Monday, 26 january, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

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Monday, January 26, 2015

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Vol. 1 No. 341

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12 pages of the new york times }23 Nigeria records $21bn investment deficit in gas sector Adeola Yusuf

he delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has swollen the investment deficit in the gas

sector, which has hit $21 billion. Data obtained from the website of Wood Mackenzie have shown that the country witnessed $7 billion deficit between planned investments in

the oil and gas industry and the actual investment in one year. Wood Mackenzie is a global energy and mining research group with an international reputation for supplying comprehensive

data and written analysis. Nigeria had, in the last five years, also witnessed draught of about $40 billion in private sector investment in the oil and gas due to the non-passage of the bill.

The data revealed that $37 billion out of this is lost to the delay in the PIB passage, which has in return resulted in industry stagnation between 2008 and 2012. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

N150

19days to go... Nigeria votes

2015

ria Nige

s vote

2015

}14 & 15

No violence at polls, US warns }5

lSecretary of State John Kerry meets Jonathan, Buhari Quick Read

Editorial

Baby Aishat must not die!

}19

Hoodlums burn PDP campaign vehicles }14 Travel Advisory President Goodluck Jonathan welcoming the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, to the State House, Marina Lagos...yesterday. (See picture of Buhari and Kerry on page 5) photo: Timothy ikuomenisan.

24-hour curfew imposed on Borno capital

lScores killed as military repel Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri

Your guide to local and international flights 4

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Travel Advisory

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

International Flight Schedule Air France

Destination Abuja- Paris Paris-Lagos Paris-PHC PHC-Paris Paris –Abuja Lagos –Paris

Flight No. AF 513 AF 3822 AF514 AF513 AF514 AF3849

Departure 23.55hrs 10.55hrs 11:00hrs 21:20hrs 11:00hrs 23:55hrs

Arrival 6:05hrs 17:15hrs 19:15hrs 6:05hrs 17:00hrs 6:20hrs

Amsterdam-Lagos Lagos-Amsterdam

KL587 KL588

13:15hrs 23:05hrs

20:00hrs 05:50hrs

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

Lagos-London London-Lagos Lagos-New York

W3 101 W3 102 W3 107 (Mon, Wed , Fri) New York-Lagos W3 108 (Tues,Thurs, Fri) Lagos-Johannesburg W3 103 Johannesburg-Lagos W3 104 Lagos-Douala - (Tues, Wed ,Thur) Douala-Lagos - (Tues, Wed, Thur) Lagos-Accra -

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Lagos-London London-Lagos

VS 652 VS 651

11:00hrs 22:40hrs

17:00hrs 4:40hrs

Lagos- Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi-Lagos

EY 0672 (Sunday) (Monday) (Saturday) EY 955

20.45hrs 09:50hrs 09.20 hrs 06:30hrs

07:00hrs 20:05hrs 20:10hrs 11:45hrs

Lagos-Cairo Cairo-Lagos

MS 876 MS 875

14:25hrs 08:30hrs

22:20hrs 13:30hrs

ETIHAD AIRWAYS

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS

12:00hrs 21:30hrs 23:50hrs

18:30hrs 05:15hrs 05:30hrs

Lagos-Nairobi Nairobi-Lagos

KQ 533 KQ 534

12:30hrs 18:00hrs

19:35hrs 23:45hrs

12:30hrs

16:00hrs

Lagos-Kigali

11:15hrs

16:45hrs

10:45hrs 09:35hrs 11:10hrs 13:25hrs 07:20hrs 17:00hrs 08:05hrs 13:35hrs 18:00hrs

hrs 14:44hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

AWB 201 (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) AWB 202 (Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun)

14:00hrs

17:30hrs

22:35hrs 15:10hrs

06:00hrs 21:20hrs

17:00hrs 06:00hrs 08:00hrs 17:00hrs 08:00hrs 15:20hrs 21:00hrs

hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

01:00hrs

hrs

BA075 BA074 BA 082 BA 083

17:55hrs 00:00hrs 09:00hrs 22:40hrs

11:55hrs 5:50hrs 14:35hrs 06:00hrs

Lebanon-Lagos Lagos-Lebanon

MEA 571 MEA 572

3:00hrs 14:00hrs

8:00hrs 19:00hrs

Lagos-Dubai Lagos-Dubai Dubai-Lagos Dubai-Lagos Abuja-Dubai

EK 7821 (Sun-Sat) EK 7822 EK 7831 EK 7811 EK 761

21:30hrs 14:40hrs 07:35hrs 14:20hrs 23:55hrs

07:40hrs 01:05hrs 12:50hrs 19:45hrs 10:30hrs

Lagos-Doha Flight Doha-Lagos Flight

QR 1414 (daily) QR 1415

14:55hrs 07:20hrs

23:45hrs 13:35hrs

Lagos-Atlanta Atlanta-Lagos

DL053 DL 054

22:15hrs 5:15hrs

05:32hrs 16:15hrs

Accra-Lagos

Abuja-Accra Accra-Abuja Lagos-Freetown Freetown-Lagos Lagos-Banjul Banjul-Lagos Lagos-Dakar Dakar-Lagos

-(Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun) -(Mon, Wed, Fri) -(Daily) - (Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri,Sat) -(Tue,Wed, Fri,Sat,Sun)

BRITISH AIRWAYS

London-Lagos Lagos-London Abuja-London Abuja-London

Middle East Airlines (Two flights weekly (Tues & Friday) to Lagos)

EMIRATES AIRLINES

QATAR AIRWAYS DELTA AIRLINES

UNITED AIRLINES

Lagos-Houston Houston-Lagos

UA 143 UA 142

10:10hrs 19:10hrs

6:05hrs 15.15hrs

Lagos - Addis Ababa ET900 Addis Ababa - Lagos ET901 Abuja - Addis Ababa ET910 Addis Ababa - Abuja ET911 Enugu - Addis Ababa ET930 Addis Ababa - Enugu ET931 Kano - Addis Ababa ET930 Addis Ababa - Kano ET931

13:15hrs 09:00hrs 13:40hrs 09:40hrs 12:00hrs 09:20hrs 14:05hrs 09:20hrs

20:25hrs 12:15hr 20:10hrs 12:20hrs 20:50hrs 11:15hrs 20:50hrs 13:20hrs

Lagos-Madrid Madrid-Lagos

IB 3337 IB 3336

22:55hrs 16:00hrs

5:25+1hrs 20:20hrs

Lagos-Casablanca Casablanca-Lagos

AT738 AT 737

06:25hrs 02:15hrs

09:55hrs 6:00hrs

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

IBERIA

air maroc

RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

Turkish Airlines

Lagos-Istanbul Nairobi-Lagos

332 333

Air Côte d'Ivoire Lagos to Abidjan Abidjan to Lagos

HF 851 (Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sun) HF 852 (Mon,Wed, Thurs, Sat)

ASKY AIRLINES

Destination Lome to Abuja Abuja-Lome- Kinshasa Kinshasa-Abuja Abuja-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Kinshasa Kinshasa-Libreville Libreville-Lagos Lagos-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Brazaville Brazaville-Libreville Brazzaville-Lagos Lagos-Lome

10:10hrs

10:50hrs

19:20hrs

21.50hrs

Flight No. KP 032 (Tue-Fri) KP 032 ( Tue-Fri)

Departure Arrival 14:00hrs 15:55hrs 16:30hrs 18:15hrs

KP 033 (Wed-Sat) KP O33 (Wed-Sat) KP O40 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP O44 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP O45 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat)

8:20hrs 10:35hrs 13:00hr 14:40hrs 17:00hrs 7:15hrs 9:35hrs 11:55hrs 13:10hrs 14:50hrs 17:10hrs 07:00hrs 09:20hrs 11:40hrs

10:00hrs 12:20hrs 14:00hrs 16:30hrs 18:45hrs 08:55hrs 11:25hrs 12:45hrs 14:10hrs 16:40hrs 18:50hrs 08:40hrs 11:10hrs 12:30hrs

Local FLIGHT SCHEDULE 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 AZMAN FLIGHT SCHEDULE WEEKLY SCHEDULE Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 12:40pm Lagos-Abuja/Kano 4:00pm Abuja-Kano 5:45pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kan 10:10am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 12:40pm Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm WEEKEND SCHEDULE SATURDAY Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Sunday Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 10:30am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 1:20pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm 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

News

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

No violence at polls, US warns Anule Emmanuel, Ebere Ameh and Temitope Ogunbanke

he United States yesterday called for peaceful general elections in Nigeria, warning that whatever disagreements politicians might have with the elections should not be allowed to degenerate to violence. US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, who arrived in Nigeria and met with the two leading contenders in the presidential stanza of the general elections, President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Major General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that any Nigerian involved in election violence would no longer be eligible for American visa. Kerry, at a news conference shortly after meeting the duo in Lagos, urged

Nigerians and politicians to shun violence before, during and after the polls. “The U.S. Government strongly believes in Nigeria having credible, free and fair elections next month. We want to say that any Nigerian who promotes any form of violence during the elections remains ineligible for US visa,” he said. According to him, President Barack Obama is interested in Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa and the US is also concerned about the Nigeria’s security situation because of the threat that Boko Haram has posed to the nation. He said Obama sent him to meet with Jonathan and Buhari with a view to having violence-free elections and appealed to them to accept the results of the election; whatever the outcome may be. He said that he was impressed with the duo and restated Washington’s

commitment to supporting Nigeria in fighting Boko Haram. “The US will continue to work with the Nigerian military in putting an end to the continuous killings of innocent Nigerians and attack on communities. “The US strongly condemns these attacks which has escalated in the last weeks and is gradually spreading to neighbouring countries,” he stated. Kerry also refuted allegation that the U.S. would in future discriminate against Nigerians and other West Africans suspected to have contacted the Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD). Earlier, Jonathan had assured Nigerians and the international community of the commitment of his administration to ensure that next month general elections hold as scheduled. The president who spoke against the backdrop of call by his National Security Adviser (NSA), Col.

Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for the postponement of the elections, told Kerry that his administration was committed to the inviolability of the May 29 handover date. A statement by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, also quoted the president as reaffirming the preparedness of his administration to tackle Boko Haram. He said: "Nigeria is a vibrant democracy and the largest trading partner of the United States in Africa, with more than $18 billion in bilateral trade. Our countries and peoples share a mutual admiration for each other and a deep commitment to freedom, democracy, and human rights. "This is why we are together engaged in a struggle against a common enemy that promotes terror, fear, division, and violates human rights, most especially of women and girls, with complete impunity.

Winning the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria and West Africa is absolutely essential to beat back the tide of religious extremism around the world. “Our security forces have been working tirelessly and courageously to achieve this goal. I reaffirmed for Secretary Kerry that Nigeria is strongly committed to building the multinational task force to fight Boko Haram in partnership with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. "I emphasised to Secretary Kerry that I am deeply committed to ensuring that our forthcoming election is free, fair, and credible. It is especially critical that all political parties abide by the Abuja Accord, which commits each to non-violence before, during and after the election. "I made it absolutely clear that the May 29 handover date is sacrosanct. In

All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, during a meeting in Lagos…yesterday

24-hour curfew imposed on Borno capital Ahmed Miringa, Anule Emmanuel, Emmanuel Onani and Ibrahim Abdul

he military yesterday imposed a 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after a gun fight with Boko Haram militants, who launched a bid to seize the town. The insurgents and the military engaged in the gunfight for over the control of Maiduguri and Monguno, also in Borno State, which lasted many hours. The insurgents also raided Michika and some villages in Adamawa State.

Although troops, with the assistance of fighter jets and members of the Civilian JTF, repelled the insurgents from Maiduguri, they lost Monguno to the militants, who attacked the town a few hours after President Goodluck Jonathan, who was in Maiduguri on Saturday to solicit for votes, left the town. Scores of people, including the militants and Customs officials, were killed in the attacks. The state Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has appealed to the people to be calm. According to witnesses, the bid to overrun Maiduguri began about 1am when the insurgents her-

alded their invasion of the town with sounds from gunshots, explosives and Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). It was learnt that the battle raged on till about noon. A witness, who asked not to be named, said: “I received more than 15 phone calls from friends and relations who wanted to know what was happening. “As early as 1:30a.m. when the air became thicken with gunshots and explosives, people started beating drums, shouting (wake up and defend your areas). People responded and came out en mass with sticks and matches." A member of the Civil-

ian JTF, Audu Gora, said the insurgents came in hundreds of Toyota Hilux vans, motorcycles and an armoured personnel carrier (APC). He stated that some residents of the areas were also killed in the gunfight. He said: “Many of them (insurgents) were killed in the gun battle or bombed by the fighter jets but they took away most of their corpses. As nobody can tell you the number of insurgents killed but they are many. We even arrested three of them while we are still busy pursuing the fleeing ones.” A resident of the area, Mallam Ibrahim Garba, said the attack, which

started about 1a.m. forced them to flee their home to take refuge in Gomari ward of the metropolis. According to him, the insurgents came through Moramti, near 33 Air Force Barrack, which was attacked on December 2. A source at the State Specialist General Hospital said in a telephone interview that many corpses and injured people were brought to the hospital. A resident of Garta, one of the villages raided by the insurgents, who identified himself as Vandu Kainu, said the insurgents arrived in his village about 6p.m., raiding homes and shops. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

addition, the government will provide all resources that are required by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the election goes smoothly." Presidency sources said the meeting between Jonathan and Kerry, which lasted for about one-anda-half hours centred on how to achieve peaceful, free and credible elections next month. It was also learnt that Kerry also raised concern about the increasing spate of insecurity in the NorthEast and the need for more action from the security forces. After the meeting with the president, Kerry also met with Buhari at the US Consulate in Lagos. It was learnt that his discussion with the APC presidential candidate followed the same pattern with Jonathan. However, the Buhari Campaign Organisation has described the call by Dasuki for the postponement of the February general elections to give INEC more time to distribute Permanent Voters' Cards (PVCs) to registered voters as a sign that PDP is planning a coup against the 1999 Constitution. In a statement yesterday by its Director, Strategic Communication, Mr. Dele Alake, the campaign organisation said Dasuki’s statement had serious implications for democratic sustainability in Nigeria because if the elections do not hold in February as scheduled, there will be little time to address and resolve post-election issues before the May 29 deadline for the swearing-in of the next president and governors. “What happens if INEC is still perceived as being unprepared to conduct the polls even after Dasuki’s laughable 90-day window? The truth of the matter is that if a new government is not sworn in on May 29, we would have a veritable coup on our hands. The government in power would lack any constitutional basis for exercising authority. What then would be the fate of the country since nature abhors a vacuum? “It is certainly no exaggeration to say that the ruling Peoples Democratic (PDP) is undertaking a creeping, insidious and very dangerous coup against the Nigerian constitution. The PDP, it is now obvious, will stop at nothing to manipulate the forthcoming general elections in its favour and, where this is not possible, it will do all it can to abort the exercise from holding at all."

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

PDP gives up wooing Obasanjo to back Jonathan lOur relationship with ex-president still cordial, says Metuh Donald Ojogo Abuja

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have decided to ‘keep a low profile relationship’ with former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his ‘hard-line posture’ against the party ahead of the February general election. A top party official confided in New Telegraph that it was ‘time wasting trying to pacify Baba Obasanjo.’ In the build-up to the elections, the relationship between Obasanjo and his estranged godson, President Goodluck Jonathan who is PDP’s presidential candidate has deteriorated. Obasanjo has refused to back Jonathan's re-election bid, despite several overtures made to him. Although he has reassured the party that he remains a card-carrying member, he said he would limit his participation in party's affairs to the ward level. On Saturday, Obasanjo

endorsed the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship race for which PDP is fielding Mr. Gboyega Isiaka. Alleging that frantic efforts made by mutual friends of both leaders to broker peace have always ended in circumstances laced with much distrust, the source, a member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), said the party and its leadership had decided to focus more on the presidential campaign rather than trying to bring both Jonathan

and Obasanjo to work together ahead of the elections. He regretted that each attempt ‘has been truncated by Baba’s strong position against the president’s second term bid’. “From now on, what we are doing is to talk less of the strained relationship between the former president, Obasanjo and the party, especially his cat and mouse game with our presidential candidate who is incidentally is the president of this country. “You members of the press know most of the issues behind the crisis of

confidence between the two and each time close friends of both leaders make efforts, we are encouraged and happy only for us to see a different scenario from the former president the next day or couple of days. “When the president met with him (Obasanjo) last week, we were told that the former president agreed to a verbal cease fire against the party, but what are seeing now? He is at his best, trying to throw punches. “As a party, what we have decided to do is to on Baba is to refrain from

responding to his verbal punches because whether we like it or not, he is not just a leader of the party, he was president on the party’s platform and before now, we have developed a mechanism to continue to engage the former president by pacifying him and trying to convince him to support the party and its candidates, including Mr. President, for a second term. “As it is now, this is unofficial anyway, we have decided to review that posture because it is time wasting trying to pacify Baba Obasanjo; he ap-

pears to have made up his mind and anything done to bring him on board is an effort in futility. "We will not fight him, but we will keep a low profile relationship with him because of his hard line posture against the PDP even in his home state, Ogun, where he is in the forefront of the APC governorship candidate’s campaign,” he said. But PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a telephone interview, said Said the party's relationship with Obasanjo was still cordial.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

33o C 25oC Thunder Storms

ABUJA

36oC

21oC

Partially Cloudy

PORT HARCOURT

35oC

14oC

Partially Cloudy

ENUGU

19o C 15oC Very Cloudy

IBADAN

36oC

22oC

Partially Cloudy

CALABAR

39oC

22oC

Storm

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

Scores killed as military repel Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

19o C 15oC Very Cloudy

KANO

L-R: Group Head, Corporate Banking, Sterling Bank Plc, Mojisola Bakare; winner, Twitter Handle of the Year, Mr. Jimmy Tewe and Group Head, Legal, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs. Justina Lewa, during the presentation of the Social Media Award Africa sponsored by the bank in Lagos…at the weekend. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

37oC 15oC Sunny

37oC

24oC

Partially Cloudy

He said: “They burnt most of the houses after looting them, as most people had to climb the nearby mountains to save their lives. “For now, I can’t say the number of casualty as we are still in the bush; but they slaughtered many people like rams. They also abducted many trapped residents, mostly youths and women.” The lawmaker, representing Michika in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Adamu Kamale, confirmed the attack, saying the insurgents raided Mbororo, Shahu, Liddle, Garta, Kamale and Ghumci. As part of mop-up operations, the military has imposed an indefinite curfew on Maiduguri while troops are said to be in pursuit of the insurgents. Olukolade in a statement, said scores of the terrorists were killed while many of them were also

captured with wounds. The military also seized weapons, including a Cobra Armoured Vehicle and the heavy artillery gun, as well as some machine guns from the insurgents. "Similarly, troops in Konduga successfully repelled terrorists attack twice today, Sunday. Some of the troops, however, lost their lives in the series of operations to repel the terrorists today (Sunday). Others who were wounded have been evacuated for appropriate medical treatment. "The 24 hour curfew imposed in the course of the operation is expected to be lifted as soon as mopping operation is concluded. Citizens will be allowed to go about their lawful activities from 6a.m. on Monday," Olukolade added. Shettima has, however, called on the people to be calm, reassuring them that security forces are making efforts to safeguard lives and property.

The governor regretted the attack on Monguno, headquarters of Monguno Local Government Area, saying the government was screening surviving victims from Monguno with a view to accommodating them and offering them immediate palliatives as internally displaced persons. He told reporters in Maiduguri that this administration would continue to support security personnel involved in counter insurgency operations in the state. Meanwhile, there are indications that Boko Haram overran Baga, Borno State, with little or no resistance from the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), New Telegraph has gathered. A top military source said the withdrawal of Chadian troops about 48 hours before the attack had nothing to do with the defeat suffered, as Nigerian soldiers constituted

the bulk of the JTF. The source, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, added that "cowardice and fear" led to the seizure of the town by Boko Haram insurgents who killed scores of people and forced thousands of others to flee their homes. The source said: "That (Baga) attack is one that we are investigating the circumstances that led to the capture of the town. "The terrorists were successful in overrunning the town because of fear exhibited by our officers and soldiers, which made them run away when they heard gunshots from the insurgents. "Honestly, that attack was a sad incident because we lost six Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and some 6,000 rounds of ammunition. "I think it has been discovered at the higher level that these cases of coward-

ice and desertion are as a result of the fact that the officers and soldiers concerned joined the Army because they needed a job; they lack patriotism. "For that reason, intensive training of officers and soldiers who will demonstrate true passion and patriotism is ongoing. "Let me tell you that the problem now is not lack of equipment because we have taken delivery of many sophisticated equipment and weapons that can destroy these elements within days. "We cannot accept this kind of setback at a time we feel these insurgents should be surrendering to our superior fire power." When New Telegraph contacted the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brigadier General Olajide Laleye, for comments, he said the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), would be better placed to CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

News

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Attack on Jonathan's convoy: PDP warns of grave consequence Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has

warned of orgy of violence in the country if something untoward happens to its presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. The party also

Scores killed as military repel Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

react. However, several calls to the phone line of the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, were not answered. A reply to a text message sent to him was still being expected as at the time of filing the report. In another development, the attack on Maiduguri stalled the return of the advanced team comprising security personnel and other key staff attached to the president to Abuja. Nigerian military authorities have already imposed curfew in the state capital following an attempt by the insurgents to take over control of Maiduguri and several other parts of the state. It was gathered that the president's convoy arrived

in the town on Friday after being escorted by about 10 heavily armed soldiers from Bauchi. The President's convoy was billed to return to Abuja on Saturday after the PDP campaign rally, but stayed back as a result of security advice that was handed over to them by both the military and the Department of State Service (DSS). "Those trapped are in the president' team are members of the media crew, medical and security personnel. The protocol team took risk and left on their own, that was before the terrorists started advancing. We wanted to join them but we were warned by the security guys. The protocol vehicle believed it's riskier to join the convoy because it will attract the attention of Boko Haram," a source said.

slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its claims that members of the PDP masterminded last week’s attacks on the president's campaign convoy in Katsina and Bauchi. Director, Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode in a statement yesterday expressed shock that the spokesperson of the opposition APC, Lai Mohammed, could come up with such allegation. He described the allegation as ridiculous and unbelievable. “The allegation by the spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, that the

PDP were the ones behind the attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi are absurd, reckless and asinine. The shameless lies of the APC are simply mind-boggling and as each day passes, they seem to be getting worse and worse. “Does it make any sense for the PDP to hire thugs to chant 'Sai Buhari' and to wave brooms in the air and to physically attack their own candidate's convoy? Does it make any sense for them to throw rocks at their own presidential candidate and injure his bodyguards? “Honestly it is clear to

all those with discerning minds that the APC have lost touch with reality. They have been blinded by their hate, deceit and their sheer desperation for power," the statement added. According to FaniKayode, the truth is that APC supporters are the ones that have an inbred culture of violence and intolerance, which encourages brutal and barbaric behaviour. He said PDP values peace, tolerance, a plurality of views, differing opinions and the sanctity of life, which he said APC does not, adding that "PDP belongs to the modern age and the modern

world but the APC belongs to the dark ages.” He told APC to be ready for grave and farreaching consequences if anything untoward should happen to President Jonathan during the course of this campaign. “All hell will break loose. The stoning, attacks, violence and intimidation have to stop and the safety and security of our presidential candidate, our supporters and our members must be guaranteed if we wish to avoid being propelled into a vicious and reciprocal cycle of violence, turmoil, destruction and catastrophe in this country," the statement said.

Nigeria records $21bn investment deficit in gas sector CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The Federal Government actually lost an estimated $100 billion in revenue between 2007 and 2012 from inability to meet crude oil production targets, according to separate data sourced from the National Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS), the investment arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The non-passage of PIB is, according to the Mackenzie report, responsible for reduced investment, crude oil production, government revenues, increased debt and increased borrowings. Capital and operational expenditures of $37 billion were lost due to the industry stagnation, which has also created a vicious cycle in the Federal Government’s revenues, the report added. “In 2012, there was a gap of $7 billion between planned investments in the oil and gas industry and the actual investments,” the report said, noting that the country also experienced fiscal crisis. For instance, in the 2012 budget, there was a shortfall of $10 billion and over

$50 billion shortfall in the 2007-2012 industry plans. With stagnation in reserves and production, the country lost 100,000 barrels per day in 2008; 800,000 barrels per day in 2009; 500,000 barrels per day in 2010; 600,000bpd in 2011 and 1.5 million bpd in 2012, said the report. Although the Federal Government has pledged to ensure the passage of the PIB before the end of the current administration in May, it is unlikely this target will be met. While the presidency has stopped to lobby the legislators to pass the PIB, the lawmakers, who are now engaged with electioneering ahead of next month general elections, have also abandoned activities on the bill. “Our duties as legislators are suffering now; not only the PIB, work on all other bills has been suspended now and they will remain so until after the elections,” a member of the National Assembly who is also seeking re-election told New Telegraph. “To even say that the bill will be passed before the end of this seventh National Assembly is now becoming very doubtful,” he added.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Nwanneka, at the conferment of honorary Doctor of Laws on the senator at the university's 44th convocation in Nsukka...at the weekend.

Committee probes Ohanaeze Ndigbo finances Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

he leadership crisis rocking the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has taken a new dimension with the setting up of a probe panel to investigate financial dealings of the group from 2009 to 2014. The new caretaker committee headed by Chief Ralph Obioha has set up the investigative panel headed by Col. Ben Gbulie (rtd). The panel will be inaugurated today in Enugu. The Gbulie-panel is expected to investigate the alleged N350 million and $150,000 donated to the organisation by friends of President Goodluck Jonathan for specific projects by the group. Also, the panel will investigate the disbursement of the N25 million donated

to the organisation by the Anambra State Government for the hosting of the 2014 Igbo Day Celebration held in Awka, the state capital. Documents being made available to the panel include the bank statement of the Ohanaeze Foundation at Diamond Bank, former president-general’s report on Ohanaeze Foundation and Ohanaeze Centre for Effective Leadership. Obioha confirmed the development yesterday in an interview with New Telegraph. He said the Igariwey-led executive was “a sit-tight one.” He said: “They are sit-tight and they have not handed over to us even after the Elders’ Council at a meeting in Zodiac Hotel, Enugu, directed the setting up of this caretaker committee.” It was learnt that the alleged N350 million scam

is connected with the illfated Ikenga Transport outfit meant to ease transportation problems in the South-East zone and make the organisation earn revenue for other projects. A document signed by the late former presidentgeneral of the organisation, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, clarified how the $150,000 was shared among the principal officers as well as the women and youth wings of the organisation. The highest individual recipient got $15,000 and the least member of the National Executive Committee got $5,000. Obioha stated that attempts to endorse President Jonathan as a presidential candidate “has created a huge crisis of confidence for Ohanaeze and the effect of the government interference creating confusion in the normal running of the

machinery of Ohanaeze.” “Let us insulate Ohanaeze Ndigbo from outright partisan politics. It is a purely socio-economic and cultural organisation and not a socio-political one,” he posited. According to him, any of the candidates contesting for presidency, who wants the support of Ndigbo, should come forward and discuss details of his plans for the people and on how to realise the Igbo presidency after his tenure. Meanwhile, the Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey-led national executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has not handed over to the caretaker committee appointed by the Elders’ Council of the group headed by Chief Mbazulike Amechi. The change of guard was based on the expiration of the two-year tenure of the Igariwey-led executive.

News

Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

ith just three weeks to the presidential election in the country, the Conference of Minority Tribes in Nigeria has expressed concerns over what it called the high level of inflammatory comments and activities of key actors on the nation’s political scene. These, it said are capable of causing violence during and after the elections. The organisation also condemned plans by various ethnic-based groups

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

2015: Minority tribes warn against inflammatory comments to make the country ungovernable after the elections, if their candidates failed to win the forthcoming election. The coordinator of the group, Okpokwu Ogenyi Shagari, who spoke in Abuja at the weekend, said politicians were already violating the non-violence accord which they all signed in Abuja about two weeks ago with their hate speeches and conduct.

This, according to him, is not only anti- democratic but an element against free, fair and transparent elections anywhere in the world. He described recent attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign train in Katsina and Bauchi states as unwarranted, noting that those attacks were signs that ethnic bigots are footing plans to visit

the peace of the nation with violence and untold hardship based on their presumed outcome of the 2015 general elections. “In as much as Nigerians and observers of our democracy have unequivocally condemned the unwarranted attack on the campaign train of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states, we will not be fast to com-

mend the peace summit organised by the Bayelsa State Governor, Serike Dickson, knowing full well that more than 200 ex-militants attended the meeting at a time that members of the Ijaw Youth Council are threatening retaliating attacks on General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)”he said.

L-R: Wife of Imo State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Orelope Adejoke-Adefulire; wife of APC presidential candidate, Mrs. Aisha Buhari and wife of the running mate, Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, during the inauguration of APC women presidential campaign initiative in Abuja

Stop telling lies, Ajimobi tells Ladoja

overnor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said that lies and character assassination should not be found among statesmen, especially those who have had the privilege of administering a state government. The governor spoke against the allegation made by the former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, that he was offered the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the party leaders. “The truth is that Ladoja has become used to spinning untruth that it has become a way of life. While we see lies as abhorrent, especially for anyone who has risen that high in life, to the former governor, it is like a fisherman who has seen so many shrimps that a fish is not new to him. However, anyone who is even barely educated would know that Ladoja was on his familiar turf of lying. “Isn’t it illogical that a sitting governor would be asked to vacate his seat for someone he beat to the third place in the 2011 elections and that same sitting governor will gladly go to the home of his ‘nemesis’ and gleefully hand over his mandate to him?” Ajimobi said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo.

Obadara, Tejuoso, Clark clash at NUJ debate Polls: CSOs set agenda Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he Ogun Central senatorial candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) threw verbal jabs at one another when they took part in a debate organised by the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). At the debate held Friday at the Iwe Irohin sec-

retariat of Ogun NUJ in Abeokuta, Senator Gbenga Obadara, Dr. Lanre Tejuoso and Dr. Bisola Sodipo-Clark of SDP, APC and PDP respectively got in an argument about why their parties represented the best bet for the electorate in next month’s general elections. They also locked horns over the deplorable power situation in their senatorial district, poverty level as well as cost and distribution of infrastructural projects.

Obadara, who currently represents Ogun Central zone on SDP platform, said his party remained the only responsible party in the state, adding that he deserved re-election into the National Assembly. The senator, who debunked claims that he had been a “bench warmer,” disclosed that he had facilitated and delivered 133 verifiable projects to his senatorial district in the last three and half years. Obadara, who is the

chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, expressed regret that the funds appropriated for power sector reforms in the country were siphoned since 1999. Tejuoso, who served at various times as commissioner for special duties, environment and sports under Governor Ibikunle Amosun, said the APC government in the state had performed creditably and that its candidates deserve being voted into power.

NERDC boss flays criticism of curriculum Kayode Olanrewaju

ontrary to criticism by some stakeholders that the current school curriculum lacks the strength to fast track the country’s technological development, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational and Research Development Council (NERDC), Prof. Godswill Obioma, has

dismissed such criticism as baseless. According to him, the curriculum was developed in cognizance of the country’s educational needs and the quest for rapid socio-economic transformation, in which sound education was the bedrock. “The school curriculum was carefully designed in line with both

educational and technological need of the country,” Obioma said, adding that “if well delivered, it would take the country out of its present woods. The Executive Secretary, in a telephone chat with New Telegraph, insisted that the curriculum was reviewed based on the needs of the country and the delivery

system. On the alleged incompetence of the curriculum planners, Obioma, who noted that the curriculum was developed by experienced subject teachers, stressed that renowned educationists and experienced teachers and school principals were assembled by the council to develop the curriculum.

for candidates

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

s campaigns towards the February 14 polls progress, the Human Rights Agenda Network, HRAN on behalf of Nigeria Civil Societies yesterday called on the Presidential candidates to speak directly to Nigerians in respect of prevailing livelihood and human rights issues. Speaking through its chairman, Chino Obiagwu, HRAN said Nigerians will vote based on concrete agenda. The group noted that 80 per cent of youths are either unemployed or under-employed. It, however, asked the candidates to explain their strategy for tackling the issue of youth unemployment with particular reference to the empowerment of young girls. On the Petroleum sector, the group asked how

the candidates would improve the downstream petroleum sector via policies towards production and refining petroleum products. Furthermore, on human security, the candidates were asked how they will ensure the security of lives and property in Nigeria, with particular reference to the insurgency in the North-East and NorthWest regions. “How can you reduce the quantity of small arms and light weapons that are illegally found in hands of people which increases insecurity of lives and properties in Nigeria”, it added. Moving further, the group asked the politicians to explain how they will protect the rights of minorities, religious, tribal and economic minorities as well as persons living with disability, who have suffered greatly from misgovernance.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

News

NATIONAL

MDGs office, contractors bicker over unpaid contracts sum CONTROVERSY Argument over contract sum kicks dust Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

ll is not well between the office of the Senior Special Assistant to President (SSAP) on Millennium Develop-

ment Goals (MDGs), Dr. Precious Gbenol and contractors undertaking various MDGs projects across the country under the aegis of Association of Registered Contractors of MDGs Nigeria (ARCON) 2013. The contractors, who are protesting their unpaid contract sum, which they said amounted to over N30 billion, are also accusing the SSAP of diversion of funds meant to pay them. But in a swift reaction,

the Head of Media and Communications at the MDG Office, Dr. Christopher Otabor, told New Telegraph that the money owed the contractors was not up to N30 billion. This was as he also alleged that the protesting contractors were being used by some politicians for political motives, noting that the association under which the contractors are protesting was not known to the MDGs Office. His words: " I want to

quickly dispel the fact that we are owing over N30 billion. That's not even mathematically possible because the whole contract sum was N33 billion and almost two third of that money was paid; less than two third was paid in 2013 based on budgetary release so, I don't see how they can say it is over N30 billion that is being owed. Every contractor knows what is being owed but I don't see how they will know what total indebtedness of the

Politicians, journalists cautioned against use of hate language

with politicians. They wrote in one of the messages that SSAP has embezzled N30 billion that was released to the office to pay for third quarter and that they had to go and cry to their party leaders. So, when you put all those things together, you cannot but conclude and then looking at the people who are also at the forefront of this, you cannot but conclude that someone else is beating the drum at the background."

RTEAN wants extension of automotive policy Ladi Patrick ABUJA

Appolonia Adeyemi

ith just 20 days to the general elections scheduled to hold on February 14 and 28, Nigerian politicians have been enjoined to avoid the use of hate language, so as to prevent violence that could threaten smooth electoral process. The advice came days after the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, in an advertisement last week, insinuated that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari might die in office if elected as president of the country. The picture in the advertisement showed former Nigerian leaders, Murtala Mohammed, Sani Abacha and Umar Yar’adua, who all came from the North West and died in office. It then went on to show a picture of Buhari with a question mark insinuating that he might also die in office. The advice to politicians to refrain from hate language during election activities was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day workshop on Effective Coverage and Reportage of 2015 General Elections, organised by the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) with support of the Democratic Governance for Development Project 11 of the United Nations Development Programme. The workshop, held in Ogba, Lagos from January 22 to 23. Participants at the workshop similarly urged journalists to avoid promoting hate speeches and other forms of incitement that could lead to violence and threaten smooth elections.

office is because we have not shared that information with them. “You cannot but begin to wonder what is the motive behind this. Number one, election is coming closer. Two, they are coming up with preposterous information that is not based on fact and then they are trying to win the sentiment of the people and I have text messages; I can read them to you; text messages that suggest that these guys are working

Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa (left) and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack, during a working visit by the management of the bank to NITDA in Abuja…at the weekend. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

Northern coalition warns Asari-Dokubo against threats of war Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

group known as Northern Coalition for Good Governance has condemned the war threats issued by the Niger Delta militants. The group also insisted that the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari must be prosecuted for the 2011 post election violence. Niger Delta militants had, on Saturday, threatened to cause war if Presi-

dent Goodluck Jonathan should lose the February 14 presidential election. The group's Director of Research and Documentation, Dr. Ibrahim Baba, while addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja after a protest at the Central District demanding for justice on 2011 post-election violence, said Nigerians should not allow the 2011 post election violence incidence to repeat itself. He argued that one of the ways that election violence could be averted is by the prosecution of those involved.

He said the group would stand against anybody or group trying to divide the country through religion, ethnicity or tribalism. Asked why the issue of 2011 election violence was coming up now, he said, "It is pertinent now because we should not keep quiet to allow what happened some few years ago to happen. So, that is why there is need for us in our own way to re-sensitise Nigerians on the need to make sure that voting is just the process and not about thuggery or violence.

Retired NITEL/M-TEL workers: We've not been settled Dan Atori MINNA

he Association of Former Telecoms Employees of Nigeria (ATEN) has debunked media reports alleging that staff of the NITEL and M-TEL had been fully settled through a five-year negotiated buyout plan by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE). In a press statement

signed by its Secretary General, Comrade Makinde Olusegun Micheal and made available to the New Telegraph yesterday, ATEN said only mad pensionable staff would accept a five-year buyout plan, when they are entitled to pension for life. Rather, the secretary explained that, "apart from authority that was conferred on the BPE to settle NITEL/M-TEL as at 2005, whose residual

are still lying with BPE, any settlement of entitlement owed by the Federal Government to NITEL/M-TEL retired, pensionable/disengaged and casual staff are to be settled by the Liquidator, Otunba Senbore Olutola, whose ownership of NITEL/M-TEL have been legally transferred to by the government through a competent court of law with reference to CAMA 1990."

oad Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN has appeal to the Federal Government to further extend by six months, the implementation of the National Automotive Policy. The group said that local manufacturers presently lack the capacity to meet the high movement demand of the citizens. The National President of RTEAN, Alhaji Shehu Musa Isiwele, who made the call over the weekend in Abuja, also appealed to the government to grant its 70 per cent waiver on the 4, 000 commuter vehicles and the high capacity

buses that will be imported into the country. Isiwele added that “the scheme, when fully implemented, will generate employment opportunity for over 45,000 Nigerians, who are ordinarily in the labour market, with additional 10, 000 lay-off mechanical, technician and artisan engineers". In his words: “We support the government automotive policy but we are still appealing that the local manufactures can't meet the demand of our nation at the moment. That is why we are calling for the extension of the National Automative Policy, even though the initiative is coming at a time the government is discouraging the importation of vehicles.”

