Monday, january 19, 2015 binder1234567890000 by Newtelegraphonline

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Vol. 1 No. 334

Monday, January 19, 2015

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N150

12 pages of international new york times }23

FG crashes petrol price to N87 per litre Anule Emmanuel

he Federal Government yesterday bowed to pressure as it reduced the pump price of petrol from the current

N97 per litre to N87 per litre. The price change takes immediate effect. The decision to review the price, the first time since 2012, was taken after a meeting at State House,

presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan with Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, officials of Petroleum Product Pricing Regulating Agency

(PPPRA) and other top government officials in attendance. The Federal Government directed the PPRA to immediately effect the new change.

The price review came barely a week after New Telegraph, in an exclusive report published in the January 12 edition of the paper, showed that CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

26 days to go... Nigeria votes

2015

ria Nige

s vote

2015

}14 & 15

Buhari: I'm not sick

lWe dare you to come out jogging, says PDP }2

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko and former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, at The Sun Award in Lagos...Saturday. PHOTO: Suleiman Husaini

Jonathan, Buhari take battle to North Travel Advisory Your guide to local and international flights 4

lSambo, Turaki, Kwankwaso lead onslaught lLobby emirs, religious, opinion leaders Ayodele Ojo

resident Goodluck Jonathan and his arch-rival, Major

General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will this week intensify their scramble for about 40 mil-

lion Northern votes. Jonathan and Buhari will turn the North to the battleground this week as they criss-crossed north-

ern states. Sources told New Telegraph that the two leading presidential candidates CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Quick Read

Editorial

Ondo dare-devil robbers }19 SEC approves bond for Sokoto, Ebonyi, Oyo }5

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari speaks on state of health Johnchuks Onuanyim, Onyekachi Eze and Adesina Wahab

ll Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday dismissed reports of his ill health. Buhari, at a news conference in Abuja against the backdrop of report that he was suffering from cancer, said he was fit as a fiddle, despite suffering from occasional bouts of cold. Notwithstanding his assurances that he was in good health, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged him to demonstrate his state of health by jogging in public. The social media had been agog with a report that he was diagnosed of cancer by the Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) despite the obvious flaw in a copy of the pathology test result supposedly belonging to Buhari that was displayed. Also, a national daily (not New Telegraph) had reported that Buhari's health had deteriorated and he was making arrangements to travel to the United States for medical treatment. However, the APC candidate was on the hustings at the weekend, campaigning in the North-Central states of Benue and Nasarawa. He explained that his health condition was not that serious to stop him from campaigning for the presidential election slated for February 14. He said: "How they got the impression that I was sick I do not know. Although I got cold, that did not stop me from going through my schedule. A national daily (not New Telegraph) reported that I was to jet out for medical check-up yesterday, but here I am. "I was at Nasarawa and Benue states yesterday. Tomorrow, I am going to be in two states. The day after tomorrow, I will also be in two more states. I am doing two states per day." Reacting to the supposed ABUTH report on his health, he said: "I don't know of this desperation. The issue we are telling Nigerians is that of corruption in this country for the last 16 years. PDP has literally destroyed this country. This is the issue and what does my health got to do with that one that I have been sick on a daily basis? And documents have been put on paper, on tweeter that I am sick and the ABU said they are

forged documents. This desperation is beyond my understanding." When asked to make a categorical statement on his state of health, Buhari jokingly asked the reporter: "how old are you? Fifty years? I am telling you if we go to the field, you would not last the time I will last in the field." Besides his state of health, he also addressed issues of his involvement in Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), his certificate controversy, the economy and corruption. On his involvement in the PTF, he said: "No, that one has been cleared. There is no fraud in PTF. There was an investigation and General Obasanjo has answered that question. He confirmed that there was an investigation and the report was brought to him and there was

nothing on ground as far as my management and chairmanship of the PTF was concerned. So what else can I say? The person who did the investigation, because he was the Head of State, he cleared me so what else can I say?" Also reacting to the controversy over the nonattachment of his certificates to the nomination forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he said: "Why didn't Nigerians ask about this before? I have contested three times under the same rules set by the INEC where there is basic educational qualification you must have and I was allowed to contest all these elections because my certificate was in order; and there were individuals that wrote to the United States War College and the college answered

them and it was published by some of your papers. "So, really this desperation of misinformation that is being passed around will do nobody any good because our minds are being taken away from the serious issues of corruption and incompetence by the PDP." Buhari also attacked the Federal Government for mismanaging the economy. "Well, the country is broke. Many states could not pay their workers' salaries. In December, most families were hungry during Christmas because they could not pay their breadwinners' salaries, yet they are talking about an individual's health instead of paying the people," he added. The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) also criticised

the PDP for circulating what it called a scam medical report on Buhari. A statement from the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the campaign yesterday said it was ludicrous for the PDP to try to decieve Nigerians to thwart the rising desire for change at the federal level. The statement, signed by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APCPCO, Mallam Garba Shehu, pointed out the errors on the letterhead paper conveying the purported medical report, which wrongly identifies the institution as Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital instead of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) as the Zaria-based teaching hospital is known. "We are able to track the circulation of the post on a social media platform and we know that the informa-

President Goodluck Jonathan (left) with some children at a church service in Abuja…yesterday.

tion emanated from the Facebook handle of one of Governor Ayo Fayose's aides. "It is noteworthy that the authorities at the Ahmad Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) have given a clean bill on General Buhari's health status. "It is also noteworthy for Nigerians to understand that the PDP will stop at nothing to cast aspersion on the person of General Buhari. "We knew that the PDP would become unbridled at a point in its desperation to avert the defeat coming its way in the countdown to the February 14 presidential election, but to anticipate that the PDP would go as dirty as spreading falsehood on an individual's state of health could not have been imaginable. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Jonathan, Buhari take battle to North CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

have set up contact committees to move round the 19 northern states to canvass for votes ahead of the February 14 presidential election. It was learnt that Jonathan has mandated all the 19 ministers and political appointees from the northern states to ensure they deliver their states to the president on February 14. “In a very difficult task; the president has given a charge to his loyalists to ensure they at least win 25 per cent of votes cast in the Northern states where Buhari is very strong,” a source said.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo is leading the contact committees in the North while Minister of Special Duties and Deputy Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki (SAN), is working with former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, to sway northern support for Jonathan. The contact committees have met prominent traditional, religious and opinion leaders in the North to canvass for Jonathan. Throughout the weekend, Turaki was in Zamfara and other states in the North-West to continue

with the mobilisation. The ministers and other political appointees who most often have abandoned their constituencies have returned to their states to mobilise support for the president. It was learnt that Sambo, Turaki and Gana have been holding consultations with prominent stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders, opinion moulders and veteran politicians from the North in the past few days. “This is a political war and we must fight it with all our might. The North is too strategic and that is why we have been giving

the charge to go round the country to woo Northerners to the side of the president,” the source said. Sambo has been holding a series of meetings in Abuja and Kaduna with various interest groups. Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali, confirmed to New Telegraph that the president’s team is moving round the North. Alkali said: “Mr. President is going to reach out to everybody and show them why they should support him because they know his credentials and what he can do. The party

is on course and working hard to mobilise people at all levels. “So, for us, we are solid on the ground and we have no doubt that our people are behind us and we will continue to rally people around the party. “The president is reaching out to everybody and we are not taking anything for granted. The belief is that the PDP has been there on the ground over the past 16 years, it is not a new party or an amalgamation of a bunch of people promoting self interests. It is a party that has been rooted in the people for a long time. We have

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Travel Advisory

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

International Flight Schedule

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

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

Lagos-London London-Lagos Lagos-New York

W3 101 W3 102 W3 107 (Mon, Wed & Fri) W3 108 (Tues,Thurs & Fri) W3 103 W3 104 - (Tues, Wed &Thur) - (Tues, Wed &Thur) -

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

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

12:30hrs

16:00hrs

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

New York-Lagos Lagos-Johannesburg Johannesburg-Lagos Lagos-Douala Douala-Lagos Lagos-Accra

10:45hrs 09:35hrs 11:10hrs 13:25hrs 07:20hrs 17:00hrs -(Tue,Thur,Sat,Sun) 08:05hrs -(Mon,Wed,Fri) 13:35hrs 18:00hrs -(Daily) 17:00hrs 06:00hrs - (Wed,Fri,Sun) 08:00hrs 17:00hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 08:00hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 15:20hrs -(Wed,Fri,Sun) 21:00hrs -(Mon,Tue,Thur, Fri,Sat) -(Tue,Wed, 01:00hrs Fri,Sat,Sun)

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

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

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

Lagos-Houston Houston-Lagos

UA 143 UA 142

10:10hrs 19:10hrs

6:05hrs 15.15hrs

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

BRITISH AIRWAYS

hrs

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

QATAR AIRWAYS DELTA AIRLINES

UNITED AIRLINES

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

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

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

Departure 14:00hrs 16:30hrs 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

Arrival 15:55hrs 18:15hrs 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

Lagos to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Lagos Abuja to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Abuja Enugu to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Enugu Kano to Addis Ababa Addis Ababa to Kano

ET900 ET901 ET910 ET911 ET930 ET931 ET930 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

05:25+1hrs 20:20hrs

Lagos-Casablanca Casablanca-Lagos

AT738 AT 737

06:25hrs 02:15hrs

09:55hrs 6:00hrs

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

Lagos-Nairobi Nairobi-Lagos

KQ 533 KQ 534

12:30hrs 18:00hrs

19:35hrs 23:45hrs

Lagos-Kigali

AWB 201 11:15hrs (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) AWB 202 14:00hrs (Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun)

16:45hrs

Lagos-Istanbul Nairobi-Lagos

332 333

22:35hrs 15:10hrs

06:00hrs 21:20hrs

Lagos to Abidjan

HF 851 10:10hrs (Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sun) HF 852 19:20hrs (Mon,Wed, Thurs, Sat)

10:50hrs

IBERIA

air maroc

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ETIHAD AIRWAYS

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

Turkish Airlines Air Côte d'Ivoire

Abidjan to Lagos

17:30hrs

21.50hrs

ASKY Airlines international travel tips Earning Miles on ASKY Airlines ASKY is a Lome -Togo based airline that provides an extensive route network within West Africa. The airline provides excellent connections with Ethiopian Airlines flights serving cities in West Africa. Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY provide an end-toend service for frequent flyers enrolled in ShebaMiles. The airlines jointly provide full coverage of Africa providing full mile earning opportunity for a frequent flyer.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Eight killed, 52 injured in Potiskum terror attack lBoko Haram kidnaps 60 in Cameroon Emmanuel Onani, Hassan Jirgi and Sani Muhammed Sani

bomb explosion yesterday rocked Potiskum, a commercial town in Yobe State, killing eight people while 52 others sustained injuries. The bomb blast occurred at about 10:35p.m. near IBAL filling station

along Bauchi road. An eyewitness, Mallam A.I Dafa, said he saw an ambulance carrying five bodies to the General Hospital, Potiskum. Dafa said the bomb blasts destroyed a filling station while a tricycle and several cars were damaged in the attack. According to him, a bomb exploded in one of the cars parked at the filling station.

Yobe State Police Commissioner, Mr. Morlcos Danladi confirmed the incident. He said security agents had cordoned off the blast scene while investigation is ongoing. Boko Haram, which was believed to have launched the Potiskum attack, also yesterday kidnapped at least 60 people in neighbouring Cameroon.

Many of those kidnapped in the cross border attack against villages were children. Several people were killed, security officials said. In yesterday's attack, suspected militants "burst into two villages in the Tourou area," in Cameroon's Far North region, a police officer told the AFP news agency. "They torched houses

and left with around 60 people. Most of these people were women and children." Also, a soldier and another civilian were yesterday killed at Takanda-Giwa village on the Bauchi-Jos highway when gunmen attacked an Army checkpoint in the area. A civilian was injured in the attack. The gunmen reportedly made away with an

L-R: Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Senate President David Mark and Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, during the party’s North-Central stakeholders' meeting in Abuja …at the weekend

operational vehicle, a Toyota Hilux, parked at the checkpoint. Meanwhile, Chad's sudden offer of military assistance to Nigeria, in the latter's fight against Boko Haram, has been described by senior military sources, as "cheap propaganda." Reacting to reports that Chad had resolved to send troops to Nigeria and Cameroon to bolster their fights against Boko Haram, sources told New Telegraph that the Central African country lacks the capacity to fight the outlawed sect. The Chadian parliament was quoted last week as passing an overwhelming vote to send "Chadian armed troops and security forces to assist Cameroonian and Nigerian soldiers waging war against the terrorists in Cameroon and Nigeria." The source wondered why Nigerians will believe the story of Chad sending troops to the country when the same country had withdrawn from the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Baga, Borno State. The source added that Chad lacks the capacity to join in the fray, even as he noted that the country hardly pays the salaries of its soldiers, who he claimed, live on booties.

FG crashes petrol price to N87 per litre SEC approves bond for Sokoto, Ebonyi, Oyo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the Federal Government was making about N19 per profit on each litre of petrol sold given the then prevailing crude oil price of $50 per barrel at the global market. Briefing State House correspondents last night, Alison-Madueke said the president decided to review the price of petrol due to the volatility in the global oil market that has crashed the price of crude oil by as much as 45 per cent in the last three months. "As you may be aware, there has been a lot of volatility in price of petroleum product, 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. "It is as a result of this under the approval and directive of Mr. President and in line with Section 6 Clause 1 of the Petroleum Act, that it is my responsibility as the Minister of Petroleum to announce that there will be a reduction in the pump price of petroleum (premium motor spirit) by N10. Therefore,

the reduction will be from N97 per litre to N87 per litre effective as of midnight, Sunday, the 18th of January, 2015. "In line with this, I have directed the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Directorate of Petroleum Resources to ensure there is strict adherence to this new pricing regime as soon as it takes effect from midnight Sunday, 18th of January, 2015. "I do hope the entire country will benefit immensely from this reduction in the pump price of petroleum. "On why we think it is actually time to reduce the price, we have been watching very carefully for the last two weeks to ensure that the volatility did not destabilise this particular reduction in price and we think is safe to implement it at this time. Nigerians from today are expected to commence buying of petrol at N87." The clamour for the Federal Government to review the pump price of petrol has been growing recently, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) calling for

a new price regime in view of the low price of crude oil in the international market. Before yesterday, the oil price rout rocking the global crude market had dipped the fuel price below the N97 pump price based on budgetary estimation of $60 given by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala. Okonjo-Iweala in her budget speech, on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, had said that “preliminary estimates show that the break even crude oil price at which the landed cost of PMS (petrol) will equal our current pump price of N97 per litre so that there will no longer be subsidy is about $60 per barrel.” “It is only when crude oil price (Bonny Light) falls below this level that the pump price of PMS (which includes N15.49 per litre distribution and Petroleum Equalisation Fund cost) can begin to come down. "The break-even price of crude oil would have been higher were it not for the N15.49 per litre distribution margin,” the

minister added. However, minister had said in December that Nigeria would not reduce the pump price of fuel, despite falling oil prices at the international market, until the revenue crisis occasioned by the dwindling oil rates is over. According to her, the decision to review fuel price either upwards or downwards will only be taken after the current crisis in global oil prices has been settled. The minister, however, said the government was awaiting expert advice from PPPRA, which is updating the fuel pricing template, to help proffer the best way to address the issue. “With declining crude oil prices by about 49 per cent, soon there will no longer be subsidy in petroleum products as usual. But, government is not going to take a decision till after the current volatility in crude oil prices has stabilised,” she added. She stated that the Federal Government would not like to reduce fuel price today “only for crude oil price to rise tomorrow and we have to adjust the pump price again.”

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

ndications have merged that the Acting Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Alahaji Munir Gwarzo, has approved bond request of three states. Nine states had applied to the Commission seeking the regulator’s approval to raise bond from capital market. A senior officer in the commission, who confided in New Telegraph, listed the three states as Sokoto, Ebonyi and Oyo. He said approval of bond request and reshuffling of staff were his first major assignments since he took over last week. Sokoto, Ebonyi, Oyo and six states whose identities are yet to be ascertained have had their applications pending before the exit of former DG, Ms. Arunma Oteh. The former DG reportedly withheld the com-

mission’s approval to the states on the premise that most of governors of the states are serving their last tenure of eight years and bond redemption could be difficult at maturity dates. Contacted for official reaction yesterday, the most senior Communication Officer in SEC, Yakubu Olaleye, could not confirm or deny the granting of the approval. “The states you mentioned must have met the requirement for approval. One of the requirements is the ability of the state to be able to pay back the loan at a maturity date. The project with which the projects are to be executed must be viable,” he said. Deposit Money Banks and other Financial Institutions in the country were directed late last year to first report to the Ministry of Finance any loan facilities request by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), state and local governments before such loans are granted.

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

We dare you to come out jogging, says PDP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

"What is important is that Nigerians know today that our country is not healthy. They know that the PDP has driven the country to a near state of comatose. Our national security is very unhealthy and our national economy is right now gasping for breath from the stranglehold of the PDP. It is almost as if official corruption and impunity are matters of state policy in the management of our national economy under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration. "That is why a great number of Nigerians yearn for change. Nigerians want a change from the clueless and directionless management of our security and our economy. Nigerians made a call on General Buhari to come on this rescue mission. They called on him because they know he is fit as a fiddle to fix our unhealthy economy and the insecurity that has consumed a large region of our land," the campaign organisation said. Irrespective of Buhari's assurances on being in good health, the PDP challenged him to prove that he is "fit as a fiddle" by taking a brisk walk round a stadium.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST

Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, said the rumour that Buhari was suffering from prostrate cancer was "exceptionally worrying and it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to pray for him if this rumour is true.". According to him, health status of Buhari is important given the nation's recent history, an indirect reference to the health challenges Jonathan's predecessor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua had before he became president. Yar'Adua died in office midway into his tenure. "The truth is that the Nigerian people deserve to know the truth before they make their choice about who they will vote for as their president in February. The days of hiding things like a presidential candidate's health status from the Nigerian public are long over and we would urge General Buhari to acknowledge this. In this day and age, nothing ought to be swept under the carpet", he stated. He said his ability to take a brisk walk round

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Also, Fayose raised concern over Buhari's health status, saying he is too old and sick to lead a modern day Nigeria with its attendant challenges. In a statement yesterday in Ado Ekiti, entitled 'Nigerians be warned,' the

governor advised Nigerians to learn from the past and avoid repeating previous mistakes. The governor said the matter before Nigerians was choosing between life and death and urged them to choose life.

Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Simeon Ajibola and Rt. Revd. Olushegun Adeyemi, during a special thanksgiving service for Simeon’s emergence as the party’s governorship candidate in Ilorin…yesterday.

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health of the opposition candidate is an issue, his certificate is an issue. "Nobody wish him dead, we have respect for him. The only thing we disagree with is his quest to become president," Fani-Kayode added.

Adjournments delay Reps' Sambo, Turaki, Kwankwaso lead onslaught Politicians, AcaThe president will also consideration of bills, budget organs that are operating Northern demics, Professionals and hold rallies in Bauchi and Philip Nyam

LAGOS

the stadium could go a long way to allay the fears of many Nigerians about his health status. "We know about the health status of our candidate, we know his academic qualification. As far as we are concerned, the

ncessant adjournments by the House of Representatives in the last quarter of 2014 may have affected the early passage of some strategic bills, including the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the 2015 appropriation bill, New Telegraph has learnt. Information available to New Telegraph indicates that the House has sat in plenary for about 100 days since the beginning of the last session of the current Assembly in June 2014. This means that the House has additional 81 days to meet the constitutional requirement of 181 sitting days. Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) requires both chambers of the National Assembly to sit for at least 181 days in a year. Since the defection of the speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on October 28, 2014, the House has sat in plenary for less than 10 days. Following the defection, the House adjourned plenary to reconvene on December 4, 2014. It was, however, compelled to reconvene in a special session on November 20, 2014

to consider the president’s request for extension of emergency rule in the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. When the House eventually reconvened on December 16, it sat for two days and after receiving the 2015 budget proposal from the Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, it adjourned for the Christmas and New Year break to resume January 13, 2015. The House adjourned on January 14 for the general election to reconvene on February 17. Due to these incessant adjournments, the House has not been able to pass crucial bills, which are at various stages of consideration. The House has, since June 6, 2011, passed a total of 101 bills, 120 resolutions while 23 bills were rejected. The House, during the three and half year period, made a total of 244 legislative outputs during plenary sessions in 42 months. Some of these bills include the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the 2015 appropriation bill. Although, the budget has been passed for second reading, its passage may have to wait until the House reconvenes in midFebruary. Even then, the lawmakers would have to adjourn before February 28 for the governorship and state assembly elections.

together and working side by side. We have a strong campaign organisation headed by Dr. Ahmadu Ali and we have our coordinators nationwide.” On the perception of Buhari being in control of the North, Alkali said: “There is no research that Buhari is in control of the North and for those using the result of the last election in the North, politics is very dynamic and changes by the day, hour and minutes. So, we can’t sit down and pontificate over serious matters.” He also warned those threatening to form parallel government if they lose the February elections to rethink their decision. Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, is also leading other northern governors to ensure that the presidency incursion is checkmated. Kwankwaso is working with Governors Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) to ensure that Buhari gets maximum support in the North West. Leaders of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) are also holding consultations with influential northerners, political, religious and traditional leaders on the need to support Buhari. Convener, Concerned

Business, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, said his group and several other interest groups in the North are rooting for Buhari. He told New Telegraph that he has been going round the North to canvass support for Buhari. “We are doing a lot to mobilise support for Buhari. We are fully in support of Buhari. The North is backing him. The APC presidential candidate has the largest support in Kano. More than over 80 per cent of influential people in Kano are rooting for Buhari. “I have just left a friend, then move to Bauchi, Zamfara and other states to solicit support for Buhari. I’m not alone; several people are doing the same thing for the APC presidential candidate. We are doing it genuinely whereas those doing it for Jonathan are doing it for money.” Jonathan begins his campaign in the North today in Buhari’s stronghold of North-West as he holds a massive rally in Sokoto State from where he will proceed to Kebbi. Tomorrow, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate will move his campaign train to Katsina and Zamfara states while the president will hold rallies in Kano and Jigawa on Wednesday.

Benue on Thursday and rest on Friday. The president had visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital last Thursday preparatory to his campaign in the North. It was further learnt that Jonathan will at his rallies in the Northern states reel out his achievements in all facets of the economy, particularly in the North. “It won’t just be a mere campaign. The president will come up with facts and figures on his achievements in the North and appointments in his government,” an aide of the president told New Telegraph. Buhari began his campaign in the North at the weekend with rallies in Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states. Buhari will today step up his electioneering with rallies in Kaduna and Niger states while he takes his campaign to Kano and Jigawa on tomorrow. The APC presidential candidate will be in his home state, Katsina, and Zamfara on Wednesday while his campaign train will berth in Sokoto and Kebbi on Thursday. On Friday, Buhari will move to Bauchi and Gombe, a day after Jonathan would have left the states.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

News

STALEMATE

Possibility of grounded or delayed flights looms as NAMA, controllers' talk is deadlocked

Wole Shadare

ir traffic controllers under the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said there is no going back on their plans to withdraw their services today as the meeting held with the management of NAMA was deadlocked. The implication of their action is that flights could be delayed or grounded for hours today. Sources told New Telegraph that Nigerian Airforce personnel could be deployed to man air traffic services. The airspace could also be under threat as pilots need to get good clearance for take-off and landing of their aircraft. If the situation remains unresolved, aircrafts

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MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Airspace controllers may shut airspace today l Nigeria Air Force to be drafted to control air service overflying the country's airspace could be forced to divert to other airports. NATCA, the umbrella body of air controllers had, on Saturday, threatened to shut the airspace today if its 12-point demands were not met by the management. The President, NATCA, Mr. Victor Eyaru, who spoke to reporters, confirmed that a meeting between the two had been on since last Friday on how to resolve the issue, but insisted that some of its demands must be met before they could call off the impending strike. He said that as a body, it didn’t expect all the 12-point demands to be met, but warned that if a sizeable number of the demands were not met, it would not hesitate to go on the strike as planned. He said, “They (management) called us for a meeting for 5pm today

(Sunday). The decision we will take today will depend on the outcome of the meeting we have with them. We don’t expect to get all our demands when it comes to negotiation, but if we get a sizeable number of it, then, we won’t go on the strike.” Also commenting on the issue, the Ag. General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA, Mr. Jumoke Adetona, said that the management met with the association executive till 10:30pm on Saturday and that the meeting would commence yesterday evening for further discussion.

However, a source close to the agency stated that the NAMA’s management was also looking at a another option to thwart the impending strike. The source said some technical personnel who were recently sponsored on air traffic control course by the management of NAMA may be called upon to control air traffic if NATCA refused to back down on its demands. The source said that the Nigerian Air Force Airport Commandant has already been put on notice by the management while the comman-

dant had also put his men on stand-by in case both parties did not reach an agreement. NATCA had on Saturday demanded for provision of effective working tools such as functional VHF radios for the two Area Control Centres in Kano and Lagos, establishment of Air Traffic Controllers Salary Structure and aggressive recruitment and training of not less than 300 Air Traffic Controllers within the next three years to cater for more than 50 per cent shortage in Nigeria to continue to guarantee air safety.

Other demands are renaming of Directorate of Operations in NAMA as Directorate of Air Traffic Management to depict the functions of the Directorate, immediate resumption of statutory trainings of Air Traffic Controllers in NAMA, which has been abandoned for more than 24 months, upward review of Job specific allowances for ATCs in NAMA that is due since January 2011and the release of negotiated professional allowances for ATC in the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria for immediate implementation.

APC rejects interim govt, says election must hold as scheduled Temitope Ogunbanke

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said it would neither accept an interim government nor a postponement of next month's elections as being advocated by certain individuals. The party said the elections must hold as scheduled on February 14 and 28. The APC, in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned that any attempt to scuttle the polls in preference for any other arrangement will be resisted by all available constitutional means.

“We are aware that those who are not comfortable with the turning of the political tide in favour of the opposition ahead of the elections are scheming to abort a possible victory for our party, through either an interim government or a postponement of the elections. “These enemies of Nigeria include those who are worried by the strong anti-corruption stance of our party and its avowed commitment to good governance, and those who favour the status quo of anything goes, bad governance and massive corruption that have left Nigerians deeply pauperised and traumatised.

SERAP asks Jonathan, Buhari, to endorse anti-corruption programme

Non-Governmental Organsation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, General Muhammadu Buhari and other presidential candidates, asking them to make “a clear and unequivocal commitment to uphold and implement 7-point anticorruption and human rights programme in your political policies if elected.” Other presidential candidates include: Chekwas Okorie of the United Progressives Party, UPP; Oluremi Sonaiya, Kowa Party; Nani Ibrahim

Ahmad, African Democratic Congress (ADC); Ambrose Albert, Hope Democratic Party (HDP); Martin Onovo, National Conscience Party (NCP); and Ganiyu O. Galadima Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN). In the letter dated January 16 2015 and signed by SERAP’s Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organization said, “We believe that the forthcoming presidential election holds the potential to usher in changes in the way that Nigeria enforces and implements its human rights and anticorruption commitments.

L-R: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia; Managing Director, Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr. Babs Omotowa; First Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Chief Festus Marinho and Prof. Pat Utomi, at a symposium on "Nigeria’s Energy Evolution - A Glimpse At The Future", in honour of Chief Marinho in Lagos… at the weekend. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Justice Ministry lawyers give strike notice Tunde Oyesina and Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

rouble seems to be looming at the nation's judiciary sector as lawyers working at the Federal Ministry of Justice have given a 21day notice to go on strike to protest what they called 'worsening conditions of services'. It will be recalled that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria JUSUN is presently on strike to press for the implementation of a court judgement which granted financial auton-

omy to the judiciary. Since the commencement of the strike, all the activities within the nation's judiciary has been grounded, as all the courts are under lock. Two weeks into the strike action, lawyers in the Justice Ministry have also threatened to go on strike. The lawyers, who issued the notice under the aegis of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN), said they would begin a three-day warning strike from February 1, if their demands were not met after the expiration of the notice.

The 21-day notice commenced on Monday January 12 and will lapse on Sunday, February 1. New Telegraph learnt that a copy of the notice has been sent to the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Head of Service, the Secretary to the Federal Government, the Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy and the Minister of Labour and Productivity. The workers are demanding for the implementation of the Circular

on Harmonization issued by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in 1994, which had been implemented by states’ ministries of justice, except the Federal Ministry of Justice. The workers said they would be going on strike, 'for the very first time as Law Officers Association of Nigeria. Among others, they are also demanding the immediate payment of the outstanding balance of 2013 Robe Allowance to all law officers and outstanding promotion arrears.

Scarcity: NNPC to distribute 49.5 m litres kerosene Adeola Yusuf and Johnchucks Onuanyim ABUJA

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed plans to flood the downstream market with about 49.5 million

litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) also known as kerosene. The corporation, which gave this hint in a statement, maintained that 1,500 trucks of about 33, 000 litres each of kerosene would be supplied to its retail’s mega and affiliate stations across

the country under its new ‘Kero Correct” initiative. “In a bid to get kerosene to consumers across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, at the regulated price of N50 per litre, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has

initiated a scheme aimed at cutting off the several layers of middlemen, who make it difficult for the end user to enjoy the subsidy on the product,” the statement signed by Group General manager, Group; Public affairs of the NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, read.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro Harmattan: More people develop asthma –Commissioner Muritala Ayinla

agos State Government has raised the alarm over increase of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed at the weekend, said more people were developing respiratory-related diseases owing to dust and air pollution. The commissioner appealed to the residents to desist from indiscriminate burning of tyre and waste materials during the harmattan season. He said: “It is a period where there is a lot of dust that causes irritation. We have had increasing cases now especially in the area where they burn things anyhow. And in the process of burning, some of the materials contain items that can affect human beings. “We have two cases now in the area where people burn tyre in Alimosho. Our people should desist from this because a lot of children inhale these things and they can develop asthma and other respiratory problems. We have recorded more cases of children who are hospitalised because of asthma.” The commissioner also urged the residents to dispose their refuse properly. He said: “I just want to appeal to people to refrain from indiscriminate burning of tyre and waste because you never can tell what the substance contains which may be dangerous to our health.” Meanwhile, the Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, has advised the residents to be extremely cautious with naked fire in cigarettes, firewood and stoves. Bello also urged the people to desist from storing explosives in order to reduce the incidents of fire outbreaks, especially during the harmattan season.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Five policemen held for striking deal with oil thieves •Over N6m traced to their accounts Juliana Francis

ome policemen, who struck a deal with a group of oil thieves, have been apprehended in Lagos State. The five policemen are now being discretely interrogated after the bubble burst. More than N6 million has traced to their bank accounts. However, it is believed that the money is more than what has so far been discovered. The men were picked up by the Officer in Charge of AntiVandalism (OC, Anti-Vandal), an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr Friday Ibadin. They were taken to Kamselem Police Command, Obalende, for further interrogation. Although the men tried to deny the allegation, some of the suspected oil thieves they had been dealing with, presented UBA and Skye banks’ tellers, used in lodging money into the accounts of the policemen. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said it was outside his purview. According to him, it was a case of Anti-Vandalism. But Ibadin denied the report. He said: “It is not true. No policeman was arrested over anything like that. Yes, I was at the command and as a policeman I can go to the command for other reasons. It was, however,

File picture of stolen fuel seized from oil thieves at Majidun, Lagos

not to arrest any policeman as you said. In fact, I went there to look for a policeman, but he was not even around, so I left. Somebody is feeding you lies. Believe me; I’m not lying to you.” But investigation showed that the policemen in questions are two inspectors, two sergeants and a corporal. One of the sergeants is identified as Alaba Adegoke. But the names of the other policemen are not known yet. The arrested policemen are said to be among those in the command that drive the most expensive cars. They were also alleged to be building two

houses simultaneously. Nobody knows how long they had been dealing in oil bunkering, but some of the bank tellers presented by the oil thieves showed that over N6 million had been paid into Adegoke’s account. Once the vandals paid the money into Adegoke’s account, he in turn would share and disburse it to the other four. The men had been having a tea party until their arrest. It was also learnt that the five policemen started the illicit business after they arrested some suspected oil thieves, while they were on illegal duty

at Ogijo area of Ikorodu, Lagos. The policemen recovered about 450 jerry-cans of 50 litres, filled with fuel, from the vandals. They took the jerry-cans to Apapa Wharf area, where they sold them and pocketed the money. They threatened the vandals with prison and later struck a deal with them. A police source said: “They threatened the vandals with jail. They later reached an agreement with the vandals. They said they would not jail or arrest the vandals if they agree to be sharing whatever they made from oil bunkering with them at ratio 50:50.”

Teenager dies in hotel swimming pool Taiwo Jimoh

omicide detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, have launched investigation into the death of a hotel guest at the Owode Onirin area of Lagos State. The deceased, identified as Taye Kamali, 19, for unknown reasons, decided to take a swim in a pool that is still under construction and got drowned. The incident occurred on January 11. The hotel management alleged that unnamed enemies, who wanted the newly opened hotel to fail, were behind the tragic incident.

A senior manager, who craved anonymity, said: “The swimming pool in question is still under construction. How can someone die in a swimming pool that is under construction? Our enemies are at work. They want to discredit the image of the owner of the hotel.” It was gathered that the owner of the hotel (name withheld) is a popular radio/television presenter, music producer and lately a politician. The management believed whatever transpired, leading to the death of the guest, might have been the work of political enemies of the owner. “The victim and his friends, about four of them, came to the hotel to drink and relax. After taking some bottles of beer, the

Lagos CP, Kayode Aderanti

deceased left his friends and went to the pool to swim. He drowned in the pool,” an employee of the hotel said. It was also gathered that the hotel attendants were busy attending to other customers

and did not know when Kamali jumped into the pool and drowned. It was also learnt that the tragic incident occurred barely a year after the hotel started operation. A source in the community told our correspondent that the deceased was a resident of the area who just returned from Ilorin, Kwara State. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said that investigation into the incident was still ongoing. He said: “We have already interrogated the staff and got their statements. We have all the facts we needed from the hotel. Our investigation, however, continues.”

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NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Police declare 19 AK47 rifles missing after Ikare robbery Babatope Okeowo Akure

olice authorities in Ondo State have said that they lost 19 AK47 rifles following the last week’s invasion of the Ikare-Akoko Police Station in Akoko North East Local Government Area. Four of the rifles were taken from the policemen who were killed on First Bank premises on Jubilee Road in Ikare-Akoko while the other 15 were stolen when the daredevil armed robbers attacked a police station at Igbede on Owo Road. In a signal sent to all the police divisions in the state command, which our correspondent saw, the police hierarchy asked the police formations to intensify efforts to recover the rifles from the armed robbers. Armed robbers had invaded Ikare-Akoko last Tuesday and killed about 20 persons, among them eight policemen, in an operation that lasted about one hour. It was learnt that the robbers invaded five banks, First Bank, Syke Bank and Eco Bank, and stole an undisclosed

Nigerian defrauds Danish woman of N18m

amount of money. Aside cash, the robbers also stole cars and other valuables. A witness, who has an office opposite the First Bank, said two people were killed while withdrawing money from an ATM machine on the bank premises, one person was shot dead at Idi Mango while others were killed on Jubilee Road. The witness said after about one hour operation, bodies littered the street. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Wole Ogodo, said in a statement that 15 people, among them five policemen were shot dead. He said: “The incident of the bank robbery and attack on the police station at Ikare was a sad incident. The attack was sudden and coordinated. “They used General Purpose Machine guns, improvised explosive devices and other sophisticated weapons. They came in large number and syndicated themselves. The group of 25 armed men, which attacked Ikare Police Station, came on foot through unfenced part of the station. “The station guards engaged

File picture of AK-47 rifles

them but were outnumbered with introduction of sophisticated weapons which made them to retreat. They demobilised the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the station by shooting at the tyres because it was not bullet proof. “Two male civilians were killed at the station. The robbers vandalised the entire station. The other group raided five banks -

escaping.” Ogodo added that the targeted Fist Bank bullion van on special escort with N25 million was saved by the police escort. He said: “Eleven civilians were killed by hoodlums in the attacked. Two undetonated devices were recovered at the scene. High profile investigation has been instituted and frantic efforts are on to track down the hoodlums.”

