of crisis that led to the suspension placed on Nigeria by the world football governing body, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).

The House arrived at this resolution after

adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Muhammad Wudil (APC, Kano), calling attention of the House to what he called, “the possible negative effects of the suspension of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF by FIFA. Wudil had in the motion noted that “the suspension if not reversed, would mean that no team or club side from Nigeria can have any international sporting contact with teams or club sides from any other county”.

Bar Association biennial election. The election produced the 27th president of the 158 year old association.

Alegeh polled 691 votes to beat four aspirants in a keenly contested and transparent election.

Other candidates who contested for NBA presidency alongside Alegeh were Chief Adeniyi Akintola, who polled 126 votes; Mrs. Olufunke Akedoya, 255; Dele Adesina – 370 and Justy Osas Erhabor - 17 votes.

13 other national officers of the association, who will oversee the NBA

terday thronged the M & M events centre, Abuja, where they cast their votes for the candidates of choice.

Those elected yesterday at the election adjudged by lawyers as the fairest, freest and most transparent election in the history of the association include, Francis Ekwere, with 771 votes to defeat his opponent, Yakubu Kumar who polled 669.

Others Salawu Olatunji, 762 to emerge winner for First Assistant Secretary, against Nnaemeka Uzor Felix, 690 votes.

Makurdi

Dr. Keghku who was Head of Department of Mass Communication at the Benue State University, Makurdi has been appointed alongside three other principal officers.

Corruption: Doherty advocates Sokoto Deputy Governor puts Suswam appoints Rector for CAPS for Treasury Ministry a smiles to PDP members Wale Abiodun ernment. It can cut corCephas Iorhemen Studies (CAPS) Makurdi.

Engineer Adedeji Doherty, a Lagos governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former acting national vice chairman (South West) of the party has called for the creation of Treasury Ministry at federal and state levels to curb corruption in Nigeria. He made the statement in a chat with newsmen in Lagos. “Treasury Ministry is the bedrock of accountability of gov-

ruption by 100 percent.

I am advising President Goodluck Jonathan to create it at federal level and governors to create it in their various states because without treasury, ministry corruption continues”, Doherty said.

He further stated that Treasury ministry is basically to monitor government income, monitoring receipts, accounting systems, expenses, allocations and projected income.

Group organises medical mission in Abia Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

A group known as Abia State National Association of North America USA, Inc. (ASNA-NA) has announced a state wide medical mission in the three senatorial zones of the state.

The one week medical mission will commence in August 14, 2014.

In a release signed by the National President, Dr Christian Ike and the National Secretary General, Chief Eneogwe and made available to New Telegraph, the leadership of ASNA-NA met

with the Governor in January 2014 where he assured them of the support of his administration for the project.

“As we are ready to move into action, the Executive Governor has fulfilled most of his promise to us and we are very, very appreciative of that”, they stated.

The release further said that the medical mission will be professionally staffed with doctors, pharmacists, nurses, teachers and other health professionals from the United States and Canada.

Umar Danladi Ado Sokoto

No fewer than N50 million worth of essential commodities and textiles materials was distributed to the PDP members as Ramadan packages to 23 local government councils of Sokoto State.

The State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtari Shehu Shagari donated

the items which included 1380 bags of rice, 2300 pieces of Guinea brocades, 2300 bundles of rappers estimated about N 50 million.

Presenting the items to the party chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma Shagari said the gesture was intended to assist people to observe Ramadan Fasting with ease.

USAID pledges to support orphans, vulnerable children Tony Okuyeme The Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nigeria Michael T. Harvey yesterday said the Agency would continue to facilitate lasting partnerships and systems to promote tangible policies for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Nigeria.

USAID joined Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina to mark the end of USAID’s Community-based Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CUBS) activity.

The beneficiaries and partners of CUBS high-

lighted the achievements and the way forward for Nigeria’s orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs).

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue state has appointed Dr. Tyotom Keghku as the substantive Rector for the College of Advanced and Professional

2015: Oyo NLC inaugurates Committee Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

Oyo state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday inaugurated a 20-member political committee saddled with the responsibility of sensitizing the electorate and screening political candidates in order to produce the

best for the state and the entire country.

The inauguration of the Comrade Wale Araba-led 'NLC Political Committee' was done by the State Chairman of the union, Dr. Basiru Olanrewaju, at the NLC Secretariat, Idi Quarters, Ibadan, in the presence of other leaders and members.

Plateau orders construction firm out of site Musa Pam, Jos The Plateau state government yesterday ordered the construction company handling international inland port to vacate the site within

24 hours or face demolition.

The state government gave the order through the General Manager of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board, retired

General Musa Gambo Wuyep.

The government accused the contractor for playing politics with the project and delaying the work at the site.

FG condoles Wada over father’s death A Federal Government Delegation, led by Vice Vice President Namadi Sambo have condoled the

family of late Pa Wada Ejiga.

The gover nment urged them not mourn

but to celebrate the quality life of service to humanity which the deceased lived.

news

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

9

‘Ekiti CJ must play no politics' Adesina Wahab

Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of EParty the Peoples Democratic (PDP) has advised

the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, not to collude with Governor Kayode Fayemi, to frustrate its efforts at legally seeking redress over Fayemi’s plan to create new local governments before the expiration of his tenure.

In a statement in AdoEkiti yesterday by the Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, the party frowned on the refusal of Justice Daramola not to assign the case it filed against the governor and others over the proposed councils, two weeks after the matter was filed.

The PDP said it had it on good authority that Justice Daramola was been pressurised by state officials to ensure a delay to frustrate the case.

“Our case, HAD/752014, challenging the illegality that the outgoing governor and his party are perpetrating was filed at the High Court of Justice, Ado-Ekiti Judicial Division on July 1, 2014 and deposed to by our Chairman, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, on behalf of the party.

“Two weeks after the matter was filed the Chief Judge refused to assign the matter to any judge to handle, until the national strike by judiciary workers began last Friday.

We know their plan and it will never work because it is against legal norms.

2015: Group insists Imo North must get governorship seat Steve Uzoechi

OWERRI

s arrangements for Ations the 2015 general eleccontinue to gather momentum, a youth organisation in Imo State, “Okigwe Youth Assembly” has tasked leaders in Imo North to legitimately seek to complete its truncated tenure at the Government House, Owerri, in line with the spirit and dictates of the Imo Charter of Equity, after which Owerri zone will take over.

President of the group, Dr. Onumuo Harold Wilson, said what his group is advocating for had become politically expedient for the people of the area, who believe in zoning, but are still opposed to entrenching mediocrity in government.

Onumuo made the statement at the zonal youth

conference with the theme: “Repositioning Okigwe Zone for Sustainable Development.”

The youth leader, who blamed prominent indigenes of the zone who had held positions of authority and those still holding such at various levels of government for the poor development of the zone said; “We as a distinct group of people should really not be crying about marginalisation going by the fact that we have being privileged to hold key positions at the state and national levels.

Onumuo argued that while the zone might not heap the blames of her woes on individuals, the people of the zone should see the 2015 elections as a golden opportunity to review crucial issues affecting the zone, and return to the drawing board.

Ministerial slot: Fayose thanks Jonathan on Adeyeye Onyekachi Eze

ABUJA

State governor-elect, Ehaskiti Mr. Peter Ayo Fayose, commended President

Goodluck Jonathan, for appointing Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, a member of his cabinet.

Adeyeye, who hails from Ekiti State, was one of the ministers sworn in last week by the president and was assigned the Minister of State for Works’ portfolio. He was one of the strong governorship aspirants that contested the governorship primary with Fayose on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket.

Fayose in a statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, described Adeyeye’s appointment as a step in the right direction, not-

ing that as an experienced journalist and having performed well as former Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), he would perform creditably in his new assignment.

The governor-elect added that Adeyeye is a man ‘not given to frivolities or known for disloyalty,’ assuring the president and the Works Minister that the new minister would not disappoint them.

Fayose stated: “I promised to stand by him; I call on Ekiti people to stand by him so that he can succeed for Nigeria and Ekiti State, his primary constituency.

“I charged Adeyeye to have a separate telephone through which Ekiti people can reach him. He must be reachable and be prepared to bear our burden as a state."

Igwe of Ogui Nike, Enugu State, Igwe Tony Ojukwu (middle) and members of the National Association of Catholic Corpers (NACC), during a courtesy visit to the Igwe in Enugu…yesterday

50%

The percentage drop of capital importation of Nigeria in 2009 from the preceding year.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

103

The ratio of women to 100 men in Burkina Faso in 2010.

Source: Un.org

12.45%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Gambia in 2012.

Source: Itu.int

Beware of PDP’s Greek gifts, Okorocha warns Hausa community in Imo Steve Uzoechi

OWERRI

I

mo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has called on the Hausa community in the state to be wary of the 400 bags of rice gifts donated to them last week by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The bags of rice were distributed by the Chairman of the party, Nnamdi Anyaehie, but the governor said the recipients should be suspicious of such gifts as they are ‘Greek gifts.’

In a statement signed

by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, the government, though conceded that there was nothing wrong under normal circumstance for any political party, including the PDP or the President to donate bags of rice to any group or people.

“But in the case in question, we have our fears. We are suspicious of the gifts and we have our reasons to think as such,” Onwuemeodo said.

According to the spokesman, the Imo PDP

has never made such donation to the Hausa community in the past; stressing that even when the PDP held sway from 1999 to 2011, there was no record of such gifts to the Hausa community, which was why sharing rice to those in the Owerri, Orlu, Okigwe, Mgbidi and Oguta and other parts of the state, is suspicious.

Onwuemeodo continued; “The rice gift coming few days after some senators had deceived the Senate to come up with the fictitious allegation that the state government was

registering northerners in the state with a view to issuing them identification cards, heightens our suspicion that the gift might have some question marks.

“We also have our doubts as to whether the rice gifts indeed came from the Presidency as claimed. The PDP thrive in name-dropping to garner relevance. We do not see Mr. President giving members of the Hausa community in Imo State, who are in their thousands, 400 bags of rice only, and this again raises eye-brows.”

LASU lecturers call off six-week old strike Muritala Ayinla

he Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Lagos State University (LASU) chapter yesterday called off its six weeks old strike.

The suspension of the strike came after the congress of ASUU, LASU branch, met yesterday reviewing the strike it embarked upon on 20 May, 2014.

The lecturers, in a letter to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of LASU, said the decision followed serious deliberations on the letter from the Governing Council which culminated in the decision to suspend the strike. They said their decision was in the interest of all.

The letter signed by ASUU Chairman, LASU,

T

Dr. Kunle Idris reads in part: “The Congress of ASUU LASU met today Monday, July 14, 2014 and reviewed the strike action it embarked upon on May 20, 2014. After exhaustive deliberations on the Governing Council’s letter ref: LASU/PRO-CHAN/ ASUU/31 of July 11, 2014, the Congress took some decisions.

“The Congress suspended the strike action, but resolved that discussions on outstanding issues identified by members should be continued by the executive.

Congress believes that the letters and spirit of the resolutions reached with the university administration and the University Appointments and Promotions (Academic) Committee; and of the Governing Council shall hold.

“This letter, therefore,

serves to notify the Governing Council and the University Administration that the Academic Staff of LASU has effective from 1500 hours, Monday, July 14, 2014 resumed the teaching aspect of their duties.”

In the letter, the lecturers also copied Governor Babatunde Fashola, the LASU Visitor, Commissioner for Education, Lagos State; Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions; Chairman, House Committee on Education; Special Adviser on Education, Lagos State; Chancellor, LASU; all members of the Governing Council, Deputy ViceChancellor (Academic); Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Deans of Faculties, ASUU President, ASUU legal team and ASUU Zonal Coordinator (Ibadan Zone).

ASUU had met with the management of the school on July 2, in which certain resolutions were reached.

New Telegraph gathered that the parties at the meeting agreed that promotion is an ongoing exercise, saying any academic staff meriting promotion shall be so promoted, following established procedures.

At the meeting, it was also noted that all other outstanding cases of promotion should be forwarded to the University Appointments and Promotions (Academic) Committee according to established procedures, adding that some of the outstanding promotion cases had earlier been taken.

On the University Miscellaneous Provision Act 2012, the meeting resolved that this was not within the purview of management.

10

NEW TELEGRAPH

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

www.newtelegraphonline.com/metro

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

Two robbery suspects in custody Dominic Adewole ASABA

olice yesterday arrested two suspected Pcarry armed robbers who were on their way to out an operation in Effurun, Uvwie

Local Government Area of Delta State.

The police swooped on the suspects in their tricycle when they were about unleashing terror on some unsuspecting victims on the popular DSC Roundabout in the locality.

The state Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Celetina Kalu, who spoke on the development at the command headquarters in Asaba yesterday, said the four occupants, made a frantic effort to escape arrest before luck ran out on two of them.

She said: “At DSC Roundabout, Effurun, patrol men from Ekpan Division stopped the tricycle with four occupants for search.

Immediately the tricycle, with registration number BEN 860 QE stopped, two of the occupants took to their heels while the remaining two were arrested.”

The PPRO listed the items recovered from the tricycle to include “one locally-made cutto-size double-barrelled gun, one locallymade cut-to-size single-barrelled gun and three live cartridges.”

Kalu said the suspects were assisting the police in their investigation.

“Efforts are on top gear to track down their fleeing cohorts,” she added.

17 ghost workers discovered in Delta Dominic Adewole, ASABA

elta State Government has uncovered 17 DAutomatic ghost workers in its payroll through the Fingerprint Identification System

(AFIS).

AFIS is designed to check fraud in the wages and salaries of civil servants in the state.

The initiative is based on the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), thereby removing the human element and shielding the process from manipulation.

The exercise, it was learnt, has plugged all financial leakages.

Prior to the discovery, the fraudsters were said to be employees of the Women Development Committee (WDC) and Youth Development Committee scheme (YDC).

Each of them were collecting average of N50,000 monthly, which translates to over N10,200,000 annually from both agencies.

The scam, according to the Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah, was uncovered after the evaluation of the AFIS revealed the identical finger prints of the 17 workers in the two agencies.

In a statement issued in Asaba yesterday, Ogeah quoted the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on ICT and Coordinator of the Biometric Payroll Verification Committee, Mr Harold Monu, as saying that “the salaries of the affected staff in the two agencies have been stopped and their details passed to the Accountant General’s Office for recovery of monies while the Secretary to the State Government and the Head of Service have been notified for disciplinary actions to be initiated”.

According to the commissioner, criminal charges may also be levelled against the 17 suspects.

WEDNESday, JULY 16, 2014

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

0802 393 8212

Four killed, others injured in Lagos clash Juliana Francis and Temitope Ogunbanke

A

t least four persons were feared killed while many were wounded at FESTAC, Lagos State, during a clash involving men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Neighbourhood Watch officials and traders.

The incident occurred on Monday evening in the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, in front of the council secretariat on 41 Road, FESTAC. It was gathered that NSCDC officials had tried to stop a protest, but the situation became a free for all.

This, a source said, forced one of the armed NSCDC officials to open fire.

He allegedly shot four people dead and injured others.

But when contacted, the state NSCDC Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Chibuzor Mefor, said his men did not kill anybody.

Mefor said some people wanted to attack the local government Chair-

man, Ayodele Adewale but NSCDC officials tried to rescue him.

According to him, to disperse the attackers, his men shot into the air.

He said: “To our knowledge, nobody was killed. If anybody died, he/ she was not killed by NSCDC.” Meanwhile, Adewale has also accused members of the Community Policing Youth Vanguard making attempt on his life.

Addressing a press conference at the council’s secretariat yesterday, the chairman called Governor Babatunde Fashola to come to the aid of the citizens and residents of the local government, who according to him are living in fear because of the activities of the Community Policing Youth Vanguard.

Witnesses claimed that trouble started about 4pm after some traders who stores were demolished at Alakija, embarked on a protest over the seizure of their wares.

“The council ordered the demolition of some shops which were said to be illegal and the Neighbourhood Watch was directed to carry out the exercise and ensure the demolition

of the shops.

“As the demolition was going on, some of the traders attempted to salvage what was left of their wares but the Neighbourhood Watch officials would not allow them. The wares were loaded into their operational vans,” a witness said.

The Neighbourhood Watch officials were said to have also attempted to seize the machine and money of one of the operators of the popular ‘Baba Ijebu’ lotto centre, but some street urchins and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) who had staked their money and were waiting for the result resisted.

Sensing that the situation was fast deteriorating, the council invited two patrol teams of the OPMESSA marked 012 and 003.

The operatives stormed the area, arrested about eight of the traders and NURTW members and decided to take them to their barracks.

It was learned that as soon as OPMESSA operatives left with those they arrested, a general fight broke out among the traders, NURTW mem-

Slok crew rescues burning vessel, sailormen offshore Taiwo Jimoh he crew aboard the NEYA III, a platform supply vessel owned and Toperated

by Slok Nigeria Limited,

averted what would have been a tragedy when it rescued 10 people from a burning fuel tanker.

The Neya III crew delved into dangerous waters to save the lives of the helpless 10 crew members on board the fuel tanker, MT SANTA MONICA, which caught fire on Nigerian territorial waters.

The captain of the Slok vessel said an officer of the watch (OOW) on duty aboard the NEYA III received a distress call on the VHF radio and immediately raised the alarm to commence search and rescue operations.

The incident occurred last Saturday.

The captain added that the tanker was quickly located and carefully approached as the fire fighting system on board the Neya III was activated to quench the fire on the burning tanker.

The Neya III crew went further to rescue their fellow sailormen from the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean as the latter panicked and jumped off the burning ship.

The Managing Director of Slok Shipping, Firas Abboud (an engineer), confirmed the incident.

He said: “This is not the first time we offer rescue services and will not be the last as that is the norm for any vessel complying with IMO regulations, and this is what we are trained for.

“That is why we equip our vessels with the latest Life Saving Applianc-

The rescued crew members (top left); the burning vessel (right) and crew members being rescued (bottom left).

es and man them with competent and highly experienced Nigerian hands in order to meet industry standards and class/ statutory regulations.

“I am happy we were able to save lives, this is a major boost for local content development and an attestation

to the resilience and professionalism of our guys.

“I salute our courageous team who were fearless in putting off the fire that gutted the ship. They were also privileged to get the chance to rescue the full crew on board MT SANTA MONICA.” Abboud added that it was a manifestation to demonstrate Slok Group’s corporate commitment to excellence in service delivery by Nigerians for Nigeria.

METRO

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

As the demolition was going on, some of the traders attempted to salvage what was left of their wares but the Neighbourhood Watch officials would not allow them

Local government workers injured during the fracas. Inset: Expended bullet shell

bers and the Neighbourhood Watch.

The fight witnessed the free use of broken bottles and other weapons.

In the middle of the fight, the traders’ wares were moved to the council secretariat but the traders followed in protest.

“As the protest was ongoing, operatives of NSCDC attempted to disperse the traders but they refused to

abandon their goods.

“One of the NSCDC operatives whose name was given as Olatunji opened fire on the protesters, killing about four. He also injured many people. The wounded were rushed to some private hospitals in the area where they are being treated.”

Area ‘E’ Commander, Mr Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), confirmed the inci-

dent.

He, however, could not confirm the number of casualties.

Okoro added that investigation was ongoing and that he had already briefed the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, about the incident.

The state Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr Lelma Kolle, did not pick his calls to confirm the clash.

FRSC arrests 67,666 traffic offenders Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

Federal Road Safety Tit he Commission (FRSC) said arrested no fewer than

67,666 traffic offenders in Lagos and Ogun states in the last six months.

The Acting Zonal Commanding Officer, RS2 Lagos, John Meheux, disclosed this yesterday at the 2014 zonal retreat held in Abeokuta for all senior officers in the zone comprising Lagos and Ogun states.

Meheux, however, said there had been a significant reduction in the number of traffic offenders this year compared to 2013 which stood at 79,827 in the period under review.

The zonal commanding officer, who attributed the reduction to the enforcement of traffic rules by the corps, said that 97 road traffic crashes were recorded in the first and second quarters of this year in the zone compared to 114 that occurred during the same period last year.

He also pointed out that the FRSC had continued to maintain a robust presence on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and succeeded in reducing response time to road crash to less than 15 minutes.

Olagunju

Meheux explained that the retreat tagged: “Building a reliable framework for public education and communication management,” was organised to enhance safety on Nigerian roads.

He said: “Retreat is a way of providing a platform of reasoning on how best to implement our action plan in order to actualise our set goals.

“Additionally, it’s a point of reflection and exchange of ideas in order to analyse the past, present and proffer solutions to the future thereby enabling the zone to improve its effort in actualising the corporate goal

of the corps for remaining part of this year.”

Meheux added that the FRSC would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders in the effective implementation of its objectives.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Corps Marshal of FRSC, Kayode Olagunju, has expressed the determination of the agency to check the abuse of siren by prosecuting motorists found using siren illegally on the highway.

Olagunju, who was a resource person at the retreat, said the culture of road safety must be embraced by all Nigerians irrespective of social and economic backgrounds.

“We want to appeal to those who are privileged to be given the opportunity to use siren to also use it appropriately. There are so many others who are not even allowed to use this siren and are using it illegally.

“We will look out for those people too and anytime we are able to get our hands on them, we will prosecute them,” he vowed.

Olagunju added that the new FRSC number plate had made it easy for the corps to identify traffic offenders.

11

Deeper Life acquires CCTV for Kumuyi Clement James and Ewa Nnanna

C

onscious of the security situation in the country, Deeper Life Bible Church, Cross River State Field, has acquired close circuit television (CCTV) to enhance its security network during its crusade billed for July 29 to 31.

The three-day crusade is holding at its camp ground at Ikot Offiong Ambai, Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the state.

The crusade, tagged: “Memorable encounter with the God of Signs and Wonders,” is expected to feature the General Overseer of the church, Pastor William Kumuyi.

The Cross River State Overseer of the church, Prof. Andrew Friday Uduigwomen, disclosed this at a press briefing in Calabar yesterday.

He said: “We have taken adequate measures with regard to security. For instance, because of the current state of insecurity, we have acquired the CCTV camera because we expect a large number of people.”

Uduigwomen said the church was not taking anything for granted because of the expected presence of Kumuyi.

According to him, a lot of people from the South-South geo-political zone would be attending the crusade and as such the church was putting in place security measures to ensure that nothing ominous happens.

Apart from the acquisition of CCTV cameras, Uduigwomen said the church had engaged the bomb disposal unit of the police to complement its internal security.

Earlier, the church had issued a directive stopping worshippers from carrying handbags into the church premises during services.

The ban is seen as part of measures to check bomb attacks on branches of

Kumuyi

the church.

The directive was handed down at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State by Kumuyi through the state overseer, Pastor Anthoney Beke, during a combined special service where prayers were offered for the peace and security of the country.

Beke, who described security as the duty of everybody in the society, including church members, called on Christians to be security conscious at any given time and build their faith strongly in the Lord.

He said: “You are instructed not to come to church with a bag. Come with your Bible, your pen and notebook, except the nursing mothers for the sake of their babies.

“You should submit yourselves for security checks.

“Vehicle owners should consciously pack their vehicles at a given distance away from the worship ground.”

Boko Hakam has on a number of occasions attacked some churches, including the Deeper Life Bible Church, killing and maiming some members in the North.

The most recent one was the attack on five churches, including COCIN, EYN and Deeper Life Bible Church in Kwada village, about 10 kilometres from Chibok town in Borno State.

Foundation picks UNILAG student for free kidney transplant

Babatunde (3rd left) and other celebrities at the event.

Camillus Nnaji Foundation has selected 24-yearOsityJB ld Philosophy student of the Univerof Lagos (UNILAG), Miss Abidemi

Habeeb, from Ijebu-East Local Government Area of Ogun State as the first beneficiary of its free renal transplant programme.

Speaking during the selection in Lagos yesterday, founder of the foundation, Mr Okungbowa Jezreel Babatunde aka OJB, said he was moved to repay the public who contributed during his own kidney transplant by establishing the foundation.

Babatunde, who also used the event to mark his 48th birthday, thanked God for adding another year to his life, saying that in return he wanted to help another kidney patient celebrate another birthday.

In his own remark, the Coordinator of the foundation, Mr Remigius Obetta, said the selection process was handled by nephrologists from the La-

gos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

He said: “We went to LASUTH’s Nephrology Department and asked them to nominate and recommend a kidney patient whose case requires urgent attention. This led to the nomination of Miss Habeeb.

“She has been on admission at LASUTH for over one year with chronic renal disease requiring transplant. The father is late, leaving only the mother to bear the cost all this while with heavy medical bills. In addition she is on three dialysis per week with drugs costing N44,000 per section which totals N132,000 per week.”

The foundation, according to him, will foot the bill of the transplant in India put at about N4 million.

In his own contribution, Consultant Nephrologist in LASUTH, Dr Theophilius Umeizudike, said Habeeb’s case was selected based on its urgency and the fact that she has a single parent.

12 NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Terrorism: Edo police chief calls for vigilance, caution

lParade 46 suspects in Edo DOOMED Benin spells doom for criminals as 46 of them are paraded Cajetan Mmuta

BENIN

E

do State Police Commissioner, Mr. Foluse Adebanjo, yesterday called for caution among residents of Benin, the state capital, and other areas in the three senatorial districts in the effort by the command to fight terrorism.

Adebanjo, who stated this when he paraded about 46 suspected robbers, rapists, car snatchers, gun runners, kidnap-

pers and cultists arrested in different parts of the state, said there was an urgent need for landlords and tenants to be cautious about movements of strange people around them.

He tasked owners of uncompleted buildings to clear them of undesirable persons and freely request the assistance of security agencies to do so if necessary, to avoid the use of their buildings as camps for criminals.

The police boss also urged community leaders to join hands with security agencies to form neighbourhood associations and to hold periodic meetings to appraise security situations in their areas.

He added that motor park administrators and garage owners as well as operators of shopping malls must ensure that vehicles parked within and around public places are properly scanned and searched to ensure the absence of explosive devices.

Besides, hotels and other related hospitality industries must always screen their guests and the property in their possession to obtain accurate security information about their guests, stressing that residential, commercial establishments, institutions, churches and mosques are encouraged to install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) and other surveillance

devices strategically on their premises.

According to him; “As you all know, our country is going through hard times. People must now take precautions, because terrorists don’t wait for anybody. All of us must come together to have a peaceful society. It is not the business of the police alone or other law enforcement agencies.

“We must all come together, if you see something, say something; don’t hide information, because you are not helping the police alone, you are helping yourself, your family, your neighbours, your relations and your community.

“So, let us all come together and do our best

so that we can preserve this nation, this state. It is important that we all must collaborate on this issue.”

To this end, all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Area Commanders have been given the mandate to go round the various stakeholders to carry out enlightenment programmes about steps to take against any eventuality within their areas of jurisdiction.

The police commissioner said among the

Raimi's death, colossal loss to Nigeria, says Southern Forum Sola Adeyemo

Ibadan

group, the Ahaspolitical Southern Forum (SF) described the death

L-R: Director General, Directorate of Technical Aid Corps (TAC), Dr. Puis Olakunle Osunyikanmi; Director of Finance and Supply, Mr. Ibidapo Obe and Dr. Oladele Abiodun, during the departure of 52 Technical Aid Corps (TAC) volunteers to Islamic University of Uganda in Abuja… yesterday.

PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

APC: Aliyu is bad news to Niger civil servants lNo, they have been well motivated, says Gov’s Aide Dan Atori

MINNA

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State yesterday berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration of Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, saying civil servants in the state have suffered more under his watch.

The party said workers in the state were the worst hit by the PDP maladministration with low remuneration and low morale.

APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, said in a statement made available to our correspondent that it is on record that Niger State civil servants are least paid in the region as the government has refused to pay the approved minimum wage.

He said the governor merely added N10, 000 to their normal salary and

called it minimum wage.

According to Vatsa; “Governor Aliyu, though a seasoned civil servant, who rose to the position of a permanent secretary in the federal civil service denied civil servants in the state their entitlements which include, leave grants, promotions and other benefits in the name of saving cost.

“Civil servants in the Niger State have remained on the same grade level since 2009, with no promotion and they have been denied their annual leave grants since inception of this administration.”

He said the situation with civil servants at the local government level could be better imagined than experienced as over 30 per cent of them had their names removed from the payroll of the government in the name of staff auditing.

UPN postpones membership registration Wale Elegbede

he Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) yesterday announced the postponement of its nationwide membership registration exercise billed to kick off yesterday.

The postponement, according to the party’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Felix Oboagwina, was due to logistics reasons.

National Chairman of the UPN, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, had earlier this month, announced plans by the party to kick off a nationwide membership drive slated for July 15.

The party was registered

by INEC in April.

However, Oboagwina said in a statement in Lagos yesterday that the party was unable to conclude the distribution of the membership registration materials to all the

T

states.

“Printing and distribution of the registers and membership cards have been slow, which caused some drag on our ability to distribute these materials in a few states, although we have done so in virtually all the states in the SouthWest,” he said.

“And since we do not want to have selective registration, party leaders decided we delay the nationwide exercise until logistics have been perfected and we have a good chance to commence simultaneously in the 36 states and Abuja on the same day. That way, we avoid interpretations that may not be good for the party’s image,” Oboagwina said.

According to him, the party will announce a new date once distribution of materials to the remaining states is concluded.

suspects paraded were students of Light House Polytechnic, Evbuobanosa, who were arrested for their involvement in cultism related activities and a plot to assassinate three rival members at Ughoneki village before they were intercepted.

In addition, Adebanjo said men of the command also arrested one Sunday Oviasogie, a notorious sponsor of kidnappers and armed robbery gangs in the last fifteen years.

of its Secretary General, Dr. Nasiru Oladejo Raimi, as a great loss, not only to the people of the southern states, but the entire nation.

Raimi, 81, who was a former Secretary to the Oyo State government and the former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), died in Ibadan on Sunday.

In a statement issued by the Director, Media, Public Communication and Strategy of the forum, Mr. Tunde Adebisi, and made available to journalists, the forum said the news of the passing away of Raimi was received with shock, bearing in mind that he had just returned from a trip to Abuja, to pursue the cause of the people of the southern states.

The forum added that,

though, he passed on at the ripe age of 81, “his passionate and patriotic footprints on the political landscape of the nation would remain evergreen.”

According to the SF; “Raimi was one of the few fearless Nigerians of his generation, who was never cowed by old age to remain relevant, but remained dogged in the struggle for justice, equity and fair play in national politics.

“He was a frank, untainted, forthright and credible voice in Yoruba land, where he played active roles in the formation of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and a reliable ally when it comes to the cause of the southern part of the country.

“We want to say that he left a vacuum that may be difficult to fill as an astute political strategist and tactician."

His death came at a time when his sartorial contribution is greatly needed in national and local politics in his home state of Oyo.

Glasgow 2014: Yusuf sure of decent performace Yuzarsif Alhassan

Bauchi

resident of the Nigeria Psociation Wrestling Referees’ Asand the only referee/coach representing Africa in the Commonwealth Games, Usman Yusuf, said he will soon report for training to prepare for camping exercise coming up this year.

He said: “I am the only one invited from Africa and this is a tremendous achievement, I thank God for it.

“This is an opportunity for me and I have to do my best to ensure justice and equity in every competition I participate in and am the only referee

appointed to participate and play as a referee for my country,” Usman said.”

He told New Telegraph that Nigerian amateur wrestlers will win competitions in spite of the irrregular training giving to them, saying that Nigeria will win gold in view of the four educated and experienced coaches that are available to train them.

He said the only challenge being faced by the country was the inability for the country to invite teams at earlier stages of their preparation for camp and screening, saying they would nonetheless do their best.

DRAMA OF AN IMPEACHMENT PLOT / PAGE 40 | REPS RENEW RIVALRY WITH ALISON-MADUEKE / PAGE 41

POLITICS

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/politics

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, POLITICS

ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

ayodeleojo@yahoo.com

MY ANGER’LL REMAIN, EVEN AFTER 2015 –AKPABIO

p-14, 15

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014

New states and insatiable demands for fiefdoms While mixed reactions have continued to trail the recent approval by the on-going National Conference for the creation of additional 18 states in the country, FELIX NWANERI reports that apart from one or two, most of the proposed new states cannot be isolated from the quest by some politicians to carve out new empires for themselves

A

gitation for creation of new states is not new in Nigeria. The issue has remained a recurring decimal in the polity since the exercise was last carried out by the late General Sani Abacha regime in 1996. From the south to northern part of the country, it has always been a plethora agitation by the various ethnic nationalities that make up the country for one or more additional states.

The multiple demands, many say, have been mostly inspired by the same concerns that preceded state creations in the past – minority fears, inequity, skewed development, quest for political empires and influence by the elite class.

Though the demand has on even before the last one by the military junta, the renewed insatiable demand for fiefdoms came to the fore during the public hearings held by the National Assembly for the yet to be concluded constitution amendment. Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who heads the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, then put the number of memoranda submitted by various interest groups on state creation at 45. According to him, 34 of such memoranda were intra-state demands, seven interstate, while four cuts across geo-political zones.

While he assured then that everything would be done to address the critical issues of the Nigerian federalism such as devolution of powers, local government administration, structural imbalances, state police, among others in the constitution amendment, he however expressed doubt whether the motivations for agitation for the new states are genuine and would solve the concerns raised by the agitators.

Expectedly, the issue resonated again at the commencement of the on-going National Conference, as it topped the agenda of the various ethnic nationalities and geo-political zones participat-

Kutigi

Nwachukwu

ing at the discourse. The South-East, for example, unanimously agreed before

Approved States

From

• Apa

Benue

• Kainji

Kebbi

• Katagum

Bauchi

• Savannah

Borno

• Amana

Adamawa

• Gurara

Kaduna

• Ghari

Kano

• Etiti

South-East

• Aba

Abia

• Adada

Enugu

• Njaba

Anambra/Imo

• Anioma

Delta State

• Orashi

Rivers

• Ogoja

Cross River

• Ijebu

Ogun

• New Oyo State

Oyo

• Remaining two to be created in the South-West and South-South

the inauguration of the confab that its agenda would be anchored on demand for an additional state, a new constitution, among others.

Others who accorded priority to issue are the minority ethnic groups across the other five geo-political zones.

These nationalities have persistently cried marginalisation by the majority tribes in their existing states. They include the Idomas of Benue State and the Igbo speaking areas of Delta State.

While the Idomas want to be liberated from the majority Tiv, the Aniomas of Delta State want to be free from the clutches of the Urhobos and Itsekiris.

The majority tribes are also not left out, as they want more states, apparently for more funds from the national purse.

To the people of the South-East, for instance, an additional state will bring them at par with other zones in the country. The South-East remains the only zone with five states; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. The South-South, South-West, North Central and North-East all have six states each, while the North-West has seven.

It was against the backdrop of these demands that the National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government recommended the creation of additional states in the country. The committee,

co-chaired by Senator Ike Nwachukwu and Alhaji Mohammed Kumalia, in its report said the subject of state creation had remained a huge political issue in Nigeria.

It added that it arrived at the decision after examining the reports of the National Political Reform Conference and the report of the Presidential Committee on Review of outstanding issues from recent Constitutional Conferences 2012 (the Belgore Report) and wide consultations and extensive deliberations and in the interest of equity, justices and fairness.

In respected of the South-East, the committee agreed that the demand for another state by the zone was legitimate and will redress the apparent marginalisation of the zone.

54 state structure After adopting the committees report, the conference approved the creation of 18 new states, which if accepted by the Federal Government, will bring the number of states in the country to 54 with nine in each of the six zones.

The proposed states approved by the confab are Apa from Benue State; kainji from Kebbi; Katagum from Bauchi; CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

14 POLITICS Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio recently took time off his tight schedule to visit the newly inaugurated Planet Fm, Uyo, the first private radio station in Akwa Ibom State, where he spoke on some raging issues in the state. TONY ANICHEBE brings excerpts We read an article recently in which you said that at the age of 10 years, you knew you will be a governor. How come about this?

Yes I must say that at that age, God revealed himself to me and I know that it sounds incredible. You see whenever I see advertisement that people should come for miracle, I tell them that miracles don’t happen like that, because it is something totally unexpected. So, any church that advertises for miracle, does not understand the meaning of miracle. Miracle is something unexpected, something you cannot foresee and it is something that is unimaginable.

I was actually a young boy who was passing through a lot of things when I was growing up. Unfortunately my father died when I was just six months old and my mother brought us up. I have two senior ones ahead of me and those ones were already in secondary school. So when I finished my primary school, I couldn’t go forward but I was determined even though it seemed impossible to do so.

I usually go and hide in the bush and only came out around one pm to join my colleagues who have gone to school to play football. And so along the line I was privileged to be invited to serve as a house boy somewhere at Aka Road, Uyo and there was this misunderstanding that prompted my being returned to the village which did not go down well with me. Out of shame not to be seen returning to the village again after going to town, when I was dropped around Independent High School in my area, I decided to stay in one Methodist Church till night so that I will return to my father’s house without being seen or mocked by people.

But I slept off out of fatigue and woke up to see bright lights all over the church in a village without electricity.

I mean extremely bright light and I forced myself to regain consciousness when I heard a voice speaking to me.

And from that moment I knew that my life would change and that everything I need in life from that moment I would have it. I want to encourage other children that they need not have the type of encounter I had because I ha it on behalf of all the orphans and less privileged children in Nigeria and Africa.

All they need is to have God and involve God to go with them in everything they do, irrespective of their circumstances, the sky is their limit. That was how my situation changed.

Seven years gone in the life of your administration, is there anything you have not done that you wish to do, and you said you approach governance with anger, are you still angry?

The anger may probably never leave me even on May 29th 2015 (laughs) I am still angry that there are many things that I want to do but could not do because of lack of funds, and I don’t want to plunge the state into perpetual indebtedness because of my quest for development. Even coming to some areas of the state, I was equally angry that the rural communities have not be touched, the way they ought to have been touched because of paucity of funds and the nature of projects, we are doing.

So that anger is still there but I am

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

My anger’ll remain, even after 2015 –Akpabio

Akpabio

consoled whenever I go round and see what we have done. This is a lesson for young people that wherever they find themselves and in whatever capacity, they should endeavor to leave it better than they met it. For me as the governor and those working with me, we can beat our chest with pride and say that we are leaving Akwa Ibom better than we met it. Everybody, even the blind can attest to our good works because the blind know what is a pothole and will know when he walks around without stepping into one.

Sir which has been your toughest period as a governor, is it your first or second term?

I will say that the second term has been tougher than the first; the time is going you know this is Niger Delta, the rain belt of Nigeria and we have only three months of dry season to handle major road construction. The other wet season may be for culverts and others, when you look at the fact that time is going and I have few dry seasons left, it makes your stomach tremble with fearing that I may disappoint my people.

But I take solace in the fact that government is a continuum and if Akwa Ibom people realize that the governor means well and that if he fails to complete all he visualises for the state, then they should stand by me to bring in a capable person who can key into the vision and continue the transformation, and not somebody who will come with flowery language and leave the state worse than he met it.

My only consolation is that the people are with me, when I went round the state during the Town Hall meetings and saw enormous support from Akwa Ibom people, I was convinced that these

I am still angry that there are many things that I want to do but could not do because of lack of funds, and I don’t want to plunge the state into perpetual indebtedness because of my quest for development are people who love development. You cannot share money and have development, you cannot eat you cake and have it. It’s either you buy houses in Dubai, own property in London, U.S.A and Europe, and all that and allow people wallow in poverty, or bring the infrastructures that will drive development and encourage the private sector. This is one state that right from the airport you can see the people’s money working for them. So my consolation is that the people will work with me to bring a proper successor that will continue the uncommon transformation.

Apart from the revenue you get from allocation, do you source for funds to carry on with the several projects you have on ground?

For the first four years, we didn’t think of any loan, it only came when we had massive reduction in our financial expectations owing to crude oil theft.

You know we depend on 13 per cent derivation, but we lost about 44 per cent of the expected income in 2013, so we

had to approach the House of Assembly to give us approval to obtain a loan in order to advance some of our projects.

I am one person who likes cutting my coat according to my size; I wouldn’t have borrowed if not for the challenges. And I know that with improvement of our resource when crude oil theft is brought under control, I know the state will be in a position to offset its indebtedness and stay afloat.

I love to think ahead. I was never in Dubai when I started planning like them, I was told if I finish building the airport who will use it but I finished the runway and a small terminal building which is an interim one for now and said now planes can land, and one airline agreed to come and they operated for thirty days and stopped.

A governor friend of mine met me in Abuja and said, yes you now have an airport then go look for the plane and the other one said, I don’t even know why people bother about airport when they don’t have the population; neither do they have the passengers to utilize the airport.

I got confused but when I returned, God ministered to me and said do not be discouraged, I approached the House of Assembly and got N500million into an escrow account and encouraged any airline which flies the route and fails to get more than half of the passenger capacity to apply for the balance money from the Escrow account to cushion the effects. That was how Dana Airline came and operated for the first three months without taking up to ten million naira from the money. Today other Airlines have joined.

So by the end of the six months period, out of the money which I called Route Development Assistance, we

POLITICS 15

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

could not spend up to N150million.