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MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro Traffic law is to ensure safety, says Ashafa Muritala Ayinla

he lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, has said that the Lagos Traffic Law was meant to ensure safety in the state. Ashafa said this while addressing members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers of Nigeria (NURTW), Nigeria Automobile and Technicians Association (NATA), Tricycle Owners and Operators’ Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) and the Motorcycle Operators Association, Lagos (MOALS) at a stakeholders’ meeting at Ikosi-Ketu. He added that the law was to reduce needless deaths arising from unregulated operation transporters in the state. The legislator spoke against the backdrop of some politicians who have been making efforts to discourage the stakeholders in the transportation sector and to woo them ahead of the general election, saying that they would abolish the Lagos Traffic Law if elected. But Ashafa asked motorists and transport operators not be deceived by politicians, saying that the state government remained committed to creating enabling environment for those in the transportation sector. Reiterating the government’s commitment to the welfare of the operators, the lawmaker said that in addition to providing BRT being operated by the NURTW, government was making efforts to incorporate the operators in its inter-modal transportation system. Ashafa also urged them to get their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) so as not to be disenfranchised. He also appealed to them maintain law and order before, during and after the elections.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Two girls beheaded in Ondo WICKEDNESS Two girls, aged 12, are decapitated by yet-to-beidentified assailants Babatope Okeowo Akure

wo girls have been beheaded at Iju in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. The young girls went to the farm on Saturday but their headless bodies were discovered later. One of the girls, it was learnt, is the daughter of a policeman. The girls, who were friends, went to the farm to help their parents to fetch firewood. The incident has thrown the entire community into mourning. Some of the residents claimed that the girls were killed for ritual purposes. A source said that the girls identified as Oyinkansola Owoeye and Folasade Bello, both 12 years old, went to the farm on Saturday but did not return. After waiting for several hours, their parents and other relatives organised a search

party for them. The search later discovered their lifeless bodies by the roadside. The source added that there were machete cuts all over their bodies while their blood had been drained, indicating that they were murdered for ritual purposes. The monarch of the town, the Okiti of Iju, Oba Amos Farukanmi, who confirmed the incident on the telephone, said the incident was the first in the town. Farukanmi said machinery had been put in place to unravel those behind the dastardly act. He also called on the law enforcement agents to help investigate the matter. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Wole Ogodo, however, did not confirm whether the victims were killed for ritual or not. The PPRO only said that they were killed by unknown assailants. He said: “We received information that the two girls, Oyinkansola and Folasade, went to the bush to fetch firewood where they met their untimely death last Saturday. “Our detectives have visited the scene of the crime while

IG, Sulieman Abba

photographs of the corpses were taken. Their bodies had been removed and deposited at the mortuary of the State Specialist Hospital for autopsy.” Ogodo noted that no arrest had been made in connection with the murder as at the press time. The PPRO, however, said

that the police had commenced investigation. He said: “We hereby appeal to the people of the state to feed the command with any useful information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals. Such information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.”

Police dismiss eight over DELSU student’s killing Juliana Francis

ight policemen have been dismissed for watching while an angry mob killed a final year student of Geology and Mining, Delta State University (DELSU) undergraduate and his friend at the Ajara area of Badagry, Lagos State in 2013. The policemen were attached to the Lagos State Police Command and were charged with negligence of duty and found guilty by the police top hierarchy after a trial that lasted almost two years. Nine policemen were indicted for the crime, but an inspector, known as a pastor among his colleagues, was freed. The inspector, it was learnt, was the last to get to the scene of the lynching and tried, without success, to stop the killing. About 3pm on July 21, 2013, an undergraduate of DELSU, Ifechukwude Nwainokpor, 25, and his friend, identified as Kazeem, were killed by an angry mob, while some policemen who witnessed the incident turned a blind eye to the lynching. The policemen, attached to the Badagry Police Station,

The victims being attacked by the mob

later took the bodies to their station, planted guns on them and told their Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Dankoli Mohammed, that they were slain robbers. Unfortunately for the policemen, who supposed to protect lives and property, someone in the crowd videotaped the incident. The chilling video ran for eight minutes. The clip showed that the victims were handcuffed, with tyres hung around their necks, while the mob hit them with sticks from different angles. Some people in the crowd were yelling, burn them! Kill them!

The video also captured a policeman interrogating the boys. According to media report, the policeman asked the boys who sent them to rob in the area, but the victims denied being robbers. “One of the hoodlums, holding a sharp object attempted to cut off the private part of one of the victims. Nwainokpor could be seen pleading with the hoodlums and policemen to spare his life, saying he could identify himself if given a chance. His plea, however, fell on deaf ears,” the report stated. When contacted on the phone, the state Police Public

Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the story. He said: “The policemen were dismissed in line with efforts to rid the force of bad eggs.” The PPRO said the trial too long because of the need for justice to be done and to be seen to have been done. Nwainokpor’s father, Samuel, said his son was arrested while passing through a street in the area but a misunderstanding later ensued and the hoodlums pounced on him and Kazeem. Samuel told Punch: “On that particular day, I was in Ghana when I received a telephone call that I should come immediately. My wife was in Delta State taking care of her mother. When I arrived two days later, my relatives and the caretaker of my house told me that my son was killed in the Ajara area along with his friend. I was devastated. “I got my son a temporary job with a Customs licensed agent since their lecturers were on strike. He worked every day except on Sundays when he visited his friends. On that day, he went to see Kazeem and they were strolling around Ajara.

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

‘Area boys’ saved me from death –Fire victim Ezekiel Adesawe

ome street urchins, otherwise known as area boys, saved the life a trader who ran out of his shop, covered in fire, screaming for help at the Afijalo Market, Oshodi Isolo, Lagos State. The fire razed 12 shops and destroyed goods worth over N7 million. The cause of the fire is not known yet. According to traders, the fire started about 6am on Friday from a shop loaded with chemicals used in the production of air freshener, liquid soap and bleach. It spread to other shops. A trader said: “One Friday Okon, who was mixing chemicals for production, ran out of the shop, engulfed in fire. He was crying for help. Some ‘area boys,’ who saw him, assisted and saved his life. The men carried a basin filled with water and fish and poured it on him. They quickly rushed him to a nearby hospital for treatment.”

Okon said: “I was in the shop mixing the chemicals when I just discovered that there was fire on me. I quickly rushed out of the shop. It was some boys who were around that saved me. They put out the fire on me. If not for them, I would have been burnt to death. I do not know how the fire started.” When Okon ran out of the shop, he did not tell the boys that fire had started in the shop. Before he could tell them, the fire had extended to the next shop. “Several fire extinguishers were used to stop the fire, but it was fruitless,” said a trader. One Jamiu Arewa said: “When Okon ran out of the shop, shouting fire, we responded by putting out the fire. But the man did not tell us that the fire had started in the shop. All we did was to help him put out the fire that was on him. It was later, when the fire had spread to other shops that we knew there was a fire. Firefighters came to put out the fire.” Jamiu Mike, who led the

Adebutu donates building to school T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Remo Federal Constituency, Ogun State, seeking election into the House of Representatives, Oladipupo Adebutu, has donated a block of five classrooms to the OgoOluwa Model Secondary School, Ajegunle, Ogijo. Speaking at the handing over ceremony, which coincided with his campaign tour to Ogijo ward, the politician said it was in line with the tradition of the Adebutu family. He said: “We are always willing to do good for our people. The PDP is a merciful party which has the interest of the downtrodden at heart. We have embarked on a two-way relationship that will be mutually beneficial to both of us. “I enjoin you to move with us and you shall become prosperous. I, therefore, urge you to vote for me and all the PDP candidates in the

The block of classrooms

coming elections on February 14 and 28.” In his welcome address, the Chairman, OgoOluwa Area Community Development Council, Mr Olalekan Animasaun, commended Adebutu for his gesture which was facilitated by the council. According to a statement issued by the Director, Media and Publicity, Ladi Adebutu Democratic Organisation, Mr Sesan Akinsanya, the Baale of Ajegunle, Moshood Agbolade Dawodu, thanked the donor for his philanthropic gesture which was borne out of his genuine love for the community. He said the students had been finding it difficult to transit to secondary schools after leaving primary schools in the area. This, according to him, necessitated the establishment of the secondary school, which commenced operation at the temporary location within Ajegunle Town Hall.

File picture of fire incident

firefighters from the Isolo Fire Station, said: “We received a call about 7am that a market at

Shola Adefuwa

he General Overseer of Open Channel Bible Church, Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos State, has accused some policemen of threatening to shoot him over a land issue that was already in court. Pastor Darlington Ajitemisan said he was shocked on Tuesday last week to see one Mr Olufade, who had been trying to encroach on the Federal Government land, where many churches and homes were located, arrived with over 19 armed policemen and thugs. According to Ajitemisan, his shock stemmed from the fact that Olufade had already erected a fence around the disputed property within three days, though the case was still in court. He alleged that Olufade came with policemen from Gowon Estate Police Station. The cleric said that the thugs who came with Olufade pounced upon and almost knocked out his teeth. According to him, armed policemen also threatened to shoot him, for daring to confront such number of armed men. A few hours after the attack, Ajitemisan said he woke up around 2:30am to smell petrol in his church and discovered that it was on fire. He said: “I don’t believe that I can still be alive because of the incident. I saw what Olufade was doing as a kind of oppression. He wanted to take over the land that belongs to the Federal Hous-

Mafoluku was on fire. I quickly assembled my men. We came down to this place with our

truck fully loaded. As you can see, we have successfully put out the fire.”

My life in danger, cleric cries out ing Authority (FHA). I believe Olufade was deceived by some men who sold the land to him. “I told him churches are here. I went to FHA at Festac, where I met the Planning Supervisor of FHA, Mr Hector. He said FHA did not sell any land. The planning supervisor came and gave Olufade three documents to sign. The documents include stoppage, contravention notice and order for Olufade to remove his structure from the site. Olufade started threatening me. He came with some thugs and policemen from Gowon Estate, along with a Chief Superintendent of Police called, Odion.” When contacted on the phone, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said Ajitemisan reported a fire incident at his church. He said the cleric came to report fire outbreak in his church and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) led a team of police to the scene, but could see no trace of fire. Nwosu noted that there was a petition concerning the land, which police had started investigating. The PPRO said Olufade got an approval to build an amusement park on the land. He said: “If there is a land issue, the parties should go to court and settle it. They should not drag police into the matter.” But Ajitemisan noted that since his first en-

counter with Olufade, he had been attacked many times, adding that the last attack on Wednesday was more than he could take. The cleric said he had expected the DPO of Gowon Estate to make some arrests after the attack on him and his church. He said: “But up till now, the police have done nothing. My teeth are shaking after the thugs attacked me. Olufade hired over 19 policemen, who came with guns. They threatened my life. He had told them that I was

the most troublesome person. They said I would not see the next day. “It was the smell of petrol which woke me up around 2:30am. They burnt my window, break in through the window, gathered chairs together and set them on fire. “I heard people from other churches around shouting and calling my name. I saw fire everywhere. Fire fighters were called, but before their arrival, the fire had been put out with water and detergent.”

Some of the burnt chairs at the church

News

NATIONAL

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Jonathan, at Winners' Chapel, seeks peaceful Nigeria WINNING FORMULA

President visits church headquarters asks for prayers Appolonia Adeyemi and Kunle Olayeni ABEOKUTA

resident Goodluck Jonathan has commended members

of the Winners' Chapel (also known as Living Faith Church Worldwide), Ota Ogun State, for their fervent and regular prayers, seeking peace to reign in the country. Jonathan, made the commendation when he made a surprise appearance yesterday at the international headquarters of Winners' Chapel which is called the Faith Tabernacle at Canaanland, Ogun State.

A source at the Winners’ Chapel said when members of the church sighted President Jonathan, they were visibly excited and the moment the General Overseer of the Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo announced the presence of Jonathan, there was a thunderous cheer by the members. In a short remark, the President explained to the congregation that he had an official en-

gagement in Lagos and having slept over due to the engagement, he decided to come over to the Winners' Chapel to participate in the Sunday Service. He urged the Church to continue promoting peace in the nation with their regular prayers. The source added that as the President thanked the congregation, he consistently focused on appreciating the gesture of the church in praying

for Nigeria. “The church has been offering a lot of prayers for peace in this country and it is these prayers that are sustaining the nation,” he said. "He also thanked God for being considered by his party to stand for re-election in the February 14 presidential election. Then, he urged the church to continue to pray for him and the nation." “I don’t want to say

Keyamo faults violence-free pact Akeem Nafiu

he peace pact which was recently signed by the Presidential aspirants of all the political parties that are preparing for the 2015 general elections has been seen as a document that has no profound legal effects. Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Barrister Festus Keyamo, while speaking with New Telegraph on some national issues, disclosed that the agreement entered into by all the presidential candidates in Abuja regarding non-violence at the polls is not a legally-binding document on any of the aspirants. According to him: “The reason is that you cannot sign an agreement not to commit a crime. The law imposes it on you as a duty not to commit a crime. So, there is actually, by you being within the territory of Nigeria and as a Nigerian, an agreement between you and the state that kept you within the ambit of the law. So, that other agreement is superflous’’. The agreement, he said, ‘’only becomes important for moral persuasion especially among supporters. It becomes a document that is binding only in conscience. In other words, if you remember that before the eyes of the world, I make a commitment not to engage in violence, then of course, you will always keep that in your mind in addressing your supporters and tell them what not to do’’. “The other importance of that document is that it sends a message to all supporters that even your principal has openly said he is not committed to violence. So, you cannot therefore, think that you are pleasing your principal by unleashing violence on the other side’’, he also said.

L_R: Council member, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) (NIM), Mr. Tari Ekpebu; Group Executive Chairman, Vision Development Company Limited. Obong Bassey Inuaeyen and President/Chairman of Council, NIM, Dr. Nelson Uwaga, at the institute’s breakfast roundtable meeting on “Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Lagos. PHOTO:GODWINIREKHE

Nigeria's gas supply market hits 2 billion CFBD — NNPC Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

he Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr David Ige, over the weekend stated that Nigeria has grown its market gas supply from 300 million to 2 billion cubic feet per day (CFPD) He stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja, attributing the feat to successful implementation of the Nigeria Gas Master plan. He said the gas master plan was a policy document that basically outlined gas government aspiration for Nigeria. According to him, the policy had impacted positively on the sector, adding that everything that was outlined in the policy was being implemented to the letter. He said the policy was about commercial frame work for gas, which has been implemented hundred per cent noting that the price of gas has been corrected to that effect. “It talks about contractual bankable frame-

work for gas in Nigeria that will allow a market that works, that has been completed and being implemented and today we operate market based on gas agreement. “It talks about gas opted for power. Today, we have grown gas supply in the market, and today we have grown from 300 million to 2billion cubic per day". According to him, at no time “in the history of this country, have we implemented as such gas pipeline infrastructure as we have done in the last four years.” He said this was done according to the blue print of master gas pipeline. Ige said the policy also was about gas industrialization which had started. “Basically today, we have an outlay of many fertilizer plants already positioning Nigeria to be the largest producer of fertilizer by 2018 in this country. “Those are the aspirations of the gas master plan. It talks about regional export we have started producing in West Africa.”

much because I don’t want my comments here to be misinterpreted as a campaign,” Jonathan was quoted as saying. Thereafter, he dropped the microphone. Oyedepo, after quoting from the scriptures, which enjoined Christians to pray for their leaders, urged members to stretch their hands towards the president and pray for him. While concluding the prayers, Oyedepo prayed God to grant President Jonathan wisdom to manage his office; Grace to subdue his enemies and power to overcome all hurdles before him. Investigations show that Jonathan attended Winners Chapel’s third service which began at 9.45 am and he departed immediately after the service for other engagements in Lagos. Jonathan’s appearance at the church also coincided with the Winners’ Chapel’s ‘Empowerment Service’ or ‘Impartation Service’. The Impartation Service concluded the 21day fasting and praying exercise by members of the church during which special prayers was offered and mantles including handkerchiefs were blessed.

AP begins talks with PDP over same presidential candidate Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

ccord Party yesterday under the aegis of National Unity Group, (a group comprising of members from different political parties) began talks with the Peoples Democratic Party PDP towards adopting President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate in the February 14 Presidential poll. Speaking at the NUG meeting in Abuja, the National Deputy Chairman of Accord Party, Oke Siki-

ru Adeposi, said the party was on a working friendly meeting with the PDP. "We do not have a Presidential candidate; this is not the first time our party is adopting the PDP candidate as our own. Today, we are kick-starting the process we usually adopt with PDP", Adeposi stated. Responding, the National Co-ordinator of the group, who is also the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, said members of the PDP within the group had not taken over the responsi-

bility of the PDP National Working Committee as everything discussed will still be subjected to the approval of Adamu Mu'azu-led executive council. Mohammed added that the NUG was working with the PDP towards the re-election of Jonathan in the forthcoming general elections in an environment devoid of violence, tribalism, among others. "This group will do everything within its powers to preach against violence and all the prophets of doom who feed fat on a state of insecurity."

Anenih, Ikimi, others, move to deliver South-South for PDP Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

hairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih has assured leaders, members and supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election project not to panic but to ensure that their votes count in the February 14 general elections as his victory remains certain. He urged them not to be deceived by anyone

as the party was on top of the situation towards re-launching the incumbent President back to Aso Rock. Anenih spoke alongside the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi and Minister of Works, Arch. Mike Onolememen, during the party’s grand campaign rally held Uromi at the weekend. The PDP leaders tasked the people not to allow what belongs to them to be taken to the dog, considering the giant strides

President Jonathan has made in various sectors of the economy, which according to them, have benefitted the oil rich geopolitical zone and other parts of the country. Anenih said:“Don’t be deceived. If anybody tells you that Jonathan will not win the election, that person is sick. Four days ago, I was in Kwara State. As I was leaving after sitting for five hours, I know that we have got Kwara State. Two days ago as Buhari was leaving Sokoto, I was leading in Sokoto."

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

General elections

Violence

Re-election

APC raises posers on Jonathan’s performance

Lagos needs fresh ideas – Agbaje

Why we’ll win February polls, by PDP

Jonathan’s campaign vehicles burnt in Niger

Guber poll

Politics PDP pushes for a win in Kwara lJonathan visits today The campaign train of President Goodluck Jonathan berths in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital today. The campaign will go a long way to prove the acceptance or otherwise of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. BIODUN OYELEYE reports Anenih on peace mission Last Tuesday, chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, led a team of the party’s leaders that included Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Informationa and former Senate President Ken Nnamani to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Anenih told newsmen that his team was on ground to assess preparations for President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit but reporters on ground noticed that he held two meetings with the PDP members. The first meeting involved selected representatives from each local government, while a second round involved the gubernatorial aspirants in the last primaries of the party. A major party in the internal conflict that trailed the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries, Mr. Dele Belgore (SAN) was in attendance along with other gubernatorial aspirants and the party’s flag bearer, Senator Simon Ajibola. The only notable absence was that of Senator Gbemisola Saraki, who, it was learnt, was outside the country on family issues. At a point, in the course of the second session, Belgore was seen embracing his cousin, Alhaji Kale Belgore who had also ran against him in the primaries. Two issues had confronted the PDP in the state in the aftermath of its gubernatorial primaries of December 2014 which produced Ajibola as the party’s standard bearer for the February 28 elections. The first was the refusal by some elements, within the party,

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

particularly the Belgore group, to recognise and therefore support Ajibola, based on political permutations that a candidate from the central district of the state, which has the highest number of voters, would have made an electoral contest with the All Progressives Congress (APC) easier for the party. Ajibola, who is from the south, was also not perceived as having made much impact in his senatorial zone to influence an electoral fortune, although he has severally denied this. Thus after the primaries, there were moves allegedly to snatch the ticket from the senator but it was eventually settled in Abuja that having won the primaries, he should be allowed to go ahead to contest the governorship position on the party’s platform. The resolution of the crisis also led to the emergence of Yinka Aluko as deputy governorship candidate while AbulRahman AbdulRazaq, an oil magnate, was named as Kwara Central senatorial candidate to replace Aluko. PDP’ll win Kwara But leaders of the party were upbeat the election will go the way of PDP, both at the state and federal levels. Indeed, Ajibola told those who attended the inauguration of the campaign committee that the party will take all available seats in the state after the election. However, he linked the party’s fate with the electoral fortunes of President Jonathan and asked members to redouble efforts at convincing voters to make him the choice during the polls. He said: “We are aiming for landslide in Kwara State. For a people eager for change, this is easily achievable if we work hard. We shall win the 24 House of Assembly seats, we shall win the six House of Representatives seats available, we shall win the three senatorial seats, we shall surely win the governorship seat of Kwara state and finally we shall achieve landslide victory for our president. Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman shared the

Jonathan

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

We have template for victory in this election. It’s going to be tactics for tactics, strategy for strategy and might for might

Anenih

same view and promised that the party will fight the sitting government with all legal means to win the election. “We have template for victory in this election. It’s going to be tactics for tactics, strategy for strategy and might for might. We have a duty to vote out Fattah (Governor Ahmed) and Bukola Saraki. I just want to plead with all our aspirants to join forces to ensure victory for our great party,” he said. For Anenih, victory for PDP can only be taken for granted given the groundswell of support the party has enjoyed over the years. Anenih, simply burst into laughter when newsmen asked for his reaction to ongoing campaigns by the opposition party to unseat the PDP. He said: “You can see me laughing. APC taking over from PDP? In 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, they made attempts from different groups and failed. We have a clean record of success. I don’t see any reason why there should be a change.” Ajibola and religious identity Another issue the party has had to contend with was the implications that followed the decision by some people in the party to dress Ajibola in an Islamic turban. Although born a Muslim, the senator has since converted to Christianity. The posters, which also had an Arabic inscription on it was an apparent move to sell his candidature to Muslim voters in the Central District who were believed to be against the emergence of a Christian governor in the state. Indeed, since the creation of the state in 1976, the only Christian governor to have ruled was Chief

Cornelius Adebayo who was in office for three months before the military struck in December 1983. But the decision to robe Ajibola in the turban appeared to have backfired as several residents expressed anger on the development. So much was the debate generated by the issue that the candidate had to commission a renowned local artiste to render a song to correct the wrong impression and also celebrate the fact that his religion would be no issue in the coming elections. The federal lawmaker had to address the issue when he met with reporters after attending a thanksgiving service and denied ever being a religious hypocrite as speculated by his opponents. He also denied the campaign posters in the city which had painted him as a Muslim. He stated that he was never responsible for the posters in which he was depicted wearing the turban, explaining that it might have been produced to discredit him. The PDP candidate explained that though he had a Muslim background, he would not compromise his faith as a Christian, saying he remains a faithful Christian and would not denounce his faith on the altar of politics. The matter was also the focus of the address by Sulaiman, during the inauguration of the party’s campaign organisation last week. Suilaiman argued that the 2015 governorship election in Kwara is not about religion, but freedom and challenged those currently in the leadership of the state to tell the world the faith of their spouses as well their own faith.

Politics

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Why we’ll win February polls, by PDP Onyekachi Eze Abuja

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said its policy direction and credibility of candidates it is fielding for the general elections will secure the party victory in the February elections. National publicity secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said PDP is the only truly pan-Nigerian party that was founded to pursue unity, stability and prosperity of the nation. “The founding fathers of the PDP had their eyes set on specific goals,

which include ensuring the indivisibility of Nigeria, sustenance of democracy and providing enabling environment for the prosperity and welfare of our people. These have guided our governments and have continued to reflect in the quality of leadership by our elected and appointed officers at all tiers in the last 16 years. “These are also the values that have resulted in the unparalleled milestones recorded in every sphere of our national life especially under the current administration,” the statement added. It said the quality of legislations and policies under PDP administra-

tion has continued to transform the nation into a destination for progress with Nigerians excelling in every sphere of life. “The strict adherence to the rule of law, the guarantee of personal freedom for all Nigerians, passage of the Freedom of Information Act, ensuring greater transparency in governance, the electoral reforms, the policy of wealth transfer leading to the unprecedented thriving of private enterprises, the agricultural and health reforms resulting in increased life expectancy and reduction in food import, the return of the railways and massive investment in road infrastructure and

communication as well as growing the economy to become the largest in Africa and the third fasted growing in the world, all point to the superiority of the manifesto of the PDP and its ability to deliver good governance despite daunting challenges,” the statement said. On the other hand, the PDP said the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked a clearcut manifesto, noting that this has been further exposed by the hollowness of its campaigns and failure to articulate any concrete roadmap to back its muchmouthed change slogan. This, PDP noted, has reflected in the calibre of its

candidates, who it stated, were no match for those of the party at all levels. PDP said that its performance is verifiable, noting that the lack of a guiding manifesto on the part of the APC was responsible for the stagnation in states controlled by the party, and blamed this on diversion of their resources to expand the economic interest of APC merchant owners. In another statement, Metuh said that the PDP is ready for the February general elections. “We wish to restate that the PDP is fully ready for the general elections. We remain the only party enjoying the support

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

of majority of Nigeria’s voting population across board. Our very strong political structures in all the states, a track-record of performance and array of very popular candidates at the national and state levels who Nigerians are eager to vote for guarantee us a sweeping victory at the elections,” he said.

Jonathan’s campaign vehicles burnt in Niger Dan Atori Minna

Kwara State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed (left) and Kwara Central senatorial candidate, Senator Bukola Saraki, during a rally at Ilorin East LGA....at the weekend

Okorocha: I’m not involved in illegal PVC registration Steve Uzoechi Owerri

overnor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has denied allegations credited to the Department of State Security (DSS) claiming that it had arrested four people in the state for illegally registering people with the aim of issuing them Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). The DSS was also reported to have said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state was behind what it called fraudulent voters registration in the state. Reacting, Okorocha, who spoke through his Media Assistance expressed concern that a sensitive body like the DSS could be “talking like the media department of the Imo PDP.” According to the governor, “if the DSS had

conducted their investigations as they claimed and discovered that illegal registration was going on and APC and Governor Okorocha were involved, they would have at least invited the state chairman of the party for questioning or any other principal officer of the party or any official of the government assuming the governor could not be invited because of his immunity. “If Imo APC is involved in the illegal registration, and the DSS that investigated the matter could not invite the party chairman or any other officer of the party, the claims of the DSS becomes worrisome, and indeed questionable.” The governor also described as laughable, the DSS claim that the illegal registration was statewide and yet it could only arrest four people at one venue, Emekuku Comprehensive College, in a state

with 305 INEC wards. He, however, clarified the issues, saying: “At the end of the INEC PVC registration exercise, officials of the Community Government Councils (CGCs) in the state who monitored the exercise for the state came up with the reports that a lot of our people willing to register could not do so because of either the problems associated with logistics or with the time frame. “The government wrote to INEC and even called for more time to enable our people register. When INEC was not forthcoming, the CGC officials were asked to compile the names of such qualified people who could not register for no fault of theirs, with the aim of forwarding the lists to INEC and demanding to know why they would not be registered to enable them exercise their franchise or to go to court as last resort.”

oodlums yesterday attacked and set ablaze two campaign vehicles belonging to President Goodluck Jonathan at the old garage area of Suleja in Niger State. The attack came few minutes after the party’s governorship campaign rally held in the town with party faithful in jubilation mood. The cause of the attack and the identity of the attackers were, however, not known, but a source said the hoodlums were sympathetic towards the All Progres-

sives Congress (APC) who felt offended with the campaign songs emanating from the vehicle decorated with posters of the PDP governorship candidate. It was also learnt that the timely intervention of the Nigerian military prevented the escalation of the situation as security officers condoned off the street in which the incident happened. Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Ibrahom Gambari, proved abortive. However, an eyewitness said no live was lost as the drivers took to their heels for safety.

Investigate Buhari for perjury, lawyers tell IGP Tunde Oyesina Abuja

oalition of Concerned Lawyers of Nigeria yesterday called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the alleged forgery of school certificate by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the leader of the coalition, Chief Amaechi Nwaiwu (SAN) noted that the University of Cambridge result sheet attached to the Statement of Result released by Government College, Katsina has an alteration on the Mathematics column which suggests an attempt at concealment. Amaechi stated that the coalition would have

approached the court to challenge the certificate but for the strike embarked upon by judiciary workers. The coalition further noted that the results sheet which was attributed to the Cambridge examination body and released by Buhari’s former school is clearly super imposition of one document on another. “The column lines on the part where names are printed do not align with the ones on the blank columns while there is an introduction of extraneous lines on some other columns. The document which was purported to have been made in the 60s contains computer prints on one section while the other section was handwritten, the coalition stated. The coalition further noted that Section 131 of the Constitution as

amended provides for qualification for election as president adding that Nigerians have the right to ensure that persons contesting to rule them are qualified. “Where there is an allegation of forgery, the Nigerian Police has the powers on a complaint to investigate, interrogate and prosecute any person found to have committed forgery of a document or committed perjury. “The Nigeria Police under Section 21s of the Constitution and the Police Act has the powers and duty to investigate and prosecute such offences. We call on the Inspector General of Police to investigate, interrogate and prosecute any person upon a complaint found to have committed perjury or forgery of school certificate,” Amaechi stated.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

APC raises posers on Jonathan’s performance Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to explain what he had used six years to do as president. National publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, challenged the Peoples Democratic Party, PDPled administration to tell Nigerians how it plans to move from the near zero governance of the past six years to good and purposeful governance, instead of engaging in perpetual and tiring mudslinging. The statement reads: “We believe that elections should be about issues that will be beneficial to the electorate, not about throwing everything but the kitchen sink at a particular candidate simply because of his soaring acceptability. “Therefore, it is time

for the PDP to end the muckraking and tell Nigerians how it plans to tackle the worsening insecurity in the land, the collapsing national currency, with the US dollar now exchanging for N215, massive unemployment, especially among the youth, decayed infrastructure and the unprecedented corruption under President Jonathan’s watch.” The party alleged that the essence of the sustained campaign of calumny against its presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari by the PDP is to distract the APC from telling Nigerians how it plans to effect the muchneeded change from zero to purposeful governance. APC asked: “Nigerians are also asking: Mr. President, where are the Chibok girls who were abducted nine months ago, and whom you promised to reunite with their families? What happened to the stage-managed

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

truce with Boko Haram and why has no one been punished for deceiving Nigerians? Mr. President, where is the report of the forensic audit you ordered into the missing $20 billion oil funds? It is now two months since the deadline set by your Finance Minister for the release of that audit report. Will the report go the way of others before it? “Mr. President, why are our soldiers being sent to battle Boko Haram without the necessary equipment, even though trillions of Naira have been budgeted for the security and defence sector under your watch?

Why are soldiers having to buy even their uniforms and the wounded among them financing their medical treatment, as some soldiers said in a CNN interview? “Mr. President, why have you castrated the anti-corruption agencies, rendering them comatose and unable to tackle the runaway corruption under your watch? What signals are you sending to the EFCC, for example, when you picked as your campaign spokesman the same man who is facing corruption charges? Is that a way of telling the EFCC to let the notorious suspect off the hook? “Mr. President, you vowed that those involved in the N2.6 trillion fuel subsidy scam will never go unpunished, but many months later none has been punished and it is back to business as usual. When will you consider stealing of public funds a serious act of corruption, sir?”

Edo’ll vote against president, says Oshiomhole

overnor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has explained why peoples of the state will not vote President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential election. The governor stated that the president did nothing for the state despite securing 95 per cent votes of Edo people for his election in 2011. Oshiomhole said the people of the state are however wiser now and will vote the president out on February 14, for abandoning them. He spoke at rallies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ehor, Uhumwode Local Government Area and at Igueben, Igueben Local Government Area on Saturday. He said: “The last time, we voted for President Jonathan. He got 95 per

cent of the total votes in Edo State. Yet, I cannot think of any meaningful thing he has done in the state. “Last year, President Jonathan gave N2 billion each to some PDP states even where he lost election to deal with erosion. Those that don’t have flood erosion were given money for desertification but we in Edo State that voted for him got nothing. “I am not lamenting this. We have learnt from it and are determined not to repeat our mistakes but the good news is that we have secured funds from the World Bank on our own effort to rebuild Queen Ede erosion and restore it and save the lives, farmland and properties of the people who live around there. Soon the construction work will start.”

Tarzoor promises to revitalise agric in Benue Wale Elegbede

eoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue State, Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor has said that he would return the state to its potential of making wealth through agriculture if elected on February 28. Speaking at a rally in Buruku Local Government Area, Tarzoor vowed to float a special micro-credit scheme targeted at economic empowerment of women, adding that he would give priority attention to the welfare of workers, particularly school teachers While describing agriculture as “our own crude oil,” the PDP flag bearer

however said his administration would not try to replicate the famous groundnut pyramid type of agriculture for which the old Northern region was known, but would concentrate on processing the abundant fruits and other food items in Benue State into various finished products. He said: “Agriculture is the sector that is going to form the bedrock of our development because with oil prices currently at $46 (and plummeting daily) against a budget benchmark of $65 from the previous $73, Nigeria may have to experience further belt tightening measures and agriculture will be Benue’s bail out.”

Ambode condemns attack on supporters

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (left) and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, acknowledging cheers from party supporters at a rally in Badagry Lagos …at the weekend.

Reps mobilise against plot to postpone elections Philip Nyam Abuja

group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives are mobilising their colleagues to counter any plan to reopen the House before February 17 to discuss any motion on postponement of the February 14 and 28 general elections. The House had adjourned on January 14 to enable members prepare and participate in the presidential and National Assembly elections fixed

for February 14. New Telegraph reliably gathered that some members of both houses of the National Assembly have been mandated by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to cause the leadership of the parliament to reconvene anytime this week to deliberate on the issue. But members of the group, who cut across party lines told New Telegraph in Abuja at the weekend that calls for the postponement of the elections is an attempt to elongate the tenure of the present administration.

Chairman of the House Committee on House Services, Hon. Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi) in a telephone chat described the call by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for the postponement of elections as “a call for tenure elongation.” Dogara wondered why the NSA, whose duty is basically security suddenly delved into election matters and voter’s cards. Another member of the group told our correspondent that the NSA has deviated from his con-

stitutional responsibility to usurping the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “I’m shocked that the NSA is now issuing orders to INEC to postpone elections. I think he should channel that energy towards the insurgents who are making life difficult for Nigerians. The lawmaker disclosed that already some members of the House of like-mind are working round the clock to ensure that the plot to postpone the elections succeeds.

he Akinwunmi Ambode Campaign Organisation has condemned last Friday’s attack on some of its supporters and residents in Mosan, Okunola Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. Five people were reportedly injured and 10 vehicles belonging to an independent team of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State, were badly damaged. In a statement issued yesterday by the Director of Media and Communications of the Campaign group, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Friday’s senseless attack on the APC members “who had embarked on a peaceful rally and door-to-door campaign by distributing souvenirs to

residents” is condemnable. Ayorinde said the attack, which was allegedly perpetrated by thugs working for a senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Candidate (PDP), followed a recent wave of damages of billboards and defacement of posters belonging to the APC governorship candidate and other candidates of the party in the state. “No amount of defacement of our candidate’s posters and destruction of billboards will change the minds of the majority from voting for continuity in Lagos State. Every APC candidate is committed to issue-based campaigns and orderly rallies. The true test of a party’s popularity is at the polls, not through acts of violence, of which no party has monopoly.”

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Lagos needs fresh ideas – Agbaje Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, speaks on his aspiration to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola, the content of his plans for Lagosians, his grouse against the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, among other salient issues. WALE ELEGBEDE reports One of the criticisms against your candidature is that you don’t have requisite public service experience. What is your take on this? I started to run a one-man pharmacy shop, small scale. The bulk of people that move the economy are small scale. I moved on to expand my outlets, I moved on into small scale manufacturing. I started my manufacturing in Surulere, took a bungalow and moved on to build a factory. Now, that is experience. I have used it to everything that is possible; I have used it to see the world, I have used it to educate my children in the best possible way, I have used it to invest in different aspects of our economy, I have used it to participate in different sectors, I have been involved in community work all my adult life, I have been involved in my profession. I didn’t get honours by begging for them. When I got my Fellowship of the Pharmaceutical Society, I was the youngest ever that got the Fellowship for the service to the profession. I got a national honour and I didn’t even know where it came from. I am saying there is nothing out there that cannot be managed.

I have spent the last eight years looking at this Lagos, because I had my eyes set on running for governor, and so I have studied and done programmes on development. So, I know what I am saying. I speak from knowledge and confidence. We have looked at Lagos and I say that those who have changed the world have changed it from the paradigm that you have to do things differently, because if you don’t do them differently, you will get the same result. Even the national leader of their party (Bola Tinubu), the only experience he had before he

became governor was probably three months as a senator. He had no government experience. So we should keep the politics aside and come in with fresh ideas. The issue is whether I am qualified or not. INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

I have studied and done programmes on development. So, I know what I am saying. I speak from knowledge and confidence

There are insinuations that you have a godfather whose interest may affect your performance if elected governor? You see, in the course of political campaigns, you throw everything at the other person, and one is that I have a godfather, and I laughed. They said they didn’t make me governor in one place because I cannot be bullied or forced to do things you don’t want to do. Then on the other hand they now said you have gone to another godfather. So, it’s now a case of saying I ran away, or refused to work with one godfather, then I will now run to go and work with another godfather, but such an issue doesn’t arise. I don’t have a godfather in the way that they have put it. Again, I will be a bit sensitive because we are moving forward and not looking backward. But just for the records, there is no godfather. You said you haven’t seen Chief Bode George in our campaign; Chief Bode George is an elder, he is a leader of the party. Chief Bode George is not the one that is going to run the campaign. When it was time to choose my running mate, I did; nobody chose her for me. Naturally, you go to the leadership of the party and make known your choice. The issue of godfather hampering whatever service delivery is not even on the table. I want the people to believe me that it won’t happen. Some people still think that the reconciliation between you and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is not genuine? I think it is clear that we are united. There is a common purpose that we need to take back Lagos from vested interests. On that we have unity of purpose and it overrides all other issues. Maybe I won’t be the best person to ask whether the reconciliation is complete but from own angle, we are working together because there is that unity of purpose.