Safety professionals laud re-activation of 400 fire hydrants

Juliana Francis

Nigerian, identified as Emeofa Michael Ikechukwu, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding his American lover of $100,000 (about N18 million). The suspect, also known as Michael Briggs, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly obtaining the money from a Dane, Hengameh Misepasi, in a romance scam. The Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect allegedly met the victim online in February 2013 and falsely represented himself as an American business executive on business visit to Nigeria. In the course of the internet affair, Ikechukwu promised his victim marriage and later began to make monetary demands on her, using various excuses. “Once, he told her that he had problems with government officials and requested for a loan. He later cajoled her into partnering with him on a phantom timber business. “The last request he made before he was arrested was a demand for $10,000 to enable him to travel to Denmark to meet her. It was while he was attempting to draw the $100 sent by the victim (instead of the $10,000 requested) through Western Union that he was arrested,” Uwujaren said. Ikechukwu was picked up in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by operatives of EFCC following a petition from the Nigerian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

First Bank, Wema, Skye, Eco and Keystone banks - and carted away unspecified amount. “We lost five policemen attached to Fast Strike Squad that ran into the hoodlums. The hoodlums fled when they saw the two APCs dispatched from neighbouring divisions and demobilised them by firing at their tyres. “They began to shoot at innocent people as they were

Participants at the ‘Safety Walk’

Muritala Ayinla

afety professionals have commended the Lagos State Government for re-activating about 400 fire hydrants across the state. The professionals gave the

commendation at a “Safety Walk” organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Safety Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (SAEF), dedicated to the promotion and sustenance of a positive safety culture in the country.

The Executive Director, SAEF, Mr Jamiu Badmus (an engineer), who spoke during the walk where over 100 safety professionals participated, said the re-activation of the fire hydrants showed government’s commitment to prevention of avoidable disasters. Governor Babatunde Fashola had last week disclosed that his government had reactivated 400 fire hydrants across the state. The governor added that his administration had resolved to install fire hydrants on every road project awarded. Badmus also urged the residents to make safety their watchword, adding that fire disaster was avoidable during this season if certain safety rules could be adhered to.

Speaking on the monthly exercise tagged: “Keep Safe, Live Healthy,” the National Coordinator of SAEF, Mr Kadiri Shamsideen, appealed to the residents to adapt to safety rules always in order to avert recurrent fire outbreaks. He explained that the exercise was designed to improve the health of Nigerians by reducing heart-related diseases. According to him, it is safe to engage in frequent physical exercise. The Safety Manager, Lafarge Nigeria, Mr Tukur Lawal (an engineer), also expressed the concern of the safety professionals over the frequent fire incidents in the state and the attendant loss of lives.

Fashola asks markets, parks to raise safety committees Muritala Ayinla

overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday advised market and transport unions to set up committees to ensure that everything that could cause fire outbreak was removed after each day’s business. Fashola, who commiserated with the victims of Iwaya Market fire disaster at Abete, EbuteMetta, said those who lost their homes to the inferno would be moved to the Resettlement Centre in Agbowa while government would seek ways to assist victims get back on their feet. The governor gave the charge when he visited Iwaya Market where over 17 vehicles and houses were razed by fire. He reiterated that prevention of fire incidents was the responsibility of every Lagosian. Fashola urged Lagosians to

Fashola (third right), Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed (third left), Oke-Osanyintolu (second right) and the Executive Secretary, Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mrs Bola Olumegbon (second left) during the visit, yesterday. INSET: The scene of the fire incident.

always be safety conscious by ensuring that they remove everything that could cause fire

outbreak in their homes, including switching off electrical appliances, before leaving

for work or business every day. He said: “This is the dry season and with the harmattan haze, any small fire quickly gets out of hand. So all of us must be interested in our safety; we must do everything possible to avoid fire. “In market places, I am appealing that we should set up committees from today so that at the end of every market day, that committee must go round the market to ensure that there is nothing that is left switched on that can cause a fire. In motor parks, in communities, in homes and offices the same thing should apply. Everybody must take responsibility.” Earlier, a community leader in the area, Chief Oladiji Oluwo, commended the government for its team’s prompt response and the movement of the victims who were rendered homeless by the inferno to the Agbowa Resettlement Camp.

News

RED ALART

Poultry farmers, consumers warned against transmission of virus Appolonia Adeyemi

gainst the backdrop of the recent bird flu outbreak or Influenza virus in Kano and Lagos states, a public health expert has warned the public to avoid the consumption of dead and sick birds. A Professor of Commu-

NATIONAL

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bird flu: Expert warns against consumption of dead poultry products nity Medicine and Public Health at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL)/ Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Bayo Onajole, who made the call yesterday, warned that the consumption of dead bird products could be detrimental to human health. Also, he warned poultry farmers and consumers, who handle poultry products to wear protec-

tive garments, so as to prevent transmission of virus during the process of handling bird products, cutting and dissecting. He was reacting to the public health implications of bird flu which broke out in the country last week. Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, had on Thursday, last week, issued a red alert to stakeholders and Nigerians to be on guard

against an outbreak of the Influenza virus (bird flu virus). According to Onajole, who spoke in a telephone interview: “Dead animals/birds should not be consumed”. He added that it was safer to keep away from dead bird products since the consumers may not know the cause of their death. He added: “We should not buy poultry products that are dead. When poul-

try products die massively, they are sold at cheaper prices to consumers.” However, he advised that people should avoid buying such because they might inadvertently be buying things that may affect their health. Although, the method of cooking in the Nigerian environment (over cooking) could check the transmission of bird flu virus if any is present in the bird, Onajole said,

“Before one starts boiling the bird product, there are processes. This is when the bird flu virus can easily be transmitted.” Furthermore, he noted that human beings manning poultry farms should improve on basic hygiene practices by wearing protective outfits. Basically, he said the index of suspicion should be on unexplained massive deaths recorded in any poultry. “When that occurs, the chances or the likelihood that there might be that virus in that poultry may be high. Then it is best to invite the veterinary doctors.”

Social Media Awards to hold in Lagos

ocial Media players across Africa will converge on Lagos this weekend from Friday to Saturday, for the annual Social Media Awards Africa initiative sponsored by Sterling Bank Plc. This, according to a statement, follows the closure of the voting window for the continent-wide initiative on social media development, #SMAA2015 across Africa last December. With a summit scheduled for Friday, the Award presentation to the winners will follow on Saturday. The two-day event will bring together social media influencers; experts, enthusiasts and policy makers that would explore and forge new developmental paths for Africa. SMAA is a premier continental initiative, which seeks to recognize and reward creativity, excellence

and impact in the usage of social media across Africa. The voting phase led to the emergence of 45 Finalists for the four categories. A total of 923 nominations were received during the nomination period as follows: Personality Based (468), Platform Specific (266), Institutional (115) and INDIGENOUS (74). Also, during the window period, over 5.5 Million Connections, at least 821,886 Retweets and 29 Million accounts were reached through all 22 social media platforms where the messages were promoted. Each winner will take home a cash prize of US$1,000 USD and a SMAA Plaque. Other benefits include: Social Media training, access to memberships and attendance of Social Media events, publications on Social Media and complimentary advertising on Social Media Africa portal.

200 workers listed for retrenchment in aviation sector Wole Shadare

o fewer than 200 workers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) are slated for disengagement after serving their mandatory 35 years in service. Just last week, over 15 General Managers were disengaged from the aviation agencies, including those who got into the sector through political appointments, thereby signposting a gale of retrenchment that is expected to occur in the aviation industry in few weeks’ time. Four officials in NAMA, who were affected by the tenure policy of maximum eight years for staff who have reached level 17 in service left last week. New Telegraph learnt from a reliable source in NAMA that the impending disengagement would affect those who have put in the maximum 35 years in service and those who have reached the manda-

tory 60 years of age for retirement according to the civil service rule. It was learnt that most of those to be affected by the disengagement are professionals and technical staff of the agency. But stakeholders and professionals are worried that there are no adequate preparation for their replacement by the management of the agency. Besides, there are indications that other agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) are expected to lose several of their workers. Equally worrisome was the disclosure by a source in the Presidency that in the next four years, several young people who are between the ages of 44 and 50 years could be retrenched from the agency due to tenure policy adopted by the Federal Government.

L-R: Chairman Savannah Centre, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba and Director Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Ms. Jennifer Cooke, during a stakeholders' workshop on elections in Abuja... at the weekend.

2013 budget fully used by presidency, MDAS Abdulwahab Isa ABUJA

hirty-Seven Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) have been confirmed to have successfully utilized more than 96.5% of their 2013 budget allocation. Data on 2013 budget utilization obtained yesterday by New Telegraph listed the MDAs that utilized 96.5% of their cash-backed allocations

as Youth Development Ministry, Police Affairs, Women Affairs, Agriculture, Water Resources, Defence, Trade& Investment, Aviation, Office of the National Security Adviser, ICPC, Housing& Urban Development, FCTA, Presidency, Police Formation, Secretary to the Government the Federation and the Ministry of Niger Delta. In addition, seven out of these, including Police Formation, ICPC, Housing & Urban Development,

National Salaries & Wages, National Sports Commission, Code of Conduct Tribunal and Ministry of Special Duties had 100 per cent of their respective cash backed funds. The Nigeria’s budget for 2013 comprised a total of N4.92-trillion spending plan, representing an increase of .5 per cent over the N4.7-trillion appropriated for the 2012 fiscal year. The aggregate expenditure figure comprises N1.54 trillion for capital expenditure, N2.41 trillion

for recurrent expenditure, N380.02 billion for statutory transfers and N591.76 billion for debt service. However, in addition to the regular budget, a total of N272.55billion (or 99.65%)of theN273.5 billion appropriated for SURE P in the 2013 Budget was released as at December 31,2013 while N1 81.09billion(or66.44%) of the released amount was utilized for major capital and social programmes to assist in the area of infrastructure development.

Egbin rehabilitates Unit ST-06, eight years after abandonment Adeola Yusuf

ower generation in Nigeria has peaked at 3, 720 Mega Watts (MW) as Egbin Power hits its installed capacity of 1,320 Mega Watts (MW), last seen eight years ago. The management of Egbin Power Plc, which disclosed this in a statement at the weekend, added that the rehabilitation programme of the company on ST-06, a 220MW Steam Turbine Generator

was done after eight years during which the turbine remained inoperable. “This brings the plant back to its installed capacity of 1,320MW,” the statement read. Disclosing the development in Lagos, the management of the company, said that the rehabilitated and restored Unit ST06 brings an additional 220MW to the Nigerian National Electricity Grid and would also bolster power supply to the Lagos

Metropolis, thereby, improving socio-economic activities in the region. ST-06, which was first inaugurated in November 1987, suffered a boiler explosion during operation in 2006 due to some water tube phenomenon. With the unit now generating at full stream, Egbin is currently in the final stages of a bilateral agreement to supply the 220MW to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Plc (Ikeja Electric) and Eko Distribution Com-

pany, a development that is set to yield about 16 per cent additional power supply to Lagos, the nation's commercial nerve centre. The statement continued: “The transformation at the nation's largest generation plant commenced following its acquisition by Sahara Power working through a number of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) in collaboration with Its technical partners, Korea Electric Corporation (KEPCO).

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Polls

Presidency

APC warns PDP against demonising Buhari

Mass defection hits Ondo PDP

Delta PDP sacks executives

Imo: 12,000 APGA members defect to PDP

Exodus

Power tussle

Politics Buhari: Alli’s kinsmen seek revenge Ahead of the February 14 presidential election, kinsmen of the late governor of old Bendel State, Prof. Ambrose Alli, are up in arms against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari, writes CAJETAN MMUTA

or daring to send their kinsman, late Prof. Ambrose Alli to jail for 60 years at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons in 1983, elders, leaders, youths and women of Esanland and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, at the weekend vowed to avenge the crime committed against their own by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 14 election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). Buhari’s regime as military head of state, jailed Prof. Alli, the first civilian governor of old Bendel State (1979-1983) over allegations of corruption. The jail term was, however, reduced to an option of fine totalling N983, 000, but Alli took ill and died shortly after his release. But the Esan people in Edo Central Senatorial District, their leaders and members of the PDP at a rally held in Igueben council on Saturday, stirred the ghost of the late politician with a call on all political detainees jailed during the regime of General Buhari and other Nigerians, to vote against him, insisting that a vote

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

L-R: PDP Edo Central senatorial candidate, Engr. Clifford Ordia; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi; Works Minister, Mr. Mike Onoloememen and Chief Tony Omoaghe at the event

for Buhari and the APC, means backwardness for the country. Speakers at the rally meant to drum support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election and other candidates of the PDP, said the president remains the nation’s choice having done much to unite the various sections of the country with landmark achievements in the road, rail, agriculture and health sectors. The state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, fired the first salvo, when he said: “My coming here is to greet you, urge you, plead with you and ask you to join hands with other patriotic Nigerians to re-elect Mr. President, Goodkluck Jonathan.” He added: “I want to remind you that those who are leaders of APC don’t mean well for our people. Under the regime of General Buhari, I recall that your own son, the best governor we have ever had, the first elected civilian governor this state ever had, Prof. Ambrose Alli was punished and sent to prison for no just cause by those who are calling for change. They cannot bring change. You don’t change from what is good to bad. You only change from bad to good. So, we must continue to vote for what is good and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan stands for what is good for Nigeria. “On February 14, the good people of this local government, party

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The first elected civilian governor this state ever had, Prof. Ambrose Alli was punished and sent to prison for no just cause

Buhari

faithful and other committed Nigerians will be going out to vote and re-elect Mr. President. We are supporting Mr. President in his reelection because he has done very well. It takes a man with good luck to do good things for good people to appreciate and it is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who has done these to justify our confidence to re-elect him as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The Edo State PDP chairman noted that President Jonathan has

proven himself as “a democrat, compassionate, humble, peace loving and a gentle president,” stressing that “the other one is the opposite of everything that is good in Goodluck Jonathan.” On her part, the eldest daughter of the late professor, Mrs. Rosemary Alli, told the mammoth crowd that the then regime of the APC presidential candidate jailed her father despite pleas from famCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

I’ve no godfather, says Agbaje Wale Elegbede

overnorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje has declared that he has no godfather that would influence or hamper service delivery to the people if elected as governor. He also vowed to reverse all illegally acquired properties in the state by some vested interests. Speaking yesterday at a media interaction, Agbaje, who contested for governorship in 2007 on the platform of the defunct Democratic People Alliance (DPA), noted that his campaign for next month’s election is predicated on change in the affairs of the state. He added that the Governor Babatunde Fashola-led administration has been arrogant in its conduct towards the people. Agbaje said: “The issue

of godfather doesn’t arise. I don’t have a godfather in the way they have put it. There is no godfather. “When it was time to choose my running mate, I chose my running mate; nobody chose her for me. 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.” While identifying confluence of vested interests as the bane behind the implementation of several policies of government in the state, he expressed his determination at ensuring that the political and socio-economic life of the state does not growl any longer under the bondage of vested interests if elected as governor. “In Lagos, you may find good programmes on paper but you will see that the implementation is being affected by vested interest. Anything that La-

gos does have to be in the interest of what I called vested interest. So, if you look at the light rail, the BRT is not working again because there are vested interests involved. “We have a vested interest that is affecting the social, economic and political life of our state. You cannot have any big project in Lagos unless you take into consideration vested interest. That is affecting our state and we are saying that it is time to remove Lagos from this bondage. “The properties acquired by the vested interests, the ones we can take back, we will take back, those ones that has been acquired illegally and cannot be properly accounted for, we will take back. The ones we cannot take back and has been done in a way that the people have been short-changed will be addressed. That is why I said the election is about conti-

nuity or change,” he said. The PDP candidate who allayed fears of being abandoned by leaders of his party in the campaigns, stated that, “people said that they haven’t seen Chief Bode George behind me, he is an elder of the party and he is not the one that is going to run the campaign. It is clear that we are united and there is a unity of purpose in our party and the desire to win the state is above any other consideration.” Refuting insinuations that he lacks requisite experience in public office, the trained Pharmacist noted that the assertion was only a political vituperation aimed at undermining him, adding that, “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.”

Presidency: PDP confident of victory Onyekachi Eze Abuja

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the success of its campaign rallies in the South East and South South was an evidence that the party will win the February 14 presidential election. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, at a press conference yesterday, said with the support of Nigerians, President Goodluck Jonathan will win convincingly in the entire five states of the South-East and as well “deal the APC a crushing defeat in South-West states including Lagos State “where the popularity and acceptability of our presidential and governorship candidates have earned us tremendous support at the grassroots.” Metuh observed that campaigns have been greeted by the turnout of millions of Nigerians who are eager to return President Jonathan to power on February 14. “As our campaign train moves to the North tomorrow (today), we will leverage on the goodwill we enjoy from our citizens in that region. The North remains a stronghold of the PDP where in the last 16 years. “Our strength lies in the fact that out of the

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19 states of the North, the PDP controls 12 with solid structures, oiled over the years in all the wards and local government areas. Nasarawa and Kwara as well as win in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states,” he stated PDP said it will be relying on its verifiable achievements in the areas of education where it established the Almajiri System of Education, with over 150 special schools as well as nine out of 14 new universities established by Jonathan administration, as well as agriculture where direct jobs were given to two million to northerners. “The revitalisation of the railways by the Jonathan administration has connected major cities in the North to the extent that very soon it will become easy for Nigerians to live in states in the North and still work in Abuja as the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2015,” Metuh added.

Alhassan appeals to Taraba electorate T L-R: National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Parety (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu, presenting the party’s flag to the governorship candidate in Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, during the party ‘s presidential flag-off campaign held at Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri, on Saturday.

Ochei’s defection: Delta PDP sacks exco Dominic Adewole, ASABA

neasy calm yesterday engulfed the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the sacking of executive members of the party in Aniocha North Local Government Area. The chairman of the party in the council, Chief Nnamdi Moayin, the secretary and the Woman Leader, were suspended for anti-party activities. Their positions were immediately filled. Their offence: They

were caught hobnobbing with the immediate past Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei. The party is furious that Ochei defected to the Accord Party (AP) to realise his Delta North senatorial ambition after he lost his governorship bid to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on December 8. The suspension in Aniocha North came barely 48 hours after the SouthSouth Zonal vice chairman of the party, Dr. Cairo Ojougbo, slammed a 48-hour ultimatum on all decampees across the state. Ojougbo warned the

defectors to return to the party or risk being expelled, during Okowa’s campaign flag-off last week. Approving the suspension during the rally of Okowa at Akwukwu-Igbo in Oshimili North axis of the state, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said: “PDP in the state has no alliance with any opposition party.” Corroborating the governor, the state chairman of the party, Chief Edwin Uzor, lambasted the decampees for fanning embers of discord and causing disunity in the party. According to Uzor,

“PDP in Delta State has no affinity with any other party. Don’t be deceived by the antics of detractors, those that are desperate for power. You are either hot or cold, or else we will spit you out.” New Telegraph also gathered that the party has started hunting for supporters of Ovie OmoAgege, the former Secretary to State Government (SSG) to former Governor James Ibori, in Ughelli axis of the state. Omo-Agege dumped PDP and joined forces with Chief Great Ogboru in the Labour Party (LP) to contest Delta Central senatorial seat.

he gover norship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Alhassan, has appealed to the electorate to give her the mandate to make the difference. Alhassan made the appeal in an interview in Jalingo, the state capital, after a reception in her honour by supporters and party faithful yesterday. She said men had ruled the state since its creation in 1991 but had not recorded the desired impact on the lives of the common people. She added that: “I want to appeal to the people of Taraba State to try a woman for once and I can assure you that you will see a great difference.” Alhassan, who denied allegations that she was still in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said

she had submitted her PDP membership card to the party’s state chairman, Mr. Victor Bala and had picked up that of APC, which she said was her current party. Alhaji Hassan Ardo, the Taraba APC Chairman, said the large crowd of supporters at the reception showed the level of acceptability of the party by the people of the state. Ardo urged the people to go back to their various wards across the state and collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to enable them to participate in the forthcoming elections. Alhassan, a serving senator, will be facing former Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Darius Ishaku of the PDP and Chief David Kente of SDP, a retired Director of Finance from the National Assembly at the guber poll.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Imo: 12,000 APGA members defect to PDP Steve Uzoechi Owerri

ith less than four weeks to the February elections, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has taken a hit with thousands of its members defecting in droves to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Imo West area of the state. The defecting persons are largely supporters of late Hon (Mrs) Okwesilieze Igwe, a wellknown grassroots politician, who died few weeks ago shortly after emerging as the senatorial

candidate of the party for Imo West. While receiving the defecting APGA faithful at St. Mary’s Church ground in Orlu council area, the Imo State chairman of the PDP, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie described the late Igwe, as a grassroots politician that had always commanded intimidating followership in the state before her death. He applauded the decision of Hon. Christian Igwe, the husband of the deceased politician, to empty the political structure of the late wife into the PDP, adding that the decision to join the party and work for the

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victory of its candidates in the forthcoming general election would be greatly rewarded at the appropriate time. While urging the people to vote massively for the PDP including Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the governorship candidate, Anyaehie described the party as the only ‘main-

stream platform’ that provides vast opportunities for socio-economic development, infrastructural and human capital development that ought not to elude the people of Imo State. Also speaking, the senator representing Orlu Zone in the Senate who is equally seeking a second term under the platform of the PDP, Senator Hope Uzodinma declared that with the entry of about 12,000 supporters of Igwe, the PDP and its candidates would be virtually returned unopposed in next month general election in Orlu zone. Earlier in his speech,

the leader of the group, Igwe, said after the devastating death of his wife, whom he claimed would have won the sena-

torial seat, many politicians were falling over each other to inherit her massive political structure.

Theft of PVCs won’t help parties in Borno, says INEC

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the alleged mass theft of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) by politicians in Borno will not affect the conduct of February general election. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) are accusing each other of perpetrating the alleged theft of the PVCs. Borno INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Tukur Sa’ad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri, that the alleged theft would add no advantage to the perpetrators. According to him, stealing or hijacking PVCs will not give added

advantage to any political party during the election. “Well, I have not heard of the information on the alleged stealing or hijacking of PVCs by politicians in Borno, but if that is true, it is an exercise in futility,” he said. Sa’ad added: “Stealing or hijacking PVCs will not make impact at the polls because no individual can use another person’s PVC on the election date. “INEC is going to place card reading machines at every polling unit, the machine must recognise a voter before being issued with a ballot paper.” He said that the finger print of every voter must tally with that of the PVC before being allowed to vote.

Constituents petition INEC, APC over Assembly contestants

T L-R: Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed; House of Representatives candidate, Hon. Olayonu Olarinoye; senatorial candidate, Kwara South, Rafiu Ibrahim and Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kisra, during a rally at Babanla, Kwara State…at the weekend

Buhari certificate: PDP is courting trouble, says APC Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that the continuous demand for the certificate of its presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari would amount to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) courting trouble. The APC accused the PDP of fanning the ember of Buhari certificate controversies. The APC National Publicity Secretary, Alh-

aji Lai Mohammed, said: “The party believes that it is a needless controversy. The PDP is just clutching at straws. “How can you say at this age and time that a man that rose to become a General in the Nigerian Army does not have a certificate, or that he cannot read or write. We want to warn PDP in an attempt to pull down the General, they are inadvertently destroying the entire military institution of Nigeria.” Asked why it is difficult for the APC presidential candidate to at-

tach his certificate to his form as the law demanded, Mohammed said: “Listen, I think all these mischief-makers have not told us their intention. When the General contested in 2003, what did he present to INEC? When he contested in 2007, what did he present to INEC? And when he contested in 2011, what did he present to INEC? Let INEC answer and tell the world that they don’t have the copy of the General’s certificate.” Also, the Strategist, Researcher and Planner

of the Buhari Support Organisation (BSO), Mr. Jammal Tijani Bello queried the rationale behind the clamour for the certificate of the APC presidential candidate. Bello urged Nigerians to concentrate on what Gen. Buhari was bringing to bear on governance and not his certificate. He made references to great world leaders like Winston Churchill, who, he said, probably did not have excellent academic qualification, but contribute much to mankind.

Why Nigerians should vote for Buhari, by Keyamo Temitope Ogunbanke

head of the February 14 presidential election, lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo has urged Nigerians to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). Keyamo in a statement made available to New

Telegraph yesterday said Nigeria has not fared well under President Goodluck Jonathan. Keyamo, who expressed concern over the silence of stakeholders in the country, charged the elites to stand up for what is right, noting that nothing is wrong in being caught on the wrong side of the government in the next four years, if they

would be caught on the right side of posterity. His words: “The Nigerian people have tolerated too much and taken too much battering from the PDP-led Federal Government since 1999. Under the Jonathan government, the situation in the country has sunk to an all-time low, except for the few benefitting directly from the government.

“They are blind to criticism and blind to healthy opposition. They hurl abuses at anyone who dares to point out these acts of maladministration”. According to him, “In saner societies, the president will not be allowed to campaign in many parts of the country. The people will rise against him and chase his convoy away.”

wo candidates for the Sokoto State House of Assembly election are battling to hold on to their party tickets following moves by various groups in their constituencies to substitute their names ahead of the February general election. The candidates, Abdulwahab Yahaya and Abdullahi Zakari from Goronyo and Rabah State Constituencies respectively, are facing challenges over their qualifications to contest the coming election. A group, Sokoto Stakeholders Forum, has already petitioned the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as the Independent National Elec-

toral Commission (INEC) urging them to stop both Yahaya and Zakari from contesting the election. Similarly, the group said it would launch a legal battle to deny the duo the chance to be in the ballot. Speaking to reporters in Sokoto yesterday, one of the petitioners, Musa Abdullahi Mafara, said the two candidates are disqualified from contesting the elections because they do not have the necessary educational qualifications. According to him, the two candidates also stand disqualified because they are not registered members of the APC as required by the party’s constitution.

Witches predict Jonathan’s victory Felix Nwaneri

ndorsements have continued to trail President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid with the latest coming from the Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN). Spokesman of the group, Okhue Iboi, who revealed the group’s support for the president told New Telegraph that Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will defeat the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress

(APC) General Muhammadu Buhari in the February 14 election. He added that this will come to pass despite the belief that most political leaders in the North and South-West geo-political zones are rooting for the former military ruler. “The support of the political leaders will not change anything. Though the election will be tough, Jonathan will emerge tops. I say this because Jonathan has always succeeded in whatever he lays his hands on,” he said.

16 Politics

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC warns PDP against demonising Buhari Wale Elegbede

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against using all sorts of red herrings, abuses or foul temper to whip up hatred against the person of the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), adding that the desperation of the PDP is being

intensified against the APC after sensing the increasing possibility of losing the elections by a wide margin. In a statement by the Director, Strategic Communications of the Buhari campaign organization, Dele Alake, the APC said several allegations against the person of Buhari are baseless and unproven. He said, “One of the

Akpabio rallies support for Jonathan, Udom Tony Anichebe

he people of NsitUbium and Eket Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State have been called upon to vote President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term and Mr. Udom Emmanuel as the next governor of the state. Both are candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Governor Godswill Akpabio, who made the call over the weekend at the first state PDP campaign rally held at the Nsit-Ubium secretariat ground and later at the Eket Stadium, remarked: “I call on the people of Nsit-Ubium and Eket local government areas to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan for second term in the upcoming

elections, so that he can continue his good works for the country. “And I believe that with the emergence of the president for second term, the insurgency we are facing now in the country would definitely come to end.” Akpabio further noted “I am impressed with the turn-out of the crowd today to support our very own, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. I must say, I am very impressed at the massive crowd in Eket and especially in Nsit-Ubium in spite of what rumor mongers in local tabloids said that Nsit-Ubium has defected to another political party. So, today I call on you all to support and vote for Mr. Udom Emmanuel as the next governor of the state under the platform of the PDP.”

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

ily members and associates for his release, urging all Nigerians, to cast their votes for President Jonathan and shun Buhari and the APC at the poll. She said: “Please, I have come to beg you people to please give your votes to President Jonathan en masse because Buhari did havoc to my daddy. He killed my daddy; he put my daddy into detention for good one year without any reason. And upon all the excesses, let them write to say that my father did not know anything about the N983, 000, they said no. They wanted to jail my daddy at all cost. For that reason, I am begging you people that as long as the children of the political detainees live, Buhari will never rule this country. Please I want to use this opportunity to urge you to vote for other PDP candidates.” Former minister of Foreign Affairs and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Tom Ikimi urged the people of Esanland, the state and Nigerians to champion the struggle towards ensuring that a SouthSouth minority would not be oppressed by irredentist Islamists.” His words: “The next general election must not be a gamble and therefore President Jonathan, a man who is humble, a man who has done what no other has done since 1999, must be allowed his second term.” Recalling Buhari’s days as chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, Ikimi said: “The truth of the matter is that we now stand on the threshold of the next general election. The next election will be on February 14, the day when lovers take their friends to have a meal. On that day

red herrings being projected by the PDP and its many hatchet writers in the media is the allegation of corruption and favouritism in the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) run by Gen Buhari under the Sani Abacha regime and a little after. “The critics suggest the existence of dossiers and investigative reports supposedly indicting the APC candidate of unwholesome activities when he presided over the affairs of the agency. But a few days ago, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was supposed to have commissioned the investigation, disclosed that he was in possession of the report

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and nothing untoward was established against the APC candidate. “Similarly, PDP’s agents, and sometimes unfortunately too, President Goodluck Jonathan himself, continue to falsely accuse Gen Buhari of either inspiring the violent Boko Haram sect or conniving in their nefarious

activities. “Not only are the accusations not proven; not only is the fact that Muhammadu Buhari’s convoy was attacked by the same sect deliberately ignored, the PDP continues to emphasise them, as part of a plot to label the APC candidate as a violent man who has no streak of democracy in him. “It is true Gen Buhari ruled as a military head of state. But it must also be acknowledged that General Obasanjo also once ruled as a military head of state. Yet, that did not prevent the PDP from nominating and presenting him as its presidential candidate in 1999 and 2003

general elections. “The fact is that the PDP has consistently avoided the main issues of this campaign. Apparently, it has no answers to them. The party prefers to focus on personal attacks, dreg up unsubstantiated records of the general during his military rule, make wild imputations of his motives, and label him atrociously in order to hang him. Nigerians, happily, have recognised that the country has little time left to tackle the grave economic collapse facing it, and the even more critical security challenges threatening the entire country.”

L-R: Chairman, Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Captain Tunji Shelle (rtd); deputy governorship candidate, Alhaja Safurat AbdulKareem and the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, at an interactive session in Yaba, Lagos…yesterday

Buhari: Alli’s kinsmen seek revenge we must not make an error; the election is now between two parties, the PDP on one side and the APC which I created on the other side. Who can tell you about the APC more than myself ? If I tell you it is good, it is good; if I tell you it is bad, no doubt it is bad.” He further said: “The APC has been seized by very bad people. As we stand now, this is not the time for APC, we have decided to let Jonathan from the South-South complete his term of eight years. In 2019, we shall give the chance to another person. General Buhari is contesting the election for the fourth time now. Gen. Buhari is now 72 years old, Jonathan is just over 60, Jonathan can make use of the internet, he is IT compliant; Jonathan is a young man. So Jonathan is this new generation. That is the change we are talking about. “They say Buhari is there because they claim he is Mr. Integrity. Is there any integrity in not having certificate? Is there any integrity in not going to school? Is there any integrity in lying about your qualification? Nigerians have degrees. The daughter of our late governor, Prof. Ambrose Alli, had spoken to you. I have nothing to add to what she has said. She has told you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “This man who wants to be president killed her father. He carried Umaru Dikko and put him in a box in London and put him in a plane in the cold, God saved the man, they discovered him on time but he never recovered from it. He be-

came blind and he died. Let me tell you, they say corruption; you can only know someone who is corrupt by the appointment you give him. “He (Buhari) was Minister of Petroleum and before 1983 they smuggled $2.8 billion which was in Midland Bank in England and put it in a notorious bank called BCTI. By the time it was discovered that money had made an interest of over $400 million, up till now, nobody knows where that interest is. Mr. Integrity! Then they instituted a panel; the panel was headed by a High Court judge, Justice Irikhefe. The Irikhefe panel came out with a paper and when they knew that this paper indicted this man, he quickly staged a coup to bring down the government. “That was the reason for the 1983 coup that brought down Shagari’s government. Some people said they wanted to see the paper for the $20 million; I wanted to see the paper for the $2.8 billion in 1983. Therefore, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. “When I was adviser to government I was the one that wrote the memo upon which they created the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). So, there is nobody else who knows more about the PTF than myself, even, in the lifetime of Gen. Sani Abacha. I stood out to be challenged about the running of PTF because Gen. Buhari was made to run the PTF as his private kingdom. Eighty per cent of the projects were in his home town and 20 per cent for the rest of Nigeria. Is that a good man?

Telling me that he is not corrupt is absolute bullshit.” Also speaking, Minister of Works, Arch. Mike Onolememen said the February 14 polls would serve as payback time for General Buhari for meting a deadly blow against late Prof. Alli, who he said “served the state faithfully and did not steal a kobo from the coffers of the state.” He said: “In 1983 after the coup when Shehu Shagari was removed by General Buhari and Shagari was put under house arrest, our brother was sent to Kirikiri Maximum Prison. And while he was there, his health failed and he never recovered from it and he died when he came out of prison. So, today I call on every Esan man and woman, wherever he or she may be that February 14 is payback time for Buhari. “I want Esan people to say it loud and clear; President Goodluck Jonathan is our choice. President Jonathan has done well for us in Esanland, in Edo State and in Nigeria. Today, he is dualising the road from Okene to Auchi, to Ewu, to Irrua, to Ekpoma, Iruekpen, to Ehor and only on Tuesday this week (last week), I signed the contract agreement on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria with Setraco Nigeria Limited to dualise from Ewu, Uromi, Igueben, Ebele, Oguoa. In that contract, we are also going to do a spur from Idumogo to Iduotutu, where you used to have the old market in Igueben. So, Buhari’s coming is like a backward movement, but we are saying no, forward Nigeria with Jonathan.”