But most importantly is that my people were alleviated from their sufferings.

The idea of going to Calabar on a bad road and getting stuck for hours has been eliminated.

Because of my quest for development, travelling two and half hours to Port Harcourt was now averted. Akwa Ibom Airport became the fourth fastest growing airport in Nigeria. Sometimes for you to visit here during festive seasons, a week to the time all seats on flight to here are all fully booked. So I saw ahead, that is why I said let’s build, they will come just like when they started building this radio station in this rural community, did you imagine the governor would one day be sitting here?

But the governor is here.

That is my concept that we must start developing Akwa Ibom State. We are building the biggest hospital in the state with over 375 beds and it will certainly not be for Akwa Ibom people alone, by the time we begin open heart surgery, kidney transplant and people hear about it, they will come. That is why I said let us build, they will come.

In Dubai that was their policy, with a population of about four hundred thousand (400,000) people. Dubai records over 49 million visitors yearly and sometimes they hit about 51 million and the effect is that they have phenomenal increase in their revenue from tourism, that is where Akwa Ibom is heading and everything by God’s will shall be done.

When you hear people sing your praises and accolades, does it humble you, make you smile or motivate you to do more?

One of the things I enjoy about being governor of Akwa Ibom is that my people understand and know their governor. Every single child here knows that if it was possible I will never allow him to despair; I will never allow him to cry. A lot of people know that when they see their governor their problem is solved. Even when you have not met him, if he stretches his hand to bless you, you are blessed. That is the simple truth. My people know that they don’t need to lobby to have projects in their domain as I must do them with the availability of funds.

My people know that they have a governor who is alive to his responsibility and will definitely address their issues. I go around and am trailed by accolades, but it does not move me because I did not develop Akwa Ibom to be praised for myself, children and future generation. The one that amazed me is when I went to commission new classroom blocks in some primary schools and a nine year old boy walk up to me and said ‘Governor God will bless you’.

When I commissioned a one kilometer road in Ikot Ekpene (market road) an eleven year old boy who came to the market to buy something walked up to me and said ‘Governor God will bless you’ and a woman ran out of the crowd, loosened her wrapper and spread it on the floor and said I should walk on it. The security tried to stop her thinking she was mad but I told them to leave her, she insisted that I must walk on the wrapper on the floor which I did and she picked it up with excitement to leave, but I asked her to explain her action and she “I want to keep this wrapper for my grand children to show them that a miracle worker walked on the wrapper”.

The woman said her yam business collapsed because trucks could not access the market road owing to its deplorable state while her children dropped out of school, but today the children are back to school because of my free and compulsory education, while she is back to her business because the access road is now done. She said, I must keep this wrapper for my grand children as a testimony that I saw the miracle worker and he walked on the wrapper. She immediately dashed into the crowd and was gone.

who carried out rebellion against their good leaders ended well, that they also shall end well. But I am more focused to deliver more dividends of democracy and end my tenure well, not minding the internal rebellion the black mailers, the petition writers and those who are trying to pull me down just like they did to Jeremiah in the Bible.

Akpabio

‘Akwa Ibom is aiming to be like Dubai’ People like Don King, the boxing promoter who came here with Samuel Peter the ex-world boxing champion cried when they witnessed the event. But for me I knew that the woman was expressing the happiness of the people of Akwa Ibom State. My people know that things have changed and could change more if we have all the resources. That is why succession is very important, so that we can bring in a governor who will take it from where I will stop and even maintain the existing infrastructures; Akwa Ibom can never be the same again.

You did promise that every local government in the state will have an industry, 31 for that matter how are they coming along?

I think it will be more than 31 industries at the end of the day. As I am talking to you now about 14 industries are being built in Akwa Ibom State. We have an industry here coupling household items like television sets, air conditioners and I have seen we have to expand our market beyond Nigeria because of the Turkish industry here. We will soon commission a gas processing plant which I mentioned to you.

In fact we have about 16 industries as at last count because an ammonia plant is being set up besides where you have septa energy. We have fertilizer plant in Ibaka, there is another company which will be cited in Itu Local Government Area with an investments plan of over $2.5 billion to be coupling military hard ware. It is interesting to know that we equally have a group coming to turn the state into perishable food depot with the cultivation of things like tomatoes and export them abroad. We harvest tomatoes in the morning and by noon they will be received fresh in France and other European countries.

The other side of it is that we are trying to encourage private public partnership and we encouraged a company from United Kingdom dealing in septa energy to come, and today they have finished the gas processing plant in Esit Eket. Today they are supplying Ibom power and they are now going to supply

I was convinced that these are people who love development. You cannot share money and have development, you cannot eat you cake and have it the NIPP in Calabar and its awaiting Mr. President’s inauguration. Sincerely speaking the internally generated revenue is equally improved but that one is like building a future for the next generation.

We are like the Jews, the children of Israel, because this is the only state named after God, what it means is that we are God’s people and because of that we must enjoy benefits from God. Our people’s problem is that we have in our midst those who always work against these good things, the rebels, the petition writers and so on. The worst among them which is capable of breaking a king’s heart is to have his own son rebelling against him. You can remember that even Christ while washing the feet of his disciples on a Thursday knew that on Friday which is Good Friday, one of the twelve disciples will deny him, while one will betray him.

But that is the son of God, he remained focused and ensured the redemption of mankind on Easter Sunday.

I have had rebels within my government, I have had people I trust disappoint me, I have also seen the spirit of Absolom (the son of David) in people when a little boy I brought up in Akwa Ibom State suddenly felt he is smarter and more intelligent than his father and rebelled against me. I do tell all these people who are working against me by their petitions and comments even when their lives have been improved courtesy of my administration that if it was good for Judas Iscariot, it will be good for them. That if all those

What is the fate of the Maritime Academy, Oron, will it still be given a University status?

It must come to pass that the Maritime University must be cited in our dear state. And like the federal polytechnic given to us by the president recently, it was a privileged and not a right. It is a gift to the people of Akwa Ibom State because of their support for Mr. President. It is just that the circumstances I found myself I have to take it to my village because of the existing structure of Independent High School built by foremost educationist and former Deputy Premier of the then Eastern region, Dr. Ibanga Akpabio, who was the pioneer principal of Ibibio State College, and later founded the Independent High School Ukana.

I applaud Mr. President for the honor done to Akwa Ibom people. It also occurs to me to allow both the new federal poly run with the state polythenic, Ikot Osurua, rather than closing the latter, so that a lot of our children will have opportunity of higher education.

Then I must encourage our people to open private Universities too like we have in other parts of the country.

In Ghana for instance, every street in Ghana has three to four universities.

Education is key to development and changing the mindset of the people.

The level of illiteracy in the society can actually destroy people and that was why the Bible said that my people perish because of ignorance.

You are the first governor from this state to appoint your SSG, finance commissioner and other key officers from outside your ethnic stock, why?

If you come to Government House and you find 20 staff, you will be surprised that 19 of them are from other ethnic groups because the Government House is for Akwa Ibom people.

If you want to practicalise unity, it starts from Government House because they say that a fish starts from the head to get rotten. If the head does not encourage unity, it will not work.

I felt that since I didn’t come here to steal but to ensure uncommon transformation, then my finance commissioner and Secretary to Government were picked from another ethnic group to ensure the unity of the state since I did not come to divide the state.

I believe that it is a positive signal to other chief executives because it has never happened anywhere, not even in the days of regional government. In the new Akwa Ibom State it never happened. I believe it depends on one’s intention, if it is genuine, it does not matter where your key officers hail from.

Sir what is your succession plan?

Godswill must be done again because I believe in the will of God for our dear state. Akwa Ibom is today the talk of town even in the international arena. There is no single discourse on any known cable television revolving around people without Akwa Ibom getting mentioned. That is an indication that something positive is happening and the succession plan for Akwa Ibom will also be discussed.

The reality is that God’s will be done again and I believe that the will of God for us is development, unity, progress and peace as God. So I will not bore you with who wants to become governor or who will not, but I believe that God is a God of justice. At the end of all the wranglings, showoffs and ambitions, God will chose a Governor for Akwa ibom people.

16 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

New states and insatiable demands for fiefdoms

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

tions due their various states, which the Federal Government has attributed to dwindling level of crude oil revenue.

Against these backdrops, the posers being raised are: Has the creation of more states allayed the fears of minorities and the feelings of marginalisation and domination? Has it resulted to good governance and speedy development at state levels than we had before? If it is meant to bring governance closer to the people, what then is the essence of the local government councils?

To some political analysts and observers, who proffered answers to the posers, most of the demands for new states cannot be isolated from the quest by some political leaders to carve out new empires for themselves, even when the existing ones which they are presently presiding or have presided in the past, have not in any way impacted on the lives of the people.

Savannah from Borno; Amana from Adamawa; Gurara from Kaduna; Ghari from Kano; Etiti from South-East; Aba from Abia; Adada from Enugu and Njaba-Anim from Anambra and Imo. The others are Anioma from Delta State; Orashi from Rivers State; Ogoja from Cross River State; IJebu from Ogun State and New Oyo State from the present Oyo State. The conference is to later determine the names of the remaining two other states and their capitals, which are to be created in the South-South and South-West zones.

The conference, however, noted that any new states to be created should be economically viable or potentially viable and should have human, natural and material resources. It also resolved that that a new state should have a minimum population of one million persons.

Kudos and jeers It has been mixed reactions since the confab’s announcement. The South-East, which saw it as a bold step towards addressing the imbalance in the country’s polity, commended the conference delegates for their unanimous recommendation that an additional state be created for the zone to bring it at par with other geo-political zones of the country.

The chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum and Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, who spoke on behalf of the zone, saluted the courage of the delegates in adopting the recommendation which he said, is a major step towards ending decades of political injustice and marginalization against Ndigbo.

He also commended the confab for recommending the creation of more new states from the existing ones across the country, saying this will help correct the imbalance and lopsidedness in state creation supervised by the military.

“This bold step of the conference will also help to diffuse tension in the polity as well as fast track grassroot development. We also commend the leadership of the conference as well as the delegates for their maturity, patriotism and peaceful disposition in conducting the affairs of the confab.” he said.

The governors, therefore, called on the National Assembly and other relevant stakeholders to support the recommendation, and to synergise on making the outcome of the confab a working document in the overall interest of Nigeria.

While it was celebration for the South-East, it was jeers by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). The group condemned in “strong terms” the “deliberate” omission of Bori State in the states recommended National Conference, and vowed to prevent crude oil exploitation in Ogoniland if the state is not created.

MOSOP president Legborsi Saro Pyagbara described the omission as disappointing and callous, saying: “We are appalled by the development. MOSOP is aware that Bori State met all the requirements handed down by the conference and had been listed initially, only to be de-listed afterwards, in questionable circumstances.”

He added: “Over 70 per cent of the recommended states are not viable and will as usual, depend on resources from the Ogoni region for survival. With abundant mineral and other resources, Bori State, in all ramifications, stands a better chance of thriving and surviving, than the ones considered. In the event that any state is created without a Bori State, let it be known that Ogoni people and their allies will never allow any drop of oil from our land to be used to sustain other states.”

Ekweremadu

Yakassai

The recommendation is totally at variance with a number of other recommendations by the conference, which are all geared towards reducing the cost of governance in the country The Ijaws of the South-South like the Ogonis, also faulted the list of proposed new states, saying it was skewed in favour of certain ethnic groups to the detriment of the Ijaw people who made a request of two additional states for their people but none was granted.

Spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eric Omare, in a statement said: “The Ijaws made a request for the creation of two additional states to wit: Toru-Ebe State from the present Delta, Edo and Ondo states and Oil Rivers State from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. However, the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government recommended creation of additional 18 states across the country without considering the Ijaw requests.

“It is totally unacceptable for the conference to recommend the creation of additional 18 states without considering the requests of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality which is Nigeria’s 4th largest tribe. The conference recommendations are geared towards empowering some ethnic nationalities to have more political control to the detriment of other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and in total disregard to the political marginalisation and oppression of the Ijaws of Delta, Edo and Ondo states.”

IYC stated further that it would not and will never allow Ijaw resources to be exploited to fund and develop other states to the detriment of the Ijaws, adding that without creation of Toru- Ebe and Oil Rivers states to liberate the politically oppressed Ijaws, the Ijaw people would have no other option than to reconsider their position in Nigerian state.

Confab youths’ disagree Also faulting the approval, a coalition of youth delegates at the conference, described the approval as an embarrassment. In a statement signed

by Hassan Rilwan, Yadomah Bukar Mandara and Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, the coalition said: “The Nigeria of our dream is not Nigeria with more states, but a Nigeria in good state.”

Falana

The group argued that except the conference wants to create new states as a shortcut to the country’s problems, the only reason the elite may want more states is to increase access to power.

It said: “We understand the issues of marginalisation; we support innovative ways of solving it. Not creating more problems to solve a problem. Does state creation solve the issues of maginalisation? What happens when others feel marginalised within the new states?

Are we going to have to create even more states?”

States and marginalisation Some analysts who spoke with New Telegraph on the issue observed that the nation cannot afford to plunge into another round balkanization when it is yet to provide satisfactory answers to some nagging questions regarding the propriety of the 36 states structure.

To these analysts, the proper step by the confab delegates would have been a return to regionalism on the basis of the six geo-political zones, as the global trend is aggressively moving towards the contraction of the size of government and cost of governance.

This, they further explained, is even as most of the existing states are said to insolvent according to a study by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in 2013. According to the research, about 20 states face the prospect of unstable and unfavourable financial standing, given the high percentage of their wage bill to the total revenue accruable to them.

They added that many state governors have of late complained of short falls in their monthly revenue alloca-

Address problems, not more states Lagos lawyer and rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), though a delegate at the conference, is opposed to the recommendation for the creation of 18 new states.

He said: “I didn’t vote for creation of new states because under the current political dispensation, only about four or five states now are able to pay salaries without borrowing. For me, it’s totally uncalled for to be recommending the creation of more states.

“In the last one year or thereabout, states have cried out about dwindling statutory allocations due to them.

There is massive unemployment in the country, security of lives and properties, which should be addressed now, as opposed to multiplying the cost of governance. In fact, the recommendation is totally at variance with a number of other recommendations by the conference, which are all geared towards reducing the cost of governance in the country.”

On the argument that new states will address the issue of marginalisation as well as engender grassroots development, Falana said such complaints explained the recommendation for the governorship position to rotate among the three senatorial districts in every state.

And despite the fact that the proposal was supported by majority of the delegates, Falana hinged its passage to the inordinate ambition of politicians cum delegates. “You have to realise that quite a number of the delegates are politicians, others are contractors, who are likely to become governors and senators if states are created, and who are likely to get contracts. It’s all about sharing the wealth of the country without responsibility,” he said.

Elder statesman and former Special Adviser to ex-President Shehu Shagari, Tanko Yakassai, also expressed similar position. He told New Telegraph in an interview that he will push for a return to the former 12 states structure if given a chance.

His words: “Personally I don’t like the idea of additional states. Even the 36 states we have today are too much.

We are spending a lot of money to maintain these states, paying the governors, the deputy governors, the commissioners, their personal assistants and a host of others in their care. The money we are supposed to use to develop this country like build schools, hospitals and job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths, we are wasting them on running democracy and other frivolities.

“Left for me, I do not support the recommendation in any way. But because we are in a democracy where the opinion of the majority thrives, I have to respect the opinion and views of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

CHINEDU EKEJA takes a look at factors that will determine the search for who replaces Lagos State governor come 2015

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round the country, a number of governors who have held their positions for two consecutive terms of eight years would not be eligible to contest for governorship again. And as they get ready to make their exit in May next year, the scheming and maneuvers of who succeeds them are already in play in such states, one of which is Lagos, and the battle to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola is in high motion. As ever, the road to the exalted seat never promises a smooth sail. Of course there are bumps, potholes, debris, chips and other hiccups on the path for whoever will eventually occupy the Alausa Government House.

By virtue of its position as a cosmopolitan state, and a leading example for many states in the country, especially in the South West, Lagos occupies a vantage position which makes the stakes higher for whoever occupies the governorship position. Whoever succeeds Governor Fashola may not have it so easy given the myriad of factors that will come into play, to determine the next governor of the state. As the lawyer governor steps into the last lap of his tenure, and given the growing number of interests and aspirants angling for a shot at the seat, analysts and observers have argued that there may be a thousand and one bridges to be crossed by whoever emerges afterwards.

Asides the usual factors that trail political campaigns in the country, there are other factors in Lagos politics that can make or mare aspirants’ chances of clinching the post of Governor of Lagos State.

Political party of choice One jinx that has remained unbroken over time in Lagos state is that the opposition political party at the national level has always called the shots. From Tinubu’s era when it was Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and recently All Progressive Congress (APC), the party controlling the Federal Government has always played second fiddle instead of the other way round in the state.

In the build up to the 2011 general election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in what was termed “Operation Capture Lagos” doled out an enormous amount of resources to mobilize Lagosians to achieve their target of capturing the political heart beat of the country, but the program later hit a dead end.

Currently, all the lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, including those at the National Assembly representing the state, all belong to the APC. Also, at the local government level, all council chairmen, and virtually every councilors except some pockets of wards that are considered the strong hold of some PDP stalwarts in the state are also in its grip. With the state’s antecedents in party politics and the structure currently on ground, it will be a hard nut to crack for any candidate outside the folds of APC to clinch the seat. Though recently, some analysts have argued that with some masses becoming increasingly disenchanted with the APC’s style of leadership in the region which they attributed to the cause of its loss of Ekiti state to the ruling party, there may be a paradigm shift come 2015 in the state.

But it remains to be seen how realistic this will be in the face of smooth coordination being noticed in the activities of the party in the state.

Religion Religion as factor has never played out as a determinant in Lagos politics.

Maybe coincidentally, but religion has

17

Lagos: Deciding factors in Fashola’s successor

think you can come out from nowhere without endorsement to contest for any position”. It is not a matter of APC and Lagos state. That is the game in Nigerian politics”. He agreed that “yes, there are anointed candidates in APC, but do you know how long and hard they worked to deserve the blessings of the power brokers in the party?”.

Again, the crack in the common choice of candidates between the incumbent governor and the national leader of the party is a game playing out without a known end point. The national leader of the party is said to have favored the candidacy of Akinwumi Ambode, a civil servant and an Epe born technocrat, while the incumbent governor seems to be throwing his weight behind one Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, the present commissioner for works in the state. As it stands, observers have predicted that the actual contest might be between the king makers and not candidates themselves.

Indigeneship Lagos is the melting pot of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. Though this factor is not so strong a determinant for Lagosians as whoever must come out in the first place must be of Yoruba extraction.

Lagos, widely regarded as a ‘no man’s land’ because of its hosting of people from all walks of life, different ethnic nationalities and religious background certainly has a boundary when it comes to politics.

Fashola

mattered, or considered by the electorate when deciding who governs the center of excellence. From Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who was elected on the platform of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Mobolaji Johnson, Senator Bola Tinubu and the incumbent Fashiola, religion has never come in as a yard stick. Though, Fahiola’s contender in the 2007 governorship election from the ruling PDP Eng. Funsho Williams of the blessed memory enjoyed a popular support which many observers attributed to his religious leaning as a Christian, but no other candidate from the party has enjoyed such popularity among the Christian folks.

But recently, the Christian community in Lagos state, like a man from a slumber, has suddenly woken up and demanding to have the first citizen of the state come from the church. And like a new phenomenon, the issue has become one of debate, as more and more Lagosians, especially among the Christian folk now argue that there is a need have the next governor be one of their own.

The fire of this demand was lit up when the Director of Civil and Political Affairs of the Diocese of Lagos Main land of the Anglican Communion, Venerable Folarin Shobo, in July 2013 urged Lagosians to vote in a Christian as the next governor. According to Shobo, Lagos residents could not afford to continue with the present political arrangement whereby political officers were largely of a particular religious faith. Since then, other Christian religious leaders have been drumming up support for a Christian candidate.

Though Lagos is believed to be a cosmopolitan city, religion has a way of always influencing choices especially when it’s in form of a protest. Expectedly, if the status quo remains, analysts are of the view that the Christian majority might look for their own with their votes. Religion is a hurdle.

Godfatherism Like in virtually every other state, the issue of godfather plays a major role in who gets what political position. The same way Lagos politics has a clique and a political father, and anyone not in that class or under that tutelage, is bound to go nowhere. Though APC is the domi-

There are anointed candidates in APC, but do you know how long and hard they worked to deserve the blessings of the power brokers in the party? nant political party in the state, being a member alone does not guarantee automatic victory. It first came as rumours before it was later confirmed that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the APC and the godfather of Lagos politics may have anointed a candidate to succeed the outgoing governor of the state.

This was however contrary to assurances he gave his party faithfuls that there would be no imposition of candidates at the party congresses. Tinubu gave the assurance in April at the party’s secretariat in Ikeja, during a Stakeholders’ Forum called by the party to sensitize members of the party. According to him, “we will not impose any candidate on our members. It is you all here who will make your choices during the congresses and other intra party election”.

Observers are however of the view that random and choice hand picking of candidates for various positions in the party in the state will still be a force to contend with given the level and number of protests that have taken place by since the party’s congresses at various levels held.

In the recent time, watchers of the state politics have noticed that the body language of the king makers have shown the world who and who their choice candidates are. With what happened in 2011 when all candidates that got the blessings of the godfather got their desired positions, that anointing is still seen as a strong deciding factor for that Lagos coveted seat.

An APC ward leader in Lagos who spoke to the New Telegraph on the condition of anonymity, said that “it is only a green horn in Nigerian politics that will

Zoning The people of Ikorodu area have been in the forefront of the agitation against their continued marginalization in the political scheme in the state. Politically, Lagos state is divided into three Senatorial Zones of East, West and Central with five divisions namely, Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Lagos (Eko) and Ikeja. Of all the divisions, only the Ikorodu and Badagry division are yet to produce governor of the state since its creation in 1967.

The only time an indigene of Ikorodu mounted office was during the military administration of the late group Captain Gbolahan Mudasiru in the short lived Muhamadu Buhari government.

The party’s leadership at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Ikeja, the state’s capital officially zoned the office to Lagos East, as the body language of the king makers in the party has left no one in doubt about where the arrow is pointed. This has prompted major contenders and stakeholders in Epe and Ikorodu, division which forms the Lagos East division, to intensify their scheming and lobbying to win the favours of the king makers in the party. To this end, a group, the Liaison Group of Eminent Persons of Ikorodu has demanded that the next governor of the state should be an indigene of any of the communities in Ikorodu. In a communiqué signed by its spokesperson, Mr. Babatunde Benson (SAN), the group said that Ikorodu division had been shortchanged in terms of political office sharing and allocation in Lagos state.

The Epe people, on the other hand also strongly believe that they deserve to be given a chance. Hon. Tobun Abodun, a lawmaker representing Epe constituency in the state House of Assembly said in a recent interview in Lagos that the state will be better if the next governor comes from Epe. What is not clear however is whether this is why the national leader of the party is throwing his weight behind an Epe born Christian, as the next man for the job.

MORE STORIES ON PAGES 40-43

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ARTS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014

LITERATURE

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/arts

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” ― Italo Calvino

TONY OKUYEME

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

Approach to natural therapy through herbal medicine Book: Nature Power, A Christian Approach to Herbal Medicine Author: Anselm Adodo, OSB Publisher: Benedictine Publications Nigeria Pages: 278 Reviewer: Ebere Ameh

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erbal medicine is an aspect of medicine that has been grossly misunderstood in Africa since the advent of Christianity. There is a huge misconception that herbal medicine involves lots of fetish practices, just like African traditional medicine. And so with the proliferation of churches and the wide acceptance of Christianity among Africans, especially Nigerians, this nature’s gift to man, which is being developed and practiced in other climes is at the verge of extinction if nothing is done to demystify it.

The acceptance and practice of herbal medicine by a man of God, a Catholic priest and a monk has helped to diffuse the minds of many that herbal medicine is not really fetish as they think. Fr Anselm Adodo OSB, did not just accept and practice herbal medicine, he has continually made his knowledge available to all who care through seminars, workshops and various publications. His book Nature Power, A Christian Approach to Herbal Medicine is borne out of his characteristic willingness to share his knowledge with all and sundry.

A very didactic and do-it-yourself (DIY) book, it is written in a way that one can get all the direction on the prescription and dosage without hassles. One of the main argument against herbal medicine has been lack of dosage for herbal preparations, Adodo gave a thorough description of the measurements for both the liquid, solid and powdered herbs. The book has been reprinted over eight times due to popular demand.

With a beautiful forward by Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Ajomo, the late Catholic Bishop of Lokoja Diocese, he set the tone for this book, dedicated to life, of which many has described as a priceless treasure. Adodo started on both poetic and philosophical note. With his Song of Creation, he explains and advocates that we go back to nature and using the parable of an old man who drew his family close to nature, he explains that we are at the verge of losing everything we have. From the story of creation to citations from the gospel of Jesus Christ, he concludes that herbal medicine is God’s gift to man and his foray into herbal medicine, a mission.

“My adventure into the world of natural therapy, which involves herbal medicine, is a mission. This is a mission to set our people free from ignorance, to open the eyes of the blind in order to see the hands of

oppression, injustice and exploitation and to fight against them. Natural medicine is not just about the physical well being of the person, it is rather a call to the liberation of the person: body, mind and soul.”

Adodo dedicated the whole of chapter one to the explanation of who we are as humans and as Africans. Explaining the African universe the he said, “The African universe is a world of relationships, of interactions between the living and the dead, between the natural and the supernatural. A community is not just a place where human beings dwell. The African community comprises the plants, animals, human beings, the spirits and the ancestors. The trees are more than mere trees, the sky is more than we see.”

With that at the background, he explained among other things, the root of diseases, the road to wholeness and concludes with a poem on identity.

The second chapter opens with the healing potency of sound, followed by medicine for death before talking about various herbs and their health benefits. One of the acclaimed characteristic of the book is the author’s description of each herb, including its major characteristic and function, its botanical name and local names and its numerous uses. Another is his description of diseases, including their kinds, organs

always affected, causes, their prevention before giving the herbal remedies. This helps the reader to get a full understanding of his condition and the consequent effect of the herbs on him.

From diabetes to ulcer, typhoid, cancer, stroke, arthritis, insomnia, asthma, convulsion, impotence, fibroid, hepatitis and a host of others, he provided DIY solutions using water, bitter leaves, coconut, paw-paw, aloe-vera, mistletoe, garlic, ginger, urine among others. Chapter four however, is dedicated to trado-medical gynaecology. Starting with Psalm 8, he discussed the glory of womanhood before dissecting the problem of infertility, including the causes of both male and female infertility and then proffers the natural remedies for the various conditions. The same chapter also deals with impotence, menopause and other gynaecological and urological cases.

The whole of chapter five, which is the last chapter is dedicated to herbs and their uses. According to Adodo, “It is time for doctors trained in the western system of healing to recognize and accept the fact that there are other equally effective methods of healing. Orthodox doctors need to be more humble and open minded, so that they can work creatively with traditional

healers.”

A monk of the Benedictine Monastery, Ewu in Edo State, Adodo has been at the fore front of championing the cause for herbal medicine in Nigeria. His admission into the Benedictine Monastery helped to rekindle his love for nature and herbs. He soon became in charge of their herbal garden and has transformed it to a mega botanical garden that feeds his state of the art research laboratory and clinic, situated in the monastery. He collaborates with medical practitioners in Europe and America and has both local and foreign medical students as interns at his Ewu laboratory.

He has also established about two Herbal Hospitals, the first in sub Saharan Africa, with outlets all over Nigeria and abroad.

His Pax Herbal Hospital consults and now treats both medical doctors and academic professors among others, who come to him with various ailments.

As a Theologian, Anthropologist and Botanist, among his other qualifications, Adodo is well educated, and his authority to write this book is not in question. He is one man who has made his scholarship available to many, demystifying the mystery surrounding herbal medicine.

However, despite the fact that Nature Power has become an all time bestseller having been revised once and reprinted over eight times, it would have been wonderful if all the herbs discussed in the book are presented and in colour pictures too. This would make it more reader friendly, enabling the reader to easily identify and distinguish between the particular herb from all other similar ones in the forest. In addition, while we commend the inclusion of the local names of the herbs in some languages spoken in Nigeria, attempt would have been made to include their names in other main languages also widely spoken in Nigeria. Besides that, the index of diseases would have been presented separately, just like the index of herbs to make for quicker referencing. Chapter three would have been titled Common illnesses and their Herbal remedies instead of Herbal Remedies for Common Illnesses, which it bears. This is because common illnesses constitute its various sub titles and their different herbal remedies are proffered afterwards. Chapter Five which is titled Herbs and their uses should have contained all the herbs discussed in Chapters three and four. And so, Health benefits of Bitter-leaf and Pawpaw should not have been in chapter two under the title – Gifts from Nature, but chapter five.

Outside these few observations, Nature Power is not just a well researched book, borne out of the author’s years as a priest and herbalist, it is a treasure that should be possessed by all.

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

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

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19

EDITORIAL

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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

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

WEDNESday, JULY 16, 2014

Wrongly incurring FIFA’s wrath

nce again, Nigeria has courted the wrath of the world’s football governing body, Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). In a letter dated July 4, 2014, FIFA demanded the immediate reinstatement of the ousted Aminu Maigariled board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which was removed by the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo, in line with an order from a High Court in Jos. FIFA has disapproved of the appointment of Lawrence Katken as Acting Secretary-General of the Federation and refused to recognise the emergency extraordinary general meeting, which it said was organised contrary to the NFF’s statutes, as an elective congress was already due this August 26. FIFA insists the ban will only be lifted once the court action is withdrawn and the elected executive committee members are reinstated.

In a letter to the NFF, FIFA stated unequivocally that its Emergency Committee decided on July 9 to suspend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with immediate effect, on account of government’s interference in the affairs of NFF. Article 13, paragraph 1 and article 17, paragraph 1 of the FIFA Statutes oblige member associations to manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties. The decision follows a letter

sent by FIFA to the NFF on July 4, in which it expressed its great concern after the NFF was served with court proceedings and consequently an order preventing the president of the NFF, the NFF Executive Committee members and the NFF Congress from running the affairs of Nigerian football was granted by a High Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The said court order compelled the Nigerian Minister of Sports to appoint a senior member of the civil service to manage the NFF until the matter was heard in court, without giving any date for such a hearing. The authorities then appointed a person who decided to convene an extraordinary general assembly on July 5 2014.

This extraordinary general assembly was convened in violation of the NFF statutes. Originally, an elective congress had been planned by the NFF to take place on August 26.

The suspension will be lifted once all court actions have been withdrawn and the properly elected NFF Executive Committee, the NFF general assembly and the NFF administration are able to work without any interference in their affairs. As a result of this decision, no team from Nigeria of any sort, including clubs, can have any international sporting contact (art. 14 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes). During the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions,

including at club level, or in friendly matches. The most immediate effect is that Nigeria may not participate in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (5-24 August 2014) should the suspension not be lifted by July 15. In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any FIFA or CAF development programmes, courses or training during the suspension period.

The suspension of NFF by FIFA is in line with the latter’s rules and regulations, which the Nigerian government, although responsible for the sponsorship of the national team by giving it large sums of money, had unduly interfered in by suspending the Maigari-led NFF Management Committee. If government had noticed any fraud or financial misappropriation, it ought to have followed the due process in addressing the abnormalities in the system instead of following some quick-fix fire brigade approach that will ultimately boomerang.

This is not the first time this kind of scenario will unfold in the country. It is imperative for government to have learnt from previous mistakes and make necessary amends. But with the current situation, it is obvious that the government has learnt nothing from history which is dangerous for football and sport development in the country generally. From the look of things, it is apparent that there

is more to the suspension than the misappropriation of funds that is taunted by government.

The fact is that for as long as government continues to sponsor the national team, interference no matter how infinitesimal is inevitable. To this end, a better option is for government to provide the enabling environment for private sponsorship, marketing and management to thrive. But the question is, how willing is government to allow for unfettered private sponsorship? This is because there seems to be a fixation on the largesse that football administration provides. It must also be noted that over the years, FIFA has been accused of high-scale fraud and monumental corruption, which may itself explain its willingness to condone and accommodate graft in local football federations.

What the government needs to do right now is to rescind its decision, reinstate the NFF and its board so that football and football related matters will not suffer in the country. But, if it feels very strongly that some abominable acts have been perpetrated in NFF, it can in the meantime withhold its subvention and follow the FIFA statutes in redressing any anomalies in the football house.

Government must properly professionalise football and take its hands off management, administration and sponsorship. We cannot pretend not to know that this is the way it is done in other climes.

GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Deputy Managing Director/DEIC SULEIMAN BISALLA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board GEOFFREY EKENNA News Editor PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

20

Sanctity of Truth

OPINION Edo State in political turmoil Prince M. Arayuwa Wilkie

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omrade Adams Oshiomhole became governor of Edo State through the rigorous process of court litigations. He was sworn-in as the Executive Governor of Edo State in November, 2008. As a stakeholder who was born and brought up in Benin Township, I have seen things for myself and do not require the opposition in the state to convince me that the comrade governor did not perform as governor. Indeed, the man, Adams has obviously designed his footprints in the sands of history for posterity to judge.

If Lucky Igbinedion who was governor for eight years had tried to develop Edo State up to half of Oshiomhole has done, I am certain the state would still be in the firm control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I have always said that Chief Igbinedion slept while on duty for eight years and it did not occur to him to develop his ancestral state and homeland. He was like Emperor Nero who preferred to sleep comfortably in his bedroom while Rome was on fire Oshiomhole’s scorecard was highly acclaimed until he began to over-tax the people although this is systematically being resisted. The most affected are a majority of people who are in small-scale business and they cry daily for a political messiah to come and halt the excessive taxation.

As far as corporate establishments are concerned, their maximum profit margins have been drastically reduced to an unacceptable bottom line. Thus, the business class can’t wait for the governor’s second tenure to lapse.

As if the tax issue was not enough, the governor went

ahead to introduce a mandatory competency test for the teachers in the state. The reaction of the teachers was to reject his newly-introduced policy and vowed that they will never participate in such an exercise. In his usual radical approach and reaction towards issues, he decreed that about 938 names of teachers should be deleted from the payroll. This figure equally included those with certificate discrepancies and age falsifications. According to the Governor, some of the teachers were not even qualified to teach based on their performances. He still insisted that his orders of competency test for the teachers must be obeyed.

Of recent, there were some APC members in the State House of Assembly who decamped to the PDP obviously to prove a point that they were fed-up with the despotic administration of the comrade Governor. As a prelude to this decampment, most of the bigwigs in the APC in the State led by the political mobiliser and mathematician himself, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, had already dumped the party in preference for the PDP. Amongst the many decampees were Prince Erediauwa, son of the Omo Noba Nedo ( Oba of Benin) resigned his political appointment as an Executive Secretary in the Governor’s office and crossed over to the PDP. The action of the decampees has actually put the Governor on his toes. I believe that the decampees are too powerful for Oshiomhole to ignore and toy with.

In the light of these circumstances of the political quagmire in his state, the governor was compelled to beat a retreat in the policy of Government that teachers must, as compulsion, write a competency test. In revising himself, the Governor said: “However, having listened to all sugges-

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

tions and consultations with various groups, Government has agreed to set aside the competency or assessment test in order to reassure Edo workers that Government has no intention to sack anyone”. Thus Oshiomhole recalled the 938 teachers whose names were deleted from the payroll including certificate forgers and those who falsified their ages. It can be concluded that this was a damage control exercise intended to salvage his position as governor and that of the APC as his political party in Edo. My assessment of the comrade Governor right from the period of his labour Aristocratic years is an opinion which I have decided to revisit. When he fought an endless battle for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), my impression of him was that he was dogged, fearless, confrontational and a welfare philosopher in the interest of the Nigerian workers. Since the onset of his mantle of leadership of the Edo people, it is reasonable to state that to lead a labour movement is definitely not the same as to govern a state with 18 local government areas.

I expect the governor to rescue and save a crisis-torn House of Assembly in the interest of the Edo people and the smooth-running of the State’s administration. I would have further advised that he embark on immediate reconciliation with Pastor Ize-Iyamu and his Grace Group in the governor’s own political interest. Perhaps, it is late already, perhaps not.

Executive status and arrogance on the part of the comrade is not a solution to this imbroglio and political turmoil in the hitherto peaceful state. He has to act promptly and ensure that Edo House of Assembly does not rehearse and act the script of what happened in Rivers State not too long ago.

• Prince Wilkie (uwa1950@yahoo.com), 08023097251

Reversing Africa’s Frontiers of Conflicts (2) Okechukwu Emeh, Jr Continued from yesterday ot helping matters in Africa’s multidimensional conflicts is inter-state rivalry, as spurred by boundary claims and mutual suspicion of subversion. It is evident that most of the frontier disputes on the continent are ugly legacies of the arbitrarily drawn colonial boundaries.

Today, such developments have continued to stir up tension and instability through undue claims across the continent, notwithstanding the stance of the United Nations (UN) on the legality and inviolability of such borders through its rule of territorial integrity, as endorsed by the defunct Organisation of African Unity (OAU). While the frequent bloody clashes between Nigeria and Cameroon over the much-disputed Bakassi Peninsula was resolved not long ago through International arbitration, there is still impasse between Chad and Libya over the Aouzu Strip, Ethiopia and Eritrea over Badme Triangle and South Africa and Namibia over Walvis Bay. On the other hand, Somalia has long-running irredentist claims over territories in neighbouring countries inhabited by people of Somali descent like in Ogaden region of Ethiopia and North Eastern Frontier District of Kenya. There are also latent irredentist ambitions by Senegal over the areas inhabited by black Mauritanians of Wollof extraction and

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Togo, as observed in the 1960s through the 80s, over Ewe-speaking part of Ghana. Conflicts aroused in Africa by mutual suspicion and distrust over subversion (including harbouring of political dissidents) are presented by occasional hostility between Uganda and Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Rwanda and DRC and Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia No doubt, such interstate conflicts on the affected states have not only frozen relations between the affected states but have also wrecked havoc through destruction of lives and property.

A case in point was the struggle for the Badme territory between Ethiopia and Eritrea not long ago, in which over 75,000 people were killed.

No less horrific is human butchery resulting from the internal conflicts of several African states. In Rwanda, more that 800,000 people, mostly members of the minority Tutsi ethnic group, along with moderate Hutus, were slaughtered by extremists from the Hutu majority, known as Interahamwe, during the genocide of April – June 1994 – a ghastly event described by many international watchers as the most swiftly organised mass killing in modern history. In neighbouring Burundi, which is also bedevilled by seemingly implacable Hutu-Tutsi animosity, thousands of lives have been lost in the conflagration between the two ethnic communities in the past five decades through tit-for-tat communal killings and atrocities. While the armed insurrection

by Islamic zealots in Algeria since 1992

has spiralled down in recent years after claiming more than 150,000 lives, the ongoing indiscriminate campaign of barbaric violence by Boko Haram in Nigeria, which is reaching a crisis point, has caused more than 3,000 deaths since 2009. In Sudan, over 400,000 lives have been lost in the conflict between black Darfurians and Arabs since 2005. In DRC, the civil war that ensued the forceful removal of the dictatorial regime of field Marshal Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, which was once dubbed “Africa’s First World War” because of military alliances spawned on the continent by the conflict, has soaked the Great Lakes country in blood by claiming more than five million lives, with most of the victims dying from the accompanying acts of extreme barbarity, suffering, hunger, starvation and diseases.

Economically, conflicts have impacted adversely on growth potentials of afflicted African states. Part of the spinoff are economic disruption, foreign disinvestment, diversion of resources meant for development projects to armament and armed forces buildup, creation of parallel economy (through smuggling and money laundering) and pillage of natural resources (through illegal logging and mining of mineral resources, including the so-called “blood or conflict diamonds” blamed for fuelling violent conflicts in places like Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and DRC).

There is no question that the political, economic and social repercussions of interminable conflicts in Africa have coalesced to sustain underdevelopment and backward-

ness in various parts of the continent. In this regard, a number of studies conducted in recent years by notable international bodies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and African Development Bank (AfDB) have indicated that conflict is one of the major factors militating against significant economic growth in affected African states.

On the other hand, there is a strong correlation between socio-political stability and a stellar record of economic performance by countries like Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Equally remarkable is the positive impact of dividends of peace in African countries like Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire, which have been undergoing impressive economic recovery and rebuilding after the cessation of their deadly conflicts.

All things considered, there is no doubt that resolving the myriads of conflicts buffeting Africa today is one of the feasible means of reinventing the continent politically, economically, socially and developmentally. In view of this, conflict resolution, peace-building and social justice should now be given a pride of place in emerging efforts to reposition the continent for peace, serene normalcy, stability, security, progress and international relevance in this post-Cold War order.

Concluded • Emeh (okemehjr@yahoo.com), a social researcher sent this piece from Abuja.