Agbaje

How do you intend to handle the hues and cries of tax burden in Lagos if elected as governor? The tax net in Lagos has to be expanded to lighten the burden on the few that are overladen. And the way you expand the tax net is in provision of services to the people. By the time you do

health, education and others, you will be capturing more people into the tax net. So, the burden you put on the few will be shared by more. It is because people do not feel government, that is why you can’t capture them into the tax net. The Ocean Economy is a new frontier of opening up the economy; it is also a source of funding and that is the reality. Like I did say, it is going to get tougher with the oil price fall but when it gets tough, the tough gets going. We are fully conscious. Don’t you think your stand on cancellation of tolls on the VictoriaIsland- Epe axis may discourage the idea of public-private partnership in Lagos? A few days ago, I was at a forum and I made it very clear that the toll on Victoria-Island-Epe axis will be cancelled. On that tollgate, there is no more publicprivate partnership. You want to build a toll gate, you said it will cost you N50 billion to put that road all the way to Epe and that you will have toll gate. You took it to VGC, you said you are not doing again and you collected N80 billion back. Now officially, it is government that is collecting toll on that road; we hope it is so. How do you intend to cope with the fallen price of crude if elected as governor? With the oil price that has fallen, we are in for tough times and we have to find ways to augment incomes that we have taken for granted, but more importantly, we have to find ways to deliver the different projects we have in mind. We are saying that there is a whole new economy out there that we have not tapped, that is ‘ocean economy’. This new economic model is recognising that we have waters all around us and we are not maximising the benefits. So, we need to set up fish processing hub not for the country but the sub-region. Also, with the ocean economy are other issues and we are looking at the larger economy of logistics base. This is something that Lagos has not tapped into despite its proximity to the Gulf of Guinea. A lot of money has gone through Lagos, I believe over N4 trillion in the last 16 years and the question will be: what have we achieved with it? Has there been progress, yes, there has been progress. But has it been value for money, we say no because with the value of money that has been brought to us, we cannot say we have achieved the basics that is expected of a global mega city, and that is very key if we look at the key areas. If you look at World Bank survey for states in our country, they talk about ease of construction permit. If you want to build a house, factory or anything, Lagos is the worst state to build in all the states in Nigeria. Lagos ranked number 36 out of 36 states. It is the worst state in Nigeria to get permission to build in this country because they make it so difficult for the residents to build. So, if you want to build a house, Lagos is the worst state to get approval. If you say you want CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Let's celebrate Traders Day Sixtus Chibueze Ezennaya

anuary 1 is New Year Day while Christmas Day is December 25. World Day of Peace is September 21. October 1 is Independence Day while Teachers Day is October 1. May 1, 27 and 29 are Workers, Children’s and Democracy Day respectively. D-Day is July 4 1944. This is the code name for the date chosen by Allied Forces to attack Hitler’s Army in order to rescue France. International Freedom Day is July 18 chosen after the birthday of Nelson Mandela – July 18. April 26 is the Intellectual Property Day. Even AIDS patients have their day while January 15 of every year is the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. On the third Sunday of November every year, Accident Victims everywhere celebrate their day and so on. Virtually, everything, professional bodies or activities among others have days dedicated to them. The big question now is, which day is Traders’ Day? Again, is Traders’ Day not worth celebrating? Could this omission be oversight or deliberate act? Traders as organized professionals, engage in sine-qua-non activities to humanity. They engage in buying and selling of goods for society to be meaningful. Some sell and move services from one place to another to make them available to one another so as to produce a harmonious society. If traders withdraw or flinch from sampling or displaying their goods and services for sale, choice and varieties will find it difficult to be available, above all reach those in need of them. Even before the introduction of money as a means of exchange, trade by barter afforded man the opportunity to acquire another trader’s goods even though with some difficulty and restricted choice. If there are no traders of food items worse still if food traders embark on strike, people could be acquired by death through hunger. In spite of the nobility and dignity of their services to humanity and the economy, traders receive ignominious treatment from the government and society. Often times, they are smeared with sarcasm, derogatory remarks and abusive languages like Illiterate Traders, Dirty Traders etc. In fact some of the treatment meted out to traders, portray them as nobody. For instance, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State in Sunday Punch Newspaper of August 18, 2013 was interviewed as follows: Question: Don’t you think Nigeria can break …? Reply: Who will break it? Is it ordinary person in Jigawa State or Sokoto or in Bayelsa? Is it the Igbo vulcanizer or the Yoruba woman who sells kerosene

by the road side or the Okada man in Delta State? They don’t have the capacity to unite because they are burdened by poverty. We have taken their dignity, self esteem pride and self worth away so that they cannot even organize themselves. Those who argued against having Traders Day said that traders rarely pay taxes; that they cheat government a lot despite making huge profit in their businesses. Traders who indulge in the adulteration of product were berated and lambasted. Those who make money through ritual murder were not left out in the flaying of traders misbehaviour and their get-rich-quick attitude. My view made them to understand that what they could be referring to, could be Personal Income Tax or Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Tax. That could not be the case for all the traders. But they have forgotten that Import, Export and Excise Duties besides Value Added Tax (IAT) are taxes which traders pay. Traders in their greatest number patronize post offices nation-wide as they make use of post office stamps in their daily businesses. By virtue of the various economic activities of traders, they contribute much to the economy of the country. Other aspects of traders’ importance to the Nigerian society were explicitly highlighted to them. Ndigbo seem to constitute majority of the traders. After the Nigeria-Biafra War, the property of Ndigbo were declared abandoned. Ndigbo were “quarantined and ostracized” as they were not given Federal Government job, not absorbed into the Army and police as their vacancies had been taken up by other Nigerians. Worse still, only twenty pounds was given to every Igboman no matter the amount one had in the bank before the war. Most importantly some Military Decrees like Indigenization Decree threw Ndigbo off the balance of the grip of the economy thus making Ndigbo, no matter one’s educational level, to take solace in trading. The pariah state Ndigbo found themselves in those days, was like mandating a healthy, agile and robust young man under gun-point to choose between having sexual intercourse with the notorious mad woman, AIDS patient and leper and committing suicide. In Ariaria Aba or Shopping Centre, Main Market or Old Spare Parts Market Awada-Onitsha, Ladipo Market or Balogun Market Lagos etc today, there are Ndigbo with Doctor of Philosophy as traders. If seven are pursuing the cow and another seven are pursuing the seven that are pursuing the cow, how can the cow have rest? Ndigbo dispersed like the Jews, into whatever would sustain them to avoid staying idle hence falling into the trap of dying of frustration which was set for them by some of the government policies or

ploy. The absurdity of this prank and wickedness is that it gingered Ndigbo to greater heights hence their ubiquity in all spheres of human endeavour. At least to prove that it is not only meat that is the food of a lion and that what the lion uses to act is in its finger-tips or claws not in its mane. Thank God that today twenty pounds of 1970 given to deride Ndigbo have produced the much envied multi-billionaire traders. God is the giver of life and wealth. Those who gave Ndigbo twenty pounds are today begging Ndigbo twenty pounds. I want to forecast that if Nigeria continues to be one country, by 2070, Igbo traders will buy all the houses in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano etc. When people live up to expectation, they are praised and hailed. But when nothing tangible is expected of somebody and he surprised the world by performing even above expectation, what exactly does he deserve? A record. A standing ovation for the Igbo Traders !!!. In Aba for instance, there exists TRADERS CUP which is competed for, by all the traders in all the markets in Aba. I suppose this competition exists in other towns. The sponsorship is often taken up by big multinational companies or indigeneous companies. TRADERS DAY celebration ought to be the hall-mark or the concluding part of some of the activities lined up to extol trading. Even the Post Master General apart from co-sponsoring the traders cup, can use the TRADERS DAY to create awareness on the essence of appending Post Office stamps on receipts of items bought in various markets in Nigeria. There is every possibility that it will accrue or generate more revenue to the government and even revive the dwindling activities of the Post Office nation-wide. Governor Willie Obiano as a Catholic is aware that many of the Catholic Church feast days of saints and celebrations are the creation of some popes. The May Day public holiday was first held in Nigeria in 1980 by the Peoples' Redemption Party (PRP) government of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi of Kano State. It is my humble appeal to His Excellency, Dr. Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State to register his name on the marble by being the first civilian Governor to set aside a day for traders and perhaps observe a public holiday on the day more so as Ndigbo are in the majority of the trading business. In Israel, it is a saying that Jerusalem prays, Haifa works while Tel Aviv plays. Aba produces the goods, Onitsha sells the goods while other towns use the goods. After all, Onitsha is reputed to have the largest market in the whole of West African region. • Ezennaya is the Publicity Secretary APGA Abia State (08038803962).

The teachers fight back Ogbu A. Ameh

he universally old and popular maxim that states, “change is the only constant phenomenon on earth’ is so apt when one goes in retrospect to rationalize and analyze the fall of the teacher. From time immemorial, in every human society, those who belong to the noble guild or profession of teaching are held in high esteem. Teaching as a role is all encompassing as it cuts across the family, religious bodies, school and the work place. Teaching as a profession evolved through a long period of time as the role and function becomes more complex. In the ancient Greek society, itinerant teachers were common sight as parents engaged their services for the transfer of knowledge to their wards. The great and Cerebral Socrates was above equals in that era that threw up the likes of Pluto, Aristotle, et al.

Teaching as a profession through evolution enjoyed a pride of place in every clime. Even the informal and non-formal types due to the common thread that links all together, ‘repository of knowledge’. The sudden shift in policy priority that saw to the relegation of this noble profession to the background awed many people. Those who ought to know pretended not to know and today, the festering old wound is malignant. The victims are searing in pain so excruciating that they had to fight with the tenacity of self-preservation as the first instinct of man for survival. A cursory perusal of history textbooks, commentaries and analysis of developments in the education sector perhaps would reveal the missing link. The where, why and when of things gone awry in this sector call for sincere and holistic studies in order to proffer a lasting solution. Until the restoration of that old prestige to the teaching profession, enabling and empowering teachers through monetary incentives, the wound festers, when the sore festers, the victims who feel the pain

can never stop complaining. In my own humble submission, I do strongly believe that the education sector holds the magic wand that can transform the country. Imagine a scenario where the country becomes host to foreign students from all over Africa and beyond. Also, importing teachers outside the shores of the country to teach and repatriate home foreign exchange. Britain and Ghana are just but few examples of countries in the league of education for foreign exchange (the knowledge economy that will outlast all natural resources). This is the fullness of time for government to have a rethink and translate this emphasis into a strategic plan. Going by the recommended percentage of a national budget by the UNESCO for the development of education sectors, we have a long way to go. It takes political will power, transparency, accountability and the genuine believe in human capacity building to rescue the deterioration the sector is in today. Given the vital role of education to

human societies, human capital development, technology, political maturity and social cultural orientation, we risk underdevelopment by neglecting commensurate investment in the sector. The sad negative implication is clear as a crystal ball that one needs any analysis to discern the horrendous impact across generations. Is this gory scenario what successive leadership of this country wants to be quit to the youths that supposedly are the leaders of tomorrow? Where then is the future for the youths to inherit and carry out their own leadership role as a continuum. The remedy to the impending anomie lies in fixing the education sector which is a crucial social institution for socialization. We know many of the political elites today are beneficiaries of the purposeful leadership of the generations of leaders before them. It’s high time they borrowed a leaf from those old classes of leaders. • Ameh (Onwaters20ll@gmail.com) sent in this piece from Abuja 08184854983, 07055316516.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

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Baby Aishat must not die!

his tear-jerking case so easily reminds those who are lucky to be heralded into this world with panache to always remember not to take their good fortune for granted since others bump into existence and must necessarily endure whatever circumstance they invariably find themselves. This is the story of Baby Aishat who arrived this world on June 28, 2014 already encumbered with the unenviable medical circumstance of congenital heart condition she was diagnosed with at birth. Few stories share a similar timeline with this traumatic account set in Ibadan, the indisputable heartland of the defunct Western Region. According to the devastated mother whose travails would melt even the most hardened heart, hers has been a steady free fall from one woe to another since ‘my husband died when my pregnancy was five months. He complained of malaria and before I knew what was happening, he died’, lamented the petty trader whose world has since been upturned by circumstances beyond her control. The pathetic story of Mrs Ajoke Mukaila, the distraught widow and mother of the baby with congenital heart condition symbolizes the agony of a

For someone who just lost her husband, the arrival of Baby Aishat ought to have provided some consolation to Ajoke, instead of aggravating her already huge stack of challenges woman who lost the comfort of a husband when she needed it most. And as if fate was bent on terrorising her further, she was also denied the expected joy of motherhood because instead of ushering in the traditional bundle of joy, the baby came with profound challenges. ‘See what has happened to this baby that could have, at least, lessened my sorrow. She has a hole in her heart and has been growing lean by the day. I sell raw foods, but I have not been able to go to shop for five months now. I have been battling with the health of this baby, surviving only at the mercy of Good Samaritans’, she added. For someone who just lost her husband, the arrival of Baby Aishat ought to have provided some consolation to Ajoke, in-

stead of aggravating her already huge stack of challenges. According to the tear-jerking story, after delivering the baby, breast feeding was expected to fasttracked the baby’s growth but instead of growth as expected of normal babies, the infant was diagnosed with a terminal challenge which prompted this outcry. Lamenting, the devastated mother of four said she was told the baby could only be cured in India. ‘The excitement disappeared when the baby fell ill and was eventually diagnosed with a hole in the heart. I plead with Nigerians with milk of human kindness to please help me so that my baby would not die’. This story of the Ibadan widow who not only lost her husband when she was five months pregnant but also ended up giving birth to a stricken baby is, to say the least, quite pathetic. And what the situation presents is a challenge to those Nigerians with the capacity to demonstrate the traditional African capacity to be a brother’s keeper. While it is not our policy to question or recommend preferences for capable individuals in the society, it is our sincere belief that there are capable Nigerians who can come to the widow’s rescue and restore some sunshine into her undoubtedly devastated life.

We stress that it is not just enough for a rich individual to splash over N20million or more to purchase nomination form in a political party, for instance, allegedly in the quest to improve the society yet when the ocassion to demonstrate genuine empathy and ability to identify with the plight of the weak in society presents itself, like now, that supposed urge and zeal to make a difference or contribute meaningfully fizzles out. We appeal to those Nigerians who can afford to assist Mrs Ajoke Mukaila foot the cost of Aishat’s medical bills in India to do so without any hesitation. It is a noble cause which will not only endear donors to the Almighty because God always reserves special favours for friends of the poor and needy but also bring respite to the utterly tormented widow. As everyone knows, nursing a baby, on its own, is hectic but nursing a medically-challenged baby with special needs is another matter altogether. The enormity of the challenge facing this widow can not be over-emphasized, just like the urgency of the situation. We appeal to capable Nigerians, both corporate and otherwise, to rise to the occasion and do what is right to raise the devastated widow’s sunken spirit. Baby Aishat must not die!

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Politics

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Agbaje: We’re united in PDP to take back Lagos CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

investments to come and want to build your factory, what you go through does not show that Lagos encourages you to come, and of course if we don’t have business, we cannot create jobs. Also, on the issue of registering properties, we are number 31 out of 36. Today, you will see that our neighbour, Ogun State now boasts of having the highest concentration of industries in the country. So, Lagos is losing in that sector. Also, it is important

to know that some of the things that are being played out, like the rail line, the more they begin to work, the less Lagos becomes competitive in the scheme of things. Lagos is lucky, it is a former capital, the commercial nerve of the country, but I tell people that Ibadan used to be the real commercial centre but lost it. So, we shouldn’t think Lagos can’t lose that steam. There are policies that are coming into play that work to the disadvantage of the state. Presently, I can use the railway. If the

railway begins to work, it means that people can stay in Ibadan or Abeokuta and work in Lagos. So, it means the pressure, the pride that Lagos makes, that if you don’t like it, get lost, will be less. We have to realise that there is a trend that it’s not necessarily to the advantage of Lagos, being arrogant in the way it does things. You spoke about vested interests in Lagos. Who are these vested interests and how do you intend to deal with them and what they have acquired over time?

In Lagos, you may find good programmes on paper but you will see that the implementation is being affected by vested interests. Anything that Lagos does has to be in the interests of what I called vested interests. If you look at the light rail, the blue line was supposed to have been completed in 2012, this is 2015. By Gods grace, we will complete the project. The question is why is it not complete? Again, the model is wrong and so what you find is that there are very good poli-

cies on paper but the vested interests affect their implementation. Ideally, the government should do the lines and they give the private sectors the service to run. But if the vested interests want to corner the market and they don’t have the resources, in fact the resources are taken from here and there, then it is going to be delayed. The BRT is not working again because there are vested interests involved. It pays the vested interests to do commercial hous-

ing than to do housing for the people. We have a vested interests affecting the social, economic and political life of our state. You cannot have any big project in Lagos unless you take into consideration vested interests. That is affecting our state and we are saying that it is time to remove Lagos from this bondage. From a matter of strategy, we shall buildup to the vested interests. The properties acquired by the vested interests, the ones we can take back, we will take back, those ones that have been acquired illegally and cannot be properly accounted for, we will take back. The ones we cannot take back and have been done in a way that the people have been shortchanged will be addressed. That is why I said this election is not about continuity but change. What are your plans for the power sector? We all know that power is now in the private sector and we know that it will take some time to put power where it should be because the cost of buying those companies is now heavy on those that bought, and they now have to borrow a second time to be able to put services in place. In the Epe axis, in the past five years, it has not been functional. The question is what is the problem? Now, if we say we want to start an ocean economy, it is that axis that we will take off from. So, it is in the interest of government to call the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and partner with them in a way that will be beneficial to its own objectives. Of course, the issue of independent power for government establishments should be reducing as the DISCOs are improving. On support for SMEs, I said something about re-training and all that. Our entrepreneurs do not know how to get money or where to get money from. For example. There is a N220 billion SME fund from the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but people don’t know. So, in most cases they have given the states but what you find is that the money will be cornered and this may not be peculiar to vested interests in Lagos. It is a general thing. It is time to have a serious one-stop shop, to help our micro small and medium enterprises understand that we need to find job opportunities for them.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

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2015 elections - NUJ demands cover for journalists

How and where the battles in the business world will be fought to stay afloat

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Business What's news

Stock market records N1.5trn loss The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) stepped into the New Year on an unfavourable note with key measurement indicators tilting southwards, causing investors to lose N1.548 trillion within the first three weeks of the year.

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Nigeria consumes 90% of Benin poultry About 90 percent of Benin Republic poultry imports are consumed by Nigeria, the World Bank has said.

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ANXIETY

Many investors are jittery Ayodele Aminu

orried by the consistent fall of the naira, which has lost over 15 per cent of its value this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has convened a stakeholders’ meeting with currency traders in Lagos for tomorrow. The meeting, New Telegraph gathered, is to allay their fears about some of the measures the banking watchdog had taken as well as reassure stakeholders of the apex bank’s ability to defend the naira, a top CBN official told our correspondent. This newspaper also learnt that the apex bank has increased the weekly supply of forex to BDCs from $15,000 to $30,000 to stem the wave of alleged currency scarcity in the market. The exchange rate for the dollar at parallel market, otherwise called the black market, at the weekend, rose from N203 to N206 per dollar, following the failure of measures taken by the CBN to stop the decline of the currency, which has been battered by falling oil prices. The naira, which has recoiled for a second straight week, had exchanged at the parallel market at N203 per dollar last Thursday, but depreciated further at the close of business as the apex bank barred banks from selling forex to Bureau de Change (BDC) operators, thus creating scarcity in the market. Similarly, at the interbank market where the apex bank has intervened for a fifth day last week to prop up the currency, the naira closed at a record low of N190.60 to the dollar on Friday. The CBN’s website, however, put the naira against the dollar at N167.50, while the Pound sold for N253.20 and the

CBN meets stakeholders over falling naira  Raises BDC’s weekly supply to $30,000

Euro stood at N193.89. The naira fell 1.2 per cent against the dollar, from the previous day’s close of N188.35. The apex bank, among other measures, has also refused to sell forex to banks and directed them to source the currency from oil firms.

The naira has depreciated by 3.3 per cent in the past five days, bringing its two-week decline to 6.5 per cent, the most among the 24 African currencies tracked by Bloomberg. “There’s still a lot of frontloading and a number of investors continue to be jittery,”

Adedayo Idowu, an economist at Vetiva Capital Management Ltd., said by phone from Lagos. “It’s about the underlying fundamentals - the crude oil price. Confidence has been jolted by the downtrend.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

L-R: Chief Compliance Manager, Oando Plc, Mr. Ayofola Jagun; Chairman, Nigeria Economics Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Folusho Philips; Manager, Anti-Corruption Initiative, UNAC, New York, Ms Jobi Makinwa and Company Secretary, MTN Nigeria, Miss Uto Okpara, during the NESG Induction session in Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Oil price rout: Indigenous oil firms mull debts reform Adeola Yusuf

he Nigerian oil conglomerates that bought assets from international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are planning debt reforms

with their lenders, New Telegraph has learnt. This came as commercial banks are calling for re-engineering of loan advances to these companies due to fall in oil price.

Some of the indigenous oil firms that have bought assets are Oando and Aiteo, which purchased Conoco Phillips and Shell respectively. The debt reCONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE December 2014.........................8% November 2014........................7.9% October 2014............................8.1%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate....................12.57% Prime Lending Rate...........17.93% Maximum Lending Rate...26.83%

EXCHANGE RATE (Parallel as at Jan. 22)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N206 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N297 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N228

l Foreign Reserves – $34.49bn as at 22/01/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Official as at Jan. 22)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N254.96 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N195.10

Business | News

PANIC UBA boss urges investors not to panic Chris Ugwu

he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) stepped into the New Year on an unfavourable note with key measurement indicators tilting southwards, causing investors to lose N1.548 trillion within the first three weeks of the year. NSE’s market capitalisation depreciated by 16 per cent to close at N9.929 trillion at the close of trading last weekend from N11.477 trillion opening at the beginning of trading on January 5. The NSE All Share Index equally dropped by 16 per cent or 4845.1 basis points for the period under review from 34,657.15 points it opened during the beginning of trading to close at 29,812.05 points last weekend. The index measures the performance of the

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Stock market records N1.5trn loss stock market and also reflects how prices of stocks have moved, which in turn determines how much investors made as gains or losses. Analysts had predicted that investors’ sentiments during the first quarter of the year would be weighed down by political tensions leading to the 2015 general elections and drop in oil price. They noted that the tension between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its major opposition the All Progressive Congress (APC), is expected to lead to a lull in the equities market as investors, mostly foreign, evaluate the electoral process and outcome whilst fearing post-election violence. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) are expected to remain wary of the local bourse until the elections are concluded and possible violent fallouts curbed. However, the Group

Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Plc Mr. Phillips Oduoza, has urged investors in Nigeria not to panic over falling crude oil prices and exchange rate volatility. Oduoza, who said this while speaking to CNBC Africa on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, said that Nigeria

had enough reserves to support the local currency. “Investors do not have to panic. At $34 billion, Nigeria has enough external reserves to support the naira. I do not see any significant devaluation of the currency happening,” said Oduoza. He also recalled that Nigeria faced similar challenges in 2008/2009 and the country learnt a

lot from that experience, which will come in handy in managing the current currency challenges. He said: “In my opinion, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is handling the challenges very well because they have come out with tools and instruments to stabilise the exchange rate and we are beginning to see some form of stability in

the market.” Oduoza explained that the foreign investor community should not panic since the country has no form of currency or capital restriction. He also dismissed fears that there would be a rise in non-performing loans due to exposure of the banking industry to companies in the oil and gas sector.

Indigenous oil firms mull debts reform CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

stricting stemmed from the nature of the credit line agreement between the buyers of assets and their banks, majority of which was based on an average of $65 per barrel oil price projection. The oil price rout rocking the global crude market has, however, reduced the price of the commodity below $50 per barrel, making banks to develop cold feet over their loan advances. “The recent fall in prices of oil by over 50 per cent and the fall in the value of naira against the dollar have made the debts repositioning request by the lenders and winners of these assets to be what is in vogue now. “These are in addition to the recent announcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commercial banks to reassess risks on oil and gas loan advancement,” a money market industry source, who opted not to be quoted because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said. “As banks are putting final touches to their financial appropriation in 2015, expectedly the talk about some of these investments came up. We were told that the position of their risk management units is that the oil price rout has heightened the level of risk for

the investments. “It is true that this is happening but we are getting many of them through experts in the risk management units to know that these investments are long term and we take solace in the fact that the oil price, which has fallen to six-year low, will peak once there is a balance between demand and supply,” he added. Meanwhile, the world will never again see the price of oil at $100 per barrel, one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest investors told CNBC last Friday. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Chairman of Kingdom Holdings, spoke with “Squawk on the Street” following the death of his uncle, King Abdullah. While he admitted that his country—which derives 90 per cent of its budget from oil— was feeling the pain of the commodity’s collapse, he predicted that Saudi Arabia would not be the first to blink. He said that a “confluence of events” had led to the fall in oil’s price, not—as some have suggested—a Saudi plot to harm America’s revitalised energy industry. “I can assure you that Saudi Arabia is not using the oil price right now to impact the fracking industry in the United States,” he said, adding that “there’s an oversupply and demand is not so high.”

L-R: Marketing Manager, StarTimes, Mr. Somoye Habeeb; Public Relations Manager, Mr. Israel Bolaji; Winner of the Luxury Bedmate sofa set, Mrs. Folashade Omolodun, and Head of marketing, StarTimes, Mr. Delvin Feng, during the StarTimes promo winners prize presentation in Lagos

Nigeria consumes 90% of Benin poultry ANTI-TRADE Foreign poultry merchants resist Customs in Nigeria Bayo Akomolafe

bout 90 per cent of Benin Republic’s poultry imports are consumed by Nigeria, the World Bank has said. This product, according to a World Bank report, is informally re-exported to the country through some illegal routes. It was also revealed that Brazil was making move to export 13.3 million tons of poultry products to Nigeria and other promising markets

Brazil plans to export 13.3m tons in 2015 such as Japan, Egypt and Mexico this year. The bank also stated that the domestic consumption calculations for Nigeria may under-represent consumption due to the magnitude of undocumented poultry import into the country. Already, 38 Brazilian slaughter plants have been approved by Nigeria to export broilers to the markets. “This would allow Brazilian poultry processors to increase their supplies up to 30,000 metric tons per month early in 2015, the report said. Broiler production is forecast to grow by five per cent in 2015 to meet supply and demand for boilers and to respond to higher world demand

for the Brazilian product. It was revealed that Brazil and some EU countries exported some of the poultry products to Benin. “The EU poultry export trade to Benin has grown by 143 per cent since 2006, the report noted.” It said: “90 per cent of Benin’s poultry imports are informally re-exported to Nigeria through cross-border smuggling around Seme and Idiroko axis.” World Bank said that apart from Algeria, Nigeria is one of the targets of the industry in that region. The other countries considered priority for Brazilian poultry are Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia.

CBN meets stakeholders CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

The banking watchdog held interest rates at a record high of 13 per cent on Jan. 20, less than a month before Nigerians vote in a presidential election where President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking another term amid a widening Islamist insurgency. A day later, the regulator

issued a circular stopping money changers from buying dollars on the interbank market or at auctions. It also increased lenders’ foreigncurrency trading limits in a bid to boost liquidity in the market. “In terms of the circular, we are yet to see it calm the nerves of the market,” Idowu said. The apex bank may be

able to strengthen the interbank rate to N179 or N180 if it “can manage liquidity successfully until the election” and “bridge the supply gap,” Kenneth Asenime and Kunle Ezun, analysts at Ecobank Transnational Inc. in Lagos, said in an e-mailed note on Friday. The CBN, in November 2014, devalued the naira from N155 per dollar to N168.

INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

In collaboration with

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From Craven Amateurs To Killers By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI and JIM YARDLEY

YAN RUNBO/XINHUA, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS; BELOW, REUTERS

Feats in China Rival Wall Whatever the Economy, Beijing Pushes Projects That Only Get Bigger

The Shanghai Tower will be the secondtallest building in the world. Top, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, in Qingdao, China.

By DAVID BARBOZA

DALIAN, China — The plan here seems far-fetched — a $36 billion tunnel that would run twice the length of the one under the English Channel, and bore deep into one of Asia’s active earthquake zones. It would be the world’s longest underwater tunnel, creating a rail link between two northern port cities. Throughout China, equally ambitious projects with multibillion-dollar price tags are already underway. The world’s largest bridge. The biggest airport. The longest gas pipeline. An $80 billion effort to divert water from the south to the north, along a route that covers more than 2,400 kilometers. Such enormous projects are a Chinese tradition. From the Great Wall to the Three Gorges Dam, this nation for centuries has used colossal public-works projects to showcase its engineering prowess and project its economic might. Now, as doubts emerge about the country’s three-decade boom, China’s leaders are moving even more aggressively on mega-infrastructure. The National Development and Reform Commission recently approved nearly $115 billion for 21 infrastructure projects, including new airports and high-speed rail lines.

“China has always had this history of mega-projects,” said Huang Yukon, an economist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. “It’s part of the blood, the culture, the nature of its society. ” The infrastructure plans run counter to Beijing’s commitment to reduce its heavy reliance on government-led investment to fuel growth. And some economists worry that the country might eventually be mired in enormous debt. According to China’s National Audit Office, local government debt alone stood at about $3.1 trillion in 2013, more than a third the size of the entire economy. “People should be concerned because very few of these big projects generate cash,” said Victor Shih of the University of California, San Diego.

Shanghai is considered a model, a spectacularly rich metropolis of 25 million residents. Undergirding the city is a patchwork of supersize infrastructure — huge airports, subway lines, sewage systems and power plants. In the city’s financial center, workers are finishing the Shanghai Tower, a $2.4 billion cloud-piercer that at 632 meters is the world’s second-tallest building. Only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is taller, at 828 meters. Shanghai can afford the huge price tags. But other cities don’t necessarily have the means to pay for such huge infrastructure projects. In Tianjin, about 110 kilometers southeast of Beijing, the city has borrowed heavily to create what some have called

Continued on Page 27

PARIS — In the year after the United States’ invasion of Iraq, a 22-year-old pizza delivery man here couldn’t take it anymore. Sickened by images of American soldiers humiliating Muslims at the Abu Ghraib prison, he made plans to go fight United States forces. He studied a virtual AK-47 on a website. Then he took lessons from a man, using a hand-drawn picture of a gun. It was an almost laughable attempt at jihad, and as the day of his departure approached, the delivery man, Chérif Kouachi, felt increasingly unsure of himself. When the police arrested him hours before his 6:45 a.m. Alitalia flight on January 25, 2005, he was relieved. “Several times, I felt like pulling out. I didn’t want to die there,” he later told investigators. “I told myself that if I chickened out, they would call me a coward, so I decided to go anyway, despite the reservations I had.” A decade later, Chérif Kouachi, flanked by his older brother Saïd, 34, no longer had any reservations, as the two jihadists in black, sheathed in body armor, gave a global audience a ruthless demonstration in terrorism. Walking with military precision into the guarded Paris offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, they killed 12 people in the name of Islam. Then in the hours before the brothers died in a gunfight with the police, Chérif took a telephone call from a reporter to make sure the world knew they were carrying out the attack on behalf of Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.

Making Friends in Prison The 10-year evolution from easily spooked amateur to hardened killer is a story of steadily deepening radicalism Continued on Page 26

FRENCH POLICE

Chérif, left, and Saïd Kouachi gave no outward sign they were planning a terror attack.

INTELLIGENCE

WORLD TRENDS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ARTS & DESIGN

Worn out from Turkey’s bitter politics. PAGE 24

Iraq’s multiplying flags of disunity. PAGE 25

Disease batters bats, viral marvels. PAGE 31

In Haiti, a reinvention of the clinic. PAGE 34

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

O P I N I O N & C O M M E N TA RY They commanded global attention for a fleeting few days last spring. Across the world, millions prayed for and tweeted about the plight of the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted in northeastern Nigeria by the vicious militant group Boko Haram. The American first lady, Michelle Obama, joined the cause, posting a selfie looking downcast and demanding that the militants “#BringBackOurGirls.” The United States government hastily put together a task force of experts and dispatched drones to search for the hostages. Soon, though, the world largely moved on. In recent months, the horrors in remote districts of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, have multiplied. The insurgents have taken new hostages, carried out bombings and scorched villages.

ED I T O R I A L O F T H E T I M ES

Terror Continues in Nigeria Satellite images corroborate chilling accounts of the recent assaults on Baga and Doro Gowon, two small towns that came under attack on January 3. Researchers with Amnesty International, which released the images, said that roughly 3,720 structures, including homes, were destroyed or damaged by fire. On January 10, a girl described as being about 10 years old detonated explosives hidden under her veil in a market in Maiduguri, a commercial district in an area controlled by Boko Haram, kill-

ing about 20 people. While some of the girls taken hostage in April by Boko Haram escaped, the terrorist group has taken hundreds of other female hostages, according to the Human Rights Watch Nigeria researcher Mausi Segun. The number of towns under Boko Haram control has expanded from 11 last fall to 17. It has become harder to get an accurate measure of the scale of attacks because the militants dismantle telecommunications systems in the areas they seize. Death toll

estimates for the recent attacks on villages ranged from a few hundred to thousands. Until relatively recently, the Nigerian government consistently played down the strength of the group, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria. As it ramped up attacks last year, Boko Haram laid bare the weakness of the country’s security forces, which have failed to mount an adequate response. The United States and others could do more to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians in areas

controlled by Boko Haram by providing humanitarian aid and building up the capacity of the Nigerian security forces. But fighting this insurgency will require a Nigerian government willing and able to take on the security challenge effectively. This will require institutional reforms to bolster governance in remote parts of the country and curb heavy-handed practices by the security forces that have alienated many civilians. The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to take place in February, but some Nigerians have suggested that the balloting be put off until the violence ebbs. Delaying the elections would be a mistake, however. Newly elected Nigerian leaders might be able to devise a plan to reassert government control in areas lost to the militants.

INTELLIGENCE/ELIF SHAFAK

PAUL KRUGMAN

Turkey’s Politics of Fatigue

Francs, Fear and Folly

London Before a recent interview in Istanbul, I was talking to the journalist about Turkish politics. After about 15 minutes, she looked down and lowered her voice, as though confiding a secret: “It is so tiring to be Turkish sometimes.” That mental exhaustion is caused for the most part by politics. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his leading cadres have chosen a divisive strategy, pursuing hostility over compromise and a politics of duality over a culture of coexistence. Even the most trivial or absurd questions can provoke heated debate: “Would laughing in public endanger a Turkish woman’s modesty?” “Should Turkish Airlines female flight attendants be allowed to wear red lipstick, and if not, which color might be permissible?” The unbearable fatigue is particularly sharp among liberal intellectuals and women. The liberals do not represent huge numbers of Turks, but they are an important measure against which the Justice and Development Party’s political trajectory can be tracked. When the party first came to power in 2002, liberals supported it. A.K.P., the party’s initials in Turkish, was pro-reform and pro-European Union. It was expected to promote civil liberties, a heartening idea after three Elif Shafak is a novelist whose books include “The Architect’s Apprentice” and “The Forty Rules of Love.” Send comments to intelligence@nytimes.com.

military takeovers since 1960, each worse than the previous one. But as the party swerved toward authoritarianism, liberals were cast adrift. Today, liberals are viewed with scorn by the anti-A.K.P. camp for being too soft and naïve. “In the end, weren’t they, as were some left-wing intellectuals in the 1950s and 1960s in the Soviet Union, the ‘useful idiots’ of the A.K.P. and Erdogan?” wrote Ariane Bonzon, a French journalist who covers Turkey and the Middle East. Among Turkey’s nonconservative women — at least half of the 48 percent who did not vote for Mr. Erdogan in the last election — there is a growing concern about the A.K.P.’s meddling in their private lives. In the past, sexist statements from male politicians were regarded as spontaneous outbursts. Today, they are seen as part of a systematic and sinister ideological campaign to confine women to traditional gender roles. After the minister of health, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, visited the first baby born in 2015, he said, “Mothers should not put any career other than motherhood at the center of their lives.” The backlash was immediate. Turkish women have heard top government officials weigh in on subjects like abortion, cesarean-section deliveries, contraception and style of dress. “I am fed up with all these sexist comments, constantly telling us women how to live our lives,” Ayse Arman wrote in the newspaper Hurriyet. Protests were organized around the country.

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When I talked about the need for an independent women’s movement and a new narrative of sisterhood to bridge political divides, some conservative head-scarved women said it would be hard to work with feminists since their interests had been ignored in the past. This reaction speaks to one of Turkey’s greatest obstacles: how the past shapes the future. A sense of victimhood plagues society, and there is a constant cycle of retribution that creates new victims. After the horrible shootings in Paris at the magazine Charlie Hebdo, and amid a rise in both Islamopobia and anti-Westernism, Turkey could have stood as a unifying voice, a modern, democratic, pluralistic Muslim country with a strong secularist tradition. But that is not the prevailing mood. Mr. Erdogan blamed the West for the killings. “As Muslims we have never taken part in terrorist massacres,” he said. “Behind these lie racism, hate speech and Islamophobia.” Those who criticize the government are accused of not being patriotic, or worse, a pawn of Western powers trying destroy Turkey. The latest victims include Miss Turkey of 2006, Merve Buyuksarac, who was questioned for insulting President Erdogan on her Instagram account; and Sedef Kabas, a journalist who was held by police for tweeting about a cover-up of a government corruption scandal. One of the country’s most popular actors, Tamer Karadagli, said, “Artists, businessmen … we are all scared.” The fatigue lingers. The gap between Turkey and the West widens. If as Turks we cannot find a way to embrace the ideals of free society, open debate, pluralistic culture and gender equality, it won’t be just a failure of democracy, but it will be a failure of imagination and will.

The Swiss National Bank recently shocked the financial world by simultaneously abandoning its policy of pegging the Swiss franc to the euro and cutting the interest rate it pays on bank reserves to minus — that’s right, minus — 0.75 percent. Market turmoil ensued. Switzerland’s monetary travails illustrate in miniature just how hard it is to fight the deflationary vortex now dragging down much of the world economy. The usual rules of economic policy changed when financial crisis struck in 2008. In many cases, economic virtues became vices: Willingness to save became a drag on investment, fiscal probity a route to stagnation. And in the case of the Swiss, having a reputation for safe banks and sound money became a liability. Here’s how it worked: When Greece entered its debt crisis at the end of 2009, and other European nations found themselves under severe stress, money seeking a safe haven began pouring into Switzerland. This sent the Swiss franc soaring, with devastating effects on the competitiveness of Swiss manufacturing, and threatened to push Switzerland into Japanese-style deflation. So Swiss monetary officials went all out in an effort to weaken their currency. They tried a direct approach, selling francs and buying euros on the foreign exchange market, in the process acquiring a huge hoard of euros. But even that wasn’t working. Then, in 2011, the Swiss National Bank tried a psychological tactic. “The current massive overvaluation of the Swiss franc,” it declared, “poses an acute threat to the Swiss economy and carries the risk of a deflationary development.” And it therefore announced that it would set a minimum value for the euro — 1.2 Swiss francs — and that to enforce this minimum it was “prepared to buy foreign currency in unlimited quantities.” What the

bank clearly hoped was that by drawing this line in the sand it would limit the number of euros it actually had to buy. And for three years it worked. But this month the Swiss suddenly gave up. We don’t know exactly why; nobody I know believes the official explanation, that it’s a response to a weakening euro. But it seems likely that a fresh wave of safe-haven money was making the effort to keep the franc down too expensive. If you ask me, the Swiss just made a big mistake. But what’s important is the demonstration of just how hard it is to fight the deflationary forces that are now afflicting much of the world. What this says is that you shouldn’t get too close to deflation — you might fall in, and then it’s extremely hard to get out. This is one reason that slashing government spending in a depressed economy is such a bad idea: It’s not just the immediate cost in lost jobs, but the increased risk of getting caught in a deflationary trap. It’s also a reason to be cautious about raising interest rates when you have low inflation. Right now, serious people — the same serious people who decided, wrongly, that 2010 was the year we should pivot from jobs to deficits — seem to be arriving at a consensus that the United States’ Federal Reserve should start hiking very soon. But why? There’s no sign of accelerating inflation in the actual data, and market indicators of expected inflation are plunging, suggesting that investors see deflationary risk. And I share that market concern. If America’s recovery weakens, either through contagion from troubles abroad or because its fundamentals aren’t as strong as we think, tightening monetary policy could all too easily prove to be an act of utter folly. So let’s learn from the Swiss. They’ve maintained sound money for generations. And now they’re paying the price.