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Mass defection hits Ondo PDP

Mimiko

Few weeks to the general election, top politicians in Ondo State have been changing camps sending political parties to the drawing boards to restrategise for the election, writes BABATOPE OKEOWO

n a move reminiscent of political tsunami, prominent leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State dumped the party for the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) last week, a move that may likely alter the political calculation in the state ahead of the February elections. Before now, some top politicians in the state have changed camps without necessarily having effect on the political calculation in the state. Many have claimed to defect with hundreds and sometimes thousands of their supporters from one party to another without having any effect on the structure of either the benefitting or loosing party. But the defection of former Chief of Staff to immediate past governor of the state, late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Mr. Femi Agagu and Hon. Victor Adekanye Olabimtan with others to the APC actually shook the political foundation of the state. Femi was the Chief of Staff to his brother, Olusegun, between 2003 and 2009 and was the engine room of the government. He was responsible for bringing former commissioners, special advisers and other appointees of the administration to the APC. The commissioners of the administration that left PDP with him include Laitan Ayeni, Boye Adegbemisoye and Mrs Tola Awor. Those who served as chairmen of local governments during the period include Mr. Tolu Babaleye, Dr. Adeluse Obe and Mr. Akin Aibinuomo. Other

Olabimtan

appointees are Mr. Bankole Oluwajana, Yinka Orokoto, Kunle Adebayo. Some of the defectors have also served as commissioners and appointees of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s in his first term in office and they include Mr. Niran-Sule Akinsuyi, Chief Akinyemi Akinnigbagbe, Mrs Bukola Tenabe, Tola Wewe, Tolu Fadahunsi, Tola Akinseye, Chief Segun Adagunodo and Mr. F.A Falohun. There are also elected officials who served in Agagu and Mimiko’s governments. They are Mr. Taofeek Abdusalam who served as Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Jones Akinyugha who represented Idare/Ifedore in the House of Representatives, Mr. Abiodun Jerome, Samuel Pelemo and Yibo Obagbemi who served two terms in the House of Assembly. There are also some people in the private sector who joined the APC and they include Mr. Deolu Ijose, Feyi Bali, Funso Esan, Deji Ayejoto, Jide Ipinsagba, Tony Jayeola, Otunba Rasak Isijola, Tunde Taiwo, I.A Itiola and Wale Ogunmola. It must be noted that this is the first time since the tsunami of 2007 when the chairman and secretary of the then ruling PDP, Alhaji Ali Olanusi and Mr Boluwaji Kunlere dumped the party for the then newly formed Labour Party (LP). It was then serving commissioners, special advisers and lawmakers elected under the platform of the ruling party that dumped the party for the newly formed political party. The situation culminated to the LP taking over the rein of government in the state in 2009. Although all the defectors have their political relevance one way or the other, the coming of Olabimtan to the opposition APC actually adds value to the party. The Supare Akokoborn politician was elected as a member of the State House of Assembly in 2003 and became Speaker before he was impeached and replaced with Abdusalam. He was also the Chairman of State Teaching Service Commission and later served as federal commissioner between

Agagu

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

We need change... Change from broken promises, broken infrastructures, broken confidence, broken trust, broken leadership and broken future, all from which our people daily and consistently suffer

2009 and 2014. In his political carrier, he has not lost his polling unit or ward to any political party even when he was in the opposition to the state government. The PDP was counting on him for the February election before his defection to the opposition APC. Despite the fact that he hails from the same constituency with the state deputy governor, Ali Olanusi, he has always defeated the second citizen in all elections held so far in the constituency. Whether or not he would be able to repeat the feat in the new party would be determined in few weeks. However, the PDP said it would not miss the services of his erstwhile members as they have since left the party before their formal declaration for the opposition party. The party in a statement issued by the state’s Publicity Secretary, Banji Okunnomo, said those who claimed to have defected from the PDP had since ceased to be members of the ruling party. The party added that the game plan of “the members of the opposition who only waited till now to make their membership of the party public” was to act as spoilers within but failed to achieve their aim. His words: “The PDP in Ondo State today is free of disloyal elements who hitherto worked with the opposition from within. They have eventually decided to go to where their hearts are and God has given us victory over the enemy.” The party declared its readiness to go into the coming elections, stressing that it is sure of victory. “With our mega status now, there is no doubt that we shall win the elections at all levels including the local government election which shall hold soon after the general election,” Okunnomo said. The party also followed it with a claim that some members of the party whose names were included in the defection’s list have since come to deny the claim. Okunomo who displayed a letter written to the party by one of the supposed decampees, Chief Adagunodo, popularly known as Santana, was quoted

to have said that “he never at any time contemplated leaving the party.” “My attention has been drawn to the list of some people mentioned to have defected from our great party, the PDP, to the APC where my name was listed as one of the defectors. I want to state that I have never thought of leaving the party and I will take appropriate steps to know how and why my name was smuggled into the purported list, and hereby promise my unflinching loyalty and support for the leadership of the PDP in Ondo State,” Adagunodo stated in his letter to the party. Okunomo said some members of the party whose names were also mentioned in the list have visited the party secretariat to refute the claim. But Agagu, who read the defection statement on behalf of others, said their exit from the party will change the tide against the ruling party as they formed the foundation upon which the party was built in the state. Agagu said: “Our group who are represented by these gentlemen and ladies before you today consists of formidable stakeholders of Ondo State politics including people who have served in various capacities. These include a state party chairman and working committee members, members of National Assembly, Speakers and members of Ondo State House of Assembly, commissioners and Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries and senior civil servants; chairmen of Boards, Parastatals and Local government councils, special assistants, Councillors and established grassroots political leaders. “We have resolved to embrace change which the APC represents and drum support for the victory of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and Prof. Yemi Osibajo as well as all the candidates of the party. We took this decision after lengthy sessions of consultation with friends, political associates CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Now that Ugwuanyi has PDP flag for Enugu JohnPaul Ezeaku

ith the party flag firmly in his hands, the question for Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the PDP governorship candidate for Enugu State, is no longer what will be but what he will do to take Enugu to the next level. Given the near total support that PDP and its very popular governorship candidate enjoy in the state, it can be safely assumed that the February 28 governorship election--and indeed any other election for that matter--is as good as won by the ruling party. So, what can and will Hon. Ugwuanyi do to meet the high expectations of the people of Enugu from their most likely governor come May 29 this year? To be sure, Sullivan Chime has done well as governor of the Coal-City State in the past eight years. Under the lawyer-governor, Enugu has witnessed, for instance, a lot of infrastructural transformation (both social and physical infrastructure) on account of which the state capital was recently invited as the only Nigerian city among 35 cities across the globe, to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network (100RC) pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. However, as they say, Enugu is work in progress: much has been done but much still needs to be done. Fortunately, Ugwuanyi is well aware of the enormity of the challenge facing him as the presumptive governor of Enugu State and appears well grounded on just how to begin addressing the problems. Receiving representatives of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Support Group, Lagos, at his his Zoo Estate home in Enugu recently, the PDP flag bearer said while he had his own ideas about how he would proceed to run the state, he would, at his election, meet with Enugu people at town hall meetings from where he hoped to draw more ideas about the needs of the people and how to go about meeting those needs. In other words, Ugwuanyi wants to practice democratic governance in its true essence; namely, let the people have their say and their way, as much as possible. Apart from holding town hall meetings, Ugwuanyi has also challenged political/pressure groups, town union executives, profes-

sional groups and other groups of stakeholders to draw up lists of what they consider to be priority needs of their communities and submit to him. The lists so drawn up will form part of the blue print or roadmap he is preparing to guide him in taking decisions as to projects and where to site them in the overall interest of given communities and or the state as a whole. This approach eliminates the top-bottom method of development that so often alienates the mass of the people from their government because their needs are hardly taken into account when members of the ruling class sit in their air-conditioned offices and simply decide what projects to execute for the people and where, irrespective of whether those projects meet the priority needs of communities. This is a good way to start, if you ask me. Every so often, civil society groups in developing countries stridently criticise donor agencies for the latter’ oft-lack of consultation with local communities with a view to ascertaining their priority needs before siting projects. It turns out that governments at different levels in the developing countries themselves are as guilty. This is why, besides corruption, there is always a plethora of abandoned or unsustainable development projects, badly executed projects or protests against certain projects by members of given communities aghast that no one sought their opinions before siting given projects. These are some of the pitfalls in development processes that the presumptive governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ugwuanyi wants to avoid and it does make a lot of sense. Yet, without prejudice to the information he already has at his disposal or that he may garner from the proposed town halls regarding development needs of the people of and or communities in, Enugu, it is apposite to observe that one of the tough challenges that will confront Ugwuanyi is how to develop Enugu’s vast rural areas. While it can never be denied that Sullivan Chime has been an excellent governor, the point must also be made that he didn’t do as well in rural development as he did in the urban areas. There is still a vast swathe of communities in Enugu without motor-able rural feeder roads, electricity, potable water, decent schools and teachers, among others. This is a perennial governance

problem not only in Enugu State but also in Nigeria as a whole--the tendency to neglect the rural areas and concentrate development in urban centers. The result is the massive rural-urban drift that the country has had to contend with for years, a huge social problem that has resulted in choked cities and frustrated residents who engage in imponderable crimes just to make a living. There is also the problem of rural poverty. Without industries to employ them or the social infrastructure to sustain a vibrant service sector, most school leavers in the rural areas are usually unemployed and often use their time (or idleness) to commit all manner of crimes, including rapes (which often result in unwanted teenage pregnancies), armed robberies, burglaries and or break-ins, among others. It means, then, that Ugwuanyi, when he becomes governor, must take urgent steps to stem rural poverty and, by extension, urban drift, address the challenge of rural infrastructure and create the enabling environment for investors to build cottage industries to employ local folks, thereby creating higher life chances among rural dwellers. This is not to say that he should neglect Enugu and other metropolises--certainly not. Indeed, Enugu, for instance, must continue to receive state government’s special attention as the capital city, one that will continue to be modernized in terms of the construction of new infrastructure and the upgrading of existing ones. In this way, Enugu will remain the swank, ‘resilient’ city and leisure/business tourist destination that it has become under Governor Chime. The point of all the argument is therefore this: that development in Enugu State under the in-coming administration of Ugwuanyi must be even and all-inclusive for its impact to be felt by all parts of the state. Such approach to development is especially important for Ugwuanyi who, more than any other Enugu governorship candidate in recent memory enjoys the massive support of all parts of the state--from Mgbowo Awgu, Umuabi Udi, Iwolo Ezeagu, Akpugo Nkanu to Nimbo Nsukka. • Ezeaku, a journalist, wrote in from Enugu-Ezike.

In Clifford Odia, Esan people seek ideal Senator Oziegbe Esaninebu

alk to any of the Enijies in Eshanland they will tell you his time has come. Pressed further they will say this time the Eshan people will not just vote for anybody who carries the appellation of a politician but somebody who can truly represent them; a voice that can be heard from the higher chambers of the National Assembly. A couple of them looked back at what has been and rued the chances of failed representation. Looking at the political situation there is no doubt that politics in that environment is maturing as people begin to think of quality representation for the long run instead of immediate material or pecuniary benefits. Welcome to Esan (Ishan) where the eyes are opening very fast for the good of the people. Such unanimous support from traditional rulers and the mass of the people remains the corner pillars holding up Clifford Odia to run for the Senate to represent his people. And as a kind of precursor to the kind of politics that will play out in the Senatorial District, Odia trounced the incumbent,Dr. OdionUgbesia, Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, with 141 votes to Ugbesia’s 61 at the PDP primaries. This remains yet the strongest message by the people that they were not ready any more to accept sloppiness from people voted into big offices. The emergence of Odia is also a very strong message to the opposition that PDP has destroyed the spirit of incumbency to produce the best possible candidate for that position whose qualities will be difficult to match. It is farewell to the season of bogey men

and men of shady character and woolen personalities who jostle for public offices for narcissistic purposes. PDP has done the needful by picking a popularly acceptable and well respected candidate with a distinguished pedigree. What does Clifford Odia really bring to the table? The answer is subsumed in his very simple message. “I will be able to restore the lost voice of Esanland at the Senate. The voice will be vocal and democratic and truly representative of the people. As a chartered civil engineer I will be able to reconcile the bill of engineering management and evaluation with what is critically executed on ground,” he would tell his audience. He pledged to attract government presence to the zone and take youth empowerment as a very personal responsibility. “I will not only teach them to fish I will use my position to empower Esanland by attracting donor agencies,” he vowed. His personal story is a cautionary tale which explains very vividly that Odia is not making promises he cannot fulfill as some politicians would want to do but would more likely reach into his pedigree to write a script for success and bringing more attention to the plight of his people. Starting out with a small construction company in 1991, Odia has made a huge success of that company which now employs over 200 professional engineers. At the moment he sits atop a conglomerate which runs a quarry in Edo State, two asphalt plants – one in Edo State, the other in Rivers while another quarry will soon be commissioned. Long before going into politics Odiahad established himself as a people’s man enjoying an overwhelming grassroot sup-

port. His philanthropic activities are well documented and appreciated by the people who see him as a pillar of support to the vulnerable in the society like widows. He is very supportive of the women folks and some indigent students enjoy scholarships in his name. Politics in Edo in the days ahead is going to be very interesting and exciting in a state where the opposition has produced the governor running the state. Already propaganda is very high in the political menu in a state where words have become very cheap. There is every indication that the opposition party will be desperate to secure the seat in order to buoy the exaggerated performance of the governor. But the Eshan people will likely use the election as the beginning of a process to put their house in order and take their destiny in their own hands in the face of a governor that has only paid gratuitous attention to them. In terms of infrastructural rollout the Senatorial Zone comprising five local government areas, namely: Esan West, Esan Central, Esan North East, Esan South East and Igueben, comes a distant third. Esan is also the home of Chief Tony Anenih, popularly hailed as the Leader, a frontline pillar of the PDP who has been unnecessarily vilified just for fighting his way to visibility in his country. Come election 2015 the Esan people will demonstrate their true ancestry; they will demonstrate that they are decent people properly brought up by their parents; people who will not stay in exalted offices and throw invectives at their elders no matter the political provocation. The Esan people will cast their vote to support their star leader, Chief Tony Anenih

in order to demonstrate that they don’t consume their stars as is the practice in most parts of the country. The Esan people enhance the luminosity of their own stars. This is one other quality Odiahas to his advantage. The people you speak to say he has love for everybody including the elders and the ordinary folks that make up the grassroot. He attests to this himself. “I am amiable, peace-loving and loved by the people; Christian not only by birth but by action;” he affirmed. He has absolute trust in institutions and pursues his cause with diligence. His followers will tell you that since joining the PDP he has never done anything to hurt the party, instead he has followed and supported it very quietly. Even when it became obvious in time past that he had enough political muscle to wrest the Senate seat from Ugbesia, he chose to honour the internal zoning arrangement of the party in his Senatorial zone. His action brought tranquility to the party. Odia is a bridge builder. After being instrumental to smoothening the relationship between the Leader and late Augustus Aikhomu, Odia has remained in the PDP ever since “because I wanted to work on the same platform with the great Leader and bring development to our people.” Now that opportunity has come for Odia to work with the Leader and every Esan man that loves the development of his heritage. He has seized the opportunity with both hands as he takes his message of a new dawn to a people who want their voice to be heard nationally. • Esaninebu contributed this material from Lagos.

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The uncommon Ikare robbery

hen the history of criminality in this country is profiled, the unprecedented robbery operation during which some new generation banks in Ikare Akoko in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State were systematically ransacked will command spectacular prominence. According to reports, the robbers smashed through town in two vehicles painted in military colours, holding the town hostage and unmolested as long as the ordeal lasted. Dressed in mobile police uniforms, they could have been anything, including Boko Haram insurgents, ransacked a police station where about 8 cops, who were caught flat-footed, were gunned down. The reports further indicated that as one group struck the police station, another stormed targetted banks with welding and cutting machines, dynamites and every other weapon capable of neutralizing any assault. As the well-coordinated robbers reportedly executed the heist, some members fanned out, shooting any suspected obstacle to the operation which affected at least three different banks along Jubilee Road in Ikare which provides corridor into Ekiti, Edo and Kwara states. As shots flew and word about

the outrage spread in town, other banks and businesses hurriedly folded up, leaving streets deserted and the town suddenly resembling a ghost town. The ever-burstling Jubilee Road, for instance, was deserted. When stock of the unprecedented robbery operation was eventually taken, no fewer than 18 persons lay dead, including 8 policemen and two others killed while trying to withdraw money from an Automated Teller Machine(ATM). In terms of sheer audacity and bravado, the Ikare robbery incident has no equal in the town’s history of violent robberies, including the 2013 attacks that forced banks in the area to shut their doors hurriedly for months. Compared with the 2013 robbery attacks on Diamond and Ecobanks in Owo, the latest incidence signposts a frightening transmogrification of criminal enterprise into a surprisingly well-coordinated and precise terror machine. In terms of precision and coordination, shocking sophistication deployed in the Ikire robbery signposts the emergence of a new generation of criminals who are not only savvy but also wellversed in the finesse and possibilities of criminal mobilization. A source said that about four riot policemen were killed in the premises of one of the affected

banks, three policemen at the station at Igbede, Owo Road while another was felled by a stray bullet from the fleeing robbers. Another witness said as two of the victims were killed while withdrawing from the ATM machine, the former Chairman of the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Ezekiel Ileola-Gold, a pastor and two members of his congregation being prayed for on UgbeIboropa Road were similarly killed by stray bullets. The frequency and incidence of these attacks, especially their similarity with attacks which forced banks there to shut down for several months in 2013, lends credence to the allegation that there is justification in the theory that inspiration for this heritage of violent robberies in the area is Ikire’s attraction to criminals as a corridor for easy access to other parts of the country. The sheer sophistication and precision of coordination in the latest robbery constitutes a fundamental challenge to the operational creativity and inventiveness of security agencies and their preparedness and capacity to respond to criminality which has obviously risen in jaw-dropping sophistication. Beyond mere transmogrifican of criminality, the uncommonly bloody robbery attack in Ikire

and the killing of 18 persons, including 8 policemen, equally signposts the unequivocal statement that modern criminality possesses the capacity to not only shoot its way through any opposition, including a supposedly well-secured police station, but also terrorise the neighbourhood unmolested for as long as it pleases. This paper believes that in addition to there being no compliment in the ease with which ordinary criminals subdued policemen in their barracks, killing many in the process, perhaps even more self-indicting is the fact that this scenario kills confidence in the capacity of the law enforcement machinery. The danger inherent in this lack of reassurance in the capacity to provide deterrence can not be over-emphasized. It is possible that the deployment of vehicles in military colours and mobile police uniforms might have been a decoy to suggest involvement of soldiers in the robbery. This modification should have been accepted as a fait accompli after insurgents raided Ashaka Cement Company in Bauchi, for instance, in 2013, carting away large quantities of explosives some of which might have been retained by insurgents or shared with criminal incorporated, including those who blew up the Ikare banks.

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Politics

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Parties strategise as politicians defect CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

as well as supporters in all the 203 wards of the state. We have also received the confidence of distinguished elder statesmen, non-political young and elderly citizens who are concerned about the future of our dear state and country. “Today is indeed a watershed in the political history of Ondo State. Never before have so many notable people chosen to desert a po-

litical party at the same time like this. There are several reasons for our decision but most important is the obvious fact that Nigeria needs change and Ondo State, a new direction. We need change, which is the burden of good, honest, diligent, prepared, tested and competent leadership. Change, which is a mission to a destination of greatness where our state and nation ought to be. Change from broken promises,

broken infrastructures, broken confidence, broken trust, broken leadership and broken future, all from which our people daily and consistently suffer. “We also need change to ensure Ondo State people are not left behind in the current movement for a new direction and path for the greatness of Nigeria. At this juncture, it is our conviction that Ondo State people are progressive in nature

and would fare better in a party that has progressive ideologies and focussed leadership. “As from today, we make available our sprawling structures, our minds and capabilities, our assets and experiences as well as our prayers and goodwill, for our new party, APC, towards the actualization of the God ordained, beneficial and messianic election of General Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi

Osinbajo as President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria respectively come February 14. “To all our followers and supporters therefore, go ye into all the cities, communities, hamlets and homes in all the 203 wards of Ondo State and preach the good news of change. Campaign and tell our people the virtues of good over evil, progress over stagnation, APC over PDP, Buhari/Osinbajo over

Jonathan/Sambo. “As the saying goes, all that takes for evil to persist is for good men to keep quiet. By the reason of this occasion, marked by this brief ceremony, our hands are now on the plough and there is no looking back. Indeed we are convinced that in the battle between the people of Nigeria and PDP, the people shall surely win.” The question agitating the minds of the people of the state is whether former Governor Agagu would have joined the APC like his former colleagues including Chief Segun Oni of Ekiti and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun if he were to be alive. Agagu was a founding father of PDP and served as minister and governor under the platform of the party. But he collapsed while having meeting with Chief Pius Akinyelure, the National Vice Chairman of APC South-West zone. He died shortly after he got to the hospital. One of the defectors said the late governor would have towed the line of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s loyalists who have since left for the rival APC. For now, the people of the state are yet to see the difference between the ruling PDP and rival APC as many of the politicians who were the founding members of PDP have moved to APC while those who had always been in the camp of the progressives are now in PDP. The chairman of APC in the state, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke was the first chairman of National Examination Council (NECO), commissioner for Works and served as Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Chief Omotayo Alasoadura, senatorial candidate of the party for Ondo Central was a member of a federal board before he became commissioner for Finance for six years. Other chieftains of APC had one way or the other been associated with the PDP. It must also be noted that the Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later APC have not won election in the state. They always came distant third but whether or not the defection of top politicians will alter the political equation in the state would be seen in few weeks’ time.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

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Sunday Ojeme

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Godson Ikoro

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Dele Alao

Industry & Agric Editor

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

UPGRADE

Experts urge govt to upgrade navigation aids at airports

Wole Shadare

igerian airlines are reeling under the har mattan haze which has disrupted operations and drastically reduced flight services by over 40 per cent, culminating in some N4 billion loss to the carriers this year. Since the beginning of this year when harmattan haze descended on the nation, visibility for pilots has been very difficult. The warning by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to pilots and airlines not to take risks when visibility is at zero level has further strengthened the decision for the carriers to reschedule or cancel flights when they cannot guarantee safe operations. A top official of an airline, who spoke to New Telegraph on condition of anonymity, said the most hit were flights to the northern parts of the country, describing visibility in those areas as very poor. A visit to Lagos airports shows passengers’ frustration as some of them who were already booked to travel to Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Abuja, Enugu and other areas were stranded over the weather phenomenon. At least, over a hundred flights were said to have been cancelled nationwide last week, while an average ticket goes for between N20,000 and N25,000 per. Most of the airlines operate Boeing 737 aircraft with about 150 sitting capacities for both business and economy classes. The airlines are also decrying the capacity of the navigational equipment installed at all the airports in the country, saying that they become ineffective in the present weather conditions.

N4bn to bad weather

New Telegraph gathered that Ilorin, Kano, Port-Harcourt, Kaduna, Benin, Abuja and Uyo were mostly affected last week. Several of Arik, Aero, First Nation and Medview flights were cancelled last week. An aircraft engineer, Sheri

Kyari called on government through the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to improve the installed facilities in most of the airports to allow airlines operate successfully in this weather. Most of the navigation facilities at the nation’s airports

have come under knocks because of lack of accurate readings they give to incoming airplanes or at takeoffs. Kyari called for the improvement of the facilities to Category Three-C, which allows CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

L-R: Outgoing Directors of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Idowu; Alhaji Bashir Borodo and the immediate past chairman, Alhaji Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, at the send forth party organised by the bank in their honour at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. With them are the current Chairman of the bank, Mr. Asue Ighodalo (right) and the MD/CEO of the bank, Mr. Yemi Adeola (2nd right)

Retired Customs officers extort importers at Lagos ports Bayo Akomolafe

ome officers who have been retired from various commands of the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) have infiltrated the Lagos Ports Complex,

working as regular employees. It was learnt that some of them were retired between 2013 and 2014, but they clandestinely crept into the port terminals under the guise of new postings. An importer, who does not

want his name mentioned in the print, explained that the group was responsible for the shoddy deals in all the port terminals. He noted that they stopped CONTINUED 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. 16)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N192 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N293 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N223

l Foreign Reserves – $34.505bn as at 15/01/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Official as at Jan. 16)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N169 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N256.22 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N198.48

Business | News

REVENUE The auction would generate about N35.8 billion into government coffers

Kunle Azeez

ollowing the postponement of the 2.6-gigahertz spectrum band last December by the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the commission is set to release a new timetable for the auction before the end of March this year. A reliable source at the Commission told New Telegraph in a telephone interview at the weekend that “the commission is working to come up with a more suitable auction schedule in the next few weeks.” According to the source, “the Commission is conscious of the importance of licensing the spectrum to investors who will use it to deploy telecoms services across the country, especially now that government has a mandate to deepen broadband penetration.” The National Broadband Plan (NBP), approved by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013, is targeting a broadband penetration of 30

Telecoms: 2.6Ghz spectrum’s new auction plan out by March per cent from its current 60 per cent in the country. The responsibility to achieve this target, experts observe, falls on the country’s telecoms umpire, NCC, which must embark on initiatives aimed at realising the target. It would be recalled that the Commission had, on November 12, 2014, suspended indefinitely the sales of 2.6GHz spectrum band earlier scheduled to hold early last December, citing ‘administrative’ issue as reason. Information Memorandum (IM) earlier released by the Commission, which states the guidelines for the auction of spectrum slots in the 2.6 gigahertz frequency band, indicates that the regulatory body is expected to rake in a minimum of $ 224 million (about N35.8 billion) from the action into government coffers. New Telegraph learnt that this is in addition to over N300 billion it had generated from spectrum licensing in the last 13 years of deregulation in the telecoms sector. The Commission said

Airlines lose over N4bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

aircraft to land in zero visibility, just like their counterparts in Europe and America. He said: “With Category Three –C, it means we can land in zero visibility. I pray that NAMA can look at that as their own project and experiment with Abuja that has a lot of obstacles around the airport. The other three airports have plain surrounding. Even Category Three-A can even be okay for some of those airports where you can reduce visibility to 200 metres. “The weather for Europe and America are not like the type of weather that we have here. They have fog that is thicker than our dust haze and they land. Theirs are stormy weather that is likely to affect an aircraft when it’s coming to land. They already have facilities that monitor weather around the airport like the wind shear and all that. These are things that there is nothing you can do about it. You have to stop airlines from coming to land when there are wind shear, heavy

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

storms, hurricane and all that. Those are things that are definitely beyond airlines’ control.” Just last December, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had warned airline operators and pilots flying within the country’s airspace to adhere strictly to the approved weather advice during this period of harmattan haze to prevent accidents caused by this weather phenomenon. An online statement by the spokesman of the agency, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, had stated that the warning was important as harmattan is known to pose an obvious threat to aircraft, particularly in areas of challenging terrains due to low visibility. The statement advised pilots and airline operators to be safety coutious in their operations in the interest of safe flight operations in and out of Nigeria airspace, adding that the alert was in line with the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the cessation of rainy season in 2014.

L – R: Chairman, Innoson Motors Ltd, Innocent Chukwuma, Regional Bank Head, Fidelity Bank Plc., Gabriel Anajekwu, Representative of Minister of Industry, Olusegun Aganga, DG, National Automotive Council, Aminu Jalal, Executive Director, South Directorate, Fidelity Bank Plc, Aku Odinkemelu, Chairman, Transport Support Services and Managing Director, ABC Transport Plc., Frank Nneji and President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs, at the official roll out of Shacman trucks from Anammco plant financed by Fidelity Bank Plc.

the auction would adopt the Ascending Clock Auction (ACA) system. It was gathered that the auction is coming at a time when broadband development had been declared by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a necessary tool for all nations to remain competitive in the 21st century. The Nigerian regulator had also stated that the process for licensing the new spectrum was predicated on demands by operators for additional spectrum to avail them the opportunity of providing advanced wireless broadband services for the country Announcing the initial postponement of the 2.6GHz spectrum auction, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, had said: “The Nigerian Communications Commission, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria,

regrets to inform parties interested in participating in the auction of Frequency Spectrum Licenses in the 2.6 GHz band that it has decided to postpone the process of the auction. “This postponement is to enable the conclusion of all administrative requirements aimed at ensuring that the licenses are delivered to winners and be effective immediately on conclusion of the auction. “By this announcement, the current timetable is suspended.” He stressed that a new programme, including timetable, would be published in due course. But market observers said that government’s decision to postpone the proposed 2.6GHz frequency spectrum auction would frustrate prospective investors seeking to play critical roles in Nigeria’s emerging broadband market.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

trucks laden with containers and demand money before such containers could get out of the port. The importer said they loiter around the port terminals and engage in sharp practices. Chair man, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Apapa chapter, Tanko Ibrahim, confirmed the allegations. He said: “Some retired officers are here working, some that are not Apapa officers and maybe have been posted to Maiduguri or other places too, are here working and most of them

They also noted that such an action would compel prospective investors and mobile operators to rejig their respective business plans and projections to meet current realities. But some stakeholders have said that the postponement should be a welcome development, especially, if it was needed by the Commission to ensure a hitch-free auction exercise. According to the National President of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Lanre Ajayi, “the postponement of the 2.6GHz frequency spectrum was not positive for prospective investors. A lot of potential investors had built their respective business plans around the time-lines drawn out by the telecoms regulator.” He, however, argued that “there must be a

cogent reason for the postponement,” saying: “In my view, it is better to have delays and get things right than to go ahead with the auction and mess things up.” The big players in Nigeria’s telecommunications market – South Africa’s MTN, national carrier, Globacom, India’s Bharti Airtel and United Arab Emirates (UAEs) Etisalat Nigeria – all have eyes fixed on future mobile frequency spectrum licensing as they look to push affordable broadband services to rural communities in consonance with the NBP. “MTN welcomes the possibilities that additional spectrum that will enable the industry deliver broadband ideals to Nigerians is being made available by the NCC,” said Funmi Onajide, general manager, corporate affairs, MTN, in a recent interview.

Retired Customs officers extort importers at Lagos ports are the ones doing the bad jobs. Some of them are in the Valuation, CIU and Enforcement Unit.” Consequently, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Charles Edike, has mandated the officer in charge of the CIU unit to team up with the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Administration and the various terminals, heads to fish out such officers and arrest them. He noted: “Last year, in November, we personally

called all officers working in this port to bring their staff orders and we screened all of them one by one and identified them as officers working in this port before we placed their names on our nominal role that was sent to headquarters. “I am here and I am not a Holy Spirit. I know these officers are the ones giving us problems because they don’t have any stake here. They have turned Apapa Port to their fishing pond. If we see them, we will arrest them and send them to Abuja.”

INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

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Sanctity of Truth

Attacks Compel Muslims To Reflect By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

the motor, and that the car had made several trips across the island and back. He even promised to replace the bald front right tire and change the oil. We had a deal. Along the way, a slowly changing Cuba revealed itself, sometimes through what was there and sometimes through what was not. More signs of the times: “This house for sale.” That concept did not exist, legally, before 2011, when home sales were first allowed under changes designed to inject some capitalist life into the country’s creaky socialist economy. Now, “For Sale” signs are a common sight. Even more common are signs for the hundreds of small private restaurants, called paladares, which operated

CAIRO — The rash of horrific attacks in the name of Islam is spurring an anguished debate among Muslims here in the heart of the Islamic world about why their religion appears cited so often as a cause for violence and bloodshed. The majority of scholars and the faithful say Islam is no more inherently violent than other religions. But some Muslims argue that the contemporary understanding of their religion is infected with justifications for violence, requiring the government and its official clerics to correct the teaching of Islam. “It is unbelievable that the thought we hold holy pushes the Muslim community to be a source of worry, fear, danger, murder and destruction to all the world,” President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt lamented in a recent speech to clerics of the official religious establishment, calling for “a religious revolution.” Others, though, insist that the violence —such as the recent massacre of a dozen people at a French newspaper’s offices and the killing of four shoppers at a kosher grocery store in Paris — is caused by alienation and resentment, not theology. They argue that the authoritarian rulers of Arab states — who have tried for decades to control Muslim teaching and the application of Islamic law — have set off a violent backlash expressed in religious ideas and language. Promoted by groups like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, that discourse echoes through Muslim communities as far away as New York or Paris, whose influence and culture still loom over much of the Muslim world. “Some people who feel crushed or ignored will go toward extremism, and they use religion because that is what they have at hand,” said Said Ferjani, an official of Tunisia’s mainstream Islamist party, Ennahda, speaking about violence in the name of Islam. Khaled Fahmy, an Egyptian historian, was teaching at New York University on September 11, 2001, after which American sales of the Quran spiked because readers sought religious explanations for the attack on New York. “We try to explain that they are asking the wrong question,” he said. Religion, he argued, was “just a veneer” for anger at the dysfunctional Arab states left behind by colonial powers and the “Orientalist” condescension many Arabs still feel from the West. “The Arab states have not delivered what they are supposed to

Continued on Page 26

Continued on Page 27

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREA BRUCE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Cuba, New and Worn A trip across bumpy roads from Havana to Guantánamo revealed signs of a Cuba that is changing, however slowly. A rancher after a long week of work in Holguín; above, a street in Guantánamo, where horses are the main form of transportation.

By WILLIAM NEUMAN Havana

THE SIGNS OF the times speak loudly in Cuba, sometimes through their silence. A 17-hour drive across the heart of the island in a battered burgundy and gray 1956 Ford Fairlane included long stretches in which there was surprisingly little ideology on display, few of the billboards that once trumpeted revolutionary slogans. Those that remained had less of the nostalgic lilt of “socialism or death” and more of the eager pitch of self-help books or business management bibles. “Florida advances through its own effort,” said a sign in the town of that name. “Quality is respect for the people,” said another. Another said simply, “Work hard!” — a notion stripped of the ideological imperative that used to complete the thought with phrases like “to defeat imperialism” or “to build socialism.” Dispatched to Cuba in December after the surprise announcement by President Barack Obama that he would renew full diplomatic relations, I set off on a road trip from Havana, near the west end of the island, to Guantánamo, at the east end. My map said the distance was 909 kilometers. It felt a lot longer sitting on the

INTELLIGENCE

Uncovering the true face of France. PAGE 24

ONLINE: SLOW-MOTION CHANGES

Glimpses of everyday life on an island in transition: nytimes.com Search Cuba 1956 Fairlane

cream-colored quilted vinyl seat of the Ford, which had lost a lot of its spring in the years since Fidel Castro swept into power. The vintage Ford was not part of the original plan. I had been looking for a driver, preferably someone with a newish car. I didn’t want to get stuck on the roadside in some broken-down Soviet-era Lada. or a rusting relic from the Eisenhower administration. When Julio César López showed up in his big Ford at my hotel, the Habana Libre, I almost dismissed him out of hand. But he said that he had recently replaced

WORLD TRENDS

SUSTAINABILITY

ARTS & DESIGN

Japan rethinks moms and careers. PAGE 25

Finding ways to save nuclear plants. PAGE 29

Jennifer Aniston’s dark turn. PAGE 34

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

O P I N I O N & C O M M E N TA RY European leaders and central bankers have been saying for years that their policies would soon revive the economies of the eurozone. It seems that investors have stopped believing those fairy tales. The euro has been sliding against the dollar for much of the last 12 months because of a growing fear among investors that the eurozone — 19 countries — is stuck in an economic quagmire. Its leaders are not doing much to pull it out. For a time, European leaders like Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany found a convenient excuse in the weakened economies of Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal. Their argument went something like this: Europe will

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

The Stumbling Euro rebound once politicians in countries on the “periphery” of the eurozone streamline their systems and reduce their deficits. The nations did much of what was asked: They made severe cuts to public services, pensions and other spending; passed laws to make it easier for companies and governments to fire people; and raised taxes. Some of these peripheral nations are growing again. But the sacrifices they have been forced to make have come at great cost.

In Greece and Spain, unemployment remains very high, at about 25 percent, and deflation, which is defined as a broad decline in consumer prices, has been a reality for months. Meanwhile, the problems of the periphery have metastasized, and now even the “core” is faltering. Unemployment has stopped falling and remains high in most eurozone nations. Consumer prices declined by 0.2 percent in December, the first time they have fallen across the cur-

INTELLIGENCE/MARC LAMBRON

ROSS DOUTHAT

Shots That Revealed a Nation Paris After a few salvos from Kalashnikovs, we are witnessing the shift from the trend of French bashing to the tragedy of French killing. There has been an assassination attempt against the present, but also against the past. France staged its great revolution in 1789 to overthrow the power of the monarchy and the authority of the Catholic clergy. In the mythology of the French Republic, citizenship comes first and religion second. That’s why French citizens have a hard time understanding American democracy: They see it as a caricature, the work of Dutch clergymen who swore on the Bible and inscribed “In God We Trust” on bank notes, drunk with divine justice while they enslaved and then mistreated the African-American population until President Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. came along. France doesn’t like theocracies, and theocracies don’t like France. This is why France often intervenes militarily where freedom is threatened by religious fanatics. Right now, France has troops in Mali, Iraq and Syria. It is a country where, in the course of the same day, you can attend a Catholic Mass, share a gefilte fish lunch with a Jewish friend and have a dinner of tasty Moroccan couscous. Obviously, such pluralism isn’t to the liking of fanatics. Marc Lambron is a writer and a member of the French Academy. Translated from French by Philippe Gélie. Send comments to intelligence@nytimes.com.