CAMPUS

'How to improve education quality' }p-25

EDUCATION WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014

high expectation

With the appointment, last week, of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau as the Education Minister, stakeholders’ expectations are high about how the former Kano State governor will transform the ailing sector in less than one year

}p-29

Student's victimisation: Supreme Court awards N7m damages against UNILORIN

21

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/education

KAYODE OLANREWAJU, Editor, EDUCATION

kayode.olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com kayolanre@gmail.com 08037127417

Agenda for Shekarau

Kayode Olanrewaju, Mojeed Alabi and Muhammad Kabir Kano

T

he urgent needs to bring the education sector from its present woods and rot; restore its loss glory and return the sector to the path of socio-economic and political development as fulcrum of national emancipation, formed the main thrust handed to Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, as the new Education Minister.

Shekarau, former Governor of Kano State between 2003 and 2011, succeeded Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’I Ahmed, who was relieved of her post by President Goodluck Jonathan, almost a year ago.

However, in the 15 years of democracy, and 54 years of attainment of nationhood, the search and dream of the country to evolve a functional education system that will leapfrog the sector and rank the country among the best in the comity of developed economies, have remained a mirage.

Since 1999, efforts at every level to galvanising the sector by successive government, and set the education sector, the fulcrum of national development

SHEKARAU PROFILE

Dilapidated school building

Minister 1999-2014

Shekarau

on the path of growth, have also not yielded any fruitful result.

With his appointment last week, as the ninth Education Minister in the last 15 years of civilian administration, Shekarau has less than one year to transform the ailing sector, be-

• Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau • Born on November 5, 1955 • Governor of Kano State between April 2003 and 2011 (two terms) • Attended Gidan Makama Primary School (1961–1967) • Kano Commercial College (1967–1973) • Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1973–1977) B.Sc/Edu in Mathematics/ Education • Mathematics teacher at Government Technical College, Wudil in 1978 • Principal, Government Day Junior Secondary School, Wudil • Principal, Government Secondary School, Hadejia (1980) • Principal, Government College Birnin Kudu in 1986 • Principal, Government Secondary School, Gwammaja • Principal, Rumfa College, Kano in March 1988 • Deputy Director of Education in 1992 • Director Planning, Research and Statistics in Ministry of Education • Director-General (Permanent Secretary), Ministry of Education and Youth Development • Conferred with Sardauna of Kano by Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero • Chief Lecturer (Mathematics), State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies (CASRS) at the Department of Physical Sciences in May 2000.

• Secretary to Aminu Dantata in 2001

Prof. Tunde Adeniran Dr. Babalola Borishade Mrs. Chinwe Obaji Prof. Fabian Osuji Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu Dr. Sam Egwu Prof. Rukayyat Ahmed Rufa’I Mr. Nyesom Wike (Supervising Minister) Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau deviled by acute underfunding, poor infrastructure and dearth of facilities for research, shortage of qualified teachers at all levels, which are leading to rapidly sliding fortune of the sector.

Apart from these, inadequate furniture; inadequate admission spaces in tertiary institutions, whereby less that 20 per cent of millions of youths aspiring for higher education yearly could secure admission; mass failure in the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME); poor library and Information Technology facilities; incessant strikes; examination malpractices; cultism; poor remuneration and welfare of teachers, which has led to low morale on their part; and the recent Boko Haram insurgency, that has totally grounded education in some northern parts of the country; as well as lack of political will on the part of the government at all levels to fix the ailing sector, are some of the challenges stagnating the sector.

Despite the huge recourses so far committed to the sector

Budgetary allocation to the sector 1999-2014 Year Allocation % 1999 N23.047b 11.2 2000 N44.225b 8.3 2001 N39.885b 7.0 2002 N100.2b 5.09 2003 N64.76b 11.83 2004 N72.22b 7.8 2005 N92.59b 8.3 2006 N166.6b 8.7 2007 N137.48b 6.07 2008 N210b 13 2009 N164.64b 13 2010 N249.08b 12 2011 N356.51b 2012 N400.15b 2013 N427.52b 2014 N493.45b

by Federal Government in the past 15 years, running to over N2 trillion, the country has nothing to show for it, as it had failed to translate to the well-being of the system, with several schools still in their dilapidated state of disrepair, while some students learn under trees and sheds.

Today, the story of the nation’s education sector from primary, secondary schools to higher institutions is that of gross neglect, stagnation and regret.

But, despite the introduction of UBE, NOUN and establishment of the nine federal universities, all these initiatives have failed to yield the desired goal of addressing the over-subscription of university education, and reduce the rising figure of out-of-school children, which UNESCO puts at 10.5 million Nigerian children.

Currently, indications have emerged that over 1.2 million candidates of the 1,606,753 that wrote this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), may not be admitted.

The alarm was raised in a statistics, which revealed that only 500,000 candidates or a little above that figure, representing 35 per cent could be admitted into the higher institutions of learning due largely to lack of admission space in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

On the budgetary allocation, the New Telegraph gathered that the Federal Government between 1999 to date had set aside between 5.09 and 13 per cent to the sector, which is still far from the 26 per cent stipulated by the UNESCO for a country which wants to fund its education sector well.

To stakeholders, the quantum of budget has failed to meet the quality need of the institutions in terms of what the budget could achieve in the areas of infrastructural development.

Only last year, Nigerian universities system was under lock following the indefinite nationwide strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which kept the striking lecturers away from the classrooms and laboratories for six months, while the polytechnic sector which has been on indefinite nationwide strike of almost 12 months only resumed yesterday following the intervention of the new Minister.

But it is not yet Uhuru as the striking Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) said it CONTI NUED ON PAGE 22

22 EDUCATION CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

only suspended the strike for three months due to Shekarua’s intervention, for the government to address the union’s demands, failure of which ASUP will resume the strike.

However, that of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is yet over, as the lecturers suspended their strike which last for six month last year for the government to address the needs of the universities.

Meanwhile, the nation’s Colleges of Education are still in their 10-month-old strike embarked upon by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) without any concrete move from the government to resolve the crisis and bring back the institutions to the mainstream.

The required urgent surgery that must be performed on nation’s education sector, for it to fit into the 21st Century projection for achieving the Education For All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has failed since it is evident that the country could not meet such goals, given the prevailing challenges.

Former Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, once revealed that be-

Sanctity of Truth

Agenda for Shekarau

tween 2009 and 2013, the Federal Government has invested N144.7 billion in the basic education sub-sector alone, while since 2005 it dedicated two per cent of its education vote as assistance to the states.

The intervention of the Federal Government at the level of tertiary institution through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocation had amounted N268.484 billion to universities of which N233.33 billion had so far been accessed, while N35.154 billion had not been accessed, for failure of some universities to retire the previous allocations as part of the guidelines to access the funds.

For the polytechnics, N129.33 billion had also been allocated, out of which N116.99 bn had been accessed, while the balance of N12.343bn was yet to be accessed, while for colleges of education, Wike pointed out that the Federal Government through TETFund had released N124.38 billion to the sub-sector.

With Shekarau at the helms of affairs at the ministry, key stakeholders in the system, especially parents, guardians

Wike, Minister

and students are expressing concern and waiting for how the Minister is going to sail in the troubled waters of the government at the federal and state levels, which are slacked in their approach in taking bold steps that will put the comatose and sliding education system on the path of reckoning.

To transform the sector, there is the urgent need for the new Minister to improve Federal Government funding intervention to the education sector and improve the state of infrastructure in schools,

Some of the students of the College of Education, Agbor, Delta State during their convocation ceremony

UTME: Over 1.2m candidates may not be admitted Appolos Christian

I

ndications have emerged that of the 1,606,753 candidates that wrote the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), over 1.2 million candidates may not be admitted.

The alarm was raised in a statistics, which revealed that only 500,000 candidates or a little above that figure, representing 35 per cent could be admitted into the higher institutions of learning due largely to lack of admission space in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

According to this worrying statistics, it shows that the country does not have adequate higher institutions to cover for the high number of candidates seeking admissions each year.

But, in a bid to increase access especially to university education, the Federal Government in 2011, established no fewer than 11 new universities across the six geo-political zones

of the federation, apparently to created more admission placements for the candidates.

However, going by the tertiary institutions’ carrying capacity of 500,000 for students’ admission yearly, stakeholders, who have continued to express concern, said it had become imperative for government to overhaul the nation’s higher education system, with a view to addressing the shortage of admission space in the system.

According to them, after meeting JAMB’s cut-off mark for that admission year, the increasing figure of failure of candidates who write the post-UTME screening exercise conducted by the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education is worrisome.

Of the 1,606,753 that sat for the qualifying examination, JAMB however noted that 351,232 were not qualified automatically to sit for the postUTME screening, due to invalid results and absenteeism of some of the candidates, as well as the inability of candidates

not to meet the minimum 180 marks in the UTME for university Post-UTME screening, and a minimum of 150 marks for qualification to sit for Post-UTME screening in polytechnics and colleges of education.

According to JAMB report, while over 277,753 candidates had already been disqualified for their inability to meet the 150 average score, another 36,164 applicants had invalid results, while 37,315 candidates did not show up for the PPT and DBT modes of the examination, even as it indicated that 2,494 candidates had their results withheld for further scrutiny by the examination body.

Giving the breakdown of the nation’s tertiary institutions, JAMB hinted that of the 128 universities in the country, 40 are owned by the federal government; 38 are state-owned and 50 are owned by private operators, while the nation has 21 federal polytechnics, 38 stateowned and 18 privately-owned polytechnics; as well as 63 colleges of education.

provide adequate research and teaching funds and facilities; create more access to higher institutions (admission space); reduce undue government interference in the management of higher institutions, a situation the country has been struggling with over the years without any tangible solution in sight; remove the dichotomy between university graduates and their polytechnic counterparts.

Shekarau, to stakeholders needs to improve Technical and Vocational Education sub-sector, with a view to making the sector attractive to would-be-students, so as to create more access to education; improve welfare of teachers; tackle the arbitrary hurry of some Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts to increase fees in their institutions without recourse to the socio-economic well-being of the people, increase low enrolment of children of school-age in schools; tackle the rising cases of out-of-school children, in which Nigeria has over 10.5 children; and improve adult literacy, among others.

Faced with this level of rot and sliding fortune, stakeholders are apprehensive of how Shekarau, despite his profile will be able to perform the desired magic that will transform the sector to the dream and aspirations of the people in view of the myriad of problems enumerated above confronting the sector.

Now, as a new Education Minister, how Shekarau would replicate this at the nation’s education sector, considering the level of rot in the ailing sector, which has continued to receive less attention from the Federal Government, is a matter of conjecture.

One critical question stakeholders are asking is the fact that beyond his appointment what will be the major thrust of his education policy specifically in view of the crises rocking the ailing education sector.

According to Dr. Nassir Issa Fagge, who lectures at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), the education system has really not witnessed any significant improvement within the last 15 years of democracy, in the true sense of democracy and overriding development, and hence the new Minister should rise up to the challenge of fixing the ailing system.

On its expectations, ASUP National President, Mr. Chibuzor Azomugha said the union believes that Shekarau has the pedigree to run a successful education ministry in the country only if he will be given the right atmosphere to operate by the Federal Government.

He has the charisma and his antecedents have shown his passion to reform Nigeria’s education sector but he needs a conducive atmosphere and the right political will to function.

“Our expectations from the new Minister will therefore be the resolutions of all existing conflicts between the Federal Government and the workers’ unions on all campuses by fulfilling all the contents of the agreements willingly entered

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

into with the unions. Also, we will expect close monitoring of the investment in the sector through accountability processes, and the involvement of right stakeholders in the implementation of certain key educational policies and programmes of the Federal Government to ensure their successes.

As the Governor of Kano State, where he called the shorts for eight years between 2003 and 2011, Shekarau, was said to make education for all one of the cardinal programmes of his administration.

As governor, all the subsectors of education; from primary to tertiary education, received adequate attention, especially in the areas of critical development of infrastructure, students’ welfare and improved teachers’ condition of service.

He repositioned education in Kano State that the state received several accolades and grants from organizsations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

In the area of students’ welfare, Shekarau administration was said to have scrapped the obnoxious policy, he inherited, which excluded students studying certain courses in higher institutions from access to scholarship, while he increased the students’ scholarship by 150 per cent.

The state university was adequately funded under Shekarau’s administration to the extent that the university secured accreditation of all its academic programmes before the end of his administration in 2011.

Apart from the human capital development of the lecturers who were sponsored for further studies abroad, in order to enhance teaching and learning, his administration purchased and distributed hundreds of high definition laptop computers to all the lecturers.

Primary and secondary school teachers were not left out in the administration of Shekarau, as they were said to benefit tremendously from government-sponsored training programmes aimed at improving the quality of knowledge in the system.

In the eight years of his administration, Shekarau recruited over 5,000 teachers for both primary and secondary schools, and established several schools to cater for increasing demand of education in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Part of Shekarau’s administration achievements included employment of 5,980 classroom teachers; recruitment of additional 453 senior and junior members of staff for the science secondary schools; recruited more than 1,136 lecturers for the six tertiary institutions in the state; while more than 46,000 students studying in various higher institutions in the country and over 290 students in overseas institutions benefited from the Kano State scholarship scheme initiated by his administration, of whom 13,000 were female students.

Under his administration’s infrastructure development, Kano State renovated existing school and built several new primary secondary schools, as well as executed many projects in the education sub-sector.

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

23

Ibiam Uduaghan warns host communities Akanu poly tasks Shekarau over over VC, rectors’ slots Dominic Adewole ASABA

D

elta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has described as ‘ugly trend’ a situation in which host communities of tertiary institutions are agitating to produce key management staff, including the headship of institutions in the state.

The governor did not only decry the situation, but said the drift has succeeded in breeding incompetence, clannish segregation and crisis, which has been counter-productive to the pursuit of academic excellence in state-owned institutions.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the College of Education, Agbor, Uduaghan condemned the development in strong terms, insisting that “it is worrisome and a dangerous trend for the host communities to be hell bent that the vice-chancellor, rector or provost of the institution in their communities should as a matter of compulsion comes from their communities.

“This must be discouraged,” the governor declared, saying: “Competence and merit rather than place of origin should remain the determining factor in the appointment of heads of academic institutions in the country, in order not to destroy the ethos and compromise the academic community.”

Besides, the governor condemned the attitude of some teachers and lecturers who stay away from their classrooms, expressing displeasure that “while government is there tackling the out-of-school syndrome with the introduction of the ‘Edu-Marshals’ in the state, the teachers are busy compounding the problems of the sector.”

While warning that henceforth, any teacher found wanting would be sanctioned accordingly, he said that the

l Warns institutions against awarding certificates to cultists

government would no longer tolerate a situation where its efforts to enhance the standard of education in the state is being frustrated by a group of people or workers.

The Governor, who is also the Moderator of the college, urged stakeholders to rise up to the challenge of stamping out cultism in the nation’s academic institutions.

Lamenting the scourge of cultism in the schools, Uduaghan wondered that the menace has become the most social malaise plunging the country into a pitfall, even as he maintained that the menace as a matter of urgency needed to be eliminated in the institutions.

To fight the menace, the governor ordered the management of the college and other higher institutions in the state not to

award certificates to students who are confirmed to be cultists or members of cult groups.

“If you (students) are identified as secret cult members, I am insisting that such student should not be awarded a certificate because a student must be found worthy in learning and character for him or her to receive a certificate as a graduate,” the governor stressed.

He congratulated the graduating students, urging them to be committed teachers by contributing positively to the development of the school system, especially in the primary school, where their professional service would be required, which he noted is the foundation of the child’s development.

He, therefore, pleaded with the management and staff of

the college, which the governor praised for their efficiency, to make the convocation ceremony a yearly event in order to restore normalcy to the system and make it more meaningfully.

Corroborating the governor’s position, Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Hope Eghagha, urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the College.

The acting Provost of the college, Dr. J. E. Konyeme, lauded the state government for the infrastructural development of the college, which she noted had resulted to significant progress of the institution.

According to the Provost, over 7,000 students, who graduated between 2005 and 2012 academic sessions, were awarded the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) at the ceremony.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (left) and Dr (Mrs) J. E. Konyeme Ag Provost, College of Education During the School’s 14th Convocation Ceremony at Agbor, Delta State. Pix: Bripin Enarusai.

School principal counsels pupils on hard work G raduating students and pupils of Lead Forte Gate College, a private school located at Ogudu GRA, Lagos, have been counseled to be more devoted to their studies and other school activities, as this will make them relevant to the society and particularly their immediate families.

Graduating students in a procession

The Principal of the college, Mr. Ben Greyling gave the advice while addressing the pupils and their parents during the 13th graduation ceremony of the school which took place at the school compound.

According to him, the students could only become useful in life if they are committed to

their studies especially at the foundation level.

“I implore you all to give your education special attention and do all what is expected of you academically to be enviable citizens in future and especially to your immediate families,” he said.

In his short exhortation,

Pastor Chris Kwakpovwe, the publisher of `Our Daily Manner`, charged the graduating pupils and students to always appreciate God by celebrating their little achievements at any point in life.

The cleric, who explained that it is expected of a person that lives happily for a minute in this country to celebrate and appreciate God’s protection, especially in view of the security challenges, however added that the graduating students should count themselves lucky for what God has done for them since their admission into the school till the time they are bidding the school farewell.

Kwakpovwe, however, reminded the students not to be complacent with their present achievements, saying: “You have just begun the journey of life and should live up to your parents’ expectation and to the glory of God because if a 16year old son could become the president of a country, I think nothing stops you graduating students from being a president, engineering and medical stars.”

rector

Leo Sobechi the appointment of Ftheollowing Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano

State, as the Education Minister by President Goodluck Jonathan, stakeholders have expressed mixed feelings if the new minister will be able to solve the myriad of problems confronting the ailing sector.

Some of the challenges the Minister would contend with, according to the members of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana (AIFPU), Afikpo North local council of Ebonyi State, is how to resolve the protracted strike of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the appointment of a new Rector for the polytechnic.

The New Telegraph, however, gathered that the search for a substantive Rector for the polytechnic had been dogged by political and ethnic considerations, three months after the selection process begun for the successor of Professor Francis Ogbonna Otunta, whose two terms tenure expired in June.

The process, which had already produced three candidates, including a woman who had been shortlisted for the position, has pitted Afikpo and Unwana communities, whose dream is to produce Otunta’s successor against the then Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.

The matter was said to have taken a new twist when the polytechnic chapter of ASUP, at a press conference accused Wike of alleged partisanship in the selection process and for foist one of the aspirants of the polytechnic as the next Rector.

To this end, the polytechnic teachers under their umbrella union, ASUP called for the removal of Wike, as minister.

But Wike, at a meeting with Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts of colleges of education decried the attitude of certain communities for demanding that their kith and kins be appointed heads of tertiary institutions in their communities.

While insisting that such attitude is merely promoting ethnic considerations, he was said to have argued that the Federal Government reserves the right to appoint whoever it considers fit into such positions in a federal government institutions.

Consequently, when last week the President replaced some ministers that were sacked few months ago, including that of the Education Ministry, Shekarau a former teacher and governor was named to succeed Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I. Similar challenges, according to stakeholders, are trailing the selection of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, where the host communities and government are insisting on producing the heads of the institutions.

24 EDUCATION | INTERVIEW

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

NOUN admits 400 freshers at Calabar study centre

Frills as school graduates orphans in Enugu

Clement James

he joy of eight children, who Thome, are inmates of an orphanage Divine Wounds Schools,

Calabar

S

ome 400 fresh men and women admitted by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) into the Calabar Study Centre have taken the matriculation oath of the distance learning institution.

The students admitted into various faculties of the university, took the oath at the 12th matriculation ceremony of the institution, with its main campus at Lagos.

Declaring the ceremony open, Dr. Andee Iheme, the Director of Calabar Study Centre of NOUN, advised the students to set their priorities right by shunning all forms of bad association capable of truncating their future.

He said: “Let me specially welcome you into the NOUN family, a family known for its strides in academic excellence and good performance. Therefore, we expect nothing below the NOUN standard from you.”

According to him, NOUN is an accessible and affordable university with entry qualifications of five credits including English Language and Mathematics in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

While explaining that the university runs a flexible academic programme that meets the needs of the students, Iheme noted that the duration of course at NOUN depends largely on students’ choice of programme and level of study.

His words: “All undergraduate programmes in the School

of Arts and Social Sciences, Education and Management, run for a minimum of four years and a maximum of eight years.

The LLB in the School of Law and B.Sc. Nursing Science and Resource Management in the School of Science Technology have a minimum of five years and maximum of eight years.”

Iheme, who hinted that students of the university are rated very high in academic performance, added that in 2012, NOUN came first in the Law student Moot Court competition organised nationwide, even as he said that NOUN facilitators were drawn from conventional universities in various disciplines.

He advised prospective students, especially the working class to take advantage and enroll in the university.

Bishop makes case for security education in schools

Akure

W

orried by the spate of insecurity in the country, the Bishop of Akure Diocese (Anglican Communion), Bishop Simeon Borokini, has advocated the introduction of security education in the nation's school curriculum.

Bishop Borokini made the call at the second session of the 11th Synod of the Diocese which took place at IlaraMokin in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State said, the teaching of security as a subject in Nigerian schools should begin from primary school to tertiary level.

According to him, the teaching of security would tackle the insurgency ravaging the country and inculcate security consciousness among the people.

The clergy urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts on power generation to pave the way for economic development of the country, even as he charged Christians to exhibit brotherly and

sisterly love in order to further give room for peaceful co-existence.

In his charge with the theme: "Let Brotherly love Continue", the Bishop said the Federal Government needs to do more in the area of power generation to ensure constant power supply to justify the huge budget being allocated to the sector yearly.

He added that the main panacea to the nation's ailing economy is constant supply of power to keep the industries alive and provide job security for the people.

His words: "Several families in the country have today become local government on their own, since they buy and maintain their private power generating sets to provide them with electricity; sink their own deep wells or boreholes for the supply of water, employ their house and personal guards to provide them with security".

On the state of the nation, Bishop Borokini lamented the level of corruption, saying "Nigeria is one big free-for-

Enugu

established in Umuagbedo-Agu, a rural community in Igbo-Eze North Council Area of Enugu State, knew no bounds last week as they bade farewell to their teachers and other peers.

It was at the graduation ceremony of the school, held at the school established by an Anambra State-born Stigmatist, Reverend Sister Martina Oforka.

Some of the graduating pupils, who dressed in their graduation gowns and a cap to match and were basking in the euphoria of their completion of their primary school education include 13-year-old Johnpaul Okonkwo from Imo State; twoyear-old Chidera, who graduated from the nursery one session was the cynosure of all eyes as a result of her exemplary performance.

Speaking to New Telegraph on the significance of the ceremony which attracted some dignitaries including community leaders, the Proprietress of the school, who also owns the Divine Wound Apostolate said it has been a fulfilling experiencing picking up abandoned babies, orphans and the lessprivileged and working to nurture them into greatness.

She explained that there are over 70 inmates in the orphanage home, who are enrolled at her group of schools - nursery, primary and secondary schools

– with a population of over 200 pupils.

According to the Proprietor, the inmates who were collected from their mothers for their inability to care for them would be handed over to their mothers after their education when they would have been able to effectively function in the larger society irrespective of the circumstances of their births.

Sister Oforka appealed to the government at all levels, particularly the Enugu State Government to come to the aid of the school in the area of provision of infrastructure and facilities, saying the curriculum of the school emphasises skills acquisition in view of the social realities that stare the orphans in the face after graduation.

In his remarks, the former Secretary to Igbo-Eze North Council, Mr. Francis Ujah, a special guest at the occasion told New Telegraph that “I can boldly tell you that we can see the hand of Jesus in this our community. I say this because our sister has demonstrated the attributes of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible tells us went about doing good and relating with the wretched of the earth.

“In this case of this young woman (Sister Oforka), who has all the opportunities to live in the cities and enjoy all the amenities of modern life, she is now living in this remote community in Enugu state where she takes good care of the lessprivileged, orphans and those she never knew by rekindling in them the hope for life.”

Nobel laureate joins Covenant varsity

Graduating students of Doyen Academy, Enugu during their graduation ceremony

Babatope Okeowo

Uwakwe Abugu

all looting and other corrupt practices”, regretting that virtually all steps taken to fight corruption had failed due to various legislations which are unable to fight the scourge.

The Bishop wondered that several court cases instituted for corruption and other sharp practices had not brought any hope to the people, saying politics had become an avenue to loot and plunder the treasury of the country.

The Bishop, however, blamed the nation’s leadership for the high corruption situation, even as the clergy noted that as it was right for the people to demand accountability from the governors, it would also be fair on the part of the Federal Government to sit up and fight the scourge.

The cleric, however, challenged foreign countries where the nation’s looted wealth are being kept to assist Nigeria by exposing the looters and also block all the avenues for the transfer of the nation’s stolen money to their countries.

Mojeed Alabi Nobel Laureate in EconomAnomic ics and Professor of EcoSciences from the Har-

vard University, United States of America, Professor Eric Maskin, has joined the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

He is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, College of Development Studies.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Charles Ayo, who announced Maskin’s the appointment, said his appointment is an impetus to the university’s quest to be one of the top 10 universities in the world in the next 10 years.

Maskin

According to the Vice-Chancellor, Maskin, who visited the university in May, this year, as the distinguished guest presenter at the Ivory Tower’s First International Conference on African Development Issues (CU-ICADI), will offer a course as well as interact and advise the university on curriculum design and teaching skills.

Maskin, who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2007, for his work on the Theory of Mechanism Design, has made contributions to many other areas of Economics, including Game Theory, the Study of Intellectual Property Rights, and Political Economy.

He was also a recipient of the Eric Kempe Award in 2007 and Harvard University Centennial Medal in the year 2010.

Maskin’s current research projects include comparing different electoral rules, examining the causes of inequality, and studying coalition formation.

All these, according to Covenant University management, will not only add to the academic standard and glory of the institution, but the country as a whole, saying Nigeria should use the opportunity to of Maskin’s stay at the university to gain from the renowned economist’s wealth of experience.

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

How to improve education quality,

by UNN don A University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) lecturer and Proprietor of Doyen Academy, an A’ Level Centre in Enugu, Joel Ojo Ademiluyi, a Professor of Civil Engineering, in this interview with LEO SOBECHI speaks about quality of the nation’s education, the crises rocking the selection of Vice-Chancellors, low quality of graduates, A’ Level programme, admission process into universities, and other sundry issues.

The selection of Vice-Chancellors for Nigerian universities has become a source of worry in view of the barrage of crises that trail such process, how do you think this could be addressed to make it less problematic?

Well, let me start by asking if the process was this rancorous before? No. It wasn’t. But, why is it now rancorous? Of course, in the 60s, 70s and even 80s, the selection and appointment of Vice-Chancellors for universities was always peaceful and interesting. But today, it is no longer so, as it is as rancorous as a gubernatorial election since it has become winners take all. It is always said, you don’t change a winning policy. The truth is, education in Nigeria has been politicised. We are having problems in the selection now because the government refuses to plug all loopholes that have continued to bring about problems in the system. In some cases, the host governors are interested in who should become the Vice-Chancellors, and they do this without finesse by sponsoring candidates. In most cases, money exchanges hands while the highest bidder becomes the right candidate. What a shame, in our university system. It is hard to believe that most of the aspirants hunt for the seat to acquire wealth and possibly political power, during and after their tenure. If we must save the university system, we must change the policy and procedure. Why should a federal university become a ‘resource control issue?’ The Federal Government is aware of this; yet there is no change in the selection procedure. Thank God for the wisdom of the President in the choice of the newly created universities in which the Vice-Chancellors came from other tribes different from the host states or communities, as it is that case with all existing universities. I think this should be extended to all federal universities.

Could you shed more light on this?

What I am saying is this; how many Yoruba indigenes were made Vice-Chancellors of University of Ibadan in the 50s, 60s and 70s? Today, only the westerners; easterners and northerners vie for the position of Vice-Chancellor of federal universities in the West, East and North, their respective domains. Moreover, in my academic sojourn of thirty four years at the University

of Nigeria, Nsukka, we have only enjoyed peace and stability with vice-chancellors appointed from outside the university. To avoid rancor in the selection of vice-chancellors, I will therefore suggest that ViceChancellors are appointed from other universities of the same status, and if possible from different tribe from where the universities are located. Of course, such vice-chancellor should be appointed purely on merit and should be ready to develop the university. The vice-chancellor should be a neutral person and who should not involve in the university’s local politics. With this, it will be difficult for any outgoing Vice-Chancellor to twist the hands of the Governing Council by bringing his friends to represent the Senate in the Joint Search Committee.

More importantly, the position of a vice-chancellor should be made less attractive by drumming it in the aspirants that they have to generate funds to run the universities and not to rely on government’s subvention. The present situation in which the country’s wealth is used to fund education and pay salaries, among other costs is not right. The Federal Government could establish a university and run it for few years after which such university should be self-reliant, self-sustaining and fully autonomous to charge fees commensurate with services rendered to the public, while the federal government makes revolving loans and bursaries available to indigent students.

With this done, inadequate funding with its attendant strikes by the workers’ union will be a thing of the past in our universities. This is the practice in developed countries. So, in selecting a vice-chancellor, the challenge of self-financing should be brought to focus and should be a major criterion of selecting the right candidate.

This will reduce the number of aspirants unlike the present situation in which funds are allocated to Vice-Chancellors like the federal government does to state governors every month.

Also, the Visitor to that university should select one candidate out of the three recommended to him by the governing council of that university as in the former practice.

As a Professor of Engineering, how could the teaching and learning of science courses be improved in the school system?

The teaching of science at

Ademiluyi

and learning of science in our country.

With this done, inadequate funding with its attendant strikes by the workers’ union will be a thing of the past in our universities any level of our education system cannot be deemed to have been properly taught without more attention or emphasis on practicals. The inadequate funding of our universities has not helped matters since practicals could not be properly done without adequate consumables and laboratory equipment.

There are some Engineering Departments which is as old as 25 years, without a single laboratory. That is why we have to retrain our new students as if though they have not been to secondary schools because we are aware of the challenges facing the nation’s secondary schools. What about the menace of examination malpractice, which the students employed to cover their academic inadequacies or deficiencies. The so called ‘As’ and ‘Bs’ scores in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) no longer astound us because many of them could not defend their grades or scores. Also, we need international standard tests with up to date contents as distinct from the substandard and obsolete textbooks being used in schools and universities.

Besides, our teachers should be able to attend international conferences to compare notes with their colleagues in other climes, especially those from the developed countries; otherwise we will remain underdeveloped and backward. This exposure is indispensable if we must improve the teaching

Did this inform the establishment of Doyen Academy?

Well, Doyen Academy is an accredited examination centre for the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) which prepares students on full-time basis for the Cambridge Advanced Level programme. It is an excellent bridge between secondary school and university that equips the young ones for a successful education future. Doyen Academy is a brainchild of and response to the falling standard of education in the country. As a university Professor, I became worried at a point. I was worried about the poor academic performance of our university students most of whom brandish very good SSCE results and high Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scores. Worried by the development, in 2004, I wrote to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, expressing my worries over the poor academic performance of the students. In his reply, he expressed his confidence in the screening exercise to correct the abnormalities. I wasn’t satisfied with that. It was at that point that I remembered the ALevel programme. As a student, I passed through A-Level programme and I still remember the academic rigour we were exposed to. I tell you, any student exposed to that kind of academic rigour can always stand shoulder high in any university in the world. Incidentally, during that period I was completing a two-storey building which is for something else, but which I quickly converted to an A-Level Centre.

But is the Advanced Level programme not similar to the pre-degree in universities, or Foundation programmes offered by overseas universities?

No, they are different. The curriculum of Advanced Level Programme covers first

25

year and part of second year of university curriculum. And, as such, A-Level certificate qualifies students for second year admission to any university without recourse to UTME. On the other hand, pre-degree programme certificates qualify students to first-year admission after passing the UTME. Also, the admission will be in the university where the pre-degree programme is being done unlike the Advanced Level certificate that gives unlimited access to the students for admission.

So, the difference is very clear.

Of course, you cannot compare the Foundation programmes with Cambridge Advanced Level Programmes. Foundation programmes are only restricted to those universities offering them, they are not transferable and they are not internationally accepted like the University of Cambridge Advanced Level certificates.

Interestingly, the importance of Advanced Level programme was revisited at the yearly conference of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) held recently at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD).

In a bid to proffer solution to the deteriorating standard of education in the country, they recommended re-introduction of Higher School Certificate (HSC) which is equivalent to the Advanced Level General Certificate of Examination (GCE) as a requisite entry requirement to universities in Nigeria. If this is implemented, it will go a long way in restoring the nation’s academic glory because it will ensure that only qualified and mature students are admitted into our universities.

Most parents are worried why the Centre is only preparing students for Cambridge Advanced Level and not London GCE or International Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB)?

You will recall that in the 60s and 70s, there was Higher School Certificate conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). That certificate was used as the main requirement for university admission at that time. Also, popular that time was the London GCE. Unfortunately, you do not hear about these examinations any longer. For IJMB, it is an examination for direct entry being moderated by the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, but recognised by only a few universities in the country. On the other hand, CIE is an international examination being conducted in more than 160 countries of the world and has been proved to be more consistent and standard over the years. Moreover, University of Cambridge has been the first in the global ranking of universities for some time, and in fact, more than 600 years older than the University of London that gave birth to the University College Ibadan, now University of Ibadan. In fact, it was University of Cambridge that midwifed the West African Examinations Council. It will interest you to know that some countries give scholarships to candidates with highest grades in CIE in their countries. I strongly believe that now you can see the reasons why CIE is more preferable to others.

26 EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FUTA gets climate change data monitor Mojeed Alabi Performance ComputAtoHigh ing (HPC) System designed monitor climate change

data, analysis and information management in the country, has been installed at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

The equipment, which has been described as one of the best of its kind in Africa, was donated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Federal Ministry of Environment (FME), and is located at the university’s West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

For effective and immediate utilization of the system, a training workshop on the use of the system was organised at the Centre by the university management with experts from the UNDP as trainers.

Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Daramola

Adebiyi Daramola said the HPC system would be useful for the study of climate change data, analysis and modeling, which is aimed at creating climate information for decision and policy making as well as forecast.

He urged scientists, researchers and engineers drawn from across the country, who were selected for the training to use the knowledge gained for the benefit of the countyry and Africa in the area of climate change.

Daramola added that, though the establishment of WASCAL (a Climate Change initiative sponsored by the German Ministry of Education and Research) had not been that smooth, he expressed happiness that the efforts eventually succeeded and is already yielding positive dividends for the Africa continent.

The Vice-Chancellor, who explained that the issue of climate change had become a global phenomenon requiring urgent attention due to its attendant devastating effects, however called on participants at the workshop to go away from the workshop with skills that will proffer solution to the effects of global warming being experienced worldwide.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, who was represented at the workshop by the Director, Department of Climate Change in the ministry, Dr. S.A. Adejuwon, said the current effort is a buildup to a project to combat climate change, executed by the Department of Climate Change and sponsored by the government of Japan in 2012.

Ailing UNILAG student requires N7m for surgery Mojeed Alabi

A

‘Save our Soul (SOS)’ has been sent to well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organisations and spirited individuals to save the life of a 300 Level undergraduate of the Department of Psychology, University of Lagos (UNILAG), who is critically ill.

Yusuf Adetunji Yakubu, who has been diagnosed of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, otherwise known as Cancer of the Throat, requires N7 million for an urgent surgery in India for him to survive and live a normal life.

Yakubu is said to be currently bedridden as he is battling with a cancerous tumour in his throat.

A report of clinical summary diagnosis conducted on him in 2013, at the Anatomic and Molecular Pathology Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), IdiAraba, confirmed that Yakubu was suffering from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma recurrent with nasal blockage.

According to her younger sister, Toyin Yakubu, the ailment that began some years ago like an ordinary cold, degenerated into excessive water running from his nostrils.

She added that the water

Yakubu

ceases at times even without medication but when it runs again the patient is thrown into greater problems thus forcing him to return home from school.

According to her, Yakubu attended Gideon International School, Isolo and Government College, Eric-Moore, for his primary and secondary education respectively.

His mother, a petty trader, who resides in Lawanson, Lagos, said: “Yakubu is the fourth in a family of six and had never smoked in his life.”

Worried by his colleague’s health condition, Ishola Ebenezer recalled: “Before he was diagnosed of the ailment, Yakubu was very active and full of life

as a student.

He, however, recounted that owing to the severity of his poor health condition, the ailing Yakubu had deferred his admission in the 2011/2012 academic session, when he was in the 300 Level.

Yakubu, who has successfully completed Chemoradiation Therapy at Eko Hospital, Ikeja on March 13, now requires N7 million to conclude arrangements for his medical treatment in India.

For any donation to save the student’s soul, such donation could be made to UBA Account belonging to Rafiat Idowu Yakub, with account number: 2027576182.

House committee lauds Ondo varsity on development f the pledge of the Ondo State Ition, House Committee on EducaScience and Technol-

ogy is anything to go by, the management of the Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko (AAUA) will get more subventions for its projects.

The committee made the pledge, when the newly-inaugurated seven-man committee, chaired by Hon. Adeyinka Banso, visited the institution on a familiarization tour as part of its oversight functions.

The committee commended the management of the university for judiciously utilization of the funds approved for the institution by the Ondo State Government, in the past five years.

While expressing satisfaction about the level of development at the university, Banso said: "We are very proud that this university is really doing a lot and making us proud.

There is reason for justification for the funds that the House of Assembly had appropriated to the university.

The array of projects that you have been executed with what we are giving goes a long way to say that the management has judiciously used the little we have given you, and so we will not have any hesitation to give you more."

He lauded the management for keeping faith with the vision of the Visitor to the university and Governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to take education to next level in the Sunshine State, even as he urged the management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Femi Mimiko, not to rest on its oars.

The committee Chairman praised the Vice-Chancellor for doing a good job in the university.

Fidelis Akinwolemiwa, a member of the Committee said he was impressed by the progress in the university and the accomplishments of its students and alumni in the past few years.

Gov. Mimiko

New Deputy Rector Special Duties and Revenue Generation being congratulated by the rector, Dr. Akande (left)

Poly holds valedictory for deputy rectors

A

valedictory has been organised by the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti in honour of its outgoing Deputy Rectors, this as new Deputy Rectors were named for the polytechnic.

The outgoing Deputy Rectors are Dr. A.N. Aboloma, who in his two-year term was in charge of Academics, while Mr. F.O. Ajibade, a surveyor, was in charge of Special Duties and Revenue Generation.

The duo was said to have handed over to the Messrs.

E.A. Bamidele and D.H. Oladebeye, as new Deputy Rectors at the valedictory session, held last week at the polytechnic’s Conference Hall.

The appointment of the

new Deputy Rectors was ratified, based on the recommendations of management, and having completed their two terms tenure of two years by the Governing Council, led by Sir Victor Ebomoyi at one of its meetings.

Based on the Council’s approval the two new Deputy Rectors’ appointment took effect from June 30.

Until his appointment, Bamidele had served in several capacities as Head of Department, Dean of the School of Science and Computer Studies, Chairman of Ceremonies, as well as Accreditation and Admission Committees, among others.

Oladebeye, an engineer,

who is a 1986 graduate of the polytechnic, is the incumbent Coordinator of the Alumni Association of the polytechnic.

He had also served in various capacities as Head of Department and Dean in the School of Engineering, as well as the Director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Engineering Innovation (OOCEI).

Speaking at their inauguration, the Rector, Dr. Taiwo Theresa Akande charged them to justify the trust reposed in them by the polytechnic community by contributing significantly towards the realisation of the transformation vision of the polytechnic.

CAMPUS | EDUCATION 27

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Moses Oyediran UNN

I

t was a dream come true for some 40 fresh graduates of the Faculty of Veterinary medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as they were inducted into the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

The Council, while issuing them probation licences, warned them to shun unethical practices otherwise their practicing license will be withdrawn by the council.

The Registrar of the Council, Dr. Marcus Avon, who gave the warning during the 35th oath-taking ceremony of the Faculty, said the probation licence, which is for a period of one year, is subject to renewal by the Council.

He said: “The probation license given to you to practice will expire in 2015, if any of you is found wanting within this one year period for unethical conduct, his or her license will not be renewed. You are expected to obey the ethics of the profession as well as respect your senior colleagues in the profession.”

Avon praised their parents for investing in the education and training of their children and wards in the six years duration of the course.

Council warns UNN graduates against unethical practice

Buhari Bello UNIJOS

onsidering the relevance Cmatic of Pentecostal and CharisStudies to the nation’s

VC's representative with Shoyinka officials of the Council

“I commend parents, who despite the socio-economic challenges in the country have made such huge investment in the education of their children and wards.

Today your dream has come true,” he said.

In his remarks, the ViceChancellor of the universi-

ty, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba expressed delight over the induction of the students, saying he was optimistic that the graduates who have been found worthy in character and learning by the university, would also excel in their profession.

“I have no doubt that the

Meet Press Club

Taiwo Hammed, UNIMAID

JOS varsity publishes journal on Pentecostal, charismatic studies

Ali, UNILORIN

Boris Nwachukwu, uniport

university having found you worthy in character and learning by conferring Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree on you, expected you to be good ambassadors of the university,” the ViceChancellor said.