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Migrant Marooned After Going Back By KIRK SEMPLE

KARIM KADIM/ASSOCIATED PRESS; BELOW, FROM LEFT, SAFIN HAMED/ASSOCIATED PRESS; LYNSEY ADDARIO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Flags Show Iraq’s Identity Struggles By TIM ARANGO

BAGHDAD — At checkpoints across Baghdad, soldiers have defied a recent order from the prime minister to remove Shiite religious flags and replace them with Iraqi ones. At schools in Kirkuk, students have raised Kurdish flags. And in the city of Basra, angry citizens have designed their own flag, anchored by the image of a single drop of oil. Then there are the black flags of the Islamic State, the extremist group in control of about a third of the country. Perhaps not since modern Iraq was created nearly a century ago by the fusion of three Ottoman provinces — Basra, Baghdad and Mosul — have more people challenged the idea of Iraq as a unified state. Even as the new government is scrambling to defeat the militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, it faces an underlying challenge that may be tougher: promoting a new sense of national identity that, even if it cannot transcend the differences between Sunni and Shiite, Arab and Kurd, at least basically holds them together as countrymen. Some officials have called for reinstating mandatory military service, in the belief it would bring communities together. Others have suggested promoting mixed marriages between Sunnis and Shiites. “The identity issue — getting an identity that all Iraqis can agree on so the state stays together — is serious,” said PheFalih Hassan contributed reporting.

be Marr, a historian. “This is a struggle for a new vision of Iraq.” State television has been in propaganda overdrive. It has been showing Ehab al-Maliki, an Iraqi poet, sometimes in a military uniform and holding a gun, reciting patriotic poems. His goal, he said, is “to promote national unity and the convergence of views, and to call for peaceful coexistence and nonviolence between communities.” For this, he has received numerous death threats. In a recent decree, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the armed forces not to fly Shiite religious and militia

In a nation long divided, new challenges to unity. flags. The banners have long aggrieved Iraq’s Sunni minority, who ruled Iraq before the American invasion. Mr. Abadi was praised for this step by the United Nations’ Iraq representative in a speech in New York as a first step of “a broader initiative to restore confidence among Iraq’s communities.” But the Shiite flags are not coming down. “The secondary identities — cultural, religious, our ethnicity — have prevailed,” said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s former national security adviser. “We all went to our little corners.” A struggle for a national identity has persisted since the

country’s modern founding after World War I, and has challenged Iraq’s monarchs, dictators and occupiers. Under the Ottomans, the primary identity was simply being a Muslim. After the British took charge, the ideology of Arab nationalism united many of Iraq’s leaders. Later, Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party ruled with an iron grip that allowed no other creed than obedience. And for a time, in the 1970s and ’80s, an increasing middle class gave rise to some sentiments of national identity and patriotism, Ms. Marr said. But when the Americans invaded, for Iraqi society, “it was like a cover coming off a pressure cooker,” Mr. Rubaie said. Few expect the country to break apart soon. But many are talking about the possibility — long a subject of Western think tanks but now a topic of discussion in the cafes and living rooms of ordinary Iraqis, and in the salons and offices of the powerful. “We don’t feel like we have a country that will defend us and protect us and love us,” said Arkan Hussain, a 28-yearold Sunni man who lives near Tikrit, where the Islamic State is largely in control. “Each and every one of us has forgotten his country, and started thinking about his tribe and sect.” If anything, many Iraqis say, unity is something for the far-off future. “Reconciliation cannot take place right now,” said Amar Ahmed, 42, of Tikrit. “But after decades from now, maybe the next generations can forget what has happened with all this bloodshed.”

Iraqis are ignoring a state order to fly the national flag, opting for symbols of their religion or ethnicity. Top, a Shiite religious flag; above, from left, a Kurdish flag and the state flag.

Had everything gone according to plan, Angelo Cabrera would have been back in the United States by now. He would have resumed his life in New York, the city where he survived for 24 years as an undocumented immigrant by working menial jobs while also earning two university degrees and running a volunteer social services group. Instead, he is stuck in Mexico, barred by the United States from returning. “It hurts me the most that pretty much all of my life was in New York City,” said Mr. Cabrera, 40. “I always kept saying that I was ‘a U.S. citizen without the proper documentation.’ ” For the American government, Mr. Cabrera got just what he deserved: He violated immigration law by living illegally in the United States, and he had to pay. But for Mr. Cabrera’s many supporters in New York, his circumstances are a reflection of the failings of the immigration system. The country cultivated a valuable and widely respected member of society, they say, but it has now excluded him from participating in it. They also see a bitter irony: Mr. Cabrera returned to Mexico last year to try to legalize his status. But had he never left, he would most likely have been eligible, under the immigration initiatives recently announced by President Barack Obama, to remain and work legally in the United States. “He was committed to making New York City better,” said Robert C. Smith, a professor in the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College who became a mentor to Mr. Cabrera. “He can’t do that now because he can’t come back.” Mr. Cabrera first came to the United States in 1990 when he was 15, sneaking across the border and making his way to New York City to join a cousin, where he worked low-wage jobs at grocery stores and delicatessens. A pivotal moment in his life came in the mid-1990s when a co-worker at a deli offered to help him pursue a high school equivalency degree. Mr. Cabrera went on to get a bachelor’s degree at Baruch College, majoring in political science, and then enrolled in a master’s program in public administration, also at Baruch. He became heavily involved in public service and advocacy. In 2001 he founded Mexican-American Students Alliance, or MASA, a community-based group that provides education services to children and English-language classes to their parents. He also started helping initiatives to promote education and leadership in the Mexican diaspora, working with the City University of New York, or CUNY, and the Mexican Consulate. But all of that was voluntary, and he continued to support himself on his deli wages. Early last year, Baruch needed a specialist to work on initiatives to increase the enrollment of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in the CUNY

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system. Mr. Cabrera was selected. But first he needed to return to Mexico, declare himself to the American authorities and fix his immigration status. People who have lived illegally in the United States for a year or more are subject to a 10-year prohibition to re-entry unless they qualify for a waiver. Mr. Cabrera hoped that the strength of his résumé, coupled with letters of support from CUNY, the Mexican Consulate in New York and several elected officials in the city, would sway the adjudicators. He decided to return to Mexico on March 6. The night before the flight, he barely slept as he thought about his gamble, and about returning to his hometown, San Antonio Texcala. Mr. Cabrera arrived in San Antonio Texcala and was greeted by his family and nearly the entire town’s population. The email from the United States Embassy arrived on August 13, carrying the news he dreaded. His reasons for returning to the United States, the letter said, “do not outweigh” the seriousness of his

After making it in New York, he wanted to be legal. illegal presence during all those years. Making the outcome even more painful, had Mr. Cabrera not returned to Mexico, he would probably be eligible to remain legally in the United States under changes, announced in November, to the deportation deferral program for immigrants who arrived in the country as children. Under the old rules, Mr. Cabrera was too old to apply. Under the new rules, which are scheduled to go into effect next month, Mr. Cabrera would have qualified. Now, beyond a reconsideration of his case by the Department of Homeland Security, or a private bill in Congress, there is nothing he can do. He is researching doctoral programs in Mexico and has rededicated himself to the education of children and young adults, including starting up an after-school program in San Antonio Texcala, serving as a lecturer in immigration studies at a university in the state of Puebla and developing a student exchange program between that university and CUNY. “I still want to go back to New York,” he said. “There were so many things I left without concluding. But I believe that there is a purpose for me being here. I have an opportunity to support my community.”

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WORLD TRENDS

Craven Amateurs Evolved Into Ruthless Killers Continued from Page 23 that occurred virtually under the noses of the French authorities, who twice had Chérif in their grasp. After the arrest of Chérif in 2005, he spent 20 months in prison. There, he met and became an acolyte of Al Qaeda’s top operative in France, Djamel Beghal. He also befriended a convicted robber, Amedy Coulibaly, who would later synchronize his own terrorist attack with the Kouachi brothers, killing a police officer and staging a siege inside a kosher supermarket in the days after the Charlie Hebdo carnage, bringing the death toll to 17. Thousands of pages of legal documents obtained by The New York Times reveal the arc of radicalization for the Kouachis and Mr. Coulibaly. They learned discretion, shaving regularly and dressing in jeans and basketball sneakers, offering no outward hint of their plans or jihadist beliefs. After at least one of the Kouachis traveled to Yemen in 2011, the United States alerted the French authorities. But three years of tailing the brothers yielded nothing and surveillance was dropped in the middle of last year, said Louis Caprioli, the deputy head of France’s domestic antiterrorism unit from 1998 to 2004.

Orphans Find a Home Chérif and Saïd Kouachi were 12 and 14 years old in 1994 when their mother fell ill, and they were sent to the Centre des Monédières, a foster center in the village of Treignac in central France. Their father had died years earlier, and when their mother died, the campus where the boys slept three to a room became their only home. Despite the upheaval, the boys seemed to thrive. Saïd enrolled in a program in hotel management, and his classmates voted him their class representative. The two brothers also played soccer at A. S. Chambertoise. “They laughed and played like normal teenagers,” said Alain Lascaux, the club’s president. “Nothing then could have predicted what they did.” The brothers moved to Paris around 2000, staying in the 19th Arrondissement, a working-class neighborhood heavily populated with Muslim immigrants. Chérif Kouachi got a job delivering pizzas. He regularly smoked marijuana, he later told prosecutors. After the start of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the brothers began attending prayers at the Adda’wa Mosque on Rue de Tanger. It was there that the Kouachi brothers met Farid Benyettou, then 22, the son of Algerian immigrants. The charismatic Mr. Benyettou set up a pipeline for young French Muslims to travel to join Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s netReporting was contributed by Aurelien Breeden, Laure Fourquet, Bruno Meyerfeld and Eric Schmitt. Daphne Angles and Alain Delaquérière contributed research.

3 KILOMETERS

Buttes-Chaumont Park

Paris Eiffel Tower Seine

Charlie Hebdo office

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2003 Path to Radicalization The radicalization of the two brothers responsible for France’s worst terrorist attack in decades can be traced back about 12 years. Here are critical moments in the lives of Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, based on accounts from thousands of pages of legal documents obtained by The New York Times, including interrogation records, phone tap summaries and jailhouse letters.

2004

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2005

Introduction to Radical Islam

Meetings in a Park

Extremist Connections in Prison

One of Chérif and Saïd Kouachi’s earliest influences in radical Islam was Farid Benyettou, whom they met at a mosque in northeast Paris. Mr. Benyettou, above, then 22, was a janitor-turned-preacher who set up a pipeline for young French Muslims to join Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Al Qaeda network in Iraq.

Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, along with other young Muslim men, take Farid Benyettou’s classes and go on hourlong jogs at Buttes-Chaumont Park. The men later become known as the Buttes-Chaumont group. Chérif Kouachi decides to head to Iraq, leaving his brother behind. But hours before his flight on January 25, 2005, he is arrested by the French police.

While in prison, Chérif Kouachi is exposed to Djamel Beghal, above left, one of France’s most radical jihadists. He meets Mr. Beghal, who was convicted in the 2001 plot to bomb the United States Embassy in Paris. Through him, he also befriends Amedy Coulibaly, above right, who at the time was serving time for armed burglaries. Chérif Kouachi is released in 2006.

PHOTOS PUBLISHED IN LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

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2010

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2011

2015

Plotting a Jailbreak

Traveling to Yemen

Attack on Charlie Hedbo

Chérif Kouachi, above left, Djamel Beghal, above right, and Amedy Coulibaly are detained for plotting a jailbreak to free Smaïn Aït Ali Belkacem, a militant in prison for attacking a Parisian commuter rail station. Mr. Coulibaly and Mr. Beghal are sent back to jail. But Chérif Kouachi is released after a judge rules that there is not enough evidence to convict him.

One or both of the Kouachi brothers travel to Yemen to train with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. American officials now say that Chérif Kouachi may have used his brother’s passport to go to Yemen to receive training and $20,000 from Al Qaeda’s affiliate there. Before his death, Chérif Kouachi tells a TV reporter that he had been trained and financed by Anwar al-Awlaki, above, an American-born preacher who was a top propagandist for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Chérif and Saïd Kouachi attack the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper, killing 12 people. Amedy Coulibaly later kills a police officer in southern Paris, then seizes a kosher supermarket the next day, killing four hostages before being killed by police.

work in Iraq, which would soon become Al Qaeda’s franchise in the region. By September and October 2004, court transcripts show, Chérif and Saïd began going regularly to Mr. Benyettou’s apartment to discuss suicide attacks. It was Chérif who began clamoring to stage an attack in France, a plot that not even his mentor approved. “Chérif never stopped talking about the Jewish shops, of attacking them in the street in order to kill them,” said his fellow conspirator Thamer Bouchnak during his deposition. “He talked obsessively about this — about doing something here in France.” One member of their cell made it to Falluja in Iraq and was killed. Chérif was relieved when he saw the police coming to arrest him, said his lawyer, Vincent Ollivier.

Police Break Up a Plot Chérif spent nearly 20 months in the Fleury-Mérogis prison south of Paris. One of the inmates was Djamel Beghal, a jihadist who trained in an Osama bin Laden camp in Afghanistan and was dispatched to France. In 2001, he had been convicted of plotting to bomb the United States Embassy in Paris. He made a lasting impression on Mr. Kouachi, as well as another inmate, Mr. Coulibaly, then 23. In 2006, Mr. Kouachi was released from prison under judicial

supervision. He was convicted in 2008 but sentenced to time served. At a court hearing, a lawyer in the case said, he refused to stand because the judge was a woman. He moved to an apartment on Rue Basly in the Parisian suburb of Gennevilliers. At City Hall in 2008, he married Izzana Hamyd. For their honeymoon, they went to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. His older brother, Saïd Kouachi, had also veered toward strict Islam, though his path is less documented. In 2007, he worked for Paris in a team of sanitation workers, going door-to-door promoting recycling. He was fired in 2009. He was part of a group of employees who refused to shake women’s hands and insisted on bringing prayer mats to work. By 2009, Mr. Coulibaly and Mr. Beghal had been released from prison. They resumed contact with Chérif Kouachi and went to work on a plan. By the next spring, the police were intercepting phone calls between them, speaking in what appeared to be code. They talked about a future “marriage” — a well-known code used by fighters from Al Qaeda’s North African branch to mean a pending operation. Surveillance pictures showed Mr. Kouachi leaving Paris on the A15 freeway for the 500-kilometer drive to see Mr. Beghal where he lived in Murat. He was

seen walking with Mr. Beghal in a forest, and doing exercises in an open ground. Mr. Beghal’s cellphone was tapped by the police. On multiple occasions he called a prison inmate, Smaïn Aït Ali Belkacem, then 41, a terrorist boss of Algerian descent who was serving a life sentence for the 1995 bombing of a Paris rail station. The men, the police concluded, were plotting to break Mr. Belkacem free. Mr. Coulibaly, who had contacts with arms dealers, was working to obtain weapons. The men, still conversing in code, spoke of “books” (weapons) and said they needed to find a “new library” (arms dealer). In May 2010, police searched Mr. Coulibaly’s home in Bagneux outside Paris and found a gun holster and 240 cartridges of 7.62mm ammunition in a paint can. In the summer of 2010, the police broke up the men’s prison-break plot. Mr. Beghal and Mr. Coulibaly were eventually convicted and returned to jail, with Mr. Coulibaly serving his sentence until last March. The same judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict Chérif Kouachi, who resumed his life in Gennevilliers. In retrospect, the material found on Mr. Kouachi’s laptop in 2010 should have set off alarms, said a lawyer involved in the case. Among the texts recovered

was one titled “Operation Sacrifice” that described a plan of attack that augured the actions he would later take. “A mujahideen forces his way into the enemy’s base or else a zone where there is a group and fires at point-blank range without having prepared an escape plan,” it said. “The goal is to kill as many of the enemy as possible. The author will very likely die himself.”

Investing a Bank Loan Sometime in 2011, one, or both, of the Kouachi brothers traveled to Yemen to train with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Initially, United States officials said it was Saïd Kouachi who had gone to Yemen in 2011. Now they believe Chérif may have gone instead, using his brother’s passport, to receive training and $20,000 from the Qaeda affiliate there, according to two counterterrorism officials who requested anonymity. Saïd’s wife, Soumya Kouachi, has told her lawyer, Antoine Flasaquier, that she was pregnant in 2011, and that Saïd never left her side for more than a few days at a time. In his brief telephone interview with a TV reporter before his death, Chérif said that the brothers were acting on the orders of the Qaeda affiliate and that he had been trained and financed by

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WORLD TRENDS Anwar al-Awlaki, a New Mexico native who became the group’s main propagandist. On December 4, Mr. Coulibaly was approved for a loan of 6,000 euros from the credit agency Cofidis, after providing a telephone bill, pay slips and an identification card, according to the daily La Voix du Nord newspaper. In a posthumously released video, Mr. Coulibaly said he lent money to one of the Kouachi brothers to help pay for “what he had to buy.”

The Attack Unfolds There was no sign marking the offices of Charlie Hebdo. Entering the building required a magnetic key. Upstairs, the office had a metal, bulletproof door. None of it mattered. The former pizza delivery man, who had once practiced jihad with a paper gun, still made mistakes — the Kouachis initially went to the wrong building at Number 6 rue Nicolas-Appert instead of Number 10 — but he knew critical details. The staff met only once a week, on Wednesdays, for two hours starting at 10 a.m. The Kouachis broke into the office on Wednesday, January 7, at 11:15 a.m. “I saw them from one meter away,” said Laurent Leger, a journalist with the magazine, who managed to slide off his chair and hide under a side table. “They were dressed like soldiers. They came in screaming, ‘Allahu akbar,’ at least twice.” They shouted for the editor, Stéphane Charbonnier, known as Charb, and gunned him down before spraying the other cartoonists around the main conference table. A female journalist, Sigolène Vinson, tried to crawl away, and one of the brothers addressed her. “We don’t kill women,” he said, as Mr. Leger recalled. The Kouachis left bodies piled on the floor, then walked out onto the street. One passer-by heard them yell out, “Tell the media we are with Al Qaeda in Yemen.” They shot a police officer who rushed to the scene, then killed him with a bullet to the head as he lay writhing on the sidewalk. The next day, Mr. Coulibaly wounded a city employee and killed a police officer. By Friday, January 9, after the police had cornered the Kouachis at a printing factory on the outskirts of Paris, Mr. Coulibaly stormed into the Hyper Cacher market, killing four people and taking more than a dozen hostage. One shopper told Le Monde that he saw the gunman filming the scene with a GoPro camera. Later he took out the memory card, inserted it in a laptop and edited the images. Mr. Coulibaly also had time to pray on the floor of the bloody supermarket before the police stormed in, pouring bullets into his chest. At the printing factory where the Kouachis would stage their final, fatal gun battle with the police, the owner, Michel Catalano, later told reporters that he assumed he was about to die when the two brothers first approached, bearing machine guns and a rocket launcher. When a salesman came to the door, one of the Kouachi brothers merely told him to go away. “Leave,” the brother said, like a soldier. “We don’t shoot civilians.”

New Projects in China That Rival the Wall Building big, one economist says, is ‘‘part of the blood, the culture’’ in China. Work on a $4.3 billion airport in Dalian.

Continued from Page 23 a replica of New York City. Today, dozens of office towers and luxury developments sit empty, half-completed. And here in Dalian, a city of six million in the northeast, the proposed underwater rail tunnel to Yantai is just one piece of a master plan that includes a 262-kilometer urban transit system. Work is also underway on what the city says will be the world’s largest offshore airport, a $4.3 billion development on an artificial island created with landfill. David Dollar, a former director in China for the World Bank and now at the Brookings Institution in Washington, sees a potential downfall in all the building. “If the growth rate is propped up through building unnecessary infrastructure, eventually there could be a sharp slowdown that reveals that the infrastructure was really not needed at all,” he said. Many experts say such projects also exact a heavy toll on local communities and the environment, as builders displace people, clear forests, reroute rivers and erect dams. In the northwest, in the city of Lanzhou, the local government has backed plans to flatten the tops of 700 low-level mountains to make way for a new business district, despite concerns about the damage to the local

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ecosystem. Dam-building has also caused problems, creating water shortages and environmental damage, and it may have even helped set off earthquakes in southwest China, according to some scientists. Proponents say the giant projects can bring greater efficiencies. Big dams and wind farms can cut carbon emissions, while mass transit can help reduce oil consumption, thus delivering

greener solutions. Other huge projects could bolster China’s position as a manufacturing and trading powerhouse. In November, the government said its freight rail link between eastern China and Spain had opened, allowing factory goods to reach Spain in just over 20 days. It is now the world’s longest rail journey. In 2007, China completed the longest sea-crossing bridge, in Hangzhou. China now claims the longest bridge of any kind, the highest bridge and, in 2011, a new successor to the longest sea-crossing bridge, 42.5 kilometers long, in the eastern city of Qingdao.

It is the type of engineering expertise the government wants its state-owned enterprises to export — and that is already happening. Boston is buying subway cars from China. Argentina, Pakistan and Russia have asked China to upgrade their infrastructure. Last month, Chinese construction teams began work on an ambitious $50 billion canal across Nicaragua that could some day rival the Panama Canal. “For China, a lot of this is about building a national identity,” said Bent Flyvbjerg of Oxford University. “It’s a lighthouse for all to see what the Chinese nation can do.”

In the Business of Feeling Good Mark Bustos is a stylist at Three Squares Studios, an upscale salon in New York where clients like Norah Jones and Marc Jacobs pay $150 for a haircut. But LENS on Sundays, Mr. Bustos takes to the streets and offers free haircuts to the homeless. “Can you believe this is happening?” asked David Terry, who sat on a park bench beneath Mr. Bustos’s scissors recently. Even for those with nowhere special to go, it seems, there is something about looking your best. “Whether I’m giving one at work or on the street, I think we can all relate to the haircut and how it makes us feel,” Mr. Bustos told The Times. “We all know what it feels like to get a good haircut.” He got the idea when visiting family in the Philippines in 2012. Struck by the number of children he saw living in poverty, Mr. Bustos said, he rented a barbershop. “It made me feel so good,” he said. “It was right to bring it home to New York.” Others find their own ways of mixing business and charity. For comments, write to nytweekly@nytimes.com.

Ann Dunn, who once worked in public housing, said she became “obsessed” with finding unwanted cats a home. Her dream was to open a cat sanctuary with a cafe. “If we said, ‘Come meet cats and adopt them,’ probably people wouldn’t come,” Ms. Dunn told The Times. She and Adam Myatt, who produced calendars with photos of feral cats, raised $40,000 to open Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center in Oakland, California. Cat cafes are well established in Japan, but few double as adoption centers. Cat Town claims to be the first permanent one of its kind in the United States. It sells coffee, handmade bagels and vegan treats. Customers visit cats in a separate area, where the felines lounge in beds shaped like cans of tuna instead of in cages more typical of a shelter. “It takes them out of an ugly environment and puts them in an appealing situation where they can connect with lots of people who may adopt them,” Rich Avanzino of Maddie’s Fund, a rescue group that helped Cat Town Cafe, told The Times. An hour of playtime with the cats costs $10, and a cat’s adoption fee is $50. Ms. Dunn and Mr. Myatt said the business has always been about saving cats instead of making money.

RAMSAY DE GIVE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

On a recent day off from his job in an upscale New York salon, Mark Bustos provided a free haircut for David Terry. The comedian Margaret Cho said she learned about giving back to the community from a friend: Robin Williams. Mr. Williams, who commited suicide in August, had raised millions for the homeless and was “the security blanket we all had,” Ms. Cho told The Times. When she was mourning his death, another friend told her, “Don’t mourn Robin — be Robin.” Ms. Cho started performing at a youth shelter and where homeless people congregated. Donations — coats, shoes and blankets — were arranged on tables.

At one donation table, Michael Austin, who had spent eight years on the streets, said he had been given free clothing before, but nothing so good. “This is wonderful,” he said. Most shows, Ms. Cho said, raised about $2,000. She would break the money into single dollar bills and give them away. “There is nothing better than making it rain dollar bills on a homeless man,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing, and why not?” Mr. Bustos, the stylist, said people often ask him how to join his team for good. “My answer is just go and do it,” he said. DEBORAH STRANGE

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WORLD TRENDS NEWS ANALYSIS

Pakistani Generals Tighten Grip By DECLAN WALSH

LONDON — After Taliban gunmen massacred dozens of schoolchildren in Peshawar in December, Pakistan’s two most powerful men convened an emergency meeting. In a photograph, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looked glum and ill at ease, while the man beside him, General Raheel Sharif, the army chief, lectured confidently. To many Pakistanis, the symbolism was unambiguous. After a tumultuous year, Mr. Sharif’s government may still be hanging on, extending a nearly seven-year stretch of civilian rule. But otherwise, Pakistan’s generals are in control. Under General Sharif, who took his post in late 2013 and is not related to the prime minister, the army has transformed its fortunes: triumphing over the government in a series of bruising public clashes, bringing unruly critics in the news media to heel, and winning broad support for a drive against Islamist militants in their tribal stronghold. Now, the military has claimed Salman Masood contributed reporting from Pakistan.

a victory that may turn out to be the most significant of all, allowing the generals deep inroads into an institution that has hounded them in recent years: Pakistan’s judiciary. A constitutional amendment passed by Parliament recently empowered military courts to try suspected Islamist militants, opening the way for a judicial process that could move defendants from arrest to execution in a matter of weeks. The military, responding to public anger over the Peshawar killings, announced the establishment of nine new courts. “The optics are very clear,” said Salman Raja, a lawyer. “The military is calling all of the shots.” Among analysts and legal experts, the military courts have raised worries about the erosion of fundamental rights, the sidelining of the civilian judiciary and the prospect of soldiers’ wielding untrammeled power in a country with a long history of military takeovers. But this time, Pakistan’s generals have not grabbed power from the politicians. It was practically handed to them. Much of the political system

supports the military courts — even the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, which has long presented itself as a bulwark against an overbearing military. Many party stalwarts looked anguished as they voted against their consciences to support the military courts recently; some wept openly. “A little bit of me died today,” said Aitzaz Ahsan, the party’s leader in the Senate. And yet the vote went ahead — a powerful indictment, critics said, of a political class that seemed to be admitting not only that the country’s judicial system was broken, but also that it was incapable of fixing it. The military has promised that it will not abuse its new powers by prosecuting politicians, journalists or rights activists, as happened in the 1980s. The mandate of the new courts is set to expire after two years, and the trials are subject to civilian oversight. Few doubt the need to reform Pakistan’s criminal justice system, which has almost entirely failed to bring militant leaders to justice. The new military courts offer a short, sharp solution: cases decided within one week, us-

By THOMAS ERDBRINK

Iran is seeing a surge in the construction of malls, like this one in Tehran. what officials say are unchangeable revolutionary values. In private, though, Iranians have moved on, embracing satellite TV and the Internet, widening their worldviews and comparing their lives to those of people in Turkey, Malaysia, Europe and other popular destinations. Not so long ago, shopping in revolutionary Iran was a dull experience, considered a necessary evil meant to support a life of religious piety. Commercials, once banned on state television and billboards, are now allowed, but only for Iranian products. The new malls represent a departure from this. “We cater to what people desire to do: spending money, buying stuff and enjoying themselves as they shop,” said Hassan Raftari, the owner of the Palladium, a fancy new mall in Tehran. According to an industry website, Iranmall.ir, 65 malls and entertainment centers are being developed in the capital, and not just for the rich. Around Tehran’s southern bus terminal, one of the poorer areas of the city, three malls are under construction. The Mega Mall has just opened its doors near

ing lower standards of evidence than in civilian courts. More pressingly, the military’s poor human rights record hardly recommends it as a guardian of justice. It has imprisoned hundreds of suspected militants in secret jails across the country where torture and extrajudicial executions are common, according to rights groups. And there is no guarantee that the resentment generated by a rapid but heavy-handed judiciary will not result in reprisals. “Remember that every action has a reaction,” the Pakistani Taliban leader, Maulana Fazlul-

lah, said in a video statement that cast the Peshawar massacre as a reaction to abuse of Taliban detainees. “You have taken our prisoners from jails and killed them in a cowardly fashion.” Experts worry that the focus on speedy justice is avoiding an urgently needed debate about a fundamental issue: the deep-rooted support for militancy in significant pockets of Pakistani society. “The courts can sentence people to jail,” said Zaffar Abbas, editor of the English-language newspaper Dawn. “But they don’t have an answer for that.”

Curse of the ‘Spare’ Nags at an Idle Prince

An Iranian Revolution Invests in Consumers TEHRAN — Iran may be facing a dangerous economic abyss, with an empty treasury, historically low oil prices and the continuing damage of Western economic sanctions, but one indicator is going through the roof: Developers have broken ground on a record 400 shopping malls across the country. In part, the malls are a testament to a not-so-distant past when Iran was making record oil profits. Iranians developed a taste for luxury, setting off construction projects. But the mall-building boom also reflects other factors, as construction and investment companies affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps and the police have led the way. “Under sanctions, with nowhere else to invest, building shopping malls is the only lucrative business in Iran,” said Jamshid Edalatian, an economist. “The Guards, the police and other institutions are the ones who have money, so it is logical for them to invest in what makes a profit.” Together with banks, wealthy individuals and powerful foundations, Iran’s security forces are building malls with Western-sounding names such as Rose, Mega Mall and Atlas Plaza. Their bright neon letters stand in sharp contrast to the revolutionary slogans painted on murals in surrounding neighborhoods, labeling consumerism a Western illness. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the state has emphasized

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Legislators amended Pakistan’s Constitution to widen the authority of military courts. A guard outside Parliament.

By STEVEN ERLANGER

MORTEZA NIKOUBAZL/REUTERS

Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. About a kilometer north is the Kouroosh mall, a massive glass building that is home to shops and cinemas. The décor is Western, in line with the tastes of their target middle- and upper-class customers. “Nowadays, there are just so many urbanized, middle-class people in Tehran who aspire to Western lifestyles,” said Kazem Alireza, a history researcher for the Parliament. “Their needs are met by developers who offer them consumerism, just like the Western patterns of urbanization and changing lifestyles. Shopping malls make people happy; at least for now they are satisfied with them.” Mr. Edalatian noted that the state prefers the shopping malls to the chaotic bazaars, as it is easier to collect value- added taxes from them, currently at 8 percent. “Try to get taxes from four million individual shops in our country,” he said. “The more centralized, the better.”

LONDON — It’s not easy being the spare, the second son trained for little except hanging around waiting for your older brother to die, or to have children who then outrank you. As Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has aged, and fallen further down the line of succession (at 54, he is now fifth in line to the throne), he has faced the problem of what to do with himself — being public but not prominent — and has not always made the best choices, even he has admitted. Prince Andrew is back in the news with the resurgence of allegations that he had sex with a minor provided by an old, wealthy friend of his, Jeffrey E. Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. In 2011, when the allegations against Prince Andrew surfaced, and again this month, when they re-emerged in a filing in a Florida court, Buckingham Palace issued explicit denials. The allegations by the woman, whom the palace named as Virginia Roberts, now 30, married and with three children, were publicized in 2011 by the British press and in the magazine Vanity Fair. The difference now appears to be a direct allegation by Ms. Roberts through her lawyers of sexual contact with Prince Andrew and other public figures, like the lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who has also denied the accusations and has said he intends to countersue to put Ms. Roberts under oath. The Prince Andrew furor has

raised a familiar problem of carving out a life as a royal family member who has no role. The problem only worsens when the generations pass, military service is no longer feasible, and the line of inheritance grows implausibly distant. “Andrew did live in the Mayfa ir subworld that was a bit ratty — if you’re a royal person, and Prince you don’t have Andrew a role, you tend to fall into that world,” said Peter York, a social commentator. In an editorial titled “Royal Reform,” The Times of London urged the royal family, as an institution, to slim down and send its children to work. “It is striking,” the newspaper notes, that “the queen’s children have been most constructive while gainfully employed.” Outside such roles, “they represent more of a risk than a benefit to the royal family.” Prince Andrew is held up as an object lesson. “For too long Prince Andrew has lacked a real role,” the newspaper said. “He has tried and failed to find one because he has been looking in the wrong place.” Instead of a profession, “he has been content to craft for himself the portfolio existence of a freelance royal” and has “depended too much on his friends to help support a lifestyle” that he could not afford himself.

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

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A Luxury Ski Resort Bounces Back From Insolvency By SARAH MAX

BIG SKY, Montana — Snowfall is an essential ingredient for the Yellowstone Club, a 5,500-hectare private ski club just north of Yellowstone National Park. Yet it is also a hindrance for the 2,000 to 3,000 contractors who come and go each day, racing to build homes, renovate lodges and break ground on new projects. A few years ago, such activity would have been hard to imagine: The club defaulted on a $375 million loan in November 2008, epitomizing the risky loans and real estate speculation that precipitated the financial crisis, and it became mired in bankruptcy. But in the last two years alone, the club has sold nearly $1 billion in real estate. It has doubled its membership, which includes the likes of Bill Gates, to more than 500 households from 260 in 2009, and it is gearing up for what is likely to be its busiest winter. Of course, busy here is relative, and that is one of the biggest selling points. “The first time I skied here, I didn’t even make it into the lodge because I was so enamored,” said Sam Byrne, who bought the Yellowstone Club out of bankruptcy in 2009. The club’s currency is the promise of privacy, security and pristine fields of snow. Patrons must own property. The smallest condominiums cost about $4 million, and single-family homes start at $5 million, with annual assessments in the thousands of dollars. There is also an initial fee of $300,000, in addition to $36,000 a year for dues. Only members, their families and guests have access to the club, with its 15 chairlifts, 18-hole golf course and three ski lodges. Mr. Byrne, a founder of CrossHarbor Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Boston, said his interest was as much about seeing the club succeed as it was about turning a profit. “He turned a Wild West project into something with institutional diligence,” said Mike Meldman, a

JANIE OSBORNE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

At the Yellowstone Club, condominiums start at $4 million and houses at $5 million. In addition, annual dues run $36,000. member and the chief executive of the Discovery Land Company, which handles operations and development. More members are coming throughout the year to hike, bike, fly fish and golf — though people golfing in bare feet, with their dogs, is not an uncommon sight. Under the previous owners, members spent about 20 days a year at the club, Mr. Meldman said. Now, members average 60 days a year. The club, on the back side of Big Sky Resort, was envisioned by Tim Blixseth. By the mid-2000s, lots were selling for seven figures. Its financial woes stemmed from a loan to Mr. Blixseth and his wife at the time, Edra, that “they never should have gotten,”

For the likes of Bill Gates, pristine fields of snow. Mr. Byrne said, referring to a $375 million loan that Credit Suisse syndicated in 2005. In October 2008, the Blixseths divorced, with Ms. Blixseth assuming ownership. When the club filed for bankruptcy, it was losing $20 million a year. Homeowners weren’t caught unaware. In spring 2008, a group of 14 members formed a board to represent all owners. In June 2009, CrossHarbor paid $115 million for the club and

pledged another $100 million for capital improvements and payments to unsecured creditors. CrossHarbor invited members and other investors to buy into the deal. Mr. Byrne said it took three years to sell the excess inventory, adding, “We don’t allow speculators now.” Membership is capped at 864 families. The former owners owed $10 million to contractors, vendors and employees. Mr. Byrne said the club employs 700 people in the winter and 450 in the summer. When the club reaches 700 to 750 households, Mr. Byrne will start the process to hand over ownership to members. But his work here is hardly finished. Starting in late 2013, he

Playstation Gets Some Competition From Rivals By NICK WINGFIELD

SEATTLE — Not so fast, Sony. Your two biggest rivals in the game console business, Microsoft and Nintendo, are showing signs of life. After the 2013 holiday season, Sony looked as if it might gain an unassailable lead in the console market with its PlayStation 4. Nintendo was losing money, and Microsoft — which released the Xbox One system around the same time as the PlayStation 4 — lagged behind Sony’s sales, a gulf that widened during the year. But during the recent holiday season both companies were resurgent, with Nintendo releasing a series of hit games for its Wii U system that underscored the unwavering loyalty of its

fan base. And Microsoft, Sony’s most direct competitor in the games market, temporarily cut the starting price of the Xbox One to $349, $50 cheaper than the PlayStation 4. The move helped it regain a sales lead in the United States, the most important market for the product. The discount highlighted a sharp turn in strategy by Microsoft. When the Xbox One was first released, it included the Kinect motion-sensing device, and the package was $499 — $100 more than the PlayStation 4. In June, Microsoft began selling an Xbox One without the Kinect, for $399. It is a safe bet that the PlayStation 4 still has an overall sales edge on Xbox One. In mid-November, Microsoft said it was

bought a 2,300-hectare development nearby. Another purchase and a partnership with Big Sky Resort, brought their collective skiable area to 2,350 hectares. Yellowstone Club has not strayed from Mr. Blixseth’s vision of a private ski oasis, but it has changed its approach. Land that was slated to be developed higher up on the mountain is being put into a conservation easement, instead focusing on building condos, duplexes and amenities. Restaurants, below-ground parking and spa and fitness facilities are in the works. And a caviar bar has been converted to a breakfast buffet. “It’s a ski place in Montana,” Mr. Meldman said, “and you have to program it that way.”

Microsoft temporarily lowered the price of its Xbox One. An event in Germany.

WOLFGANG RATTAY/REUTERS

on the verge of shipping its 10 millionth Xbox One, while the previous month Sony said it had shipped 13.5 million PlayStation 4s. The United States and Britain continue to be strongholds for Microsoft’s Xbox business, but it is weaker outside those markets. The company’s games business is especially feeble in Japan, one of the largest games markets in the world, where Sony and Nintendo are homegrown favorites.