The terror attack against Charlie Hebdo is an attack against Voltaire, who stood for the democratic right to ridicule and blaspheme powerful interests. Jihadists attacked the newsroom of the most irreverent newspaper in France; it’s as if the Mafia had sprayed bullets at the Algonquin Roundtable in the 1930s, killing the most caustic minds in America in one fell swoop: Among them, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Harpo Marx, Edna Ferber and Harold Ross, who founded The New Yorker magazine and served as its editor. That is what we’ve lost. Now murders look like a video game scenario: We imagine serial killers, dressed as ninjas by the Islamic State, directed Tarantino-style, shooting at the French brothers of the “National Lampoon” and Michael Moore. But these terrorists also attacked a kosher store: clearly an act of anti-Semitism, but also a violent act against the constitutional liberty to practice a variety of religions. This put those Islamists in the same league as the Nazis, who burned books before burning Jews. It puts this bloody January into the realm of September 11 in our minds. But the complexity of France poses a problem for those killers. The country has a population of 66 million, six million of whom are Muslims. When you shoot at a Frenchman today, there is nearly a one-in-10 chance that you will hit a Muslim. And that’s exactly what happened: Among the 17 casualties of the attacks, one proofreader-typographer was named Mustapha, one policeman was named Ahmed. If

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rency union since 2009. Germany, France and Italy — its three largest economies — contracted or barely grew in the second and third quarters of 2014. And there is little reason to expect a quick recovery since the governments of these nations are doing little or nothing to help. A recently announced European Union investment fund, for example, is so small that it will not come close to replacing the drop in government and private capital spending since the crisis.

Officials at the European Central Bank, who helped stabilize the eurozone in recent years, have been saying they will do more by, for instance, buying bonds and other assets that would pump money into the economy, but they have not yet delivered. If anything, the euro’s decline should serve as a mini-economic stimulus because it lowers the cost of goods and services produced in the zone for consumers in the rest of the world. A depreciating currency will, of course, make imports costlier. But that is desirable because inflation is already so low in the eurozone. The currency markets are telling us something important: European leaders are not doing enough.

you assassinate humorists, policemen, Jews, Muslims, Catholics and atheists, you are trying to kill French diversity. With their murderous bullets, the assassins uncovered a portrait of a nation. This is probably the key to understanding the huge movement of anger and mourning that has uplifted this country, which spontaneously put on the largest demonstration in its history, with nearly four million in the streets. No one wants France to change into a miniature of the Middle East, where Iraqi Christians, Israeli citizens and moderate Muslims are targets. Policemen, normally not the most popular public servants, were applauded by the marchers; they were being thanked for defending a society that allows its citizens to speak ill of them. But something more profound is at stake. Since 1945, democracies have entered a post-heroic era. Death is kept in the distance; the economy stays at the forefront. Internationally, France is evaluated on criteria set by credit ratings agencies like Fitch or Moody’s. One doesn’t speak of Voltaire anymore, but only of “assets.” But suddenly, heroes have returned to our post-heroic society: They are libertarian satirists who fight with a pencil, policemen who defend the Republic from a murderous assault. For an entire week, French TV channels stopped talking about budgetary parameters, only bravery parameters. No more tax evasion, only resistance. In American terms: goodbye Dow Jones, hello Patton. In French terms: goodbye Christine Lagarde and Thomas Piketty, hello Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Albert Camus. Barbarism, wearing the face of death, gives us noble reasons to behave with dignity. And when everyone finds in themselves the dignity to resist, the “no” to barbarism is transformed into a “yes” at the honor of being alive.

Crucible of Europe The France that endured a vicious terrorist attack recently is a France that has suffered, for decades and centuries, from anxieties about its own decline. And for good reason: Since the 18th century, when it bestrode Europe and seemed poised to dominate the globe, France has seen its relative power diminish, suffering defeats and humiliations at the hands of rival forces, from Britain’s navies to Germany’s jackboots to the invading might of American popular culture. Now these anxieties have been thrown into relief by the murderous attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, an attack linked to all the various specters haunting contemporary France: fears of creeping Islamification and rising anti-Semitism, fears of the far right’s growing power and anti-Muslim backlash — and all of it bound up in a larger sense, amid economic stagnation, of betrayal at the hands of the Continent’s elite. Yet France isn’t irrelevant or spent. Instead, it’s arguably becoming more central to the fate of Europe and the West. Consider the issue at the heart of the Hebdo nightmare: whether European nation-states can integrate Muslim immigrants, and what will happen if they don’t. Here France looks like the crucial test case. It has the largest Muslim population of any major European country, and parts of that population are more assimilated and others far more radicalized than elsewhere on the Continent. Muslims are regarded more favorably in France than elsewhere in Western Europe, and yet French politics features an increasingly potent far-right party, Marine Le Pen’s National Front, whose electoral clout is now likely to increase. Meanwhile, France’s foreign policy has distinctive (often military) entanglements across Northern Africa and the Levant, which means the ripples from French domestic politics have more room to spread and then return. So if there’s a path to greater

Muslim assimilation and inclusion, it’s more likely to be pioneered in France. If Islamic radicalism is going to gain ground or mutate into something more dangerous, it’s also more likely to happen in France’s sphere of influence than elsewhere. And if Europe’s much-feared far right is going to complete its journey to the mainstream, it will probably happen first in Paris. French politics is likewise central to the fate of the wider European Union project, which is in crisis at the moment because of the gulf between Germany’s interests and the interests of the E.U. periphery, Greece and Italy and Spain. But that gulf means that the Germans, however economically dominant, cannot hold the union together on their own. Instead it’s France, for reasons of history and culture as well as geography, that has to bridge the divide between Europe’s north and south and make the E.U. work politically. Demography suddenly has turned in France’s favor: The Germans are rich but aging, and the French birthrate has risen sharply. By the 2050s, France could once again have the larger economy and population — making it either dominant in a more integrated Europe, or the most important power on a continent more divided than today. There’s an important intellectual possibility — namely, that if there’s something beyond the West’s current end-of-history torpor, some new ideological conflict or synthesis, it might emerge first in the place where so many revolutions had their birth. France has always been a country of extremes — absolutist and republican, Catholic and anticlerical, Communist and fascist. Now it’s once again the place where strong forces are colliding, and where the culture’s uncertainties suggest that new ones might soon be born. The decline has been real, but the future is unwritten. If there is real history yet to be made in Europe, for good or ill, it might be made first in la belle France.

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To Rescue Its Economy, Japan Calls Supermom By JONATHAN SOBLE

JAMES HILL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The sale of seized property will fund Crimea’s budget. A ruined set at Yalta Film Studio.

Militias Seize Crimea Property By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

YALTA, Crimea — In the scramble for Crimea’s spoils, armed forces have raided myriad enterprises across the peninsula, expelling the owners and claiming the property for the Crimean government. At the Zaliv Shipyard in Kerch, the militia invaded by land and by sea, with dozens storming the dry dock from two boats, said Nicolay Kuzmenko, the chairman of the shipyard’s board. “It looked like a military operation,” he said, with the government-backed “self-defense forces” wearing black balaclavas that hid their faces. That force, which helped the Russian military seize Crimea, answers to Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, who calls it “the people’s militia.” Since Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula 10 months ago, more than $1 billion in real estate and other assets have been stripped from their former owners, some estimate. The assets include banks, hotels, shipyards, farms, gas stations, the major bakery, a vital dairy and even Yalta Film Studio, which 50 years ago made this now shabby seaside resort the Hollywood of the Soviet Union. Property seizures on such a sweeping scale have not occurred since the Russian Revolution, owners said. Many have argued in court that the confiscations violate a clause in the Russian Constitution mandating compensation when the government takes property. “If they truly believe that Crimea is Russian territory, they should apply Russian law there and not some lower Crimean law that contradicts Russian law,” said Roman V. Marchenko, a lawyer in Kiev. But, he added, “We strongly believe that for political reasons we will not get justice in Russian courts.” Olga Rudenko contributed reporting from Kiev, and Alexandra Odynova from Moscow.

Lawyers say the government is selectively seizing property to cover its bills. “The Crimean authorities received a carte blanche to fund the budget of Crimea and they are looking for owners and stakeholders who are not in their party and not State Council deputies,” said Zhan Zapruta, the lawyer for Krymavtotrans, the peninsula’s main vendor of bus tickets, seized in September. Crimea’s State Council opened the door for wholesale confiscations in August when it granted the government the right to take property to maintain “vital activity.” The law also states that the government will pay compensation. “Nothing was confiscated,” said Vladimir A. Konstantinov, chairman of the State Council.

Pro-Russian forces grab a shipyard, banks and hotels. “There is a procedure of forced redemption.” Mr. Konstantinov and others say they are reclaiming property that they claim was stolen from the government through illegal deals made by Ukrainian officials and their cronies. One high-profile property seized is Yalta Film Studio. In October, armed men stormed the administration building and forced everyone there to lie face down, said Sergei M. Arshinov, the Moscow businessman who owns the property. The Crimean government cites the studio as an example of “criminal” land sales, saying that it will pay about $100,000 in compensation, reflecting what it says was the sale price under Ukrainian stewardship. But Mr. Arshinov said he and his brother paid about $3 million for the

property after a friend running Russia’s state movie committee asked them about 15 years ago to rescue the bankrupt studio. But the main target to date is Igor Kolomoisky, a principal owner of PrivatBank, Ukraine’s largest bank. In December, Crimea’s Ministry of Property and Land announced an auction of the 83 properties in which Mr. Kolomoisky owned shares. An earlier list of his properties included hotels, office and apartment buildings, resorts and 16 gas stations. The announcement said money from the property sales would go to the Crimean budget and to depositors who lost their bank accounts when PrivatBank stopped operating in Crimea after the annexation. But a senior executive at the bank, Timur Novikov, said it was impossible to ascertain how the list of properties had been compiled, saying, “I think it is a total mess.” In Kiev, the Ministry of Justice said that nearly 4,000 Ukrainian businesses or organizations had lost property. Mr. Konstantinov said property owners would be reimbursed. Several lawyers said their cases were referred to Russia’s Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on whether the Crimean law is constitutional. Meanwhile, all property belonging to PrivatBank was seized, including branches, cash reserves and automated teller machines, said Mr. Novikov, the executive responsible for pursuing legal remedies. He estimated the bank’s overall losses at $1.1 billion. Initially, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia seemed to encourage Crimeans to stop repaying their loans. During a presidential call-in show last spring, someone asked about their car loan: “PrivatBank no longer operates in Crimea. What am I supposed to do?” Mr. Putin responded, “Please use the car and don’t worry.” Later, the Russian government urged loan repayments.

TOKYO — When she was pregnant with the first of her three sons, Chiaki Kitajima, an advertising executive here, said her bosses were shocked that rather than accept reduced hours and a demotion after maternity leave, she made a presentation on why the company should subsidize child care. “I had to fight to convince them that supporting me was a good investment,” she said. Ms. Kitajima, 47, is now the creative director of her agency but says mothers at her level remain rare. The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, would like to change that. And he has a fix for his country’s troubled economy: the supermom. Mr. Abe has been encouraging Japanese women to have it all. A rewarding career. Children, preferably more than one. Mr. Abe has pledged to ease the way for women like Ms. Kitajima. Tackling the nation’s shrinking population and declining labor force by encouraging working women is part of his broader effort to re-energize the economy, which is now in recession. His promises, though, will be difficult to put into practice, given societal and corporate norms.

Trying to ease the way for women to stay in their jobs.

have children, they quit their jobs more often than mothers in other industrialized countries, leaving a hole in a dwindling work force. While many mothers start working again once their children reach school age, most take up low-paid part-time or contract jobs. This, experts say, helps explain why Japanese women earn 40 percent less than men on average and occupy only one in 10 management-level positions. In September, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said Japan could increase its economic growth by a quarter of a percentage point if it took significant steps to close the gender gap. That is not small in a country that has averaged less than 1 percent growth for the last two decades. Mr. Abe’s record so far is mixed. He outlined a plan to extend unpaid maternity leave for up to three years, an idea that appeared to reflect the once-common belief in Japan that women need to “hug their children close” until they are toddlers. But a long absence can derail a career. “The idea of taking three years off is absurd; nobody asked for that,” said Rumi Sato, a journalist. Mr. Abe’s most concrete policy moves have focused on child care. His government is trying to eliminate nursery school waiting lists by creating KO SASAKI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES 400,000 new spaces Chiaki Kitajima, an executive in by March 2018. It is alTokyo, pressured her company to offer child care. Her son, Daido, at day care. so working to loosen immigration restrictions that have limited foreign nannies. While the share of working womThe government is also debaten has been steadily growing — and now exceeds the level in the ing whether to change tax rules United States — they tend to earn that favor single-income families significantly less than men. Mothover those with two incomes. “It’s basically a subsidy for ers, in particular, are more likely housewives,” said Kaku Sechito drop out of the work force. Mr. Abe must overcome an enyama of the University of Tokyo. Some businesses have been trenched corporate culture that proactive, by breaking down the prizes long and inflexible hours strict division between job tracks favoring men, and the prime minthat limits opportunities for cleriister’s own conservative party makes for an unlikely champion cal and other “noncareer” staff, a of women. disproportionately female group. One of his predecessors, YoshiKDDI, a mobile phone company, has started assigning two depuro Mori, said women who delayed giving birth in order to work were ties — one female and one male selfishly “exulting in freedom,” — to each senior executive. suggesting that those without The company is also offering children should be disqualified more flexibility. Kaname Utsumi, from receiving public pensions. A 43, a manager in KDDI’s human health minister in Mr. Abe’s first resources department, says she government, which lasted from was the first woman of her level to 2006 to 2007, described women as return to a management job after “baby-making machines.” maternity leave, three years ago. The national birthrate is just She leaves work early twice 1.4 children per woman, among a week, at 5:30 p.m., though she the lowest in the world and well says she works more at home. below the level needed to ward “It’s hard,” Ms. Utsumi said. off a sharp decline in population. “But when you find a job you like, And when Japanese women do you don’t want to give it up.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

WORLD TRENDS

Meditations on Shape Of a Healthier Mind Many people make resolutions at this time of year to get their bodies into better shape. But how many of us resolve to have healthier minds? How many of LENS us, like Pico Iyer, who wrote about the subject in The Times, would “sooner give up Taco Bell for life than take on the rigorous disciplines of yoga or tai chi”? When he reached his mid50s, Mr. Iyer stopped eating junk food. Yet while waiting in his doctor’s reception room, he found himself bingeing on magazine gossip about “Monica Lewinsky’s secret life” and “Winona Ryder’s sticky fingers.” Later, after a doctor’s recommendation, he started exercising regularly, with satisfying results. “The huffing and

Turning inward in 2015 to find real well-being. puffing left me at once calmer and invigorated,” he wrote. And yet something was missing. “You’ve never thought of doing this with your mind?” a friend asked him. Well, no, in fact, he had not, until he realized that he was the type of person he now calls an externalist: a person who “will dwell at length on everything he can see, in order to distract himself from the fact that it’s everything he can’t see on which his well-being depends.” “An externalist makes a point — even a habit — of cherishing means over ends, effects over causes and everything that fills him up over everything that truly sustains him,” Mr. Iyer wrote. So this Christmas, instead of rushing off amid the holiday bustle to a far-off destination, he stayed at his mother’s For comments, write to nytweekly@nytimes.com.

house in California. “I’d come to believe that most destinations are less important than the spirit you bring to them,” he wrote. “And that spirit is better developed by sitting still than by running all around.” He still imbibes details of the occasional congressional sex scandal or celebrity memoir. But in the end, he knows, “the only thing I’ll have to turn to will be all I’ve done when going nowhere.” Some people, on the other hand, choose to boost the mental adrenaline of their physical workouts. This includes those known as front-row people, the eager exercisers quick enough, and brave enough, to secure the daunting frontand-center spaces in fitness classes. In the most sought-after classes, “a place up front is a status symbol, akin to sitting front row at a concert or fashion show,” Courtney Rubin wrote in The Times. Being there “shows you’re fit enough to keep up and confident in your ability to lead a class.” Priya Rao, who worked her way up to the front of her AKT in Motion dance cardio class, told The Times: “It forces you to master the class at a quicker speed. You get a better workout. You have to try to be as good as the instructor.” And while the idea might be anathema to masters of mindfulness, this philosophy of always getting ahead can even carry over to meditation classes, which are being used by some professionals as business networking opportunities. “Meditation studios and conferences catering to Type A Manhattan careerists are becoming a new hub for networking without the crass obviousness of looking for a job,” Laura Holson wrote in The Times. Then again, the decidedly non-front-row person Sam Zafar said she avoided the fitness class spotlight after a particularly negative experience in a high-profile spot. As she put it: “It’s the one hour of the day when I can decompress, so I don’t want to be stressed about following or worrying about people silently hating me.” TESS FELDER

CASSANDRA GIRALDO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Grabbing a spot at the front of a fitness class can mean a better workout and a boost in confidence.

Havana

Gulf of Mexico

BAHAMAS Torriente

Gulf of Batabanó

Atlantic Ocean

Ciego de Ávila

CUBA Caribbean Sea

160 kilometers

Contramaestre FLORIDA Gulf of Mexico

Playa las Coloradas

BAHAMAS

Havana MEXICO

Atlantic Ocean

Guantánamo Santiago de Cuba

U.S. NAVAL BASE GUANTANAMO BAY

HAITI

CUBA

JAMAICA Caribbean Sea THE NEW YORK TIMES; BELOW, ANDREA BRUCE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Cuba, The New And Worn Revealed Continued from Page 23 largely in the shadows until 2010, when they greatly expanded after the government allowed some people to go into business for themselves. There were also discouraging signs: One was the lack of little bars on my phone, showing that there was no cellular coverage in the areas between cities, an indication of Cuba’s backward telecommunications network. There was a near absence of trucks carrying merchandise or farm produce, a sign of an economy that barely ticks. While there was little car and truck traffic, there was a lot of everything else: Sharing the highway with us were bicycles, oxcarts, tractors, motorcycles (some with sidecars) and horsecarts of every type (large and small two-wheeled farm carts, four-wheeled carts that carried up to 10 passengers, and light carriages that served as taxis). And there were lots of breakdowns, which is to be expected when a high percentage of the cars on the road were manufactured before John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960. An hour out of Havana, a man with no shirt leaned on a gray Lada with the hood up, not having bothered to move it off the road. Near a town called Torriente, a couple kissed passionately beside a broken-down red Chevy. Near Santiago de Cuba, a woman with an anxious face sat surrounded by a brood of children in the back seat of a stalled, burnt-orange Buick. I never saw a tow truck. Cuba is a beautiful island, green and fertile, a poem of vibrant color and sensual light: A scarlet sunset bleeds across the Caribbean sky, bruised purple at the edges. In the heat of the day, a woman in a shocking pink shirt walks under a red parasol. An old man in jonquil pants sits on a fence. Pale green sugar cane grows in red dirt fields.

The conversation today in Cuba is more about money and business than politics. Street baseball in Santiago de Cuba. On Day Two, we had breakfast at the Ciego de Ávila Hotel, nearly smack in the center of the island, a decaying throwback to an age of Soviet-financed plans to build big resorts for vacationing workers. Done up in peeling, garish green and gold, it was a jumble of window boxes sprouting miniature palm trees, concrete arches and balconies. The swimming pool sparkled blue and empty. Of 147 rooms, only about 15 were occupied; there seemed to be more workers than guests. We drove with the windows down, swaying over the blacktop, the air beating around us. The big engine hummed. Mr. López babied the car over the bumpy stretches, which got more frequent the farther we got from Havana. The Ford was full of rat-

‘There’s a positive change in the Cuban population.’ tles and bangs, and when we hit a bump it was like shaking a can loaded with nickels. There were small vent windows in the front, and no seatbelts. The odometer was stuck at 26948.0. How many times had it turned over before freezing? Cuba, too, is frozen in the past. Younger Cubans, and many older ones too, are aching for the odometer to start turning again. This car was beautiful and old and tired. Cuba is all those things. For all that, a Cuban journalist remarked to me along the way how much the country has changed since an ailing Fidel Castro first stepped aside in 2006 and his brother Raúl became president two years later and started his gradual economic reforms. Five years ago, he said, people talked about politics. What Fidel said. What Raúl was going to do.

Now they talk about money and business. The average salary in 2013 was about $20 a month, according to the government. People told me that could easily be eaten up by monthly bills for a cellphone, electricity and other basics, though some other expenses, like education and health care, are covered by the government. The gap between what people earn and what things cost was a constant topic of conversation. Many people rely on money sent to them by relatives abroad. Many are in a constant struggle to get by, raising and selling pigs, buying or selling products on the black market, starting a business or waiting tables in a paladar. Yasmani Bérbes, 27, quit his job as a physical education teacher to run a restaurant in his family’s house in Contramaestre, a town near Santiago de Cuba. As a teacher, he made 500 pesos a month, or about $21. “Here, there are days now when I can make 500 pesos,” he said. “There’s a positive change in the Cuban population,” Mr. Bérbes said. “They’ve opened up a lot to the idea of doing business.” He had less faith in the country’s leaders. “There’s still a lot of people with a 19th-century revolutionary mentality,” he said. “Lots of taboos and prohibitions.” Mr. López, who is about half the age of his Ford, was a careful motorist — his car was his livelihood. “If I had the choice, I’d pick a modern car,” he said. “With a modern car, what we’re doing in 12 hours we could do in nine.” (He was also an optimist: The trip ended up taking 17 hours over two days, although that included small detours and meals.) But he said that having any car at all was a blessing because it gave him a way to make a living. I told him that lots of people abroad saw old cars like his as a quaint symbol of revolutionary Cuba. I asked him what the car symbolized for him. “Money,” he said.

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Sanctity of Truth

WORLD TRENDS

Parents of Jihadists Suffer Double Blow By KIMIKO DE FREYTAS-TAMURA

MANCHESTER, England — Everyone at the Alfurqan Islamic Center knows of the parents who tried to rescue their twin daughters after the girls ran off to join the Islamic State in Syria. They know how the parents, Ibrahim Halane and Khadra Jama, immigrants from Somalia, followed their daughters to Turkey. They know how the parents came back empty-handed, their 17-year-old daughters, Salma and Zahra, already married off to jihadists. They know; they sympathize. But they keep their distance. “We know he’s upset, and everyone feels sorry for him,” Haji Saab, chairman of the mosque, said of Mr. Halane. But “we leave him alone.” It has been very difficult for the community as well, Mr. Saab said. It has “shut itself up.” About 3,000 men and women are believed to have left Europe since the Syrian war intensified to join up with militant groups like the Islamic State. Authorities throughout Europe, especially in the wake of the attacks on a cartoon magazine’s office and a kosher supermarket in Paris,

Families face stigma when children join the Islamic State.

are afraid of being bullied. Activists said governments were making the problem worse with their plans for tighter antiterror laws, more stop-andsearches, and the 12-year prison sentences handed down in Britain recently to two returning jihadists after their families cooperated with the police. “No one is talking about their impact on families and the communities,” said Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation in Manchester, which aims to discourage people from joining the Islamic State. A family friend described the Halanes as a deeply religious family of 13. They left Somalia, lived in Denmark, then immigrated to Britain, where the twins were top students and aspired to become doctors like an older sister. But in June they flew to Turkey and crossed the border into Syria. The family friend discovered their whereabouts, and their parents set off after them. The friend, Ahmad Walid Rashidi, a Dane of Afghan origin, agreed to help. In an interview, Mr. Rashidi said he and the father had made it as far as Turkey, when the father balked. ANDREW TESTA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES The girls’ mother, Twin daughters of the Halane family, Ms. Jama, insisted on making the journey. who live in this home in a Manchester “I have lost one son,” suburb, joined the Islamic State. she told Mr. Rashidi. “So I don’t want to are taking greater steps to stop lose the twins.” them. They found the girls in Manbij, Not only do parents like Mr. a Syrian city, where Ms. Jama Halane and Ms. Jama live with discovered her daughters had the worry that they will never already been married. Soon afagain see their children — many ter, militants arrested her and of whom are just teenagers — Mr. Rashidi on suspicion of bethey must also endure isolation ing Western spies. They were and fear. detained in separate jails for At the Alfurqan Islamic Center 36 days, an experience that Mr. one recent morning, Mr. Halane, Rashidi plans to recount in a book who occasionally teaches there, to be published next April. was in a classroom, throwing According to Mr. Rashidi, at questions at a group of young their subsequent trial in a court boys. But he frowned as he of the Islamic State, Ms. Jama’s emerged with his students. optimism began to weaken. “She “Please, you must go away,” he started looking scared that she’ll said in a low, trembling voice. “I never see her daughters again,” have nothing to say, except that he recalled. if they want to come back, they Her daughters told the court can,” he said, referring to his and their mother that their daughters. hearts belonged to Islam and A person who knows the that they did not want to return. Halane family said that another The court ultimately released one of the children, a son, had the mother and Mr. Rashidi. gone to Somalia to fight with the One of the Islamic State judgShabab, but then moved to Syria es said: “We didn’t ask your and joined the Islamic State last twins to come here,” Mr. Rashiyear. di recalled. “They came here Saleha Jaffer, who runs an orbecause you taught them” to be religious. ganization that helps families As they left, a dejected Ms. Jaof children who have joined the Middle East conflict, said famima murmured: “Fi sabilillah.” The expression, which comes lies know they are gossiped about from the Quran, means, “for the and shunned. Some siblings resake of God.” fuse to go to school because they

RIZWAN TABASSUM/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

In Pakistan, praying for victims of a Taliban attack on a school that killed 132 children.

Attacks Compel Muslims to Reflect Continued from Page 23º deliver and it can only lead to a deep sense of resentment and frustration, or to revolution. It is the nonviolence that needs to be explained, not the violence.” Only a very small number blame Islam itself. “What has ISIS done that Muhammad did not do?” an outspoken atheist, Ahmed Harqan, recently asked on a popular television talk show here, using common shorthand for the Islamic State to argue that the problem of violence is inherent to Islam. Considered almost blasphemous by most Egyptian Muslims, his challenge provoked weeks of outcry from Islamic religious broadcasters. In subsequent debates on the same program, Salem Abdel-Gelil, a scholar from the state-sponsored Al Azhar institute, fired back with Islamic verses about tolerance, peace and freedom. But then he warned that the public espousal of atheism might land his opponents in jail. In the Muslim world, the debate over Islam’s connection to violence has been given new impetus in recent events: the military ouster of the Islamist elected as president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi; the deadly crackdown on his supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood and a retaliatory campaign of attacks on security forces; and the rise of the bloodthirsty Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Islamist extremists have beheaded Western journalists, massacred thousands of Iraqis and murdered 132 Pakistani schoolchildren. Mr. Sisi, a former general, led the ouster of the Islamist president in 2013 and the suppression of the Brotherhood on charges that it was a violent “terrorist group.” (The group has denounced violence for decades.) He has also presided over an effort to reassert the state’s control over the teaching of Islam. Intellectuals supporting him Merna Thomas contributed reporting.

have applauded his efforts and called for the state to lead a sweeping top-down overhaul of the popular understanding of Islam. “Religious thought, or religious discourse, is afflicted with backwardness,” Gaber Asfour, the minister of culture, declared in a recent interview. Many pro-government intellectuals consider the popularity of the Muslim Brotherhood an aspect of that backwardness and argue that all such Islamist political movements are inherently violent — even if the groups publicly disavow violence. “Their task is not becoming modern; it is becoming hegemonic again, making a new world in which Islam will be on top again,” argued Sherif Younis, a historian at the Helwan University. “Every fundamentalist has in mind a counter-regime, even if he does not know

Violence spurs call to Islamic scholars to correct teaching. how to use a knife,” Professor Younis said. That includes the mainstream Islamists of the Brotherhood and the ultraconservatives known as Salafis, as well as the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, he said. Others argue that the state control of the Muslim religious establishments — whether in relatively secular states like Egypt or the United Arab Emirates, or in explicitly religious ones like Saudi Arabia — only reinforces the problems. Some say it is also naïve to expect unaccountable governments like Egypt’s that cannot provide health care or education to do a better job leading religious reform. “In an authoritarian society, there is no room for reasoned debate, so it is not surprising that irrational religious discourse is going to flourish in

certain quarters of Egypt or the Arab world,” argued Mohammad Fadel, an Egyptian-American Islamic legal scholar at the University of Toronto. “But the answer of these governments has been to double down on repression and that is only likely to increase the extremism.” A handful of non-Muslim researchers in the West seek to build a case that Islam is inherently more violent than Judaism or Christianity by highlighting certain Quranic verses. But they struggle to explain away approving passages about violence in other religious texts, such as the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, or the statement attributed to Jesus by the Gospel writer Matthew that “I come not to bring peace, but a sword.” Raymond Ibrahim, the author of “Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians,” argued in an interview that the passages in the Bible are descriptive but the Quranic ones are prescriptive. But most scholars say such distinctions are matters of interpretation. Mainstream Muslim scholars in the Arab world or the West emphasize the Prophet Muhammad’s injunctions to mercy and forgiveness, his forbidding of “coercion in matters of religion,” or his exhortation to restraint even in self-defense. “Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits,” reads one verse. “God does not love transgressors.” Emad Shahin, the editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics, compared the discussion of violence in the Islamic tradition to the “just war” teachings of the Catholic Church. But because of the specific history of Western colonialism and Arab responses, he argued, Islam now provides an effective way to appeal to feelings of identity, community, justice, freedom and nationalism all at once. “It is all rolled into one,” he said.

Sanctity of Truth

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

WORLD TRENDS NEWS ANALYSIS

Palestinians Gain Momentum in Quest for Statehood By JODI RUDOREN

JERUSALEM — When the Palestinians sought statehood at the United Nations in 2011, it was widely dismissed as a symbolic gambit to skirt negotiations with Israel and the United States’ influence over the long-running conflict. But the Palestinians have begun to translate a series of such symbolic steps, culminating in a recent move to join the International Criminal Court, into a strategy that effectively creates pressure on Israel. While many prominent Israelis have called for unilateral action to set the country’s borders, it is the Palestinians who have gained political momentum with a series of steps taken outside of negotiations. The Palestinians are, in effect, establishing a legal state. They are betting that international recognition, by 135 Somini Sengupta contributed reporting from New York, and Said Ghazali from Jerusalem.

countries and counting, could force changes on the ground — without requiring their leaders to make the concessions they have long avoided. “Those states that have recognized the State of Palestine, that’s not an insignificant number; they’ve reached a kind of critical mark,” said Mark Ellis, director of the London-based International Bar Association. “We’ve added an additional complexity to this very long 66-year-old journey.” For now, the Palestinians are prepared for painful economic retaliation from Israel and the United States. But President Mahmoud Abbas seems indifferent to American diplomacy. He vowed to “join 100, 200, 300” international groups despite American threats to cut aid that could doom his government. There is also a sense that Mr. Abbas could benefit if the Palestinians’ unilateral approach bolsters Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu of Israel and other conservatives in upcoming elections and heads off creation of a center-left government. Some analysts say a center-left government committed to the two-state solution would be palatable to Europe and force the Palestinians to negotiate. With Mr. Netanyahu in power, Israel has increasingly been reactive to Palestinian actions and forced to play defense in the court and other forums. “It’s quite clear to me that we are ushered into a new era of political and legal conflict, and beyond a certain point it could be very hard to contain it,” said Michael Herzog, a former Israeli general and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “They take certain measures, and Israel responds — this could certainly escalate politically, legally, economically and maybe, ultimately, security-wise. It’s a dangerous game.” President Abbas faces calls

A Bleak Future For Syria’s Warriors

Karam Shoumali and Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.

tions by Israel — it’s like declaring civil disobedience,” he said. Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser, said of the potential dissolution of the authority, “we have been there and it’s not so bad,” referring to the pre-Oslo days when Israel directly governed the territories it had captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. But Mr. Abbas appears to have won support from the public by joining the court, and by speaking of the authority’s demise. “I hear it from my father for the first time: Even if we will not get our salaries and the economic situation will be worse, at least we can say we will get our rights,” Rula Salameh said. Ms. Salameh said her sister, who is on the government payroll, “hears it also from her friends, her colleagues — they said even if we will not get our salaries, we need to feel like something is going on. Tomorrow will be better than today.”

Tales of Corruption Go on Tour in Mexico By PAULINA VILLEGAS

By ANNE BARNARD

ANTAKYA, Turkey — A thick fog settled in this Turkish border town, as Syrian men told their war stories. Their memories veered from exhilaration to black humor to terror, but mostly they told of what they had lost: Friends. An arm. A country. None were out of their mid-20s. Three were insurgents, or had been. One had helped capture an army tank; another had hidden in tall grass as tank fire killed his raiding party. They told of abandoning one insurgent group after another, finding commanders too violent, too corrupt, too pious, not pious enough. Three others, civilian antigovernment activists who broadcast war news on social media, were on the run from Islamic State extremists. For them, the fog was a comfort, shrouding their movements. They had trekked for days from the Syrian provincial capital of Deir alZour, holding their breath at Islamic State checkpoints, hoping to find safety here in southern Turkey. But they still felt hunted, sure that the group had eyes and ears everywhere. Not long ago, these men would have felt secure here. Early in the Syrian conflict Antakya became the bustling hub of an insurgency that thought it was winning. Back then, young fighters filled cafes dreaming of new power and new freedoms. But some of those flocking to

from the public to go further, by halting security coordination with Israel or dissolving the authority. If the authority were dissolved, Israel would have to administer the West Bank, provide services and keep order without Palestinian security help. This could intensify global frustration with Israel’s occupation. In some ways, the Palestinians’ dual tracks seem contradictory — how could they make the case for statehood if they collapse the provisional authority the Oslo Accords created two decades ago for state-building? But it is the Palestine Liberation Organization, not the authority, that represents Palestinians on the world stage. Mustafa Barghouti, one of the Palestinian leaders pressing for the collapse of the authority, envisions “a government in exile” for a “state under occupation.” “This would mean liberating the Palestinian movement from all these restrictions and obliga-

BULENT KILIC/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

Once a center for Syrians fighting the Assad regime, Antakya, Turkey, now draws those tired of the war. Antakya would later become their enemies. The city was becoming a way station for foreign jihadists, who spent lavishly. They ultimately transformed Syria’s battlefield, many of them coalescing into the radical Islamic State group, which shifted the West’s focus from ousting President Bashar al-Assad to countering the extremist group’s momentum. Now, the group has turned violently against any Assad opponents who fail to flock to its banner — like the young men here. Those men are part of what is looming as a lost generation of young Syrians. They are marooned in southern Turkey, unsure how to envision their future. All but one, a hard-line Islamist, had reached the point of wondering whether armed revolt — or even the civil protest movement that preceded it — had been a mistake. “I regret,” said one civilian, a web designer. “The best people in my country, they have been killed in this revolution. The worst people have controlled the country. And the goal of our revolution is not accomplished. “My best friends are dead,” he went on. “We lost things.” His ski jacket concealed the stump

of his left arm. He was hit by shrapnel while filming a battle. One of his friends, who gave only a first name, Hazem, said that some things he could never regret, like the thrill of his first protest. What brought him to regret, he said, was the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, because it divided the rebellion. Tarek Fares, who fought on the front lines, called the shift from protests to armed revolt a mistake. It allowed the government to cast itself as fighting terrorism, he said, and sowed divisions among insurgents over arms and money. Mr. Fares switched to an Islamist group. But its leader, he said, was more interested in forcing them to pray than in fighting, and scolded them for dancing in their makeshift barracks. The lone true believer — the only one still taking part in battles — belonged to a hardline Islamist (but anti-Islamic State) group, Ahrar al-Sham. While he condemned the Islamic State’s leadership, he said its fighters embodied true jihad. The man who lost his arm said he expected little from the world. Asked how the war would end, he said simply, “It will not end.”