Ozumba, who noted that the oath they took requires that they use their scientific knowledge and skills acquired for the benefit of the society, declared: “The university appreciates the contributions of Veterinary Council of Nigeria in the training of our veterinary students.”

Meanwhile, Prof. Vincent Shoyinka, the Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, urged the new Doctors to be shining examples of their profession and to adhere to the ethics of the profession at all times.

His words: “I want to congratulate you all in your status as members of Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

The Faculty is grateful to the Council especially over the full accreditation of the faculty. I urge you to obey the ethics of the profession so as to offer the society the best as well as earn integrity for yourself.”

governance, as a major religious and social force which requires intensive academic research, the authorities of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have published a journal on the study.

This was revealed by the participants at the 2nd Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies Conference held in Abuja, organised under the auspices of the University of Jos Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Research.

Religious scholars across several Nigerian universities and seminaries interested in making Pentecostal and Charismatic studies as an emerging academic discipline, were at the conference.

According to the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hayward Mafuyai, UNIJOS was proud to lead the way in discovering the history of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, which he described its characteristics and identifying its influences.

While stressing that the growth of Pentecostalism and its impacts on the Nigerian society could not be ignored, he noted that there was the need to study it as a religion and social phenomenon in the society.

Mafuyai, who insisted that Pentecostalism had manifested itself so strongly in the public domain that several Christian politicians want to actively identify themselves with the movement, stressed the need for scholars from the diverse disciplines to respond to the attitude of the government by suggesting that scholars of religion and philosophy, sociology, history, theater arts, political science and English should investigate the various aspects of the Pentecostal movement worldwide with a view of ensuring better understanding of the movement among the citizenry.

Varsity becomes associate member regulatory authorities Muritala Hammed, UNILORIN

Kemi Busari, OAU

Hammed Hamzat, UI

Edith Madu, UNILORIN

Wale Bakare, UNILORIN

Sikiru Akinola, OAU

Are you interested in becoming one of the New Telegraph Press Club members? You can send your photograph, institution, department, course, level and stories to kayolanre@gmail.com OR mojeedalabi21@yahoo.co.uk

Dean Nominated for IFTRA Conference

T

he Faculty of Education and the Institute of Education of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA), have become the associate member of the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA) and the African Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities.

The African Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities is a subset of IFTRA, with their core aims of promoting professionalisation of teaching globally, set international standards for the profession and facilitates cooperation among member nations for the benefit

of the education systems of the various countries.

Adekunle Ajasin University was granted membership of the authorities at the Third Teaching and Learning in Africa Conference and the Fifth Roundtable held in Accra, Ghana last month, where the university was represented by the Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof. Sunday Amuseghan.

In recognition of his active participation at the conference and the roundtable, Amuseghan, who doubled as the Secretary General of Committee of Deans of Education in Nigerian Universities, was nominated among other delegates to attend the IFTRA conference billed for Toronto, Canada in November.

28

EDUCATION | CAMPUS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

VC's sports fiesta begins

Hammed Hamzat UI

he seventh edition of the Tcompetition, annual Inter-Faculty Sports tagged: "Vice-

N

o fewer than 40 fresh graduates of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan (UI) were inducted into the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) during the 27th induction ceremony at the Faculty Lecture Theatre.

While congratulating the inductees, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was represented by the Deputy ViceChancellor in charge of Administration, Prof. Emilolorun Ayelari, recalled that the faculty in its over 30 years existence, has demonstrated an enviable reputation for its significant contribution towards meeting the manpower needs of the nation’s pharmaceutical sector.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the commitment of the Faculty towards provision of quality graduates has resulted in the establishment of the Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP) through MacArthur Grant for Excellence.

The Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Chinedum Babalola congratulated the graduating students and their parents, as well as other well-wishers at the event on the students' successful completion of their academic programme despite all odds.

She hinted that the faculty has produced renowned professionals and housed great minds who have won laurels, grants, and recognitions locally and internationally.

Mrs. Fayo Williams, who delivered the induction lecture entitled: “From Laboratory

R

ight from the emergence of western education in Nigeria, there had been a lot of controversies as regards the dichotomy between university degrees and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates.

This dichotomy has reached to a retrogressive level that most graduates of Nigerian polytechnics would have desired to pursue university degrees, but for acute shortage of university admission space.

Tracking down the lane, it is pertinent to lay emphasis on the significance of polytechnic training which is essentially in the area of technological development for nation building. Polytechnic education is primarily established to equip middle level manpower with the necessary technological skills required for nation building.

To add verisimilitude, the disparity between the two higher institutions is hitherto at full edge especially in Nigeria labour markets, when many corporate organisations have special preference for university graduates, at the detriment of their polytechnic counterparts. The various government establishments are not spared in this exclusive tendency towards polytechnic certificates. The matter is that bad that several companies will go as far as in their adverts in the national dailies that only university degrees are required for employment. Of course, this trend is not however limited to non-technological based commercial establishments.

L-R: Mr. Elijah Mohammed, Mr. Victor Adegorooye, Prof. Chinedum Babalola and Prof. Emilolorun Ayelari

UI graduates inducted into pharmacy council to Enterprise: Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mindset,” advised the inductees to be creative and learn new skills to make them employable.

She noted that there was need for paradigm shift especially in view of the high rate of unemployment in the country, saying creativity, ingenuity and hard work on the

part of the unemployed youth remained the solution to the unemployment challenge confronting the country.

The Registrar of the Council, Mr. Elijah Mohammed in his remarks, charged the inductees to discharge their professional responsibilities so that they can stand out among their contemporaries.

Mohammed, who decried that rising cases of brain drain which resulted to the much orchestrated shortage of pharmacists in nation’s pharmaceutical sector, restated his administration’s readiness to reposition Council’s Registry for effective service delivery and institutionalisation of good pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

Chancellor's Cup" of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State has kicked-off at the University Sports Complex.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, who declared the event open on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Femi Mimiko, last week, noted that the university places premium on sporting activities for the students because it is a veritable platform to build character and develop leadership quality of the students, who are the major players in nation building.

He urged participants at the sporting event to display good conduct that portrays the university in good light and brings out their leadership potential, saying the institution would continue to leave no stone unturned in its quest to develop capacity for sports in the university community.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor praised the university Sports Unit for organising the competition in a professional manner, even as he congratulated the students and urged them to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship.

The Chairman of AAUA Sports Council, Prof. Jacob Ogundari said the competition would go a long way in helping to discover talents that would represent not only the university, but also the nation in national and international sporting events.

OPINION

Ending certificate dichotomy in Nigeria The government, which constitutional responsibility is to cater for the welfare of the citizens, is not also speared from this dichotomy syndrome as the federal and state civil service did not hide this in their recruitment process or career progression.

The system is skewed in a way that the entry point of prospective employees with HND certificates is Grade Level 7 salary scale.

This grading system also extends to the retirement level of HND holders is pegged at Grade Level 14, as he could not go beyond that level as civil servant, while their university counterparts retire on Grade Level 16.

If you ask me, I will say this is a complete devaluation of HND certificate in a country which craves for technological development.

It is apparently lamentable that despite the enormous resources injected into the education sector, the nation’s socio-economic development is at the lower ebb, while the quality of graduates being churned out yearly by our tertiary institutions is nothing to write home about. It is rather unfortunate to hear that half of the country’s graduates are outwardly unmarketable in the labour market. And this is not unconnected with the theoretical nature of academic work scope undergraduates are being

Ali Toyin

subject to. Today, 50 years after independence, access to qualitative education is being denied the citizenry going by the level of decay in structural and infrastructural foundations.

All things being equal, university and polytechnic education is pragmatism based and research orientated, but for the inability of the government to completely tackle all the cankerworm bedeviling the country, the whole situation has gone abysmally uncontrollable, thereby stagnating the education system.

Polytechnic education is scientifically and technologically oriented which further encompasses training in engineering technology, textile development, architectural technology, automobile system development and host of others, which are

anchored on the development of a nation.

As it obtainable in the current trend, the unquenchable thirst of the people for university education has resulted in the high patronage of privatelyowned universities, which presently address the university education need of most students who the public universities failed to care for.

However, the whole idea of being professionally sought for graduates which is the dream of every student is conceptualised in the belief that such aspiration can only be accomplished through university education.

Let us take a critical look at the higher institutions’ qualifying examination – the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and its yearly over subscription, with its limited admission slots.

This burning desire for university education at all cost has continued to force some over ambitious admission seekers to stay home waiting for admission into the university rather than accessing other alternatives.

The situation seems generic and ubiquitous given the spate at which professional institutions in the country are reserved for university graduate.

Institutes such as the Chartered Institute of Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), in the course of

its admission requirements, expressly stipulates that any holders of certificates other than degree are mandated to write a qualifying examination, while degree holders are exempted from the qualifying examinations.

This trend is not limited to ICAN or other allied institutes alone as it also extends to university postgraduate programmes.

What really bothers most is not the damage the disparity is posing on the future of the country, but where is this system of classification actually emanated from. Can we say it is an imposed product of colonialism or the desire to promote the culture of arbitrariness as usually Nigerian character? Is this unwholesome trend really helping our education system to develop? The puzzle remains a source of concern to every discernable mind.

In conclusion, Nigerians and the government are to bear the cross by completely overhaul the entire process, by coming to terms on how to make the system work. This age-long dichotomy has continued to halt the nation's development in the areas of human capacity building, and in engendering an uncultured environment where unhealthy competition of all sort transpired.

• Ali Toyin Abdul, 200 Level Law, UNILORIN.

CAMPUS | EDUCATION 29

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Councillors boycott UNN VC’s visit to council chair

Student's victimisation: Supreme Court awards N7m damages against UNILORIN

Moses Oyediran

Mojeed Alabi

l Battle council chair over unpaid allowances

U

niversity of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who assumed office few weeks ago, was shocked last week when the Councilors of Nsukka Local Government Area shunned his visit to the Chairman of the Council.

Apparently, the action of the Councilors to boycott the ViceChancellor's visit to the council was said to have been provoked by their unpaid allowances.

The Councilors, who were said to have been sworn-in seven months ago, are at the loggerheads with the Chairman, Hon. Charles Ugwu, whom they are challenging over his alleged refusal to pay their four-month allowances.

Though, efforts to get the reactions of the leader of the Council lawmakers, Hon. Celestine Ogbu proved abortive as several calls put across to his phone could not go through, however, one of the Councilors, who pleaded anonymity said they were being owed four months arrears of their allowances.

He told the New Telegraph, it is true that we are yet to be paid our four months allowances and other entitlements, but that was not the major reason why we boycotted the Vice-Chancellor’s visit, the Chairman (Ugwu) did not inform the Councilor of the Vice-Chancellor’s courtesy visit.

He added that this was not the first time the Chairman would ignore the legislative arm of the Local Government Council during important functions like this, saying similar situation happened when the Chairman inaugurated the block of eight classrooms which he claimed he built with N8 million.

“So, I am not surprised that the Chairman did not invite us (Councilors),” he said.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor had solicited the cooperation and support of people of Nsukka, the university’s host community for the success of his five-year tenure.

Ozumba made the plea during the visit to Council Chairman, saying the cordial relationship between the university and the host community would go a long way to benefit both parties.

The Vice-Chancellor said:

“My visit today is to solicit the support of Nsukka people, so that we can partner with each other to achieve peace and progress for the university. My mission for the UNN is to take the university to enviable heights in which the members of staff, students and host community will benefit tremendously. But, this can only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace, cordial relationship and good neighbourliness between the university and host community.”

Ozumba, who reiterated his administration’s determination to commence the construction of a magnificent international conference centre for the university, which he hinted, would attract people from different part of the world to the institution, added that the centre would also attract people to Nsukka community.

As part of his vision for the university, the Vice-Chancellor spoke of plans by his administration to establish a massive agriculture farm that will boost agricultural activities in Nsukka and its environs, as well as generate employment for people.

l We are not yet aware –Varsity

judgment delivered Aof landmark

by Justice Mary Peter-Odili the Supreme Court in Abuja

last Friday has awarded a huge sum of N7 million against the authorities of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

The N7 million damages were awarded in favour of a former student of the institution, Olanrewaju Akinola, for illegally withholding his academic records.

The judgment was the pinnacle of the legal battle between the student and the university management which had commenced at the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state’s capital in 2004.

The judgment also mandated the university to as a matter of urgency release the withheld academic certificates and other records of the affected student.

Justice Peter-Odili, who also awarded another sum of N200,000 against the university and to be paid to Olanrewaju as costs of court processes, chided the university management for what she described as abuse of human rights and excesses of the administration.

Olanrewaju, who was admitted to study Statistics at the university in 1995, was said to have graduated in 1999, but had his certificate withheld by the administration of Prof. Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem as the Vice-Chancellor, who is now the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission.

This development, according to Olanrewaju, was hinged on his involvement in students’ union activities while on the campus.

In a similar development, the Supreme Court had on Friday, June 6, awarded another N5 million damages against the

Ambali, VC

university in favour of another former student of the institution, Rasheedat Adesina, who was allegedly victimized for participating in students’ union activities on the campus, studied Chemistry, was said to have graduated since 2001, but had her certificate withheld by the university management, even after the Presidential Committee on such matters advised against the continued action of the management.

The advice was said to have led to the withdrawal of all cases in courts by the two parties, but the continued withholding of the students’ academic records had forced the students to return to court.

After the Federal High Court and the appellate court in Ilorin had ruled in favour of the students, the university had pursued the matter to the Supreme Court, which eventually led to the latest and final judgment.

However, in an interview with New Telegraph, the university’s Deputy Director of Information and Protocol, Mr. Kunle Akogun, said the institution was not yet aware of the development, but pledged to contact the university’s legal unit for update, and promised to call back.

UNIJOS launches African centre of excellence project Chief Ademola Alabi (left) in handshake with the Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Planning, Hon. Olusola Oyedeji during the presentation of the award plaque

Buhari Bello UNIJOS

he Vice-Chancellor of the UniT versity of Jos (UNIJOS), ProIlobu students honour ex-commissioner, others fessor Hayward Mafuyai, has

T

he fond memories of late Chief Ayoade Ojewumi, former Commissioner for Agriculture in the old Oyo State, were once again brought to the fore last week, when the students of Ilobu in Osun State, his hometown, under the aegis of Ilobu National Students' Union (INSU) honoured him. He was bestowed with a posthumous award, the Award of Excellence.

The maiden edition of the award ceremony, tagged “Heroes Week”, which is part of the activities marking the union's Week, was attended by many dignitaries including the late Ojewumi's wife, Chief Mopelola Ojewumi, who received the award plaque on behalf of her husband.

According to the union's President, Onaolapo Kolade, the honour was in recognition of the contributions of some select leaders in the community both living and the dead.

He said the choice of Ojewumi was informed by the quality leadership he offered the community not only as a politician, but also as a successful lawyer and journalist.

Ojewumi, who was nicknamed ‘Pen Atlanta’, was an ardent disciple of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of the old Western Region.

Other past leaders honoured with posthumous awards of the union include a former Director at the Nigerian Meteorological Department, Alhaji

Kola Rufai; and former Grand Patron to the union, Chief M.O Anwo, among others.

Kolapo added; "We also recognised five of our living leaders whose contributions transcend politics and religion, including the former Chief Executive and Managing Director of the defunct Trans International Bank and Asiwaju of Ilobu Land, Alhaji Hassan Arogundade; the Otun Jagun of Ilobu and former Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Irepodun Local Government, Chief Ademola Alabi; a community woman leader, Mrs. Oluremi Ogundele, among others. They have shown us the right path to take and we commend them for that."

reiterated that the university has the capacity to ensure the smooth take-off and implementation of the African Centre of Excellence (ACE) project in Phyto-Medine recently awarded to the institution.

According to him, the phyto medicine team, which is based in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences comprises of accomplished Professors and midlevel academics, with several years of experience managing international research grants.

Mafuyai disclosed this during the formal launch of the Centre, where the university’s phyto- medicine and 18 other centers of excellence were inaugurated for full take off.

The projects main area of focus, the Vice-Chancellor said, is

to discover the potential public health value of medicinal plant in the country, while in the process improve the capacity of staff and students undertaking their Post Graduate Diploma, Masters and Doctorate programmes in the phyto-medicine research.

He added that the other immediate and direct impact of the project is in the area of facilitating interaction with the community of traditional medicine practitioners in order to tap from their body of knowledge and experience.

The Vice-Chancellor, who noted that the centre would boost inter- disciplinary research collaboration in the university, added that the centre would rely on the work by pharmacists, medical doctors, natural scientists, plant scientists, chemists, zoological, sociological , psychological and other educationists, among others, to arrive at the best output.

30

EDUCATION

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Internship: Elizade varsity harps on good behaviour

S

tudents of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, who will be proceeding on a six-week internship programme have been advised to project the institution in good light in their respective place of assignments.

The programme, according to the Founder and Proprietor of the university, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, who gave the advice while addressing the students during a session organised by the management ahead of the programme, was introduced to offer them on-the-hand experience.

The session was organised as a platform to give the students their internship placement letters and log books, as well as prepare them adequately before they proceed for the six-week internship in various organisations relevant to their courses of study.

On the essence of the programme, the university in its quest to produce globally employable graduates, Ade-Ojo hinted had put in place series of programmes that would acquaint the students with work

environment, which would expose them to practical aspects of their training.

While wishing the students well in their new exploits, he implored them to be good ambassadors of the university wherever they are posted, even as the Founder noted that those of them who did well or performed to the satisfaction of their employers, could be listed for future employment by the organisation.

Meanwhile, Ade-Ojo praised the pioneer students of the programme for representing the three-year-old private university institution well during the maiden edition of the internship programme, noted that their display of moral excellence during the programme paved way for their successful placement for this year’s edition.

Thus, the founder charged the 100 Level students to take a cue from the pioneer students that participated credibly well in the programme, even as he assured them of his continued support towards the provision of quality university education

and their welfare.

Also, the Registrar of the university, Mr. Omololu Adegbenro enjoined the students to take the six-week internship programme very seriously, while reminding them that the power point presentation the students would be mandated to present on the programme on return would carry certain mark as part of their assessment.

While speaking on the topic, “How to have a Successful Internship”, the Registrar advised the students to relate well with their employers and staff members in their internship place.

He urged them to always ask questions on areas that are difficult to them or grey areas, warning them not to gamble about whatever that is not clear to them.

Adegbenro said: “It is the policy of the university to send out its students on internship programmes every long vacation, where they will use half of the vacation to acquire practical experience in their various disciplines.”

Miss EbunOluwa Jegede (fouth left); Mr.Olufemi Odunewu (sixth left) and their colleagues, during the convocation ceremony of Glasgow College of Nautical Sciences, United Kindom…recently

EKSU set for theatre arts department’s take - off

P

lans have been concluded by the management of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti for the take-off of the newly introduced Media and Theatre Arts programme.

Towards the successful take-off of the academic programme, the state university said it had recruited qualified academic personnel to effectively run the department.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Oladipo Aina, therefore called on interested candidates with the interest and inability to study Media and Arts to take advantage of the newly established programme.

Aina, who commended the candidates who have shown interest in the course, said the management has invested substantially in human and material resources to ensure quality

of teaching and learning in the new department.

The Vice-Chancellor also expressed optimism that a great number of professionals and interested talents in the Media and Theatre Arts industry in the country and beyond would benefit from the quality academic training being made available.

He added that efforts are also on to expand the frontiers of the available academic courses in the university especially following the successful introduction of some new academic programmes including both the Theatre and Media Arts and Gender Studies by the university.

The Head of the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Dr. Kola Oyewo, who commended the Vice-Chancellor for recruit-

ing quality teaching personnel and professionals with international credentials into the department, said interested candidates now have the opportunity to pursue a successful career in the industry.

Meanwhile Oyewo added that necessary arrangements had been put in place for the smooth take-off of the programme this session.

Aina, VC

EDUPEACE

with Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (08066372516, sms only)

Shake it up, Shekarau!

I

f brilliance and intelligence were to be factors that guarantee winning elections in Nigeria, the former Governor of Kano State and new Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, would have been the President of Nigeria.

This is because many Nigerians were outright overwhelmed by the brilliance and oratorical prowess of the new Minister when he participated in the Presidential Debate organised by NN24, an international cable television station, for the aspirants competing in the April 19, 2011 presidential elections. The debate held on March 18, 2011 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

As the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Mallam Shekarau featured at the debate with the presidential candidates of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Even before the organisers declared him the winner, everyone knew that Shekarau’s performance was stellar for which he deserved gold.

He was also declared winner at another debate, a youththemed version, hosted by the notable writer, Chimamanda Adichie, at the Abuja studio of Channels television around the same time. That was how many Nigerians came to respect the Governor who many seemed to misunderstand then for delivering on his promises to his people of Kano State.

Now, though few people fancy the politics of Shekarau and the ideological vacuity underpinning it, his appointment as Education Minister is a welcome development, a round peg in a round hole. A former teacher and school principal, indeed the principal of school principals in Nigeria, Mallam Shekarau has the pedigree and the clout to restore peace to our troubled education sector.

While swearing in Shekarau and other new Ministers last Wednesday (July 9, 2014), President Goodluck Jonathan gave them a good charge. The charge was spot on especially in the context of the then ongoing international football competition in Brazil. President Jonathan said in a football match, “when you get to the injury time and a player is brought in you expect goals.

This government has less than a year to go and you have been brought in this time, so you know the reason why you have been brought in”.

With the speed that would be reminiscent of the dramatic encounter between Germany and Brazil in the just concluded World Cup, hardly had the game began than Minister Shekarau started to score goals. With a stroke of the hand, the embarrassingly long strike of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP)

Is ASUP in soup?... the attitude of the public to them is OYO (‘On Your Own’) was suspended after a meeting he had with its leadership on Thursday, barely few hours after he was sworn in. The strike was suspended last Saturday.

It was a good score or a WinWin for both ASUP and Shekarau. For ASUP, the strike was getting to the boiling point of non-popularity as we read every now and then of polytechnics jumping out of the strike. It was almost becoming a forgotten strike as business continued as usual and Government is pre-occupied with politics and insecurity on the one hand and the politics of insecurity and insecurity of politics on the other.

It was very good and strategic of ASUP leaders to have taken advantage of the Minister’s olive branch. Without that, the leadership and the strike were headed for disaster due to lack of public support. I had written here, in solidarity with the polytechnic lecturers on May 7, 2014 in the article, “Is ASUP in soup?”, but noted at the same time that “the attitude of the public to them is OYO (‘On Your Own’)”.

For the Minister, it is an indication that he probably has the magic wand to cure the ills bedeviling our critical education sector. That singular achievement has boosted his image and he has all the support of the stakeholders as he begins his assignment. He should therefore not allow the confidence reposed in him by the President and the lecturers to be misplaced. He should hit the ground running by shaking the system up fast.

The education sector has to be shaken up indeed beginning with funding. A situation in which the budget of a single University in the United States is much more than the entire budget for our Federal Universities in a year like 2012 can only result in chaos and crises.

Let the Minister shake our education up with more funding.

Adequate funding will reduce strikes, improve infrastructure and restore confidence in our educational system, thereby reducing capital flight.

For instance, at a time when the entire budget for all federal universities was N121 billion, 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghana were paying not less than N160 billion annually for tuition alone, as reported

by The Sun newspaper of September 20, 2012. It was also revealed then that Nigerians spent/ spend $500 million every year in American and European universities! l Dr Adedimeji is a Senior Lecturer and Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin.

BUSINESS Wednesday, July 16, 2014

What's news Financial services stagnate at 3% of GDP Nigeria’s financial services’ share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was unchanged at 3 per cent post-rebasing, even as manufacturing sector continues to grow, the rebased GDP growth data, have shown.

}p-32

Lagos, three other cities among five largest markets by 2020 Lagos, Johannesburg, Alexandria, Cairo, and Cape Townare are likely to have more than $25 billion every year in spending, comparable to Mumbai or New Delhi in India by 2020, analyses by experts have revealed.

}p-32

Are credit bureaus’ report really accepted by banks?

The recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) prohibition of loan defaulters from access to further credit facilities in the Nigeria Banking sector has raised so many questions, regarding bank utilisation of the credit bureau reports and the relevance of credit Bureaus in the system.

}p-35

Freight forwarders flay proposed vehicle scheme Freight forwarders under the aegis of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), has questioned the proposed Federal Government’s vehicle acquisition finance scheme.

}p-39

GROUNDED Major pipelines supplying crude to Port Harcourt, Warri refineries have been grounded Adeola Yusuf

T

he pipeline crude supply contracts between the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), authorities of the Port Harcourt Refining and Petrochemical, the Pipeline Company and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, have collapsed.

New Telegraph gathered on Monday that authorities of the two refineries have now abandoned the PPMC pipelines crude supply contracts and have now signed a new set of marine supply contracts with the Pipeline Company and other marine transporters for crude supply.

Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, confirmed the new contracts for marine crude supply operations, blaming the abandonment of the old contracts on activities of pipeline vandals.

He told this newspaper on

BOOST Top capitalised stocks record improvement on investors’ confidence

AYODELE AMINU, Deputy Editor (Business)

Chris Ugwu

Simeon Ogoegbulem, Dep. Business Editor

N

SUNDAY OJEME, Asst. Editor (Insurance) SIAKA MOMOH, Asst. Editor (Industry/Agric) Godson ikoro , Asst. Editor (Money Market) JONAH IBOMA, ICT Editor DAYO ADEYEMI, Property Editor ADEOLA YUSUF, Energy Editor

NEW TELEGRAPH

www.newtelegraphonline.com/business

Apapa jam: Shipping businesses collapse }p-38

ayodele aminu, Deputy Editor, business

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

PPMC, Port Harcourt, Warri refineries’ pipeline contracts flop

BUSINESS CREW

BAYO AKOMOLAFE, Asst. Editor (Maritime)

31

igeria’s five most capitalised stocks recorded a gain of about N551 billion in market capitalisation in the second quarter ended June 30, 2014.

The gains were on the back of positive market sentiments the companies witnessed during the quarter under review.

Market capitalisation of

the sideline of the just concluded capacity building workshop for energy editors and correspondents in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, that the supply of crude oil through the pipelines to refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri has been grounded by the activities of vandals.

The Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, he said, “now depend on marine transport for crude supply.”

Capacity utilisation of the refineries is, according to him, 60 per cent of the plate capacity, which is “not because the plants cannot take more but because we have challenges of crude supply, so we have to go through marine.”

He explained: “If you don’t have a pipeline that supplies your crude continuously you cannot maximise the volume put in. So, if you have to go

through marine and alternative sources, you are constrained based on the volume that those systems can deliver.”

According to the NNPC helmsman, there “is a major challenge, you cannot put a barrel in Excravos and get it at Warri end. So, that pipeline is completely abandoned. Warri to Port Harcourt is the same thing, CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

L-R: Registrar/CEO, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Uyi Akpata; Senior Country Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chidi Onyeukwu-Ajaegbu and President, Rotimi Omotoso, during the visit of PwC Senior Country Partner to the ICAN Corporate Head Office in Lagos.

Five stocks gained N551bn in Q2 the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which measures the value of stocks listed on the Exchange, stood at N14.027 trillion at the close of the second quarter on May 30.

The stocks are Dangote Cement Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Zenith International Bank Plc. Specifically, checks by New Telegraph showed that Zenith Bank Plc that currently occupied fifth position, led the top five league with a gain of N171 billion or 21 per cent to close at N786.4 on June 30 as against

N615.3 billion recorded at the end of first quarter.

Nigeria Breweries, which is the second most capitalised stock, followed with a gain of N166 billion to close from N1.134 trillion at the close of first quarter to N1.300 trillion in June, accounting for 12 per cent growth.

GTBank on fourth position, appreciated by N131 billion or 15 per cent, from N721 billion to N852 billion in second quarter, while Nestle Nigeria, third on the league, firmed up by N79 billion or 8.6 per cent, to close at N911 in June from N832 billion. Dangote Cement, the first

on the ladder inched up by N4 billion to close at N4.089 trillion from N4.085 recorded at the end of first quarter.

With market participants waiting for companies to release their second quarter (Q2) results at the Exchange (NSE), analysts have expressed optimism that there will be improvements when compared with the Q1 results.

Cumulatively, investors gained about N1.7 trillion between March and June this year. The NSE market capitalisation grew CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

WOLE SHADARE, Aviation Editor DELE ALAO, Brands/Marketing Editor CHRIS UGWU, Capital Market Editor Abdulwahab Isa, Finance Editor Chuks Onuanyin, Energy Nnamdi Amadi, Reporter JOHNSON ADEBAYO, Asst. Production Editor

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE May 2014..................................8% April 2014...............................7.9% March 2014............................7.8%

LENDING RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parellel As at July 11)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N166.50 InterBank Rate . . . . . . . . . 10.50% Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N288 Prime Lending Rate. . . . . 16.93% Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N223.00 Maximum Lending Rate..25.83% • Foreign Reserves – $38.13bn as at 11/07/2014

EXCHANGE RATE

(Official As at June 11)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N156.73 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N261.45 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N212.90 Source: CBN

32 business | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Financial services stagnate at 3% of GDP WAXING STRONGER Manufacturing is much bigger and fastergrowing, overtaking finance sector Godson Ikoro

N

igeria’s financial services’ share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was unchanged at three per cent post-rebasing, even as manufacturing sector continues to grow, the rebased GDP growth data, have shown.

According to Renaissance Capital, (Rencap), the financial sector’s growth contribution fell in 2003 because of high interest rates and tight liquidity, hence the sector remained unchanged at three per cent compared to Kenya’s growth rate at 4.5 per cent.

“We think Nigeria’s low banking penetration and the likelihood of lower rates from 2H15 imply significant growth potential for banks,” said RenCap. The research and financial services firm argued that an analysis of Nigeria’s growth

rates under the rebased GDP revealed that growth was 2 percentage point (ppts) lower; while growth drivers, shows that telecoms is a maturing and slower-growing sector just as the growth sectors are manufacturing –particularly food, cement and textile producers – and real estate.

Specifically, it said that despite power deficit, manufacturing is a much bigger, fastergrowing sector under the new series 9 per cent of GDP as against 4 percent previously.

While the sector in 2013, recorded substantial growth of 22 per cent against 14 per cent in 2012, comprising one-third of total growth, the experts noted that food, beverage and tobacco producers account for half of the manufacturing sector.

However, it attributed the sub-sector’s growth of 12 per cent in 2013 against 7 percent in 2012, to Nigeria’s large population of upwardly mobile consumers, particularly in the south-west, coupled with investments in power; stressing that the strong growth of manufacturers, including food producers and breweries is sustainable.

Besides, it argued that several

of the smaller manufacturing sub-sectors are growing even faster than food producers, citing cement, which only comprised 1 per cent of GDP, grew by a sizeable 39 per cent in 2013, up from a strong 14 per cent in 2012.

This is consistent with a fast-growing construction sector (14.2per cent in 2013, against 9.4 per cent in 2012) and real estate sector 12 per cent against 5.6 per cent.

Nigeria’s cement stocks give exposure to strong expansion in the building material itself, as well as the construction, real estate and infrastructure sectors.

Rencap also believed that

telecoms contribution to Nigeria’s real GDP growth strengthened to 5.5per cent in 2013 as against 6.9 per cent under the old GDP Series, from 4.2 per cent in 2012 against 6.6 per cent.

The downward growth revision, being expected, it averred was in part, the result of better measurement of previously understated but fast-growing sectors, such as telecoms.

It maintained that under the new series, telecoms accounts for 9 per cent of GDP against 5 per cent previously and grew by 4.7 per cent in 2013 against 25 per cent.

Accordingly, it said that

the rebased growth numbers confirm that telecoms’ rapid growth is in the past and the sector has matured while the decline of oil and gas partly explains the lower growth, particularly in 2013 when the sector contracted by a sizeable 13 per cent and shaved 1.5 percentage points off total growth.

On the other hand, the upside for finance given lower penetration, lower rates outlook, the trade and real estate sectors trumped agriculture and financial services in 2013, to become among the top three growth drivers, together with manufacturing.

Five stocks gained N551bn in Q2 C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

by 12.2 per cent to close at N14.027 trillion at the close of trading last Monday from N12,312 trillion opening at the beginning of trading on April 1st, 2014.

The NSE All Shares Index rose by 9.77 per cent for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014, from 38,331.78 points it opened during the beginning of trading in April 1st 2014, to close at 42,482.48 points on Monday.

The listing of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc and Caverton Offshore Group Plc, a leading oil and gas service firm providing marine and aviation logistics during the quarter, gave a boost to the NSE’s market capitalisation.

While Seplat contributed about $1.9billion (N295.4 billion) to the market capitalisation, Caverton Offshore Group spurred market capitalisation

by N32 billion ($198 million), a move believed to have buoyed market confidence especially on local level.

The Exchange said recently that more investors are returning to the capital market, increasing domestic participation.

The Executive Director, Business Development, NSE, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, said this in Lagos at the 2014 ‘Putting Investors First’ Day organised by the Exchange in partnership with the CFA Society of Nigeria.

Jalo-Waziri said, although the Nigerian capital market shows signs of improved investor confidence, the Exchange still has work to do.

He said: “Year-to-date 2014, local investors participation in

our market outweighs foreign participation. It can be recalled that as of end of first quarter 2013, local investors accounted for close to 60 per cent of transaction value in the Nigerian capital market, while foreign investors were responsible for about 40 per cent.

L-R: Regional Sales Director, South West, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Afeez Ajibowu; Guinness Distributor of the Year 2014/ Managing Director, Edinho Nigeria Limited, Mr Edmond Okafor and Regional Sales Director, South East, Guinness Nigeria, Mr Chizoba Ojielo, at the 2014 Guinness Nigeria Sales and Distributors Award ceremony in Lagos.

Lagos, three other cities among five largest markets by 2020 EMERGING These cities are likely to have more than $25 billion every year in spending Dayo Ayeyemi

L

agos, Johannesburg, Alexandria, Cairo, and Cape Townare are likely to have more than $25 billion every year in spending, comparable to Mumbai or New Delhi in India by 2020, analyses by experts have revealed.

Many smaller African markets, including Ibadan, Kano, Dakar, according to Venture Africa, are also likely to develop consumer markets worth $10 billion per year.

Besides, it noted that the consumer facing sectors in Africa will largely be responsible for this growth. These sectors include the likes of telecommunications, consumer goods and banking.

A combined $860 million, according to the report, was spent on these sectors in 2008 and it

is projected to increase to $1.4 trillion over the next five years if real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continues to grow at current pace.

As household income grows, consumption will increase in retail banking, telecommunications, food and beverages, and housing. This will, in turn, spur more consumer markets large enough to be attractive to more multinational companies; in many ways, this looks like a virtuous cycle, added the report.

“To become more mature and viable, Africa’s markets need lots of Infrastructure and this is an opportunity for companies and investors. Africa still has huge power, transportation and water gaps that will require upwards of $70 billion invested in infrastructure per year to bridge. This can be achieved by concerted efforts involving African governments, African and international businesses and investors.

“Once this is handled, Africa’s economic fortunes will skyrocket,” the report said.

By 2040, Africa can be home to 20 per cent of the world’s young people and will probably have the largest working age population, the report concluded.

PPMC, Port Harcourt, Warri refineries’ pipeline contracts flop C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

Port Harcourt is the same thing, it is absolutely impossible.”

A source at the NNPC told our correspondent that these contracts were signed at the first quarter of this year.

Aside from the pipeline business, the PPMC operates a fleet of marine vessels used for moving products along Nigeria’s coastal water – from Port Harcourt and Warri to Lagos and from Port Harcourt to Calabar.

These are vessels of varying capacities.

Managing Director of PPMC, Mr Haruna Momoh, had earlier disclosed that the federal government and International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have lost a total N376 billion in five years to pipeline vandalism.

Mr Momoh, who said this, maintained that the loss was recorded between 2008 and 2013.

The activities of vandals, he said, had made it difficult for PPMC to meet up its obligation in delivering oil and gas products to their various destinations across the country.

Represented at the workshop

by Executive Director Commercial, PPMC, Francis Amego, the PPMC boss said: “Pipeline vandalism has been a major challenge to downstream sector as it truncates effective product distribution within the network.

“The vision that drives PPMC is to provide petroleum products to the domestic market at affordable prices. But the activities of these unscrupulous elements have been a hindrance to achieving these objectives,” he said.

According to him, the PPMC pipeline network’s current assets amount to 5,120 kilometres.

He added that the company had 21 petroleum products depots, eight liquefied petroleum gas depots, two offshore product terminals and four jetties across the country.

The PPMC boss called for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in the National Assembly.

He expressed optimism that the Bill would go a long a way in accelerating the development of the downstream sector and also open ways for deregulated market to reduce cost.

33

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FCT indigenes laud Jonathan on devt

A

group under the aegis of FCT Indigenes Coalition Groups has lauded infrastructure development within the city under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

The group also commended the president for his inclusive manner of administering FCT, saying that the indigenes are often involved in the policy formulation.

Its coordinator, Bussa Danjuma, told journalists in Abuja that though the president was yet to declare his ambition to contest for a second term

in office, his transformation agenda in the Federal Capital Territory has compelled the indigenes to embark on early campaign for him.

“The FCT indigenes are not blind people. Before we came up with this position, we have compared notes with previous administrations of the territory. To be honest, the appointment of Senator Bala Mohammed as FCT Minister by President Jonathan is a blessing for us. Before his appointment, no minister of FCT sought our inputs in any policy formulation.”

Danjuma, who is also a commissioner representing FCT in the Revenue Mobilization Commission, stated that the group has signalled the campaign by erecting bill boards in the strategic locations in the territory a few months ago.

The coordinator urged his people to support the FCT administration in view of the task ahead, noting that the altercation between the FCT administration and some natives over the demolition of illegal structures at Lungu village was regrettable.

National Planning Commission, AISG sign MOU Amadi Nnamdi Abuja

he National Planning ComTrican mission (NPC) and the AfInfrastructure Summit

Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a partnership to further implement the National Integrated Infrastructure Masterplan.

Secretary of NPC, Fidelis Ugbo, said that the partnership would offer the two bodies the needed opportunity to sell the content of the National Integrated Infrastructure Master plan to critical stakeholders in the private sector.

“About a year ago, we started the duty of developing a national integrated infrastructural master plan for Nigeria. Having developed the document, the next stage is to make sure that the document is operational. We need to think about how we can effectively implement it, how we can bring the content of this document to the attention of those who are expected to be stakeholders in actualising the content and

there is no way we can do that without partnering with the private sector.” he stated.

Ugbo hinted that “most often in the past, government used to have this wrong belief that they know everything and they can do everything, but the experience we have had over the years has shown us clearly that is a misnomer. If we want to see real sustainable development, we have to partner with the private sector, we need to allow them to bring in their experience to bear on whatever we are doing.”

The secretary assured that NPC on its part will keep to the terms of this agreement. “We look forward to you selling the document to the world, not just to Nigerians, so that we can have a meaningful relationship which will be beneficial to both the private sector and government.”

Responding, Onuoha Nnachi, principal consulting partner of AISG, stated that the group, in conjunction with NPC, is determined to turn potentials into opportunities for investors.

Bristow donates helicopter to Aviation College Wole Shadare service provider, Bristow Helicopter Nigeria HLtdelicopter has donated a training heli-

L-R: Managing Director, Nigerian Gas Company, Dafe Sejebor; Chairman, Green Russetts Group, Mr. Stanley Jegede and Managing Director, Green Russetts Energy Mr. Anyim Ude (Jr), during the signing of Joint Venture Agreement between Nigerian Gas Company and Green Russetts Energy on West Africa Gas Marketing in Abuja PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

FG launches image-laundering project Kenneth Tyohemba Abuja

A

s part of efforts aimed at creating a positive perception about Nigeria, the Federal Government has launched an initiative tagged “Nigeria, Our Heritage Project.”

The project, which is the brainchild of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism seeks collaboration of Nigerian companies as major stakeholders in building a new Nigeria and also support enterprises that promote positive perception of the country.

In his address at the launch in Abuja, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, said that the project also seeks to chronicle Nigeria’s past and present while projecting progressive initiatives for the future.

“Through the ‘Nigeria, Our

Heritage Project’ we shall celebrate the rich cultural inheritance and vast economic endowment of Nigeria as well as the large market the country offers,” Duke stated.

He bemoaned the western media’s constant negative reportage about the country, noting that Nigerians all over the world have stretched the boundary of creativity, but has however not been portrayed in positive light by the international media.

“In the last few months, there has been a global conspiracy against Nigeria; a lot of indignity has been dished to the leadership and humiliation to the country by western media; Nigerians have stretched the boundaries of creativity and stretched milestones, there is the need for a new story of Nigeria to begin,” Duke said.

He stated further that the committee for the project has

already been set up with Prof.

George Obiozor as chairman.

The project, he said, will take the form of publications, documentaries, and conferences/events under committees that will feature some of Nigeria’s finest scholars.

copter for the training of engineers in The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

Speaking during the presentation of the helicopter to officials of NCAT at the Bristow Helicopters office in Lagos, General Manager, Human Resources, Bristow Helicopter, Mr. Femi Collins, said that the gesture was part of the company’s programme of improving Nigerians skill and training in the field of aviation.