Nintendo’s fortunes have improved, too, though the company has not come close to repeating the success of the original Wii, the motion-sensing console that became a breakout hit during the last generation of games hardware. The company said it had sold 7.29 million Wii U consoles as of September 30, even though it went on sale a year before the latest Microsoft and Sony offerings. Even though its hardware

sales are lagging, Nintendo makes the most popular games for its systems, including longtime game franchises like Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. Those games give the company another big source of income. Children today are increasingly playing games on tablets and smartphones, where Nintendo has no real presence, rather than on Nintendo handhelds, an important business for the company. “That’s the biggest concern with Nintendo is that they lose out on that audience,” said David Cole, an industry analyst. That is also a worry for Microsoft, which partly explains why it paid $2.5 billion last year to acquire the developer of Minecraft, an enormously popular game for mobile devices, consoles and computers.

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MONEY & BUSINESS

Globally, Limits On Web Freedom By VINDU GOEL and ANDREW E. KRAMER

SAN FRANCISCO — Across the world, challenges to web freedom are mounting, with users forced into evasions and workarounds. Russia and Turkey in particular are trying to tighten controls on foreign-based Internet companies. Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, has signed a law requiring companies to store data about Russian users inside the country, where the government can get access to it. Few companies are expected to comply with the law, which is effective September 1. In mid-December, Russia’s Internet regulator demanded that Facebook remove a page that was promoting an anti-government rally. After Facebook blocked the page for its 10 million or so Russian users, dozens of copycat pages popped up and the word spread on other social networks like Twitter. That created even more publicity for the January 15 event, intended to protest against the sentencing of Aleksei A. Navalny, a leading opposition figure. Anton Nosik, a prominent Russian blogger, said it was absurd for a government to think it could easily suppress an article or video when it could be copied or found elsewhere with a few clicks. “The reader wants to see what he was prevented from seeing,” Mr. Nosik said. The Turkish government faced a similar embarrassment when it tried to stop the dissemination of leaked documents and audio recordings on Twitter in March. Not only did the government lose a court fight on the issue, but while Twitter was blocked, legions of Turkish users taught one another technical tricks to evade the ban.

“We all became hackers,” said Asli Tunc, a professor at Istanbul Bilgi University. Free-speech activists view Facebook, the world’s largest social network with 1.35 billion monthly users, as the company most inclined to work with governments. Last spring, while Twitter was blocked in Turkey and YouTube was shut down, Facebook removed contested content and continued to operate. Twitter, which has about 284 million monthly users, styles itself as the world’s town square and a global champion of free speech, conforming to the letter of censorship laws while winking at workaround strategies. As the biggest player, Google, whose YouTube often angers foreign governments and has been forced into many fights, is still viewed by many as a hero for its decision to pull out of China in 2010 rather than continue to censor search results there. Despite such victories for freespeech advocates, governments are stepping up their efforts to control the Internet. “There are more and more requests for removal of information,” said Colin Crowell, Twitter’s global vice president of public policy. Pakistan, for example, bombarded Facebook with nearly 1,800 requests to take down content in the first half of 2014. But it’s not just autocratic regimes that are pressing. The European Union, which has established a “right to be forgotten,” allowing residents to ask search engines to remove links about them, now wants search results on the non-European versions of its service also deleted on request. But Russia is the current flash point in the censorship wars.

IVAN SEKRETAREV/ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Facebook block failed to stop word of a protest rally from spreading in Moscow. Left, a sticker showing President Vladimir Putin of Russia with the word meaning ‘‘Obey!’’

DENIS SINYAKOV/REUTERS

Over the summer, the Russian government began demanding that anyone with at least 3,000 daily visitors follow rules similar to those applying to a media company. Google, whose search engine is the number-two player in Russia after the local Yandex service, has announced that it will close its engineering offices in Russia.

Although the company said it had been consolidating such offices globally, one factor is the risk of a raid by Russian authorities. Robert Shlegel, a member of the Russian Parliament active in shaping the Kremlin’s Internet policies, said that the Russian regulations were in many ways a response to the revelations of the former American intelligence contractor, Edward J. Snowden, about American government spying through Silicon Valley companies. “This problem was created by the United States,” Mr. Shlegel said. Russia’s first preference, Mr. Shlegel said, is to persuade other nations to form an international set of rules for social networking sites and crowdsourced news,

clarifying when countries could block pages to comply with national laws. He said that Russian authorities had no intention of blocking American Internet companies for failing to follow the data storage law. “What we need to do is have a dialogue,” he said. If strictly enforced, the personal data law would end most Internet hotel and airline bookings, sending Russians to stand in line at travel agencies instead. Mr. Nosik said that sites like Facebook were unlikely to get banned, if only for fear that millions of Russians who suddenly lost access to years of photographs, family memories, love letters and contacts with friends would blame the Kremlin.

The Uphill Push to Save a Bike-Share Pioneer By IAN AUSTEN

The story of the company that powers the bike-sharing programs in New York, London, Chicago and a dozen other cities began with a municipal parking authority, wound through bankruptcy court and got another shot at corporate viability off the Madagascar coast during the annual hatching of the green sea turtles. Observing that ritual last year, Bruno Rodi, a Canadian real estate developer, saw firsthand how those endangered reptiles are threatened by climate change, pollution and hunters. The turtles set off a burst of environmental entrepreneurialism in Mr. Rodi. Aboard a ship on the Indian Ocean, he heard that the bike-sharing company, which is now known as PBSC Urban Solutions, was available for purchase. From a satellite phone, he bid about $4 million in cash to buy the company out of bankruptcy. The core of the international

An investor takes on an innovative system that lost its way. business was sound, Mr. Rodi, a multimillionaire who also owns a Canadian furniture company, decided. As he likes to say, it is the “Rolls-Royce of bike-share systems,” with sturdy equipment and solar-powered Wi-Fi docking stations. But the company, which was started by the city of Montreal, was starved for capital and crippled by software issues. Bankruptcy only added to its woes, as the company faced shortages of parts and products and as rivals snatched up top customers. In the early days, PBSC was one of the few companies to focus on bike sharing, making it the default choice for many cities. Now PBSC, which supplies systems to 15 cities, must compete against

a growing number of suppliers of sophisticated equipment and technology. Some of those newcomers have surpassed PBSC with advances like smartphone apps to access bikes. Mr. Rodi hired nearly two dozen developers to fix PBSC’s software problems. And he is crisscrossing the globe for customers. When Montreal introduced its bike-sharing system in 2009, city officials simply wanted to make commuting easier. But the Montreal City Council didn’t want to pay for the system, known as Bixi. So it funded the service in part through user fees and advertisements on the bikes. To pay for the rest, officials were counting on creating an international business that would sell its proprietary bike-share technology to other cities around the world. One of the biggest attractions was the bike itself. Rather than using inexpensive equipment vulnerable to vandalism and breakdowns, the industrial designer Michel Dallaire came

Montreal’s bike-sharing system ended up costing the city $25 million. up with a durable, if costly, aluminum bike. Modifications thwarted thieves from easily unbolting parts. The Montreal company also developed free-standing docking stations with solar panels for power and Wi-Fi to transfer payment and operations data. But operating costs were higher than anticipated and the company struggled to pay its suppliers. The crisis for PBSC peaked in 2013, amid disputes with suppliers over payments, shortages of bikes and parts developed. Montreal’s mayor, Denis Coderre, placed Bixi in bankruptcy last year. A court allowed the city to keep its bike-share system while selling the sales unit. What was supposed to have

GRAHAM HUGHES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

been a free ride cost Montreal about $25 million. After buying PBSC, Mr. Rodi made a major strategic shift, by getting the company out of the politically fraught business of actually operating bike-share systems. Instead, it would focus solely on selling hardware and software for others to run. The message, Mr. Rodi said, particularly resonates in Latin America. Guadalajara, Mexico, has begun operating a system developed by PBSC. “We’re going back to our core business, which was to build this machine,” Mr. Rodi said.

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Despite Risk, Pressure To Be Tan Still Strong By SABRINA TAVERNISE

TEQUESTA, Florida — On their way home from a tutoring session, the Van Dresser twins, Alexandra and Samantha, 17, popped into Tan Fever & Spa. They wanted to get tan before the prom, and the salon was the perfect combination of fast and cheap: Twenty minutes, and $7. “We don’t have time to lay out on a beach,” Alexandra explained one afternoon last year. Indoor tanning might seem like a fashion that faded with the 1980s, but it remains a part of American adolescence. Salons with names like Eternal Summer and Tan City dot strip malls across the country, promising prettiness and, in some cases, better health, despite growing evidence that links indoor tanning to skin cancer. A review of the scientific evidence published last year estimated that tanning beds account for as many as 400,000 cases of

More cases of skin cancer are seen in younger patients. skin cancer in the United States each year, including 6,000 cases of melanoma, the deadliest form. And clinicians are concerned about the incidence rate of melanoma in women under 40, which has risen by a third since the early 1990s, according to data from the National Cancer Institute. (Death rates have not gone up, however, a testament to earlier detection and better treatment.)“We’re seeing younger and younger patients coming to us with skin cancer,” said Dr. Eleni Linos, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. “That is a new phenomenon.” Many factors, including genetics, are at play with skin cancer. But exposure to ultraviolet light causes a majority of cases, and scientists have been trying to gauge how big a role indoor tanning plays. A panel of experts

convened by the World Health Organization found in 2009 that the use of sun beds before age 30 was associated with a 75 percent increase in the risk of melanoma. Most states have some restrictions on the use of tanning salons by minors, according to AIM at Melanoma, an advocacy and research group based in California, the first state to adopt a ban on minors in 2011. “The tide is turning,” said Samantha Guild, director of public policy at AIM. “States are saying: ‘We don’t have to go out on a limb on our own. There’s broad support for this issue.’ ” Even so, public health experts say tanning remains a persistent problem, especially among white teenage girls, a full third of whom say they have tanned indoors, more than the share who smoke cigarettes. There is strong peer pressure to be tan. Sarah Hughes started tanning at 16, often tanning five days a week. “Living in a small town in southern Alabama, you don’t want to be the oddball out,” sid Ms. Hughes, who is now 30. She stopped tanning at 25 when a doctor diagnosed advanced melanoma. In all, she had 33 spots removed, including eight melanomas, but she survived. Brandi Dickey, from Fort Worth, Texas, did not. Her mother, Paula Pittsinger, blames her tanning habit from the age of 14 to 28, when she was found to have a particularly aggressive form of cancer. She died in October at 33. “When you see the impact, the brain surgeries, the scars, when you see what tanning has done, it has got to hit home that it’s just not worth it,” Ms. Pittsinger said. But many women said in interviews that they were aware of health risks but cared more about how they looked now. “If I get skin cancer I’ll deal with it then,” said Elizabeth LaBak, 22, a student at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. “I can’t think about that now. I’m going to die of something.” The Van Dresser twins say they slather on sunscreen before they get in a tanning bed, but the pressure to be tan is strong. According to Samantha: “It’s what teens do.”

JIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Indoor tanning remains popular with American adolescents. Scientists are still studying the beds’ link to skin cancer.

EVAN McGLINN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Bats are immune to the world’s deadliest diseases, yet succumb easily to a fungus.

A Master of Viruses’ Weakness By NATALIE ANGIER

LEWISBURG, Pennsylvania — Scientists believe a keener understanding of the biology of bats could not only help prevent the next outbreak of Ebola and other viruses, but also offer insight into immune and inflammatory disorders like diabetes or heart disease and even cancer. Yet thousands of bats are succumbing to what scientists call white-nose syndrome. This devastating fungal disease, which attacks bats as they hibernate in caves, has killed at least six million North American bats since it first appeared in Albany, New York, a decade ago and it threatens to annihilate some bat species entirely. Evidence is mounting that bats can serve as reservoirs of many of the world’s deadliest viruses, including the pathogens behind Ebola, Marburg and related hemorrhagic fevers; acute respiratory syndromes like SARS and MERS; and even familiar villains like measles and mumps. Bats appear largely immune to these viruses, but they are susceptible to white-nose syndrome. “Here we have an animal that can survive some of the scariest viruses we know, and it’s undone by a common soil fungus,” said David Blehert of the United States Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Bats also may be resistant to cancer. “At this stage, the evidence is anecdotal,” said LinFa Wang, a bat virologist at the Duke-NUS Graduate School in Singapore and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong. “But of all the bat biologists I’ve spoken with, I’ve only heard of one or two cases of bat tumors.” Scientists have learned that bats live an extraordinarily long time for creatures of their size. The insectivorous Brandt’s bat of Eurasia, for example, weighs

an average of just six grams, compared with 20 grams for a mouse. But while a mouse is lucky to live for a year, the Brandt’s bat can survive well into its 40s — a disparity between life span and body mass that a report in Nature Communications called “the most extreme” of all mammals. Scientists warn against misguided calls in some areas for the culling of bats as a way to combat the risk of viral transmission. Bats play essential roles in the environment, researchers said. Insectivorous bats are the top predators of night-flying insects, including mosquitoes. “A politician in Australia said, ‘Bomb the bats,’ ” Dr. Wang said. “But if you do that, you’ll destroy the ecosystem and then you’ll get more infectious dis-

Bats’ amazing resistance fails against a fungus. ease, not less.” The risks from wanton batricide could well be immediate: Recent research suggests that bats are likeliest to shed viral particles when they are under stress and their numbers are shrinking. Researchers suggest that changes to the bat’s immune system originated as part of the heightened demand for DNA repair, and later proved valuable for its general life strategy. An unexpectedly large concentration of bat genes have been found to be involved in repairing damaged DNA. Those fix-it factors, the scientists proposed, are the bat’s solution to the blistering demands of flight. When a bat flies, its heart beats an impressive 1,000 times a minute, and its metabolism ramps up 15-fold over the rest-

ing rate. By contrast, Dr. Blehert said, the metabolism of a running rodent is seven times normal, “and that’s only for a short burst, whereas a bat can fly at 15-fold metabolic rate for hours.” All that flapping ends up generating a huge amount of metabolic byproducts called free radicals, which could mutilate the bat’s DNA were it not for its extra-strength molecular repair crew. And countering DNA damage happens to be a great strategy for overall health, which could explain bats’ exceptional longevity and apparent resistance to cancer. In the bat’s molecular profile, immune factors that serve as the body’s first responders have been ramped up, while immune molecules that in most mammals turn aggressive at later stages of an infection are damped down in bats. As a result, Dr. Wang said, “when a virus comes in, bats are very efficient at handling it, but they don’t overreact.” And the overreaction of the body’s immune system, scientists have found, often proves far more dangerous than the viral infection itself. Bats often live in colonies of hundreds of thousands. They travel long distances and are exposed to a staggering array of pathogens. They are remarkably resilient to microbes, with the exception of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. Dr. Blehert and his colleagues have found that, starting at the earliest stages of infection, afflicted hibernating bats begin burning twice as much energy as unaffected bats. The ultimate blow may come from the bats’ immune response to the fungus, which preliminary evidence suggests is unusually strong. “And that,” said Kenneth Field, an associate professor of biology at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, “could be what’s dooming the bats.”

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

By ‘Editing’ Plant Genes, Companies Avoid Regulation By ANDREW POLLACK

Its first attempt to develop genetically engineered grass ended disastrously for the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. The grass escaped into the wild from test plots in Oregon in 2003, dooming the chances that the government would approve the product for commercial use. Yet Scotts is once again developing genetically modified grass that would need less mowing, be a deeper green and be resistant to damage from the popular weedkiller Roundup. But this time the grass will not need approval in the United States. Scotts and several other companies are developing genetically modified crops using techniques that either are outside the jurisdiction of America’s Agriculture Department or use new

Concern over the unintended effects of biotech crops. methods — like “genome editing” — that were not envisioned when the regulations were created. The department has said, for example, that it has no authority over a new herbicide-resistant canola, a corn that would create less pollution from livestock waste, or over switch grass tailored for biofuel production. The trend alarms critics of biotech crops, who say genetic modification can have unintended effects, regardless of the process. “They are using a technical loophole so that what are clearly genetically engineered crops and organisms are escaping regulation,” said Michael Hansen, of Consumers Union. He said the grass “can have all sorts of ecological impact and no one is required to look at it.” Even some people who say

TOP, SANDY HUFFAKER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; ABOVE LEFT, RICK BOWMER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clockwise from top: herbicide-resistant canola plants at Cibus in San Diego; cells from a canola leaf at Cellectis Plant Sciences; Scotts Miracle-Gro bioengineered grass. the crops are safe and the regulations overly burdensome have expressed concern that because some crops can be left unregulated, the whole oversight process is confusing and illogical, in some cases doing more harm than good. American companies say that if the methods were not labeled genetic engineering, novel crops

could be marketed or grown in Europe and other countries that do not readily accept genetically modified crops. And regulators around the world are grappling with whether these techniques are considered genetic engineering and how, if at all, they should be regulated. Freedom from oversight could

open opportunities for smaller companies and university breeders, and for the modification of less common crops. An industry-sponsored study said that the large companies spend an average of $136 million on the development of a genetically engineered crop, including $35 million in regulatory costs. Genetically engineered crops,

For the Rich, Troubling Behavior Issues By RON LIEBER

When Thomas Gilbert Jr. was arrested in early January and charged with killing his wealthy father, the chatter began almost immediately. Tabloid reports suggested that there had been a disagreement over the 30-year-old’s allowance before he apparently shot his father in the head. On Twitter, people called him “trust fund kid” and “most spoiled brat.”The whole affair was “morbidly disgusting.” But parents were having a more searching conversation. How is it that a 30-year-old graduate of the prestigious Princeton University in New Jersey still gets pocket money from his parents? What, if anything, went wrong in the way his parents raised him? And is there something about the environment that his mother and hedge-fundrunning father raised him in that may have been damaging?

We still don’t know very much about this one stranger and his mental health. Nor are we likely to ever get a full picture of his family. But in the last 15 years, academics have spent an increasing amount of time studying ailments of the affluent. A consensus is emerging that these children often have higher rates of depression and anxiety and elevated levels of substance abuse and some delinquent behaviors. Surprisingly, it was the study of poverty that led a psychologist, Suniya Luthar, now a professor at Arizona State University, to some of the first findings in this area. Expecting to find more troubling trends among children in lower-income families, she used data from a more affluent group as a comparison. What she found in 1999, and since, however, was a surprise. Using data that included families with incomes of about $150,000, she found that adolescents in

higher-income families had higher rates of substance abuse than those in lower-income ones. This made a certain amount of sense, since they could afford the drugs. But the more affluent suburban youth also stole from their parents more often than youth with less money and were more likely to experience significant levels of depression, anxiety and physical ailments. These behaviors began emerging as early as seventh grade. Were these results attributable to parenting? Are children left to their own devices after school? Maybe the number of hours parents needed to spend working to make above-average amounts and maintain a nice life in an upper-middle-class community was the problem. Or it could have been pressure from the parents to achieve levels of success similar to their own. Ms. Luthar said she understood how hard it could be to re-

popularly called genetically modified organisms or G.M.O.s, typically have genes from other organisms inserted into their DNA. The most popular ones, like insect-resistant corn, use genes from bacteria. The Agriculture Department is responsible for protecting American crops from plant pests, which typically are insects or pathogens. That responsibility extends to certain G.M.O. crops because for many of them, the foreign gene is inserted through the use of a bacterium, or the inserted DNA contains a genetic “on” switch from a plant virus. But companies can get around that by avoiding components from plant pests. Some companies are using new genome-editing techniques that can change the plant’s existing DNA rather than insert foreign genes. Cibus, a privately held San Diego company, is beginning to sell herbicide-resistant canola developed this way. Some researchers argue that using genome editing to inactivate a gene in a plant, or to make a tiny change in an existing gene, results in a crop no different from what could be obtained through natural mutations and conventional breeding. But critics of biotech crops say the genome-editing techniques can make changes in plant DNA other than the intended one. Also, the gene editing is typically done on plant cells or plant tissues growing in a dish. The process of turning those genetically altered cells or tissues into a full plant can induce mutations. Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, said there needed to be a public discourse about what should be regulated. “It’s not that I think these are risky,” she said of the crops escaping regulation. “But the very fact that this is the route we are taking without any discussion is troubling.”

With wealth, more depression and substance abuse. Reports say Thomas Gilbert Jr. killed his father in a dispute over his allowance. sist pressuring children. But was it also possible that there was something about the affluent communities that was contributing to the troubles? In 2012, Terese J. Lund and Eric Dearing published a study that found that middle-class children who lived in middle-class neighborhoods had less depression and anxiety and fewer incidences of delinquency than middle-class children who lived in more affluent neighborhoods. Mr. Dearing allowed that people in affluent communities were more tuned in to mental health issues and thus more likely to re-

port them to researchers. Still, he said, that didn’t mean they were exaggerating their hurt; it just meant that health professionals also ought to help lower-income people recognize and treat symptoms of depression and anxiety. In the relatively new field, there is still much that the scholars do not know. There is not a lot of long-term data, and most subjects in the studies were white. And it isn’t completely clear how best to support wealthy parents in efforts to deal with the problems. Still, Ms. Luthar said she was reasonably sure about what parents should avoid: “Our research consistently found if there is one thing related to problems of all kinds, it is being highly criticized by your parents. It is one of the most powerful risk factors.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Sanctity of Truth

PERSONALITIES

SU L EI MA N BA KHI T

“If I really treated business like a businessman, I wouldn’t have done what I have done — opposing China.”

Comic Book Heroes Pitted Against Terror By DANNY HAKIM

OSLO — Suleiman Bakhit has made a career of studying heroes. A Jordanian comic book author who creates Middle Eastern stories that are an alternative to terrorist ideologies, he has done research that includes surveys of children in poor neighborhoods in the Jordanian capital of Amman and in Syrian refugee camps. All this, he says, has given him an insight into what fuels terrorism, and a specialist’s appreciation for the propaganda strategies of the Islamic

WARRICK PAGE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

“The biggest threat in the Middle East is terrorism disguised as heroism.” State. Where Osama bin Laden once lectured in didactic videos, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has young jihadists speaking to potential recruits in their native tongues and connecting on an emotional level. They “preach terrorism as a heroic journey,” Mr. Bakhit said. “The biggest threat in the Middle East is terrorism disguised as heroism.” He says he believes that the terrorist narrative is “copying Joseph Campbell’s work,” referring to the American mythologist. In Mr. Campbell’s

view, a heroic journey is central to mythmaking. A hero has to be called to action, perhaps hesitate, then leave home and be tested. “What’s interesting is that Bin Laden emulated that journey to the letter,” he added. “Bin Laden left his life of wealth and aristocracy in Saudi Arabia, went to the caves in Afghanistan and emerged from these caves a new leader, with a new vision to cleanse the shame of the Muslim nation through violence.” In the Islamic State vision, you win whether you live or die. “You get killed, you’re reunited with the prophet and Allah,” Mr. Bakhit said. “If you don’t, you’re still on your journey.” Mr. Bakhit says he believes that comic books and video games can provide an antidote, coupled with the right storytelling, Like many people, he saw his life change on September 11, 2001, when he was at the University of Minnesota. After the attacks, he decided to visit schools in the area to explain to American children that most Muslims are not terrorists. When he was asked by a boy if the Arab world had its own Superman and Batman, he realized the answer was no. He taught himself how to draw and began creating stories. Eventually, he moved back to Jordan and started Aranim Media Factory. More than a million copies of his comic books were distributed in schools in Jordan. His early comics were about Jordanian war heroes. Then he expanded, creating stories like one about an all-women military unit. The narratives pushed by the likes of the Islamic State are “light years ahead of what we have, and no one is fighting it at that level,” Mr. Bakhit said. “It is at its core a war of mythologies.”

JI MMY L AI

Rebel Tycoon Ready for a Fight By NEIL GOUGH

HONG KONG — Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s most fiercely anti-Communist tycoon, calls himself a rebel who likes to make trouble — and he has found no shortage of it. The owner of the city’s biggest pro-democracy publishing empire, Mr. Lai has seen his house firebombed and his company’s offices ransacked; he has been the target of an assassination plot and, recently, of multiple online attacks by what he suspects were state-sponsored hackers. But if the protests that brought swaths of Hong Kong to a standstill last fall were partly a culmination of his decades of promoting democracy, Mr. Lai, 66, finds perhaps his greatest test in their aftermath — one that could have repercussions for media freedom in Hong Kong and Beijing’s growing intolerance of dissent in what was a British colony until 1997. It is the kind of political street fight he has been waiting for. On September 28, Mr. Lai was hit with fragments from a tear-gas canister — one of 87 that riot police fired that day into the crowds. Mr. Lai’s media outlets gave blanket coverage to the 11-week siege by demonstrators camped out in business and shopping districts. Mr. Lai was a near-daily

presence at the main protest encampment until he was detained on December 11. Now, Mr. Lai’s fight looks set to shift from the streets to the courts. The authorities in Hong Kong have been preparing formal charges against scores of people they have identified as the main figures in the protests. “You could argue that he was perhaps the most significant supporter of Occupy Central, in terms of providing it a platform” through his media outlets, said Michael DeGolyer, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University. “We’re going to have a significant freedom of the press issue here, which is going to tell us a great deal about Hong Kong’s future.” Mr. Lai was born in Guangzhou, in southern China, to a wealthy family that lost everything when the Communists took power in 1949. The family paid a smuggler to take him by boat to Hong Kong in 1960 at age 12. After teaching himself English, he landed a job as an office clerk. When he was 27, he and two partners started their own small clothing factory, which by the late 1980s had grown into Hong Kong’s first “fast fashion” retail chain, Giordano. After the Chinese government

M EG H A N T R A I N OR

By JOE COSCARELLI

Meghan Trainor started 2014 as a songwriter but ended it as something of an accidental sensation thanks to “All About That Bass,” a song originally recorded on a whim. When labels said they did not have the right delivery vehicle for the song’s mix of ’50s-inspired novelty doo-wop and bubble-gum hip-hop — “Yeah it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size 2,” she half-raps, “but I can shake it, shake it like I’m supposed to do” — Ms. Trainor turned it into a body-positivity smash. (“That bass” refers to her lower end.) The song quickly became a cultural phenomenon, the kind of catchy tune parents and children alike mouthed the words to, while critics considered the complications of its politics. In New York in mid-December at the iHeartRadio Jingle

ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS

A Catchy Tune That Boosts the Morale Ball, the Super Bowl of Top 40 radio, her newness was apparent next to Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea and Taylor Swift. But Ms. Trainor, 21, was formidable company, with “All About That Bass” having spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earning Grammy nominations for record and song of the year. “Lips Are Movin’,” a follow-up, reached Number 4 ahead of the release of her major-label debut, “Title.” “We didn’t know little girls would gravitate so much to ‘The Bass,’ ” she said. Beyoncé told the singer that Blue Ivy, her 3-year-old daughter, is a big fan.

KRISTYNA ARCHER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Another famous girl tweeted me the other day: ‘Caught my son singin’ the song — too bad I didn’t catch him before the swear,’ ” said Ms. Trainor, who sprinkles curse words in her song and conversation. “I said, ‘Sorry, boo, didn’t know

the babies would love it.’ ” When the label asked for a cleaner version to play on Radio Disney, Ms. Trainor and Kevin Kadish, who collaborated on “All About That Bass” and six other songs, agreed, on the condition that it never be put up for sale. “We didn’t want to water down what we had created,” he said. Still, “All About That Bass” came with some controversy for its politics, which some saw as retro — it is still, ultimately, about appealing to men — and its racial appropriation. “It was just a three-minute song,” she said, “and the goal was to help me get more confident

ordered a military crackdown Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, killing hundreds, possibly thousands, Mr. Lai decided to branch into media, starting Next Magazine the next year. One article in July 1994 repeatedly insulted Li Peng, the prime minister. Within weeks, the authorities began closing Giordano stores in mainland China. Mr. Lai sold the business. “If I really treated business like a businessman, I wouldn’t have done what I have done — opposing China,” Mr. Lai said. The influence Mr. Lai wields has drawn many detractors over the years. Joshua Wong, an 18-year-old student protest leader, said by phone recently, “Hong Kong’s democratic movement can’t just rely on one media outlet.” He added, “It’s unhealthy, and it even risks being controlled by one publication.” Mr. Lai is aware of the risks, and last month he stepped down as chairman of Next Media. “The more I’m in the front of the movement, the less appropriate that I should be so closely connected with our media,” he said. “You cannot have the media so close to you that it becomes your voice. This is no good, because it becomes too extreme and people will resent it.”

with my body.” Ms. Trainor was raised on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where her parents own a jewelry store. While in high school, she signed a publishing deal as a songwriter. Instead of attending the Berklee College of Music, where she’d been accepted, Ms. Trainor moved to Nashville and found some success. But despite placing two songs with Rascal Flatts, the country group, she was left frustrated. “I loved it, but it was country,” she said. “I always thought, ‘This can’t be it — there’s got to be more.’ ” She found it with Mr. Kadish. In their first session together, they wrote “All About That Bass.” “Everyone asks me, ‘Are you scared to be a one-hit wonder?’ ” she said. “No — I’m a songwriter. That’s not even my best one.”

Sanctity of Truth

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

ARTS & DESIGN

After the Show Is Over, Novels Keep the Story Going By ALEXANDRA ALTER

In “Bratva,” a new crime novel by Christopher Golden, a grizzled motorcycle gang vice president named Jax Teller and his loyal sidekicks Opie and Chibs take on Russian mobsters to rescue Jax’s half sister. Some 200 pages of gun battles, fistfights and mayhem follow. Those characters will be familiar to fans of “Sons of Anarchy,” a popular motorcycle gang drama on the American network FX. They were taken from the show, which recently concluded its seventh and final season. The novel was commissioned by the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter, to keep fans engaged with the characters — and with the show’s lucrative line of merchandise — after the finale. “Bratva” is one of the latest entries to a flourishing but often unappreciated pocket of the publishing world: tie-in novels. Writers have produced novels based on the terrorism drama “Homeland,” the British crime series “Broadchurch” and J. J.

Abrams’s sci-fi series “Fringe,” and more titles are coming soon. Novels are also providing life support for characters from popular, long-defunct series, like “Veronica Mars,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Murder, She Wrote.” (The 43rd and 44th “Murder, She Wrote” novels will come out this year, almost 20 years after the American series went off the air.) Studios and producers have long used novelizations as a way to capture fans’ attention between television seasons or installments of blockbuster film franchises. For publishers, tiein books have become money makers that offer instant brand recognition and access to huge fan bases. One of the longest running, most successful tie-in series, the “Star Wars” novels, dates to 1976 and now has more than 125 million copies in print. Writers and publishers of these books usually estimate that 1 percent or 2 percent of the total audience will buy the book, so a show that draws two million

viewers might sell 20,000 paperback copies. “Having that builtin audience, you don’t know that everyone’s going to show up, but you know that a certain fan will show up,” said Michael Homler, an editor at St. Martin’s Press who acquired the “Sons of Anarchy” novel. Still, in literary circles, these books have often been ignored or sneered at as mere merchandise rather than art. “They’re treated like the lunch box or the action figure,” said Max Allan Collins, who has written dozens of novelizations of shows and films, including “Saving Private Ryan,” “American Gangster” and “CSI.” Lately, however, this long-maligned subgenre has taken on a patina of respectability. New writers are flocking to the form as television becomes an increasingly significant cultural medi-

In Haiti, Battling Disease In Open MICHAEL KIMMELMAN

appetite for bonus content about their favorite shows, tie-in books have been evolving to keep pace. When Mr. Golden was approached by Mr. Sutter and FX to write the first novel based on “Sons of Anarchy,” a show he loves, he couldn’t resist. Mr. Sutter shaped the novel at every stage. He helped determine when the story would take place, approved the plot outline and adjusted some scenes. A member of Mr. Sutter’s writing team proofread the novel to make sure all the details matched up with the show. St. Martin’s gave the novel a big push, with an announced first printing of 100,000 copies and a social media campaign targeting the show’s eight million-plus Facebook fans and its 660,000-plus Twitter followers. “Sometimes I meet writers who are like, ‘Why are you doing this?’ but I would be betraying who I am if I said I’m never going to do this again because it’s beneath me as an artist,” Mr. Golden said. “I combat the idea that these can’t be good novels.”

Experienced for Role As Mom in ‘Boyhood’ By CARA BUCKLEY

IWAN BAAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The pictures of medical dysfunction were devastating — broken hospitals in Africa struggling, and largely failing, to contain the Ebola epidemic. As deaths mounted, the problems seemed intractable: no ESSAY money, no infrastructure, no hope. But across the ocean, Haiti — a broken country if there ever was one — now has two new clinics, open-air, modest in size and cost, designed to tackle diseases that can be as insidious and deadly as Ebola, but are also more common: cholera and tuberculosis. The clinics here are simple, even handsome. Instead of constructing hermetic shields in the form of airtight, inflexible hospital buildings, the architects took advantage of Haiti’s Caribbean environment, exploiting island cross breezes to heal patients and aid caregivers. It’s not clear yet how well the clinics will work. They open soon. If they turn out right, they could serve as relatively light-footed models for other struggling countries that lack resources for high-end Western-style hospitals. They might even do a little to nudge hospitals in the developed countries away from the midcentury model of sealed buildings that rely on imperfect mechanical systems that cost a lot and use a vast amount of energy.

um. Rather than summarizing familiar stories, many tie-ins deliver original plot lines and subtle character development that go beyond what fans already know. Established novelists are dabbling in the genre. Steven Charles Gould, an award-winning science fiction writer, signed on to write novels inspired by James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar.” Novelizations emerged in the silent film era, and grew popular in the 1930s. They continued to flourish decades later, and exploded in the 1970s and 1980s, when seem i ng ly every blockbuster movie got the novel treatment. Some live on as publishing franchises. Other one-offs — based on “Howard the Duck,” “Gremlins” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” — were quickly forgotten. In recent years, with the abundance of high-quality television and fans’

An innovative clinic in Port-au-Prince allows breezes in and is built with local materials, labor and crafts. The two clinics are by MASS Design Group, a young firm from Boston that won plaudits recently for a hospital in Rwanda. Like that project, these capitalize on local materials, labor and crafts. One clinic here replaces a tuberculosis treatment center, run by Gheskio, a Haitian health service and research organization. The center collapsed during the earthquake in 2010. The new two-story structure is roughly a pentagon, with one extra-long end. There are rooms for 35 patients surrounding a landscaped courtyard with a fountain. It’s a plain but elegant structure whose latticed, sculptured steel roof gives it some character and helps hot air circulate up and out of the building. Because tuberculosis thrives in closed spaces, windows are placed on walls directly opposite one another to promote cross ventilation. The other building, for cholera patients, is a single-story pavilion on a separate Gheskio campus, across a busy, rutted road from one of the largest slums in this city. The zigzag roof vaguely conjures up 1950s roadside diners. The atmosphere is surprisingly playful, welcoming. Sky-blue, hand-punched metal screens, made by local artisans, clad the outside and allude to tap-taps: the gaily colored, extravagantly decorated share-taxis that Hai-

tians ride to get around the city. To some doctors, a permanent cholera clinic can simply sound wrongheaded. Emergency medical experts told me that outbreaks like cholera, or Ebola, tend to be addressed best by portable, pop-up “camps” erected inside stricken areas, to quash the problem at its source. The real solution to cholera would be fixing the sanitation system in the slums. As one doctor put it: You don’t build a trauma center to address a deadly traffic intersection; you redesign the streets. But a doctor at Gheskio stressed that the clinic here, conceived around the architectural challenges particular to cholera, can be repurposed after the disease is no longer the problem. The tuberculosis clinic was $2 million, or $1,500 a square meter, according to Adam Saltzman, the project manager for MASS on both sites. The cholera clinic totaled $700,000, or $860 a square meter. “Architecture and health are inseparable,” explained Jean William Pape, the Haitian doctor and a professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who was among the first to identify H.I.V./AIDS in the developing world. “A building that is ugly, with no fresh air, no dignity or common sense, is a place people will avoid, and this encourages epidemics.”

LOS ANGELES — When Patricia Arquette was 19, rebellious and juggling auditions between various jobs, she learned that she was pregnant by her punk rock boyfriend, whom she was living with here. They decided to have the baby, a boy, Enzo. A month after Enzo was born, Ms. Arquette and the father split up, leaving this struggling actress a single mother. That combination often augurs career doom, but for Ms. Arquette, intellectual restlessness coupled with her maternal instinct to “drag meat back for my young,” as she put it, steeled something deep. “I don’t think I would have had much of a career if I didn’t have my son,” said Ms. Arquette, 46. Young parenthood also helped Ms. Arquette — who has had a steady career of art house films, directed by the likes of David Lynch, Michel Gondry and David O. Russell — land her most significant role in years, as the divorced mother Olivia in Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.” (The son, Mason, is played by Ellar Coltrane, as Mason grows from ages 6 to 18.) The film, which follows the quiet moments of life, and parents and children as they mature, won Ms. Arquette a Golden Globe award for best supporting actress. She has also been nominated for an Oscar. Mr. Linklater said Ms. Arquette had been foremost in his mind for the role as Mason’s mother, and she leapt at the chance. “He said, ‘I’m making this movie, where I shoot a week a year for 12 years, and we follow this little boy from first grade to 12th grade,’ ” Ms. Arquette

said. “And just everything in my body went, ‘oh my God, oh my God, this is the most exciting idea.’ My son was already older, and I had seen how fast his childhood had gone by.” Filming started in 2002. Mr. Linklater had Ms. Arquette and Ethan Hawke, who plays her ex-husband and Mason’s father, pick names for their characters. The actors also chose the names for the children, Mr. Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater, who is Mr. Linklater’s eldest daughter and plays Samantha, the boy’s sister. Ms. Arquette spent a weekend with the kids before filming started, puttering around a house in Austin, Texas, doing art projects, fixing their meals. An early scene shows the fruits of that intimacy, with both children snuggled against Ms. Arquette as she reads to them. “Patricia is kind of a maternal force,” Mr. Coltrane said. Ms. Arquette also did something quietly revolutionary for a Hollywood actress: Over the dozen years of “Boyhood,” she unapologetically and naturally aged on-screen, her body widening and her face adding wrinkles as she grew into middle age. Mr. Linklater said, “She never flinched.” Mr. Hawke said, “She just lets the truth hang out.” He added: “She’s always been a real hero because of her unbelievable freedom and emotional authenticity.” Having grown to be somewhat of a family, coming together every week for a dozen years, the cast is reveling in the awards hype around “Boyhood,” because it brings them together again. “I don’t miss them the way I’m going to miss them,” Ms. Arquette said.