MONTERREY, Mexico — Inside a large, open-air bus, a corrupt politician quarrels over the loudspeakers with a fed-up citizen who tells the passengers about the millions of pesos lost in a series of corruption scandals. As the scripted recording plays, three security guards sitting on a bench watch the passing bus before cracking up in laughter, pointing at the bright red and yellow insignia on its side: the “Corruptour.” The broadside includes caricaturized faces of the state’s former and current governors. Both grin at passers-by, drawing stares at each of the 11 “corruption landmarks” that the bus tour aims to spotlight, including the casino where gunmen started a fire that killed 52 people. “We have failed to place the issue of corruption at the center of political debate,” said Miguel Treviño, the head of the Corruptour project and founding member of Via Ciudadana, one of many local groups pushing to raise political and social awareness here in Mexico’s richest city. “We need to make it tangible and understandable to people, and to explain its direct implications on our everyday lives so they will want to fight it,” he said. The violence that defined this industrial city of 1.1 million people as recently as 2012 has declined. But broad government corruption here, and in Mexico at large, remains. For decades, corruption and impunity have inspired apathy and anger, and both were again on display in the past months when President Enrique Peña Nieto, during a television interview, described corruption

as largely a “cultural problem.” It was a remark that many interpreted as a feeble attempt to excuse public theft. But some disagree with the inexorability of corruption. “This is not about just complaining, it is about understanding what is our role in history,” says Lorenia Canavati, a member of Via Ciudadana. On one recent afternoon, the tour started off at the government palace. As the bus passed the remains of Casino Royale — the gambling parlor set ablaze in August 2011 — one local resident on the bus, Edmundo Jiménez, glared. He

To your left, political wrongdoing. To your right, even more. said his wife died in the fire. At the time, there were questions about whether corruption was part of the cause. The brother of Monterrey’s mayor had been caught on video collecting cash from another casino. He was detained, then his lawyer said the money was for cheese from Oaxaca. Two months later, he was released. The investigation revealed that government safety inspectors, suspected of taking bribes, had failed to do their jobs; there were several building code violations inside, including blocked emergency exits. Mr. Jiménez said, “It is time to wake up, or this country will sink.”

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Hydrogen Cars Arrive In Auto Showrooms By KENNETH CHANG

LOS ANGELES — Remember the hydrogen car? A decade ago, President George W. Bush espoused the promise of cars running on hydrogen, the universe’s most abundant element. That changed under Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was President Barack Obama’s first Secretary of Energy. “We asked ourselves, ‘Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen-car economy?’” Dr. Chu said then. “The answer, we felt, was ‘no.’ ” Attention shifted to battery electric vehicles, particularly those made by Tesla Motors. The hydrogen car, it appeared, had died. Except automakers, including General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Daimler and Hyundai, persisted. After many years and billions of dollars for research, hydrogen cars have arrived. Hyundai has been leasing the hydrogen-powered Tucson sport utility since June, for a $2,999 down payment, and $499 a month. Toyota is introducing a sedan called Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese, in California for about $57,000, cheaper than the Tesla Model S. California is spending millions of dollars to build hydrogen fueling stations, aiming to increase the network from nine today to 50 by the end of 2015. Japan and Germany are building a similar

number of stations. Battery electric cars and fuel cell cars are, at their cores, both electric cars with the inherent advantages of electric motors — fast acceleration, near silence and zero tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases. The difference is where the electricity comes from. Instead of storing their charge in batteries, the fuel cells in hydrogen cars are miniature power plants, generating a flow of electricity in the chemical reaction of combining hydrogen and oxygen into water. The oxygen comes from the air; the hydrogen, which is compressed, is stored in tanks. The exhaust from the tailpipe? Water that is clean enough to drink. Toyota officials talk of selling a “portfolio” of vehicles that includes hybrids and battery electric cars. But hydrogen fuel cells are front and center. Not surprisingly, the strategy has its critics, particularly from competing Tesla. Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla, mocks fuel cells as “fool cells” that will lose in the marketplace to battery electric cars like his. Battery electrics are more efficient than fuel cells and are cheaper to operate. And there are many more places to plug in than places to top off a tank of hydrogen. But battery electric cars have major technological shortcomings, too. They take time to re-

Hydrogen Powered The major components of the Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen-powered car.

POWER CONTROL UNIT

manages the fuel cell stack and battery.

stores energy from deceleration. BATTERY

HYDROGEN TANK

stores hydrogen fuel under high pressure. runs on electricity from the fuel stack and the battery. MOTOR

THE NEW YORK TIMES; IMAGE BY TOYOTA

Fuel cells in autos act as miniature power plants. charge, they do not go as far as hydrogen cars between refueling, and the batteries required for larger vehicles make building them impractical, because the current lithium-ion batteries simply cannot hold enough energy to take larger vehicles over longer distances. After a point, adding more batteries has diminishing returns; the additional power just goes to lugging the additional weight. That is why most battery electric cars have been small and

Reactors Designed for Greener Days By MATTHEW L. WALD

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Filled with pits, seams and fissures, the images that Darin J. Tallman examined in a secure laboratory here looked like the surface of Mars. But they were extreme magnifications of slivers of an odd new material — half metal, half ceramic — that tolerates high heat with ease, and that several companies hope might form the basis of a new reactor technology. Mr. Tallman’s experiments are among many being conducted here in the high desert, far from population centers, in search of something that will drive the nuclear industry into its next incarnation. The industry has been in a slump. Old plants are unprofitable in the United States. In Germany, they are seen as an unacceptable safety hazard; their future in Japan is uncertain. Research has been in a slump, too. But many experts, as well as investors, say that for the world to meet rising demand for electricity and reduce carbon emissions, nuclear power will have to be part of the mix. Hundreds of scientists and engineers are looking at new kinds of reactors, intended to be safer, cheaper and deployable worldwide. From reactor designs that use sodium instead of water, to

those that substantially reduce the waste that lasts thousands of years, the new reactors would represent a significant break from the past. “There’s a whole class of reactors that are not evolutionary concepts relative to what you have out there now — they’re really different,” said Mark T. Peters, associate laboratory director at Argonne National Laboratory, near Chicago. Current reactors use uranium and water

Some see nuclear power as essential to lower emissions. under high pressure; new ones could run on thorium, plutonium or more exotic materials, and in place of water might have molten metal. There is no market for these reactors now, Dr. Peters and others say. Most nuclear utilities today are focused on trying to extend the usefulness of old reactors through lean times in the electricity market, created by cheap natural gas. But if the world decides in the 2030s and 2040s that it is time to

FUEL CELL STACK

generates electricity from hydrogen fuel.

deploy a new fleet of reactors, those will be based on work done in the few labs like this over the next decade, experts predict. “In a carbon-constrained world, with that time frame, you better have some advanced reactors ready to go,” Dr. Peters said. One focus of the research is to use sodium, not water, to carry away the heat of the reactor so it can be converted into electricity. If reactors switched to sodium, the nuclear reaction itself would change, and they would burn up some of the material that now becomes the most troublesome parts of waste, materials that endure for eons. In current reactors, water is held under pressure to keep it from boiling. But sodium, a metal with a low melting temperature, does not have to be kept under pressure, vastly simplifying construction. At Argonne, researchers are using a supercomputer to calculate the flow of sodium coolant through the fuel assembly of a reactor that would consume the nuclear waste accumulated from existing water-based designs. But switching to sodium from water introduces a host of complications. Technicians can see through water, but if you drop a bolt into a vessel filled with molten sodium, how do you find it? Researchers are working on ul-

aimed at commuters. A kilogram of hydrogen contains about as much chemical energy as four liters of gas. But fuel cells are more efficient than internal combustion engines, so cars like the Mirai have a 480-kilometer range, comparable to present-day gasoline cars. Filling up at a hydrogen pump takes about as long as filling a tank of gas, instead of hours plugged in to an outlet. Even Tesla’s superchargers need 20 minutes to give a Model S half a charge. “It’s the technology that lets people act the way they normally drive without making any compromises,” said Craig Scott of Toyota. Building a fuel cell small enough to fit in a car, operate for years and not cost a million dollars posed challenges that the

carmakers say they have conquered. The cost has come down, too, by reducing the amount of expensive platinum required. The platinum is used as a catalyst to bring the oxygen and hydrogen together. Also, most hydrogen today comes from stripping hydrogen atoms off natural gas molecules. That produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct and undercuts the goal of reducing greenhouse gases. Toyota likely will lose money on each Mirai it sells. But the automaker hopes that fuel cell cars will follow the trajectory of the Prius, which evolved from a money-losing oddball to a mainstream offering. Nihar Patel, a Toyota executive, said, “If that’s an example of a test, we want to repeat that test going forward.”

A press that fabricates uranium pellets to be used as fuel for TerraPower’s nuclear reactor project. mercial reactors in the United States now use fuel wrapped in metal, so they cannot run hotter than the metal’s melting point. But a high-temperature reactor would use fuel embedded in graphite, which does not melt. The reactor would produce heat intense enough to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, opening up possibilities beyond electricity; the hydrogen could be combined with carbon pulled from power JIM McAULEY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES plant exhausts, to make liquid fuel for cars. trasonic detectors, which could This has attracted the interest also inspect parts for cracks. of Areva, a European nuclear General Electric has been company, which is struggling to pursuing a version of the sodium market a new design based on reactor. TerraPower, a company water and uranium. funded partly by Bill Gates, is “One-third of our greenhouse working on a design, as is Toshigases comes from electricity genba. But unlike other energy techeration,” said Finis Southworth of Areva. A reactor that made nologies, in nuclear, venture only electricity would solve only capital cannot build a prototype a third of the carbon problem, he without exceptionally strong said. government support. And today, “About another third is transprivate companies are driving the research. portation and another third is inWork has also focused on the dustrial heat,” he said. “We can high temperature gas-graphite make good high-temperature reactor, which would run far hotprocess-heat and electricity, and do both at the same time.” ter than existing models. Com-

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Harvesting Megawatts From Tidal Lagoons By BETH GARDINER

LONDON — Harvesting energy from the tides is hard to do, and the development of a new generation of sea-based power arrays lags far behind more widely used renewable technologies, like wind and solar. But the company pushing a new project on the coast of Wales thinks its update of traditional dam-based hydropower will be much easier to bring to fruition. Tidal Lagoon Power Limited says the approach, known as tidal lagoon generation, could provide as much as 10 percent of Britain’s power from six of its projects within a decade. That is optimistic. Still, those hoping the seas will become an energy source will be watching Swansea Bay, Wales, where the company hopes to get approval this spring to build the first lagoon. “If it’s put together and it’s a success, people will look for

A reliable, if costly, power supply along the coast of Wales. other similar areas where there’s some development opportunity,” said Douglas J. Arent of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Similarly, if the Swansea Bay project disappoints, that could quash hopes of similar efforts elsewhere, he said. Even if the project succeeds, tidal lagoon power is unlikely to become more than a niche source of energy. Because it needs a large difference between the levels of high and low tides, tidal lagoon power is likely workable in few places, like Alaska’s Cook Inlet and parts of South Korea. Mr. Arent said it could still be useful because, unlike wind and sun, tides are predictable. The Swansea Bay plan is estimated to cost 1 billion pounds, or $1.6 billion. Engineers would build a large holding pool along the shore, contained by

a U-shaped seawall. When the tide rises, water levels become higher outside the pool than in it. Gates open to let water enter, turning turbines. When the tide recedes, the levels are higher inside than outside, and the water, when released, turns the turbines in the other direction. “Technically, each component part has been proven in the field,” said Andy Field, the chief spokesman for Tidal Lagoon Power. “It’s just pulling it all together that represents the innovation.” In principle, it is not so different from projects like the barrage, or dam-like structure, which harnesses flows at the mouth of the Rance river in France, or the Sihwa Lake station in South Korea. Because they often block estuaries, though, such plants raise worries about environmental damage. The lagoon approach seeks to minimize such impact. Worldwide, plants in the broader category of tidal range now have about 500 megawatts of power-generating capacity, and that could rise to 800 megawatts by 2020, experts say. That is tiny compared, for example, to global solar panel capacity, which grew by an estimated 100 megawatts every day in 2013. The biggest concern for the Swansea Bay project, energy experts say, is its high cost, and the fear of budget overruns, in part because of the need for a 10-kilometer seawall. A report that Tidal Lagoon Power commissioned from the consulting firm Poyry estimated that the Swansea lagoon would require a price of 168 pounds per megawatt hour, just above the guarantee provided to offshore wind farms, considered an expensive form of energy. The five projects the company hopes to build subsequently, elsewhere in Britain, would bring the cost down to 92 pounds per megawatt hour. “If you are serious about decarbonizing your electricity supply, frankly you need all the technologies available, whether that’s wind, solar, nuclear,” or anything else, said Ali Lloyd, one of the authors of the Poyry report. “There’s a role for all of them.”

JUICE ARCHITECTS

Tidal Lagoon Power says it could provide 10 percent of Britain’s power within a decade. A project rendering.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SOFIE AMALIE KLOUGART FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Blazing Toward Carbon-Neutrality Copenhagen has set up a traffic and street light system that saves energy. Embedded green lights ease the commute for bicyclists.

By DIANE CARDWELL

COPENHAGEN — On a busy road in the center of town here, a string of green lights embedded in the bike path — the “Green Wave” — flashes on, helping cyclists avoid red traffic lights. On a main artery into the city, truck drivers can see on smartphones when the next light will change. And in a nearby suburb, new LED streetlights brighten only as vehicles approach, dimming once they pass. Aimed at saving money, cutting the use of fossil fuels and easing mobility, the installations are part of a growing wireless network of streetlamps and sensors that officials hope will help this city of roughly 1.2 million meet its ambitious goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. Eventually, the network will serve other functions, like alerting the sanitation department to empty the trash cans and informing bikers of the quietest or fastest route to their destinations. It’s all made possible through an array of sensors embedded in the light fixtures that collect and feed data into software. The system, still in its early stages, has put Copenhagen on the leading edge of a global race to use public outdoor lighting as the backbone of a vast sensory network capable of coordinating a raft of functions and services: whether easing traffic congestion, better predicting where to salt before a snowstorm or, to the alarm of privacy advocates, picking up on suspicious behavior on a busy street corner. Cities worldwide are expected to replace 50 million aging fixtures with LEDs over the next three years, with roughly half of those in Europe. Some are mainly interested in switching from outmoded technologies to one that uses less energy and can last for decades. But many others want to take full advantage of the LED’s electronics, which are more conducive to wireless communication than other types of lighting. Los Angeles, for example, has almost completed the switch to outdoor LED lighting and is

using sensors embedded in the pavement to detect traffic congestion and synchronize signals. And other cities are pushing ahead, as hundreds of pilot programs and dozens of larger-scale installations involving LEDs with network control are underway. Seeing the demand, technology and software companies are scrambling to serve the market. “It is now or never,” said Munish Khetrapal, who helps lead socalled smart city efforts at Cisco Systems. “If you lose the opportunity, it’s going to take another 20 years.” Cisco, which has been pursuing

In Copenhagen, sensors help control an array of tasks. smart city applications for years, is working with more than 100 cities, Mr. Khetrapal said. In the city center, traffic officials are testing a number of approaches, including one aimed at keeping trucks from making stops as they travel the major roads, which would save on fuel. On a recent morning, Lennart Jorgensen, a city driver, slowed and accelerated his truck as he kept an eye on approaching traffic signals and a bar graph on his smartphone that indicated how soon the light would change. “It’s very smart,” he said of the system. The city is also testing systems to prioritize buses or bikes at in-

tersections during certain times, and has installed one that flashes a warning to truck drivers in a right-turn lane when cyclists are present. The availability and the reach of the networks increase the risk that monitoring can cross the line into tracking one person’s actions, privacy advocates say. So far, though, in this city, where crime is relatively low, residents have expressed little worry that the government will monitor their behavior. Bjorn Klüver, 33, said he had no worries about the increasing use of sensors in general. He has given up his car in favor of an electric bike to make his 26-kilometer commute. He also took one of the GPS trackers that transportation workers were handing out on the street one day in the hope of helping the city upgrade the system. “I’m helping, basically, giving them data on my travel times,” he said. “All they know is where the bike is.” Others also praised the efforts, especially the green wave, which other cities, including San Francisco and Amsterdam, have adopted. Copenhagen is upgrading the green wave to respond to cycling conditions, as well as developing apps for smartphones and a system that can automatically give groups of five or more cyclists right of way at intersections. “If you hit the green lights, you can maintain your speed,” Claus Deichgraeber, 30, a nurse, said one afternoon outside the Torvehallerne market. Although he tends to commute to work by bus — “I can find some inner peace, put the headphones in and just relax” — he frequently uses his bike as well. Unlike many of the other residents here, however, he said he wears a helmet. “In my work, I’ve seen what traffic accidents do to people.”

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For Volcanologists, Continuing Pressure and Mystery By HENRY FOUNTAIN

SK AFTAFELL, Iceland — Just north of here, on the far side of the Vatnajokull ice sheet, lava was spewing from a crack in the earth on the flanks of Bardarbunga, one of Iceland’s largest volcanoes. By volcanologists’ standards, it was a peaceful eruption, the lava merely spreading across the landscape as gases bubbled out of it. Those gases were the main concern, prompting health advisories in the capital, Reykjavik, 240 kilometers to the west, and elsewhere. But scientists also knew the top of Bardarbunga could erupt explosively. That could send plumes of ash into the sky that could shut down air travel across Europe. Volcanic eruptions are among the earth’s most cataclysmic events, and understanding how and when they happen can be crucial to saving lives and reducing damage to property. “Volcanoes are really difficult to predict because they are so nonlinear,” said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland. “They can suddenly decide to do something very different.” Dr. Einarsson studies the earthquakes that usually accompany volcanic activity, caused by hot rock, or magma, rising within the earth and creating stresses and fractures. Seismic monitoring is essential for helping to determine if and when an eruption will occur and how it will proceed, but scientists also study the deformation of a volcano’s surface — a sign of increasing pressure within — using GPS units and satellite-based radar, and they also monitor gases and other indicators like the melting of snow. “Ideally it’s a nice combination of data from many disciplines,” said Stephanie Prejean, a geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey at the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Over the past decade, Dr. Prejean said, the observatory has successfully forecast eruptions about two-thirds of the time for the volcanoes that are seismically monitored. In Iceland, scientists have

STEFANO DI NICOLO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bardarbunga, one of Iceland’s largest volcanoes, has been spewing lava since August 29. Its last eruption was in 1910. had about the same success rate, Dr. Einarsson said. Eruptions that come as a surprise can be particularly deadly. In September, 57 hikers were killed in Japan when Mount Ontake suddenly started spewing ash, cinders and rocks. In Iceland, scientists knew in mid-August that something was happening at Bardarbunga, which had last erupted in 1910. Seismometers began recording a swarm of small earthquakes, eventually numbering in the thousands, on the north side of the volcano. This was a sign that magma was beginning to intrude into a fissure below the surface. On August 29, the magma reached the surface on Bardarbunga’s northern flank. The magma — which is called lava when it is above ground — spewed out in fountains. The eruption has continued ever since. By the end of

Predicting when and if a volcano will explode is tricky. the year, the lava had spread out across 78 square kilometers. For now, the eruption remains what volcanologists call an effusive one — the lava is thin enough that the gases bubble out with little explosive force. One possibility is that the current eruption will eventually taper out as the source of magma is depleted. But there are other possibilities. Bardarbunga sits at the heart of a system of volcanoes and “has a history of affecting its neighbors,” Dr. Einarsson said. It could set off an eruption at the nearby Askja volcano, although that seems less likely.

Spider’s Tiny Brain Belies Complexities By JAMES GORMAN

Here is something to keep arachnophobes up at night. The inside of a spider is under pressure because spiders move by pushing fluid through valves. They are hydraulic. This works well for the spiders, but less so for those who want to study what goes on in the brain of a jumping spider, an aristocrat of arachnids that, according to Ronald R. Hoy, a professor of neurobiology, is one of the smartest of all invertebrates. If you insert an electrode into the spider’s brain, what’s inside might squirt out, and while that is not the kind of thing that most people want to think about, it is something that researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, had to consider. Dr. Hoy wanted to study jump-

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ing spiders because they are very different from most of their kind. They do not wait in a sticky web for lunch to fall into a trap. They search out prey, stalk it and pounce.“They’ve essentially become cats,” Dr. Hoy said. And they do all this with a brain the size of a poppy seed and a visual system that is completely different from that of a mammal: two big eyes dedicated to high-resolution vision and six smaller eyes that pick up motion. Dr. Hoy gathered four graduate students in various disciplines to solve the problem of

recording activity in a jumping spider’s brain when it spots something interesting — a feat nobody had accomplished. They not only managed to record from the brain, but discovered that one neuron seemed to be integrating the information from the spider’s two independent sets of eyes, a computation that might be expected to involve a network of brain cells. Gil Menda, the first author of the paper that was published online recently in Current Biology, collaborated with Paul S. Shamble, Eyal I. Nitzany, James R. Golden and Dr. Hoy, all co-authors, in designing and carrying out the experiment. The team used a 3-D printer to make a solid frame to hold the spider, then threaded an ultrathin metal wire into the tiny brain.

Of greater concern is what is happening at Bardarbunga’s caldera, the valley at the top of the mountain that is filled with hardened magma from past eruptive activity and topped by a layer of ice as much as a kilometer thick. Measurements show that this hardened magma, which acts like a plug, is sinking at about a meter every three days, probably as the hot magma below it escapes through the fissure to the north. “As of now, the system seems to be relatively stable,” Dr. Einarsson said. “But it’s almost certain that this can’t last very long.” If the plug cracks apart, the hot magma below would have an easier path to the surface — straight up — where it would combine with ice to cause a steam-magma explosion. Such an eruption could create a large plume of ash that could disrupt air travel, as the eruption at another volca-

no did in 2010. Its effects on the surrounding region could be catastrophic as well, with glacial meltwater collecting in the caldera until it overflows, causing a vast flood. That has happened countless times in Iceland’s geological history, and it is what created the eerie skeidararsandur, the vast delta west of Skaftafell that resembles the surface of the moon. The skeidararsandur could take the brunt of a flood again, or it might flow to the north, or even to the west — a troubling possibility given that hydroelectric dams responsible for much of Iceland’s electricity could be damaged. “One can never be absolutely certain about predicting,” Dr. Einarsson said. “So we have to line up all the possible scenarios and stretch our imaginations to figure out what could possibly happen.”

The jumping spider has a complex visual system that is completely different from that of a mammal. brain picked up by the wire. Dr. Hoy said the research opened new avenues of study into the GIL MENDA/CORNELL UNIVERSITY brains of spiders and suggested an efficiency of The apparatus and technique albrain computation that would lowed them to make a hole small no doubt interest roboticists and enough to heal quickly, keeping artificial intelligence specialthe brain intact and inside the spider. ists. But more immediately, he Then they showed the spider said, working on the interdisciimages of prey and other spiders plinary project was enormous that attracted its interest. They fun. used computer analysis to sort He said, “These are four amazout the electrical activity in the ing people.”

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Role of Luck in Getting Cancer By DENISE GRADY

It may sound flippant to say that many cases of cancer are caused by bad luck, but that is what two scientists suggested in an article recently published in the journal Science. The bad luck comes in the form of random genetic mistakes, or mutations, that happen when healthy cells divide. Random mutations may account for two-thirds of the risk of getting many types of cancer, leaving the usual suspects — heredity and environmental factors — to account for only one-third, say the authors, Cristian Tomasetti and Dr. Bert Vogelstein, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. “We do think this is a fundamental mechanism, and this is the first time there’s been a measure of it,” said Dr. Tomasetti, an applied mathematician. Though the researchers suspected that chance had a role, they were surprised at how big it turned out to be. “This was definitely beyond my expectations,” he said. “It’s about double what I would have thought.” Smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer, but for other cancers, the causes are not clear. And yet many patients wonder if they did something to bring the disease on themselves, or if they could have done something to prevent it. “For the average cancer patient, I think this is good news,” Dr. Tomasetti said. “Knowing that over all, a lot of it is just bad

luck, I think in a sense it’s comforting.” Among people who do not have cancer, Dr. Tomasetti said he expected there to be two camps. “There are those who would like to control every single thing happening in their lives, and for those, this may be very scary,” he said. “ ‘There is a big component of cancer I can just do nothing about.’ “For the other part of the population, it’s actually good news. ‘I’m happy. I can of course do all I know that’s important to not increase my risk of cancer, like a good diet, exercise, avoiding

Scientists say chance mutations can trigger disease. smoking, but on the other side, I don’t want to stress out about every single thing or every action I take in my life, or everything I touch or eat.’ ” Dr. Vogelstein said the question of causation had haunted him for decades, since he was an intern and his first patient was a 4-year-old girl with leukemia. Her parents were distraught and wanted to know what had caused the disease. He had no answer, but he heard the same question from patients and their families, particularly parents of children with cancer.

“They think they passed on a bad gene or gave them the wrong foods or exposed them to paint in the garage,” he said. “And it’s just wrong. It gave them a lot of guilt.” Dr. Tomasetti and Dr. Vogelstein said the finding that so many cases of cancer occur from random genetic accidents means that it may not be possible to prevent them, and that there should be more of an emphasis on developing better tests to find cancers early enough to cure them. “Cancer leaves signals of its presence, so we just have to basically get smarter about how to find them,” Dr. Tomasetti said. Their conclusion comes from a statistical model they developed using data in the medical literature on rates of cell division in 31 types of tissue. They looked specifically at stem cells, which are a small, specialized population in each organ or tissue that divide to provide replacements for cells that wear out. Dividing cells must make copies of their DNA, and errors in the process can set off the uncontrolled growth that leads to cancer. The researchers wondered if higher rates of stem-cell division might increase the risk of cancer simply by providing more chances for mistakes. The analysis did not include breast or prostate cancers, because there was not enough data on rates of stem-cell division in those tissues. A starting point for their research was an observation made more than 100 years ago but never really explained: Some tissues

TIM ROBINSON

are far more cancer-prone than others. In the large intestine, for instance, the lifetime cancer risk is 4.8 percent — 24 times higher than in the small intestine, where it is 0.2 percent. The scientists found that the large intestine has many more stem cells than the small intestine, and that they divide more often: 73 times a year, compared with 24 times. In many other tissues, rates of stem cell division also correlated strongly with cancer risk. Some cancers, including certain lung and skin cancers, are more common than would be expected just from their rates

of stem-cell division — which matches up with the known importance of environmental factors like smoking and sun exposure in those diseases. Others more common than expected were linked to cancer-causing genes. To help explain the findings, Dr. Tomasetti cited the risks of a car accident. In general, the longer the trip, the higher the odds of a crash. Environmental factors like bad weather can add to the basic risk, and so can defects in the car. With cancer, Dr. Tomasetti said, “It’s really the combination of inherited factors, environment and chance.”

Pavlov’s Research Explored the Brain Training a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell would have seemed stupid to Ivan Pavlov. He was after much bigger things. He demonstrated that a dog could distinguish between a rhythm of 96 and ESSAY 104 beats a minute or an ascending and a descending musical scale. But what he really wanted to know was what his animals were thinking. His dream was a grand theory of the mind. He couldn’t put his subjects on a couch like his colleague Sigmund Freud, so he gauged their reactions to stimuli, meticulously counting their droplets of drool. He knew he was pricking at the skin of something deeper. “It would be stupid,” he said, “to reject the subjective world.” In an excellent new biography, “Ivan Pavlov: A Russian Life in Science,” Daniel P. Todes, a medical historian, describes a man whose laboratory in pre-Soviet Russia was like an early-20th-century version of the White House Brain Initiative, with its aim “to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind.” That was also Pavlov’s goal: to build a science that would “brightly illuminate our mys-

GEORGE JOHNSON

terious nature” and “our consciousness and its torments.” He spoke those words 111 years ago and spent his life pursuing his goal. Reading Dr. Todes’s book, I kept wondering how much we have really accomplished since Pavlov’s time. Gathering in November for the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers reported their readings from microelectrodes, PET scans and optogenetic sensors — instruments that have far surpassed the precision of Pavlov’s tools. But for all the important details that are emerging, we are still just poking at the surface of the phenomenon that most fascinates us: the mind driving the curiosity that gives rise to science, art, literature, music, the highest human endeavors. “The truth is that we are still at a loss to explain how the brain does all but the most elementary things,” Gary Marcus, a New York University psychologist, wrote in a new collection of essays, “The Future of the Brain.” “We simply do not understand how the pieces fit together.” After reading about the case of Anna O., made famous by Freud, Pavlov began contemplating neurosis in a dog. Freud believed that Anna’s condition — hysteria, it was called back then — arose from the stress of caring for her dy-

to react differently to two images: an ellipse and a circle. As the ellipses were made increasingly rounder and less ovallike, the task grew harder until finally Vampire could not tell the two shapes apart. And so the poor dog snapped. Originally calm by nature, he began yelping and running in circles, barking for no apparent reason and drooling copiously. As Pavlov’s theories developed, he proposed that behavior in dogs and in people could be explained through half a dozen such processes. But he was NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH soon overwhelmed by As he set out to understand the the complications. Even mind, Ivan Pavlov wanted to know dogs, he came to realize, had different personaliwhat animals were thinking. ties. Early on, he counted three “nervous types,” a number that later grew to more ing father. She was devastated than 25. yet determined to maintain a “The time will come — and it cheerful face. The result of these will be such a wonderful moment opposing psychological forces, — when everything becomes as Freud saw it, was a nervous clear,” he wrote. And yet, as his breakdown. biographer notes, “the opposite Pavlov thought he recognized proved true.” As his lab expanda phenomenon in a dog named Vampire that was similar to ed, with more scientists, dogs Anna O.’s nervous breakdown. and experiments, Pavlov was The animal had been trained, cursed by a proliferation of varithrough salivation experiments, ables. “There are now before us

A proliferation of variables as dogs overran a lab. many more questions than there were earlier,” he said. “We are surrounded — nay crushed — by a mass of details demanding explanation.” One has the same feeling at the annual neuroscience meetings. All these particulars and no lens to focus them. The Brain Initiative is sure to increase the amount of undigested data a millionfold, a billionfold — it depends on how you keep score. But facts don’t organize themselves. “We cannot expect the theories and concepts to somehow emerge from Big Science,” the philosopher Ned Block writes in another essay in “Future of the Brain.” I wondered what Pavlov’s dogs, in their canine way, thought about this strange biped in a lab coat who, locked in a maddening circularity, tried to understand the nature of understanding. We’re smarter, probably, than these creatures, but not infinitely so. I thought again of Vampire, driven to a frenzy, in a dizzying chase of his own tail.

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Sanctity of Truth

T H E W AY W E E AT

Chefs Try Out Dishes Laced With Cannabis By KIM SEVERSON

BOULDER, Colorado — The relationship between marijuana and food usually revolves around jokes about the brownies laced with pot that produce euphoria. But cooking with cannabis is emerging as a legitimate and lucrative culinary will be worth $10.2 billion in pursuit. five years and that edible marIn Colorado, skilled cooks are leaving respected restaurants ijuana could be as much as 40 to take better-paying jobs inpercent of that. Cooking with marijuana fusing cannabis into food and requires a scientist’s touch to drinks. In Washington, a large draw out and control the cancannabis bakery dedicated to affluent customers will soon nabinoids like tetrahydrocanopen in Seattle. nabinol, or THC, which alter Major New York publishing one’s mood and physical senhouses and noted cookbook sations. To get a consistent, authors are pondering marcontrollable effect, marijuana is best heated and combined ijuana projects, and chefs on with fats like butter, olive oil or both American coasts and in cream. food-forward countries like People who sell edible mariDenmark have been staging meals with modern twists juana often advise people who like compressed watermelon, have not tried it before to start smoked cheese and marijuawith 10 milligrams or less. In savory applications, dosing na-oil vinaigrette. is trickier. A cook might make “It really won’t be long until sure a tablespoon of lime-cilanit becomes part of haute cuisine and part of respectable culinary tro butter has 10 milligrams of culture, instead of just an illegal THC, but will the guest eat exdoobie in the backyard,” said actly that amount? Ken Albala of the University of Cooks who work with canthe Pacific in San Francisco. nabis are apt to compare it to Two problems, however, cooking with wine or spirits. stand in the way: First, it’s But in cannabis cookery, the hard to control how high people point is usually to mask the get when they eat marijuana. taste. And second, it really doesn’t “From my very limited expetaste that good. rience with edibles, the flavor is Still, what if chefs could depretty awful,” said Grant Achvelop a culinary canon around atz, the Chicago chef. m a r iju a n a that tamed both its taste and mood-altering effects, and diners came to appreciate dishes with marijuana the way one appreciates good bourbon? “Cuisine is a product of people who cook and the ideologies they bring into the kitchen and what they are able to do with the instruments they have on hand,” MATTHEW STAVER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES said Adam GomoThe chef Melissa Parks with goat lin, an amateur chef cheese and raspberry-thyme purée who helped found the crowd-funded infused with marijuana. publishing company Inkshares. His company plans to publish “Herb: Melissa Parks, a Denver Mastering the Art of Cooking chef who began cooking with with Cannabis,” a project that it to help a friend with cancer, attracted the cookbook author argues that marijuana can be Michael Ruhlman. delicious. The book will contain rec“There are dozens of strains and some might smell like lemipes like marijuana-infused black pepper biscuits, butteron grass or strawberry or sage or wheatgrass,” she said. Difnut squash soup and sausage marinara. ferent strains also offer differ“What intrigued me,” Mr. ent highs. A well-placed dose Ruhlman said, “is the notion of cannabis might provide just that you could figure out a raenough elevation in an appetio that would allow you to use tizer or a calming finish to the pot in the way one would enjoy meal that alcohol could become a martini and still have a pleasless interesting. “A lot of people could argue ant experience.” that a lot of alcohol doesn’t The book is the second, more taste good, either,” said Ruth sophisticated effort from the Reichl, a former New York people who created “The StonTimes restaurant critic. “So er’s Cookbook,” a website that maybe you won’t need to drink has more than five million page wine with your dinner. It could views a month. The site’s chief be very bad for the wine indusexecutive, Matt Gray, predicts the legal marijuana industry try.”

Taming the effects of marijuana, along with its taste.

DANIEL ETTER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; BELOW, ALIVE MIND CINEMA; BOTTOM, LOURDES SEGADE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

El Bulli Founder, Beyond Kitchens By SAM BORDEN

One day in November, Ferran Adrià, the Spanish chef who turned foods into foams and pioneered a new era in gastronomic innovation while running one of the world’s most popular restaurants, bounced through a loft space in Barcelona. He peered at pencil-sketched mind maps and examined books jammed on narrow shelves. Then he stopped. “I have a question,” he said in Catalan to the small group of visitors and staff members. “What is wine?” There was silence. Finally, cautiously, someone offered, “A drink?” Mr. Adrià’s eyes widened. “Maybe it is a drink if I put it in a cup. But what if I make it into a sauce and cook with it?” Mr. Adrià spun away and began walking again. “Now,” he said over his shoulder as the crowd shuffled in his wake, “what if I turn the wine into ice cream? What is it then?” Mr. Adrià, 52, has always been inquisitive. Even during the peak years at El Bulli, when Restaurant Magazine named it the world’s best restaurant five times from 2002 to 2009 and he rocketed beyond the standard-fare celebrity chefs into the rarefied air of the gastronomic geniuses, he would pose random questions about the origin of vegetables or fruit. Mr. Adrià calculated that he concocted 1,846 dishes during his time there, many of which pushed the boundaries on epicurean labels (the artichoke as rose petals, the olive formed from frozen olive juice). He says the primary reason he closed the restaurant in 2011 was because he was scared of repeating himself. “Can you imagine this pressure?” he said. Now there is pressure of a different kind. Mr. Adrià’s acclaim came with benefits — he used to charge 80,000 euros, or about $97,000, for an hourlong lecture on creativity. His latest venture is an umbrella project known as the El Bulli Foundation. Consider the activity on a recent morning: One group of employees worked in a corner of the loft on prototypes of a website known as BulliPedia that, when Pere Bosch contributed reporting.