Collins noted that Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Ltd has been partnering with NCAT for many years in the area of human capacity development, adding that there currently

exists a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations.

“In line with the terms of our relationship with NCAT and in furtherance of our commitment to developing manpower skill and expertise in the Nigeria aviation industry, it will be nice to state that the helicopter we are donating today and previous supports to the college is not solely for the training of Bristow Helicopters sponsored candidates alone but for all students of the college and the aviation industry in general”, he stated.

Giving assurances that the company will continue to do more at ensuring the improvement of the quality of manpower in the industry, Collins also noted that Bristow Helicopters spends a minimum of N4 million on each of the 20 trainees it sponsors to NCAT annually.

Group praises Schneider Electric Licensed Electrical Con- was based on reports received for its members to sustain their Triahetractors Association of Nige- from its members across the businesses by retaining the con(LECAN) has commended country approving the com- fidence of their customers.

Schneider Electric, one of the global energy giants, for the quality of its products in Nigeria.

LECAN gave the commendation in Abuja in an event where it conferred an award on Schneider Electric for its positive role in the nation’s electricity sector.

National President of the LECAN, Otunba Dele Akintola, said that the recognition

pany’s products to be of very high standards when compared to similar one from other companies.

Akintola noted that despite the current global economic challenges, the company has continued to provide the Nigerian power and energy sector with quality products.

He further said that the products coming from Schneider Electric has made it possible

Receiving the award, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Schneider Electric, English West Africa, Marcel Hochet, expressed delight at the honour accorded his company.

Hochet noted that the award will further motivate the company to continue to partnership with members of the association in order to ensure that electricity remains in safe hands.

34

FCT | BUSINESS WATCH

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Inadequate working capital stifles capacity utilisation, says Oluikpe Mr Elijah Oluikpe is the managing director of Eliunol & Company Ltd, an indigenous paint manufacturing company. In this interview with Simeon Ogoegbulem, he speaks on Nigerian paint industry and its challenges. Excerpts What are the challenges facing the paint industry?

Several challenges confront the paint industry in Nigeria. The challenges are multi-dimensional, ranging from influx of inferior and adulterated products to lack of necessary support from government at all levels and lack of adequate working capital. First is the influx of inferior and adulterated paints into the country. These inferior products usually come from Asian countries through neighbouring West African countries, especially Benin Republic. These products easily find their ways into the country because of porous borders. The influx of these products which come rather cheaper greatly affects patronage of indigenous products. The sad thing however is that consumers who buy them pay more in the long run because the paints are not designed for tropical whether like Nigeria. The density of both the sun and rain are higher than the density of rain and sun of most Asian countries and also affect the beauty of the architectural designs. Secondly, most local paint manufacturers do not get enough government patronage. Most times, government agencies are not genuinely interested in the growth of the industry.

It will do more good for the industry if there is a standing regulation that ensures that builders make use of locally manufactured paints that have passed the necessary industrial standards. We also have the challenge of funding. Most local paint manufacturers are cash strapped and this makes it very difficult to expand production. Due to lack of adequate working capital, most factories are producing below installed capacity. With adequate working capital, these industries will increase their production capacity and this will, in turn, increase employment opportunities for the Nigerian youths as well as increase research and development.

What are the major considerations when choosing a paint product?

There is this tendency by people to be attracted by name only when choosing a paint product. There are different paints for different types of jobs. That a particular paint is manufactured by a particular company does not necessarily guarantee that it would be good for that particular purpose. For instance, you do not apply emulsion paint where an ultra-screed product is required. Similarly, you do not apply texture paint when what is needed is anti-corrosion products. So, the nature of the painting work determines what type of paint that will be applied. It is advisable that one engages the right professionals in his building projects in order to have full value for his money. I always tell people that in building, you do not cut corners. Doing that will only amount to postponing the evil day and in the end, it becomes more expensive. People should stick to original products in their building requirements. It may seem expensive, but if you consider the price of having your building not being able to stand the vagaries of whether in the long run, you discover that it is cheaper in the long run.

What is your target market?

The target market for Eliunol is the building and construction industry generally. When I say the building industry, I refer to builders from individual to corporate players in the real estate sector of the economy. These are estate developers and building cooperatives. We do not segregate

Oluikpe

Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

in our choice of clients. Our desire is to ensure that builders, whether individual or large scale, use our products in finishing their houses. Crown Reality Estate Plc, PZ Cussons Plc and Fist Bank of Nigeria Plc are among our large scale clients.

But one thing that is not in dispute is that all who have used any of our range of products have not regretted the decision. Funny enough, at the beginning, we practically begged some of them to use our products. But as the saying goes that good product markets itself, those who gave us the benefit of the doubt have not looked back since then.

It is now our product first before any other. So, in summary, our target market cuts across mass markets, public buildings and banks.

Nigeria. After several years of research, we found out that most of the paints that are being brought into the country are not suitable for our weather.

Our weather is a typically tropical one and most of the products in the market then and even now are not made for tropical weather. So we decided to do something.

Elinuol has since its inception produced very high quality products and services and has earned considerable goodwill from key players in the Nigerian building and construction industry. The company’s products have won many awards and certifications including the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON). The company does not compromise its mission to maintain an all-time quality paint and corrosion products and services in line with global best practices.

What led to the emergence of Eliunol & Company Ltd Elinuol and Company Nigeria Limited is a fully incorporated Nigerian indigenous company that came into existence in 1985. The company is engaged in the production of paints and corrosion control products. We started business with an initial share capital of N10,000 which was later increased to N100,000. Following increased business activities and growing clientele base, the share capital was in March 1996, increased to N1.1 million. The company commenced full industrial production of paints in 2000 at the incubator centre of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in Aba, Abia State. The company has since moved to its present site and has been modernising its production equipment. The company which started from a one site factory now has over 12 depots across Nigeria. We have representative offices in all strategic towns and cities across

Most times, government agencies are not genuinely interested in the growth of the industry. It will do more good for the industry if there is a standing regulation that ensures that builders make use of locally manufactured paints

Any plans to look beyond the Nigerian market?

Well, we are not yet looking outside Nigeria.

Nigeria is a very big market. We want to satisfy the Nigerian market first. That is why we are planning towards expanding our production base. I will not say that we are being overwhelmed by the increasing demand for our products, but we are on our toes to meet such demands. Like I said earlier, a good product markets itself. Those who have used our products are now spreading the good news to everybody. So, we are working round the clock to meet our local market for now. However, due to rising demand from those who have used our products, especially those who either reside outside the country or have one thing or the other to do outside our shores, we are on the verge of engaging representatives in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. We hope to conclude the arrangements soon. And as soon as we conclude that, our products will be sold in those three countries. And that will be the stepping stone to launching into the African market.

Can you give us a brief overview of the range of your paints on offer?

Like I said earlier, Elinuol is into paint manufacturing. Our brand of products cut across emulsion, texture ultra-screed, motar, satin, gloss, water proof motar, industrial paints and anti-corrosion products.

In all these, we produce decorative paints for buildings.

BUSINESS | MONEY 35

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Godson Ikoro

T

he recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) prohibition of loan defaulters from access to further credit facilities in the Nigeria Banking sector has raised so many questions, regarding bank utilisation of the credit bureau reports and the relevance of credit Bureaus in the system.

In a letter, three weeks ago to Deposit Money banks, Development Finance Institutions and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the banking watchdog, noted with concern the impunity with which some loan defaulters in some institutions are given further credit facilities by other institutions under the same or sometimes different identity.

The Emefiele -led CBN expressed the fear that this could have triggered off serial defaults and a buildup of non-performing loans, which could negatively impact liquidity in the financial sector and ultimately hamper its stability.

A Credit Bureau is primarily a system for efficiently exchanging credit information. The information captured by a credit bureau has predictive capabilities.

The principal use of credit bureau data is to predict obligor’s risk (a person or business to whom credit is granted will not default).

The decision to establish Credit Bureaus in Nigeria featured in the presidential budget speech of 1990. Thereafter, legal backing by the CBN Act No. 24 of 1991 (Section 28 and 52) was amended.

The enabling legislation empowered the CBN to obtain from all banks, returns of credits with a minimum outstanding balance of N1million and make inquiry on any intending borrower to determine eligibility or otherwise and banks and penalised for non compliance with the provisions of the Act. CBN’s verdict In order to check the menace of this resurgence of non-performing loans, and furtherance of the CBN’s mandate of maintaining a safe and sound financial system, the bank said that hence forth, no institution shall without its written approval grant a facility to a potential borrower who is in default of any existing facility to the tune of N500 million and above in the case of deposit money banks and N250million and above in the case of development banks.

Furthermore, it said no institution should grant a facility to any potential borrower who has a delinquent facility of any amount whatsoever, which has been taken over by the AMCON, without its prior approval.

These measures have brought to the front burner, the relevance and roles of

UBA MD, Phillips Oduoza

FCMB MD, Ladi Balogun

Are credit bureaus’ report really accepted by banks? the credit bureaus as well as their underlying functions and objectives.

Some of the credit bureaus in the country include, CR Services (Credit Bureau) Plc; CRC Credit Bureau Limited, Credit Registry among others.

Although credit bureau is still burgeoning in Nigeria, in the last four years, their operations ought to have grown reasonably to the point that Deposit Money Banks and Financial Institutions should comply with CBN regulations on use of credit bureau report to clear the intending borrowers.

In fact, prior to the advent of Godwin Emefiele as the Governor of the apex, his predecessor, Acting Governor, Sarah Alade, said that as at May 2014, the Credit Bureaus had recorded 33million registered borrowers in at least four years.

Credit bureau’s role She acknowledged that the credit Bureaus help the CBN in managing credit risk through the provision of adequate information on entrepreneurs, seeking for credits. However, she emphasised the need for financial institutions to use the services of credit bureaus. The CBN mandated banks to have data exchange with at least two credit bureaus.

The banks were to return credit with a minimum of N1 and make inquiry on any intending borrower to determine eligibility or otherwise.

But the prohibitions of the regulator on banks and financial institutions indicate that banks gave a deaf ear to the call or that the banks willfully, disregard the capacity, character and integrity reports of the bureau.

Expert’s view Throwing more light on the sig-

A creditor to approve or deny credit; rather, it assists creditors with assessing the risks posed by the obligor that is the subject of the report

nificance of credit bureaus, Mr. Taiwo Ayedun, founder and CEO of Credit Registry, Nigeria’s first private credit bureau, said that credit bureau data also contains intrinsic characteristics that can be used for predictive purposes.

He listed credit bureau data to include creditors, such as banks, mortgage lenders, leasing agencies and other businesses that provide services to consumer credit, including landlords, telecom and utility service providers such as State Water Corporations etc. However, because of other intrinsic characteristics of credit information, employers, for example, may use information from a credit bureau to predict employee reliability, while insurers may use credit bureau information to determine insurance risk for prospective policyholders.

Functionally, Ayedun said the primary product of a credit bureau is a credit report. However, a credit bureau may provide additional products and services that leverage the predictive powers of the credit information it holds.

Specifically, he asserted that a credit report reflects an obligor’s own past payment history, or reputation as it were. It contains information on previous credits obtained by the obligor, including the principal amount of each credit item, the balance on the credit item, collateral pledged for the credit, the performance of the credit - such as whether the obligor is late in making payments, among others.

Empirical evidence suggests that including both negative (delinquencies and defaults) and positive credit information (information relevant to the obligor’s ability to repay) in a credit report expands credit availability and reduces defaults, Ayedun said, A credit report may contain a credit or rating score, which is usually a number or combination of letters that is a measure of the obligor’s creditworthiness relative to other subjects in the credit bureau database. The credit score is frequently used in developed markets to automate retail credit approval, thus reducing creditor costs while improving credit appraisal efficiency and credit availability, he said.

Without information from a credit bureau, he argued that creditors typically must impose an additional risk

premium prior to giving loans; stressing that subsequent higher loan fees and interest rates can put undue pressure on business profitability, which frequently leads to higher rates of default.

Credit reports and credit score, he averred, enable creditors to be proactive in preventing debt problems, even for existing account holders. Credit reports replace face-to-face evaluation of character and capacity with a less evasive, more accurate assessment based on documented prior behaviour. By providing a comprehensive picture of the obligor’s credit history, credit report data allow creditors to prevent overextension, leading to low default rates.

Consequently, Ayedun said, a credit report does not instruct a creditor to approve or deny credit; rather, it assists creditors with assessing the risks posed by the obligor that is the subject of the report.

He explained that if the credit history in the credit report shows a pattern of frequent defaults, the creditor, according to its own internal risk rules for the specific loan product, may classify the obligor as high risk and, thus, highly likely to default.

On the other hand, a credit report that shows a pattern of timely payments may enable a creditor to classify the obligor as not likely to default. Of course, creditors use additional pertinent information to determine risk, such as the obligor’s income or cash flow, total outstanding credit obligations, length of employment or business history, etc. Ultimately, the decision to grant or deny credit remains with the creditor.

While the primary beneficiaries of credit report information appear to be creditors, obligors should view their credit reports as an asset. A creditworthy customer is attractive to creditors; such a customer may earn better interest rates on loans, lower loan processing fees, better product pricing, and other preferred status privileges.

Conclusion Armed with this report, banks should not claim ignorant of the predator borrowers. The apex bank therefore should come down heavily on defaulters.

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BUSINESS | THE INVESTOR

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Demutualisation: Kenya beats Nigeria Chris Ugwu

I

t is no longer news that the process of the demutualising the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which was initiated about 13 years ago, is still on course. What is news is that its counterpart in Africa, Kenya’s Stock Exchange that conceived the idea eight years ago, would before the end of this month hold an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and list its stock.

Meaning of demutualisation Demutualisation is a process by which a member-owned Exchange is converted to a shareholder-owned Exchange. With demutualisation, the NSE would be exposed to robust corporate governance; enhanced efficiency and transparency associated with publicly quoted companies. It allows the Exchange to be listed on its own floor where investors would have the opportunity of investing in the self-regulatory organisation. It also allows the Exchange to be competitive and to take up investments that could enhance efficiency and returns for shareholders.

Demutualisation has become a worldwide phenomenon. Exchanges that have demutualised include the Singapore Stock Exchange, Japan’s Nikkei, New York’s NASDAQ and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, among others.

Each of these Exchanges has gained global recognition and patronage since they went public.

Since the plan was conceptualised in Nigeria, it has pitched key capital market operators against one another.

The delay in showing a genuine commitment to the process was believed in some quarters as one of the reasons that led to the sack of the former director general, Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke aside from the allegation of financial mismanagement and corporate governance lapses.

However, with the reported progress being made by Nigeria’s regulators on demutualisation, market watchers had hoped that Nigeria will demutualise ahead of any other country in Africa apart from South Africa, given the fact that the recent rebasing has put the country as the largest economy in the continent.

Kenya’s Stock Exchange If wishes were horses, the beggar would ride, the news that Kenya’s stock exchange will become the second publicly traded African bourse with a share sale that was planned at least five years ago, once again remind us on how good policies remained a hard sale in Nigeria.

According to Bloomberg news, Nairobi Securities Exchange Limited will hold an IPO from July 24 to August 12 and list stock on the market. The FTSE NSE Kenya 25 Index has climbed 15 per cent this year, compared with a 17 per cent gain in the MSCI FM Frontier Markets index.

“We are putting our money where our mouth is,” Head of Market and Product Development Donald Ouma said by phone recently. “We are saying capital markets are the best place to raise long-term capital.”

Kenya’s stock exchange first announced plans for selling shares in 2009. The market has been seeking ways to deepen trading and attract listings from companies in East Africa’s largest economy. The 62-member allshare index has a value of 2.14 trillion shillings ($24 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“We are also looking into new prod-

Ms Aruma Oteh

ucts and services such as derivatives and real-estate investment trusts, and we are better suited to do so as a listed entity,” Ouma said.

JSE Ltd. (JSE), the operator of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Africa’s first listed Exchange, gained 11 per cent this year, compared with a 12 per cent increase in the FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index.

Conception in Nigeria The idea of demutualising the NSE was mooted in 2001 under the administration of the former Director General Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke.

Okereke-Onyiuke had explained that the global securities markets terrain is replete with cases of the transformation of Exchanges from not-for-profit-mutual-membership organizations to for-profit limited liability companies.

She said demutualisation promises to improve the governance and overall efficiency of stock exchanges and it was proposed for implementation at the Exchange solely for these reasons.

She noted that the whole process of demutualization of the Exchange is in its infancy and still evolving, stressing that to say that it was an arrangement for the leadership of the Exchange to corner the shares of the demutualized Exchange was baseless.

Okereke-Onyiuke said the decision to demutualize the Exchange was made by the council and approved by members of the Exchange (stockbroking firms, banks, state investment companies and other financial institutions, and ordinary members) at the NSE annual general meeting (AGM) of 2006.

“The general public, as stakeholders in the stock market, have been duly informed of this development. Therefore, anybody trying to portray it negatively is being unfair to the Exchange’s council and management”, she said.

She noted that demutualization is also part of the enterprise transformation programme of the Exchange, which the council has commissioned an international consulting firm, Acenture, to handle.

Why the delay?

Some stock market operators had

Onyema

blamed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the delay in the demutualisation of the Exchange, saying the commission is yet to release the guidelines on the process.

The Board of the SEC had inaugurated a technical committee in September 2011 to develop a legal framework for the demutualisation of the NSE and the committee had submitted its recommendations to the commission since March 2012.

However, two years after, market operators and stakeholders have continued to wait for the guidelines.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, had also said that while the Exchange was eager to demutualise, it cannot complete the process all by itself, explaining there are other stakeholders that are making contributions to ensure that the exercise will be successful.

NSE also said last January that it had concluded arrangement to hire two financial advisers (one International and one Nigerian) to undertake the assignment of advising it through the process of demutualisation.

NSE in a circular said it’s seeking invitation for expressions of interest for financial advisory services towards its demutualisation.

According to the Exchange, in furtherance of the efforts to commence its demutualisation, the National Council of the NSE has given approval to engage the services of a consortium of two financial advisers (one International and one Nigerian) to undertake

If Nigerians are called upon to own shares in the stock market, it would help create awareness in the market, give investors a ‘sense of belonging and bring more local investors to participate

the assignment of advising it through the process.

The Director-General, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, while filing questions from newsmen recently assured operators and players in the market that the guidelines on the planned demutualisation had been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, adding that it would be reviewed to ensure that public interest was protected.

She said, “We agree about the importance of demutualisation to Nigerians and that is why we started early on the issue. In 2011, we set up an industry committee on demutualisation who did an excellent work and presented the report to the board.

“We also consulted with the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Stock Exchange to work with us in developing guidelines and the board considered it and we submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

She added, “I believe that the ministry of finance is reviewing it to make sure that public interest is not affected by the issue and that is why they are being diligent and taking their time to consider these issues. I also believe that government is aware of the importance of public interest and that is why they are taking time to review this issue and the guideline we submitted to the ministry of finance is not just focused on NSE but can be used for any other demutualisation work anytime.”

Conclusion In order to help speed-up full recovery of the local bourse, there is need to fast track the process of demutaualisation of stock exchange.

This is because when membership of the NSE is opened to majority of Nigerians and if they are called upon to own shares in the stock market, it would help create awareness in the market, give investors a ‘sense of belonging and bring more local investors to participate.

The ownership structure of the NSE would also be properly structured and when this is done, corporate governance would be strengthened. This would ultimately boost investors’ confidence to stake their funds in the market.

BUSINESS | BRANDS & MARKETING 37

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

AAAN maintains status quo as new president emerges ELECTED Members of AAAN have elected new officers

I

n line with its tradition, the immediate past vice-president of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Kelechi Nwosu, has emerged as the new president of the association.

Except on very few occasions, incumbent vice presidents have always emerged presidents.

Nwosu, the Managing Director of TBWA/Concept, emerged president at the just-

ended 41st AGM/congress of the association, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua centre, Abuja.

He contested against Lanre Adisa of Noah’s Ark and coasted home with 37 votes while his opponent had 13.

Nwosu will lead the next executive council alongside Kayode Oluwasona (vice president) and Shola Adegborioye (Honorary Treasurer). Others are Ikechi Odigbo of DDB and Victor Otabo of Rosabel elected as publicity secretary and assistant publicity secretary respectively.

The immediately past president, Mrs Bunmi Oke, Mrs Bisi Afolabi, Sam Osunsoko,

and Demola Olusunmade also emerged as ex-officio members.

One of the country’s foremost advertising practitioners, Odun Fadoju, has, however, urged the new president to, among others, reposition the association.

“Kelechi (Nwosu) needs to reposition AAAN in view of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)’s reform. He also needs to reorganise the Education Committee of AAAN because the association has lost focus in this direction. Lastly, the LAIF Award needs to have international flavour for better recognition,” Fadoju said.

L-R: Ex-Nigerian International and Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) 4 Technical Adviser, Peter Rufai; Chairman, Surulere Local Government Area, Tajudeen Ajide with Airtel’s Regional Operations Director, Lagos, Femi Oshinlaja, at the ARS 4 Lagos Zonal Finals, held at National Institute of Sports, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Goldberg leverages on Osun Oshogbo festival the second year running, always try our best to make FbyorGoldberg lager beer, brewed sure that everyone who particNigerian Breweries, has ipates in the festivities takes been adopted as the official beer of the Osun Oshogbo Festival.

Speaking on the development, the Ataoja of Oshogbo land, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Olanipekun II, commended Goldberg for its steadfast commitment and support to the festival and the Yoruba culture.

“It goes without saying that the Osun Oshogbo Festival is regarded as a very important festival, not only in Yoruba land and Nigeria, but also in the world. The event is a huge tourist attraction that lures the global community to Oshogbo in Osun State. Goldberg’s identification with the celebrations shows the brand’s commitment to the customs and values of the Yoruba people and we are happy about it,” he said.

According to the paramount ruler, Goldberg’s participation in the event will make the celebrations more memorable than previous editions.

He said: “As organisers, we

away a unique experience.

With Goldberg’s involvement in this year’s edition, we are sure that it will be even bigger and better than what we had in the past.”

Also, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Oladipo Soyode, also commended Goldberg for the sponsorship initiative.

He noted that Goldberg’s efforts will not only bring more glamour and excitement to the festivities, but will also contribute to the local economy of Osun State.

“We are always grateful when corporate organisations contribute their quota to an important cause like this.

Goldberg’s involvement, no doubt, will bring more glamour to the event and contribute to the local economy of the people of Osun State, which will consequently increase their disposable income,” he said.

Mouka set to reward customers ouka Limited has comM menced “Instant win promo” where consumers will win instant prizes inserted in the Mouka mattress.

The promo which will run from July 17 is set to reward loyal consumers and the general public who purchase Mouka Flora, Legend, Mondeo, Fantasia, Regal, Regina and Royal brand of products.

The National Business Manager, Mouka Limited, Mr Olufemi Asa, said that the promo is in line with the company’s objective of delivering on its brand promise of adding comfort to the lives of Nigerians.

He added: “At Mouka, we are dedicated to providing quality mattresses that help our con-

sumers have a good night rest after a hard day’s work. It is only fair that we reward our devoted consumers and also people who are interested in purchasing our top ranges of mattresses to enhance their sleep experience.”

Explaining the modalities of the promo, Marketing Manager, Mouka Limited, Mr Olusegun Ajala, said that mattress sizes of 6X4.5 and above in the comfort or luxury ranges has the free gift inside, adding that choice of mattress purchased will determine the instant prize which ranges from neck rest, mosquito nets, towels, to shopping bags.

Ajala stated that prizes will be redeemed immediately at the purchase centres.

Mansard equity soars with new award ansard Insurance Plc has been recognised as M the Most Trusted Insurance

Company in Nigeria by the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).

According to the institute, the award is in appreciation and recognition of Mansard giving a new face to insurance business by building trust, reliability as well as introducing innovative products in the insurance industry.

The institute added that the NIMN Corporate Award for Organisations is awarded to recognise exemplary achievement by Nigeria’s organisations or institutions.

Speaking on behalf of Mansard Insurance Plc while receiving the award, an executive director of the company, Mr Kunle Ahmed, thanked the institute for the recognition

and promised that Mansard will not rest on its oars in delivering value-added services to Nigerians.

The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) is the professional body for marketing professionals engaged in marketing and related fields as marketing practitioners, sales and marketing directors, customer service managers, relationship directors, media planners, channel developers, creative directors, value builders, brand builders, enterprise builders, corporate and institutional governors, transfor mers, marketing and mass communication experts, general managers, chief executive officers, among others.

The institute was established through Act No. 25 of 2003.

New pack deepens Chivita 100% campaign IDENTITY Chi drives campaign with unique packaging

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new packaging design that further drives the Chivita 100 per cent campaign has been unveiled.

Speaking on the new design in Lagos recently, Managing Director, Chi Limited, makers of the Chivita brand, Mr Roy Deepanjan, said that the packaging change is the company’s way of injecting fresh energy into the brand so that it can take its pride of place on market shelves and in households, from living rooms to event halls and in the lives of consumers who cherish healthy living.

In an effort to avail Chivita 100% with more levels of engagement with the consumer, the website address, Facebook page, Twitter handle and LinkedIn contact addresses are featured on the pack.

Also, a statement from the company, said: “As we all know, ‘a clear brand message is worth a thousand words.’ And since brand messaging is about capturing the right language

that embodies a brand so that it stands out from the pack, it must be simple, short and, above all, memorable. For effectiveness, it must also parade instantly attractive packaging.

Nonetheless, the challenge of communicating a clear and effective brand message that will instantly resonate with consumers has always been an intimidating task for brand managers. This is because a very few brands are able to effectively match the message with each and every component of their brand or product.

“One brand which has successfully matched the message with each and every component of the brand is Chivita 100 per cent from the stable of Chi Limited, makers of fruit juices. Previously known as Chivita Premium, the new name, Chivita 100 per cent, along with the new trendy, modern and elegant packaging, delivers a supreme lesson in brand messaging,” the statement added.

Also, according to the company, operating in a challenging economy like Nigeria where marketing a brand is a complex and highly competitive task, finding a clear message

that works with the consumer may be the most difficult part of building a brand identity.

But by renaming Chivita to reflect the most crucial idea at the heart of the brand which is the 100 per cent pure fruit juice that contains no added sugar, no preservative and no added colours, Chivita has solidified its market leadership.

“Truly, in an increasingly health conscious society, consumers are most likely to choose a brand that lays emphasis on natural ingredients instead of products containing synthetic or genetically modified components. The visual architecture of the brand is even more endearing. Boldly written along the length of the pack is ‘100 per cent Fruit Juice’ while ‘No Added Sugar’ is placed at the heart of the design and written in clear language to give the information greater prominence than before.

Indeed, behind the Chivita’s title, the package design and the ad campaigns, is a strong, simple message that effectively communicate the core value of Chivita fruit juice as a pure and natural drink,” the company said.

38 BUSINESS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Apapa jam: Shipping businesses collapse There is palpable fear among port operators, users and government authorities over the huge investments being crumbled by the traffic gridlock in Apapa. It takes seven hours to get to Apapa Port from Mile-2 axis of the Apapa/Oshodi express way for a journey of 10 minutes. Also, ships are burning fuels at the Lagos anchorage in the last four weeks. They cannot berth to discharge their consignments writes Bayo Akomolafe

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overnment agencies, concessionaires, customs agents, truck operators as well as other port users in Nigerian port system have decried the current traffic gridlock along the major access road to the ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island.

The cargo dwell time at the ports has been increased from three to 10 days.

Chairman of the Seaport and Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) Princess Vicky Hashtrop, disclosed that vessels are currently queuing up at the ports to discharge cargoes because of lack of space while some could not berth since June.

Stakeholers lament She blamed the current situation on the concentration of tank farms at the port even as she called on the Federal Government to regulate the time for the receiving of empty containers as well as the movement of petroleum tankers.

Princess Hashtrop recounted: “The traffic has paralysed all commercial activities in Apapa. It is now a nightmare accessing Apapa, the resultant effect is that ships can no longer discharge because there are no trucks coming inside the port terminals to load cargo.

“The dwell time of ships has increased from three days to a minimum of ten days now and this is rather unfortunate, when the trucks cannot access the ports, how do you discharge ships, the ships are just lying at the anchorage there not being discharged,” she said.

AGONY Moves by Oyo State government to ensure the viability of dry port project fruitless

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bandoning the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, is not in the best interest of the state and even the nation’s economy.

Secretary to the state government, Lekan Ali, who led a delegation to the management of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in Lagos, said that the Ibadan ICD project had been abandoned in its incomplete state for too long.

Princess Haashtrop noted that the financial implication of this would be enormous on Nigerian economy because it would cost colossal money to charter vessels, adding that the cost of insurance will also be increased.

Also, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said that the perennial gridlock was destroying businesses and the economy of the country.

Speaking at its 2014 quarterly press conference on the economy in Lagos, LCCI President, Alhaji Remi Bello, lamented the total collapse of transportation logistics and access to the major ports in the country, saying that this had brought about an urgent need to relocate the tank farms to the outskirts of the city.

Bello noted that getting to the ports had become an unprecedented nightmare; moving out of the ports is even a greater nightmare, saying that the entire system had become totally dysfunctional and delivery of empty containers and the evacuation of cargo has become a terrifying experience.

He said: “To fix these, there is an urgent need to relocate the tank farms to the outskirts of the city. The current location of the tank farms is a major factor in the traffic congestion. They also constitute a serious safety hazard to citizens.

Railway revival “There is an urgent need to revive the rail system for the purpose of evacuating cargo from the Lagos ports. There is also an urgent need to make the refineries functional to re-

•Port users access facility by ferry

the problem.

He said: “In the short term, we are working with FERMA and the NPA. In addition, officials of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council just came back from the port of Akaba in Jordan where they have an effective truck manning system which we want to apply in solving these problems once and for all.”

Traffic gridluck on Apapa/Oshodi expressway

duce importation of petroleum products which will reduce the convergence of tankers at the various ports and an urgent need to improve the reliability, safety and integrity of pipelines across the country as a means of moving petroleum products.

“This, in fact, is the most efficient and cost effective mode of transportation of petroleum products.”

Bello insisted that this development has been taking its toll on the private sector and the entire economy, especially in frequent accidents resulting from fallen containers in transit because of the state of the roads and high demurrage resulting from the slow evacuation of cargo.

Haulage charges rise He disclosed that charges

by haulage vehicles had increased astronomically because of the long travel time as well as turnaround time resulting from the slow pace of cargo evacuation from the ports, paralysis of other businesses along the axis because of reduced patronage due to reduced access by customers.

Shippers' Council appeals Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello, has assured that he was working with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Road Management Authority (FERMA) to bring sanity to the traffic situation in Apapa.

Bello assured that the council was working with NPA and FERMA to proffer solution to

Operators blame government Port users who absolved themselves of any blame in the process, said that government should have made provision for holding bays for empty containers.

Chairman of Association of Maritime Trucks Owners, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, blamed the Federal Government for nothing putting proper things in place before concessioning the ports.

It was discovered that the situation is getting worse by the day as it now takes an average of four hours to drive from Ijora to Apapa.

Miffed by the development, NPA is making moves to summon stakeholders meeting over the gridlock It noted that the gridlock, which was affecting the smooth delivery of cargoes at the ports, was linked to bad access roads into Apapa, which had been worsened by the rainy season and the C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 8

Oyo decries neglect of dry port project He stressed the need for the resuscitation of the moribund infrastructures at the ICD and the establishment of a viable transport network system therefrom.

Ali said that there was the need for collaboration between the port regulator and other stakeholders in the transport sector to realise the possibility of a functional ICD not only in Ibadan but in other parts of the country.

He said that the absence of a functional rail line connecting the ICD was a major factor impeding the smooth take off of the project.

Ali added: “One thing that is very germane is the issue

of the rail, which is about 1.5 kilometres from Erumu from where you could have the connection and we have written a long while that the Federal Ministry of Transport should please consider, through the Nigeria Railway Corporation, the possibility of linking the dry port by rail so that when goods come into the country, they can be transported by rail.”

He noted that full operation of Ibadan ICD will boost Oyo State revenue, attract investors and increase employment of indigenes “We believe this is the time we want to get to that level of industrialisation. To check un-

employment and move in many investors as much as possible.”

Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, said that the idea of dry ports was conceived by the NSC to decongest the port and subsequently boost the nation’s economy.

He, however, said that the delay in the take-off of the Ibadan dry port was due to the fact that the council does not have the legal framework to establish the dry ports as ports of origin and ports of destination so that cargo can be consigned to them.

Bello explained: “It has not been easy for several reasons, chief of which is the argument

or gap in the legal frame work.

These ports are supposed to be designated and gazetted as port of destination and port of origin.

This has been going on because we have been steadfast in pushing and promoting the idea of dry ports. We have been pushing for this to be done. The minister of transport set up a committee which has made some recommendation and it has been forwarded to the president.

“But all pressure is now there and your governor and other governors who show concern on this should come together and put a lot of pressure so that this designation would be done,” Bello said.

BUSINESS | MARITIME

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

POLLUTION Maritime regulator identifies sources of marine pollution

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he Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has identified solid waste dumping, municipal waste from cities, agricultural toxic waste and oil spills as sources of marine pollution in the country.

NIMASA also listed decomposition of organic matter causing anoxic conditions, creation of micro climate and mutations, loss of biodiversity/depletion, damage of biodiversity, general loss of aesthetic, economic, cultural, social, political values of the ocean, water hyacinth invasion, among others, as some of the challenges militating against the marine environment.

Director General of the agency, Mr Ziakede Patrick

39

Agric, solid wastes are sources of pollution, says NIMASA Akpobolokemi stressed the need to collaborate with NIMASA in protecting the nation’s waterways from marine pollution and imbibe cleaner, peaceful and safe ecosystem.

Speaking at a one day workshop on community sensitisation organised by a non-profit group, the Center for Creative Arts Education (CREATE) in conjunction with NIMASA, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend, Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the agency’s Assistant Director, Marine Environmental Management Department, Mrs Felicia Chinwe Mogo, while delivering a paper titled: Peace, Safety and Security in the context of Sustainable Environment, also enumerated

some consequences of coastal pollution.

He commended the awareness programme, which was the grand finale of a one year sensitisation tour round the various coastal communities in the country by the two organisations.

The director general called for collaboration among individuals, states and regions in the country to demonstrate the political will to move on in protecting the nation’s waterways.

He noted: “Whether it is to organise clean-up campaigns, art exhibits, tree-planting drives, social media campaigns and different contests, every action counts. When multiplied by a global chorus, our individual voices and actions become

exponential in their impact.”

Speaking at the event, Mrs Hilda Dokubo, the Chief Executive Officer, CREATE, said that the awareness programme has started making positive impact among communities as a result of the knowledge and information that have been shared with the people on the issue of marine pollution.

She said: “We have been able to successfully bridge the gap between the people and the agency. We have also succeeded in waking up that consciousness that whatever we do with the waters will come back to us because 90 per cent of whatever we get in this country come from the waterways.

“The waterways are yours,

don’t empty wrong things into it just because the name is water, such things might block the water. If you find unnecessary things going on in the water, make report. The environment is yours.”

Also speaking at the workshop, the Area Manager of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Port Harcourt, Mr Abdullahi Dabai, said that inland waterways, which covers up to 28 states of the federation and criss-crosses the entire nation, is the best way economic development of Nigeria can be sustained.

He therefore urged Nigerians to collaborate with government on how to harness its potentials and ensure peaceful, safe and secure environment.

NPA to partner UNCTAD on training he Nigerian Ports AuthorTpartner ity (NPA) has resolved to with the United Na-

L-R: National President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Eugene Nweke; Director General, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Mrs Ify Anazonwu-Akerele; Chairman Nigeria Maritime Expo (NIMAREX), Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi and National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, at the 70th birthday colloquium of former MD of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Adebayo Sarumi, in Lagos.

Freight forwarders flay proposed vehicle acquisition scheme

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reight forwarders under the aegis of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), has questioned the proposed Federal Government’s vehicle acquisition finance scheme.

Its National President, Chief Eugene Nweke, in a write-up titled: “Auto Policy: Food for Thought,” explained that the proposed vehicle acquisition finance scheme does not address the challenges Nigerians are faced dealing with the new auto policy.

He said: “The irreconcilable questions here will be with what population census or indices or at what point or parameters or what measures data and ratio did the government deploy to arrive at its formulation to the extent of reasoning that Nigerians has no need to buy cars with money rather it will flag off a collaborative credit prod-

uct with banks so that Nigerian can own cars of their choice and pay back over a stipulated time on instalment basis?”

Nweke said that considering the factors militating against the new auto policy, Nigerians are not ready for the indirect ban on the importation of used vehicles.

“With regards to the principle of demand and supply, the consuming public is yet to be provided with an alternative before placing a seemingly indirect ban on second hand vehicles as the so called assemblers are yet to assemble enough to match the market demand,” he stated.

The NAGAFF president said that the new auto policy falls short of critical consideration given that “the policy does not have a legal backing; the power supply that will add the needed impetus to accelerate cheaper and reasonable assembling and

production cost is in a near state of comatose; the statistical validation of factors that led to the poor performance of the 1973 auto policy are still unaddressed; the steel rolling and melting sector is in a stagnant state of operations; foreign exchange rates fluctuates uncontrollably; the policy was not based on any empirical population census statistics to justify its drive and propagation; and there is no existing clearly defined road map, tailored in graduating phases, towards implementation of the policy.”

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, had at a press conference held in Lagos recently, disclosed that there were ongoing efforts between government and financial institutions to make available repayable loans for Nigerians to purchase locally-assembled cars at affordable interest rates.

tions Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for Trade Port Training Programme (TPTP) as part of efforts to keep abreast of developments in port operations.

Managing Director of the authority, Malam Habib Abdullahi, disclosed this while receiving a delegation of the United Nation’s agency in his office in Lagos.

He noted that training was very important to the authority because of competition from other ports in the West Africa sub-region.

Abdullahi said that there was the need to acquire necessary skills that will facilitate efficient and smooth port operations.

He directed that the human resources division should liaise with the delegation with a view to ascertaining specific areas of need and how best both parties can mutually benefit from each other.

Earlier, leader of delegation, Mr Mark Assaf, had told

Abdullahi that Train for Trade Port Training Programme, in conjunction with Irish Aid of the Irish Government, operates through four languagebased networks - English, French, Portuguese and Spanish - in Africa, Asia, Euroupe and Latin America.

Assaf added that the programme was part of UNCTAD’s corporate social responsibility to developing countries and a way of showing commitment to ports operations internationally.

While urging the managing director to assist in mobilising other stakeholders in the maritime industry to key into it, he said that the programme had been of immense benefit to participating countries.

The delegation which also met with stakeholders from NIMASA, Nigerian Shippers Council, Freight Forwarders, Nigerian Custom Service, members of Port Consultative Council, Terminal Operators, among others, also toured Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Port.

Shipping businesses collapse C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 8

on-going reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, noted that the situation, if left unchecked, could have adverse effect on the activities of both the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) and Tin Can Island Port (TCIP).

He called for urgent collaboration by major stakeholders in the nation’s maritime sector to address the challenge.

Abdullahi said that NPA had initiated plans to host a meeting of all stakeholders to discuss the way forward, adding that the authority would cooperate and work with relevant government agencies to find lasting solution to the Apapa traffic jam.

The NPA boss appealed to construction companies handling the roads leading into and out of the ports to expedite action, adding that NPA had also embarked on remedial works of fixing the common user roads around the ports with the aim of alleviating the problem.

Meanwhile, workers and commuters have started embracing the use of ferry and railway to access the ports.

Many commuters now patronise train and ferry services to get to their places of work and at much lower costs.

The ferry jetty behind Flour Mills in Apapa has become a beehive of activities as commuters throng the facility to board ferries into and out of the traffic-prone port area.

40 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Drama of an impeachment plot In a bid to fulfill a constitutional obligation, the Adamawa State legislature and executive have been making deft moves to outwit each other on an impeachment move.

ETAGHENE EDIRIN reports on their activities and the unfolding drama

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ne beauty of the principle of separation of powers in a democracy is the act of checks and balances put in place to ensure that any branch of government does not abuse the privileges of office. This is to ensure smooth running of governance by assigning separate and independent powers and responsibilities to each arm. In Nigeria, many like to describe the advancement of democracy so far as a learning process for the country, which is yet to be perfected.

This learning process continues to throw up peculiarities, only to be encountered in Nigeria, and not in many other democracies. One of such peculiarities, which is accompanied by up so much drama and intrigues is the issue of impeachment, which is mostly thrown up by the legislative arm of government, to demonstrate its grievance with the executive arm, which on its part has been taunted to have grown too powerful.

Recently, the Adamawa State House of Assembly threatened to wield the big stick of impeachment against the state governor, Murtala Nyako, and his deputy, Bala Ngilari. The legislators leveled a 20-count charge of gross financial misconduct against Governor Nyako, with 19 of the 25 lawmakers endorsing the move, leading to the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the governor. Five of the charges were however later dropped.