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Overnight rate rises as CBN mops up liquidity STEADY Forex traders expect steady cost of borrowing

igerian interbank lending rates climbed two percentage points to an average of

10.75 per cent penultimate week from 8.75 per cent the previous week, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) moved to support the ailing naira by draining excess cash from the market. Traders said the cost of funds had steadily risen as the apex bank sold Open Market Operation (OMO) bills. That

reduced liquidity and helped to shore up the naira, which closed at a record low of N190.60 to the dollar last. Maturing treasury bills repaid about N144 billion last Thursday, but the OMO sales offset that, one dealer said. Traders said the CBN sold N260 bil-

Insurance premium: NDIC grants banks more rebate

he Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has further reduced the deposit insurance premium rate to all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria as part of efforts toward contributing to financial system stability and promoting public confidence in the banking industry. In a statement issued at the weekend, NDIC said the premium reduction was initiated to consolidate on the gains achieved by the Corporation’s migration from Flat Rate Premium System (FRPS) to Differential Premium Assessment System (DPAS). The DPAS approach takes into consideration

the risk each bank poses to the system and encourages banks to adopt sound risk management practices. The Managing Director/Chief Executive, NDIC, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim, disclosed this during the last Financial Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) Workshop held in December 2014 in Katsina State. Ibrahim also said that the Board of the Corporation had granted further relief to the DMBs at its last meeting held in September 2014, adding that the Board had reduced the insurance premium basis rate from the existing 40 to 35 basis points and the new premium rate would

take effect from January this year. According to him, the insurance premium rebates were part of the NDIC major contributions toward improving the intermediation role and other banking related activities of the DMBs. The NDIC boss pointed out that Principle 11 of the Core Principles for Effective Deposit Insurance System required Deposit Insurance Agencies (DIAs) to set aside adequate funds to ensure depositors’ prompt reimbursement in the event of any bank failure. He also opined that the Corporation would from 2015 set new coverage levels for the DMBs

lion and N120 billion worth of OMO bills last Thursday and Friday, pushing interbank lending rates higher. Cash balances in lender accounts with the CBN stood at N344 billion last Friday, compared with N377 billion last weeks. The secured Open Buy Back traded at in view of their relatively large volumes of deposits. It would be recalled that the Corporation began the insurance premium rebate since the commencement of DPAS in 2008 but the import began in 2010 as a sequel to the Board’s decision to contribute to the Financial Stability Fund that was spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Corporation had supported the fund through the reduction of premium base rate from 50 to 40 basis points to reduce the premium burden on the DMBs. By 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Corporation had granted a total rebate of N53 billion, N63.6 billion and N75.98 billion respectively; thus a cumulative rebate sum of N192.6 billion to the DMBs.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

Offer 163.38

‘African IPOs set to rise by a quarter in 2015’

he number of African companies listing shares could rise by a quarter this year if all the firms that have said they plan an initial public offering (IPO) move ahead, international law firm Baker & McKenzie said. Shares on many African bourses according to Reuters, have offered enticing returns in the past five years, but investors have complained about a limited number of IPOs, high fees and poor liquidity. Baker & McKenzie, a leading law firm by deal count for mergers and acquisitions involving emerging markets, said 30 firms were preparing to list this year, up from 24 in 2014. Last year, the number of IPOs had already risen by a third to the highest level since the global financial crisis, raising a total of more than $2 billion.

Godson Ikoro

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

be stable this week if the banking watchdog drained less cash, allowing the cash flow from mature bills to reach the market. The banking watchdog kept its benchmark interest rate at 13 per cent for the second consecutive time at the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

Firms in the real estate, financial and energy sectors were expected to be most active and most new listings would be on markets in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia, the law firm said. “While there have been several false dawns for capital markets across Africa’s diverse economies and making predictions is notoriously difficult, we do see a more sustainable trend developing,” Koen Vanhaerents, global head of capital markets at Baker & McKenzie, said in a report seen by Reuters last Friday. Improved corporate governance, better regulation and expanding economies were creating a more sound footing for African capital markets, he said. Some listings, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, would be driven by private equity exiting investments, the report added.

‘Fidelity Bank to support SMEs’

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

10.5 percent on Friday. That was up from 8.5 per cent two weeks ago but 2.5 percentage points below the CBN’s benchmark rate of 13 per cent. Overnight placement rose to 11 per cent from nine per cent the other week, traders said. Traders said the cost of borrowing should

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

idelity Bank will continue to strategically promote and support the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), its Managing Director and Chief Executive of the bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, has said. Speaking on the significance of the lender’s recognition as SME friendly bank by Bank of Industry (BOI), Okonkwo said it was based on what Fidelity Bank had been doing in the SME space. He stressed that the bank would continue to support the SMEs in order to grow the likes of Dangote of the future even as a lot of people are excluded from financial systems. “You need to bring them into the financial system. We have a well thought out strategy on SME. It is not just about providing loans. We are

developing SME specific clusters,” he said. “For us in Fidelity Bank, we will continue to create awareness in the SME space because that is where the future lies to have the billionaires club of the future. According to him, it is about how people do their business. “People don’t know the principle of business management; so do not know how to keep proper books. People don’t know that capital is different from profit and that is why Fidelity from the inception of SME developed a strategy of what is called Managed SME,” he explained. It would be recalled that Fidelity Bank Plc earmarked the sum of N600million loans for SMEs operating in the leather shoe industrial clusters in Aba, Abia State, Matori Lagos, and Kano industrial clusters when the field studies are completed.

CRISIS Adequate protection required during polls

Sunday Ojeme

oncerned over the safety of journalists during next month’s general elections, the President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Muhammed Garba, has called on relevant authorities to provide insurance cover for its members. Garba stated this while receiving the EU

Insurance

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

2015 elections - NUJ demands cover for journalists Election Monitoring team. He said that the safety of journalists during elections must be guaranteed. The EU team was led by its head of Media, Mr Marek Mracka. Garba said, “Every reporter that would be involved in the elections, must be insured because we have discussed the issue with the media organisations.”

He pointed out that the union was collaborating with international organisations such as the UNDP and the US embassy for the training of reporters on the successful coverage of the elections, adding that the training was aimed at ensuring that journalists adhered to professional ethics and the Nigerian media code of election coverage.

He said that the union had raised the issue of balance and objective analysis of candidates vying for the elective offices in the forthcoming elections. “On the issue of balanced reportage, the media should be able to provide equal treatment and ensure a level playing ground for Nigerians to have more knowledge about their candidates,”

he said. He observed that the media played an important role for the attainment of Nigeria’s independence and that the industry would also play a critical role for the success of 2015 elections. In his response, the leader of the EU team said that the visit was aimed at creating a synergy between the NUJ and the EU Elections

Monitoring team during the elections. He said the team was in the country to observe the conduct of the election as well as the situation of the media in the coverage of the elections, saying that the team visited NUJ to ascertain the safety measures being put in place to ensure the safety of journalists while covering the elections

Liberty seeks to complete Nigerian insurance deal

iberty Holdings, the South African insurer controlled by Standard Bank Group, said it may conclude a deal in Nigeria by the end of January. “We have an opportunity we hope to conclude at the end of the month,” Thabo Dloti, chief executive officer the Johannesburg-based company, said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. “We are not doing a outright purchase. We are looking for partners.” Liberty said in August

it was in talks with both insurers and asset management companies in the West African nation. The insurer’s investment plans have been slowed by deadly bombings and kidnappings in Nigeria, Dloti said in May. It bought Standard Bank Investment Management Services Ghana in October, giving it a presence in 17 African countries. “We are targeting both these countries as an entry point in to West Africa,” Dloti said Thursday. “We are going through a short list.”

Fire Service wants cover from govt

he Anambra State Fire Service has called on the state government to provide insurance cover and hazard allowances for its officers and men to ensure their safety while fighting fire outbreaks. Mr Ikechukwu Nzegwu, the Chief Operating Officer,Okpoko Fire Service Station, made the appeal in Onitsha, Anambra State on Monday. “It is the trend in most states to have insurance package in place for the fire fighters who put their lives and safety at risk while putting in their best to salvage lives and property,’’ Nzegwu noted. He said that the payment of hazard allowances would act as incentive and make the job of fire-fighting attractive to young and energetic people needed for the job. He also appealed to

government to provide them with bigger firefighting vehicles and other equipment that will spur them to do better. He said: “With bigger and better equipment, we can withstand any fire incident and put it under control in due time. “Another problem we have in putting out fire is the size of fire-fighting vehicle, which has the capacity of only 1,000 gallons of water. “If we have a fire-fighting vehicle or supportive water tank that has about 3,000 or 7,000 gallons of water; it will give us enough water to fight any dimension of fire. “However, those working in the state needed turn-around servicing for optimal performance since we are in the harmattan and dry season when fire outbreak is common.”

L-R: Marketing Manager, DStv, Chioma Afe; Winner of a new Kia Rio car, Ndubuisi Achazie and Public Relations Manager, DStv, Caroline Oghuma, during the MultiChoice Super Cruise Promo car presentation in Lagos.

s part of efforts to promote insurance practice and professionalism in the industry, Consolidated Hallmark Plc (CHI) has said it would continue to reward best students in the annual essay competition organised by the firm with job opportunities and other cash prizes. The company’s Managing Director, Eddie Efekoha, stated this during the presentation of gifts to the best students from some tertiary institutions in the CHI essay competition. He said, “This is the fourth series in the essay competition. The intention is to encourage insurance as a subject and profession and make the world know that we also have so much to give back to the society. “For the industry to grow, we need to continuously grow and update the talent. Those who had been in the system for long are leav-

CHI rewards winners of essay competition ing, we want to continue to ensure constant inflow into the process, because as they are exiting, if we don’t have enough input, then you will find out that over time the process will run dry”. The students wrote on the topic, “Impact of microinsurance on the socioeconomic development of Nigeria.” Miss Abiola Atinukeola Gbemisola from The Polytechnic, Ibadan won the best prize of N250,000 and an automatic employment in the company when she graduates. Chukwuemeka Nwanne Nnaya from University of Lagos came second, winning N150,000, while the third prize went to Olaniyi Samson Opeyemi from The

Polytechnic, Ibadan, who also won N100,000. The company also extended the competition to its internal staff, by giving them the opportunity to write on another topic. In this category, the best three employees were equally rewarded. Efekoha said Gbemisola has an automatic employment in the company when she graduates as the winner of the essay competition. Speaking further, Efekoha informed that the company contacted all the schools in the country offering Insurance as a course to enter for the 2014 competition. He emphasised that the monetary reward was increased significantly to motivate more students to participate in the essay competition.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

Business | Special Report

BUSINESS IN 2015 A S I X- PA G E P U L L O U T

How and where the battles in the business world will be fought to stay afloat The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed Nigeria’s economic growth forecast for this year to 4.8 per cent from 7.3 per cent last October, due to oil prices that have plunged by more than half since June 2014. This, by extension, has curbed revenue and investment plans. Nigeria and her inhabitants, therefore, are in for a hard time as the federal, state and local governments, corporate organisations and individuals have been compelled to go back to their drawing boards to restructure their expenditure. Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, has also slumped 15 per cent against the dollar in the past six months to a record low of N196 at the close of business last Friday. Foreign-currency reserves, which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) uses to defend the Naira, have also slumped to $34.46 billion as at last Monday. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) had also ended 2014 as one of the worst performing exchanges as the market capitalisation of the listed equities fell by N1.749 trillion from N13.226 trillion at the start of the year to N11.477 trillion. Against these developments, New Telegraph’s Business Team, in this report, looks at some of the strategic sectors of the economy that are good investment outlets in the year.

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Maritime: Ship building, logistics top investment choice Bayo Akomolafe

here are opportunities in the maritime industry where investors can spend their money for profitability this year. They include the green field port development, ship building, ship yards, ferry, logistics, bank and maritime institutions. Greenfield port development Three years ago, the Federal Government embarked on policies which would encourage green field port development in Lagos State (Lekki deep seaport), Akwa Ibom State (Ibaka) and Ogun/Ondo states (Olokola deep sea port) as imports handled in the Nigerian ports had been swelling since 2009. Shipping experts were of the view that Nigeria urgently needed to build new deep seaports to reduce cost and corruption in the ports system. They noted that it would make Nigeria the hub of shipping in the West and central Africa. Managing Director of Eyis Resources Limited, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, said that for Nigeria to be a trans-shipment base, there could not be any other place than Lagos. He cautioned that the current seaports were simply out of consideration since they were river ports with limited draught. Although Nigeria is currently building seaports in Lekki and Ibaka, Akwa Ibom State, the biggest problem for these deep seaports and others outside Lagos, according to Amiwero, is their location. He urged the Federal Government to consider another deep seaport in Lagos where the draught level would be between 16 and 19 meters for modern vessels coming with 15,000 to 19,000 Twenty Equivalent Units to berth. Also, the National President, Nigeria Institute of Freight Forwarders (NIFF), Dr. Olu Ikokide, said that the existing ports were over stretched. He urged government to encourage investors to build new ports. Logistics The Nigerian ports Authority (NPA) has declared plans to phase out aged trucks in the port sector from the first quarter of this year. To this end, logistics companies are seeking partnership on truck acquisition as over 90 per cent of the truck lifting boxes at the nation’s seaports are in bad shape. The sector needs new trucks to transport cargo from the ports to other parts of the country. Already, Multi-Trade Nigeria Limited has entered into partnership with the leadership of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), to provide 2,000 new trucks to enable the truck owners replace their rickety ones with which they presently ply the nation’s roads. Chairman of AMATO, Mr. Remi Ogungbemi, explained that this would boost business activities in the port sector. Shipyard and ship building The data obtained from Nigerian Ship owners Association revealed that out of the 600 vessels involved in upstream petroleum sector business in Nigeria, only 10 per cent was owned by Nigerian ship owners and none of the ships were built in Nigeria. Presently, about 5,400 vessels call at Nigerian ports annually, while over 500 operate on coastal and inland waters daily. Most of the vessels operating in the

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country are compelled to undertake an average of 10 days journey outside the country, to places like Abidjan, Namibia, Cameroon and even Tema, in Ghana, just to dry dock the vessels. It is in the light of this that the Nigeria maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) established a dockyard and shipyard at Okerenkoko, Delta State, to build and maintain various sizes of vessels. To make the shipyard viable, the Director General of the agency, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, said that the private sector would be involved in its management. He added: “We will not only build ships. There will be a facility for dry docking in the shipyard. We are bringing in the private sector because we want to avoid the pitfall that goes with government being single-handedly involved in this kind of business. Various types of ships that can be built by investors include container vessel, cabotage, tankers, boats, CAM ships, cargo liners, coal hulks, cabble layer, ferry, admiralty tug, aframax and aircraft carrier among others. Ferry Nigeria is a littoral nation with a coastline of about 840 kilometres and a network of over 3,000 interconnecting rivers and creeks. Also, it has an exclusive economic zone of about 62,000 square nautical miles. The Federal Government has, in the last five years, allocated over N67.9 billion to the National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) for the d e ve l o p ment of inland w a t e r transportation across the country. A breakdown of the a l l o c at i o n s to water transportation system shows that in 2012, over N11.7 billion was allocated for projects such as Minister of Transport, Idris Umar the procurement of about 45 passenger ferry boats, construction of River port at Lokoja and Idah Jetty in Kogi, Baro in Niger, Oguta in Imo, Degema Jetty in Cross River, Okrika Jetty in Rivers and Yenagoa Jetty in Bayelsa. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is wooing the banking and financial sector to key into efforts at development of water transport infrastructure. NIWA’s Managing Director, Mrs Maryam Chiroma, said that the authority had resolved to invite operators in the financial sector to meet with their counterpart in the water transport industry for investments. She explained that the Authority was desirous of improving the sector to attract Nigerians to water transportation.

Property: Commercial, residence hold the ace Dayo Ayeyemi

ue to drastic changes in the Nigerian economy, no thanks to the ongoing global oil crisis, devaluation of the naira and government’s austerity measure, real estate remains the best for investors in 2015. The real estate market in Nigeria comprises vacant land, residential and commercial properties. With various ongoing development in Abuja, Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki in Lagos, the sector promises better deal for serious investors. It is a known fact that real estate appreciates in value over time and the returns on such investment depends on the type of property. A country with a fast-growing population with 17 million housing shortage provides vista of business opportunities for would-be developers. They can earn some extraordinary returns from their real estate investment. Some of the on-going projects that may delight investors in 2015 include Rainbow Estate in Port Harcourt, Eko Atlantic Project, Centenary project in Abuja, Grade-A office development (Trinity Tower, Heritage Place, Civic Towers), shopping malls, Lekki Free Trade Zone and residential estate construction. According to analysts, real estate is also very resilient in all kinds of economic conditions including inflation, adding that during inflation, the basic effect on the economy will be that the prices of things go up. The analyst said: “Where most investments lose their value at such period, real estate investment on the other hand has the inherent ability to absorb rising costs. Real estate investment is unique in this aspect since only a very few investments can weather the storm of inflation. “Research has shown that real estate has the ability to produce income, profit and appreciate in value at the same time. Generally, a return of at least 10 to 15 per cent annually and sometimes more could be your benefit. “Another benefit of investing in real estate is its ability to leverage resources or the equity in the property. Real estate also has the added benefit of tax protection for your investment. Because buildings are subjected to natural wear and tear, you are allowed to factor in depreciation. In addition, your property is a form of money bank from which you can access cash when you need them by selling the property. It could be used as a form of collateral.” Chief Executive Officer, Gran Imprio Limited, Mr. Adeyeye He told wouldbe investors that the real estate sector

Maritime bank The maritime sector lacks a specialised bank to service the various projects in the industry. Presently, only one maritime micro finance bank is operational. The Rector, Certified Institute of Shipping, Prof. Alex Okwuashi, underscored the need for the establishment of maritime bank in Nigeria. Okwuashi noted that the bank should be created and funded by government and the private sector in order to live up to expectations. Maritime institutes One of the challenges facing the maritime sector today is human capital development. With the dearth of skilled labour such as shipping agent, freight forwarders, seafarers, ship surveyors, marine engineers, naval architects, chandlers, marine biologists, hydrographers, oceanographers and harbour masters, among others, the few maritime institutions in the country could not meet the demand of the maritime sector. Okwuashi advised government to team up with private investors to strengthen the existing ones and build more schools.

Housing Minister, Akon Eyakenyi

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remains the most profitable sector for them when considering the current economic crunch in the country. Ogunwusi, the developer of Essentials homes in Lekki-Lagos, predicted that immediately after the presidential election, the seemingly lull in the sector would give way to opportunities for real estate investors or developers that are interested in building houses for the medium and low income groups in the country. According to him, the low-income group has not been served enough with the appropriate affordable housing units required, noting that often times, developers concentrate so much on building houses for the rich. He challenged investors who want to provide services and make good returns to launch into the provision of affordable houses for the low-income and medium-income Nigerians. Interestingly, Adeyeye said that news about major reduction in land charges in Lagos would further encourage investors in the area of seamless property registration and land transactions. Governor Babatunde Fashola had, penultimate week, signed an Executive Order on reduction in the cost of land charges in Lagos State and it took immediate effect. The Executive Order reduces Consent Fees from six per cent to 1.5 per cent, while Capital Gains tax, which was previously two per cent, has been reduced to 0.5 per cent. Also, cost of Stamp Duty has been reduced from two per cent to 0.5 per cent and Registration Fees slashed from three per cent to 0.5 per cent. Fashola stated that reducing the cost of land transactions in the state would ensure that land transactions were carried out with minimal difficulty, especially with difficulties relating to payment of taxes, rates and legitimate levies charged under the enabling law. He added that some of the expectations in expanding business in the state’s enterprise zones and the Free Trade Zones could only be achieved through the reduction of cost of land acquisition. He said that by reducing one of the costs of setting up business, his administration had made a huge impact on enabling private enterprise to thrive, adding that the slash in land costs would provide employment opportunities to businesses that will be formed as the results of this policy intervention. The outskirts of Lagos are also increasing in popularity. Areas such and Epe, Ota, Agbara and Ajah have witnessed a growth in industrial parks and boast affordable rates. Recent report of Lamudi, a global property news portal, noted that the FCT is one of the world’s emerging cities. The Federal Capital Territory has continued to attract real estate investors, interested in benefiting from its array of well-developed architecture and strong infrastructure. Abuja boasts good security and a favourable climate for business.

Telecoms: Broadband, mobile apps to drive investment Kunle Azeez

ithin the last 14 years of telecoms industry deregulation in Nigeria, many local and foreign investors have stormed the country to play in the sector. Apart from the acclaimed favourable and transparent regulatory regime put in place by government through the regulator activities of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),

the investors were also fascinated by the large market, occasioned by the country’s demographic dividend. Today, most of the investors are specialised in different areas of telecoms service provisioning such as voice telephony, internet service, telecoms infrastructure leasing, software development, mobile devices sales, as well as those operating in other value added services segments. Little wonder that the investment profile in the telecoms sector has grown tremendously from $500 million in 2011 to over $32 billion in 2014. Also, Nigeria boasts of over 184 million connected telephone lines, 134.5 million of which are actively used daily by subscribers to access both voice and data services. Though, Nigeria currently has 94 per cent teledensity, this, however, does not mean that the industry is near saturation as most nine out of 10 Nigerians own multiple lines and, in effect, carry multiple phones around, indicating that only about 60 million Nigerians may be owning the 134.5 million phone lines. With the industry becoming highly charged and increasingly competitive in GSM segment, providing voice services, provision of high-speed internet services, aptly called broadband, is the next frontier for telecoms industry investment. This has informed the on-going efforts by the regulator to concentrate on ensuring broadband penetration, which is still considered very low in the country but with an auspicious policy to increase penetration in the next four years. Consequently, the green areas for investment in the telecoms sector in 2015 and beyond should focus on any venture in broadband provision value-chain, mobile apps development, mobile devices sales as well as in the value-added service s provision. Already, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, says “broadband and mobile apps investment is futureproved in terms of profitability for i nve s t o r s and not only this, there are other areas in the broadband value chain the prospective investors can tap into to make maxiExecutive VC, NCC, Eugene Juwah mum return.” Local and international research firms in the telecoms industry have also unequivocally confirmed that regardless of the security challenges in the country, “Nigeria remains a potential investment haven for telecoms investment’ saying the country has the large market and open policy to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into its economy. Broadband investment Provision of high-speed Internet or broadband is one area government is focusing on, due to the increasing demand for high data consumption by individual telecoms users, corporate and government organisations. The lower cost of smartphones and the demand to use Internet on them to access mail, social media, surf the internet, make online purchases right from mobile devices are factors driving demand for broadband. Unfortunately, broadband penetration is currently at six per cent, meaning that a broadband-related investment that can support government vision of deepening broadband by 30 per cent. Willing investors could participate in the proposed 2.6 gigahertz spectrum band and 5.4 gigahertz frequency band auctions, as well as the on-going plan by the NCC to issue licences to zonal broadband infrastructure companies (InfraCos), to be able to play in the broadband sub-sector. Experts say investment in this segment of the telecoms sector presents huge benefit in terms of profitability for investors. Mobile apps

The Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has realised the huge business case inherent in developing innovation and locally-relevant mobile apps. Potential telecoms investors or venture capitalists can also leverage this area. With over 134.5 million active lines in Nigeria and over 26 million smartphones being used by Nigerians, who, on an hourly basis, download lots of mobile apps - some at premium - on their phones, industry analysts say there is good business in mobile apps development. For instance, there were over 1.3 million apps each on Android and iOS platforms; over 300,000 on Windows and 150,000 on Blackberry OS platforms in 2014. The number of apps on Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry platforms stood at 775,000; 800, 000; 125,000 and 70,000 in 2013. Research firm, Portio, estimates that in 2013, about 1.2 billion people worldwide were using mobile apps at the end of 2012. This is forecast to grow at a 29.8 per cent each year, to reach 4.4 billion users by the end of 2017. Studies have also shown that smartphone users engage in download of different apps that meet their lifestyles. According to Distimo research, the most downloaded apps are games (33 per cent); widgets (eight per cent); entertainment (seven per cent); social (five per cent); lifestyle; music; photography; productivity (all four per cent); tools; communication; utilities (all three per cent). Games also dominate app revenues. So an investment in mobile apps that can be used by the increasing number of people with smartphones in Nigeria in the various areas of widgets, entertainment, social, lifestyle, music, photography, productivity, tools, communications, utilities and games is expected to be worthwhile, and is expected to bring better Return on Investments (RoI) for businesses. Other investment areas are in the mobile devices retail space as well as in provision of value-added services, according to industry analysts.

Capital Market: Low prices of stocks to spur investors’ interest Chris Ugwu

assive sell-off pervaded the Nigerian capital market in 2014 as foreign investors steadily withdrew from

Acting SEC DG, Mounir Gwarzo

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the market. Several macroeconomic developments contributed to the decline in market performance. These include fall in crude oil prices and related pressure on the naira; the impact of CBN’s monetary policy changes introduced at various points throughout the year and Nigeria’s declining foreign reserves. Others include festering insurgency in the nation, uncertainty around the upcoming 2015 elections and weak corporate earnings. The air of uncertainty that hovered around the Nigerian capital market throughout 2014 caused investors to increasingly adopt a ‘flight to quality’ strategy hence, the capitalisation of listed equities retreated by 13.15 per cent from N13.23 trillion to N11.49 trillion. Although many anticipate volatility through the first half of the year, some stock prices are at their lowest while some are below book value, thus, presenting domestic investors with no currency risk, an opportunity for cautious long term investing. Low prices of stocks The Banking sector is the hottest area expected to witness a surge in investment in 2015. According to market analysts, even in a recession, investors cannot go wrong if they invest in the sector. On market positioning, prices of stocks quoted in the banking sector have all come to an all-time low. Speaking to New Telegraph, a financial analyst and the Managing Director Crane Securities, Mr. Mike Eze, said that there couldn’t have been any time better than now to invest in banks because the prices couldn’t get any lower than what they were currently. “It can only go up and that means capital gains and higher returns on investment which lead to higher dividend and bonuses. The oil and gas sector and consumer goods companies like Nestle foods, are also areas that will give investors capital gains because prices of all these stocks have all come to an all-time low,” he said. Eze said that the market is expected to experience another impressive performance from the second quarter of the year. According to him, performance would be driven on the back of most stocks that were undervalued due to massive sell off in 2014. “We are very optimistic that year 2015 will be better, in terms of better capital appreciation and liquidity within the system. Prices of stock at the last quarter of 2014 ended in its lowest ebb. That’s portending a very bright future for the stock market in 2015, meaning that foreign and local investors will take advantage of the situation to take investment position.” The Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane, while previewing the market, said: “With stocks currently trading at their multi-year lows, we expect an upward trend in the beginning of the year. The anticipated loose monetary stance will be expected to channel additional liquidity to the stock market.” New issues Market analysts said that companies were also optimistic that positive sentiments that might spur investors’ interest for secondary market recovery in second quarter would impact on new equity issues as firms that had earlier indicated plans for supplementary equity issues and IPO, but suspended the plans due to what they described as unfavourable situation at the primary

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market would be considering issuing new issues. The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said that the bourse would pursue an increase in the number of initial public offerings and share listings in 2015, while also targeting Nigerians living abroad to boost their participation in the market. “Although economic growth projections for 2015 will be greatly impacted by some challenges, we expect that as time progresses and as uncertainty is steadily reduced across all the risk categories, negative sentiments in the market will begin to subside, with volatility slowing in the second half of the year, strengthening potential for a market rebound,” Onyema said. He noted that despite the market’s sharp downturn in 2014, it was not all doom and gloom for 2015. “We expect that as the year progresses, underpinned by a successful election with no or low level of violence, a tighter grip on the security situation in north-eastern Nigeria and a more certain macroeconomic outlook for oil prices, interest rates and the naira, the market’s attractiveness could improve rather significantly. On the fixed income side, he said that government bond yields hovered between 11.0 per cent and 12.5 per cent throughout 2014 and this would remain an attraction for investors seeking high risk-adjusted returns. “In 2015, the Exchange will focus on delivering several initiatives in support of its revised strategy. Key amongst these initiatives include to promote the Nigerian capital market as an African hub for growth companies, attract more domestic flows into the market, implement a more competitive price structure in conjunction with the regulator and other market participants and intensify its efforts towards developing a more sustainable market,” he said.

Integrated Marketing: Digital media as investment of choice Dele Alao

marketing communications expert who also doubles as the Principal Consultant, Indigo Communication, Mr. Bolaji Abimbola, said that entrepreneurs who want to venture into the business of integrated marketing communications should look into Public Relations, especially digital media and experiential marketing. Abimbola was optimistic that both areas offer good business fortunes for would-be-investors as more business owners are coming to terms with the benefits of PR and experiential marketing to their businesses. He said: “I think the year 2015 promises to be a good year for PR because most organisations having seen what is happening in the country may need to cut their budget and spend wisely. Particularly, in this era where there is austerity, clients will be interested in spending profitably. So, clients will be looking at smarter ways to spend money, that is, spend less and achieve better results. “PR as well as experiential marketing will be the focus. Of course, we all know what the cost of a full page ad is. To that extent, most clients will likely look the way of public relations. So, it is good year for PR because most times that you expect any major cut in advertising spend, we are likely to get a boost for PR. It is going to be a good year for PR, though the first quarter may likely be slow due to the election. After the election, new opportunities will come. Generally, it is going to be a good year for PR, but it now depends on how agencies position themselves based on what they bring to the table.”

Agriculture: Sugar, rice are key

he sugar industry will experience an upsurge in fortune this year. According to agriculture experts, the quantum of national revenue that has been going into sugar importation is unsustainable, particularly in the context of dwindling oil fortunes and devaluation of the naira. Therefore, the transformative efforts that have started in the sugar industry will make the sector a good area to invest in. Another area of good investment is the rice sector. With the current revolution in the sector, backed by government interventions and growing market demand, there is no doubt that the sector provides a good haven for investors this year. Also, the palm oil sector is an area investors should be interested in this year. Local, private and foreign

Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina

companies have enlisted in various oil palm investment activities following the enabling environment created under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the present administration. Activities being undertaken include production, processing and marketing. Many local investors are planting new farms, expanding existing ones, as well as establishing and expanding processing outfits. A major consumer-focused company, it is learnt, is acquiring 60,000 hectares of land in Edo State for oil palm plantation. With palm oil production deficit estimated at well over 900,000 tonnes per annum and the creation of enabling environment, the palm oil sector also provides real opportunity for investments.

Banking: Experts tip Treasury bills, fixed income Godson Ikoro

eorge Calson in his famous classic: The Richest Man in Babylon taught the world that any man aspiring to have financial freedom must have, at least, five streams of income. In other words, a man or woman must have investments and sources of income, yielding ventures which will sustain him throughout life. The inspirational work on thrift, financial planning and personal wealth suggests how investors should build up their capital and invest where they should reap the maximum benefits. For Nigerian economy in 2015, analysts agreed that many challenges, including the shocks and volatile crude oil prices and the persistent pressure on the naira, the eventual devaluation and regulations will jointly and severally impact on citizens incomes. The take-home pay of the average work is so amplified with high cost of utility maintenance and upward review of different tariffs for water and electricity so much that savings have become difficult. People save, but at a reduced or diminishing rate. Although Clason advised that people should invest, those who have money are finding it difficult to know where they will maximize their interest or profits. Investing in the money market is the main function of treasurers in banks and discount houses and it depends on the amount of money you have, the length of time you will require to invest it, the interest and market forces.

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NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

In the money market, there are many investible instruments across the banks, discount houses and micro finance banks. Examples of such instruments include overnight money, call money or seven days money where individuals who have short term appetite could invest at a rate which the banks usually fix. The call money is for people who want to turnover their money within two weeks or thereabout. Others are fixed deposit for 30 days, 60 days or 90 days which attract different rates. The customer have more latitude to negotiate the interest rate and once he agrees with the bank, a discount house or microfinance bank, the money is kept for him until the agreed time. Yet another option is the Treasury bill. The investor has 91 days to invest his money for a higher interest. Analyst have argued that the more the tenor, the better and higher the interest. According to the Executive Director, Lagos and SouthWest, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Ike Mbagwu, investment depends on your horizon and the time you want the investment to last. It also depends on the priorities of the investor. Mbagwu who also oversees the treasury department of the bank said: “If you are a person who has a lot of liquid funds, you can afford to invest in longer tenured instruments. Never mind what is going on in the market, you can invest in treasury bills. But fixed deposit income is also available and gives you a higher return,” he advised. “For somebody who has about N2 million to invest, I will say you have to return the money to the bank, you can put it back into savings account. However, if you have up to N15 million, you may wish to invest in treasury bills or go to stock market,” Mbagwu said. There are equally other savings-motivated products being chunked out by banks, which have interest rates, one or two per cent higher than the normal savings rate.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Energy: Gas, power others to boost economy Adeola Yusuf

he 2015 budget, a financial plan on which the year’s appropriation is based, was slashed to N4.357.96 trillion based on the instability in the global oil market. The Federal Government also reviewed economic growth projection from 6.4 per cent to 5.5 per cent in 2015. This year’s budget comprises N2.622 trillion for recurrent expenditure and

N627 billion as capital expenditure, following a downward review of the Medium Term Expenditure framework (MTEF) twice owing to the volatility in oil prices. It will be driven by a projection of 2.278 million barrels per day oil production. The situation in the global oil market has made many analysts to advocate a reduction in government’s spending on oil Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo sector while nonoil-sectors like agriculture should get a boost in investments in 2015. Other measure to curb the negative effects of oil price rout is, according to analysts, for government to remove subsidy on imported refined crude products. Therefore, as the economy faces a tougher time in 2015 unlike in previous year, it will require deft management to pull the nation out of the woods, especially in an election year where public officeholders may be reluctant to exercise the political will to take tough decisions needed to direct the economy on a recovery path. Meanwhile, despite all these, the energy sector has many opportunities for investors who desire return on investments in 2015. These projects include: Gas The gas sector is a prospective money spinner for investors in 2015. The gas, ranging from the natural gas, the liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is needed to fire the thermal plants for the power generation; to augment the cooking experience of Nigeria from fire wood, kerosenepowered stoves and to provide a new fuel of choice for vehicles across the country. Gas reserves in Nigeria is over 187 trillion ft³ (2,800 km³), the only missing link is the dearth of investments to harness these huge resources. The Federal Government, which has done everything to encourage investments in this critical sector, has also increased the gas-to-power price from $1.5 to $2 per million British unit (m mbtu) to meet the international standard and to encourage healthy competition among the investors. Natural gas reserves is well over 187 trillion ft³ (2,800 km³), the gas reserves is three times as substantial as the crude oil reserves. The biggest natural gas initiative is the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas Company, which is operated jointly by several companies and the state. It is pertinent to note that a lot of investment opportunities abound in the natural gas sector of the Nigerian petroleum industry. Increasing attention is now being given to this vital sector. Government’s aspirations for the gas sector include creating new industries out of the old oil industry; capturing economic value and generating as much revenue from gas as from oil by 2010. Others are developing the domestic gas market and ending gas flaring. Power $18 billion investments are expected in the power sector of Nigeria’s economy over the next five years and this volume make this special sector to be a cardinal avenue for investors to make return on investments (ROI). Starting from the generation sub-sector to transmission and distribution, huge opportunities abound in the power sector for investors. Already, there is a huge demand for power in the Nigerian manufacturing sector and the on-going privatisation process in the sector should create influx of foreign investments to both sectors. While the buy-over of National Independent Power Plants (NIPPs) built by the Federal Government is a potent way, the opportunities for investors in the power sector also cover the need to fill a huge gap created by pre-paid meters. Investors with sufficient expertise in recharge

cards technology coupled with a deep pocket also have roles to play in the distribution sub-sector because of the challenges that many customers and users of pre-paid meters are facing whenever they need to recharge their meters. Downstream Nigeria’s total petroleum refining capacity is 445,000 barrels per day (70,700 m3/d), but only less than 240,000 bbl/d (38,000 m3/d) are produced due to the poor state of the four refineries in Nigeria. The four major oil refineries are the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Plant which can process 125,000 barrels (19,900 m3) of crude per day, the New Port Harcourt Refinery which can produce 150,000 barrels per day (24,000 m3/d) (there is also an ‘Old’ Port Harcourt Refinery with negligible production), as well as the now defunct Kaduna Refinery. Upstream/middle stream The upstream sector is the most hit by the oil price rout. However, the Local Content Act of the Federal Government, which is expected to be more potent in 2015, makes investments in the sub-sector to still be a sought after. Projects with over $8 billion profiles are being divested by some international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria and this will expectedly make the sub-sector a beehive of investments activities in 2015. Although winners have emerged for the assets of Shell, contractors of support services for the new owners will be needed and this and many others require investors who have eyes on return on investments.

Aviation: Navigational aids to the rescue Wole Shadare

nvestments in the aviation sector in Nigeria are not guided by the strategic policies of government to achieve rapid economic development that would transform the sector into world standard. Although stakeholders have been asked to show faith in the economy, not much investment had been made despite the several billions of naira said to have been committed to the industry. The airport remodelling project was one area government, for the first time, showed promise of giving the 22 airports across the nation a face-lift. It was one project millions of Nigerians supported because it was the first time government was doing that in over 25 years. Over N40 billion was reported to have been sunk into the project that experts, both at home and abroad, termed, “a sham” because it has not solved the problems they were expected to solve. Delays are still being experienced at virtually all the aerodromes. Investigations by New Telegraph show that only a few of the projects were completed and commissioned while many others are worse than their former state after the ‘remodelling’. Many others were said to have been done with inferior materials as others have been abandoned. Aside that, stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to immediately look at the area of navigational equipment which they said are obsolete and do not give accurate reading to aircraft in flight. For the country’s airspace to be safe, they said government would require

Business | Special Report

Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka

over N50 billion to provide new Instrument Landing System (ILS) for virtually all the airports. A few months ago, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) disclosed that it requires N4 billion to revitalise operational activities in the Navigational Aids Flight Inspections and Surveillance (NAFIS) department, which include acquisition of new aircraft for calibration. For many years, NAMA had engaged the services of ASECNA, a Senegal-based aviation regulatory body, which has continuously helped Nigeria to flight-check her navigational facilities to ensure accurate reading. This has cost the nation several billions of naira and it would have been cheaper had NAMA’s calibration airplanes been serviceable. The new airplane would help to complement the Hawker Siddley (HS) 125 700B calibration airplanes, which has aged and remained grounded, thereby impacting the cost of maintenance and operations. Penultimate week, air traffic controllers under the aegis of National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) alerted the public on the malfunction of the Lagos airport radar. They alleged that the newly installed 64 million Euros radar at the Lagos airport had collapsed. The body under the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), in a statement signed by NATCA President, Victor Eyaru and General Secretary, Olawode Banji, said that the radar popularly referred to as Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) in Lagos had witnessed frequent total collapse in recent times. According to the duo, “in the past four days, it has collapsed totally twice. When any of the equipment fails, the workloads of air traffic controllers and pilots increase and also the level of fatigue, thereby encouraging infringement on air safety.” Meanwhile, an airline operator, Mr. Kayode Odukoya, has urged government to invest greatly on landing aids at the nation’s airports to ensure safety of life and equipment.