Ferran Adrià is creating a ‘‘think tank for creativity.’’ Adrià dishes: sea bass ceviche; above, ice vinaigrette with tangerines and green olives.

finished, will be a type of Wikipedia for haute cuisine. On the opposite side of the room, a young woman edited pages intended for a multivolume book tracing the history of food. At a desk facing a window, three men spent hours researching white asparagus. “We are trying to create an entire language for creativity,” he said, adding, “I know this sounds a little pretentious.” Telefónica, the telecommunications giant based in Madrid, is a sponsor. The nonprofit foundation, Mr. Adrià said, is intended to appeal to “chefs, as well as anyone who is interested in the creative process.” Mr. Adrià has divided the foundation into two main strands: knowledge, which is the group focused on creating BulliPedia; and creativity, which is focused on “deconstructing the entire process of creativity.” He calls this group El Bulli DNA. El Bulli Lab is the Barcelona-based office where people associated with El Bulli DNA do their work. That should not be confused with 6W Food, which may not get going for a few more years but is expected to be a blend of a science museum, an art museum and a house of culinary innovation. Also in the works is a language to describe gastronomy known as Huevo, Spanish for egg. The plans for El Bulli 1846, a

home for the innovation, include exhibition areas, a brainstorming room with a glass wall facing the sea and a kitchen for fund-raising events. There is only one problem: It is mostly not happening. The location, about two hours north of Barcelona, is a protected area, Parc Natural del Cap de Creus. The park is famous for inspiring the work of Salvador Dalí and, later, as the unlikely location of El Bulli. For years, expectant diners made their way along a narrow road toward the bay and through the narrow doorway with the familiar bulldog logo etched into the wall, settling into seats for what was, essentially, an art show presented on a shimmering dinner-plate canvas. Now the tiny house is covered in demolition dust. Ecologists objected to the potential impact of the expansion and gathered nearly 96,000 signatures on a petition to stifle it. A modest expansion is underway. Some people say they think Mr. Adrià will ultimately get the overhaul he initially desired. Just after 6 p.m., with the sunlight gone and the office quiet, Mr. Adrià stopped at one desk. He lingered over a grid of index cards that traced the history of cuisine from the Neolithic era. “If I don’t understand all of this,” he said, “I don’t understand anything.”

Sanctity of Truth

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

ARTS & DESIGN

Jennifer Aniston Takes on Different Role: Vulnerability By FRANK BRUNI

You can star in one of the most beloved sitcoms of the last quarter century, win an Emmy, be paid $1 million per episode, find success in movies and still have more than a little something to prove, along with a lot to lose. So in the seconds before the first public showing of “Cake” at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Jennifer Aniston was nervous. “It didn’t hit me until the lights went down that the most people who’d seen it were eight people, and all of a sudden we were in a 1,500-seat theater,” she said. “I just didn’t know how it would be received. It’s a vulnerable, terrifying moment.” “Cake,” about a devastated woman’s uncertain recovery, does away with pretty, peppy Aniston and installs a pill-popping harridan in her place. She has scars on her face, flab on her body, an anguished gait and a sharp tongue. It’s a plea of sorts, and Ms. Aniston had no guarantee of a charitable answer. But when the lights rose in Toronto, the audience did, too, giving her a standing ovation. And while the movie, which goes into wide release this month, got mixed reviews, she got just enough positive recognition to

A Network Finds Crime Does Pay By EMILY STEEL

JERICHO, New York — In September, Seth Techel received a life sentence in Iowa for murdering his pregnant wife to pursue a romance with a co-worker. In October, a production crew descended on a suburban home here to recreate the drama for “Scorned: Love Kills,” a popular series on the real-crime network Investigation Discovery. Cameras followed a young couple kissing in one corner of the yard, a scowling neighbor holding a gun in another corner and police officers searching for a murder weapon in the backyard. Producers packaged the shots into an hourlong program that will be televised in the spring to more than 100 million homes in 157 countries and territories. Filled with a sensational mix of romance-gone-wrong murder mysteries like “Scorned: Love Kills” and “Deadly Affairs,” hosted by the former soap opera queen Susan Lucci, Investigation Discovery has attracted a global audience of fans so dedicated they complain the network’s logo is permanently visible on their television screens. Investigation Discovery, which made its debut in the United States in 2008, has become one of the fastest growing cable television networks. It is especially popular among women, ranking as a top five cable network for women 24 to 54 years old in the United States.

be considered during the awards season. She has been an whirlwind over recently, following the script of a publicist known as an Oscar wonder-worker and attending more than a dozen question-and-answer sessions at screenings in California and New York. And it’s working. In December she picked up Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice nominations for best actress. She recognizes this moment as perhaps her best chance to “take away the cloak of Rachel,” she said, referring to her part on the sitcom “Friends.” The Guardian called “Cake” a showcase for her “hitherto hidden acting chops.” She said the comment was “kind of head-scratching.” A few minutes later, she returned to the critic’s “hidden” phrase, again registering frustration with its insinuation that something other than talent and craft had gone into her work in “Friends” and about two dozen movies since the mid-1990s. “You have to do something really dark to be taken seriously, I guess,” she said. Then, referring to both the duration of “Friends” and its popularity in syndication, she added: “If you’re in someone’s living room every week for

Jennifer Aniston, a little heavier and with scars, plays a woman facing a difficult recovery in the film “Cake.”

10 years and every day on God knows what network, people are going to have a hard time saying, ‘O.K., we’re going to see you do what now?’ without making associations.” She added: “There were jobs that I really wanted and would fight and fight for and then the obvious previous Oscar winners would get them.” Ms. Aniston has churned out movies. And while many have

Investigation Discovery has an audience in 157 countries. Donna Cobb in ‘‘Wives With Knives.’’

the movie quickly faded from memory. She’s hoping for more from “Cake.” For her part in “Cake,” Ms. Aniston, 45, stopped exercising, gained weight, let her hair get dirty and didn’t wear makeup. That is less striking on screen than her sluggish, herky-jerky movements, a manifestation of the character’s ambiguously defined physical CINELOU RELEASING injuries and reliance on been conventional Hollywood narcotics. comedies, she has built in excepThe “Cake” shoot spanned ontions. She was the femme fatale ly about a month. Ms. Aniston’s to Clive Owens’s patsy in “Deexertions to ensure that the movrailed” (2005). She tucked herself ie is noticed have lasted longer. into one of the director Nicole HoThe nervousness that trailed her to Toronto is gone, replaced lofcener’s idiosyncratic ensemby pure resolve. Fussing with her bles in “Friends With Money” microphone at a recent screen(2006). Most notably, she played a Texas dime-store clerk trapped ing in New York, she said: “I’m in a mirthless marriage in “The afraid that I’m not going to be Good Girl,” a tiny 2002 drama for loud enough.” So she spoke up. which she got rave reviews. But And everyone heard her just fine.

A Classic’s Retelling Spurs a Death Threat By DOREEN CARVAJAL

pense genre.” T he network quickly gained momentum. Legions of fans, calling themINVESTIGATION DISCOVERY selves “ID Addicts,” Discovery quickly discovered congregate online discussing a global appetite for crime drashows with names like “Wives With Knives” and “Momsters: mas when it started expanding When Moms Go Bad.” “We’ve in 2009 — televising largely the appreciated the importance of same stories based on cases in being a little bit over the top,” Mr. the United States. The network is Schleiff said. planning to continue the expanDiscovery’s international outsion this year to reach a total of 200 global markets. posts wanted to see whether they “Crime is universal,” said Dacould bring the format to their home markets. Investigation vid M. Zaslav, chief executive Discovery now ranks at the top of Discovery Communications, of ratings for women in Poland, which owns the network. Britain, and Mexico and other The decision to start Investicountries. gation Discovery nearly seven Lisa Kort-Butler, a sociology years ago was anything but a professor at the University of sure bet. Rebranded from its Nebraska, Lincoln, who studies earlier rendition as Discovery crime and justice in the media, Times, a joint venture with The said that viewers were drawn New York Times Company about to these crime dramas because American culture, the network of the classic struggle between was competing for attention good and evil. “It is worthwhile against hundreds of established mentioning that the kinds of channels. Then Henry S. Schleiff crimes presented in these proarrived in 2009 as president of Investigation Discovery. grams are sensational and exDuring his first meeting with tra-ordinary in the U.S. context, Mr. Zaslav, Mr.Schleiff endorsed and even more so in countries in broadcasting nothing but true Northern and Western Europe, stories about crime and mystery. Canada, the U.K., Australia and He said he thought the group Japan, which have lower crime could build a successful brand, “if rates,” she said by email. we can be a place where viewers Ms. Lucci noted that even after can consistently know that reyears in the soap opera world she was surprised at the voracious gardless of the hours, regardless appetite fans have for the salaof the day, that they will always be able to flip to this network and cious programming on Investiknow that they are going to get a gation Discovery. “Truth really story of the mystery, crime, susis stranger than fiction,” she said.

PARIS — There are elements of the absurd about the plight of Kamel Daoud, an Algerian writer whose debut novel reaped glowing international reviews, literary honors and then, suddenly, demands for his public execution. His book, “Meursault, Counter-Investigation,” is a retelling of Albert Camus’s classic “The Stranger,” from an Algerian perspective, with Mr. Daoud giving voice to the brother of the nameless Arab murder victim who is shot in Algiers. Camus’s 1942 novel, an exploration of the absurd and the meaningless of life, greatly influenced Mr. Daoud, who is now dealing with his own farcical reality: a Facebook fatwa issued by a Salafist imam from Algeria. No one has been arrested in connection with the death threat that surfaced on December 16. But the threat has provoked a debate in Algeria about whether an unschooled imam is qualified to issue a fatwa. It is unclear whether the threat stems from Mr. Daoud’s television appearances or his novel’s character. “I still have no protection,” said Mr. Daoud, 44, who has retreated to his home in Oran, the second-largest city in Algeria. “This is a strategy for pushing me into exile and to shape public opinion with old ghosts of the 1990s and memories of the civil war here. It scares people.” Readers have responded; Mr. Daoud’s publisher in Alge-

ria, Barzakh Editions, ran out of stock and is printing more. In November, Mr. Daoud’s novel fell just short of winning the Goncourt Prize, France’s top literary honor for French-language fiction. That led to television appearances, including one in which Mr. Daoud observed that “religion is a vital question in the Arab world” and that “we need to reflect on this to move forward.” Soon after, the threat was issued by Abdelfatah Hamadache, a radical Islamist preacher who leads an obscure group, the Islamic Awakening Front. Labeling Mr. Daoud “an enemy of religion,” he called on the Algerian state to impose a public execution of Mr. Daoud. Mr. Daoud said he was accustomed to insults and criticism, since he writes about issues like government corruption in his columns for Le Quotidien d’Oran, a newspaper. But he said this was the first death threat directed against him. Sofiane Hadjadj, Mr. Daoud’s editor, said critics are focusing on the book’s end, in which the Arab murder victim’s brother scolds an imam for wasting his time in a discussion of God. Lost in the debate is that Mr. Daoud developed his idea to bring life to the nameless Arab character in Camus’s work. In Mr. Daoud’s retelling, the victim’s brother, in his 70s, recounts his version of the “second most important character” in the crime, “who has no name, no face, no words.”

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

RECOVERY The currency swings with the pendulum market forces

he naira firmed 0.46 per cent at the weekend, recovering from near record lows against

Naira firms after CBN sells dollars …as finance ministry explains Jan oil price plunge the dollar after Central Bank intervention, dealers said. Naira closed at N184.90 to the dollar,

strengthening from N188.80 during mid-day trades before the intervention. It closed at N185.75 the previous day.

The Central Bank has been selling dollars on the interbank market to help the naira and also to meet demand for hard

Bond investors bemoan 60% oil plunge Godson Ikoro

here are indications that Nigerian bondholders are missing out on the global rally in fixed income due to the collapse in oil prices and the volatility of the naira. Going by the average yields on naira, government debt soared 2.5 percentage points in the past three months, compared with a drop of 47 basis points for emergingmarket local-currency securities, according to Bloomberg indexes. It would be recalled that Nigerian bonds were the worst performers after Russia among 31 developing nations in the period, losing 16 per cent for dollar investors. With Nigeria dependent on crude exports for 70 per cent of government revenue, the 60 per cent drop in prices since last year’s peak in June

has sparked investor outflows that policy makers had tried to stem by devaluing the naira and raising interest rates to a record 13 per cent. With an election next month, markets are seeking assurances that officials are ready to cut spending and devalue the currency again as steps needed to revive the economy, according to Standard Bank Group Limited. Last week, the Federal Government budget proposals projected a deficit of N755bn for this year, and a contribution from net domestic borrowing courtesy of the Debt Management Office of N570bn may be doubtful owing to investor fatigue, FBN Capital said. In a statement issued yesterday on the provisional issuance calendar for Q1 2015 which seeks to raise (gross) between N215 billion (US$1.17 billion) and N305 billion (US$1.66 billion) from the

sale of FGN bonds, FBN capital said: “We are not convinced that it would be able to raise the balance from proposed sales of property, privatisation, signature bonuses and drawings from the excess crude account,” saying that the DMO would probably be set a higher. According to the company, DMO is selling the existing 10-year and 20year benchmarks (14.20 per cent, Mar ‘24s and 12.15per cent, Jul ‘34s) each month. Additionally, the DMO is to launch a new five-year instrument in February in lieu of the current three-year paper (15.10 per cent Apr ‘17s). Noting that the DMO has the unenviable task of issuing the calendar when there is no approved 2015 budget and unlikely to be one until after the elections, FBN capital argued

that its funding targets increased steadily throughout the quarter. Accordingly, it has a new challenge in that investor fatigue for auction participation has emerged. In Q4 2014, the DMO raised N182 billion and so undershot its target of between N195 billion and N285 billion. It based its argument on compelling rates on money market instruments, the squeezing of banks via tighter monetary policy and the general macro worries prompted by pressure on the oil price and the naira, stressing that it may be a tall order for DMO to achieve its target. Meanwhile, yields on naira debt due 2024 rose 198 basis points since the beginning of December to 15.31 per cent last Thursday while rates on Nigeria’s $500 million of Eurobonds due in July 2023 jumped 146 basis points in the period.

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

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

Description

TTM

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

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

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

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

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

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

Even so, the naira has traded well outside its devalued band of 160-176 per dollar and reserves fell 3.2 per cent monthon-month to $34.51 billion by January 13, according to Central Bank data. The Central Bank will hold its first monetary policy meeting for 2015 tomorrow, with analysts expecting the bank to keep liquidity tight to support the naira. Several analysts expect interest rates to be left on hold at 13 per cent. Meanwhile, the gross government revenues to be shared between the three tiers of government fell to N490 billion ($2.65 billion) in January from N500 billion in December due to plunging global oil prices, Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, told journalists at the weekend.

More winners emerge in Ecobank promo

cobank Nigeria Limited, at the weekend, rewarded some customers with various prizes, including inverters, IPAD Air, Samsung smart Phones, air-conditioners, generating sets, LED television sets, mobile phones and washing machines being their winning gift during the second draw of the Ecobank Giant Prize Giveaway promo draw in Abuja. The lucky winners, when contacted on telephone, were full of excitement and commendation for the bank, promising to be ambassadors of the bank’s desire to reward customers’ loyalty. One of the winners, Okoroafor Benjamin, who was presented with an LED TV set at the event, expressed appreciation to the bank,

stating that he was attracted to do business with the bank because of its excellent customer relations. Abdullahi Abubakar, a winner of an Inverter, who operates an account in Gusau Branch, Zamfara State, when contacted on telephone, said Ecobank had shown overtime that it was a customer-centric bank. He prayed for the continuous progress of the bank. In his address, the Executive Director, FCT/ North, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Shehu Jafiya, said the promo was part of the bank’s tradition of rewarding its customers for their patronage. He emphasised that Ecobank would continue to surpass customers’ expectations in service delivery.

GTBank wins ‘Best Corporate Governance, Africa’

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80

currency. Naira is still under pressure from much reduced prices for Nigeria’s oil exports. The bank invited 21 commercial lenders to bid for $500,000 each at the weekend, Reuters quoted dealers as saying, adding that dollar demand in the market was still significant. “Everybody wants to buy dollars, but there aren’t enough. Demand is far more than what the Central Bank is selling,” one dealer said, adding that he expects the naira to keep weakening. Nigeria impor ts around 80 per cent of what it consumes. The Central Bank was forced to devalue the naira two months ago to halt the slide in its foreign reserves and has tightened trading rules to try to curb speculation.

uaranty Trust Bank Plc has been awarded ‘Best Corporate Governance, Africa’ for the financial services category by the Ethical Boardroom Magazine UK. The ‘Corporate Governance Award’, recognises outstanding companies that have exhibited exceptional leadership in governance and professional ethics to ensure protection and longterm value for all their stakeholders. A statement from the lender said that the award was an acknowl-

edgement of the bank’s strong corporate governance practices, commitment to high standards of ethical leadership and compliance with regulatory standards. According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Segun Agbaje, “GTBank has built a reputable institution which consistently adopts, implements and applies international best practices in corporate governance, service delivery and value creation for all its stakeholders.

Business | Stock Watch

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigerian Breweries: Sustaining sector’s dominance through merger PROSPECTS

Share price movement of Nigerian Breweries Plc

Earnings spurred by operational efficiency

2014

Chris Ugwu

espite, the country’s economic decline, the brewing industry has continued to enjoy patronage, safe for the insecurity challenges enveloping some parts of the northern region. Nigeria’s beer industry is a very vital component of the non-oil sector, which has largely contributed to economic growth in recent times. The industry is also pivotal to the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. According to reports, beer consumption in Nigeria has been experiencing growth of nine per cent annually in the last 10 years. This growth was as a result of foreign investments in new production plants, rising disposable income, and changing consumption patterns. Nigeria’s favourable demographics, with a populous and vibrant youth and growing middle class, are also contributing growth factors. Analysts estimated an installed capacity deficit of 53m hectoliters (hl) to serve this market with huge potential. To this end, the brewing industry appears to have been boosted in the last decade, attracting the biggest names in the global brewing business including Diageo, which deals through Guinness Nigeria, Heineken, which owns majority shares of Nigeria Breweries, and SAB Miller, which acquired some of the largest brewing factories in the eastern part of the country. However, while it was accepted generally that the overall economic and business climate was a mixed fortune due to mounting economic challenges, Nigerian Breweries Plc has fairly maintained a stable trend in share prices and financials. Notwithstanding the difficult business environment, the company sustained its performance through innovative and proactive responses to market dynamics and competitive pressures. Market watchers believe that the relative patronage of the stock could be adduced for high liquidity of the shares due to the level of confidence investors have had in the stock for some time now as a result of its consistency in releasing significant results. They also aligned the patronage to the growth prospect of NB in the medium term following the recent approval by the apex regulator-the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to merge with Consolidated Breweries. Market analysts are also of the view that the merger scheme, if consummated, would lead to op-

Feb 28

N152.00

Mar 31

N150.00

Apr 30

N150.00

May 31

N176.00

Jun 30

N171.99

Jul 31

N180.10

Aug 31

N175.00

Sept 30

N176.00

Oct 31

N166.00

Nov 30

N172.12

Dec 31

N165.30 2015

Jan 15

Vervelde

erational efficiencies, access to capital liquidity for shareholders, and increased market capitalisation. The company currently stands at the second most capitalised company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange with market capitalisation of N1.058 trillion after Dangote Cement Plc. The company, however, had its fair share of the current lull in the market following massive profit taking that saw the market lose considerable chunk of investors’ wealth. The share price, which closed at N152 per share on February 28, 2014, stood at N139.00 when the closing bell rang on Friday, a decrease of N13.00 or 9.3 per cent year to date. Financials The company ended year 2013 on a positive note with a profit after tax of N43.08 billion for full-year 2013, 13.2 per cent rise on the N38.043 billion it posted in the preceding year. The results showed that during the year, NB’s revenue was up by 6.31 per cent as it rose from N252.674 billion penultimate year to N268.614 billion. The company also recorded a rise in its profit before tax by 11.9 per cent from N55.624 billion to N62.240 billion. The brewing giant posted a 6.8 per cent growth in revenue in its first quarter result for the period ended March 31, 2014. Revenue of the brewing firm grew moderately 6.8 per cent

The company currently stands at the second most capitalised company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange with market capitalisation of N1.058 trillion after Dangote Cement Plc

N139.00

from N64.573 billion in the Q1 of 2013 to N68.976 billion in the review period of 2014. Profit before tax (PBT) also increased 8.3 per cent from N13.588 billion in the first quarter of 2013 to N14.710 billion in the same period of 2014. Nigerian Breweries continued to improve its bottom-line with a 15.5 per cent leap in its post-tax profit during the half year ended June 30, 2014. According to a notice sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the company’s net earnings grew to N23.871 billion up 15.5 per cent from N20.663 billion in the same period of 2013. Similarly, pretax profit grew 14.4 per cent to N33.882 billion in the half-year of 2014 from N29.607 billion in the corresponding period of 2013. Revenue also increased to N141.495 billion in the second quarter (Q2) 2014 compared with N133.815 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2013. The company also recorded a leap during the third quarter ended September 30, 2014 with 11.3 per cent growth in net earnings. Its profit after tax in a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange showed a growth of N29.826 billion, up by 11.3 per cent from N26.801 billion in the same period of 2013. Similarly, pre-tax profit grew by 10.5 per cent to N42.583 billion in the third quarter of 2014 from N38.530 billion in the corresponding period of 2013. Revenue also increased marginally by 2.3 per cent to N194.739 billion in the Q3 2014, compared with N190.303 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2013. Merger scheme As part of its ever growing expansion plans, the Board of Directors of Nigerian Breweries Plc and that of Consolidated Breweries Plc agreed to explore a combination of the two busi-

nesses by way of merger. In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, a pre-merger application was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its approval. The notice, signed by Company Secretary, Nigerian Breweries, Uaboi Agebaku, noted that on receipt of the said approval, both parties would take further steps to consummate the proposed merger, including obtaining the approval of their respective shareholders to the merger at separate court-ordered meetings. The two companies are subsidiaries of Heineken NV. While the parent company holds approximately 54.1 per cent of the shares in Nigerian Breweries Plc, it holds 53.8 per cent of the shares in Consolidated Breweries Plc. Head of External Information, Heineken, John Clarke, commenting on the development said: “It is intended that NB, as the remaining legal entity, will remain listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange after the completion of the merger scheme. Both businesses will continue to operate as usual until regulatory and other approvals are obtained.” However, Nigerian Breweries Plc, last month, notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange that it had obtained the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the scheme for the proposed merger of Nigerian Breweries Plc and Consolidated Breweries Plc. With the approval, the two companies will be approaching the Federal High Court for its order to enable them convene their separate general meetings (court-ordered meetings) for the purpose of obtaining the approval of the respective shareholders to the proposed merger. According to the notice, the merger documents containing the details of the consideration and other terms of the proposed merger will be sent to the shareholders of the two companies ahead of the court-ordered meeting. Outlook The Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer, NB Plc, Mr. Nicholas Vervelde, explained that the proposed merger was based on a significant and compelling strategic rationale and would enable the combined business to fully capitalise on the future growth potential of the highly attractive Nigerian beer and malt drinks market. Vervelde said that the transaction is expected to create value for all key stakeholders, particularly shareholders, drive benefits from increased economies of scale, enhance operating and administrative efficiencies and increase the new company’s speed and agility in response to market developments.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Insurance UBERRIMA FIDES Perceived dishonesty, craftiness by underwriters scare Nigerians Sunday Ojeme

‘Small prints’ as underbelly of insurance deceit

he Nigerian insurance market has been rated as the third largest in Africa with N313 billion gross premium written in 2013. Available reports indicate that the top 10 players represent 80 per cent of the market in Life and 50 per cent in Property and Casualty. Industry outlook Despite the large population the country commands, insurance penetration has remained abysmally low at less than seven per cent, thereby stunting its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 0.6 per cent. Although the industry had been envisaged to develop rapidly in the past considering the population and the level of exposure by the citizens, certain conservative shortcomings associated with its operation, which, have however, been taken too far by some operators, have continued to deny the industry the patronage it deserves. Public apathy In recent past, conflicts between insurance practitioners and a few Nigerians, who dared to purchase insurance policy over claims payment, have done more damage to the reputation of the industry and worsened the apathy towards it. Some policyholders, who have had cause to joyfully embrace insurance based on half-truths by agents, marketers and in some cases, brokers, have had their fingers burnt after parting with premiums for a period of time. As much as people desire to be insured because of its attendant benefits, the theory of uberrima fides, otherwise known as utmost good faith, has been eroded by most insurance operators. For instance, shortly before the end of 2014, a major media beef erupted between one of the leading insurance firms in Nigeria and an officer with the Nigeria Customs Service, Mrs. Nike Omorodion, over allegation that the former failed to meet its claims obligation in respect of her burnt house purportedly insured by the underwriter. Omorodion had alleged that after she was compelled by an agent to take an insurance cover for the house, which, unfortunately got burnt, the insurance company failed to do the needful by paying the claims, thereby reneging on the flamboyant promises made prior to signing the agreement and collecting the premium. In the course of the media war against the underwriter and the underwriting industry as a whole, Omorodion made several scathing remarks on why insurance practice in Nigeria remains a fraudulent contraption that nobody should get close to. While talking her into the deal,

Daniel

the insurance agent deployed every available trick to build an Eldorado of sort by going as far as linking the arrangement with a well-respected bank as a partner to the insurance company all in a bid to cajole her. Convinced that such a high profile bank could not be involved in any form of scandalous arrangement, Omorodion put pen on paper, and for the first time in her life, entered an insurance agreement. No sooner had fire reduced the house to rubbles, she had expected her claims to be paid or maybe the house rebuilt depending on the depth of the policy but that was not the case. To her surprise, however, the “insurance firm had been looking for loopholes to avoid payment of claims.” She obviously lost confidence in the insurance industry in Nigeria, saying that since the incident occurred, the insurance firm was insensitive to her plight. According to her, “The house was insured but the insurance company is trying to play funny. Up till now, the only thing I know is that one or two teams of underwriters have visited the house like three or four times. I am not particularly an insurance literate person. But I have been privileged to speak with the managing directors of three insurance companies after this incident and they expressed shock at the attitude of this particular insurance firm. Maybe I insured with the wrong company from the vibes I am getting but I do not want to absolutely believe that yet. But there is nothing the insurance company has done to show that insurance is worth the while. “One thing that has shocked me so far is that a highly rated bank in Nigeria could be doing business

Soladoye

If you fail to settle one claim, you are likely to lose 100 clients or potential customers and because insurance sounds magical so when those guys that are already being cynical now have the course to doubt if their claims would be paid or not

with this particular insurance firm. “If the need arises, I will take the matter up with them.” Although the said insurance company responded by claiming that the policyholder was trying to be fraudulent, the fact remains she probably might have been a victim of the regular ‘Small Prints,’ which embodies the ‘don’t tell it all’ marketing strategies deployed by most insurers to hoodwink clients especially those who fail to use the services of genuine and honest insurance brokers. According to the insurance company, Omorodion was only using the press to foster blackmail against an insurer of repute in order to fraudulently secure a payout on a policy that was issued in respect of another property. The insurer noted, “The value of insurance is key in safeguarding individual wealth and it is our responsibility to ensure that we protect our insured and pay their claims when they have suffered losses to property insured with us. If an insured omits to insure a particular property, it cannot then decide to transfer the insurance of one to another by itself after a loss to the uninsured property.” From the foregoing, the victim learnt for the first time that the policy she thought covered her property was not actually enough to earn her the claims she thought she deserved. Omorodion is not alone in this of sham that has seen so many Nigerians including those who had worked as insurance marketers rejecting insurance as a tool to restore them to life in the event of disaster or outright loss. Failed promise In her case, Mrs. Deborah Akerele, a receptionist with a manufacturing company had cause to enter

into an agreement with one of the life insurance providers through a marketer who pestered her into the deal. According to her, the life plan entailed her paying out some money to the firm every month after which she would be entitled to a lump sum after some years depending on her willingness to renew the deal or not. Convinced that the marketer had given her all the information needed to make her purchase the policy, she agreed to a three-year term insurance. She said, “The first two years I made all the payments into an account the marketer gave me and got acknowledgements for all the transactions. But before the third year ended, I lost my job and could not continue. When I felt it was time for me to collect what had accrued to me, I called the marketer and she directed me to the office. I was surprised after checking through my file the official I met said I defaulted for about seven months and as such was not entitled to what I was asking for. The bad thing is that nobody ever told me I won’t be entitled to anything if I ever defaulted. I believe it was a trick on their part not to have told me everything except that I would receive so and so amount of money if I paid certain amount for a particular time. “That experience was the first and the last I had with insurance and I don’t think I will ever have anything to do with it again.” The above scenario depicts some of the negative experience some policyholders have had as a result of insurers capitalising on ‘small prints’ inputs in insurance policy documents to outwit policyholders whenever it is time to pay claims. It had persisted for long with the insurers carrying out unnecessary investigations to the extent of making the policyholder give up on the claims or making it an issue for the law court. Policyholders’ demands According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Riskguard Africa Limited, Mr. Yemi Soladoye, if the fear of getting compensation from the insurance company is higher than the fear of the risk materialising, then insurance has failed in that direction, and so people will not embrace it which is what we have been experiencing. In his words, “People go through such fears like ‘anything can happen to my car, anything can happen to my house’ but the fear of getting compensation from the insurance company if they insure is higher than the fear of the risk. “However, the public should have come together long ago to CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Business | Insurance

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Oil & gas pool will grow capacity, says Daniel LOCAL CONTENT New order could boost country’s local content

he Nigerian insurance industry has taken a step further to entrench its operations deeply into the oil and gas sector through the inauguration of the Technical Management Board of the Energy and Allied Risks Insurance Pool of Nigeria (EAIPN) by the Commissioner for Insur-

ance, Mr. Fola Daniel. The Pool, which was unveiled in Abuja on Friday is being promoted by member companies of the Nigerian Insurers Association. A statement made available by the NIA said during the ceremony to signpost the commencement of the pool at the National Insurance Commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, Daniel congratulated the Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association, Mr. Godwin Wiggle, for bringing to fruition his desire for a pool

nical Board of the Pool to the Commissioner for Insurance, Chairman of

the Board, Mr. Wole Oshin, stated that the Pool currently had 14 subscribers, who have contributed 40 per cent of their subscribed lines amounting to $4 million.

that will address some of the challenges faced by insurance companies in

oil and gas underwriting in Nigeria. Presenting the Tech-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

‘Small print’ as underbelly of insurance deceit

say ‘this is what we want. You cannot be talking of small prints if we the public don’t want small prints. You cannot be giving us what you feel you want to give us. We should be able to say, this is what we deserve as insurance consumers. In some countries, when you insure your house and it gets burnt, they give you alternative accommoda-

tion until the house is repaired. Soladoye, who is also leading a more transparent insurance practice in the county, through the Insurance Consumers Association of Nigeria, maintained that policyholders should be given transparent reader- friendly contract wordings. “Policy documents, being the evidence of the

contact with us is full of discouraging and frustrating technical jargons that hardly would anybody read more than one page of the “hand out” which at times goes up to 30 pages before dropping same. “Why do you bombard us with words like whereas, where in, where of, now therefore, knowingly, willfully, recklessly,

negligently, directly and indirectly, proximately and remotely - all making the contract look mysterious and scary to our members. We therefore make it categorically clear that we are tired of these intimidating words and expect all insurance companies in Nigeria to adapt their policy documents to the modern trends where the policy document starts with “meaning of words”, followed by “what is covered”, what is not covered and then the conditions guiding the contract with a claim form tucked into the folder at the back of the policy jacket. We expected this from you like yesterday. “The Nigerian insurance consumers have been deprived, traumatised and treated with arrogance in the past 93 years to the extent that the insurance practitioners even set up some organs within their market associations for us to bring our complaints to them as the judge on matters where they are also the accused.” NAICOM’s intervention The scam, which has discouraged a number of Nigerians from patronising insurance, was recently curtailed by the National Insurance Commission which, after its intervention, ensured some companies coughed out over N2 billion they almost cheated their clients of. According to the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, when an insurance company collects premiums and there is a problem arising from that contract, they do not pay when they like, they must pay when the customer is happy. He said, “If a customer gets your money after sweating, it is going to be a terminal deal and we do not want that to happen anymore. Even if he did not get it on time, it should not be as a result of annoyance following from misbehaviour. “If you fail to settle one claim, you are likely to lose 100 clients or potential customers and because insurance sounds magical so when those guys that are already being cynical now have the course to doubt if their claims would be paid or not, there is problem. So we are always serious on the issue of claim settlement and we ensure companies are complying.”

Business | Movers, Shakers & Appointment

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Shell Nigeria gets new MD

hell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Royal Dutch Shell has appointed a new managing director. He is Osagie Okunbor who was also named the Country Chair of Shell companies in Nigeria. Until his appointment, he has worked in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brunei and currently The Nether-

lands. Okunbor, who will assume office on March 1, took over from Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, who is retiring after 36 years of service. Sunmonu assumed office as the Managing Director of SPDC in 2004, and also became Country Chair of Shell companies in Nigeria in 2008. Okunbor is the third Nigerian to hold both posts, Mr Basil Omiyi being the first. A graduate of Business Administration

Okunbor

from the University of Benin, Okunbor is an accomplished professional, who brings over

28 years of industry experience and expertise to the role. His previous assignments included vice president, human resources for Shell’s Upstream Business in subSaharan Africa and vice president, infrastructure and logistics, Shell Nigeria. He is currently Senior Advisor in Shell’s Upstream International operated business, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, from where he returns to Port Harcourt to take up his new role.

Honeywell appoints new board members

New registrar for marketing institute

he National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) has appointed Mr Sidney Ogodo as its acting registrar. Ogodo took over from Rev. Deji Olokesusi, who retired last month. The new registrar was born in Sapele, Delta State, where he had both his primary and secondary education. In a statement by the Corporate Affairs Department of the Institute, the acting registrar, who was the winner of the Institute’s Best Marketing Graduating Student and the Rector’s Prize for academic excellence in 1986, attended Auchi Polytechnic for his National Diploma in Business Administration and Higher National Diploma in Marketing. Also, he bagged a post-graduate diploma in business administration and a Masters degree in business administration from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, respectively.

ive new members have been appointed to the board of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc (HFMP). They are Dr. Zate Raymond Zoukpo (Ivorian), Mrs Wonuola Adetayo, Mr. Alan Palmer (British), Dr. Teddy Ngu (Camerounian) and Mr. Andrew Smith-Maxwell (British). Zoukpo, a PhD holder in Economics, recently retired as chief operating officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB). He began his career as a research fellow with the Ivorian Centre for Economic and Social Research. He later went into banking where he spent 25 years across diverse executive roles and functions at AfDB, from where he retired as first vice president and chief operating officer. Also, Adetayo is a partner, co-founder and chief executive of Kainos Edge Consulting Limited. She has over 25 years of combined consulting and marketing experience. Her rich career has seen her work, at various times, in senior marketing and leadership roles across different geographies with Unilever/ UACN. These roles included: Divisional Marketing Director, UAC Foods; Marketing Director, CAP Plc; Managing Director, UACN Pharmaceutical & Personal Products Limited; and, Group Marketing Manager, Unilever Caribbean in Trinidad & Tobago. She left UACN/ Unilever to work in consulting, joining Phillips Consulting as Associate Director. She later founded and was Managing Director of Soft Skills Management Consultants.