The assembly during one of its sessions then proceeded to direct its clerk to serve the governor and his deputy, with the notices of financial misconduct through two national dailies. The session was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kwamoti La’ori, with the speaker, majority leader, and other principal officers absent. There and then, La’ori invited the clerk to furnish members with an earlier resolution of the assembly, which directed him to serve the governor and his deputy with the impeachment notice.

The clerk, Mr. Francis Gansenso told the lawmakers that he could not serve the governor and his deputy because they could not be located. He said he had visited the offices of both men several times, but without positive results.

The lawmakers, bent on removing Nyako from office, raised a seven-man panel to probe his administration.

They refused to budge even when the Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola had restrained them from serving the impeachment notice on Nyako and Ngilari. It ruled that they should personally serve the governor the impeachment notice instead of doing so through substituted means.

The court, presided over by Ambrose Mamadi, who was the acting Chief Judge of the state, had told the lawmakers that they either complied with his order to serve the governor and his deputy as stipulated by law or be ready to face his wrath by the time they would want him to raise an investigative panel against the governor and his deputy. But

Nyako

in a stunning volte-face, the same judge inexplicably approved the announcement of the names of seven persons to probe the governor without waiting for them to personally serve the governor.

The coming of the committee brought with it many dramatic events in its bid to carry out its assignment. First hurdle on its path was the inability to secure a safe venue to conduct its affairs. Under tight security provided by armed soldiers, who also provided protection to Mammadi until he had set up the committee, the men sat in the comfort arena of a Hotel in Yola, the state’s capital for only a day.

The owners of the facility raised the alarm on the second day that its fortunes were dwindling as a result of the unusual heavy presence of armed soldiers. The committee members were left with no option than to relocate. Leaving the hotel was easier than securing another facility for its meeting as one after another, different groups, and businesses rejected offers from the House of Assembly for them to accommodate the panelists, to carry out their assignment.

Other hotels visited by the clerk of the state assembly to host the panel equally turned down the offer, for fear of the unknown.

When it however secured a venue for its work, the seven-member probe panel raised issues over the governor’s refusal to honour its invitation.

When the panel could not get the governor to personally serve him summons to appear before it, it resorted to pasting the document signed by its Secretary, Mr. Binanu Esthon, on the walls of the Government House, Yola.

The governor had given the indication that he would not appear before the panel, having gone to court to challenge the way and manner the members had violated the laws regarding the process of impeaching him and his deputy.

Watchers said Nyako shunned the panel by taking cover under a Supreme Court ruling which provides that he should be personally served the impeachment notice, since in the eyes

Ngilari

When the panel could not get the governor to personally serve him summons to appear before it, it resorted to pasting the document... on the walls of the Government House, Yola of the law, substituted service is not deemed sufficient. So the summons was simply viewed by the governor as a non-service.

Then in another stunning development, indications emerged that the panel had indicted Nyako, and probably cleared Ngilari. The panel was expected to submit its report to the state House of Assembly Monday. This further fuelled rumours that Nyako was to be impeached for his deputy to take over till next year, when fresh elections are to be conducted.

The tenure of the acting CJ, Mamadi became an issue in the survival of the probe panel, as he carried out the action, a few days to the end of his tenure. So in a deft move, the state government declared two days public holiday in the state.

The CJ was to inaugurate the panel on the first day of the holiday, while his tenure was to expire on the second day, which invariably meant he could not perform that duty. Many believe the declared holidays were moves on the part of the governor to outwit the state legislature and the chief judge.

This however, did not make much difference, as the chief registrar of the High Court, Yola, Abubakar Babayola, told journalists that the inauguration of the committee was not a requirement for them to carry out their assignment,

as it was nowhere in the constitution.

In moves to save the governor, many suggested that the presidency, which had been fingered as the architect of the drama, be approached by Nyako to help resolve the issue, even as about three former heads of state were said to have put in a word with the president to come to Nyako’s aid. But the actor at the centre of the spectacle, Nyako, repudiated any such assistance, declaring that there was no need to involve, or beg the president to intervene in the matter.

To resolve the situation, supporters and critics of the embattled governor have put forward different suggestions.

Some have advised that he return to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), from which he defected a few months ago to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This, they contend is the genesis of the entire saga, and that his return to the PDP will put an automatic end to the issue of impeachment.

Others are of the opinion that Nyako is contemplating resigning to preempt the lawmakers from carrying out their wish. However, such a move may not end his troubles, as he may be picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), based on a petition on any of the allegations against him, since he would have become an ordinary citizen, no longer under the protection of immunity enjoyed by a governor.

In another development, it was gathered that those moving to save Nyako had abandoned plans to stop the process and, instead have resorted to plotting how to frustrate the pro-impeachment lawmakers from getting the required two-thirds majority to approve the guilty verdict expected from the probe panel.

Individual lawmakers are reportedly being targeted on a one-on-one basis, and that everything was being thrown into it.

Even while the drama is yet to come to a logical conclusion, Nyako said that he had forgiven those fuelling the crisis. According to him, some Abujabased politicians are the ones behind the impeachment saga he was facing.

He attributed the imbroglio to those he described as unpatriotic politicians that hid themselves under the canopy of elders of the state to cause disaffection among the good people of the state.

POLITICS 41

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The House of Representatives last week stirred the hornets’ nest once again as it resolved to investigate the sale of an oil bloc that may require inviting the minister of aviation, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. Considering previous invitations from the committee to the minister, PHILIP NYAM asks: will she appear before the committee, this time around?

Reps renew rivalry with Alison-Madueke

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he cold war brewing between the House of Representatives and the minister of aviation, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke is yet to abate as the lower house has again opened another round of investigation involving the minister. The House last Wednesday constituted a seven-man Ad-hoc committee to investigate petroleum minister, Mrs. Alison-Madueke and oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on another allegation of illegal sale of an Oil Mining Licence (OML 29).

The inauguration of the ad hoc committee was sequel to a June 2, 2014 House resolution on allegations that Shell and other oil majors may have hidden under the cover of waivers usually granted by the petroleum minister to embark on the sale of OML 29 and others. Deputy speaker of the House, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha named chairman of the committee on education, Hon. Aminu Suleiman (Kano/ APC) as chairman. Other members are: Hon. Babatunde Adejare (Lagos/ APC); Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald (Imo/PDP); Hon. Binta Maigari Bello (Gombe/PDP); Hon. Ismaila Ahmed Gadaka (Yobe/APC); Hon. Umaru Haliru Aliero (Kebbi/PDP) and Hon. Sunday Akpodiogaga Emeyese (Delta/PDP).

The Hon. Suleiman-led Ad-hoc Committee is expected to establish the validity of the transactions and report back to the House within two weeks.

The House noted that OML 29 has been in the custody of Shell for more than 52 years and one-half of the area of lease has not been relinquished to the Federal Government as stipulated by the Petroleum Act. Item 12(1) of the First Schedule. The Petroleum Act stipulates that ten years after the grant of an oil mining lease, one-half of lease shall be relinquished to the Federal Government.

The motion was sponsored by Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald on “Inadvertent Sale of OML 29 and other OMLS

by SPDC and other Oil Majors”. Gerald had in his lead debate disclosed that “the out-right sale of OML 29 and other OMLS is in direct contravention of the (Petroleum) Act and undermines the national interest”. It will be recalled that last June, Shell announced plans to sell four more onshore oil blocks in Nigeria in its latest divestment from the country.

According to monitored reports, the blocs, with a combined production of around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd), are OMLs 18, 24, 25 and 29, located in the Niger Delta. The oil giant stated that it would consult with its international and Nigerian partners over the future of the 28 leases that produce some 750,000 barrels a day of oil. Shell has already sold eight Niger Delta licences for a total $1.8 billion since 2010.

Will Alison-Madueke honour the Reps: Alison-Madueke is already in court battling the lower house on its plan to investigate her over allegations of

Alison-Madueke

squandering over N10 billion on hiring of private jets for official and family use. The House had upon a motion

by Hon. Samuel Adejare resolved to investigate the allegations against the minister. After series of postponement of the commencement of the investigation, April 28, 2014 was fixed for the exercise. But instead of honoring the summons extended to her, the minister proceeded to the court seeking an injunction restraining the House from investigating her.

Apart from refusing to appear before the public accounts committee of the House that was mandated to investigate her, Alison-Madueke refused to submit documents that were requested for by the committee.

The minister’s case was further rationalized by the pronouncement of President Goodluck Jonathan who during one of his presidential media chats rose to her defence by noting that the minister was being harassed by the House and distracted from carrying out her duties. The House was not deterred and continued receiving memoranda and in the course of that stumbled on additional information indicating that Alison-Madueke chartered two other jets. One of them, a Global Express XRS, which was said to have cost €600,000 on a return chartered trip to London.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which is alleged to have funded the hiring of the private jets is also on the same page with the minister. In the suit, they jointly filed, the minister and the NNPC asked the Federal High Court for an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents “whether by themselves, their members, committees or agents from summoning or directing”their appearance “before any committee, particularly the PAC set up by the

Tambuwal

House of Representatives” to conduct the investigation. They also want the court to stop the committee from asking any official of the ministry or the NNPC to produce any papers, notes or other documents or give any evidence in line with a letter from the House dated March 26, 2014, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

In the same vein, they asked for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from issuing a warrant to compel the minister’s attendance, or the attendance of any official of the ministry or the NNPC, with regard to the investigation. In the alternative, the plaintiffs want the court to make an order of status quo, directing the parties to maintain the current position with regard to the investigation, as of the date of filing of the suit.

The minister loses bid On May 27, the minister lost the bid to halt the probe of the N10 billion jet scandal by the House. Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja refused to grant an

The minister’s case was further rationalized by the pronouncement of President Goodluck Jonathan... that the minister was being harassed by the House and distracted from carrying out her duties

order of interim injunction brought by the minister and the NNPC. However, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed, granted an accelerated hearing of the suit. But while the House was preparing to resume investigation of the minister based on the ruling of Justice Mohammed, Alison-Madueke took another route to obtain a restraining order.

Court bars Reps: Last month, another Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole barred the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar and the House from arresting the minister over her alleged use of N10 billion on private jet hire.

But Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered the Inspector General of Police not to unleash the machinery of force in the event that the National Assembly makes such request as it would violate the constitution. “The IGP shall not accede to any legislative order to direct the arrest of the plaintiffs (Diezani and the NNPC),” he said. He further ruled that the powers of the court to interpret the law cannot be shared by any other arm.

Cross road Now, both parties have a case in their favour. While the House has the right to investigate, the minister has a restraining order against the inspector general of police from arrest. The House may rely on that ruling to invite the minister but the minister is most likely to turn it down. When the minister ignores the House, the parliament would be left with only one option: issuing a bench warrant on her. Such a bench warrant is to be executed by the IGP who has been barred from arresting her. It means no one can touch the minister until these cases are decided.

So where is the latest investigation of the sale of the oil bloc headed? Will the House invite the minister? Will the minister honour such an invitation, and where will it all lead?

42 POLITICS

Protecting Nigerians from cancer BILL OF

WEEK

THE

O

ur bill of the week is entitled: “A Bill for an act to provide for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in Nigeria and for connected purposes”. It is sponsored by Hon. Bassey Dan-Abia (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and is seeking for the establishment of a National Cancer Institute in Nigeria.

The bill, which has been passed for second reading and referred to the House committee on health for further scrutiny seeks to establish the Institute to provide the needed medical help towards curbing the menace of the disease.

The functions of the proposed institute according to the draft Bill comprises - advice to the minister of Health on matters relating to the treatment and care of persons with cancer and to advise on the relative priorities to be given to the implementation, of specific measures.

“Encourage and secure the establishment of hospitals, vocational treatment and care centres and other institutions for the welfare and treatment of persons with cancer in all states of the federation.

“Encourage and secure provision of diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitation and other medical care to persons with cancer in those institutions; “Co-ordinate services provided in Nigeria for the welfare and treatment of persons with cancer and to implement programmes. For vocational guidance and counseling; Collect, analyze and disseminate all data useful in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

“Collaborate with international institutions for the purpose of collecting for the Register and cataloguing, storing and disseminating the results of cancer research undertaken in any country for the use of any person involved in cancer research in any country”.

The sponsor explained that it was unfortunate that no concrete steps had been taken to contain the menace of the disease which has consumed several lives in the country. According to him, an estimated 80,000 Nigerians die of the

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

It is unfortunate that no concrete steps had been taken to contain the menace of the disease which has consumed several lives in the country disease yearly, adding, that the disease has decimated those he termed as “the mighty, the upright, the not so honest as well as the lowly in the society”.

He listed inadequate and poorly distributed clinical services, few centres with functional radiotherapy equipment and expensive radiologic services as some of the challenges bedeviling the country’s health sector.

The lawmaker lamented that it was unfortunate that Nigerians are forced to seek medical services in India due to inefficient radiotherapy centres in the nation’s hospitals.

“The disease does not just appear out of nowhere, it has definite cause that can be corrected if the body has enough time and if actions are taken to change the body’s internal environment to one that creates health while at the same time attacking cancerous cells and tumor by exploiting their weakness.

“It occurs as a result of excessive amount of toxins and pollutants people are exposed to due to high stress lifestyles and zap in the immune system, poor quality junk foods that are geneti-

Dan-Abia

cally modified.

The sponsor: Hon. Bassey Dan-Abia represents Eket/Onna/Esit Eket/Ibeno Federal Constituency of Abia state on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Before sauntering into politics, Dan-Abia, who is a trained lawyer, worked with the Manuchim Chambers (Okocha & Okocha) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He later worked with Shell Petroleum Development Company and

APC, Boko Haram and the British probe Femi Ayelabowo

T

hese are the most heart rending times for members of the All Progressives Congress (APC); that socalled opposition party in Nigeria, as the suspicions of its romance with the dreaded Boko Haram continues to grow by the day. The not-too -funny jokes about the party cannot be fully traced to a source as there is no concrete evidence that it harbours or promotes terrorism as a party, but the suggestions are getting louder and stronger by the day.

If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Olisa Metuh, is not tarring the party with a “Janjaweed” brush, most sane individuals from Borno and Yobe States are quick to point to the dramatis personae of the states as being responsible for the festering national sore. One of such people now wants to associate with the PDP after losing out in a political battle in the APC, and Nigerians are watching and waiting to see if the ruling party will accept such a liability in its fold for the sake of winning elections.

Returnees to the PDP, like Femi FaniKayode, are making matters worse for the APC by suggesting that it harbours demons, that is, in other words, terror supporters. The party, rather than allow Femi to go quietly, unleashed its chief attack dog, Lai Mohammed, on him, and the party has not known rest since then, from a man who should know about the party since he was an insider. Femi can just not believe the APC will contemplate a Muslim-Muslim ticket in these times, and is screaming blue murder.

All these because Tinubu has an inordinate ambition! It was recently

Tinubu

leaked that the party has contracted a UK-based PR firm to try wash away the image of Boko Haram that has been associated with it at a princely sum of nearly N200 million. An online publication even published documents to show the deal was put together in May, this year.

As if that leak was not enough for a high blood pressure, the British parliament appears ready to probe any association between APC and Boko Haram according to media reports. For the British to contemplate this, it means that there is more than meets the eye about the party. May be that is why a bomb or kidnap happens anytime the president is to visit some states for political rallies. Just maybe! A dangerous maybe, you may say, but think about it.

A member of the British parliament, Mr. Andrew Rosindell, according to The Cable, an online newspaper, questioned

the UK Foreign Secretary, Mr. William Hague, on the country’s engagement with Nigeria’s leading opposition party, the APC, over the Boko Haram menace.

Labour MP Sandra Osborne started it all when she sought to examine allegations of links between APC and the insurgents.

Rosindell’s has posed some questions requiring a response from Hague. They include: to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will commission an inquiry into the international support network for Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon; and if he will make a statement. (Notice no.

204402); to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) he and (b) other ministers in his department have had with leading members of the Nigerian opposition party, the APC; and if he will make a statement; to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his counterpart in Cameroon the need for constructive dialogue between that country and Nigeria in tackling Boko Haram; and if he will make a statement.

The Cable also revealed that, at a recent meeting in parliament, led by Henry Jackson Society and chaired by an MP, John Glen, who is a close adviser to Prime Minister, David Cameron, similar allegations were raised that key APC members are supporters and financiers of Boko Haram “for ideological and political means.”

Another online publication, The Will, was less charitable to APC, throwing its documents on the internet for everyone to know that it is desperate to save its neck over Boko Haram. With the likely probe by the British parlia-

Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. as contracts adviser/engineer.

As a politician, Dan-Abia had served as state legal adviser of the PDP, AkwaIbom state chapter. He came to the House after a prolonged legal battle with onetime chairman of the House committee on media and public affairs and later civil society and donor agencies, Hon. Eseme Eyibo.

He is the deputy chairman of the House committee on Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). ment and a British firm handling the PR, is this a coincidence or the APC commissioned the firm knowing the searchlight was coming?

The Will online states that APC hired the London firm to help clear the growing negative perception in the international community and Nigeria that its members are tacitly backing the terrorist group Boko Haram.

The Will online says that Ladi Delano, a young US businessman, who allegedly fronts for APC chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, procured the services of the PR firm on behalf of the political party.

The Will online recalled that the APC had accused the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government of wasteful expenditure when it hired Levick, a Washington DC-based PR firm, to help manage the negative narrative his administration was suffering in the foreign press following the forceful abduction of about 230 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram.

“Burson-Marsteller is expected to help the APC improve its image by developing content and messages for the media whilst also engaging political leaders and officials in both the United States and the United Kingdom on behalf of the party, which lost a state it controls, Ekiti, South West Nigeria, to the PDP in the governorship election held last month,” the online publication adds.

With the Osun elections coming up, and its candidate and sitting Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, known to have taken controversial decisions that have religious undertones, APC may yet suffer another loss, as a prelude to the emergence of its presidential candidate in November.

•Ayelabowo, a public affairs commentator, writes from Ibadan, Oyo State

POLITICS 43

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

With days to the governorship election in Osun State, contestants in the August 9 governorship election are already crisscrossing the state to solicit for votes. In this report, WALE ELEGBEDE examines the campaign train of the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Governor Rauf Aregbesola to three federal constituencies.

On the trail of Aregbesola’s campaigns

I

n the last few weeks, most areas of Osun State have been witnessing increased political activities as the campaign machinery of the incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola rolled across different towns and villages, electrifying the locations with frenzy of festivities. In many areas the campaign train stopped, the people rolled out the drums to celebrate who they see as a true, time-tested and trusted leader.

This, they usually say, is in appreciation of a leader, who knows where the shoe pinches his people and works to alleviate their problems.

Thus, in the last five weeks, normal daily activities were suspended any time Aregbesola chooses to come to town, and to his teeming supporters, it is absolutely immaterial which time of the day he decides to come, or the prevailing weather condition, whether in the scorching sun or under heavy a downpour.

Political voyage to Odidere Iwo, traditionally reputed to be a stronghold of progressives was aglow on June 17, and it is likely to remain etched in the minds of the people of Iwo constituency and those who passed through that route for a long time to come.

It was for no other reason than the human and vehicular traffic surge, as people came out to welcome Ogbeni that all roads leading to the ancient city experienced their busiest time ever.

People from the three local governments, Iwo, Olaoluwa and Ayedire converged on Iwo City Stadium to demonstrate their support for the governor.

The Oluwo Palace was the first point of call where all the chiefs of Iwo and monarchs from the adjoining towns assembled to give the governor their royal blessings and express appreciations for the developmental projects executed in the area. The monarchs assured the governor of their support in their respective domains.

From the Oluwo palace, the governor moved into town to speak with and canvass for people’s votes. Different political/support groups such as De Raufs, Rise4Rauf, Aregbesola Victory Group, interest groups, students, old and young people had lined the streets, singing, dancing and waving at the convoy, and Ogbeni with his diminutive figure towering out of the open roof civilian bus waved back with a broom, the symbol of his party.

At the Iwo City Stadium, the crowd that greeted Aregbesola was intimidating and the atmosphere was electrifying. Addressing the people of the constituency, Aregbesola said his reelection come August 9 will be a call to a greater service to the people. He explained that he was seeking re-election so as to complete the ongoing projects across the state, stating that the administration still has a lot of good to offer.

“What you have seen in the last three and half years is nothing compared to the developmental projects we still have in stock for you. We want to continue to work for the progress of our state.

“We are of the opinion that power is a responsibility to serve the people and

Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from supporters

that is why our government is different from the others,” he explained.

Aregbesola assured the people of the area that the Osogbo/Iwo/Ibadan road will be dualised into a four lane road as soon as possible, stressing that the administration is willing to allow everybody in the state enjoy dividends of democracy.

He therefore urged them to turn out en mass on Election Day to vote for the APC without fear of intimidation as adequate measures are being taken to ensure the security of lives and property before, during and after the election.

Speaking earlier, the first executive governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, in his campaign remarks, said he had no doubt that the people of the state will vote for APC, averring that he can attest to the good things Aregbesola had done in Iwo Federal Constituency.

He said: “I can see the development across the state of Osun. For some years, the Gbongan-Osogbo Expressway was abandoned. Aregbesola came and started the construction.”

The campaign train then moved to Ifelodun Federal Constituency comprising Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Local Government.

Energising outing after Ekiti As is the tradition, on entering Ikirun, the headquarter of Ifelodun Federal Constituency, the governor went straight to the palace of Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Rauf Olawale Adedeji, where all traditional rulers in the constituency had gathered to welcome him.

The Akinrun, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said the people of the area felt the impact of Aregbesola’s administration, promising that the people will support and vote massively for his return. Oba Adedeji stated that the reelection of Aregbesola will guarantee continuity as well as ensure that all projects embarked on by his administration do not become abandoned projects.

The Reinhard Bonkke ground in Ikirun, venue of the campaign was filled to the brim, as Aregbesola told an excited crowd that Ekiti can never be compared to Osun in an atmosphere of peaceful conduct of voting and counting process

If truly people will vote, and votes will count, the people of Osun will speak with one voice by voting massively for APC come August 9 of election. This was in an apparent reference to the unexpected result of the Ekiti governorship election of June 21.

The song that greeted the governor’s opening remark was the old popular Yoruba chant proverb: “ije ti e je tete, ema je dagunro, dagunro ko se je” (meaning the manner in which you consume the edible vegetable, don’t consume the thorn-laden vegetable).

Hear Aregbesola: “Osun is unlike Ekiti. Osun is a totally different political field which is certainly incomparable in whatever form to Ekiti State.

If truly people will vote, and votes will count, the people of Osun will speak with one voice by voting massively for APC come August 9. We are not in any way perturbed. We will come out in flying colour because of what we have done and our relationship with the masses.

“Our next four years in office will shape the next 20 years of Osun’s destiny. We have shown what we can do in just 37months and I can assure you that this is just a tip of the iceberg.”

The next destination of the campaign train was a familiar terrain - Ijesha North Federal Constituency comprising Oriade and Obokun Local Governments. Followers of Ogbeni expected the atmosphere to change here because as a son of the soil, taking his campaign to Ijeshaland was a homecoming of a sort.

As he passed through the towns - Ilase, Ilowa, Iponda, Idominasi - the crowd was different, the enthusiasm differed.

So were the songs and dances, typically Ijeshaic.

It boldly showed in the faces of the

elated crowd that this was their own event. And they wanted to celebrate with uncommon fervour in honour of their own son.

From the gathering at the palace of Obokun to the road show and onward to the campaign venue, LA Model Primary School, the momentum peaked and remained alive.

Blessing came double that day - both royal and divine with heavy downpour.

Despite the heavy rainfall, supporters of the governor remained rooted to their spots, all drenched, yet defying the torrent in honour of the man of the moment. Ogbeni also got drenched with them, as a mark of leadership that comes with humility, respect, regard for the people he seeks to govern.

By this typical Ijesha defiance, the people of Obokun reaffirmed the agelong Yoruba believe that nowhere is as absolute and secure to return to than one’s home.

Aregbesola told the people that his first term’s performance that they were talking about is only the beginning of good things in the state, and that his second term, as he puts it, would be a remarkable experience to be remembered in the annals of the state for many years to come. He told the people to close ranks and work together so that the goal of the second term could be jointly realised.

“What you see and praise now is just the preamble, the beginning of life much more abundant to come. Our second term will be remarkable, splendid and highly beneficial. What does the opposition have to offer us again after seven uneventful and destructive years?

We have demonstrated our capacity to turn things around for the better. This we did in just three and half years. If we have achieved this far in less down four years, should you not imagine what can happen in eight years?

“Therefore, turn that imagination to reality. And you can only do this by voting for us to continue the good work,” Aregbesola said.

His remark was met with a resounding and thunderous affirmation of “yes, you can do it again,” and added to it was a vow by the people to stand by the governor come rain, come shine!

business | MONEY LINE

44

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Mainstream Bank sale: Intangis Holdings loses at arbitration court

VINDACATED Intangis Holdings Limited’s claim is frolicsome

sidered withdrawn”.

The circular, copied to all the relevant parties, stated that the secretariat shall inform the court of the withdrawal of the claims and invite it to fix the cost of arbitration at one of its next session.

Intangis Holdings, an American financial and investment company had sued the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), urging the court to stop the corporation from selling shares of Mainstream Bank.

But AMCON in a statement, described Itangis’ claim as frivolous.

Providing background to the issue, the corporation said: “Intangis Holdings Limited (Intangis) recently wrote to AMCON’s advisers on the ongoing divestment by AMCON of its equity in Mainstreet Bank Limited (Mainstreet), stating that AMCON is procuring a breach of Intangis’ rights under a Confidentiality and Non-Circumvention Agreement, CNCA, dated 2 November 2009 between Afribank Plc (“Afribank”) and Intangis.

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

T

he International Court of Arbitration (ICA), world’s dispute resolution has withdrawn the case instituted by Intangis Holdings Limited on former Afribank Plc now Mainstream Bank, on the expiration of ‘no objection rule’ granted Itangis without correspondence response from it.

The ICA circular dated 19th July 2014, obtained by New Telegraph and sign by counsel to ICA, Ziva Filpic, stated: “The secretariat refers to the letter of the Secretary General dated 16th June 2014 granting the parties a final time limit of 15 days pursuant to article 30(4) of the rules to pay the balance of the advance on cost.

“To date, the requested payments have not been made. Consequently, since the time limit granted has expired on 4th July and no objection to the application has been received by the secretariat, the claims are con-

Naira at seven-week high naira firmed to a seven- the local currency to particiTtheheweek high yesterday, after pate in a debt auction, dealers local unit of ExxonMobil said.

The currency closed at N161.90, a level last seen on

sold $50 million to some lenders and offshore funds bought

“Intangis is claiming in a current proceeding at the International Court of Arbitration that Afribank contravened the provisions of the CNCA as follows: Not to enter into discussions, or negotiations with any potential investor in relation to acquisition of a portfolio of nonperforming loans of Afribank; and The acquisition of a minority stake in the share capital of Afribank.

“Intangis is further claiming that the CNCA was breached on at least two occasions by Afribank. It is clear from the above that Intangis is pursuing a frivolous claim because; AMCON is not a party to any agreement with Intangis; and Mainstreet did not even exist at the time Intangis signed the CNCA with Afribank.”

Mainstreet Bank, formerly known as Afribank, was among the three-bridged banks acquired by the AMCON from the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) in August 2011, following the inability of the trio to recapitalize within a specified timeframe set by the

May 22, when it closed at N161.81. The naira was up 0.24 per cent yesterday, compared with Monday's close of N162.28.

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

FX

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Offer 163.38

N

othando Ndebele, head of African research for Renaissance Capital, has quit three weeks after Yvonne Ike, chief executive officer for the brokerage’s West African operations, left to join Bank of America Corp.

“I’m leaving tomorrow (today),” Ndebele said in a phone interview on Monday from Johannesburg. A statement may be released next week detailing her future plans, she said.

Ndebele according to Bloomberg, joined RenCap in Johannesburg in May 2011 after serving as a senior investment

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

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

has assured National Housing contributors in Enugu of prompt access to the fund to enable them acquire houses.

Towards this end, he said that FMBN has commenced packaging of mortgage loans to NHF applicants in Enugu State to purchase houses, adding that low and medium income earners who qualify to own the houses based purely on the basis of being regular contributors to the NHF Scheme, will enjoy mortgage loans that attract a single digit interest rate of just 6 per cent repayable for up to 30 years.

T Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

A statement from FMBN quoted Kumo as making the remarks on the sidelines of recently commissioned 324 units Elim Housing Estate in Enugu State.

He restated the commitment of the bank to deliver affordable housing to Nigerians in line with Mr. President's transformation agenda.

The construction of the FMBN Elim Estate was financed from the limited resources of the National Housing Fund Scheme, which comprises mainly of 2.5per cent of the monthly income of workers nationwide.

The estate was financed through a construction loan to the developer, NBP Projects Limited, who has delivered a total of 324 units, which are for sale to NHF contributors a affordable costs.

Capacity building: NDIC, BGF of Poland sign MoU Abuja

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

officer at Africap Microfinance Investment Co. She previously worked for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Deutsche Bank AG and Investec Asset Management, and also co-founded Afena Capital.

RenCap, the brokerage owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, started operations in Africa in 2006 and has opened offices in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Lagos in a bid to tap economic growth across the continent. Ike spent almost three years with RenCap before leaving last month to join Bank of America in London.

FMBN assures NHF funders of access to mortgage fund

Abdulwahab Isa

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

15 per cent.

MainStreet Bank, which assumed the assets of Afribank, got N285 billion, Keystone Bank, which assumed the assets of Bank PHB, received N283 billion, while Enterprise Bank, which assumed the assets of Spring Bank, got N111 billion.

RenCap loses head of African research after CEO quits

anaging Director, Federal M Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Gimba Ya'u Kumo,

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

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The two others are Enterprise Bank Limited (formerly Spring Bank Plc) and Keystone Bank Limited (Bank PHB Plc).

AMCON had injected N679 billion into the bridge banks to meet the minimum capital base of N25 billion and the minimum capital adequacy ratio of

he Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Bank Guarantee Fund (BGF) of Poland to promote capacity building and experience sharing in the supervision of finance institutions and Deposit Insurance Law and Practice.

The choice of BGF Poland by the Corporation for the MOU, which was signed on June 24, 2014 in Warsaw, is based on the BGF accomplishment and rec-

ognition of the Polish stable financial system.

Besides, the BGF of Poland according to the NDIC, is being led by the current President of IADI, Mr. Jerzy Pruski, who has wealth of experience in banking and deposit insurance and has been an Executive Council Member and one time Vice President of the international Association of Deposit Insurance and a onetime Vice President of (IADI). Mr. Pruski is also the current Economic Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland and representative of the President at the Polish Financial Supervision Authority.

Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014

Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

Daily Summary (Bonds)

business | CAPITAL MARKET 45

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 15, 2014 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

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

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 1 26 15 42

Current Price 0.50 33.00 38.06

Quantity Traded 20,000 294,989 137,158 452,147

Value Traded 10,000.00 9,793,028.54 5,269,172.20 15,072,200.74

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 41 41

Current Price 3.10

Quantity Traded 3,431,356 3,431,356

Value Traded 10,559,608.06 10,559,608.06

3,883,503

25,631,808.80

Quantity Traded 167,003 5,512 524,269 27,442,537 250,045 28,389,366

Value Traded 224,062.99 22,625.12 602,849.35 160,024,320.71 15,353,396.26 176,227,254.43

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 CHELLARAMS PLC. Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 JOHN HOLT PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

83 Symbol No. of Deals AGLEVENT 9 CHELLARAM 2 JOHNHOLT 19 TRANSCORP 408 UACN 57 Daily Summary (Equities) 495

Current Price 1.33 3.95 1.20 5.82 61.10

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

CONGLOMERATES

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

Page 28,389,366

495

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 IT Services Totals Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 ICT Totals

1 of 12 176,227,254.43

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 29 29

Current Price 1.25

Quantity Traded 980,730 980,730

Value Traded 1,232,594.50 1,232,594.50

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

Symbol JBERGER ROADS

No. of Deals 47 8 55

Current Price 67.00 8.46

Quantity Traded 899,987 29,287 929,274

Value Traded 59,847,417.81 258,680.56 60,106,098.37

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 42 42

Current Price 18.30

Quantity Traded 912,240 912,240

Value Traded 16,607,827.52 16,607,827.52

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 10.47

Quantity Traded 84 84

Value Traded 835.80 835.80

2,822,328

77,947,356.19

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 122 122

Value Traded 61.00 61.00

Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

127 Symbol Daily Summary DUNLOP

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS

No. of Deals (Equities) 1 1

Page

2

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB

No. of Deals 1 48 12 110 171

Current Price 10.17 198.02 29.50 172.22

Quantity Traded 15,000 266,020 74,151 588,195 943,366

Value Traded 145,050.00 52,726,767.35 2,082,932.04 101,914,869.98 156,869,619.37

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

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 24 24

Current Price 100.03

Quantity Traded 86,005 86,005

Value Traded 9,026,238.90 9,026,238.90

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR MANDRID NASCON NNFM

No. of Deals 43 81 71 59 2 42 1 299

Current Price 8.00 9.36 77.87 4.40 5.35 11.12 19.75

Quantity Traded 383,826 3,269,018 653,080 2,150,744 200 959,270 500 7,416,638

Value Traded 3,094,258.91 30,089,792.49 49,644,888.36 9,305,298.01 1,018.00 10,632,394.42 9,850.00 102,777,500.19

Symbol

No. of Deals 42 31 73

Current Price 74.25 1,112.00

Quantity Traded 112,261 41,854 154,115

Value Traded 8,088,317.77 46,499,237.37 54,587,555.14

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC Daily Summary of 15/07/2014 P S as MANDRIDES & CO PLC. Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Daily Summary (Equities) CADBURY NESTLE

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS

Page

3

of

12

OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services

Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

12

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 4.38

Quantity Traded 29,134 29,134

Value Traded 124,151.58 124,151.58

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

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 45 52 97

Current Price 36.00 52.00

Quantity Traded 329,571 428,146 757,717

Value Traded 11,844,907.93 21,832,015.98 33,676,923.91

9,387,097

357,062,050.09

Quantity Traded 12,868,830 1,895,910 6,387,980 11,520,686 10,299,639 7,052,586 2,973,553 10,923,106

Value Traded 125,534,846.66 11,892,847.17 111,033,719.08 22,672,209.12 320,799,346.78 23,024,255.46 6,886,612.14 87,119,935.43

FINANCIAL Daily Summary as ofSERVICES 15/07/2014 Banking Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA

No. of Deals 174 56 117 124 323 132 160 174

Symbol UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded 66 9.54 410,579 Page 53 0.50 14,297,000 43 1.00 6,655,514 205 25.16 5,843,637 1,627 91,129,020

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 9.74 6.29 17.39 1.95 31.00 3.27 2.32 8.09

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO 40 0.83 14,958,421 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE 49 1.17 7,135,443 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. EQUITYASUR 1 0.50 40,000 CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC HMARKINS 1 0.50 100,000 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS 10 0.50 1,212,420 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LASACO 1 0.50 350,000 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LAWUNION 2 0.50 299,750 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC LINKASSURE 1 0.50 36,300 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD 10 2.52 180,500 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT 9 0.54 199,891 N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NEM 23 0.81 3,673,140 Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NIGERINS 14 0.50 1,052,420 Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE 7 0.55 712,106 REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC REGALINS 1 0.50 1,500 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC WAPIC 64 0.92 6,892,020 Daily Summary (Equities) Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 233 36,843,911

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

Value Traded 3,883,965.05 4 of 12 7,148,500.00 6,661,266.20 147,017,948.97 873,675,452.06 Value Traded 11,871,026.77 8,184,787.09 20,000.00 50,000.00 608,210.00 175,000.00 149,875.00 18,150.00 455,728.84 107,941.14 3,032,166.27 526,210.00 387,108.30 750.00 6,279,273.11 31,866,226.52

FINANCIAL SERVICES

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

Symbol ASOSAVINGS INFINITY RESORTSAL

No. of Deals 1 7 1 9

Current Price 0.50 1.60 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,000 111,700 100,000 213,700

Value Traded 1,000.00 182,016.00 50,000.00 233,016.00

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 76 21 469 74 1 49 111 801

Current Price 3.33 3.80 16.25 4.15 0.54 27.50 2.18

Quantity Traded 3,211,198 1,106,141 18,957,143 3,872,202 10,000 354,293 9,863,689 37,374,666

Value Traded 10,801,748.84 4,123,351.47 309,955,937.01 15,875,406.59 5,300.00 9,821,882.53 21,801,505.70 372,385,132.14

165,691,297

1,278,289,002.72

Quantity Traded 36,265 699,307

Value Traded 83,772.15 2,100,407.14

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON

No. of Deals 4 15

Current Price 2.30 3.00

Page

129,176.00 129,176.00

6

of

Quantity Traded 98,090 98,090

Value Traded 1,490,968.00 1,490,968.00

448,296

1,694,341.60

Quantity Traded 3,803,281 27,672

Value Traded 123,993,851.58 237,979.20

Value Traded 7 of 12 15,239,154.95 47,894,189.36 199,466,570.34 153,054.50 22,560.00 25,800.00 244,927,926.42 631,961,086.35

18 Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities) ASHAKACEM BERGER

151 2

32.47 9.00

Symbol CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER PAINTCOM PORTPAINT WAPCO

No. of Deals 30 68 42 7 1 2 128 431

Current Price 40.95 11.00 240.99 1.20 1.40 4.92 117.60

Quantity Traded Page 375,692 4,315,099 827,844 121,200 16,000 5,000 2,117,993 11,609,781

Symbol AUSTINLAZ CUTIX

No. of Deals 1 5 6

Current Price 2.00 1.80

Quantity Traded 1,000 64,491 65,491

Value Traded 1,900.00 118,455.51 120,355.51

11,675,272

632,081,441.86

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 737.00 737.00

100

737.00

437 Symbol ALUMACO

No. of Deals 1 1

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 7.75

1

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 85 85

Current Price 0.58

Quantity Traded Page 9,731,323 9,731,323

8 5,845,550.67 of 12

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 587 587

Current Price 27.70

Quantity Traded 8,900,570 8,900,570

Value Traded 247,836,295.44 247,836,295.44

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 1 27 42 100 21 10 27 228

Current Price 0.50 65.60 4.29 240.00 140.15 62.43 171.05

Quantity Traded 1,000 132,731 573,957 380,730 88,826 27,548 36,390 1,241,182

Value Traded 500.00 8,561,726.26 2,466,690.33 91,123,020.26 12,312,892.67 1,633,871.88 6,431,298.50 122,529,999.90

No. of Deals 17 17 (Equities)

Current Price 700.00

Quantity Traded 71,710 71,710

Value Traded 50,201,527.00 50,201,527.00

19,944,785

426,413,373.01

Symbol SEPLAT

Daily Summary

917

Value Traded 5,845,550.67

Quantity Traded 1,080,479 Page 1,080,479

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

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 16 5 21

Current Price 4.85 2.06

Quantity Traded 385,600 216,000 601,600

Value Traded 1,836,182.00 436,560.00 2,272,742.00

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 112,400 112,400

Value Traded 56,200.00 56,200.00

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 21 21

Current Price 0.75

Quantity Traded 1,164,710 1,164,710

Value Traded 848,012.10 848,012.10

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA STUDPRESS UPL

No. of Deals 1 9 1 9 20

Current Price 1.71 1.65 2.40 4.40

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,155,500 500 96,140 1,253,140

Value Traded 1,630.00 1,913,270.00 1,140.00 420,339.40 2,336,379.40

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals Current Price

Quantity Traded 1,124,960

Value Traded 987,671.00

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN PLC Daily Summary as ofAFRICA 15/07/2014 Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

ABCTRANS

10

0.87

Page

Value Traded 1,130,232.36 of 12 1,130,232.36

9

10

of

Road Transportation Road Transportation Totals

Symbol

No. of Deals 10

Current Price

Quantity Traded 1,124,960

Value Traded 987,671.00

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 6 46 52

Current Price 2.34 4.92

Quantity Traded 406,260 1,354,149 1,760,409

Value Traded 948,209.00 6,733,313.24 7,681,522.24

Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 28 28

Current Price 6.79

Quantity Traded 144,250 144,250

Value Traded 958,157.87 958,157.87

178

7,241,948

16,270,916.97

5,688

251,543,965

3,003,141,882.63

Quantity Traded 214,500 214,500

Value Traded 289,835.00 289,835.00

4

214,500

289,835.00

4

Page 214,500

EQTY Board Totals

5Value Traded of 12

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC

Current Price 15.20

SERVICES Totals

Page Quantity Traded 130,000 130,000

2,675

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 1.04

Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © SERVICES

Current Price 1.00

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Symbol NCR

No. of Deals 19 19

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

No. of Deals 5 5

NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Value Traded 203,373.60 203,373.60

Symbol RTBRISCOE

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

11,523,599.96

Quantity Traded 350,206 350,206

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

2,059,973 Current Price 0.58

OIL AND GAS Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY BanksExchange © Published byMicro-Finance The Nigerian Stock