Insurance: Scepticism still drives investor confidence Sunday Ojeme

ith a population of over 150 million people, material and natural resources in abundance as well as multi-billion dollars upscale investments spread across the country, the Nigerian insurance sector

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should ordinarily compete among the best, if not globally, but at least find a space at the top among developing economies. Despite the recent rating of the country as having the biggest economy in Africa, the insurance industry remains one of the poorest due to several factors, including the inability of the operators to depart from their comfort zones and design new products to attract clients into their fold. Except for a few, who have recently become proactive by moving with time and trends in market development and strategy, the industry is still bursting with some conservative minds waiting for walk-in customers in a society with low or no disposal income and a poor knowledge of risk transfer benefits. According to records, the Nigerian insurance market is considered the third largest in Africa with over N250 billion gross premium written in 2013, which is still a far cry from what it should be. The major problem remains under penetration as a result of the factors stated above and the failure of the government to implement laws that should compel citizens to embrace insurance especially under the Compulsory Insurance section of the Insurance Act. The neglect of the industry over the years was reflected recently in a call by the Director-General of the umbrella body of the operators, the Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA), Mr. Sunday Thomas, asking the Federal Government to protect public infrastructure through risk transfer mechanism. Thomas said with billions of dollars spent every year to improve transportation, power supply, ports and terminals and energy capabilities, there was need to sustain infrastructure development and transformation initiatives of the nation through insurance. “The insurance industry is a growth driver for other sectors of the economy and a huge potential for direct and indirect labour employment. It is a provider of long-term capital investment needed for infrastruct u r e projects that will help drive a competitive, healthy and robust national economy,” the NIA boss said. To imagine that operators in a sector that Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel had existed for over 50 years are still calling on government to do what should naturally be among its development plans speaks volume of where the sector had been placed over the years. Nevertheless, in recent time, especially over the past four years, a significant growth has been recorded in the sector mainly because of the reforms initiated by the regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), coupled with the will to follow the process to the letter. Prominent and more impactful in this regard is the commission’s initiative regarding the Complaint Bureau set up to ensure insurers no longer play tricks on policyholders, an ugly development that had highly discouraged Nigerians from taking policies. On the strength of the reforms, investors, local and foreign, are beginning to make inroads into the sector, although with utmost caution and scepticism. Only last week, a South African insurer, Liberty Holdings Limited, controlled by Standard Bank Group Limited, announced that it would soon conclude a deal in Nigeria by the end of January. “We have an opportunity we hope to conclude at the end of the month. We are not doing an outright purchase. We are looking for partners,” Thabo Dloti, CEO of the Johannesburg-based company, said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. Liberty’s entrance is coming a few weeks after

French top insurer, AXA, bought a 77 per cent stake in one of Nigeria’s best run underwriting firms, Mansard, a deal seen as a draw-card to other top global operators into the country. Meanwhile, a minimum of 10 foreign interests from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other parts of the world have gone into partnership with local insurance firms to carry out underwriting business in the country and more are still expected. Despite the seeming attraction, intending investors are expected to take into consideration the strength of individual organisation before veering into any form of partnership. On the basis of performance, not many of them have fared any better hence the optimism on the part of who would have entered into an agreement with the local players. Although the Deputy Director, Corporate Strategy, NAICOM, Mr. Babajide Oniwinde, confirmed that more foreign firms were on the lookout for more insurance companies to buy into, it is also expedient for the investors to consider the following in the course of selection: gross premium written over the years, performance at the stock market, which has been dismal over a long period for those publicly quoted, dividend payment overtime, risk bearing capacity, marketing network, ownership structure to ensure firm has no link with proceeds of corruption as well as clean record of infractions.

Pension: PRA as game changer

he pension sector, which hitherto presented a sordid sight as a result of corruption, has recently become the beautiful bride which investors are clamouring to be part of. With assets worth over N4 trillion begging for proper utilisation, asset managers and investment experts have no other option than to struggle to be part of the fund, which has been carefully invested according to the dictates of the revised Pension Reform Act 2014. In 2014 alone, several fora were organised in Nigeria and the United Kingdom with eyes on the fast growing assets and where and how it should be invested. Based on the current arrangement and operational structure, the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have been given the authority to play a major role in the investment decision of the fund under the watchful eyes and regulation of the National Pension Commission. With the revised law opening more windows for investment, investors’ best bet is to forge an agreement with well-established and vibrant PFAs in t h e months ahead.

PenCom DG, Chinelo Anohu Amazu

Photo News

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EDITORIAL Staff of New Telegraph NewspaperS at the Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalism CENTRE’S SEMINAR Held at the company’s Head Office, Ikeja, Lagos, last thursday

Mr. Theophilus Abbah, lecturing the staff at the event

L-R; Managing Director, New Telegraph newspapers, Mr. Eric Osagie; Guest Speaker and Editor in Chief, Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, and another Guest Speaker and Editor, Sunday Trust, Mr. Theophilus Abbah.

Deputy Editor, Sports, Mr. Adekunle Salami, speaking at the event

A cross-section of participants at the event

L-R; Angela Davies; Vanessa Okwara and Dapo Sotuminu

L-R, Chris Ugwu; Flora Onwudiwe and Bayo Akomolafe

L-R; Olusesan Ajibade; Olapade Olapoju and Ebere Ameh

L-R, Godwin Irekhe; Esther Albert and Biwom Iklaki

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Managing Director, New Telegraph newspapers, Mr. Eric Osagie, addressing the staff

L-R: Guest Speaker/Editor in Chief, Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi; National Coordinator, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka; Managing Director, New Telegraph newspaper, Mr. Eric Osagie; Project Officer, British High Commission, Theresa Adeniyi; News Editor, New Telegraph newspaper, Mr. Geoffery Ekenna and Guest Speaker/ Editor, Sunday Trust, Mr. Theophilus Abbah.

Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, addressing the staff at the event

L-R: Emeka Obasi; Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi and Biodun Durojaiye

Godson Ikoro and Tosin Omoniyi

Stanley Ihedigbo and Waheed Bakare

National Coordinator,Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka and Project Officer, British High Commission, Theresa Adeniyi

Segun Edwards and Mojeed Alabi

PHOTOS: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

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L-R: Wife of the General Overseer, Living Faith Church, Mrs. Faith Oyedepo; General Overseer, Pastor David Oyedepo and President Goodluck Jonathan, after the Sunday church service in Otta, Ogun State.

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbseola (left), presenting a gift to International Advisor on Policy and Trade, Mr. Ademola Oduwole, during his visit to the governor in Osogbo.

L-R: Vice Presidential candidate, All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and governorship candidate, Labour Party, Ekiti State, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, at the APC’s presidential rally in Ekiti State.

L-R: Representative of the FCT Minister, Chief Emmanuel Awodu; Director-General, National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam; Chairman, AC Okocha Motors, Chief Andrew Okocha and former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, at the Asaba Development Union, Abuja branch thanksgiving in Abuja.

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Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Olufunso (middle), flanked by the aged to cut his 57th birthday at the fourth edition of Uplifting the Aged, an initiative of the governor’s wife, in Abeokuta.

L-R: Senator Donzella James; Chairperson, Georgia Legislative Back Caucus, Hon. Dee Dawkins-Haigler and founder, Branzuk Ikuli for Social Rehabilitation, Dr. Merit Obua, at the presentation of humanitarian award to Mrs. Obua in Abuja. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

APC National Secretary, Alhaji Mai-Mala Buni; Sen. Danjuma Goje and APC National Treasurer, Bala Gwagwarwa, during party’s gubernatorial campaign in Gombe. PHOTO-NAN

L-R: Director, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Mrs. Olufunke Amba; Executive Director, Oxbridge Tutorial College, Dr. Femi Ogunsanya; Otunba Sore Osibodu and General Editor, The Sun Newspaper, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, at the college’s annual Continuing Education and Counselling fair, in Lagos.

News

Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Ayo Fayose of collecting N2 billion from the Federal Government last December as ecological fund. The party has therefore called on the governor to acknowledge receipt of the money and disclose how it was used. In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Sec-

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APC to Fayose: You have collected N2bn ecological fund retary, Mr. Taiwo Olatubosun, the APC alleged that Ekiti was among the five states that got N2 billion each from the Federal Government on December 30, last year. The APC noted that even though the governor had tried, on many occasions, to deny it, facts available suggest-

The life expectancy of women at age 60 years in Cook Islands in 2001-2006. Source: un.org

ed that he had actually collected the money, saying the governor should tell Ekiti people how he spent the cash. “We want to challenge Governor Fayose to tell Ekiti people how he spent the N2 billion Ekiti ecological fund he collected on December 30, 2014. On that day, N10 billion was

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The projected number of Americans above 65 years with Alzheimer’s in Missouri by 2025. Source: Blatantworld.com

released to five states, among which were Bauchi and Ekiti States; that collected N2 billion each. “Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda, told the people of his state the projects to be executed with the money. Rather than do the same immediately he collected the fund, Governor Fayose jetted out to Dubai

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The percentage of individuals using the internet in Fiji in 2008. Source: Itu.int

for days without any indication that he had gone there officially,” the party alleged. Reacting yesterday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said Olatubosun and the APC were only writing fictions in the name of press releases to criticise the governor.

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The total number of male circumcisions done in Botswana in 2009-2010. Source: Who.int

L-R: Deputy Bursar, Babcock University, Prof. Sunday Owolabi; President/Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Makinde; Director, SunPlus, Elder Mack Tennyson and Vice0President, Financial Administration, Babcock University, Dr. Luke Onuoha, at the closing ceremony of the SunPlus accounting seminar for financial officials of the university in Ogun State…at the weekend.

Fashola to declare 7th South West HoS summit open Muritala Ayinla

agos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, will on Wednesday, declare open the South West Heads of Service (HoS) summit involving six states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. According to a statement issued by the Lagos State Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Oluseyi Williams, the heads of service from the six states will converge on Lagos from tomorrow, January 27 to Friday, January 30, 2015. Williams said the theme of the summit is; “Deepening Capability: Innovations in Service Delivery.” She said the three-day event would provide a forum for the heads of service to discuss issues of mutual interest, share experiences and deliberate on techniques that would further enhance service delivery in the region. The HoS further disclosed that the summit will also avail the top echelon in the states’ public services, the opportunity to interact and compare notes on the series of public service reforms to forge regional integration and chart a new developmental path for the South-West.

Falling oil price: Amosun seeks diversification of economy Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

gun State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Ibikunle Amosun, at the weekend stressed the need for the diversification of the nation’s economy with special focus on agriculture and tourism.

Amosun, who made the call at Maun in Ipokia Local Government, said such diversification became imperative in view of the crash in the price of crude oil in the international market. He said Nigeria needed to shift attention from crude oil as the mainstay of its economy, because current reality has shown that the price of

oil cannot be predicted. The governor expressed regret that the downward slide in oil price has negatively affected the revenue generation of many states. He said: “Oil has continued to fall at the international market. That is bad news for Nigeria, because as we all know, oil is our mainstay. We are compelled now to shift

Adeyeye flays APC over Ekiti Airport promise Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

he Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has described the promise by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to build an airport in Ekiti State if elected in the February elections as “deceit taken too far.” According to him, the Ekiti airport project was initiated in 2009 by the Umaru Yar’Adua government, but was allegedly frustrated by the APC government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi in the

state. The minister was reacting to a statement credited to Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend, during the party’s presidential rally in Ado-Ekiti that the APC government would build an airport in Ekiti State if General Muhammadu Buhari becomes president. However, the minister in a press release in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said such a statement from Aregbesola was a pointer to the fact that the “APC do not have

any knowledge of issues they are boasting to resolve if they come into office.” Adeyeye said: “As at 2010, terrain flight check for site selection had been done, site approval obtained from the Ministry of Aviation, perimeter land survey completed, meteorological data (i.e. Wind-Rose) already obtained from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and Form AC-001 had been collected for completion and submission to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

focus away from oil to agriculture, where we have comparative advantage. “Before oil came, Nigeria survived mainly on agriculture. All the economic wonders performed in Nigeria before independence were products of agriculture. We must go back to it. “With continuous fall in oil price, many states are in trouble and this

is the more reason we must diversify the economy, because revenue of states are already affected by the dwindling fortune in oil production.” The governor, who was in Ipokia in continuation of his re-election campaign tour, assured the people that his administration would develop the agriculture and tourism to improve on the state gov-

ernment’s revenue base. He used the occasion to reiterate the determination of his administration to work towards the exploration of oil in Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government. He promised to address the demands of the community for the establishment of a secondary school and electrification in the area.

Count us out of polls’ postponement –Labour Party Babatope Okeowo Akure

he Labour Party (LP) yesterday faulted its Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Dan Nwayanwu, on the call for the postponement of next month’s general election. The National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who addressed the people in Akure, the Ondo State capital, denied the call for the postponement of the election by its former party chairman, who is now the BoT chairman. Abdusalam said the

statement credited to the party’s former helmsman was a personal opinion that did not represent the position of the party. He said Nwuanyanwu has no right to speak for the party, adding that such sensitive and quality statement should only come from the office of the chairman. Nwuanyawu had, last week, advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the election to enable eligible voters collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). But the LP Chairman, who was flanked by the Na-

tional Secretary of the party, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, said Labour Party was a party of principle and that only the national executive council can decide the position of the party, not an individual. He said: “The issue is very complicated and delicate in such a way that nobody should make any statement on behalf of the party. To alter INEC timetable is not an individual matter. So, the Labour Party has not met with the executives and the stakeholders to consider conclusively whether the timetable presented to Nigerians and the whole world should be amended.

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Obi: Okorocha has failed ARROGANT

Imo gov. gets strictures from exAnambra helmsman Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

ormer governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has berated Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, over what he described as ‘mismanagement of public funds and arrogance,’ which he said has ‘characterised his administration for almost four years’, urging the people to reject him for a second term. He stated this yester-

day at the PDP governorship campaign rally for Chief Emeka Ihedioha, held at Ubomiri, Mbaitoli Council area of Imo State. Obi, who said he was passing through the state on an assignment and decided to identify with the party, urged the people to cast their votes for the PDP, assuring them that the party has all it takes to ensure sustained transformation at all levels of government. He said: “Governor Okorocha has not only shown sheer arrogance, but he has failed Imo people, who elected him as their governor. A governor that insults the President and the leadership of Ohanaeze is not worthy of your votes,” he said.

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“I have known Emeka Ihedioha for several years and I can attest to his humility, honesty and commitment to the development of his people. He has shown the level of love he has for Imo State since he became the deputy speaker. “He has used his position to touch and uplift the living standard of women and youths in their thousands. If he is elected governor, I am very certain that he will do very well.” Speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and governorship candidate of the PDP, Emeka Ihedioha, thanked the former governor for his support and solidarity while reiterating his

readiness to salvage the state from its current comatose state. He called on the electorate to ensure that they collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) from INEC to enable them exercise their franchise and vote President Goodluck Jonathan and all the PDP candidates at all levels. He said: “The crowd here today has heightened my optimism that we have made up our minds to evacuate the failed APC led government in Imo State and install the government that will be responsive and responsible to the electorate. We shall restore all the sacked workers and ensure that jobs are provided for our youths.

Abia APGA's crisis deepens Igbeaku Orji and Peter Osondu

arely a month to the governorship election in Abia State, the crisis of leadership rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has taken a new dimension as the governorship candidate of a faction of the party, Chief Reagan Ufomba, at the weekend, accused Dr. Alex Otti, the party’s standard bearer, of perjury and impersonation. This new development came even as Ufomba also alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is an accomplice in fueling the crisis. Addressing journalists in his country home at Umuogele, Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North in reaction to the allegation of impersonation levelled against him by the Alex Otti Campaign Organisation, Ufomba insisted that Otti is not a member of APGA as stipulated by the party’s constitution. Meanwhile, the party yesterday said Dr. Alex Otti remains its gubernatorial candidate for next month’s general election. This was even as the party alleged distraction from some quarters in the state. Speaking at Umuahia while receiving the running mate of Chief Regan

Ufomba, Chief Uduma Nnate and his supporters back into the APGA family, the acting National ViceChairman, South East and the interim Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Uchenna Okogbuo, said the clarification became necessary because another man has been parading himself as the governorship candidate of the party. According to Okogbuo, “Of particular mention is our brother, Regan Ufomba, he has been going on air, posting posters, bill boards, making comments that Alex Otti is not the candidate of the party. I am today telling you that Otti remains the candidate of APGA for Abia State governorship election, 2015. “We have gone through lots of distractions from people claiming to be candidates of APGA. APGA decided to ignore such people because we know their mission is to distract the good thing APGA in Abia State has come to do for Ndigbo.” Wondering why Ufomba should be trading the path he had chosen, Okogbuo showed newsmen a letter emanating from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicating the rejection of the list of candidates that were not countersigned by Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi.

South-East youths drum support for Jonathan Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

S Former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Peter Obi (right), with Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, during Ihedioha’s governorship campaign rally at St. Mary's Catholic Church Ubomiri, Imo State …at the weekend

‘Destruction of Umeh’s billboards barbaric’ T

he Special Assistant to outgoing National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a frontline contender for the Anambra Central senatorial seat in the National Assembly, Chief Victor Umeh, Mr. Stan Okeke, has described as barbaric, insensitive and the height of political intolerance, the destruction of over 35 state-of-theart billboards belonging to Umeh, spread all over the senatorial district. Reacting to the recent destruction of Umeh's billboards, particularly after the people of Agulu in a rally, declared their unwavering support for Umeh's senatorial bid, Okeke said the destruction of these billboards, goes to show the desperation and character of those pitched

in political battle against Umeh. Okeke said these provocative actions were to lure APGA members into descending to the same level of barbarism, so as to create anarchy and confusion in the polity. “The most unfortunate aspect of these acts of barbarism and foolery is that some of these opponents are not even listed by INEC to contest the February 2015 senatorial election." What this means is that there is a blinded desperation to stop Umeh, who will likely win the election,” Okeke said, adding that in all areas of Anambra Central senatorial district, the people have shown an overwhelming and uncommon support for the candidacy of Victor Umeh,” Okeke concluded.

Kalu promises constituency quality representation Temitope Ogunbanke

he Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) House of Representatives candidate for Aba North/South federal constituency in Abia State, Chief Mascot Kalu, has reiterated his commitment to uplift the people of Aba if elected in next month’s elections. Speaking at the weekend while presenting his manifesto to Aba youths, Kalu, who was a one-time Chief of Staff to Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, admitted that Aba, which used to be the commercial hub of the state had been neglected in the past few years, owing to poor representation at all levels of government. He therefore promised

to impact his constituents positively, if voted in the election. “Being an Aba boy, I know the challenges of the area. I would bring to bear my wealth of experience in the private and public sector to give good representation to our people,” he said. Kalu in his manifesto titled; “My Covenant with Aba North and South people,” promised to attract investors to Aba, to invest and improve the manufacturing industries and restore the name of the city as the Japan of Nigeria, through the production of goods like shoes, cloths, bag, among others. “I will help in enacting laws that will encourage the importation of goods and raw materials since Aba is known for trading," he said.

outh East youths under the auspices of the South East Youths Forum, yesterday drummed support for the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan. The group also expressed optimism about the victory of President Jonathan in next month’s poll. In a street-to-street rally in Abakaliki in support of the re-election bid National President of the forum, Uchechukwu Ekpere, said of all the candidates participating in the election, Jonathan stands tall and will overrun his rivals.

He said the conviction of the forum on Jonathan winning the election was hinged on his performance and called on the electorate to re-elect him, describing his administration as youth-friendly. “We cannot afford to lose such a man that loves the youth, such a man that feels what we feel, such a man that understands our pains; and we will do everything necessary to deliver him. “We are pleading with youths in other regions to join us so that we can move this nation forward. Mr. President is the only president that carries the youths along and we believe that if re-elected he will do more,” Ekpere said.

Ebonyi Labour candidate promises industrialisation Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

he Labour Party standard bearer in Ebonyi State in next month’s general election, Chief Edward Nkwegu, yesterday said he will move the state to the next level if elected. Speaking at a dinner in Abakaliki, Nkwegu said he will ensure rapid industrialisation of the

state, provision of jobs, human capital development and reduction in school fees paid by undergraduates, which he said were very high. He described the candidates of the party as humble, people of honour and integrity, who can sacrifice their wealth for the development of the state, promising to fulfill all his campaign promises if elected.

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH - SOUTH

Boko Haram, punishment for ceding Bakassi — Monarch Clement James CALABAR

or ceding the Bakassi Peninsular to Cameroon, God is using Boko Haram to visit mayhem on Nigeria, according to the Paramount ruler of Bakassi, Etinyin Etim Okon Edet. Edet, who is also the

Edo sacks two commissioners, appoints four

Chairman of the Cross River State Council of Chiefs, spoke yesterday in Calabar, while responding to the issue of Boko Haram in the North East of the country. He said the country brought injustice to his people and thereafter, abandoned them to their fate and God decided to step in on behalf of his people. He said: “Even if they bring the best set of armies in the world to

fight, it would not stop. It is a spiritual thing. It goes beyond the physical. People keep saying that the ‘thought of God is good and not evil to lead us to a good end’. I believe that God also has evil thought of punishment to the recalcitrant. Was it not God who sent His evil spirit to torment Saul in the Holy Bible?” He said God was on the side of the Bakassi people; that was why Boko Haram is tormenting both Nige-

ria and Cameroun and no amount of sophisticated weapons will end Boko Haram until justice is done to Bakassi. “Today, Cameroun is affected by Boko Haram because they took over what did not belong to them. The day justice is done to Bakassi people, Boko Haram would stop. God is the God of justice. Boko Haram will continue to unleash mayhem on Nigeria and Cameroun. Do you know why? Injustice

has been done to the people of Bakassi. The area was ceded without giving the people option of deciding where they want to belong to,” the Monarch enthused. He added; "The people are being killed in their numbers by Camerounian Gendarmes daily. In Nigeria here, the displaced people have been abandoned to their fate. They are roaming hopelessly and crying for a place to be called their own.”

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

do State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has announced the sack of two of his Commissioners. They are Hon. Orobosa Omo-Ojo, former Commissioner for Transport and Hon. Donald Osikhena-Boih, former Commissioner for Lands and Survey respectively. Oshiomhole, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Prince Kassim Afegbua and made available to newsmen in Benin, the state capital also disclosed the nomination of four new commissionerdesignates to occupy the vacant seats and for fresh positions. The new Commissioners-designate are: Hon. Joseph Ayegbeni Ugheoke, Mr. Kenneth Edebiri; Mr. Saturday Idehen Uwulekhue and Mr Prestly Ediagboya. The governor, in the statement, also approved the appointment of two Deputy Chiefs of Staff.

Delta abandons projects Joe Obende WARRI

ith less than five months to the end of the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan dispensation in Delta State, it is abundantly clear that several projects will be left abandoned. The Warri - Salvation - Ode Itsekiri Road, from all indications has become completely abandoned with work not attaining 10 per cent completion. The Effurun Roundabout fly over bridge, which the government promised would be ready for use by last December is only about 70 per cent completed in January.

L-R: Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; APC candidate for House of Representatives, Uhunwode/Orhiomwon Federal Constituency, Hon. Patrick Aisowieren; APC House of Assembly candidate, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie and APC senatorial candidate, Edo South, Hon. Samson Osagie, at a rally of the All Progressives Congress at Ehor…at the weekend

Emerhor alleges plot to shift elections CAMPAIGN

Guber candidate alleges that the PDP is jittery of February elections Gabriel Choba UGHELLI

he Delta State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, at the weekend accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of plotting to shift the forthcoming general election. He said that they were afraid that APC has

taken hold of the entire 36 states of the country. Emerhor, who stated this during his campaign flag-off at Orerokpe in Okpe Local Government Area, said the PDP was afraid of APC’s strong hold and victory from the Presidential to the governorship and House of Assemblies. He said: “PDP initially boosted that they will rule for 100 years, but God said no. God has opened the Red Sea and they (PDP) have fallen inside; now PDP is begging for postponement of the February polls because they know we have already won. We say no, to postponement of the elec-

tion. We have just 14 days to take over the Presidency and National Assembly. So, all their plot to shift the election has failed.” On the governorship position of Delta State, Emerhor reaffirmed that there was no other person who best fits the government house except him, adding that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, governorship candidate of the PDP has failed Deltans for 16years. “Okowa is from the same structure of failures and he has done nothing because he has no ideas. I am coming from a business background and that is part of what I am bringing to bear in Delta State.

Oshiomhole mourns Benin priest, Ogbomwan Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

overnor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State yesterday expressed his condolences to the Archbishop of Benin Catholic Diocese, Dr Augustine Obiora Akubeze, and the entire Catholic Church in the state and

Nigeria on the death of Reverend Father Festus Ogbomwan. Fr. Ogbomwan, until his death on Saturday, was the Parish Priest of St Gabriel’s Catholic Church, Benin City. Oshiomhole, in a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, described the priest's death

as shocking and a colossal loss to the entire nation. He said: “My Lord, it is with a very heavy heart that I write to commiserate with you, the Catholic Church and indeed the Christian family on the death of our Reverend Father, Festus Ogbomwan, whose transition to glory came to me as a rude shock.”

Continuing, Edet said; “The people were not conquered in any form of war by Cameroon and yet they are being treated as spoils of war, brutalized and dehumanized. The welfare and security of the people should be the paramount duty of government but in our case, it is not. Has justice been done in our case? Have they not infringed on our right?” The Monarch explained further that prior to the International Court of Justice, ICJ, judgment of 2002; there was no Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy or any serious insecurity issue in the country. His words: “Now, the question we are asking is: Was there Boko Haram before the ceding of Bakassi? Was there militancy in the Niger Delta before the ceding of Bakassi? Was there serious piracy on Calabar waterway and Gulf of Guinea generally before the ceding of Bakassi? The answer will be no, no and no.” Insisting that the military will not win the Boko Haram war, Edet said; “Look at it this way. Our own very Nigerian military that used to go out to other countries to gallantly liberate them from the scourge of insurgency has suddenly lost power to confront Boko Haram. This is because the weapons of that warfare can never be carnal.”

Delta PDP chieftains join AP, SDP, APC Dominic Adewole ASABA

he future of the Peoples Democratic Party has again dwindled in Delta State. Another batch of the party members again defected to the Accord Party (AP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Among them was a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Doris Uboh and a former member of the state’s House of Assembly, Kingsley Nonye Philips. While Nonye Philips dumped PDP for SDP to contest Ika seat at the state’s House of Assembly, Uboh, who represented Ika Federal Constituency between 2007and 2011 and lost her bid for the Delta North Senatorial seat in the just concluded PDP primary election, dumped the party to contest Ika Federal Constituency under the Accord Party. Hon. Halim Agoda, who was in the Federal House of Representatives before now has also defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as

the former Director-General of the Direct Labour Agency (DLA), Chief Ngozi Okolie, who lost his bid to clinch the ticket of the party for Aniocha/ Oshimili Federal constituency, has teamed up with Ochei in the Accord Party. The New Telegraph gathered in Asaba yesterday that “Uboh, Okolie and Nonye Philips felt cheated during the party’s primary election last year and decided to pitch tent with the opposition parties.” This came barely two weeks after the former Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, decamped to the Accord Party to contest Delta North Senatorial seat against the former state chairman of the party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, after losing his governorship bid to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. Ovie Omo-Agege, the former Secretary to State Government (SSG) to former Governor James Onanefe Ibori, also teamed up with Chief Great Ogboru in the Labour Party (LP) for his Delta Central Senatorial ambition.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

News 49

NORTH

We will defeat Buhari, says Jigawa PDP Muhammad Kabir Kano

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State has said that the party will defeat General Muhammadu Buhari in next week’s general election. It said: “Just as we have been defeating Buhari in all other elections,’ the PDP will do it

342.6m

The estimated total population of Eastern Africa in 2010. Source: Un.org

again this time.” The party’s former Secretary, Ali Muhammad Gantsa, said: “We have never allowed General Muhammadu Buhari win Jigawa in all the previous elections, now we are going to give him yet another fight of his life, and he will surely loose again.” Similarly, even with the waves of defection from one party to anoth-

er, based on geographical location, the Jigawa State PDP has said that they would rather lose the general election than to leave the party to the opposition APC. This stand of the party was handed down by Gantsa while briefing newsmen at the Kano Press Center at the weekend. He said they are in support of President

The number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that accounts for 90% of global malaria deaths. Source: Nigeria.usembassy.gov

Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection bid, because they are democrats, who practices democracy without recourse to tribal and religious sentiments. Gantsa said: “We are more of ideologies and democrats in Jigawa State, unlike those socalled politicians, who have turned the system into a business undertaking and are out to

12.78

make profit. Even if we lose the elections, we have no any other party to go to than the PDP.” Just like his boss, Governor Sule Lamido, Gantsa, said they are in the PDP forever and they would never allow any other party to have its way in the state, which is why they will make sure that they defeat Buhari and elect Jonathan in February.

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions The crude death rate of Latin Amerper 100 inhabitants of Azerbaijan in 2005. ica and Caribbean in 2010-2015. Source: Itu.int Source: Un.org

L-R: Executive Secretary, Tetfund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro; Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission, Mr. Johnkennedy Okpara; President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Orisejafor, at the CAN President’s special prayer rally for the land in Tafawa Balewa LGA, Bauchi State …at the weekend

Police task Kwara residents on Jonathan’s visit Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

wara State Police Commissioner, Mr. Garuba Salihu, yesterday called on political stakeholders and residents of Kwara State to accord President Goodluck Jonathan due respect as he makes his campaign stop in Ilorin, the state capital, today. Although, he refused to disclose the strength of the command to be deployed for the president’s visit, the commissioner said he was not leaving anything to chance. “Our people should give the President the respect he deserves as he comes on the visit,” the police boss said. But Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the former governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, urged youths in the state not to be deceived by the Peoples Democratic Party’s sweet talks. The duo spoke at

the weekend during a campaign rally in Iponrin in Ilorin East Local Government of the state. Saraki, currently representing Kwara Central in the National Assembly, told his supporters that President Jonathan’s government has failed Nigerians in all ramifications. He said: “I urge you all to vote for General Muhammad Buhari at the presidential poll. He will not embezzle your funds. “The retired general will bail us out of our current endemic corruption, insecurity and economic woes. All these are the problems we saw coming then that made us call it quits with the sinking PDP. PDP’s engine has knocked down. “Buhari is the only president, if elected that can retrieve our stolen funds for the creation of jobs for the country’s unemployed youths,” Saraki said.

Katsina spends N800m on CCT programme Ahmed Mohammed Katsina

he Katsina State government has spent N800 million in assisting 9, 059 primary schoolgirls under the Cash Conditional Transfer (CCT) programme of the state. The Special Adviser on Girl-Child Education, Hajiya Bilkisu Mohammed Kaikai, stated this while addressing newsmen over the weekend in Katsina. She said the assistance was conducted as a pilot programme within three years with the aim of improving girl-child school enrolment at selected nine local government areas of the state. According to her, the girls from poor family background were selected as the target beneficiaries from 155 primary schools after assessing the financial standard of their parents, saying 547 families have benefited from the scheme. Kaikai said, each of the benefitting girls received N60, 000 from December 2011 to December 2014, saying N5, 000 was also given to each of the girls during 12 rounds of disbursement conducted. She said the programme was conducted on schedule with 100 per cent achievement on school enrolment and attendance, saying each of the benefitting girls recorded 80 per cent attendance for three years.

ACF calls for peace pact in Kaduna Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

he Kaduna State chapter of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on all political parties in the state to sign a peace accord that would ensure violence-free elections next month. In a communique issued yesterday, the forum said it came up with this suggestion against the backdrop of inciting

remarks by politicians and the destruction of opponents’ posters and vehicles in the state. The communiqué, which was issued after a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on peaceful 2015 election, also called on relevant stakeholders to adhere strictly to the political parties Code of Conduct 2013. ACF advised candidates of political parties to refrain from abusive languages or any action

that may cause disaffection during campaigns. The forum also called on all security agencies to live above board during the coming elections. “It was unanimously adopted that the basis for peace during elections is to conduct free, fair and credible elections as we all have responsibility as stakeholders to ensure that the 2015 general election is peaceful, free and fair,” the communique noted.

INEC should ensure that votes are counted and announced on the spot, ACF said, just as it advised youths not to allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians to perpetrate violence. The communiqué also called on traditional institutions, religious leaders, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to preach peace, tolerance and embark on voter education to ensure a hitch-free poll.

Ahmed, Ajibola, others sign peace pact in Kwara Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

olitical parties and their guber natorial candidates in next month’s general election in Kwara State yesterday signed an accord for peaceful conduct during the elections. The peace agreement, dubbed; “Ilorin Accord,” was signed by 15 parties

and their candidates out of the 16 expected to take part in the elections. Labour Party was the only party that was absent at the event, which took place at INEC headquarters in Ilorin. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo, described the event as the first of its kind after a similar exer-

cise at the national level. Kwara State governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji AbduFattah Ahmed and his counterparts from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Simon Ajibola, who had earlier embraced one another to the delight of all, pledged their support to the initiative. Ahmed asked the or-

ganisers of the event to replicate the accord at the local government level as he noted that without peace credible elections would be impossible. The signatories also pledged to ensure that their supporters follow the same pledge they had made towards the peaceful conduct of the elections.

50 WORLD | News

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

US, India reach deal on nuclear trade

n a glow of bonhomie, U S President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a deal aimed at unlocking billions of dollars in nuclear trade, a step that both sides hope will help establish an enduring strategic partnership. The two countries reached an understanding on two issues that, despite a groundbreaking 2006 agreement, had stopped U S companies from

setting up reactors in India and became one of the major irritants in bilateral ties. "We are committed to moving towards full implementation," Obama told a joint news conference with Modi after he arrived in the Indian capital in a state visit. "This is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship." The new deal resolved differences over the liability of suppliers to India in the event

of a nuclear accident and U.S. demands on tracking the whereabouts of material supplied to the country, U S ambassador to India Richard Verma told reporters. "Ultimately it's up to the companies to go forward, but the two governments came to an understanding," he added. Signaling his determination to take ties to a higher level, Modi broke with protocol to meet and bear-hug Obama as he landed in New

Delhi earlier in the day. It was a remarkable spectacle given that, just a year ago, Modi was persona non grata in Washington and denied a visa to the United States. After a working lunch that included kebabs made with lotus stem, figs and spices, the two leaders got down to talks. They emerged with deals on defense cooperation that included the joint production of drone aircraft and equipment for Lockheed Martin Corp's C-130 military transport plane. They agreed to a number of financing initiatives aimed at helping India increase its use of renewable energy. But Modi cautioned that work was still needed to create a

solid partnership between the world's two largest democracies. "We have to convert a good start into lasting progress. This requires translating our vision into sustained action and concrete achievements," he said, standing next to Obama. Earlier, the two leaders walked and talked together in an elegant garden and sat outside over tea. Modi, who sold tea on a railway platform as a child, poured a cup for Obama. By today, Obama will be the first U S president to attend India's Republic Day parade, an annual show of military might long associated with the anti-Americanism of the Cold War, and will host a radio show with Modi.

Japan condemns 'outrageous' hostage murder

P U S President Barrack Obama arriving New Delhi yesterday for a three day visit.

Libyan deputy foreign minister kidnapped

security official says gunmen have kidnapped the deputy foreign minister of Libya's internationally-recognized government in the eastern city of Bayda. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journal-

ists, said gunmen disguised in police uniforms seized Hassan al-Sagheer from his hotel at dawn, taking him to an unknown location. The identities and demands of the kidnappers were not immediately clear. Libya's elected parliament was forced to relocate to the fareastern city of Tobruk after Is-

lamist-allied militias took over the country's capital, Tripoli, and the second-largest city of Benghazi. The internationally-recognized Cabinet meets in Bayda. Libya is going through its worst spasm of violence since the ouster and killing of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Greeks vote in crucial poll

reeks voted yesterday in an election expected to bring to power the radical leftist Syriza party, which has pledged to take on international lenders and roll back painful austerity measures imposed during years of economic crisis. Barring a huge upset, Syriza, which has led opinion polls for months, will be the biggest party and aims to form the first euro zone government openly committed to cancelling the austerity terms of its EU and IMF-backed bailout program. "In Greece, democracy will return," the party's 40-year-old leader Alexis Tsipras told a throng of cameras as he voted in Athens. "The message is that our common future in Europe is not the future of austerity." A Syriza win would represent another turning point for Europe after last week's announcement by the European Central Bank of a massive injection of cash into the bloc's flagging economy after years of trying to clamp down on budgets and pushing countries to

pass structural reforms. Polls close at 7 p.m. (1200 ET), with 9.8 million Greeks eligible to vote. An exit poll is expected immediately after voting ends, with the first official projections due at 9.30 p.m. with results updated into the night. While Syriza is expected to form the biggest group in the 300-seat parliament, it is unclear if it will be able to govern alone or have to form a coalition with a smaller party. Final polls on Friday gave the party a lead of up to 6.7 points with 31.2-33.4 percent of the vote, slightly under the level needed for an outright victory. However the final result could hinge on whether it can convince enough voters that it can keep Greece on a sustainable course, with many wary of idealistic promises. "I voted for a small party to force them all to collaborate, get us back to growth and keep us in the euro," said Christos Mousouris, 52, a civil engineer. "People should be realists and not believe in fairy tales." Syriza appeared to be widening the gap in the final days

of campaigning over the center New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who appealed to undecided voters to ensure Greece stays on the path of stability and reforms. "Today we are deciding if we move ahead with power, safety and confidence or if we get into an adventure," Samaras said after voting in the western Pelopponese region. After its most severe crisis since the fall of the military junta in 1974, Greece's economy has shrunk by some 25 percent, thousands of businesses have closed, wages and pensions have been slashed and unemployment among youth is over 50 percent. At the same time, its massive public debt has climbed from 146 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 to 175.5 percent last year, the second highest in the world. Greece's economy last year emerged from recession for the first time in six years and unemployment has begun to come down slightly, but it may be years before the country recovers.

rime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday branded the murder of a Japanese hostage by Islamic State militants as "outrageous and unforgivable" and demanded the immediate release of a second captive, amid a tide of global revulsion. The apparent beheading of self-employed security contractor Haruna Yukawa was announced in a video generally agreed to be credible, and appeared to mark a grave turn of events in a crisis that has gripped Japan for nearly a week. "Such an act of terrorism is outrageous and unforgivable," Abe told broadcaster NHK. "I condemn it strongly and resolutely," he said, calling for the immediate freeing of Yukawa's fellow captive, freelance journalist Kenji Goto. In a city outside Tokyo, Shoichi Yukawa told of the horror he had felt when he learnt that threats to kill his son had been carried out. "I thought 'Ah, this finally happened' and was filled with regret," he said. "I went totally blank, I was only sorry... I had no words," he said. "In my mind I wish very much that this wasn't true." U S President Barack Obama led

the worldwide condemnation of what he called the "brutal murder". Obama, who arrived in New Delhi Sunday for a three-day visit, telephoned Abe from the Indian capital "to offer condolences for the murder... and to convey solidarity with the Japanese people", said a White House statement. British Prime Minister David Cameron decried the Islamic State movement's "murderous barbarity", and French President Francois Hollande labelled it a "barbaric assassination". Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbot called it "an absolute atrocity" carried out by a "death cult". Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the killing as "an odious crime". EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the beheading "is yet another demonstration that this organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideology and actions are in breach of all universally recognised values and rights". Japan was continuing to analyse the images released overnight to confirm the authenticity of the video, said Abe, but he acknowledged it appeared credible.