Ogodo Raymond

Adetayo

Ngu

Smith-Maxwell

She was a member of the Nigeria 2020 Vision Drafting Committee and chairman of the Governance & Institutions subcommittee. She currently serves on the board of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). Palmer is the immediate past managing director and Chief Executive Officer of Kraft West Africa and Cadbury Nigeria Plc. He was previously the managing director, South-East Asia for Cadbury Schweppes Plc and has close to 40 years of experience in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) space, working with global organisations such as Kraft Foods Incorporated, Cadbury Plc and Trebor Bassett Limited. Palmer is presently CEO Foods, Honeywell Group.

Smith-Maxwell, who has over 25 years of global investment banking experience from some of the world’s leading investment banks has been a partner in Fieldstone Private Capital Group, a boutique investment bank specialising in power and infrastructure projects across Africa. Prior to that, he led and built up the Energy and Utilities Group at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, an erstwhile British-based investment bank, which is now a member of the global banking group, Commerzbank, where he was responsible for overseeing its teams in the UK, Germany, Asia, Latin America and the United States. He has previously served on the Board of Wessex Water following its acquisition by YTL

Palmer

Power International. He will add his considerable experience and insight into corporate finance to the board of the company. Ngu is presently head, Corporate Development and Investments at Honeywell Group. He has over 17 years’ experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, corporate finance and auditing, having served on project teams with some of the world’s leading consulting firms in over 15 countries in four continents. Before joining the Honeywell Group, he was a director and head of Strategy and Operations Consulting at the Lagos office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Prior to PWC, Ngu was part of the Corporate Strategy and Development Group at Pepsico, New York and previously a consultant with the New York Office of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He qualified as a chartered accountant (ICAEW), with the UK practice of the global professional services company, Ernst and Young. He attended The Wharton Business School, from where he obtained his MBA. He also has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Dangote Foundation gets new CEO

he Board of Dangote Foundation has announced the appointment of Ms. Zouera Youssoufou as its Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer. Dangote Foundation was set up by Africa’s foremost industrialist, Aliko Dangote, as a vehicle of giving back to the society, especially the less privileged. A statement from the Board noted that “in this role, Youssoufou would be reporting to the Board of Dangote Foundation. “She will provide overall management over-sight for the Foundation, crafting the short, medium and longterm strategic plans and executing same with guidance from the Board.” The Board further said: “Zouera joins us with a wealth of experience after working as the World Bank Country Manager for Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tomé and Principe, where she worked as the front-line person in the relationship with all three governments and conducted day-to-day dialogue with all levels of government, donors and civil society.”

Nigerian appointed to East African business network board

he Managing Director of Courteville Business Solutions, Bola Akindele, has been selected to join the board of directors of the East Africa Business Network (EABN). Already, he has been appointed as a member of the advisory board of Enterprises and Parliamentary Dialogue International (EPDI), an organisation focused on the setting up of transparent ties of understanding between parliamentarians and business people through the creation of dialogue centres in developing democracies.

Business | Financial Market News

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

16-Jan-15

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may not be accurate or up to date. We do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information.

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

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

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

535.00 581.39 476.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 600.00 434.68 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 206.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,855.63

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,421.40

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

0.27 1.58 2.28 2.53 2.62 3.37 4.45 4.77 7.03 9.16 13.87 14.35 14.84 15.52 19.50

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

11.30 15.60 15.36 15.37 15.37 15.43 15.48 15.51 15.50 15.47 14.48 14.37 14.25 14.89 15.22

10.71 15.49 15.28 15.29 15.29 15.30 15.39 15.40 15.43 15.40 14.43 14.31 14.18 14.82 15.16

98.08 96.50 99.45 88.78 87.37 87.89 101.60 72.03 103.70 93.85 103.04 88.68 64.85 70.70 81.00

98.23 96.65 99.60 88.93 87.52 88.19 101.90 72.33 104.00 94.15 103.34 88.98 65.15 71.00 81.30

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

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

0.00 17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

24.56 2.70 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.35 1.21 1.90 2.26 2.47

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 1.00

14.53 18.29 17.52 16.41 16.37

95.11 98.97 97.68 96.15 93.04

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

322.67

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

309.71

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.62

4.44

18.17

96.77

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.46

3.23

15.86

99.61

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.98

4.46

20.55

94.65

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.98

3.48

19.58

96.72

‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.26

1.00

16.41

88.25

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.52

1.00

16.73

96.30

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.96

1.79

17.19

92.83

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.13

1.80

17.24

94.61

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.72

1.00

16.45

93.32

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.33

1.00

16.40

96.67 89.41

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

‡ /Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.33

4.78

20.18

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.51

1.00

16.36

96.44

A/Agusto; A-/GCR ‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

*GOMBE LAGOS

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12

15.50 14.50 14.75

16.23 80.00 26.62

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.76 4.85 2.83

1.00 1.00 2.74

16.38 16.51 18.13

98.32 93.41 92.99

‡ /Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.10

10-Oct-20

3.38

1.00

16.43

95.94

‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.86

1.00

16.52

88.89

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.96

1.94

17.46

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.62

1.44

16.88

94.07

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.65

1.95

17.40

94.05

97.44

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

91.09

460.61 426.92

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Corporate Bonds ‡ /Agusto A-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

3.61

17-Aug-15

0.34

4.88

16.69

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.34

09-Dec-15

0.65

1.00

14.92

98.72

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.73

2.63

17.07

98.15

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.70

1.00

16.63

94.75

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.77

1.34

16.93

95.97

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.70

1.00

16.38

92.79

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.72

1.88

17.50

101.78

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.73

3.48

19.10

95.90

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.90

09-Sep-18

1.89

5.20

20.73

96.13

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.80

09-Sep-18

1.89

5.06

20.59

101.77

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.68

1.35

16.80

92.48

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

2.00

2.29

17.76

97.05

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.41

17-Feb-19

2.09

6.11

21.56

94.35

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.96

2.16

17.56

96.66

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.83

2.76

18.28

89.34

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.70

1.00

16.35

78.77

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.70

1.00

16.35

85.10

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

124.44

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

116.01

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.07

1.00

16.40

85.46

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.29

1.00

16.49

84.64

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.22

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

7.10

6.80

98.29

99.75

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

6.09

5.66

97.01

98.34

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

7.32

7.13

94.09

95.27

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,446.96

Corporate Eurobonds B/Fitch; B-/S&P

AFREN PLC I

11.50 FEB 01, 2016

01-Feb-11

11.50

450.00

01-Feb-16

54.89

46.06

69.00

74.00

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

6.99

100.63

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

11.23

91.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

11.94

11.23

86.50

88.25

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

9.25

9.08

89.78

90.28

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

30.31

24.72

53.89

63.33

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

9.21

89.75

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

14.68

13.45

81.42

84.89

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

9.95

92.00

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

AFREN PLC III ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

6.63 DEC 09, 2020 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

09-Dec-13 24-Jun-14 23-Jul-14

6.63 9.25 8.00

360.00 400.00 450.00

09-Dec-20 24-Jun-21 23-Jul-21

27.33 12.52 11.35

27.33 12.17 11.35

41.00 85.63 84.00

41.00 87.00 84.00

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.71

9.58

89.97

94.98

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,894.77

**Treasury Bills DTM 13 20 27 34 41 48 55 62

FIXINGS Maturity 29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 26-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 12-Mar-15 19-Mar-15

Bid Discount (%) 9.90 10.15 10.00 10.00 9.46 11.40 11.10 10.43

Offer Discount (%) 9.65 9.90 9.75 9.75 9.21 11.15 10.85 10.18

Bid Yield (%) 9.94 10.21 10.07 10.09 9.56 11.57 11.29 10.62

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 9.4167 12.9499 14.2682 15.6835

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

8.42

O/N

9.17

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 8.50 13.20

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

185.00 185.79 186.08 186.76 188.02 189.28

185.10 185.89 186.22 187.22 189.10 190.76

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.62

4.44

18.17

96.77

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.46

3.23

15.86

99.61

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.98

4.46

20.55

94.65

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.98

3.48

19.58

96.72

‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.26

1.00

16.41

88.25

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.52

1.00

16.73

96.30

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.96

1.79

17.19

92.83

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.13

1.80

17.24

94.61

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.72

1.00

16.45

93.32

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER

Business | Financial Market News

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.33

1.00

16.40

96.67

‡ /Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.33

4.78

20.18

89.41

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.51

1.00

16.36

96.44

A/Agusto; A-/GCR ‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

*GOMBE LAGOS

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

A/Agusto; A-/GCR

*OSUN

02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12

15.50 14.50 14.75

16.23 80.00 26.62

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.76 4.85 2.83

1.00 1.00 2.74

16.38 16.51 18.13

98.32 93.41 92.99

‡ /Agusto

*OSUN

END OF ROAD

NSE delists Cappa and D’Alberto 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

Exchange exercises LAGOS A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGIon regulatory functions ‡ /Agusto *EKITI inactive companies A-/GCR *NASARAWA ‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.10

10-Oct-20

3.38

1.00

16.43

95.94

13.50 LAGOS IV 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.86

1.00

16.52

88.89

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.96

1.94

17.46

91.09

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.62

1.44

16.88

94.07

30-Sep-14

11.93

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Stories by Chris Ugwu

Corporatehe Bonds Nigerian

Stock Exchange, *UPDC at the *FLOURMILLS weekend, delisted the BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS shares of Cappa and A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO D’Alberto Plc fromFSDH its daily A-/Agusto A/GCR official list. UBA BBB-/GCR & I LEASING According to the*CmanageNil *DANA#{r} ment of NSE, the delisting of A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR *TOWER# the companies brings to # cloAAA/DataPro†; A/GCR *TOWER sure a 69-month impasse reA/Agusto; A/GCR UBA garding its purported delisting Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA pursuant resolutions passed# BBB-/DataPro†;to BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS #{r} Nil an extraordinary *DANA at general A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO held meeting of the company ‡ /Agusto A-/Agusto

A/GCR

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

STANBIC IBTC

on March 24, 2009. 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 “Henceforth, shareholders wishing to exit the company on account of its unlisted status may contact the company, UPDC 17-AUG-2015 which10.00 has undertaken not to 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 unduly14.00 hinder such exits. ExitCHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 ing shareholders may consider 13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 exiting through the Over the 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 13.00Market,” UBA 30-SEP-2017 Counter the manage18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 ment advised. DANA 9-APR-2018 TheMPR+7.00 Nigerian Stock ExMPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 change had, at the tail end MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 of the14.00 second quarter of last UBA II 22-SEP-2018 year, announced plans to del15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 ist about 24 quoted companies MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 16.00daily DANA II 1-APR-2019 from its official list for 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 breaching post-listing require-

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

ments. 06-Jan-14 15.00 According to the Exchange, some of the companies were being delisted for failing to file their quarterly and an17-Aug-10 10.00 nual financial reports and 09-Dec-10 12.00 accounts06-Jan-11 with the NSE, while 14.00 some failed to regularise 29-Sep-11 13.00their listing status given 25-Oct-13after being 14.25 30-Sep-10 13.00 time to do so. 30-Nov-12 18.00 The companies being delist09-Apr-11 16.00 ed for non-rendition of their 09-Sep-11 18.00 financial accounts include 09-Sep-11 16.00 UTC Plc,22-Sep-11 FNT Cocoa Process14.00 ing Plc, G. Cappa Plc, Big Treat 18-Oct-13 15.75 Plc, Mtech Plc, Daar Commu17-Feb-12 18.00 01-Apr-14 16.00 Plc, nications Plc, Starcomms 15.25 Plc Nigeria14-Nov-13 Wire and Cable

JPMorgan reviews Nigeria’s index status A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

and Glass Indus4.56West Africa 06-Jan-21 3.65 try Plc. 460.61 Others are IPWA Plc, Ro426.92 kana Industry Plc, Afroil Plc, Adswitch Plc, Pinnacle Point 3.61 17-Aug-15 0.34 Group Plc, Goldlink Insurance 9.34 09-Dec-15 0.65 Plc0.42 and Investment and Allied 06-Jan-16 0.73 Insurance Plc.29-Sep-16 15.00 1.70 Those being25-Oct-16 delisted for not 5.53 1.77 20.00 30-Sep-17listing sta2.70 regularising their 30-Nov-17 1.72 tus0.64 include Jos International 6.30 1.73 Breweries Plc,09-Apr-18 Golden Guinea 2.90 09-Sep-18 1.89 Plc, Capital Oil Plc, Nigeria 0.80 09-Sep-18 1.89 Sewing Machine Plc and 35.00 22-Sep-18 3.68 Stockvis Plc. 18-Oct-18 2.40 2.00 In announcing 0.41 a statement 17-Feb-19 2.09 2.96 the4.50delisting,01-Apr-19 the Exchange 14-Nov-20 5.83 2.05 that the said decision was 0.10 9.70 taken on June30-Sep-24 2, 2014, by the 15.44 30-Sep-24 9.70 Quotation Committee of the 124.44 National Council, pursuant

13.25

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

116.01

PMorgan’s administrative measures Kicking Nigeria out Supranational Bond business of its indices could have indices has put Nigedo not constitute a capital 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC 11-Feb-13 control, they signifi- a severe impact 10-Jul-14 ria on review for on Nige11.25 pose AFDB 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDBan cant challenges to foreign rian government funding ejection from its influenTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE tial emerging market bond investors’ ability to repli- at a time when many inTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION indices, after the Central cate Nigeria’s exposure ba- ternational investors are Bank,Rating/Agency in December, im- Issuer sis for the negative watch. lending Descriptionalready wary ofIssue Date posed measures that have “Nigeria currently to the country. Nigeria aclimited local market li- remains eligible for the counts for 1.8 per cent of FGN Eurobonds quidity . GBI-EM suite of indices; the GBI-EM Global Diver6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P 07-Oct-11 The Central Bank of however, we will assess the sified index. BB-/Fitch; of $217 Nigeria (CBN), in mid- FGN country’s index suitability 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 There is a total 12-Jul-13 BB-/S&P December, introduced- over the next three to five billion investor money BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 12-Jul-13 BB-/S&P “administrative” months. some benchmarked against the measures to strangle bets “If we are unable to whole GBI-EM suite of TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE against the naira, after the verify sufficient liquidity indices, but the Global TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION currency tumbled sharply in Nigeria’s spot FX and Diversified index is the Corporate Eurobonds in the wake of the oil col- local treasury bond mar- most frequently used lo11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I ket within that timeframe, 01-Feb-11debt lapse. cal emerging market 7.50 MAY B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC Iit will trigger a review 19-May-11 According to Financial gauge. of 19, 2016 7.25the JUL 25, 2017 The yield of 25-Jul-12 B+/S&P in a note to clients, ACCESS BANKNigeria’s PLC Times, status within the local 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P said it had FIDELITY PLC 09-May-13 JPMorgan put BANKbenchmark for removal. Nigerian treasury bill ma6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC Conversely, if liquidity Nigeria on Index Watch turing in April 08-Nov-13 this year 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC II improves and investors 08-Apr-12 negative for its GBI-EM climbed 47 basis points APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P PLC 22-Apr-14 to 12.38 per cent at the able to transact 6.25 with indices as a result of ZENITH “lackBANK are 8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC of liquidity in the spot FX minimal hurdles, Nigeweekend. That is21-May-14 still well 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC 07-Aug-13 market and local treasury above the 15 per cent yield ria will be removed 6.63 from DEC 09, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P AFREN PLC III 09-Dec-13 market.” Index Watch Negative,” touched at the peak of 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II 24-Jun-14 last Although the CBN’s JPMorgan said. week’s turmoil. 23-Jul-14 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK LTD B-/S&P

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Ogbechie emerges Diamond Bank chairman

10.20 11.25

12.00

11-Feb-18

3.07

1.00

16.40

85.46

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.29

1.00

16.49

84.64

24.95 21.22

iamond Bank PlcBidhas Maturity Date Yield (%) announced the appointment of Dr. Chris Ogbechie as the 28-Jan-21 new Chairman 500.00 7.10 of the Board of Directors following of Igwe 500.00 the retirement 12-Jul-18 6.09 Nnaemeka Achebe who has 500.00 7.32 led the board12-Jul-23 since January 1,1,500.00 2007. In a notice to the Nigerian 1,446.96 Stock Exchange (NSE), entitled: Change in Directorate – 450.00 01-Feb-16 54.89 Resignation and appointment 6.99 of 500.00 Chairman,19-May-16 Board of Direc350.00the bank25-Jul-17 11.23 tors, disclosed that 02-May-18 its300.00 Board of Directors, in a11.94 re400.00 08-Nov-18 approved 9.25 cent board meeting, 300.00 08-Apr-19 Achebe’s retirement and 30.31 the 500.00 22-Apr-19 appointment of Ogbechie9.21 as 200.00 21-May-19 14.68 his replacement. 300.00 07-Aug-20 9.95 “We wish 09-Dec-20 to inform you 360.00 27.33 that of Directors 400.00the Board 24-Jun-21 12.52 of 450.00 Diamond Bank its 23-Jul-21 Plc, at11.35

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Coupon (%)

6.75 5.13 6.38

11.50 7.50 7.25 6.88 6.00 10.25 6.25 8.75 8.25 6.63 9.25 8.00

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.71

meeting heldBidon November 29, Offer Yield (%) Price Offer Price 2014, approved the retirement of Igwe Ugochukwu NnaePrices & Yields meka Achebe, the Chairman 6.80 98.29 99.75 of the Board of Directors of the 5.66 bank effective Decem97.01 98.34 ber 31, 2014. In his stead, the 7.13 94.09 95.27 board unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Chris Ogbechie, a non-executive director, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dia46.06 Bank, with 69.00 mond effect74.00 from 6.99 100.63 100.63 January 1, 2015.” 11.23 91.50 noted 91.50 The bank that 11.23 86.50 as the Chair88.25 Achebe’s tenure 89.78 man9.08of the Board was90.28 char24.72 53.89 tremendous 63.33 acterised with 9.21 89.75 89.75 growth of the bank in the 13.45 81.42 84.89 quality of asset base and the 9.95 92.00 92.00 entrenchment of the bank as 27.33 41.00 41.00 a leader in retail banking 12.17 85.63 87.00 in Nigeria. 11.35 84.00 84.00 9.58

4,760.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

to the 1.95 provision 17.40 of the Green94.05 book, (Listing Rules), specifically Clause 15 of the general undertaking. It further stated that the 4.88 16.69 97.44 action became necessary in 1.00 14.92 98.72 order to protect the invest2.63 17.07 98.15 ing 1.00 public from trading 16.63 94.75 in securities of16.93entities95.97 with 1.34 16.38 92.79 on no 1.00 current information 1.88financial 17.50 101.78 their status, adding 19.10 that3.48 it would take effect95.90 three 5.20 20.73 96.13 months from the date of the 5.06 20.59 101.77 notice. 1.35 16.80 92.48 However, while others 2.29 17.76 97.05 struggled to comply with 6.11 21.56 94.35 the 2.16 17.56 four compa96.66 requirements, 18.28 89.34 it, nies2.76were unable to make 1.00 16.35 78.77 prompting the Exchange to 1.00 16.35 85.10 get them finally delisted from its daily official list.

89.97

94.98

16-Jan-15

3,894.77

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute **Treasury Bills FIXINGS Money & Forwards) professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis andMarket may not be accurateForeign or up toExchange date. We(Spot do not guarantee DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the Rate basis(%)of the Information. NIBOR 13 20 27 FGN Bonds34 41 48 Rating/Agency 55 62 69 76 83 90 97 104 111 NA 118 125 139 146 160 202 230 321 335 TOTAL OUTSTANDING 356

VALUE

29-Jan-15 5-Feb-15 12-Feb-15 19-Feb-15 26-Feb-15 5-Mar-15 Issuer 12-Mar-15 19-Mar-15 26-Mar-15 2-Apr-15 9-Apr-15 16-Apr-15 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 7-May-15 NA 14-May-15 21-May-15 4-Jun-15 11-Jun-15 25-Jun-15 6-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 7-Jan-16

9.90 10.15 10.00 10.00 9.46 11.40 Description 11.10 10.43 4.00 23-APR-2015 10.79 13.05 16-AUG-2016 12.90 15.10 27-APR-2017 11.60 9.85 27-JUL-2017 10.72 9.35 31-AUG-2017 12.00 10.70 30-MAY-2018 12.75 16.00 29-JUN-2019 14.00 7.00 23-OCT-2019 13.00 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.10 14.20 14-MAR-2024 14.10 15.00 28-NOV-2028 14.20 12.49 22-MAY-2029 14.25 12.41 8.50 20-NOV-2029 14.50 10.00 23-JUL-2030 13.25 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 11.63 14.50

9.65 9.90 9.75 9.75 9.21 11.15 Issue Date 10.85 10.18 23-Apr-10 10.54 16-Aug-13 12.65 27-Apr-12 11.35 27-Jul-07 10.47 31-Aug-07 11.75 30-May-08 12.50 29-Jun-12 13.75 23-Oct-09 12.75 27-Jan-12 13.85 14-Mar-14 13.85 28-Nov-08 13.95 22-May-09 14.00 12.16 20-Nov-09 14.25 23-Jul-10 13.00 18-Jul-14 11.38 14.25

9.94 10.21 10.07 10.09 9.56 11.57 (%) Coupon 11.29 10.62 4.00 11.01 13.05 13.26 15.10 11.91 9.85 11.01 9.35 12.40 10.70 13.23 16.00 14.62 7.00 13.57 16.39 14.82 14.20 14.90 15.00 15.06 12.49 15.20 13.33 8.50 15.96 10.00 15.00 12.1493 13.02 16.89

Bonds

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

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

(N'bn)

535.00 23-Apr-15 581.39 16-Aug-16 NITTY 476.80 27-Apr-17 Tenor Rate (%) 20.00 27-Jul-17 1M 9.6584 100.00 31-Aug-17 2M 10.9838 300.00 30-May-18 3M 11.0198 351.30 29-Jun-19 6M 13.5382 233.90 23-Oct-19 9M 14.6741 600.00 27-Jan-22 12M 15.8185 434.68 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 NIFEX 200.00 20-Nov-29 Current Price ($/N) 591.57 23-Jul-30 BID($/N) 206.00 187.2000 18-Jul-34 OFFER ($/N) 187.3000

4,855.63

OBB

8.42

Tenor

Spot O/N 9.17 7D 14D REPO Offer Yield Tenor Rate (%) 1M TTM (Yrs) Bid Yield (%) (%) Call 8.50 2M 1M 13.20 3M 0.27 11.30 10.71 3M 14.09 6M 1.58 15.60 15.49 6M 15.61 1Y 2.28 15.36 15.28 2.53 15.37 15.29 NOTE: 2.62 15.37 15.29 3.37 15.43 15.30 :Benchmarks 4.45 15.48 15.39 * :Amortising Bond 4.77 15.51 15.40 µ :Convertible Bond 7.03 Management Corporation 15.50 15.43 AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 9.16Government of 15.47 15.40 FGN: Federal Nigeria 13.87 Mortgage Bank 14.48 14.43 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 14.35 Finance Corporation 14.37 14.31 IFC: International LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 14.84 14.25 14.18 NAHCO: Nigerian 15.52 Aviation Handling 14.89 Company14.82 O/N: Overnight 19.50 15.22 15.16 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

185.00 185.10 185.79 Price 185.89 186.08 186.22 186.76 187.22 Bid Price Offer Price 188.02 189.10 189.28 190.76 98.08 98.23 193.59 196.52 96.50 96.65 202.80 208.30 99.45 99.60 88.78 88.93 87.37 87.52 88.19 NA :Not87.89 Applicable 101.60 101.90 # :Floating Rate Bond 72.03 72.33 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 103.70 104.00 93.85 94.15 ‡ : Bond rating under review 103.04 †: Bond rating expired 103.34 88.68 88.98 N/A :Not Available {r} :Issuer in receivership65.15 64.85 70.70 71.00 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 81.00 81.30 UBA: United Bank for Africa

4,421.40

*for the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration #

Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **ExclusiveRating/Agency of non-trading t.bills Issuer

Rate (%) 9.4167 12.9499 14.2682 15.6835Date Maturity

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

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

0.35 1.21 1.90 2.26 Implied Yield 2.47

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

14.53 18.29 17.52 16.41 INDEX 16.37

95.11 98.97 97.68 96.15 YTD Return 93.04 (%)

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM Modified Duration Buckets

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Sub-National Bonds

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 09-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 20-APR-2017 Total Outstanding 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 Porfolio Market Value(Bn) Volume(Bn)

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

1,011.34

1,034.18

32.63

34.38

3<5

1,368.30

1,365.98

43.09

46.51

562.42

769.57

24.28

3,169.73

24.56

INDEX 2.70

112.22 116.70 Bucket 66.49 Weighting

322.67

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 Implied 1.00 Portfolio Price

0.33

13.74

15.47

117.0280

1,111.53

11.1528

0.43

46.19

15.49

119.3798

1,010.86

1.0862

19.12

0.24

40.07

14.97

86.3785

1,009.92

0.9917

100.00 31-Aug-10

12.50100.00

8.50 1.00

100.00 31-Aug-15

15.28 0.62

110.6002 4.44

1,056.14 18.17

5.6135 96.77

309.71

A+/Agusto

KADUNA Market

12.50 KADUNA2,942.06 31-AUG-2015

A/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.46

3.23

15.86

99.61

A-/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.98

4.46

20.55

94.65

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.98

3.48

19.58

96.72

‡ /Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.26

1.00

16.41

88.25

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.52

1.00

16.73

96.30

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.96

1.79

17.19

92.83

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

2.13

1.80

17.24

94.61

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

3.72

1.00

16.45

93.32

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.33

1.00

16.40

96.67

‡ /Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.33

4.78

20.18

89.41

Business | Interview

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Delay wanes investors’ interests in Enugu Free Trade Zone, says Ene Chairman of Petroleum Technicians Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Emeka Ene, is passionate about the development of the local content in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. In this interview with ENERGY EDITOR, Adeola Yusuf, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oildata and Xenergi bares his mind on critical issues facing the sector. Excepts: Looking back at the oil and gas industry in year 2014, do you think the expectations were met? Oil servicing in Nigeria is maturing and this is an indication that local industry initiative has come to stay. The people have recognised that this is not a passive, but positive thing. More independent operators are beginning to recognise that to thoroughly grow capacity, you can no longer do it from palm flash point of view, you have to engage. We have seen initiatives from companies like Shell, Agip and NCDMB collaborating with PETAN on initiative that seems to create a ‘win win’ scenario. This is a long term view. What happened this year and last year is setting pace for sustained growth for oil serving companies in Nigeria over the next decade because infrastructures are being built, capacity is being run, irrespective of availability of contract and staff, but with a realisation that as far as oil industry in Nigeria goes, there is a potential for growth, therefore we can invest. What implications do you think the devaluation of naira will have on Nigeria’s crude exports and importation of refined products? One has to place this against the geo-political nature of our industry, by extension, the naira. The price of oil and the value of dollars at the international market are inversely proportional. In other words, when the oil price dropped, naira gets stronger, for obvious reasons, the dollar is denomination of currency of choice, in oil transaction. So, if the price of crude is high, there will be more dollars for Nigeria. When there are more dollars, then there will be more of it to spend, and if you spend more dollars the dollars will weaken in values. This is supply and demand scenario. Now, when you bring

Ene

The current crash in crude price is not creating panic within the industry like the previous crashes

it closer to home, when the dollars gets stronger, because of the lower price rate, there is automatic pressure on the naira to get weaker because it gives a proportional interest in that context. So, to a large extent, a stronger dollar weakens naira, except it can be sustained artificially. However, I think this will have effects on the local content because in the past, oil prices, especially in 2001, have less impact on local services. However, the impact of the weakened naira on the economy is direct. Today, you have local capacity created by local content; there is local capacity to generate employment. Therefore, that coffer will help to sustain or downplay the weakened naira on the economy. To what extent has the Federal Government supported local capacity? I think that more than anything, we need to recognise and applaud this government for taking the bold step to enact the Local Content Act. I think this is laudable, the reality is that the

passage of the Act was a good initiative and that is the impetus for local Nigeria companies to begin to ramp up capacity. That is the bottom line, to a large extent, that has created a spring board for growth in the whole sense. There are certain things lined up, which could position Nigeria as a strong country over the next 20 to 30 years. The first is local content and Gas Master Plan, which create a basis for real gas market. The privatisation of power will also grow Nigeria’s economy stronger and this will be felt by all in the long term. Do not forget that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), when passed, will also create long term investments in the country. All of these will create huge investments for the industry and the country as a whole. Are you not worried that the current oil price fall will lead to some level of drop in investments for the marginal field reserves thereby affecting the capacities of indigenous companies? It is interesting that the cur-

rent crash in crude price is not creating panic within the industry like the previous crashes. This is a good sign; it means that the industry is matured. However, you have to understand that Nigeria’s oil today is not as cheap as it was 15 years ago. The reality today is that the cost of production of Nigeria’s oil is within 20 to 30 dollars per barrel or more. The circle of ups and downs is good as it allows efficiency to be built; it allows companies to re-strategize on how to deliver service quicker, better and faster. I think, to a large extent, that the opportunity that Nigerian companies have should be increased because all companies now want to get more values and they are not ready to open up their cheque-books and sign without asking of values to render. We reckon with this situation that Nigerian content and Nigerian companies actually get busier with the support of regulator and policy makers. Nigerian companies should actually get busier in

Business | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

a tight marketing than the other way round. Many stakeholders have said that the survival of oil industry depends on PETAN. What role has your association played? PETAN continues to provide the leadership that we advocate on behalf of the industry, not just for Nigerian companies. PETAN advocates what is good and best for the industry, both from Nigerian and international points of view. That is the reality of it because we are in the same boat; we want to continue to provide services that are world class for operators that want to get world class values for the dollar they pay for the service. We want to encourage and continue to encourage investment. So, in that regards, PETAN’s leadership role in the industry is participatory, collaborative and incisive. We recognise that for the industry to keep growing, we have to maximise local availability of services. Now that cost and return are declining, do you think investment in Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is the best for PETAN companies? Now, historically, China’s economic growth was, at least, 100 per cent on the creation of special economy zones, at the time it encouraged trade across their borders. To a large extent, FTZ in Nigeria enables investment. It is a safe haven for investments. Across Nigeria, you find out that FTZ are clustered in Lagos, North and no one single FTZ in the SouthEastern part of the country out of 30 FTZ in Nigeria. It’s ironical because most people from South-East are industrialist and one will expect that such initiative will thrive in the region and I do want to commend the president for approving the first FTZ in Enugu in 2013. It is very commendable. Why have we not seen any kind of activity at the Enugu FTZ as promised? I believe that the promoter of the projects have things that abound there as a long term viability. These things are subject to lots of scrutiny. I must commend the current minister for investment because he brought a level of professionalism into investment that was missing in the past, which may account for why many FTZ in the past had not succeeded. Investors are ready to invest to establish long term viability and that has already been set up. I know that the process is ongoing and it is our expectation that before the end of the year, the authority in charge will give approval for the zone to take off. That will create another centre of industrial activities that can support the oil and gas industry. Given the intention of the Enugu FTZ, what level of contribution will this make to the oil and gas or power industry in Nigeria? In the first place, industry part and FTZ serve two purposes. One, it allows resources to be converted into viable results and, the employment associated it. By focusing on power, it will drive the FTZ. The Trans-Sahara gas pipe-

line will pass through the FTZ to the North. Don’t forget that there is abundance of coal in Enugu; in fact, economic viability is not in doubt with the FTZ. What is missing is industrial investment framework which is essential to attract long term investments into the area. What is the fate of investment lying down considering that funding continue to accumulate, partners are beginning to run out of patience. Foreign investment partners are also losing confidence, so what danger does this delay portend? In terms of time frame, it can be frustrating. However, one thing we have recognised is that to get to this level and point of approval is not easy. It is also a time to save the interest of investors - partner. Yes, we have a few who lost interests in the past, yet we have some others who have built confidence in the zone simply because they have committed their funds. Some of them have also tested the model available prior to getting to the project. We have had interest in the project as far as Australia, China, Indian, Chez Republic and the USA manufacturing solar panel, we have companies that want to set up fertilizer plants, we have those that want to manufacture various electrical and generating equipment within the zone. All of them are making their plans on the available opportunities in the region, not just Nigeria, but surrounding regions – West, East and Central Africa in terms of ability to export their products into these areas. In terms of energy that will drive the economy in that region, do you think that FTZ can accommodate viable investment in power generation and oil and gas production? Nigeria today has 170 million people. Brazil has 109 million people and it produces 2 million barrels per day. Nigeria produces 2.4 million barrels, but the difference is that Nigeria produces five per cent of the power that Brazil generates; where Brazil is generating 1,000 Giga watts, Nigeria is doing five Giga watts. Now, what that means is that the amount of power today, if all the gas that is produced in Nigeria is put to produce power, it will only produce 32 Giga watts. The implication is that even if you have 10 Orient energy companies, they will not go near touching the potential in capital market. We are struggling as a country on the five per cent of power that we need to have for the size of our economy. Can you imagine if we are producing 50 Giga watts hours today, it will transform our manufacturing sector and this will be a big relief for investors in Nigeria. Today, manufacturing companies start from the scratch, they have to get their power from ground zero. The whole FTZ provides infrastructures so that you will only come with briefcase to start manufacturing there. The reality is that he has to start by building its infrastructure, but if there is an industrial place where he can come and start manufacturing to commence importing to other European countries, the potential for growth is enormous.

Yes, we have a few investors who had lost interests in the Enugu FTZ in the past, yet we have some others who had built confidence in the zone simply because they have committed their funds

Ene

The Minister of Petroleum Resources has become the first female OPEC president. What is your advice to her on the strategies to use to bring dividend to domestic economy? Leadership has no gender. Go into history to find out that when women lead, they lead very well; they bring positive change, the opportunity for a Nigerian to be at the top of OPEC this time is very strategic. OPEC as a body is trying to create a balance in the oil market and a Nigerian in OPEC is critically needed at this time,

Ene

not just in terms of managing oil price, but in terms of creating enabling environment for the oil to be produced. The role of the minister is to look at the perspective of Nigeria’s interest. That is what every other OPEC person does and she has demonstrated her strength of character. With the support of stakeholders in the industry today, she will be successful in protecting Nigeria’s interest. She is not just working for Nigeria, but a global body, although she is first a Nigerian.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Leisure Arcade NUTS

NTPuzzle

By Kaycee

Hockey Word Search Puzzle

Find and circle all of the Hockey words that are hidden in the grid

MAMA LASISI

By Aliu Eroje

MOYIN & FRIENDS

By Ayo Oyerinde

SUDOKU - Answer to No 36

SUDOKU - No 37

R E Y A L P I T S O P L A 0 G F O R E W A R D T W E N 0 I S N E P S U S N G N I P P I R T T E I P E R I 0 D E F E N S E M E N G L 0 V E S M T M E V A S L 0 V E R T I M E C G N I W 0 B L E R E 0 F F S I D E R 0 C S G S K 0 T 0 A F E A E E 0 J I G H S R E S T U L N H E C N N T H K I S C U A E H E E E L R E D 0 I 0 S N E T I 0 C C N R T R T R F H A T J E N T H 0 A D 0 H A 0 U I E 0 N E R E S P F E A F 0 K G K E N R Z C C p F F F H N R S S E C A F K C I U I R G G A W E T F F N L A A H B T Y 0 C I S H 0 N C 0 E R 0 X K 0 0 E E P 0 M I R E S R E I E R G A I I K 0 B L 0 T A L T s 0 S C E T T G M S N L L S N B E 0 I S P C T G N L A E T A N A E A T I T E Y G I D N P I H S N N F A A N I K I N E S S L T A C D Y E E N A I C A I H S D I T A N L H K L E E G A C C A 0 R H E S H D R H L L D W 0 E A F R U S U H H R B G W N 0 G A L A I E C T A N Y I 0 S L G E A I M I K T E 0 N N 0 R N Y G E Y N C I u A B C N N A N A E B M E I E H B G P R K 0 S U M L K K G G Z G E R 0 P P 0 W E R P L A Y T U E P T K N E E I N G ARENA

ELBOWING

ICE RINK

PENALTIES

SLAPSHOT

ASSIST

ENFORCER

ICING

PENALTY BOX

SLASHING

BLUE LINE

FACE MASK

JERSEY

PERIOD

SLOT

BOARDING FACE-OFF KNEEING PLAYER

SPEARING

BOARDS

FOREWARD

LEAGUE

POINT

STANLEY CUP

BODY CHECK

FOUL

LINE CHANGE

POKE CHECK

SUSPENSION

BREAKAWAY

GAME

LINESMAN

POWER PLAY

TIME-OUT

CENTER

GLOVES

MISCONDUCT PUCK TRIPPING

CHARGING

GOALPOST

NHL

CONTACT

GOALTENDER OFFENSE

REFEREE WINGS

CREASE

HAT TRICK

OFFICIALS

ROUGHING

DEFENSEMEN HELMET

OFFSIDE

SAVE ZAMBONI

DEKE

OVERTIME

SCORE ZONES

HOLDING

EJECTION HOOKING PASS

RED LINE WHISTLE WRIST SHOT

SKATES

NTJokes WORLDWIDE TALKING Akpos: I’m Hungary, Mum: Why don’t you Czech the fridge? Akpos: Ok, I’m Russian to the kitchen! Mum: Hmmm...Maybe you’ll find some Turkey. Akpos: Yea, but its all covered in Greece...Yuck! Mum: There is Norway you can eat that! Akpors: I know, I guess I’ll just have a can of

How to play

Sudoku

ALIU EROJE

CHIEF CARTOONIST aliu.eroje@newtelegraphonline.com

The objective is to fill a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9. A cell is the smallest block in the game. A row , column and region consists of 9 cells and the whole game consists of 81 cells. A region has thicker lines surrounding it. This simply makes it easier to play the game.