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL PLC. Daily Summary as ofNIGERIA 15/07/2014 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

Value Traded 7,380,242.39 1,525,000.23 433,128.05 1,050.00 11,523,599.96

No. of Deals 14 14

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

JAPAUL OILStock & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Published by The Nigerian Exchange ©

Quantity Traded 111,982 851,151 361,118 150 2,059,973

Symbol COURTVILLE

Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

NATURAL RESOURCES Metals ALUMINIUM MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Metals Totals

Current Price 69.00 1.80 1.24 7.36

89

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Symbol VITAFOAM

668

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC

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

of

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

No. of Deals 31 20 18 1 89

HEALTHCARE Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONGLOMERATES Totals

Symbol GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH NIG-GERMAN

Daily Summary (Equities)

12

Activity Summary on Board ASeM Daily Summary as of 15/07/2014 CONSUMER GOODS Printed 15/07/2014 15:07:30.030

Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 4 4

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © ASeM Board Totals Equity Activity Totals

Current Price 1.35

5,692

251,758,465

11

of 12 289,835.00

3,003,431,717.63

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 3 4

Current Price 2,056.00 19.52

Quantity Traded 12 3,264 3,276

Value Traded 24,672.00 63,790.86 88,462.86

ETF Board Totals

4

3,276

88,462.86

ETP Activity Totals

4

3,276

88,462.86

12

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Page

12

of

12

46 business | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

15-Jul-14

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

Bonds

Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

NA

NA

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

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

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

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

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

0.21 0.77 2.09 2.78 3.03 3.13 3.87 4.96 5.27 7.54 9.66 14.37 14.85 15.35 16.02

11.03 10.78 11.30 11.35 11.30 11.31 11.37 11.52 11.50 11.98 12.20 12.18 12.19 12.19 12.24

10.30 10.06 11.22 11.29 11.18 11.19 11.27 11.45 11.42 11.92 12.15 12.14 12.14 12.13 12.19

99.58 95.09 103.15 108.70 96.34 94.93 97.92 116.55 82.53 121.50 111.15 118.86 102.03 74.63 84.40

99.73 95.59 103.30 108.85 96.64 95.23 98.22 116.85 82.83 121.80 111.45 119.16 102.33 74.93 84.70

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

4,375.01 Issuer

Agency Bonds AMCON FMBN

NA

***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

0.30 0.86 1.47 2.40 2.77 2.98

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.89 13.37 13.18 13.23 12.27 12.30

96.63 89.48 105.32 99.49 97.96 95.47

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

0.06 0.25 1.13 0.73 1.25 1.26 2.76 1.81 3.46 2.43 4.22 2.63 2.63 3.02 3.08 5.36 3.15 3.76 6.37 6.46 3.94 3.97

1.56 3.29 4.44 3.23 4.46 3.48 5.59 1.00 1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00 1.94 1.44 1.95

12.44 14.18 15.19 14.02 15.27 14.29 16.86 12.08 13.13 13.03 12.39 12.26 16.04 12.30 12.31 12.52 14.05 12.36 12.71 13.66 12.81 13.33

100.05 99.84 97.26 99.86 98.74 101.48 85.28 102.69 102.35 102.18 105.10 104.96 96.00 105.31 108.10 107.52 101.73 106.84 103.36 105.60 104.94 104.86

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

0.23 0.43 0.46 0.61 0.92 1.00 2.21 2.28 3.21 2.03 1.98 2.15 2.15 4.19 2.26 2.34 3.46 6.33

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

11.89 16.10 19.60 15.72 11.72 13.31 12.20 12.55 12.32 13.06 14.65 16.39 16.25 12.74 13.50 17.33 13.50 14.46

99.83 98.90 98.85 96.29 100.58 100.73 101.46 103.23 101.72 109.56 102.63 103.17 101.90 103.94 104.57 99.57 106.74 103.15

11-Feb-18

3.58

1.00

12.35

93.93

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,304.32

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

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

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

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

572.90

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

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

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

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

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

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

180.17

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Rating/Agency

12.00 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Issue Value ($'mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

4.83

4.66

110.66

111.63

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

18-Dec-09

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.08

3.86

103.83

104.61

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

01-Apr-10

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

5.22

5.10

108.18

109.12

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

Corporate Eurobonds AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

3.92

2.70

111.19

113.15

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.92

4.22

104.47

105.74

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.08

5.84

99.69

100.61

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.03

6.41

100.59

102.30

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

8.66

8.25

94.30

95.58

AFREN PLC

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

5.02

4.11

113.23

114.88

ZENITH BANK PLC FIRST BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

6.39

6.09

99.41

100.66

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.26

6.56

103.42

105.92

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.53

5.16

104.19

105.68

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 9 16 23 30 37 44 51

FIXINGS Maturity 24-Jul-14 31-Jul-14 7-Aug-14 14-Aug-14 21-Aug-14 28-Aug-14 4-Sep-14

Bid Discount (%) 10.00 10.50 10.20 10.55 10.50 10.40 10.50

Offer Discount (%) 9.75 10.25 9.95 10.30 10.25 10.15 10.25

Bid Yield (%) 10.02 10.55 10.27 10.64 10.61 10.53 10.66

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 10.9083 12.4580 13.4255 14.4245

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.63

Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

10.88

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

161.85 162.25 162.51 163.10 164.27

161.95 162.51 162.85 163.76 165.45

O/N Tenor Call

REPO

Rate (%) 10.58

A-/GCR NIGER A+/Agusto KADUNA A/Agusto *EBONYI Nil *BENUE A+/Agusto *IMO A+/Agusto; A+/GCR LAGOS A-/Agusto *BAYELSA A/Agusto EDO A+/Agusto; A+/GCR *DELTA A-/Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER A/Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI Wednesday, July 16, 2014*NIGER A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO A/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR LAGOS A/Agusto; A-/GCR *OSUN A/Agusto *OSUN Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR LAGOS A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI A/Agusto *EKITI A-/GCR *NASARAWA Sanctity of Truth

ENCOURAGING

Oil and gas stocks drive NSE activities

Stories

by Chris Ugwu TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

T

he bullish Corporate Bonds tendencies on

the AA/GCR Nigerian LAFARGE StockWAPCO ExA+/Agusto; change (NSE)GTB sustained Aa/Agusto µ Nil a rally yesterday NGC as bargain hunters taking position Bbb-/Agusto *UPDC A-/Agusto on equities, dominated the *FLOURMILLS BB+/GCR day's activities. *CHELLARAMS A+/Agusto; A-/GCR ASI and The NSE market NAHCO A-/Agusto FSDH by 0.09 capitalisation increased A/GCR per cent as market UBA sentiments BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING remained on the green zone.

BBB+/DataPro†; BB+/GCRin*DANA Transactions the# share A-/DataPro†; prices of BB-/GCR Mobil Oil*TOWER and # Forte AAA/DataPro†; A+/GCR *TOWER Oil Plc led other gainers# to lift A/Agusto; A/GCR market indicators. UBA Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA The key benchmark indices BBB-/DataPro†; BB+/GCR *CHELLARAMS# maintained positive trajectory BBB/GCR *DANA taking to close in the green, A+/Agusto; A-/GCR supports majorly NAHCO from large TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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 capitalised stock, which was 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 particularly driven by the two 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 companies.

Medium 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021capitalisa-

31-Aug-10 12.50 30-Sep-10 13.00 30-Jun-11 14.00 30-Jun-09 15.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 30-Jun-10 13.75 30-Dec-10 14.00 30-Sep-11 14.00 04-Oct-11 14.00 09-Dec-11 14.50 12-Dec-13 14.00 14-Feb-12 15.50 02-Oct-12 15.50 22-Nov-12 14.50 12-Dec-12 14.75 30-Sep-13 14.75 27-Nov-13 13.50 strengthened by the activities 31-Dec-13 15.00 on the shares of Unity Bank 31-Dec-13 14.50 and 06-Jan-14 Access Bank led in volume 15.00

8.50 31-Aug-15 1.13 16.50 30-Sep-15 0.73 13.00 30-Jun-16 1.25 18.50 30-Jun-16 1.26 57.00 19-Apr-17 2.76 50.00 30-Jun-17 1.81 25.00 31-Dec-17 3.46 50.00 30-Sep-18 2.43 9.00 04-Oct-18 4.22 20.00 09-Dec-18 2.63 12.00 12-Dec-18 2.63 27.00 14-Feb-19 3.02 20.00 02-Oct-19 3.08 80.00 22-Nov-19 5.36 30.00 12-Dec-19 3.15 11.40 30-Sep-20 3.76 87.00 27-Nov-20 6.37 coholic drinks, Nigerian6.46 Brew5.00 31-Dec-20 eries, fell by N2.38 to close 5.00 31-Dec-20 3.94 at N172.22 while industry3.97 rival, 5.00 06-Jan-21

4.44 15.19 97.26 3.23 14.02 99.86 4.46 15.27 98.74 3.48 14.29 101.48 5.59 16.86 85.28 1.00 12.08 102.69 1.79 13.13 102.35 1.80 13.03 102.18 1.00 12.39 105.10 1.00 12.26 104.96 4.78 16.04 96.00 1.00 12.30 105.31 1.00 12.31 108.10 1.00 12.52 107.52 2.74 14.05 101.73 1.00 12.36 106.84 1.00 12.71 103.36 by N0.40 to105.60 close re1.94N1.70 and 13.66 spectively , at N32.47 and N11.00 1.44 12.81 104.94 per , financial 1.95 share. Similarly 13.33 104.86

business | FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

47

Nigerian stocks sustain bullish rally tion stocks also contributed to the positive outlook recorded.

Consequently, at the close of 11.50 LAFARGE WAPCO 7-OCTcapitalisa2014 transactions, market 13.50increased GUARANTY TRUST tion by 18-DEC-2014 0.09 per cent NGC 31-DEC-2014 or17.00 N14 billion from N14.175 tril10.00traded UPDC 17-AUG-2015 lion the previous day to 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 N14.189 trillion on Tuesday.

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 Also, the NSE All Share In13.00(ASI) NAHCO appreciated 29-SEP-2016 dex by 40.98 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 basis points or 0.09 per cent 30-SEP-2017 to13.00 42,UBA 971.58 index points from 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 42,930.60 points recorded in the MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 previous day.

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 Further review of yesterday’s MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 trading showed showed that inves14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 tors bought 251.7 million shares 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 worth N3.003 billion in 5,692.

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 On the sub-sectorial level, 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 banking sub sector of the fi15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 nancial service sector was

terms with 91.1 million shares 572.90 Guinness Nigeria, withdrew institutions Ecobank Transworth N873.6 million in 1,627 by N1.48 to close at N198.02per national International and deals. Other financial services share. Also, manufacturers of Mansard Insurance, slipped sub sector, building inputs by close at 07-Oct-11 also of the 11.50financial 11.80 07-Oct-14 Ashaka 0.23 Ce1.00N0.11 and 11.89N0.10 to99.83 18-Dec-09 13.50 by the 13.17 0.43 5.21 service sector, boosted ment and 18-Dec-14 Cement Company N17.39 and16.10 N2.52 per 98.90 share re01-Apr-10 17.0037.3 mil- 2.00 31-Dec-14 0.46 8.71 98.85 shares of FBNH had of Northern Nigeria, declined spectively . 19.60 10.00 worth 15.00 17-Aug-15 0.61 4.88 15.72 96.29 lion17-Aug-10 ordinary shares 09-Dec-10 09-Dec-15 0.92 1.00 11.72 100.58 N372.4 million done12.00 in 801 deals. 37.50 06-Jan-11 14.00 06-Jan-16 1.00 2.63 13.31 100.73 Marketers of refined petro- 1.50 29-Sep-11 13.00 Nigeria 15.00 29-Sep-16 2.21 1.00 12.20 101.46 leum products, Mobil 25-Oct-13Oil, led the 14.25 2.28 Plc, 1.34 12.55 103.23 with and Forte gainers as 5.53 overeign 25-Oct-16 Trust Insurance The move was in line 13.00 30-Sep-17 1.00 of the resolutions 12.32 101.72 they30-Sep-10 firmed by N5.15 and N5.00 20.00 one of the insurance 3.21 firms one reached 30-Nov-12 18.00 N240.00 0.94 30-Nov-17 1.88the shareholders 13.06 listed on the floor of the2.03 Nige- by of109.56 the comto close at N140.15 and 09-Apr-11respectively 16.00 09-Apr-18 1.98 has 3.48 at its 18th 14.65 Annual 102.63 rian Stock Exchange (NSE) pany General per share . Also, ce- 8.01 09-Sep-11 18.00 Cement 3.63 09-Sep-18 5.20 16.39 held 103.17 ment producer, Lafarge posted 77 per cent drop in2.15 profit Meeting (AGM) last year, 09-Sep-11strengthened 16.00 further 1.00 2.15 5.06 16.25 WAPCO, after tax. 09-Sep-18 which empowered the101.90 directors 22-Sep-11 to close 14.00 22-Sep-18 4.19 the 1.35 12.74 103.94 capiby N4.60 at N117.60 35.00 This was contained in to raise additional equity 18-Oct-13 15.75 2.26 2.29 104.57 tal by way of13.50 special placement while consumer goods company, 3.00 company’s18-Oct-18 audited financial 17-Feb-12 17.00 2.34 6.11 17.33 99.57 results for17-Feb-19 the year ended De- or Public Offer/Rights Issue or Nestle Nigeria, gained N2.00 to 0.54 16.00 4.50 01-Apr-19 13.50 cember 31, 2013 submitted3.46 to the a2.16 combination of any106.74 of them. close01-Apr-14 at N1,112.00 per share.

14-Nov-13 15.25 6.33 2.76 14.46 Exchange. 14-Nov-20 The Rights Issue, 103.15 which is On the flip side, brewer of al- 2.05 180.17The underwritten firm postdue to commence very soon, ed a profit after tax of N346.9 will put on offer one (1) new million during the year-end ordinary share for every three 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 11-Feb-18 3.58 1.00 12.35 93.93 2013 as against N1.47 billion re- (3) ordinary shares of 50 kobo 12.00 corded the comparable period each held in the company as at N524 million to N584 million, of 2012, representing a drop of the close of register during the Issue Date Coupon (%) rose Issue Value Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) Offerlast YieldAGM. (%) Bid Price Offer Price while shareholders’ funds 77($'mm) per cent. from N4.5 billion N5.4 billion, Similarly, post-tax profit Consequently, the company’s Prices & Yields has enjoined all showing a growth of 20 per cent. dipped 83 per cent to N274.8 mil- management Total07-Oct-11 assets increased by 32 per lion from N1.58 billion reported shareholders of the company 6.75 500.00 28-Jan-21 4.83 4.66 110.66 111.63 cent to N7.4 billion, from N5.6 in the corresponding period of to take full advantage of this to billion. fully their rights 2012.

18-Dec-09 5.13 500.00 12-Jul-18 4.08 3.86 exercise 103.83 104.61in the Based on the performance, However, gross premium proposed Rights Issue as a way the mortgage firm recommendwritten climbed of 01-Apr-10 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 up 12 per 5.22cent 108.18 and increasing 5.10consolidating 109.12 ed a dividend of N125 million, to N8.673 billion in 2013 audited their stake in the ownership of which translated to three kobo 1,500.00 year-end from N7.742 billion the company. reported in the same period of A statement by the Managper share. ing Director of the company, Commenting on the results, 2012.

01-Feb-11 11.50 01-Feb-16 3.92 2.70 111.19 113.15 Managing Director of the 450.00 Sovereign Trust Insurance Mr. Wale Onaolapo, said that 19-May-11 7.50Obaleye, 500.00 19-May-16 4.22 105.74 had recently put in place4.92 plans more than104.47 ever before, Sovercompany , Mr. Banjo 6.00 resulted 400.00 08-Nov-18 6.08 5.84 Trust 99.69 said08-Nov-13 the performance to raise fresh funds through eign Insurance100.61 is poised 7.25work and 350.00 25-Jul-17 7.03 6.41take the100.59 from25-Jul-12 discipline, hard Rights Issue aimed at consolito insurance102.30 business 09-May-13 02-May-18 8.66 un8.25a greater 94.30 a commitment to 6.88 providing 300.00 dating the ownership of the to height as95.58 it gravi08-Apr-12 10.25 credible mortgage plans for all 300.00 derwriting08-Apr-19 firm by its existing tates to the next phase 5.02 4.11 113.23 114.88of its 22-Apr-14 6.25 500.00 22-Apr-19 growth agenda.

Nigerians. shareholders.

6.39 6.09 99.41 100.66

Sovereign Trust Profit dips 77%

S

Infinity Homes reports 54% Q2 earnings growth Supranational Bond

AAA/S&P

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

IFC

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

I

nfinity Trust Mortgage Bank Plc, Rating/Agency one of the primary Issuer mortgage institution’s (PMI) listFGN ed onEurobonds the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has anBB-/Fitch; B+/S&P nounced a 54 per cent growth inBB-/Fitch; net earnings.

FGN BB-/S&P The company in a filing with BB-/Fitch; the Exchange yesterday, said its BB-/S&P profit after tax grew to N143.660 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE million in the second quarter of 2014 from N66.234 million Corporate Eurobonds recorded in the same period of B-/S&P; B/Fitch PLC I 2013, accounting for AFREN an increase GTBANK PLC I ofB+/S&P; 54 per cent.

B+/Fitch Also, its profit GTBANK before PLCtax B+/S&P equally firmed (PBT) up BANK by 54 ACCESS PLC B/S&P; B/Fitchto N169.012 per cent million FIDELITY BANK PLC during from B/Fitch the second quarter AFREN PLC B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P N77.923 million recorded in the ZENITH BANK PLC

same period of 2013.

Description turnover The company’s also increased by 36.3 per cent to N371.600 million in the Q2 of 2014 from6.75N236.740 million JAN 28, 2021 reported in the corresponding period of 2013.

5.13 JUL 12, 2018 The shares of mortgage bank 6.38the JUL 12, 2023 last Dewere listed on NSE cember, giving opportunity to more investors to buy into the company.

Infinity Trust Mortgage FEB 01, 2016 Bank had 11.50 less than three 7.50 MAY 2016 months after the19,listing, an6.00 NOVbefore 08, 2018 tax of nounced a profit 25, year 2017 ended N226 million7.25 forJUL the 6.88 MAY 09, 2018profit afDecember 31, 2013 and 10.25 million.

APR 08, 2019 ter tax of N189 6.25 APR 22,grew 2019 Gross earnings from

B/S&P; B-/Fitch

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

7.26

6.56

103.42

B+/S&P; B+/Fitch

AFREN PLC

6.63 DEC 09, 2020

09-Dec-13

6.63

360.00

09-Dec-20

5.53

5.16

104.19

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

3,460.00

105.92 105.68

15-Jul-14

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

**Treasury Bills

DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) 9 24-Jul-14 10.00 9.75 16 31-Jul-14 10.50 10.25 FGN Bonds23 7-Aug-14 10.20 9.95 30 14-Aug-14 10.55 10.30 Issuer Description Rating/Agency Issue 37 21-Aug-14 10.50 10.25Date 44 28-Aug-14 10.40 10.15 9.25 28-SEP-2014 28-Sep-07 51 4-Sep-14 10.50 10.25 4.00 23-APR-2015 23-Apr-10 58 11-Sep-14 10.80 10.55 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16-Aug-13 65 18-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 15.10 27-APR-2017 27-Apr-12 72 25-Sep-14 10.70 10.45 9.85 27-JUL-2017 27-Jul-07 79 2-Oct-14 10.60 10.35 9.35 31-AUG-2017 31-Aug-07 86 9-Oct-14 10.40 10.15 10.70 30-MAY-2018 30-May-08 93 16-Oct-14 10.65 10.40 NA NA 16.00 29-JUN-2019 29-Jun-12 100 23-Oct-14 10.55 10.30 7.00 23-OCT-2019 23-Oct-09 107 30-Oct-14 10.65 10.40 16.39 27-JAN-2022 27-Jan-12 114 6-Nov-14 10.50 10.25 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14-Mar-14 121 13-Nov-14 10.80 10.55 15.00 28-NOV-2028 28-Nov-08 128 20-Nov-14 10.60 10.35 12.49 22-MAY-2029 22-May-09 142 4-Dec-14 10.50 10.25 8.50 20-NOV-2029 20-Nov-09 177 8-Jan-15 10.35 10.10 10.00 23-JUL-2030 23-Jul-10 191 22-Jan-15 10.40 10.15 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 205 5-Feb-15 10.40 10.15 219 19-Feb-15 10.40 10.15 233 5-Mar-15 10.40 10.15 Description 268 9-Apr-15 9.90 9.65 Rating/Agency Issuer 282 23-Apr-15 10.05 9.80 296 7-May-15 9.90 9.65 Agency Bonds *from the Amortising 0.00 AMCON 31-OCT-2014 (SR.5 TR.1) AMCON #bonds, the average life is 0.00risk FMBpremiums 24-MAY-2015 Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity **Exclusive ofNA non-trading t.bills

FMBN

***LCRM

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

Bid Yield (%) 10.02 10.55 10.27 10.64 Coupon 10.61 (%) 10.53 9.25 10.66 4.00 10.99 13.05 10.91 15.10 10.93 9.85 10.85 9.35 10.66 10.70 10.95 16.00 10.86 7.00 10.99 16.39 10.86 14.20 11.20 15.00 11.01 12.49 10.95 8.50 10.90 10.00 11.00 11.05 11.09 11.14 10.68 Date Issue 10.90 10.76

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

100.00 535.00 500.27 452.80 NITTY 20.00 Tenor 100.00 1M 300.00 2M 351.30 3M 233.90 6M 600.00 9M 165.17 12M 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 NIFEX

Rate (%) 10.9083 12.4580 Maturity 13.4255 Date 14.4245 28-Sep-14 23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 Rate (%) 31-Aug-17 10.5744 30-May-18 10.8706 29-Jun-19 10.8873 23-Oct-19 10.9102 27-Jan-22 10.9927 14-Mar-24 11.6717 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

10.63

Tenor

10.88

Spot 7D Yield Offer 14D (%) 1M 2M 10.30 3M 10.06 6M 11.22 1Y 11.29

O/N

TTM (Yrs) REPO Tenor 0.21 Call 1M 0.77 3M 2.09 6M 2.78

Bid Yield (%) Rate (%) 10.5811.03 12.4710.78 13.2711.30 13.9611.35

3.03 11.30 11.18 3.13 11.31 11.19 NOTE: 3.87 11.37 11.27 4.96 11.52 11.45 :Benchmarks 5.27 11.50 11.42 * :Amortising Bond 7.54 11.98 11.92 µ :Convertible Bond 9.66 12.20 12.15 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 14.37 12.18 12.14 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 14.85 12.19 12.14 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 15.35 12.19 12.13 IFC: International Finance Corporation 16.02 12.24 12.19

Bid ($/N) 161.85 162.25 Bid Price 162.51 163.10 164.2799.58 165.5495.09 103.15 169.18 108.70 176.96

Offer ($/N) Price 161.95 162.51 Offer Price 162.85 163.76 165.4599.73 167.1795.59 103.30 172.78 108.85 183.94

96.34 96.64 94.93 95.23 97.92 98.22 116.55 116.85 NA :Not Applicable 82.53 82.83 # :Floating Rate Bond 121.50 121.80 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 111.15 111.45 118.86 119.16 †: Bond rating expired 102.03 102.33 74.63 74.93 84.40 84.70

LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company NGC: Nigeria-German Company 162.0750 UBA: United Bank for Africa O/N: Overnight # 162.1750 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company Risk Avg. Life/TTM Valuation Yield Indicative WAPCO:West Africa Company Issue Value (N'bn) Maturity DatePortland Cement Premium (Yrs) (%) Price (%)

4,375.01 Current Price ($/N)

BID($/N) OFFER ($/N) Coupon (%)

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

NIBOR

Bonds

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

0.30 0.86 1.47 2.40 2.77 2.98

1.00 2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

11.89 13.37 13.18 13.23 12.27 12.30

96.63 89.48 105.32 99.49 97.96 95.47

1,304.32 FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

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

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

14.00 KWARA 5-AUG-2014 Porfolio Market Total Outstanding 14.00 NIGER 15-OCT-2014 Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 1,008.22 953.07 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 1,138.44 951.30 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 682.87 756.74 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 2,829.53 2,661.11 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

05-Aug-09

Weighting by 15-Oct-09 Outstanding Vol

31-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 35.81 30-Jun-11 35.75 30-Jun-09 19-Apr-10 28.44 30-Jun-10 100.00 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

14.00

Weighting by Mkt 14.00 Value

12.50 13.00 35.63 14.00 40.23 15.50 10.00 24.13 13.75 100.00 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 14.75 13.50

17.00 6.00 Bucket Weighting

8.50 16.50 0.36 13.00 0.36 18.50 57.00 0.28 50.00 1.00 25.00 50.00 9.00 20.00 12.00 27.00 20.00 80.00 30.00 11.40 87.00

05-Aug-14

% Exposure_ 15-Oct-14 Mod_Duration

31-Aug-15 30-Sep-15 17.67 30-Jun-16 36.36 30-Jun-16 19-Apr-17 45.97 30-Jun-17 100.00 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 30-Sep-20 27-Nov-20

0.06

1.56

12.44

100.05

0.25 Implied Yield

Implied 3.29 Portfolio Price

INDEX14.18

YTD Return 99.84 (%)

11.33 1.25 11.83 1.26

117.3363 4.46 133.0809 3.48

1,114.46 15.27 1,126.88 14.29

11.4456 98.74 12.6878 101.48

2.76 12.23 1.81 11.93

5.59 99.0659 1.00 117.7692

16.86 1,155.68 12.08 1,118.68

85.28 15.5684 102.69 11.8681

1.13 0.73

3.46 2.43 4.22 2.63 2.63 3.02 3.08 5.36 3.15 3.76 6.37

4.44 3.23

1.79 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.74 1.00 1.00

15.19 14.02

13.13 13.03 12.39 12.26 16.04 12.30 12.31 12.52 14.05 12.36 12.71

97.26 99.86

102.35 102.18 105.10 104.96 96.00 105.31 108.10 107.52 101.73 106.84 103.36

48 POLITICS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Debo Adeniran

H

ow do I begin and what’s more to say? So many people have said a lot but then I still would want to at least, say with heart-felt lamentation that with the passing away of this brilliant, dogged, indefatigable, relentless, humorous but uncompromising fighter for human rights, defender of the rule of law and justice, a quintessential humanist who dedicated his adult life to the cause of humanity and human rights, civil society communities have suffered a backbreaking subtraction that would be difficult to replenish for a very long time.

Nigeria and especially the legal profession has lost an illustrious and enigmatic personality. Quite evident is the fact that in spite of all that he had been able to accomplish in his relatively short but fulfilled life in the course of his practice as a lawyer and other selfless activities, he remained an epitome of modesty and humility, who never looked down on anybody. He was always ready, even eager to help others. Bamidele’s heart was always driven by empathy and uncommon compassion for his fellowman.

Most painful is the fact that, his incurable knack for using his professional skill and disposition to help anyone that had run to him for assistance in one way or the other, had tended to mitigate on the pains we had to bear in our heart all this years for losing that icon of our collective struggle, Chief Gani Fawehinmi. This was because, whenever we saw Bamidele, it was as if we were seeing Gani. We had always been consoled in the fact that one of Gani’s disciples left behind perfectly stepped into his big shoes. He virtually fitted in and without exaggerating, I wouldn’t easily remember now if we, from this divide, have had any other legal practitioner whose record of pro bono services to the less privileged, proportionately surpassed Aturu’s.

So many things to remember Bamidele Francis Aturu for but let me just recall some of the events that characterized my relatively long relationship with him: An ardent apostle of true democracy who had a brief stint as a recruit in the Nigerian Army but left the basically dictatorial profession without notice either to his father, who was a police officer, nor his commanding bosses for further education that would enable him fit squarely into the civil populace. He attended the prestigious Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo as a degree student. That’s where we first met in 1984 and immediately became close friends. That was also where he bagged his first Second Class Upper Degree in Physics Education. He was the Students’ Union President in Adeyemi College and the Vice-President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, 1985-86.

He was one of the main organizers of the nationwide protests against the imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) - a fall-out of the then military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida’s unilateral decision to impose the ‘conditionalities’ of the widely rejected IMF loan on Nigerians, popularly called Anti-SAP protests of 1989. As a matter of fact, we were together with several former student activists in the University of Lagos to mobilize the students to the Anti SAP action when some reactionary students in the garb of the infamous ‘Peace Movement’ started stoning us. Aturu was hit on the forehead. He was undaunted, he continued with other activists to ensure the Anti-SAP protests succeeded in Lagos.

Bamidele meritoriously served Nigeria through the CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 6

majority, but for me, 12 states structure is what the country currently needs.

The 36 states structure as we have now or the demand for more is a waste of resources. There is no country in the world which has less population than Nigeria with more states than Nigeria, why will Nigeria’s case be an exception when we cannot maintain the least of all the states.”

A South-East delegate, who under anonymity because of the position of his zone on the issue, called for a reduction in the number of states in the country if Nigeria is to realise its dream of becoming one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2020.

He said: “Some of the present states are not better than local governments.

Industrialised countries like Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia, which we are aspiring to be like did not develop through proliferation of states. We cannot attain development by high recurrent expenditure and reduced capital expenditure, the way we are spending our national revenue.”

The lawmaker representing Alimosho constituency (1) in the Lagos State

Aturu: A sun that set by mid-day

Aturu

compulsory National Youth Service Corps scheme in Niger State between 1987 and 1988 where he bagged a couple of awards and commendation. His disdain for military dictatorship stoked the fire in him to seize the opportunity of NYSC passing-out parade on August 4, 1988 to amplify his rejection of military dictatorship by refusing to shake hands with the then military administrator of Niger State, now retired Colonel Lawan Gwadabe. To punish Aturu for the ‘embarrassment’ Aturu caused him, Gwadabe, without second consideration, immediately withdrew his left hand that was holding Bamidele’s NYSC Discharge Certificate as well as the 1988 Award as the Best Youth Corps member.

The Military Administrator was to tell a big lie later that it was not his hand the passing activist refused to shake but it was the certificate Aturu refused to collect!

Aturu was back in Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe to study law in 1989. It was during this second journey in the university system that he became the NANS National Mobilisation Officer in 1991. That was the time he led Nigerian students in the struggle against the attempt of the military government to ‘recolonise’ higher education in Nigeria. He was ‘rewarded’ for the heroic feat with a three-month detention without trial in Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos. Very brilliant and articulate a chap, he had nothing less than second class upper degree in all of his degree courses including Law School. He was, before he became the Best Youth Corps member in 1988, the best graduating science student of Adeyemi College with B.Sc. (Ed) Physics in 1987. He won the Professor David Ijalaye Prizeman, for being the best student in law in 1994

and also had best result in Public International Law in OAU in 1995.

That guy passionately called BF was very passionate about the cause of the down-trodden. It was this passion that drove him to be one of the progenitors of civil society activism in Nigeria. He was part of the first-ever attempt to put a Civil Society Organisation, Patriotic Democratic Front (PDF), together under the leadership of the now equally late Comrade Barrister Alao Aka-Bashorun. He was the South-West ViceChairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO).

He was part of the formation and later a member of the Expanded National Executive Committee of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).

He was a member of the National Consultative Forum (NCF) the platform that attempted holding a National Conference that the Babangida military regime brutally stopped in 1990. He was part of the Campaign for Democracy (CD). He was the Chairman of the United Action for Democracy (UAD). He was a member of so many other CSOs including the Women in Nigeria (WIN) which was a testimony to his commitment to respect for womanhood and gender equity.

He was a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL. He was a lawyer to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and many of its component industrial unions.

He was lawyer to the oppressed Okada riders against several SANs, including Professor Osinbajo the former Commissioner of Justice in Lagos state defending the oppressive government, when the Lagos state government threw the commercial motorbike riders out of business without providing any viable alternative means of livelihood. Worthy of mention also is that he served as a lawyer in several cases bothering on issues of the Freedom of Information, some of which he won as a watershed case.

In his bid to fight the cause of the downtrodden, Democratic Alternative (AD) was birthed on which platform Bamidele Aturu contested the governorship election in Lagos State in 2003. As the Director-General of his campaign, I had a swelled time moving round the nooks and crannies of Lagos. And on February 4, 2003 while soliciting support for Aturu I had this to say, “Barrister Bamidele Aturu has been put forward by the DA as an agent of desirable change. He has been nominated to lead the much-needed credible government in Lagos State so that governance in Lagos can be truly determined and run by Lagos people for Lagos people. This will not make governance either a commodity for the highest bidder or seed of tomorrows suffering.”

Bamidele was an orator per excellence, a down-toearth analyst and an excellent school teacher. He taught Mathematics and Physics, at the Federal Government College, Minna, Niger State (1987-88) and in Holy Child Girls Secondary School, Obalende, Lagos (1987-89). As a brilliant lawyer, he served as a Staff Attorney with the Itse Sagay & Co. Law Chambers, Lagos. (1995-1999). He was, before his death the Principal Counsel, Bamidele Aturu & Co. Law firm, which he started since 1999. I want to say that it has indeed been a grave personal loss for me, of a friend, a comrade and a brother.

•Debo Adeniran writes from Lagos

New states and insatiable demands for fiefdoms House of Assembly, Hon. Bisi Yusuf, also described the new states recommendation as uncalled for, saying it will amount to waste of scarce resources.

Yusuf argued that rather than create more states, what the country needs is a purposeful and sound leadership that would manage its resources effectively.

“How many of the existing states are viable? We do not need more states because we have not even been able to take adequate care of the ones that we have. No matter how many states we create, it would only amount to providing more jobs for the boys,” he said.

Not yet Uhuru Despite the condemnation and even the euphoria, which have trailed the Justice Idris Kutigi-led National Conference on the issue, it is still a long walk for the promoters of the proposed new states, especially if the outcome of the confab is to be subjected to the ratification of the National Assembly.

Except the constitution is amended, creation of new states is a tall order,

as procedures to be adopted by the National Assembly according to Section 8 (i) of the 1999 Constitution is cumbersome.

The section states: An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new state shall only be passed if – (a) A request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely – (i) the Senate and the House of Representatives, (ii) The House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) The local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly.

It further states: (b) A proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the state originated; (c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of

Pyagbara

Assembly; and (d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by twothirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

Given this cumbersome process, it is means that the new states will only come to fruition only if the constitutional procedure is simplified through an amendment, or the outcome of the National Conference is subjected to a referendum.

NEWS 49

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Ogoni renew campaign for 2015 governorship slot Emmanuel Marsha

T

he Ogoni’s have launched a fresh campaign to produce the next governor of Rivers State in 2015 in order to break the jinx of not having any of its son or daughter occupy the exalted position since the state was created in 1967.

They have also embarked on a new campaign to make the Federal Government implement the United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP) Report three years after it was released.

With the chances of Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers South-East Senatorial District) being endorsed

by Governor Chibuike Amaechi as the candidate for the All Peoples Congress (APC), and the Governor’s alleged endorsement of Mr. Tonye Cole, the businessman son of Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, the Ogonis have cried out against their marginalization.

238,000

The total number of internet users in Macau in 2007.

Source: Blatantworld.com

They said it is unjust that no Ogoni has ever been the Deputy Governor, speaker of the state House of Assembly or the Chief Judge in the state’s history.

Traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Ogoniland have urged other ethnic groups in the state to show understanding and support in the quest of the Ogoni’s to present the Governor in 2015.

Meeting under the umbrella of the People

49

The life expectancy (in years) of men at birth in Afghanistan in 2010-2015.

Source: Un.org

of Ogoni Ethnic Nationality at a mini congress, they said they have been oppressed by successive governments in the state.

They said in a communiqué issued after the meeting: “Despite our huge contributions to the peace and sustenance of Rivers state and Nigeria, we have been deliberately oppressed, neglected and marginalized socially, politically, economically and otherwise”.

They also declared that “our agitation to

7.2m

The number of people with diabetes (20-79 years) in Japan in 2013.

Source: Idp.com

produce the Governor in 2015 is justifiable; we therefore seek the understanding, cooperation and support of other ethnic nationalities in Rivers State in the spirit of justice and reciprocation of Ogoni’s previous support to others.”

The former Chairman, Provisional Coun-

cil of MOSOP, Prof. Ben Naanen, who delivered the keynote address themed “Ogoni Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: The Struggle Against Internal Colonialism’, said for 2015, the Ogoni political agenda should focus on getting an Ogoni candidate elected as governor of the State.

Edo PDP lawmakers threaten to block allocation Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

embers of the Peoples M Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State House

of Assembly yesterday urged the state government through the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs to release all monies e to the 18 local government councils from the federation account to enable them pay salaries and arrears of workers.

The lawmakers frowned at the attitude of government that has sparked the over three-day warning strike by council workers over tax deductions This came as the state

Commissioner of Police; Folusho Adenajo, said the force is neither in support of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers nor their counterparts of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party over the lingering crisis in the state.

Adebanjo said “Our own task is to preserve law and order. The police have been apolitical during this crisis and we are doing our best”.

The police boss pointed out that “there has been no single loss of life or properties even we have intelligence information about so many things that could have happened but because of preparedness.

Plateau generates N4.2bn in six months Musa Pam Jos

Plateau state GovTthathe ernment yesterday said it has raised N4.2 bilL-R: Chairman Board of Trustees, Godswill Orphanage, Kogi State, Mr. Paul Etu; sponsor, Melody Shelters Orphanages Talent Hunt, Prince Tonye Princewill and Propretress, Godswill Orphanage, Mrs. Elizabeth Okpanachi (Winners of Melody Shelters Talent Hunt), during Princewill's inspection tour to the orphanage...yesterday

Property ownership: Imoke’s wife laments discrimination against women FAIR DEAL

Obioma Imoke, Cross River Governor's wife has a heart of gold for women

T

he Wife of the Governor of Cross River, Mrs. Obioma LiyelImoke said women have been discriminated against in property ownership in Nigeria.

She stated that it is high time policies are reviewed in order to make the acquisition of landed property very easy for women.

Speaking, while commissioning the Heritage Bricks Estate initiated by the member representing Calabar/ Odukpani Federal Constituency, Nkoyo Toyo, in Odukpani on Monday, Mrs. Liyel-Imoke said women's increased access to land would be to

the overall benefit of the family and the society.

The Governor’s wife described the housing scheme as a welcome development and a pride to womanhood.

She commended Hon. Toyo for her quality and visionary representation, stating that the Heritage Bricks Estate was novel, trail blazing and a paradigm shift in political representation.

She added that the gesture has redefined the concept of political empowerment from “mere tokenism of distribution of commodities to meeting the real needs of constituents and expanding their economic frontiers.”

Mrs. Imoke who is also the Founder/ Board Chairman, Partnerships Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realization (POWER) was optimistic that the gesture by Toyo would afford women the opportunity to not

only own lands, but also houses.

According to her, female property ownership reduces violence against women such as sending them out of the homes unjustifiably. “When women own houses, the family union will be strengthened”, she said.

She therefore indicated interest to acquire a percentage of the houses for widows in the state “because I believe that women ownership of property has multiple economic benefits such as access to credit and incentive saving.”

The Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi while performing the ground breaking ceremony alongside Mrs Imoke, praised Hon. Toyo for initiating the Housing scheme as a contribution to providing affordable houses for the people of

her constituency.

She reiterated President Goodluck Jonathan’s vision and zeal “in providing affordable housing for all to help cover up the gaps that exist between the greater number of Nigerians and houses available.”

Earlier In her speech, Toyo said the aim of the project was to develop a modern housing complex for her teaming supporters, adding that it was in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s agenda in providing affordable housing for all.

She commended Governor Liyel Imoke and his wife Obioma for inspiring her in her developmental agenda and promised to continue to work for the good of the women in the state.

PDP National Woman Leader, Kema Chikwe who was the Guest of Honour at the event commended Nkoyo for her efforts in providing lands and housing for women, noting that women do not usually own lands and lauded her for demystifying this parochial belief.

lion as internally generated revenue (IGR) in the first half of the year, 2014.

Chairman, Plateau State Internal Revenue Service Mr. Samuel Pam made this known to journalist in Jos. Pam described the development as "good feat" and commended the effort of staff of the service for their commitment to duty and immediately called on them to breast up for better result.

New Telegraph gath-

ered that the revenue collection for the period under review showed that the service collected N2.

97 billion while the sum of N1. 24 billion came from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Road taxes amounted to N220.52million with N85. 14 million generated from sales of Plate numbers and N72.71 million from sales of Car stickers/Vehicles tags.

According to him, the month of May recorded the highest collection of N813, 033, 465. 27 while the lowest was in April with N567, 660, 013.07.

"We hope to improve

Oil Bunkering: JTF intercepts barge, destroys illegally refined crude Operatives of the Toilhe Sector 2 anti-illegal bunkering of the Joint Task Force (JTF), also known as Operation PULO SHIELD has arrested an ocean going Barge used for illegal oil bunkering activities in

the Niger Delta.