South Africa shaken by anti-immigrant riots

outh African authorities have re-established order for now in Soweto and other Johannesburg townships, after a week of looting of foreign-owned shops and violence in which four people were killed. The 19-year-old mother of an infant who died after being trampled by a mob during the looting said she was accidentally caught in the street chaos. Some witnesses, however, said the mother was herself pillaging when she was knocked down with her baby strapped to her chest.

The dispute about the baby boy, Nqobile Majozi, echoes conflicting stories about what motivated some of the worst unrest in Soweto and nearby areas since protests swept the same districts before white racist rule ended in 1994. The casualty toll was higher during mass rallies and bloody, apartheid-era crackdowns, but the new upheaval raises concer ns about anti-immigrant sentiment, the frustration of the poor and the gover nment's handling of social tensions.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY,JANUARY 26, 2015

International Sport

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AFCON 2015

West Brom boss hails ‘unfit’ Anichebe

Mourinho vows Chelsea will bounce back

DR Congo, Tunisia battle for quarterfinal ticket

Sport

Did you know? That Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham are the only teams to have competed in every EPL season

Australia open: Nadal, Berdych for quarters

afael Nadal will face Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after both men enjoyed comfortable victories in the fourth round on Sunday. Nadal had to save six break points in the opening set before easing to a 7-5 6-1 6-4 victory over 14th seed Kevin Anderson, while Berdych saw off home hope Bernard Tomic 6-2 7-6 6-2. Third seed Nadal admitted he thought of quitting during his second round match with American Tim Smyczek on Wednesday, with the Spaniard suffering from dizzi-

ness and nausea as he fell two sets to one behind. However, the nine-time French Open champion dug deep to battle back and win in five sets and looks to be working his way back to form and full fitness after the latter half of 2014 was ruined by a wrist injury and appendicitis. The 28-year-old had to save a break point in the fifth game of the first set and five more in the 11th before finally getting a chance to break the big-hitting Anderson, who netted a simple volley to give

Nwosu

Charles Ogundiya

Nadal the set. From that point there was only going to be one winner and Berdych will have to improve his dreadful record against Nadal to reach the semifinals in Melbourne for the second year running. Nadal has an 18-3 record against the seventh seeded Czech, who won three of their first four meetings but has lost the last 17 in a row. “It’s very special to be in the quarter-finals after a tough period of time for me, it’s a fantastic result,” Nadal said. Berdych, a semi-finalist

Nadal

Keshi deserves another chance – Nwosu his lessons. The former ACB of Lagos player further said that Nigerians should judge Keshi on his performance when he first

ormer international, Henry Nwosu, has called on Nigerians to give estranged Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, another chance as the national team coach. Speaking with New Telegraph over the weekend, Nwosu said the coach should be given a new contract for continuity sake as he would have learnt

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Editor, Sports

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sports Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sports Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sports Correspondent

last year, had too much power for the 66th-ranked Tomic as he reached the quarter-finals for the third straight year without losing a set. “Every time I play here I’m able to bring something special, something more,” he said. “I was feeling good on the court. It’s not easy, the crowd was great but they’re on the other side. “I’m not complaining about it, but I’m just saying that was the setup of today’s match. I’m happy with the way I handled it and glad to be in the quarter-finals.”

Ik Uche (right) in action for Super Eagles

took over the team, blaming his failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, currently going on in Equatorial Guinea, partly on the crisis that engulfed the

football house during the qualifiers. “So many coaches have failed in the past and were given opportunities to redeem themselves. I will advise all Nigerians to give Keshi another opportunity and support the Nigeria Football Federation on their plans to give Keshi a new contract. “We should not forget that the crisis in the football house also contributed to the inability of the team to qualify for the AFCON. “We cannot run away from the fact that Keshi is coming back and he will need everyone’s support to achieve success this time around. His assistant Daniel Amokachi is just holding forth for him. “When he (Keshi) first came, barely a year later he won the Nations Cup for the country after so many years in the wilderness. Yes, he failed to qualify us for the ongoing AFCON and I am sure he has learnt his lessons. But I want us to allow him to continue,” he said. The former Super Eagles captain however called on the NFF to hasten the process of offering Keshi a new contract as the qualifiers for the 2017 AFCON and the 2018 World Cup would soon commence, even as he expressed his happiness on the relative peace that has been enjoyed in the football house in recent time. He said: “I am happy that calm has returned to the NFF. Let us support the current leadership of the NFF, as they continue to rebuild Nigerian football.”

SPORT

MONDAY,JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

West Brom boss hails ‘unfit’ Anichebe

Amuneke optimistic about Eaglets despite draw

Emmanuel Tobi

est Brom manager Tony Pulis has showered encomiums on Victor Anichebe following the Nigeria international’s heroics in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Birmingham City even as he revealed that the striker is yet to attain the fitness level required to play consistently for the Premier League side. Anichebe struck

Ifeanyi Ibeh

olden Eaglets’ Head Coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has expressed optimism about his side’s chances at next month’s African U-17 Championship in Niger despite Saturday’s uninspiring draw against Ace Football Academy. The Golden Eaglets, as part of their preparations for the African U-17 Championship, on Saturday at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project in Abuja, played out a 1-1 draw with the Kaduna-based academy. Although the Golden Eaglets opened scoring in the encounter Anichebe courtesy of a first half penalty by Christian Charles, they were second best for the greater part of the encounter and were fortunate to emerge from the game with a draw. Amuneke however left out most of his regulars as he opted to start ootball’s world body, FIFA, has sethe game with a collection of fringe lected the Secretary of the NFF players some of whom were recent- Security Committee, Dr. Christian ly promoted from the national U-15 Emeruwa, as a Security Officer for team in order to assess their state of the global organisation. readiness for the continental tourIn a mail sent to Emeruwa on nament which gets underway on Wednesday, the world body said: “We are pleased to announce that February 15. “I intentionally started this match you have been selected to assist our with many of our fringe players in security team as ‘junior’ FSO (FIFA order to see how they can collective- Security Officer) and would like to ly cope,” said Amuneke.” But Ace propose the following assignment: really gave us a good test and we can FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand now judge some of these youngsters 2015.” better.” Emeruwa, who has a doctorate The 1994 African Player of the degree in administration and organYear added: “I think they were bet- isation of sports, from the Departter than us especially in the first half ment of Human Kinetics and Health but we are not discouraged about the Education, University of Ibadan, is performance of some of our play- also the special assistant to the NFF ers. Now, we are gradually having General Secretary, Musa Amadu. A fellow of the Institute of Sports a clearer picture of what our team would look like in Niger.” Management, Emeruwa joined the The 11th edition of the African NFF in 2007 as a sports officer and U-17 Championship will be held in also served as personal assistant to Niger from February 15 to March 1. then General Secretary, Dr. Bolaji And the Golden Eaglets will compete Ojo-Oba. He is now Assistant Chief out of Group A along with Niger, Sports Officer, but has also earned Guinea and Zambia. plaudits for his work as secretary of the NFF Security Committee.

IfeanyiIbeh

lying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, is confident he would have a team capable of securing a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand by the time the African Youth Championship gets underway in Senegal. The AYC takes place in the West African nation from March 8 to 22 in Senegal and the Flying Eagles will be up against the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire and Congo in Group A. The top two teams from the group qualify automatically for the World Cup alongside the two top placed teams in Group B comprising of Mali, Zambia, South Africa and Ghana. Manu, whose side is currently taking part in the Super Four tournament in Abuja, where they defeated two-time former African champions, Enyimba, 2-0 in Saturday’s opening round of matches, is of the opinion that the Flying Eagles still have some way to go before they are capable of taking on the rest of the continent in Senegal. But the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winning coach is also confident that he and his technical crew will have the players ready to take on any side by the time they get to take on the Senegalese in the opening game of the AYC on March 8. “We are not yet at the level I want,” said Manu. “We are still missing a lot of chances. We are creating a lot of them, which is a good thing, but we are also bungling a lot of them.” He added: “I don’t expect us to convert every chance that we create in a match; that rarely happens at the top level. But we should be able to test the opposition goal-

NFF congratulates Oshoala,Udoh

Oshoala

he Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated the duo of African Woman Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala and FIFA-badged referee Ferdinand Udoh over the recent strides they made in their respective careers. Twenty-year-old Oshoala, MVP of the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada and the African Women Championship in Namibia, signed a professional contract with Liverpool Ladies FC of England, while 28-yearold Udoh, who became a FIFA-badged referee in 2013, has been selected by the Confederation of African Football as

has been done, you’d love to have him for preseason and get him fit. “He is a good lad and is one of those if you sit down and talk to him he’s responsive. We have to get him a bit fitter.” Anichebe, who has now scored three goals for the Baggies in the four games he has featured since Pulis took over, has battled groin problems this season and was in the United States last November in an effort to improve his fitness.

Flying Eagles will be ready for AYC –Manu

FIFA names Emeruwa security officer

one of the referees for the 11th African U-17 Championship taking place in Niger from February 15 to March 1. NFF Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, in a congratulatory message said: “The NFF is happy with the selection of Ferdinand Udoh for the African U-17 Championship in Niger. This underscores that the integrated efforts we are making for the general improvement of refereeing in Nigeria has not gone unnoticed by the organisations that matter. “For some years now, we have not had a Nigerian centre referee at major competitions. Now, Udoh is starting with the U-17, which we know is a stepping stone to further glory and much greater glory. Let me reiterate that our objective is to see a Nigerian referee, or referees, officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. “We congratulate Oshoala who is definitely the new poster girl of Nigeria’s women football. Her contract with Liverpool Ladies will certainly encourage her mates in the national team to also put in more efforts to attract the attention of the best clubs in the world.”

twice in the first half as West Brom defeated Birmingham City 2-1 at St Andrew’s to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup. And Pulis said: “I don’t think anyone has ever questioned Victor’s ability, the big thing is keeping him fit and getting him fit. He is still nowhere near and if you get him to that level I’m sure he’d be unplayable at times. “We are coming in halfway through a season so most of the work

keeper more often than we are currently doing.” The attack isn’t the only department Manu is keen on improving ahead of the AYC as he also feels a need to further improve his team’s ability to defend better as a unit. This is irrespective of the fact that the Flying Eagles have let in less than a handful of goals in the over 20 friendly games they have been involved in since the conclusion of the AYC qualifiers back in August 2014. “We have not conceded a lot but we cannot start comparing the level of the opposition in some of those friendly matches with what we would be facing at the AYC,” said Manu, whose side conceded just a goal in the qualifiers for the AYC, in a 4-1 win over Tanzania in Kaduna. “It is not going to be a stroll in the park in Senegal and that is why we have to be ready for any eventuality. “All the teams that will be coming (to the AYC) want to go to the World Cup so we have to make sure we are ready by the time the competition starts,” he added.

Manu

Sportsmen move for Jonathan

n assembly of top sports stars and personalities across the country and from various sports has expressed faith in the transformation programme of President Goodluck Jonathan especially with regards to sports. The assembly which converged at the National Stadium, Lagos, during the weekend included leading Nigerian Olympians, ex-internationals, elite and grassroots coaches across various sports, athletes and players representatives, club managers, sports administrators and sports supporters group. In a communiqué jointly signed by various segment leaders of the group compris-

ing Henry Amike, President of the Nigerian Olympians Association; Enefiok Udo-Obong, Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist; Yusuf Alli, former African and current Nigerian long jump record holder; Peter Rufai, Clement Temile, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo of the Supporters’ Club, Prince Are Feyisetan, national coach in Powerlifting and Special Sports; Babatunde Popoola, Uche Ugwu of the Grassroots Coaches Association among others, the sports community noted that “President Jonathan has demonstrated a unique commitment to the development of sports and has performed creditably well.” In consideration of the nota-

tions, the group said they “verily believe that a second term for President Jonathan is necessary for the continuity of the transformation and progress in Nigerian sports” and accordingly resolved to endorse and support his re-election. Conveners of the group also include former African track queen, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi; Olympic quarter-mile relay medallist, Falilat Ogunkoya; Henry Nwosu, Joe Erico, Jerry Okorodudu, Gabriel Okon, Thomas Aroko, Bernard Joman, Ado Maude, Lawrence Adegbeingbe, Olawale Shittu, Femi Emmanuel among other notable sports stars and veterans.

International Sport 53

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY,JANUARY 26, 2015

Mourinho vows Chelsea will bounce back

ose Mourinho insists Chelsea will quickly recover from their humiliating FA Cup exit against third-tier Bradford because most of his star players missed the stunning fourth round defeat. Mourinho suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats of his career as the Premier League leaders squandered a two-goal lead in their 4-2 loss at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Chelsea’s first defeat to lower-league opposition since 2008 ended their bid to win all four of the major trophies on offer this season and left Blues boss Mourinho admitting he was ashamed of the performance. Mourinho believes most of his players should not carry any scars from the Bradford defeat as he made eight changes against the League One side, with Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas

Pogba will make history, says Pirlo

Chelsea players hang their heads following their stunning 4-2 defeat to Bradford in FA Cup

Ronaldo apologises over red card

ristiano Ronaldo has issued an apology after being sent off for lashing out at an opponent towards the end of Real Madrid’s La Liga match at Cordoba. The two-time reigning world player of the year was shown a straight red card in the 84th minute for kick-

ing out at Cordoba defender Edimar. Ronaldo, who could have been dismissed minutes earlier after punching defender Ivan Crespo only for the incident to go unnoticed by referee Alejandro Hernandez, took to Twitter after the match to say sorry.

Transfer News Mancini wants Yaya Toure at Inter

nter Milan manager Roberto Mancini has hinted he may make a move for unsettled Ronaldo Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, a player he brought to the Etihad in 2010. Mancini was in charge of City when they signed Toure from Barcelona five years ago, and Toure has since established himself as one of the finest players ndy Murray secured his in the Premier League. 16th consecutive grand “I wanted him at City so he’s a player I know slam quarter-final appearpretty well,” he said. “He’s one of the best footballers ance on Sunday with a rollin the world but he belongs to City at the moment. ercoaster victory over Grigor “I don’t know what might happen in future but I can say that Inter have a big enough appeal to attract players of that calibre. Dimitrov in the fourth round of the Australia Open. The 27-year-old looked set to be dragged into a decider when Dimitrov led 5-2 in the fourth uventus may currently enjoy a conset, but won the next five games siderable advantage over Roma at to complete a 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 7-5 the top of Serie A but they’re already success in just over three and a keen to further bolster their strikehalf hours. force for another title assault. The thrilling contest started According to Sunday’s edition of on Sunday evening local time Tuttosport, Juve director general Gibut fittingly stretched into the useppe Marotta is weighing up a move first hour of Australia Day, with for PSG’s Edinson Cavani in the summer. Murray now set on improving The Uruguayan has scored 15 goals in 28 matches this his perfect 10-0 record against season so far and would certainly be an impressive adAustralian players at tour level dition to Juve’s front line if they can stump up the cash. when he takes on home favourite Nick Kyrgios for a place in

Pogba

And Pirlo, who has partnered Pogba in midfield for two and a half years, has predicted greatness awaits the young Juve star should he continue progressing at his current rate. “Pogba has never stopped improving,” the veteran Italian told Telefoot. “He has everything to become a great player. If he keeps his head on his shoulders, he can make history.”

Aussie Open: Murray marches on

the semi-finals on Tuesday. The 19-year-old had earlier saved a match point as he came from two sets down to beat Roger Federer’s conqueror Andreas Seppi 8-6 in the fifth set.

Juve plot Cavani swoop

Essien rejects QPR move

ichael Essien has snubbed a move to QPR – as he could not stomach playing for Chelsea’s west London rivals. The former Blues star has also turned down West Brom as he seeks a new club in Europe. Ghana midfielder Essien, 32, spent nine years with Chelsea before joining AC Milan a year ago and will be out of contract t h i s summer. His agent Fabien Piveteau said: “Essien doesn’t want to play in the Premier League for a different side to his old club Chelsea.”

orussia Dortmund were left sweating on the fitness of Ilkay Gundogan after he limped out of their 1-1 friendly draw with Fortuna Dusseldorf. The midfielder only returned from a back injury late in 2014, so Jurgen Klopp will be hoping it is not a serious setback. The visitors had to come

against Mike Alvarado on Saturday night. The bout in Bloomfield, Colorado, was stopped after three rounds of attacking by the 28-year-old Rios, who now holds the WBO international welterweight title. Alvarado, 34, who had won one and lost one of their two previous clashes, walked into a series of damaging blows right from the start and was knocked down with a left hook in the third round. He was unable to come out for the fourth.

RESULTS

FA Cup Brighton 2 – 3 Arsenal Bristol City 0 – 1 West Ham Aston Villa 2 – 1 Bournemouth Blackburn 3 – 1 Swansea Birmingham 1 – 2 West Brom Cardiff 1 – 2 Reading Chelsea 2 – 4 Bradford Derby 2 – 0 Chesterfield Man City 0 – 2 Middlesbrough Preston 1 – 1 Sheffield Utd Southampton 2 – 3 C. Palace Sunderland 0 – 0 Fulham Tottenham 1 – 2 Leicester Liverpool 0 – 0 Bolton Cambridge 0 – 0 Man United

Serie A Inter 0 – 1 Torino Juventus 2 – 0 Chievo Murray

Gundogan injury blow for Dortmund

Impressive Rios stops Alvarado randon Rios delivered an B impressive performance in winning his third fight

ndrea Pirlo has exclaimed that Juventus team-mate Paul Pogba will go down in history if he stays on his current trajectory. The France international, 21, arrived in Turin on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2012 and has progressed into one of the highest-rated midfielders in the world en route to back-toback Scudetti. His performances have not gone unnoticed: Pogba has been linked with an array of clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, although his agent insists he is staying at Juventus until at least the summer.

only featuring as substitutes and Diego Costa left out of the squad. “Does this affect the next match? I don’t know because many of the players were not directly involved in the game, I don’t think these players can be affected,” Mourinho said. “I don’t think (Branislav) Ivanovic, (Nemanja) Matic, Diego (Costa); these guys that were not involved in the game can be affected.”

from behind in the match at the Esprit Arena after Joel Pohjanpalo gave Dusseldorf the lead, with Jakub Blaszczykowski converting a late penalty. Dortmund were grateful to Roman Weidenfeller early on as he made two good saves, but there was nothing he could do with four minutes of the half remaining.

Parma 1 – 2 Cesena Sampdoria 1 – 1 Palermo Verona 1 – 0 Atalanta Cagliari 2 – 1 Sassuolo Lazio 3 – 1 AC Milan

La Liga La Coruna 2 – 2 Granada Cordoba 1 – 2 Real Madrid Elche 0 – 6 Barcelona Atl. Madrid 3 – 1 Vallecano Sociedad 1 – 0 Eibar Villarreal 1 – 0 Levante

SPORT

MONDAY,JANUARY 26, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Equatorial Guinea 2015 AFCON

DR Congo, Tunisia battle for quarterfinal ticket

op-of-the-table Tunisia will be counting on the fact their fate lies in their own hands as they brace themselves for a final Group B clash against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bata on Monday. The Carthage Eagles have four points from their opening two groupstage matches and a draw will be enough to put them into the quarterfinals. Head coach Georges Leekens has commended his team for their fighting spirit in Equatorial Guinea. “We have four points but everyone is still in contention,” he says. “We are not the best team, we don’t have Ronaldo or Messi, but we have a

team with enormous character and great mental strength.” The Belgian has hinted at making a few changes to give other players a run. “Now we need to be careful against Congo and approach the match as if it were a final,” he added.

“Maybe in the last match we will make some changes to bring some fresh legs in.” It is also a simple equation for the Leopards, who are joint third on two points, and a win against Tunisia guarantees them a spot in the quarterfinals.

Algeriastriker,Slimani,tomissSenegalgame

triker Islam Slimani will miss Algeria’s decisive final group game against Senegal at the African Cup of Nations. The Algeria Football Federation said Slimani was injured in the 1-0 loss to Ghana, missed training on Saturday and will be sidelined against Senegal after medical tests. The federation did not specify what the injury was. Sporting Lisbon forward Slimani is one of the team’s most important attacking players, and scored in a 3-1 win over South Africa at the start of the group

stage. Top-ranked African team Algeria came to the Cup of Nations as one of the tournament favorites but is not yet certain of a place in the quarterfinals following its stoppage-time loss to Ghana on Friday. Algeria is third in Group C and needs to beat Senegal on Tuesday in Malabo to be certain of progressing. Ghana plays South Africa in the other Group C game on the same day. All four teams still have a chance of going through to the quarters.

Coetzee back, Tyson out for South Africa

outh Africa team doctor Thulani Ngwenya is confident Rivaldo Coetzee will recover in time to face Ghana on Tuesday, although there remain doubts over Thulani Hlatshwayo’s availability. The news regarding Ajax Cape Town defender Coetzee will be welcome news to head coach Shakes Mashaba, who will be hoping to steer his side to a victory over the Black Stars in their final Group C clash in Mongomo. South Africa currently occupy the bottom spot in their group, having picked up their first point of the tournament in Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Senegal. Zambia’s Stoppila Commenting on Coetzee’s Sunzu battling Tunisia’s injury problem and his chancHamza Younes

Fixtures Monday January 26 Cape Verde vs Zambia 7pm DR Congo vs Tunisia 7pm

es of recovering in time for the must-win clash with the Black Stars, Ngwenya said: “I must first congratulate the medical team for a good job done so far. “We have two players on the injury list - Rivaldo Coetzee and Thulani Hlatshwayo. “Rivaldo has a knee injury. He will go through a fitness test to see if he can train with the side.” The news was not so promising for Hlatshwayo, though, with Ngwenya saying: “Hlatshwayo suffered concussion (against Senegal), which means his brain was shaken violently when he tried to head the ball but ended up with a clash of heads with an opponent, so he is out of the game on Tuesday.”

ITTF Africa tourney: Egypt beat Nigeria Ajibade Olusesan

osts Egypt, on Sunday, retained their title in the women’s team event as they beat Nigeria 3-2 at the the on-going International Table Tennis Africa Seniour Table Tennis Championship in Cairo. The Dina Meshref-led squad came from two matches down to seal a 3-2 victory to the delight of their fans. Offiong Edem had started brightly for Nigeria with a comfortable 3-0 win over El-dawlatly Nadeen . The Portugal based ping pong player

recorded an 11- 4, 11 -7, lost the fourth and fifth 11- 9 win over the home matches to Meshref girl. and El-dawlatly respecFunke Oshonaike fol- tively as the Egyptians lowed that up with anoth- grabbed the gold in the er 3-1 win over Egypt top women’s team event. star Meshref. The ageless Oshonaike beat the tournament top seed 11-9, 119, 3 -11, 11 -9. But in a repeat of what happened to the Nigerian team at the 2011 All Africa Games, the West African team surrendered a two-match lead when Cecilia Otu-Akpan lost 3-0 to Helmy Yousra. Her 14-16, 9-11, 3-11 loss to the number three seeded player turned the tide against the Nigerian ladies. Edem and Oshonaike Oshonaike

Super 6 will re-ignite fans’ interest – Glo

elecom providers, Globacom, has called on teams participating in the 2015 Super 6 tournament to take advantage of the competition to re-ignite fans’ interest in the Glo Nigeria Professional Football League ahead of the new season. Four Premier League teams – league champions Kano Pillars, runners-up Enyimba, Federation Cup runners-up Dolphins, and Warri Wolves – and the national U-23 and U-20 teams are taking part in the tournament which got underway in Abuja on Saturday.

It is the first time the U-23 and U-20 teams will be taking part in the annual tournament and Globacom, in a statement in Lagos on Saturday, stated: ‘’we look forward to witnessing a great competition among the teams, especially with the inclusion of the junior national teams.’’ The Super 6 comes to an end on January 31, and Glo believes that the tournament will enable the Glo Premier League clubs to test their new signings and blend them with the old players in their squads

ahead of the new season. The statement added: “For Kano Pillars and Enyimba, it will provide ample opportunity for them to prepare for the CAF Champions League preliminaries which kicks off next month.” Globacom also commended the organisers of the tournament, the Nigeria Football Federation and the League Management Company, for their foresight, adding that the pre-season competition would boost the quality of football in the country.

U-23 training session in Tunisia

Siasia seeks revenge against Tunisia lWarns players against complacency

Emmanuel Tobi

-23 Eagles head coach, Samson Siasia, has warned his players to show more resilience when they play the U-23 National Team of Tunisia in a second international friendly match in Tunis on Wednesday after losing the first match on Saturday. Siasia’s side lost 5-3 to the Olympic Eagles of Tunisia at the Stade el Menzah, with the Nigerian goals coming from Etim Emmanuel and Junior Ajayi, who hit a brace. The team created a hatful of chances in the second half, after the first half ended 3-3, but were undone by poor finishing. “I don’t want to blame the players too much for the loss to the Tunisians in the first match on Saturday. Without appearing to be making excuses for them, we arrived in Tunis on Friday afternoon and immediately went to training but the weather did not

help matters. “Most of them were traveling outside the country for the first time and you can’t wish that away. The weather was a critical issue. However, in the first match, my assistants and I noticed a number of areas we need to improve on seriously before we can say we have a team.” The former Super Eagles coach maintained that the team will rectify some of the lapses noticed during the Tunisian tour ahead of the All African Games qualifiers. “We thank the NFF for organising these matches because they will really help us prepare for the qualifiers against Gabon, and other matches in the race to the All-Africa Games and the 2016 Olympics. We will try a number of other players in the second match and see how things work out,” Siasia said after Sunday’s training session at the Stade November 7 in Rades, outside Tunis.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

PMS pump price reduction –My take away ing a benchmark of $65pb. We recognise that prices might still fall further but we do not intend to revise the price further down as price intelligence indicates that prices might average between $65 and $70pb in 2015.” If the Finance Minister expects oil prices to get to $70 and the Petroleum Minister says we have “achieved parity,” there seems to be inherent contradictions within the same Government.

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 6

Percentage of price drop: 36.57 per cent iii. SINGAPORE Drop in Price (dollar per litre): 1.79 Percentage of price drop: 21 per cent v. NIGERIA Drop in Price (dollar per litre): 0.03 Percentage of price drop: 10.3 per cent MY TAKE AWAYS a) It is poor economic management to import the final product of a commodity whose raw material (crude oil) we produce in abundance. b) A refinery in Nigeria, such as the 400,000 barrel refinery we are supporting by providing land for the Dangote Group in the Lekki Free Zone will keep jobs at home, (instead of in foreign refineries), create income for the Nigerian Government by way of companies income tax, and give us better control of pricing by eliminating subsidies and demurrage charges by port delays paid to ship owners in dollars against a weak Naira; and it will eliminate many other charges that are passed on to ordinary Nigerians. c) Clearly, an inefficient Port Management that escalates shipping costs, a devalued currency, and an exorbitant interest rate on borrowing, which are economic failures of the current Government, are part of the reasons why Nigeria cannot get a better deal from an over 50 per cent drop in Crude Oil price.

Alison-Madueke

INTERROGATION OF POLICY In announcing the reduction of fuel pump price, the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani AlisonMadueke, stated the reasons for the Government’s decision in her own words as follows: “As you may be aware, there has been a lot of volatility in the price of petroleum products, particularly crude oil, over the last few months. Invariably, this has meant that the price of the product in Nigeria has also been greatly impacted.” When addressing journalists she added: “After watching the price per barrel drop over the last few months, we have finally achieved parity… therefore this would be the best time to actually reduce the price. We have been watching very carefully over the last two weeks to ensure that the volatility did not destabilize this reduction in price and we think it’s safe to implement it at this time.” Please note she used the words (1) “price per barrel drop” and (2) the “achieved parity” in the oil price regime to justify the reduction. (i) Price Per Barrel Drop As I have pointed out, I doubt that a 10 per cent reduction is the best that we can get in response to a 50 per cent drop in oil price, and this is simple common sense. If a product is manufactured at X price

and the price of the raw material drops by Y per cent, I think it is simple economics to reflect that Y per cent drop in the price of the final product without doing any damage to the cost of packaging or transporting the product. And this should happen vice versa if the price of the raw material heads in the opposite direction. But let me be quick to acknowledge that these price changes may not necessarily be effected overnight in a period of volatility; and this is the relevance of the Honourable Minister’s point about “parity”, which I will come to later. But the quick additional point to make is that Diesel has not enjoyed any subsidy for a long time and there is a loud silence on this product, as far as pricing policy is concerned; and nothing is said about Kerosene. So, if this was really meant to bring relief to the people, I think Diesel, which impacts on production costs, power costs in homes through generators, and Kerosene, which ordinary Nigerians use to cook, would have been the place for Government to demonstrate that it understands the plight of the people. This would have afforded some cushion against the austerity measures

indicated by the Honourable Minister of Finance. MY TAKE AWAY This price reduction is not far reaching enough. It demonstrates a knee-jerk reaction to a serious economic issue where the majority of ordinary Nigerians are concerned. When we factor the fact that the majority of Nigerians generate their own power at 4 (four) times the cost of public power, and they mostly use diesel, a reduction there would have reduced the pressure on their disposable income. (ii) Achieved Parity My understanding of the Honourable Minister’s use of these words is that Government now believes that oil prices will hover around the current prices of $50 per barrel, so that, according to her, “the entire country will benefit immensely from this reduction.” If this is correct, then who are we to believe? If we go back to the statement of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on December 17, 2014 when, while defending the oil budget benchmark of $65 for the 2015 budget which some observers felt was too ambitious, she said: “This is what we have done by propos-

MY TAKE AWAYS a. Are Government departments talking to themselves? b. Who is co-ordinating the economy? c. Why was the Honourable Minister for Finance not part of this major Pricing Policy briefing? d. Was this price reduction provided for in the 2015 budget? P.S. As I concluded this intervention, my attention was brought to a response by Governor Peter Obi to a contribution I had made, in which he said in This Day Newspaper that: “The president showed that the sound economic policies of his government have brought about macro-economic stability. This has been acknowledged by the renowned economist and former Chairman of the Asset Management Division of Goldman Sachs Group, Dr. Jim O’Neill, who coined the term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey), recognising these countries as the world’s fastest growing economies.” I have no issue with Governor Obi, because his role in Government and policy making is still unclear to me. If he speaks as a party man, it is a measure of credit to him that he knows more about the programmes of a party he joined a few weeks ago, than those he met there. But for the record, the same Jim O’Neill, whom he quotes in support of this Government’s policy and the leadership of President Jonathan, said: “If he (Jonathan) doesn’t get re-elected, and it’s because of Nigerian people wanting something different and something better, I think the markets would be happy with that. Foreign investors are pretty negative about Nigeria, so I don’t dismiss the possibility that if he lost, people actually might react positively.” Those who seek the truth should simply visit this link and verify the facts of what Jim O’Neill actually said: http:// www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-08/oneill-says-jonathan-vote-loss-may-beseen-as-nigeria-positive.html MY TAKE AWAY I think Jim is right. Nigerians want “something different and something better.” They want CHANGE. •Fashola is the Governor of Lagos State

Is President Jonathan really clueless? C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 6

pursuing truth and reconciliation instead of wholesale punishing of whites for what some of them did to blacks? Four, is Jonathan's softer approach to engaging those that traduce him. Those that call him clueless point to his forbearance in moving aggressively to impeach the PDP governors that gave him so much hell recently, especially Gov Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, who eventually decamped. Some have even waxed nostalgic for the Obasanjo era of impeachment galore. Yet, is it

not the same gale of impeachments that the Supreme Court struck down? Plus, have we forgotten that the single dent on Nuhu Ribadu's otherwise fine reputation, is the belief that he allowed OBJ to use EFCC to accomplish his political witch hunts? Fifth, is on Jonathan's seeming disposition for lacking the gift of the glib. Particularly, they charge that his command of English is not excellent and that he sometimes stumbles when he reads his speeches. Then, you begin to wonder about some of our past leaders that didn't also seem to speak English

that well as the British and some Nigerians do. Chief amongst them is Sani Abacha, who hardly spoke at all; and now you have Buhari that also appears to struggle with the language to the point that some people believe that he flunked WASC and his military-career exams. In other climes, George Bush, junior was also reputed not to have the gift of oratory as much as his greatest challengers to the Presidency, yet he won them twice. You might add that one of the world's greatest orators, AdolfHitler, used his gift to drive the whole world to a costly war, to spread

rabid hate and nearly brought the total extermination of Jews. Thus, going by the forgoing, the only reasonable conclusion one can draw is that the notion of Jonathan's cluelessness is a creation of a fringe intelligentsia that latched on it as the greatest weapon that could be arrayed against the President. In other words, it is a well-orchestrated propaganda, but sadly it seems to have convinced a few. •Aloy Ejimakor wrote in from alloylaw@yahoo.com 08032651660 (texts only)

Sanctity of Truth

World Record

On Marble

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. – Albert Einstein

1866 - First refinery in Kern County built near McKittrick tar pits to process kerosene and asphalt.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015

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PMS pump price reduction –My take away

t is no longer news that the Federal Government has announced a reduction in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol. While I have made my position known on my Twitter handle that ‘a little over 10% reduction in cost of the final (crude oil) product (PMS) in response to an over 50 per cent drop in the cost of the raw material is a good try and that Nigerians can get a better deal’, I am constrained to make this further intervention for a few reasons. 1. There is a sense in the public space that this reduction is politically motivated, given the reactions that have followed it. To the extent therefore that there is a political nexus, it deserves further interrogation because it is an ECONOMIC issue and this is a major issue in the elections as canvassed by both parties, especially at the Presidential candidacy level. General Muhammedu Buhari had seized the moment and the importance of the economic issue earlier this month. Through his campaign council he said: “Stop stealing from Nigerians and allow them enjoy the relief that has come to consumers of petroleum products globally.

BABATUNDE FASHOLA Guest Columnist “For the Nigerian consumers, unfortunately the collapse of crude oil price since October 2014 has not translated into any change in diesel, kerosene and PMS prices across the country.” 2. The second reason for my intervention is also economic, and it goes to interrogate POLICY, particularly this PRICING POLICY, and the consistency of the party in Government Vis-a-Vis their credibility before the Nigerian public. THE ECONOMICS OF OIL It must be obvious to any discerning mind that you cannot have a viable democracy without debating the management of the economy. This is because the real issue in elections is the way people’s lives have fared

during the tenure of the incumbent. The question, sometimes spoken, sometimes not, but never forgotten, is this: - Has my life been better in the last few years or not? This question always involves an examination of the record of service of the incumbent and many have lost their seats in a bad economy. So, the present government must defend its record on the economy and this involves its management of prices and consumer indices. The cost of energy, fuel, gas, electricity for transport, cooking, heating and manufacturing is a direct determinant of the cost of living and how far people’s wages can take them before the next pay day.

It is not therefore surprising that in the last decade and a half, many western countries have gone to war “in order to make peace”, especially in the Middle East, so that there is no scarcity of petroleum (crude oil) supply. The reason is simple. Scarce crude means high prices of crude oil, translating to high fuel, gas and production costs, leading to restive domestic population, which can translate to electoral defeat. If one remembers Iraq, Libya and Egypt; in spite of the democratic masks that those military interventions wore, it is difficult to dismiss a domestic, political (electoral) self interest in them. In the aftermath of these interventions and investment in shale oil as an alternative, leading to the crash of crude oil prices, what have these western countries done at home for their people in terms of oil price management? Let us look at a few examples: i. U.K Drop in Price (dollar per litre): 0.52 Percentage of price drop: 23.75 per cent ii. U.S.A Drop in Price (dollar per litre): 0.39 C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 5 5

This Jonathan can't be clueless! GUEST COLUMNIST Aloy Ejimakor

n addition to the clamour for 'change', the next big thing arrayed against Jonathan by his tormentors is the looming notion that he is a 'clueless' President. In whispering campaigns and in the open, those that purvey that theory continually reel out so many reasons to prove that the President is in fact clueless. So, now let us, in seriatim, rehash some of those reasons and consider whether they can support the sing-song that Jonathan is a clueless President. One, on the war against terrorists, they blame Jonathan for his studied approach, his proclivity for minimum use of force and his patience with some people that are speculated to be closet fundamentalists. Now, for us to determine whether that makes Jonathan clueless, it is only fair to compare and contrast him with how past Presidents handled terrorism or similar acts of violence by non-state actors. Beginning with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he handled his by leveling Zaki Biam and Odi; and in the rest of Niger Delta, he deployed quantum troops and war ordnance, as well as detaining a lot of militant leaders. Yet, till today, vast majorities of Nigerians and the international community still condemn Obasanjo for the excessive force he used in Odi and Zaki Biam. You might add that his maximum force never quelled the militancy in Niger

Jonathan

Delta until Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua came and solved it in one stroke with amnesty, and without firing a shot. Jonathan is fighting terrorism today, and signaling that he is also willing to talk it out. They say that makes him clueless. Okay. But was Yar'Adua clueless for toeing the path of amnesty?

Two, regarding some politicallysensitive appointments like Defence, NSA, Police, EFCC, etc, they say that Jonathan is clueless for appointing Northerners or Northern Muslims to head those offices. They say that Jonathan should have instead appointed his kinsmen or southerners. Okay,

but is that the type of spirit Nigerians really want in their President? Didn't some previous Nigerian Heads of State draw some fire for tending to favour people from their own part of the country or who professed the same faith they did? The example that stands out most is that of Buhari-Idiagbon Muslim-Muslim, North-North combine, which contributed most to their fall from power, even as they were applauded for their WAI. Is BarackObama clueless for not forming a black-dominated federal government after he won power as the first black President of America, following centuries of untold subjugation of blacks by whites? Three, on Jonathan's national development agenda, it is said that the President is clueless for revamping the Nigerian Railways, starting Almajiri schools, and other initiatives that favoured the North most. They argue that the President should instead 'punish' the North for being the locale of terrorists or for the widespread notion that the North had ruled the nation most. When you think about this for a moment, you begin to wonder why Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is also being severely criticized for favouring the far North most when he was Chairman of PTF. Is it not a contradiction? Is it that Jonathan will be said to be a non-clueless President if he begins to marginalize the North for the misdeeds of a few northerners? Was the legendary NelsonMandela clueless for C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 5 5

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