The Barge containing several quantities of crude oil was intercepted and arrested at Mangbiye creek in Sangana community of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Illiteracy, unemployment hinder youth investment, says Duruiheoma Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

he Chairman of the TCommission National Population (NPC), Eze Duruiheoma (SAN) has identified illiteracy, un-

employment and lack of access to sexual reproductive health services and commodities as major challenges inhibiting the nation from maximally investing in young people.

50

WORLD | NEWS

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Iraq woos Sunnis as al-Jabouri is elected speaker of parliament

I

raqi politicians named a moderate Sunni Islamist as speaker of parliament yesterday, a long-delayed first step towards a power-sharing government urgently needed to save the state from disintegration in the face of a Sunni uprising.

A Shi’ite leader suggested the naming of Salim al-Jabouri as speaker was part of a broader political deal, but gave no clue as to whether that meant Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri alMaliki had managed to secure backing for a third term. The

vote came as Iraq’s army and allied Shi’ite militia launched an assault to retake former dictator Saddam Hussein’s home city Tikrit from the al Qaeda offshoot known as the Islamic State and allied militants, who seized it in mid-June during a lightning assault through the north.

The stunning advance by the militants over the past month has put Iraq’s very survival in jeopardy even as its politicians have been deadlocked over forming a new government since an election

in April. Maliki, whose State of Law coalition won the most seats but would need allies to form a government, has ruled since the election as a caretaker, defying demands from Sunnis and Kurds that he step aside for a less-polarising figure.

Washington has made clear that setting up a more inclusive government in Baghdad is a requirement for its military support against the insurgency.

Under Iraq’s governing system put in place after the U.S.

invasion in 2003, the prime minister has always been a member of the Shi’ite majority, the speaker a Sunni and the largely ceremonial president a Kurd, with the three posts hammered out in prolonged negotiations following every election. Picking the Sunni speaker is parliament’s first task, but Sunni leaders had previously refused to nominate one until a deal was reached on a prime minister. Ibrahim al-

British cabinet, Anglican Church boost gender equality

B

Iraqi security forces personnel look at the body of a victim of a car bomb attack in Basra

Hamas rejects Egypt truce offer, fires rockets

H

amas rejected an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire with Israel that was to take effect yesterday, saying Cairo did not consult the group over the deal. Israel accepted the truce plan, but warned it would strike Gaza hard if Hamas didn’t abide by it.

Militants from Gaza fired five rockets at Israel, shortly after the Egyptian-proposed starting time for a gradual deescalation yesterday’s morning.

The military wing of Hamas, which has been responsible for most of the hundreds of rockets launched at Israel in the past week, said the Egyptian plan “wasn’t worth the ink it was written with.”

However, Hamas didn’t close the door to negotiations on ending a week of fighting that killed at least 192 Palestinians

and exposed millions of Israelis to rocket fire. The militant group appeared to be holding out for better cease-fire conditions, with senior officials saying the current proposal offers no tangible achievements, particularly on easing a border blockade of Gaza enforced by Israel and Egypt. Hamas also wants to be recognized by Egypt as a partner in any truce efforts. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said the movement was not consulted by Egypt. “We did not receive any official draft of this Egyptian proposal,” he said, adding that the plan, as is, was “not acceptable.”

Hamas officials are weary of promises by Egypt and Israel to ease the border blockade.

Such promises were also part of a truce that ended more than a week of fighting in 2012,

but were quickly broken as violence flared again. An easing of the blockade of the coastal strip is key to the survival of Hamas. Before the outbreak of the latest round of fighting, the militant group found itself in a serious financial crisis because a particularly tight closure by Egypt had prevented cash and goods from coming into the strip through hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev warned that Israel would strike Gaza even harder if Hamas does not accept the truce. “If Hamas rejects the Egyptian proposal, if Hamas continues to shoot rockets at Israeli cities, we are prepared to continue our military operation and intensify it as needed to protect our people,” he said.

Jaafari, Maliki’s predecessor and now head of his Shi’ite National Alliance, hinted that a wider deal had been reached, saying the Shi’ite alliance was voting for Jabouri and expected support from Sunni politicians in return.

“It is the nature of any deal that any commitment should be mutual. It doesn’t make sense that we support them and they don’t support us,” Jaafari said.

ritish Prime Minister David Cameron’s cabinet shakeup may largely be about the tough political campaign coming with next year’s general election. But in discarding the “male, pale, and stale” leaders around him (as one headline put it), he’s given a boost to women during a promising week for gender equality in Britain.

And there are further positive signs coming from one of Mr. Cameron’s chief irritants in Europe. Cameron’s reshuffle of his cabinet, which comes ten months before a hotly contested national election, garnered the most headlines for the resignation of Foreign Secretary William Hague.

He’s being replaced by a man, Philip Hammond. But the changes at the top gave more space to women in power, after complaints that Britain’s ruling elite suffered from gender imbalance. Those nominations, which boost the cabinet positions held by women by two, include Nicky Morgan as education secretary

and Liz Truss as environment secretary. The Daily Telegraph called it a “cull of the middleaged white men.” It was the Financial Times who headlined: “David Cameron discards the ‘male, pale, and stale’ in reshuffle.”

The news follows the Church of England’s historic decision yesterday to allow women to become bishops, ending a twodecade dispute and centuries of history. Cameron was one of the first to react, calling it a “great day for the church and for equality.”

The dispute had threatened to rip the Anglican Communion, which counts 77 million members in more than 160 countries, apart.

The vote, in the General Synod, passed easily in each of the three houses that comprise the church’s national assembly, but not everyone is on board. “As delighted as I am for the outcome of this vote I am also mindful of whose within the church for whom the result will be difficult and a cause of sorrow,” said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Kenya: 2007-2008 post-election violence victims seek justice

A

n international human rights group says victims of the violence in Kenya that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 600,000 from their homes six years ago are still seeking justice and reparation.

Amnesty International said yesterday that Kenya’s government and parliament have consistently obstructed efforts to investigate and prosecute those suspected of committing crimes under international law during 2007-08 postelection violence.

The group’s report says an announcement by Kenya’s director of prosecution earlier this year that more than 4,000 cases cannot precede because of insufficient evidence suggests investigations were ineffective.

Kenya was plunged into violence following the disputed election of Mwai Kibaki as president in December 2007 polls. Kibaki’s main challenger, opposition leader Raila Odinga, said the vote was rigged. International observers said it was flawed.

Don’t let Keshi go, Ejide tells NFF Ajibade Olusesan

S Ejide

uper Eagles goalkeeper, Austin Ejide, has advised the Nigeria Football Federation to ensure Coach Stephen Keshi does not quit his position.

The coach’s contract expired after the just concluded World Cup and he has been linked with the coaching positions in South Africa and Tanzania.

But the goalie said it could be counter-productive allowing the Africa Nations Cup winning coach to go elsewhere.

SPORT

AUTHORITATIVE VOICE IN GLOBAL SPORT

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

51

He said that the former Mali coach had done incredibly well as Nigeria national team coach and the wise thing was to allow him continue on the job.

“Super Eagles have done well under coach Stephen Keshi, I think he should be encouraged to do more in other to achieve

the expected goal. I don’t think the best thing for us is to allow him go, I hope he stays to continue the good work,” he said The goalkeeper added that the team was determined to go far in the World Cup, but was just unfortunate to get knocked out in the round of 16 by France.

Did you know?

NEW TELEGRAPH

newtelegraphonline.com/sports

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

That the record for the most Olympic medals ever won is held by Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina. Competing in three Olympics, between 1956 and 1964, she won 18 medals

NFF battles to avoid FIFA Ban

lJos Court’s strike slows down process lDanagogo appeals to Baribote lRwanda prays for Nigeria’s axe Emmanuel Tobi

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here appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel as the Nigeria Football Federation battled on Tuesday to avert an imminent ban from world football ruling body, FIFA following the inability of the football house to meet the stipulated demands and prevent Nigerian football from being plunged into total darkness.

FIFA, in its magnanimity on Monday, extended the suspension deadline on the NFF to July 17 to give enough time for the court case that was instituted by Ruth Baribote, owner of Nembe FC to be withdrawn and also to reinstate the Aminu Maigari-led Nigeria Football Federation board or risk an outright ban.

The suspension, according to FIFA, will be lifted as soon as the court action is withdrawn and the properly elected NFF Executive Committee, the NFF General Assembly and the NFF administration are able to work without government’s interference.

New Telegraph can report that the Jos High Court could not sit on Tuesday again as the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria which has paralysed activities in the sector.

The case filed by Mrs Baribote was billed to be withdrawn on Friday,

July 11 but was later postponed till Monday July 14, but subsequently moved to yesterday.

The Sport Ministry however, issued a statement on Tuesday urging, “the plaintiffs in court, the aggrieved factions in the NFF that government will stop at nothing to ensure that Nigeria was not banned, the NFF thoroughly sanitised and the complaints of unbridled corruption and highhandedness by the NFF leadership is addressed in times” The Sports Minister, Dr. Tamuno Danagogo also called on Chief Baribote and the two rival factions of the NFF to do the needful to ensure that FIFA does not ban Nigeria stating that, “In furtherance to that, we shall immediately set in motion machinery to ensure that the parties are persuaded to withdraw the case and suspension is lifted, while encouraging the Nigeria Olympic Committee to quickly set up the proposed Nigerian Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). This is necessary because the unending circle of disputes, court cases and FIFA suspension threats is caused by the fact that aggrieved parties in the NFF have nowhere to go for redress.”

Meanwhile, the impasse at the Nigeria Football Federation has stopped the International Transfer Certificates (ITC) of Nigerian players planning to move to Europe

Nigeria’s Osaze Odemwingie (middle), tackled Argentina’s players

as the football house remains in shambles.

In a related development, football fans in Rwanda are praying fervently that FIFA hammer lands on Nigeria, stating that the Super Eagles’ ban is key to their chances of qualifying for the 2015 Nations Cup in Morocco.

A university student Theonesto Murego said, “I wish they are kept banned,” another Rwandan, Bienvenue Mvugonziza mused, “Normally, celebrating a neighbour’s funeral is not good, but I do agree that Amavubi Stars would rise if Nigeria is kept sanctioned.”

Given that Rwanda have not

qualified for an African Nations Cup in a decade, the joy at a possible easing of their difficulty to get there this time is understandable.

Last week, FIFA’s Emergency Committee suspended the Nigeria Football Federation with immediate effect on account of government’s alleged interference.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FIFA WORLD CUP FALL-OUT

Germany return to heroes’ welcome

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Germany’s captain Philipp Lahm (front) holds the World Cup as he gets off their airplane at Berlin airport

orld Cup winners Germany were given a heroes’ welcome by huge crowds as they returned to Berlin on Tuesday.

Joachim Low’s squad touched down on Tuesday morning local time, two days after being crowned world champions with a 1-0 victory over Argentina after extra-time.

The Boeing 747, rebranded ‘Fanhansa’ to commem-

orate Germany’s fourth World Cup win, which flew them back from Rio de Janeiro took a detour over the Berlin fan mile at Brandenburg Gate before landing at Tegel airport.

A German flag was waved out of the cockpit as the plane taxied in from the runway and captain Philipp Lahm emerged with the World Cup trophy, which he raised just as he did at the Maracana after

Mario Gotze had scored a dramatic winner.

Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger followed Lahm down the steps of the plane and said: “We will only realise (what they have achieved) in the next few days.”

The squad then boarded a bus into Berlin city centre, with thousands of fans lining the route and many more waiting to greet them at the fan mile.

Schweinsteiger hungry for more success

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ermany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has revealed that the team was eager to replicate their World Cup success in 2018.

Die Mannschaft were crowned world champions for the first time in 24 years on Sunday night thanks to an extra-time win over Argentina.

Schweinsteiger is now eager to lift the Schweinsteiger trophy once again when the tournament takes

place in Russia in four years.

“This will give us hunger now, absolutely,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. “We want to do it again at the next tournament.

“We are the first European team to win the title in South America, the first team from Europe, Members of the German team wave to fans after so it has been special.” their arrival in Berlin on Tuesday Italy and Brazil are the only teams to have won successive World Cups. iorentina striker Ma- mented his lack of parrio Gomez has admit- ticipation. ted that he was “hurt” Speaking to Fiorentiwatching Germany win na’s official website, he noted that Argentina, the World Cup. said: “It hurts to not be who finished as runnersThe German forward there with them because up after Mario Gotze came said that he was happy I have been with them off the bench to break the for his compatriots after for seven years. But I deadlock with an extrathey beat Argentina 1-0 still have time to win a time winner for Germany, in Sunday’s final, but la- World Cup or European struggled to find an attacking spark, which he believes was their main downfall in Brazil. dent Cristina Kirchner housands of people “Our main concern, at the nearby offices of greeted a crestfallen which was the defence, the Argentinian Football ended up being the at- Lionel Messi and the Association, an event tack,” he remarked. rest of the Argentina that was closed to the “The world seems upside team when the squad media. flew home to Buenos Aidown.”

“We gave everything res after the World Cup we had,” Sabella said as final defeat to Germany. he crossed the tarmac Television networks at Ezeiza International carried live coverage of many it was the success Airport. the Aerolineas Argenof the whole team, we tinas plane — painted in had no [Lionel] Messi or the blue-and-white co[Cristiano] Ronaldo, we lours of the flag with the had no absolute superwords “Thank you Arstar. The superstar was gentina” — as it touched the team. down.

“The German team Coach Alejandro Sawill be very hard to beat. bella led the team off I will not make the misthe plane and onto three take and say they will be buses that took them to unbeatable for years to be welcomed by Presi- Fans surround Argentina’s bus come.”

Kempes slams Messi over final no-show

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ormer Argentina inter national Mario Kempes has hit out at Lionel Messi, saying that the national-team captain was not “up to standard” during the World Cup. Kempes, who was the top scores when the Albiceleste won their first World Cup in 1978, echoed Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s views in being surprised that Messi was awarded the Golden Ball.

“Argentina needed Messi like a fish needs water, but he needed to be more involved. We lacked his footballing brain,” he told the press.

“I think that Messi wasn’t up to standard during the World Cup. He may have scored four goals in the first few games, but I don’t believe he showed he was the best player in the world by the end of the tournament.”

The 60-year-old also

Beckenbauer hails world champions

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ermany legend Franz Beckenbauer has praised Joachim Low’s World Cup winners after they beat Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final.

Mario Gotze’s extratime winner meant that the Germans became the first European nation to win a World Cup in South America, and Beckenbauer backed his compatriots

to establish themselves as the dominant force in international football.

“Joachim Low has done everything right,” he told Sky Sports News.

“The German team is entirely worthy world champions, because it was the best team in this tournament.

“They were the best ambassadors for Ger-

Gomez ‘hurt’ by Germany win

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Championship, so I want to play very well in the [Fiorentina] shirt over the next four years.

“The first aim is to play in Euro 2016. I am very happy for my country and my teammates, they were the best team.”

Fans welcome back beaten Argentines

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Team members left the plane with grim expressions and had few if any words for waiting journalists.

“I would have loved a different kind of homecoming,” said midfielder Javier Mascherano, one of the star performers in the run to Sunday’s final.

COUNTDOWN TO COMMONWEALTH GAME Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Sanctity of Truth

defend my title. It is not going to be easy, but I am ready for the challenge that will come from other athletes,” Tosin Oke, Nigerian triple jump champion, said.

Considered as an underdog, Nigeria’s Nicole Denby, who has a personal best of 12.54secs in the 100m hurdles, says she is looking forward to competing with the best when the Games gets underway.

“It will be very tough competing against defending champion, Sally

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igerian athletes are already talking tough as they intensify training in anticipation of a good outing at the Commonwealth Games Glasgow.

According to some of the athletes, it is going to be tough considering the formidable opponents they will be up against, but believe they can excel and come home with armful of medals.

“I am the defending champion in my event, and I am going there to see how I can

D

ouble Olympics champion, Mo Farah, has admitted he faced a race against time to be fit to compete at the Commonwealth Games.

The 31-year-old will make a decision on contesting the 5,000m and 10,000m at this month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow “further down the line”.

“It’s a good question, I don’t know,” Farah told the BBC when asked whether he would be ready for Glasgow. “Hopefully I should be good, but I kind of missed a bit of training and obviously I pulled out of the weekend’s grand prix. So I’m actually just going to get back into full training, and then we’ll see.”

Farah said team doctors had given him the “allclear” to return to training, but admitted he remained unable to confirm his participation at the Glasgow event, with track and field competition starting on 27 July.

Pearson, from Australia and probably some of the Jamaicans, but there is always somebody that sneaks up, so let’s see what happens there,” she said.

For Gloria Asumnu, her aim is to get to the final of all her events, as she gets set to make her debut at the Games.

Asumnu said; “I want to make the final in every event I’m competing in, and after that to shoot for a medal, because once you’re in the final, it’s anybody’s race.”

Hastings named as first Chieftain of Athletes’ Village

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ormer Scotland and British and Irish Lions star Gavin Hastings has been unveiled as the first ever Chieftain of the Athletes’ Village at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Hastings was on hand on Sunday, July 13, to officially open the Athletes’ Village which will now begin welcoming the expected 6,500 athletes and team officials from the 71

Hastings

nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

The Village Mayor is a long-standing tradition of the Games and in an effort to inject a flavour of the Scottish Highlands; organisers have dubbed the role as Chieftain for the duration of the Games which run from July 23 to August 3.

In addition, for the first time ever at a Commonwealth Games, the Glasgow 2014 Athletes’ Village will have more than one official representative as the names of seven other Chieftains were also unveiled Tuesday.

They will be led by sixtime Olympic champion, Sir Chris Hoy and fellow Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger.

Scottish Commonwealth Games gold medal winners David Carry and Steve Frew will be joined by Scotland’s most capped hockey player, Rhona Simpson, and Olympic and Commonwealth hammer thrower, Shirley Addison.

Injury forces James Austin out of games L

ondon 2012 Olympian 100 kilogram Judoka, James Austin, has been forced to withdraw from Scotland Glasgow 2014 judo squad due to injury It was confirmed by TeamScotlandandJudoScotlandonMonday that the 31-year-old had been ruled out after failing to recover from the setback, with James Millar drafted in as replacement.

Austin was set to be one of the most experienced members of the Scottish team in Glasgow after he represented Great Britain at Lon-

53

Nigerian athletes talk FIFA Suspension: Falode tough ahead games seeks quick resolution

Charles Ogundiya

Mo Farah may miss Games in Glasgow

SPORT

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

don 2012, where he suffered a firstround exit, and he has described his huge disappointment at missing out.

“I’m truly gutted to be missing out of the Games,” the Edinburghbased athlete said.

“I tried to work through the injury and would like to thank everyoneatJudoScotlandforsupporting me with this.

“I want to say good luck to the team, and I hope to be there cheering them all on to medals.”

Jon Doig, admitted it is “hugely

disappointing” to lose Austin so close to the Games, and that the team “wish him a very speedy recovery”.

Millar in white

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s the battle to return Nigeria to the international football fraternity, following its recent suspension by World Soccer Governing body, FIFA, gathers steam, National Women’s Football Coordinator, Aisha Falode, has said the way out is for common sense to prevail over sentiments and personality clashes.

Falode, said she was also concerned about the future of Women’s football in the country, especially as the Canada 2014 U20 World Cup beckons with Nigeria as the big hope of Africa at the tournament.

“Yes, we can fight and disagree, but I know that ultimately all of us are targeting the betterment of Nigerian football, hence I will appeal to all concerned, especially Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commissioner, Hon Tammy Danagogo, those who went to

court, especially Mrs Baribote and others we may not know, who are aggrieved to tow the sober line for the good of Nigerian football and Women’s football in particular.

Falode, said she believed that the wide consultations that have been ongoing will also make world soccer governing body, FIFA, to treat Nigeria with a fatherly and tender disposition. “We have made gains of recent in Nigerian football and that is why I am appealing to all concerned to tow the line of reconciliation for the good of football in Nigeria. I know that the President of the Federal Republic is too busy with state matters, but I will also appeal to him to use his good offices to call all concerned to sheathe their swords, we can’t be quarreling with ourselves at the end of every World Cup year.”

Russia to waive visas for 2018 World Cup Charles Ogundiya

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igerian fans hoping to watch live the 2018 World Cup in Russia will have cause to rejoice after the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, declared that fans visiting Russia to watch the 2018 FIFA World Cup will not require visas to enter the country.

The president announced this in a ceremony to mark the handing over of hosting rights from Brazil to the next host nation.

In the ceremony in which Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff also participated, Blatter presented Putin with a signed certificate to mark the handover, while the

two leaders also received official match balls.

President Putin vowed that the next edition of the quadrennial event will be “an unforgettable football feast”.

“We will do all we can to organise the event on the highest level,” he vowed.

“We successfully hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi and now know exactly what a challenge it is to organise an event of such calibre.

“Our task is to create the best possible conditions for the coaches, players, experts and fans, and I am grateful to President Blatter and his colleagues from FIFA for the honour to organise the World Cup.”

Transfer Updates

54 SPORT Eagles’ transfer Update Oduamadi set to exit Milan

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uper Eagles fringe attacker Nnamdi Oduamadi is facing a bleak future at Serie A side, AC Milan after he was omitted by Coach Filipo Inzaghi in his team for the 2014/2015 season.

The 23 year old was not a part of the team’s preseason training as it appears he doesn’t fit into the new manager’s plan.

The Nigerian who has only one official appearance for AC Milan since joining the team permanently from Genoa four years ago, is into the last year of a five-year deal he signed with the Milan giants.

His sole appearance came when he made his official debut for the club in a leaguegameagainstCataniaon18September 2010, coming off the bench in the last few minutes.

Uzochukwu, Emeka Eze close to overseas switch

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Arsenal agree £3.2m fee for Ospina

are on the verge of signing AOspinaRSENAL Colombian World Cup star David for £3.2m.

Ibeh eyes more playing time

players of Liverpool continue build up to the start of the AnewstheirPremier league season,there is no

ambiguity to Jordon Ibeh’s pre-season targets with Liverpool this summer – the 18-year-old is seeking more minutes to impress manager Brendan Rodgers.

“For me personally, I’m trying to get into the first team and hopefully get minutes,” he told Liverpoolfc.com from the training ground.

“I’ll try to do well in pre-season first and see how it goes.”

“I’m still quite young, I’m only 18, so I need to stay grounded, watch the senior players in my position, keep working hard and hopefully I can do well this season.”

idfielder Borja Valero has ended speculation M over his future by signing a new five-year deal with Fiorentina.

The 29-year-old had been linked with a move away from the Florence club amid uncertainty as to whether he would sign a new contract.

Valero has now extended his deal at Stadio Artemio Franchi until 2019 however, and said it was never his intention to leave the Serie A club.

Man Utd dump Vidal for Strootman

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ouis van gaal could once again turn hisattentionstoRomamidfieldenReports in France claim Nice and The forcer, Kevin Strootman after refusing Gunners have hammered out a deal to pay over the odds for Arturo Vidal. and things could now move along quickly.

The Manchester United chief has cooled his interest in Starsport revealed that representatives from Arsenal had been signing the Chilean international, believing Juventus’ discussing personal terms with the stopper after starring in his £35m valuation of the player to be unreasonable. country’s World Cup run.

News of the Dutchman’s Vidal rejection has left the door While Wojciech Szczesny is unlikely to be disposed from his No. wide open for perennial Old Trafford target Strootman.

1 spot, Ospina will offer good competition and joins the Premier League with a good reputation.

Striker rejects new Sunderland deal

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angers stars Ugonna Uzochukwu and Emeka Eze are close to joining the Nigerian foreign legion as they are on their way to Norway and Serbia, respectively.

Officials told AfricanFootball.com that defensive midfielder, Uzochukwu, has finalised all arrangements to move to Norway after he was earlier linked with a move to South Africa.

Uzochukwu featured for Nigeria at the 2014 CHAN in South Africa.

Eze, who is also a holding midfielder, recently underwent trials in the Czech Republic and Serbia. He was on the country’s squad to last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup. Rangers have already signed up their replacements ahead of the second round of the league season.

Meanwhile, former Dolphins and Wikki Tourists forward Abubakar Umar is reported to be on his way to Kano Pillars from Rangers.

underland striker Connor Wickham S has turned down the offer of a new at the club, but is still expected to remain

deal on Wearside.

An initial offer of a new three-year deal has been rejected by the striker as he prepares to enter the final year of his present deal, meaning he could leave in 12 month’s time for nothing.

Gus Poyet is expected to ensure that improved terms will be made to the player to persuade him to extend his stay at the Stadium of Light.

Zeli Ismail signs for Notts County

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eli Ismail has chosen to go on loan to Notts County instead of Aberdeen.

Both clubs had held talks with the winger who spent last season on loan at Burton.

Kenny Jackett said: “Zeli has chosen to go to Notts County and it’s a good move for him, stepping up from League Two last season with a good Burton Albion team that got to the play-off final to League One and it will be interesting to see if he can prove himself.

Fer plays down transfer talk

Banahene terminates Sanliurfaspor contract

eroy Fer’s agent has played down all

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hanaian striker Emmanuel Osei Banahene has terminated his contract with Turkish second-tier side Sanliurfaspor, Africanfootball.com has exclusively reported.

The 25-year-old is owned salaries from last season by the Sanliurfa-based side and has decided to part ways with the club.

Banahene made a huge impact for the club last season by scoring nine goals in 23 league matches.

Barça, Porto close Tello deal

ristian Tello is to be loaned out to C Porto next season. The agreement between Barcelona, the Portuguese club

and the player’s representative, José María Orobitg is virtually complete.

The official announcement will more than likely be made not later than Wednesday as there are only a couple of minor details left to discuss. The player’s wish is that he be loaned out to Porto, but with no purchase option.

Tello was present Tuesday with his soon to be ex-teammates in training, where he passed the club’s rudimentary medical tests.

Ltalk of the midfielder moving to

Queens Park Rangers according to reports.

Fer is currently on holiday following his World Cup exploits with Holland in Brazil, and speculation over his future increased Tuesday following speculation that Queens Park Rangers were ready to make an offer for the midfielder.

Fer’s agent Rob Jansen said “There is quite a lot happening around Leroy, but I haven’t spoken with Queens Park Rangers. As long as that didn’t happen, I don’t take such reports too serious.”

Middlesbrough reject Adomah bid

ky Sports understands Middlesbrough S are battling to hang on to prized asset Albert Adomah and have turned down a bid from

Championship rivals, Nottingham Forest.

Adomah is currently away on his summer break after being at the World Cup finals with Ghana in Brazil, where he featured in one match against USA. The 26-year-old only joined Boro last summer in a £1million deal from Bristol City and he enjoyed a hugely successful campaign with 12 goals in 40 league games.

Dawson deal hangs in Shaqiri going nowhereBayern the balance iverpool’s chances of signing Xherdan

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teve Bruce admits his £4million move for Tottenham skipper Michael Dawson has hit a snag.

Hull have agreed a deal with Spurs, but Dawson is at odds with the White Hart Lane club over his pay-off.

The 30-year-old who has one year left on his Tottenham deal, wants compensation because he would be due a testimonial in January for clocking up 10 years at the club if he stayed.

‘I almost joined Dortmund’

Valero signs new five-year deal with Fiorentina

Stuttgart eye Groningen winger, Kostic

tuttgart have confirmed their interest in signing Serbia Under-21 winger Filip Kostic from Eredivisie side, Groningen. he Bundesliga club is in the market for a wide man after Ibrahima Traore opted to join Borussia Monchengladbach on a four-year deal when his contract expired at the end of last season.

Stuttgart sporting director Jochen Schneider has revealed that the 21-year-old Kostic was on their radar.

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

LShaqiri have all but disappeared after

Bayern Munich sporting director, Matthias Sammer, confirmed the German champions aren’t looking to sell their young playmaker.

“Xherdan is an important player for the future,” said Sommer, reported by Kicker and via Anthony Chapman of the Express.

“There are no thoughts at all about selling him.”

Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia indicates Roma were in for the Swiss star, who is valued at €20 million, but may also have to make alternative plans.

panish defender Alejandro Galvez has reSBorussia vealed that he was in discussions with Dortmund before joining Bundes-

liga rivals Werder Bremen.

He was reportedly attracting interest from several European clubs, including Manchester United, and has now confirmed that he came close to a deal with Dortmund until they opted against matching his release clause.

“We met in a hotel and talked about a change,” the 25-year-old, who made 26 appearances in La Liga last season and scored two goals, told Bild.

Newcastle complete Janmaat deal

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ewcastle have completed their second signing in three days.

Following the arrival of Remy Cabella on Sunday, the Magpies have now closed the signing of Dutch World Cup right-back, Daryl Janmaat from Feyenoord.

Newcastle are rumoured to have paid €7.5m for Janmaat, who will turn 25 next week, while the defender is expected to arrive at St James’ Park as the successor to Arsenal-bound Mathieu Debuchy.

Galatasaray keen to sell Sneijder

ALATASARAY are set to offload GUnited Wesley Sneijder to Manchester or Monaco, as they look to

beat Arsenal and Liverpool to Mario Balotelli.

Sneijder has been a long standing target for United and enjoys a good relationship with new boss Louis Van Gaal.

And according to reports in Turkey, Gala are keen to sell to fund a move for Balotelli.

AC Milan have already decided to try and offload the temperamental striker this summer and are reportedly willing to accept a bid of £14.5m to get the player off their books.

Monaco want player plus cash for Rodriguez

1 big spenders Monaco have told Real Madrid that in order to land excitLingigue midfield star, James Rodriguez, this

summer the Spaniards must include one of three players to come the other way in order to begin talks, according to Spanish newspaper as.

Reports note that Monaco have targeted either Pepe or Fabio Coentrao as potential makeweights, while Madrid are thought to be more keen on using midfielder Casemiro instead.

AC Milan make a move for Criscito

C Milan are pondering a move for Zenit A full-back, Domenico Criscito, La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed.

The Rossoneri do not have a single natural left-back in their ranks after Urby Emanuelson left for Roma, and they are keen to lure the Italy international to San Siro.

AC Milan are not exactly prepared to match Zenit’s €12 million asking price, but they aim to lower the amount by including one or two players in the deal.

Man City ready to sell

CUefa sanctions which limit their

ity are currently working under

total net spend to £49million and restricts them from having more than 17 non-homegrown players in their Premier League squad.

The anticipated arrival of Eliaquim Mangala from Porto would not only push City to their transfer limit but would also see them go over their threshold of non-homegrown players.

SPORT 55

Sanctity of Truth

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Mark Mentors survive Islanders scare in Playoffs IfeanyiIbeh

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Adeola Olaiya in jersey No 9 of Kano Pillars trying to dribble Philemon Dimka of Plateau Peaks during the 2014 Nigeria DStv Premier Basketball League Final 8 held at the National Stadium, Surulere. Kano Pillars won by94-53 points.

ark Mentors on Tuesday came close to suffering their first loss of the 2014 Premier Basketball League Final-8 Playoffs after rallying from behind to beat a hardfighting Islanders side 53-50 at the National Stadium, Lagos.

Islanders, who overcame Oluyole Warriors 6343 on Monday to make up for their opening day 45-42 loss to Gombe Bulls, were on the brink of recording their second successive win of the playoffs, a win that would have improved their chances of progressing to the semifinals from Group

Babangida backs Keshi for refresher courses Charles Ogundiya

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ormer Nigeria international, Tijani Babangida, has said that Nigeria should try make efforts to retain Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, but that the coach should be sent on refresher courses abroad to sharpen his skill.

Speaking on the performance of Super Eagles in Brazil, the former Ajax winger said, Nigeria failed to take advantage in Brazil despite having the opportunity to get to the semi-final of the Mundial.

“With the team that travelled to Brazil, we would have done better than we did, the teams in Brazil were not that spectacular, even the German that won but we failed to take advantage of our chances.

“The team played well, but technically we are still not sound. It is very disappointing losing out like that,” he said.

On Keshi he said; “All we have in Nigeria is Keshi and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I will advice Keshi to improve on his knowledge by going for refresher courses

constantly. The Nigerian Football Federation can help in this regards.

“He is a good coach, but technically, most of the time he doesn’t have plan B whenever the team is playing. He misses one or two techniques of the game. If he can go on refresher courses, learn more from good coaches, then Nigeria will be the better for it.”

Speaking further, Babangida said Keshi has brought Nigerian football out of the doldrums after so many years, and it is important you retain such person.

B, only to succumb to the Abuja-based Mark Mentors, who once again relied on the skill and shooting abilities of their All-Star forwards, Yahaya Abdul and Stanley Gumut.

Yahaya, it would be recalled posted a Man of the Match performance in Monday’s 76-58 win over Gombe Bulls with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and even though he wasn’t able to achieve another double-double on Wednesday, he was able to grab seven rebounds to go along with his nine-point performance , while Gumut finished the game with 13 points.

The win, Mark Mentors third in succession, meant Coach Peter Ahmedu’s side finished top of Group B and can now look forward to a semifinal date on Friday against either Kano Pillars or Dodan Warriors,who were on court in Tuesday night’s final game as at the time New Telegraph went to press.

Earlier on Tuesday, Union Bank defeated Plateau Peaks 77-71 to record their first win of the playoffs, and secure third spot in Group A, while Gombe Bulls ran out with a 53-34 win over Oluyole Warriors to clinch second spot in Group B, along with a ticket to Friday’s semifinals.

South African job: Keshi knows fate July 26 S

uper Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, will know his fate as the South African Football Association (SAFA) has scheduled a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 26 July, where the new Bafana Bafana coach will be announced.

Keshi was reportedly shortlisted as one of the coaches to replace Gordon Igesund whose tenure came to an end in May. “The position of the

Senior Men’s National team needs to be ratified by the SAFA NEC; therefore, the long-awaited announcement of the new Bafana Bafana coach will be made immediately after the NEC meeting next Saturday,” said SAFA CEO, Dennis Mumble.

The South African National team has had 16 different coaches since their re-admission into international football in 1992, which is one of the highest turnovers in that department in the world.

Kano Pillars train in Kaduna There’s no crisis in England based agent hails Ejele’s sports vision Supporters Club-Ikpea

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ngland Based Licensed Players Agent and President of Academy for Stars Sapele, Delta State, Elvis Ewruje has applauded renowned Sports promoter, Honourable Michael DidenEjele for his vision on sports development in Delta state, after the politician sponsored nine players of the Academy

Hon. Diden Ejele

for Stars for football trials in Europe recently.

Ewruje while showering encomiums on Hon. Diden-Ejele for ensuring that all the nine players left for Albania for trials over the weekend, added that the move will boost the economy of Sapele and Delta state as a whole.

“Hon. Diden Ejele is clearly God sent and we at Academy for Stars, Sapele remain grateful to him. This is the kind of man that would be a big inspiration to youths and adults in our community.

“This kind gesture will definitely have a multiplier effect on the families of the nine players as Sapele will rise again socially, economically and politically,” he added.

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Emordi

hampions, Kano Pillars, have set up a week-long training camp in Kaduna ahead of the second round of the Nigeria Premier League.

Pillars are top of the Nigeria league with 34 points from 19 matches after the first round of the competition.

Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa told AfricanFootball.com that they could return

to Kano on Friday if it was confirmed that the resumption of the league has been delayed by a week.

“We are in Kaduna with the plan to move to Port Harcourt for our first match in the second round against Dolphins this coming weekend,” Malikawa said.

“But if it was confir med that the resumption of the league had been moved by a week, we will return to Kano to allow the team prepare for the Sallah holidays.”

Injured s t r i k e r, Manir Ubale, is fit again, while Malikawa said they were yet to hear from midfielder, Shehu Abdullahi, who had been away negotiating a transfer to Kuwait.

S

ecretary – General of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC), Rev. Samuel Ikpea has denied reports of a crisis in the club. His reaction comes in the wake of stories making the rounds in some media that the group was enmeshed in a succession crisis now threatening the very foundations of the club.

While speaking exclusively to journalists recently, the club’s scribe was very categorical while denying the existence of any crisis, saying it was the handiwork of fifth columnists hell bent on destroying the good work of the club’s founding fathers.

“There’s absolutely no truth in the stories

making the rounds that there’s a crisis in the Supporters Club. What crisis? He began heatedly.

“Some people are just hell bent on destroying the club through unfounded and unsubstantiated stories they sit in their evil chambers to concoct everyday.

“As far as I know, the positions of President – General and Deputy President – General currently being occupied by the duo of Dr Rafiu Ladipo and Alhaji Aderenle Yusuf respectively are not in contention and have never been declared vacant.

So, I don’t know where the leadership tussle is coming from,” he said.

World Record

On Marble

Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart.

– Ancient Indian Proverb

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

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha WEDNESday, JULY 16, 2014

F

Indian citizen, Anthony Victor, holds the record of the most ear hair, measuring up to 7.12 inches sprouting from the center of his outer ears.

N150

Today, is that the tomorrow we expect?

or the third time in many years, I’m compelled to stare at my today eye ball to eye ball and ask whether it is the tomorrow we all expect. The first time I asked this question was shortly after the death of the Nigeria’s military Head of State, General Sani Abacha , when, by our own commission or omission, the then today turned out to be one that stood all manners of positive expectations on their heads.

Pretty plenty years after, I still feel strongly tempted today to ask same question, because the today in reference, like I once said, is more horrible than the picture one can conjecture even at the fullest stretch of one’s imagination.

Of course, if today is this momentary essence, justifiable in the freshness of every day as inherent in the characteristic stillness of its being, then everything is wrong as distinctively opposed to right.

A simple, casual look at today reveals much more than one is actually ready to accept. Study the nation’s politicians, the guilty people that largely form our today and are busy shaping our tomorrow. They remain the same set of sorry story that insist on confining our today to a perpetual stillness and a sinking effect that naturally stunts any meaningful journey towards development, personally or collectively.

Take a look at President Goodluck Ebere Jonathan, the number one politician who for now is leading the team that is shaping our today for the tomorrow we expect. He looks a leader pretty over powered by a conspiratorial energy that forces an order of sluggishness that itself is a powerful working tool that is being passed on, like a divine heritage, from one leader to another for the necessary and due maintenance of the statuesque Next, look at the judiciary and see how justice is pitifully strangled to death, forgetting in the joy of the resultant injustice that when justice is murdered, it does not die alone, so many things die along with it, including the peace that is central to our unity, development and meaningful tomorrow.

Check out our learned religious leaders. These very people who should be the candle bearers for the rest of us, have sadly and openly become willing parts of an unfortunate story that is fast forming our tomorrow. As people who dine and wine with purposeless leaders, they avoid relevant truth and reduce religious issues to subjective interpretations and selective applications in order to please the powers that be rather than the Supreme Force.

Truth is no more the property of the innocents, it has been painfully reduced to a purchasable commodity of trade that

Check out our learned religious leaders. These very people who should be the candle bearers for the rest of us, have sadly and openly become willing parts of an unfortunate story that is fast forming our tomorrow

Some past Heads of State and President Jonathan after a meeting recently

can be bought.

The middle course that formed a comfortable limit to most Nigerians has been successfully dissolved. Now, it is either you are up or down, on or off. Life is gradually slipping into that of animals where only the fittest survive.

The odds are many and their socio-economic effects are as many as one can think of. Certainly, with priority misplaced, responsibility avoided, assigned roles and duties shunned for a fee, there are bound to be dangerous consequences that will never be healthy to our individual and national progress.

A situation where education to the average Nigerian child is not a right, but an expensive privilege is indeed not healthy.

A situation where the average Nigerian is assaulted with the hissing sound of accumulated nothingness at the turn of the tap is, so to say, not healthy to our growth.

A situation where Nigerians demand for their rights at the risk of being called repulsive names is not healthy. A situation where the rich sleep with their eyes open and the poor on empty stomachs is a lot unhealthy too.

A situation where Nigerians no longer feel safe in states other than their own is not healthy. A situation where armed security men become a threat to human

lives and property for personal, tribal or religious reasons bears a dangerous irony that defies logic.

A situation where the rights of Nigerians to reasonable power supply are muddled in dirty intrigues is not healthy. A situation where victimization, vengeance, tribalism and dirty politics reign supreme is not healthy either.

A situation where Nigerians whose nation is a proud owner of oil, are forced to experience the humiliating and often dehumanizing crisis of petroleum and related products, calls for worries. A situation where almost everyone turns sycophantic, honesty is compromised and morality is thrown to the dogs (as if it were a bone), indecency is applauded, lies, bootlicking and eye service are appreciated, theft and fraud are passed as neat tricks calls for genuine concern.

A situation where the traditional institution is openly politicized, the people’s choices are ignored while Malams, Shieks, Bishops and Pastors find paying tricks and business ventures in religion, spells doom for a nation and its people.

A situation where a large number of Nigerians merely survive rather than live places a question mark on our collective sense of righteousness. A situation where every proposed solution leads to

other problems, mocks our commitment to course.

And a situation where everyone looks on and pretends that all is well, enlarges the stain on our collective conscience. And a situation like this in my country today makes me ask, is this the tomorrow we all expect?

OmoBaba

VOTE OUT POLITICIANS SEEKING SECOND TERM IN OFFICE, SAYS CLERIC

­– Yes, but let’s start from the top!

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