Chile Mum: Denmark your name on the can. Akpos: Kenya do it for me? Mum: Ok, I’m Ghana do it! Akpos: Thanks, I’m so tired! Iran for an hour today! Mum: It Tokyo long enough. Akpos: Yeah, Israeli hard sometimes!

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

News

Ondo PDP members threaten to form parallel campaign committee for Jonathan

Babatope Okeowo Akure

ld members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State have threatened to form parallel campaign committee for the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan, if the state Coordinator of the campaign group, Mr. Tokunbo Modupe, is not removed with immediate effect. The threat has put the integration of old and new members of the

1,083.5m The estimated total population of Africa in 2010. Source: un.org

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

party in jeopardy following the defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko from Labour Party (LP) to the PDP. Already, the PDP has parallel candidates for all elective positions and the candidates have started their campaigns for next month’s general election. Old members of the party at a meeting held

2,700

in Akure at the weekend and hosted by the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku and attended by members of the party, said it would be an insult on the old members if the governor, who just defected from the LP, is made the South West coordinator of the campaign group and another

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

new member is made the state coordinator. In a communiqué read by the governorship candidate of the party in the 2013 election, Chief Olusola Oke, the old members said Mimiko should remove Modupe as the campaign coordinator of the President and replace him with any old member of the party.

155.9m

The total number of connected mobile (GSM) lines of Nigeria in November 2013. Source: Ncc.gov.ng

Although, the old members said they welcome the governor and members of the LP, who just defected into their fold as they would add value to the fortunes of the party, they however said it would not be in the interest of the old members to have all positions at the expense of the old members.

The number of confirmed deaths of Ebola virus disease infection in health-care workers in Sierra Leone as at October 19, 2014.

Wife of Osun State Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, distributing free school uniforms at L.A. Elementary School and St. John’s Elementary School in Ilesha, Osun State… at the weekend

Group warns Jega against electoral fraud Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

pressure group, De Change Coalition of Nigeria, yesterday warned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, to be more vigilant by keeping watch over his lieutenants so as not to be involved in any electoral fraud in the February elections. The group in a press conference addressed by its National Coordinator, Abayomi Adegoke, said the warning became imperative to avert irregularities before, during and after the exercise. Adegoke said: “INEC still needs to look at the political heads of the commission in some states to safeguard the credibility of the commission and to ensure the acceptability of the outcome of the polls.” He further said there was speculation that some of the political heads of the commission are planning to conspire with some politicians to rig the election, and urged Jega to act fast to discourage such during the election. The group, however, advised the INEC chairman not to show interest in any of the candidates vying for elective positions, saying such could truncate the nation’s democracy.

Aregbesola: FG most unfair to South-West Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend, said the Peoples Democratic Party government at the centre is a disaster to the Yoruba race in particular and the nation in general. The governor, who made this affirmation

as quoted by his Media Aide, Semiu Okanlawon, at the official flag-off campaign for the re-election of Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, in Ibadan, argued that Yorubaland has not gained anything reasonable from the PDP government at the federal level. He said: “It took Yorubaland serious work to be free from the shackles of the PDP in the South-

West, when it regained power from the party. “It is saddening that Ekiti fell back into the hands of these oppressors. In less than four months when they took over in Ekiti through rigging, the people are facing oppression, deceit and a government of force. “It is painful to every progressive mind that Ekiti has fallen back to backwardness and un-

Ajimobi ready to meet Ladoja in court Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

n spite of the threat by the former governor of Oyo State, Rasidi Ladoja, that Governor Abiola Ajimobi should pay him N10 billion damages and issue a public apology for claiming that he had refunded N500 million to the coffers of the state, Ajimobi yesterday said he stood by his report on the issue, asking Ladoja to go to court. Ajimobi, while speaking with New Telegraph at the weekend in Ibadan,

discountenanced the call for apology, saying: “Let him take us to court. The facts are there. Ladoja and his group returned N500 million. “If he is saying that he did not do it directly, he did it indirectly. And that is the fact. We are not fools to have published such facts. We are ready for him to go to court. I will not apologise; rather, he should apologise to the people of Oyo State. “He should have given us 48 hours and after that go to court. Seven days ultimatum to apologise

is too long. We are ready to meet him there, the governor insisted. Ajimobi’s administration had recently sponsored an advertorial in a national daily displaying some cheques and bank drafts allegedly paid to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in favour of the state government amounting to N500 million, with the claim that some vehicles were also returned by the Accord Party governorship candidate and his coaccused persons, following their arraignment in court.

derdevelopment, our prayer is that in no distant time, APC will take over the state again. “The Yoruba race and the nation have not gained any meaningful development under the reign of the party. Their government is nothing but deceit, underdevelopment, oppression and hardship. We should all be prepared to vote for the progressives, so that we

can witness development in our land and Nigeria. “APC is a party that has no tolerance for corruption and all these unpleasant vices of the PDP. All patriotic citizens should come together to vote in APC for development to continue in Oyo and Nigeria.” Aregbesola decried a situation where the Federal Government will, because of political gains,

empower an individual on kerosene supply to the detriment of the masses who bear the brunt of the importation. “They sell kerosene to Nigerians as high as N120 per litre instead of N40.90 kobo to an individual in their Transformation Agenda of Nigeria (TAN), only for the individual to give it to marketers at N95.00,” he added.

Police, INEC urged to investigate Assembly candidate Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

ongues are currently wagging in Osun State over a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Nasiru Adebisi Jayeola, who was alleged to have forged his statutory declaration of age in his desperate attempt to seek election into the Ila-Orangun constituency of the Osun State House of Assembly. Jayeola, who was accused by the committee set up by the leadership

of the party to get to the root of the matter, through its solicitor, Edmund Biriomoni, has however, petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) and the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Marafa. To this end, members of the PDP in the constituency said that Jayeola was not qualified to contest the position. In the two-page petition dated 3rd December, 2014 and sent to the state police boss by the petitioner’s counsel,

Edmund Biriomoni, it was alleged that the aspiring office seeker had, on 22nd September, 2014, sworn to two statutory declarations of age at the High Court Registry, Ila-Orangun. According to the petition, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Osogbo yesterday, Jayeola had procured the two declarations of age bearing same receipt no CR. 022135, but different signatures of the declarants and commissioner for oaths.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

SHAME

In spite of free education, Imo is taking the rear in education among S/E States Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

head of the 2015 general election, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Imo State PDP governorship candidate, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has promised to implement a free and qualitative education programme if voted into office. The deputy speaker, who was speaking at the PDP presidential rally in Imo State, flayed the free education policy of Governor Rochas Okorocha,

Ihedioha vows to reinstate 10, 000 sacked workers describing it as existing only on the pages of newspapers and lacking in sincerity. The governorship flag bearer said he will vigorously work towards restoring the value and quality of education, which he said was hitherto the hallmark of Imo State. He said: “Imo State used to record over 95 per cent success both in JAMB and WAEC examinations, but since the past three years of the Okorocha’s government, education has collapsed to the extent that we scored below 50 per cent, which is a total failure. “It is shocking to reveal here that out of over 550 secondary schools in

$14.5m

The total amount of salary/winnings of Rafael Nadal (Tennis) for 2014. Source: Forbes.com

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SOUTH - EAST

Imo State, we have only 87 Mathematics teachers, 131 Biology teachers and 130 English Language teachers. The 305 primary schools in all the wards in Imo State are all Federal Government projects under the Universal Basic Education Scheme, but Governor Rochas Okorocha has deliberately been misleading Imo people to believe that his government is constructing them.” He vowed to restore the state’s education and health sectors, which he said are in bad shape. Ihedioha frowned on the level of unemployment among Imo youths, while promising to reinstate the 10, 000 jobs created by former Governor

3.3bn

The estimated number of people affected by malaria worldwide in 2012. Source: Nigeria.usembassy.gov

Ikedi Ohakim, whose beneficiaries were sacked by Okorocha, he also assured the people that his administration would create more job opportunities for unemployed youths in the state. He promised to practice true democracy and due process and bring to an end the era of “government of the family, by the family, and for the family, as being run currently.” While thanking the President and his wife, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and his wife and wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Helen Mark, for their support, he urged Imo people to vote massively for all PDP candidates in the general election.

1.9%

The annual population growth rate of Gabon in 2010-2015. Source: Un.org

Ufomba dismisses Otti’s APGA candidacy Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

he last may not have been heard of the controversy surrounding the emergence of Alex Otti as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State even as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published his name as the party’s governorship candidate. When many thought that the dust raised by his emergence had settled, his rival, Chief Reagan Ufomba, who emerged as the factional candidate, said Otti is not a member of APGA, insisting that he has the party structure, including the state, local government and ward executives of the party, which he said he has maintained for five years. He spoke at the weekend during the inaugu-

ration of his campaign team, saying that he has not stepped down for anyone as he is the rightful candidate of the party. INEC, he further noted, should be concerned with the general election and not the primary election of parties. He said it is the party that decides who their members and candidates are as provided in the constitution. “If you are not a member of a political party you cannot contest an election; Alex Otti joined the party in Abuja, paid and collected a receipt which he converted to a party card, the card they claim to have purchased is as fake as their misadventure. “He came to me and requested that we work together to defeat PDP with me as governor, maybe he misunderstood me; now they are saying I allowed them to go, but I said let’s run a united APGA that can win election in Abia State,” he said.

Umeh mobbed at Obi’s town

L-R: Mr. Ik Omeje; Dr. Barth Ezugwu; Enugu State Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime; his Deputy, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye; newly sworn-in Commissioners, Ms. Rita Mba and Dr. Godwin Udibe, shortly after their inauguration, in Enugu...at the weekend

he National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the party's senatorial candidate in next month's general election, Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday took his campaign to Agulu, the home town of the former governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, where supporters metaphorically mobbed him in solidarity. Umeh and his former political ally, Obi have had no love lost of recent, fueling speculations that his senatorial ambition might not be supported by Obi's kinsmen, who have over 30, 000 voting strength.

Obi had in October last year, dumped APGA for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Yesterday's event may have put to rest such speculations as the people of the area assured the APGA candidate of their support. Immediately the campaign train pulled up at the ever busy Nawgu Junction and Umeh stepped out of the car with his wife, youths as well as traders and artisans rushed out to see him while chants of “Umeh is the man,” “This is the man here live,” “You are the one we want and no other,” and so on, rented the air.

Utazi, Okolagu light up Enugu Ex-commissioner urges PDP to institute prize for best LG APC and Chief Willy EzugOn what would constiNigerians to vote for Jonathan Uwakwe Abugu Uwakwe Abugu wu of APGA and their outtute the party's campaign ENUGU

he contest for the National Assembly election in Enugu North by the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) yesterday assumed a new dimension as the candidates rolled out their strategies on how to outwit one another in the race. The three candidates - Hon. Chukwuka Utazi, who is a former deputy speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly is running on the platform of the PDP, J. O. J. Okolagu of the

fits showed considerable presence in the district at the weekend. For Okolagu, there was an anti-climax on Saturday when his expected huge campaign flag off at Nsukka was called off as reporters were about leaving Enugu metropolis for the function and there was no immediate explanation for the development. But Utazi, a lawyer and immediate past Commissioner for Transport, he took his campaign on Saturday to the new Radio Nigeria station, Voice FM, in Nsukka, where he took advantage of a phone-in programme to sell his manifesto.

former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Dr. Paul Okorie, has urged Nigerians to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan, to enable him complete his work. Okorie, who spoke in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday, said a vote for Jonathan is “a vote for continuity and sustenance of the Transformation Agenda of the president.” He said the sustenance of the transformation agenda in the power

and agricultural sector, among others, would greatly boost the economy of the country. He also appealed to Nigerians to vote for Jonathan to avoid policy reversals. He said President Jonathan had demonstrated ability and statesmanship in the handling of the affairs of the country. He expressed optimism that the people of Ebonyi would vote massively for Jonathan and other PDP candidates during next month’s general election. “Ebonyi has always been a PDP state since 1999; the forthcoming elections will not be an exception," Okorie added.

ENUGU

he Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is to institute a prize for the best local government in the number of votes secured by each of the local councils in next month’s general election. The party will today begin a 16-day campaign tour of the 17 local government areas in the state, flagging it off at Ikem, headquarters of Isi-Uzo Local Council and Governor Sullivan Chime is billed to lead the campaign train, the state PDP campaign organisation said yesterday in Enugu.

focal points as it takes it candidates to voters at the grassroots, Director-General of the campaign organisation, Chief Charles Egumgbe, told newsmen that with the grip the party has on the people, its relationship with the electorate has become a partnership and that he did not envisage any development that would violate such relationship. Egumgbe said it was on the basis of that relationship that the campaign group would plan to institute a prize for the best local government area in the volume of votes cast for PDP during the elections.

News

SOUTH-SOUTH

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Oshiomhole accuses PDP of plotting to destabilise Edo Cajetan Mmuta

•Count us out of any plot, says party

properties belonging to the state government. He said the opposition party, has perfected plans to use students to foment trouble in the state and create chaos which may lead to loss of lives of innocent people. Oshiomhole in a state wide live broadcast wondered why the PDP and its leaders should drag innocent students, who are on holiday into matter that has no direct

BENIN

overnor Adams Oshiomhiole of Edo State, yesterday accused leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state of instigating a section of students under the umbrella of the Students Unions Government (SUG) of the University of Benin to cause crisis in the ancient town. That is over the demolition of

bearing on the welfare of students, other than on the administrative and legal issues between the state government and the University of Benin, particularly, on the property which a competent court had ruled in favour of the state government. He said the leadership of the PDP in the state held a meeting at the house of one of the candidates of the party where they planned to

recruit students and thugs and set ablaze petrol tankers in strategic parts of the state capital. He also urged parents to prevail on their children at the University of Benin and other tertiary institutions in the state not to be used by politicians. The governor said the state government was still open to dialogue with authorities of the University of Benin over

the 18 properties of the state reclaimed from the university. He said: “They have held series of meetings including the one they held in the house of a candidate of the opposition party in the state.” But the chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Dan Orbih, in a quick reaction yesterday said the party and its leaders have no hands in the alleged instigation of students and the consequent action taken by the said students.

Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Udom Emmanuel, with the Chairman, Paul Ekpo, during the dedication of Emmanuel at Qua Iboe Church, Uyo…at the weekend

Urhobo want UPU leaders to step down Joe Obende WARRI

he political crisis within the leadership of the Urhobo nation in Delta State is said to have deepened, as elders and other stakeholders of the ethnic nationality have called for the resignation of the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). The stakeholders are said to have made this call in reaction to a media report credited to the President-General of the UPU, Chief Joe Omene, that the Urhobo, had rejected the presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan. At a press briefing in Warri at the weekend, the elders and stakeholders, under the platform of the Delta Central

(Urhobo) Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders’ Forum (DCELSF) described the said statement of the UPU leader as a violation of the Uvwiamughe declaration, which it described as sacrosanct. Delta Central is the district of the state wholly occupied by the Urhobo nation, thus constituting the home-base of the ethnic nationality. Led by its chairman, Chief Patrick Ideh and Secretary, Prince Sam Kohwo, DCELSF observed that Omene’s position had corrupted the sanctity of the political roadmap of the entire assembly of Urhobo, when they sat together and came up with the Uvwiamughe Declaration. According to the group, “the Uvwiamughe Declaration was a properly articulated political roadmap of the Urhobo for the 2015 general election.

Wale Elegbede

group, the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) has condemned a statement credited to former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that President Goodluck Jonathan, was responsible for the stealing of 400,000 barrels of crude oil every day in Nigeria, stating that the statement was ‘reckless’ and capable of denting the president’s image on a very critical issue of oil theft. Tinubu, a national

A’Ibom: Emmanuel, others seek divine endorsement

he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidates in Akwa Ibom State, including its gubernatorial Mr Udom Emmanuel, yesterday sought endorsement for their political ambitions, following a dedication service jointly held for all the party’s candidates at a church service. The event which took place at Qua Iboe Church, 112 Ikot Ekpene Road, Uyo attracted a large crowd of PDP faithful, the business and political class in the state. The event was also graced by various political and socio-cultural groups who came to show solidarity to the governorship candidate. A d d re s s i n g the Church, Emmanuel said he did not come to the church to campaign, but led his team to consult and seek divine blessings in view of the assignments before him. campaign because we know that God is with us, and as Christians, we must always invite Him to guide us in our aspirations”, Udom said. Reading from Psalm 37:5 which says; “‘Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass,” the governorship candidate admonished everyone to always seek the consent of God in their affairs.

Group cautions Tinubu against comment on Jonathan leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), had over the weekend during the flagoff of Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s second- term bid campaign in Ibadan, alleged that Jonathan was responsible for the stealing of 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily. “Jonathan and his government are stealing 400,000 barrels of crude oil every day in Nigeria. He is telling us

that he cannot see that amount of crude oil being stolen in the system, yet he calls himself the President. He is running a government of thieves and we will use our votes to send him away. He is taking away all our wealth,” Tinubu alleged. However, in a statement by UNDEDSS, which is the coalition of Ethnic Nationalities and Civil Society in the Niger Delta, the

said Secretary-General, Tony I. Uranta, warned the opposition leader to cease from his, “now-perennial ethnic-profiling of the region’s peoples, for cheap political ambition reasons, whilst reminding him that evidence abounds that he, and his fellow-travellers, like Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, have been in the forefront of illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria for decades.”

Uduaghan, Okowa worry over 7,000 unclaimed PVCs Dominic Adewole ASABA

elta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has expressed his disappointment over the apathy towards the collection of the permanent voters cards by eligible voters, in the state as the general election approaches. The State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gover-

norship candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has also expressed concerns over the development. In their separate remarks during Okowa’s campaign rally in Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North and Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Areas of the state, Uduaghan and the flag-bearer appealed to the electorate, as well

as supporters of ruling party not to jettison the chance of exercising their civic rights. While Uduaghan said that supporters of the party would only be able to ensure the success of the party at the polls, if they make use of the voter’s cards on Febraury 28, the governorship candidate of the PDP wondered what those who are yet to col-

lect theirs were waiting for. “Your PVC is your power to vote and be voted for. It is your power to deliver Senator Okowa, it is not by coming to rallies that we know you are for us, it is by your power of vote. So, go and collect your PVC if you have not because I have it on good authority that over 7,000 PVC are yet to be collected in Delta state.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

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NORTH

Buhari divides North over qualification Muhammad Kabir Kano

Norther n-Based Youth Forum has challenged the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari on the controversy surrounding his academic qualifications in the race to the February 14, presidential polls.

18%

The crude birth rate of South Eastern Asia region in 2010-2015. Source: Un.org

However, Professor Auwalu Hamisu Yadudu a constitutional lawyer had said that General Buhari need not to show his certificate because of the fact that he led this country in various capacity and there was no way he could do such without a certificate. A press statement released and signed by the National President of the group, Bello

Gambo Bichi, in Kano, states that, “…General Buhari should do what is required of him by presenting his certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as other presidential candidates have done, instead of hiding behind the fig leaf of constitutionalism.” But to Yadudu, issues about Buhari’s certificate should not be subject of

$118m

The estimated transfer cost of Eden Hazard of Chelsea FC in 2015. Source: Finance.yahoo.com

the political discourse because this is a leader in every perspective and whose certificate and Educational background is well known to every Nigerian. The statement further notifies that it is true that the relevant section 131(d) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not require Buhari to physically present his certificates, but to only show that he

19.75

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Bahrain in 2008. Source: Itu.int

‘has been educated up to at least secondary level or its equivalent.” The release added that it is clear that the ‘spirit of that provision demands that he should present Certified True copies of his original certificates because that is the only way that INEC will determine that he has been educated up to secondary school level.’

3.15m

The total number of connected Mobile (GSM) lines in 2003. Source: Ncc.gov.ng

District Head, Yola, Alhaji Sa’ad Bawuro (third right), presenting some relief materials to Mubi Internally Displaced Persons led by Madam Zainab Umaru (left), in Yola… at the weekdend. With them is Coordinator, NEMA, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello. PHOTO-NAN

Cleric condemns Charlie Biodun Oyeleye Hebdo’s criticism of Islam A Ilorin

Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

n Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, has advised muslims against using the same language and manner in which enemies of Islam used to malign their faith in the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdon. Reacting to the French magazine alleged blaspheming of Prophet Muhammad during the annual Maulud programme which took place at the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria at the weekend, Zakzaky called for unity among Muslims in order to effectively face the challenges of religious mudslinging. The Sheikh, in a statement signed by Ibrahim Usman, noted that Islam is facing a lot of challenges from its perceived enemies within and outside the faith, adding that this

was what ‘’gave room for the sad representation of Islam by Charlie Hebdon and others before it.’’ According to Zakzaky, the whole aim of the global misrepresentation of Islam was to ridicule the message brought by Prophet Muhammad, in order to discourage and suppress its spread. He also attributed the Boko Haram attacks on mosques and Muslims in Nigeria as part of the grand international conspiracy to taint Islam. He asked, “How could Muslims detonate bombs in mosques, kill fellow Muslims and destroy their settlements because they want to establish an Islamic state?, Adding that “this is clear fallacy and ridiculous. This is ridiculing Islam’’. Sheikh Zakzaky, also condemned the gathering of world leaders in solidarity with the French magazine as an open support to blaspheme Islam.

group, GAMJI Foundation, an umbrella association of northern youths promoting the political philosophy of Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, late Sarduana of Sokoto and first premier of Northern Nigeria, has said that the country requires a leader that would end insurgency in sixty days. The group stated that the kind of leader Nigeria needs at this time of critical challenges, must also be able to lead the war

Sokoto: Police ready for Jonathan’s rally today Umar Danladi Ado SOKOTO

head of the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today, the State Police command has assured that it would ensure a hitch-free campaign by the President in the state. The State Commissioner of Police, Shuaibu Lawal Gambo assured of his command’s preparedness to ensure peaceful conduct as President Jonathan and his campaign team visit the seat of the caliphate today in continuation of his nationwide campaign. “We have made it a duty to ensure that all campaigns are conducted, devoid of hooliganism”, adding that adequate security arrangement had been put in place to tame perceived breach of the peace. Gambo said this while briefing newsmen on Saturday on the visit and appealed to politicians to support the command to ensure that the visit and subsequent campaigns are carried out peacefully in the state. His words:” Parents should also prevail on their children not to play into the hands of politicians who will use them as thugs.”

GAMJI wants a president to end Boko Haram in two months against insurgency and bring peace to the region, including the return of the abducted Chibok Girls. He should also be able to diversify the economy. President General of GAMJI in kwara State, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim, who spoke on the group’s position on leadership of the country, in Ilorin during the club’s 2015 public lecture titled “Wither;

The Sardauna Leadership Legacies? said GAMJI, was now set to establish its leadership centre in the north central state to facilitate the training and development of young leaders after the dream of Sardauna. The GAMJI leader said the establishment of the centre became imperative because of the stark reality “that Nigeria is today

suffering from lack of capable and effective leadership in all spheres”. “Nigeria is now in dire need of good legacies for it to overcome its current social, political and economic crises. Such leader must possess moral authority and esteem values of integrity, honesty and must be ready to undergo hardship and suffer deprivation on behalf of the poor masses.

Ogbe, Saraki, Gemade rally support for APC in Benue Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

talwarts of the All Progressives Congress, including the former national Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Chief Audu Ogbe and erstwhile Governor of Kwara State, Senator, Bukola Saraki have called on APC supporters in Benue State to vote against the PDP during the forthcom-

ing general election. Their calls came just as the senator representing Benue North East in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Chief Barnabas Gemade has implored eligible APC voters in the state to ensure they obtain their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC’s) to enable them exercise their franchise in next month’s elections. The trio, who spoke in Makurdi, while address-

ing supporters of the party at a rally, said the time has come for the people to vote out the government of the day at all levels, particularly in Benue State where they said civil servants, teachers and pensioners are wallowing in abject poverty five months ago over non-payment of salaries and entitlements. “You have suffered enough and this is the time for you to come out on February 14 and vote Gen-

eral Mohammadu Buhari, whose government will give you jobs and pay your salaries”, said Senator Saraki. In his remarks, Senator Gemade, who is battling the Benue North East senatorial seat with Governor Gabriel Suswam to actualize his second term mandate, warned APC supporters against any form of violence, but to ensure that they participate actively in the elections, no matter the provocation by the PDP.

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WORLD | News

Workers’ salaries: NLC to review situation tomorrow Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said that it would convey its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting tomorrow to review the situation in about 30 states of the federation where workers are being owed salaries. NLC General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, who disclosed this to New Telegraph, said Osun,

Benue and Plateau State governments are still owing their workers about three to eight months’ salaries. The NLC scribe, who said the reports collated from its state councils in December last year, indicated that about 30 states were owing their workers December salaries while those three states are owing between three and eight months’ salaries. He said that the union would hold its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja to re-

view the situation. The state councils, according to him are members of NEC and are expected to bring update on the situation in their respective states. “Those states we mentioned in the New Year message are those owing up to three months. And those are Osun, Benue and Plateau States. We are going to have our NEC meeting on January 20 and state councils are part of NEC, so we are going to review the situation at the meeting,” he said.

FG partners Germany in provision of power Amadi Nnamdi Abuja

s part of efforts to provide uninterrupted power supply to manufacturing hubs across the country, the Federal Government has entered into partnership with the German government to bring this to reality. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, disclosed this during a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Power and Deutshe Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusam-

menarbeit (GIZ) German government representatives and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) at the weekend in Abuja. Aganga, who said the initiative was critical to the successful implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), said it would enable the Federal Government direct adequate power to existing and potential industrial areas across the country. The minister said: “There are a number of programmes and initiatives we are jointly working on together with the German government, but

this particular project on power audit for our industrial sector is far more important to us today than when the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan as part of strategies to diversify the Nigerian economy. “What the collaboration with the GIZ will do is to help address the enablers of the NIRP, one of which is power infrastructure. Already, the Federal Government has approved the conversion of 23 existing Industrial Development Centres (IDCs) across the country into Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Industrial Parks.

Saraki blasts FG for not reducing petrol price Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district, Senator Bukola Saraki, yesterday challenged the Federal Government on its failure to reduce pump price following the drop in crude oil price in the international market. Saraki according to a statement from his media office, made the observation at the Palace of the Olofa of Offa in Offa Local Government

area of the state during a campaign tour of the area. The former governor, who is currently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, argued that everywhere in the world, pump price has been reduced due to the price slash. The federal lawmaker said most recently, Nigeria’s next door neighbor, Ghana, on January 1, reduced the pump price of PMS, saying it is disheartening that President Goodluck Jonathan will allow a few cabal to

continue to benefit from the system at the expense of ordinary Nigerians. “It is common knowledge that when the price of crude oil falls, at it has done significantly, the price of refined petroleum should drop as well,” he said and stressed the need for the Federal Government to allow the Nigerian public benefit from the reduction in crude oil price in the international market by reducing the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petroleum to below N70.

‘People living in poverty to increase to 1.2 billion by 2030’ Amadi Nnamdi Abuja

research has revealed that the number of people living in extreme poverty globally could increase to 1.2 billion by 2030, if world leaders do not take major decisions this year.

The content of this research conducted by Action 2015 Global Campaign group was disclosed by Edwin Ikhuoria, Nigeria Country Representative for ONE Campaign group. Ikhuoria made this disclosure at the weekend when ONE Campaign joined thousands of activists around the world in a global advocacy for the

launch of Action-2015, a new coalition calling for ambitious agreements on poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change in 2015. According to the group, “The year 2015 is an important milestone and a great opportunity to make history and change the trajectory of development.”

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Weeping Philippine girl challenges Pope on prostitution

w e e p i n g 12-year-old Philippine girl, asking how God could allow children to become prostitutes, moved Pope Francis yesterday to hug her and appeal for everyone to show more compassion. Glyzelle Palomar, a one-time homeless child taken in by a church charity, made her emotional plea during ceremonies at a Catholic university in Manila, ahead of a mass by the pope to millions of faithful. "Many children are abandoned by their parents. Many children get involved in drugs and prostitution," Palomar told the pope as she stood on stage alongside a 14-year-old boy

who also used to be homeless. "Why does God allow these things to happen to us? The children are not guilty of anything." Palomar broke down and wept profusely, prompting the 78-year-old pontiff with a man-of-the-people reputation to take her into his arms and hug her for a few seconds. The pope later discarded most of his prepared speech that he was due to give in English, reverting back to his native Spanish to deliver an impromptu and heartfelt response. "She is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer and she wasn't even able to express it in words but in tears," the pope told a crowd that organisers

said reached 30,000. "The nucleus of your question... almost doesn't have a reply." The pope, who is in the Philippines for a fiveday visit, told those in the crowd that they first had to learn to cry with other marginalised and suffering people. He said superficial compassion, which resulted in just giving alms, shown by many in the world was not enough. "If Christ had that kind of compassion, he would have just walked by, greeted three people, given them something and moved on," he said, with his response echoed in English by an official translator. The pope called on them to show tangible, genuine concern for the poor and marginalised.

Pope Francis hugs two former street children during his meeting with youths in Santo Thomas University in Manila, Philippine.

Two Nigerians executed in Indonesia over drug trafficking

wo Nigerians, Messers Solomon Chibuike Okafor, (Alias Namaona Denils) and Daniels Enemuo, (Alias Diarrassoube Mamadou) were Saturday, executed by the Indonesia government at the Island of Nusakambangu in Cilacap, Central Java Province, for drug trafficking. Their bodies were brought from the Island by ambulances early yesterday as requested by relatives and the Federal government of Nigeria.

Also executed with them were two women, one each from Indonesia and Vietnam, two Brazilians, and one Dutch national. The executions were carried out despite persistent pleas for clemency made by the Federal Government, including the National Assembly. The executions, had taken place against the grain of the excellent relations that subsist between Nigeria and Indonesia. The Federal Government seizes this opportunity to express its sympathy and

condolences to the families of the deceased. It reiterates its appeal to all Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking which attracts the capital punishment in Indonesia and in many other countries around the world. The Foreign Minister has therefore summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to register Nigeria's protest. However, he strongly appeals, once again, to the Indonesian authorities to exercise clemency for other 12 Nigerians on the death row in the country.

German police ban anti-Islamic rally citing terror threat

er man police banned a planned rally by the antiIslamic PEGIDA movement and other public open-air gatherings in the eastern city of Dresden Monday, citing a terrorist threat. Dresden police said yesterday they had received infor-

mation from federal and state counterparts indicating a "concrete threat" against the right-wing populist group "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident". There had been calls for would-be "assassins to mingle among the

protesters and to murder an individual member of the organising team of the PEGIDA demonstrations", police said in a notice on the 24-hour ban. This was consistent with "an Arabic-language Tweet that called the PEGIDA demonstrations an enemy of Islam", it said.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Sports News

AYC 2015: Muhammed, two others hit camp Tuesday

Sport

AFCON 2015

International Sport

Arsenal stun Man City at Etihad

Zambia, Congo share points

54 Did you know?

That Manchester City haven’t lost a Premier League home game by a two-goal margin since being beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in October 2010

Elegbeleye confirms April date for NSF

Charles Ogundiya

irector General National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, has told New Telegraph that nothing will change the date of the National Sports Festival scheduled for April in Calabar, the Cross River State. The NSF had already suffered a setback after the competition was

postponed from its earlier date of October/November in 2014 to the new date in April. Reacting to insinuations in some quarters that there might be yet another postponement due to the change in government some states will experience immediately after the national elections, Elegbeleye said the states would surely have enough time to prepare after the elections. “The elections hold in February and the sport

Ifeanyi Ibeh

uper Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, does not want to ever miss another Africa Cup of Nations tournament or any other tournament the Super Eagles ought to take part in for as long as he remains in the national team. The 2015 AFCON got underway on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea with the reigning champions conspicuously absent after failing to qualify from a group viewed as a relatively easy one comprising Sudan, Congo and South Africa. Onazi, who featured in all of the Super Eagles’ qualifying matches, is still trying to come to terms with the national team’s absence from

festival will be coming up in April, we have a gap of two months between the two events, so I don’t see any reason why we have to postpone again,” he said. Speaking further, he said there was the need to stage the NSF on time especially with the closeness of the All Africa Games. Elegbeleye said with the coming of professionals for the NSF, it would be an opportunity to select the best athletes that would represent the coun-

try at the AAG. He said: “It (the NSF) will be like trials for some sports to see which athletes are good enough to represent Nigeria at the AAG. “The nature of this year festival will afford us the opportunity of accessing some of our top athletes and the upcoming ones. “It is only from competitions that you will know those who are ready; those that excel will be called to camp immediately as there won’t be any break at all.” Elegbeleye

NEVER AGAIN ! l Onazi vows not to miss another AFCON

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

Onazi (middle)

the ongoing AFCON but has vowed to do all that he can to ensure the three-time former African champions never get to miss another major tournament. “It’s not like we didn’t do our best (to qualify) but looking back at some of the games I think we should have done better; where we gave a hundred per cent, we should have given a hundred and one,” he said. Nigeria’s qualifying campaign was beset by a number

People are hurt that we didn’t qualify but, no disrespect to anyone, it doesn’t hurt as much as it hurts we the players

of off-the-pitch incidents, most notably by a tussle for the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation. There was also a point in which the players had no idea who was in charge of the team after the NFF lost confidence in the coaching abilities of Stephen Keshi. “We shouldn’t have allowed certain things that happened to distract us,” continued the SS Lazio player. “Yes, we are humans and it is

tough not to be distracted by certain things but we should have done all we could to remain focussed. “People are hurt that we didn’t qualify but, no disrespect to anyone, it doesn’t hurt as much as it hurts the players. “We feel we have failed and that is why I am going to be giving more than a hundred per cent, in fact 110 per cent, anytime I play so that we never miss another competition.”

SPORT

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigeria wins ITF Junior Circuit in Togo

AYC 2015: Muhammed, two others hit camp Tuesday

lAs Yahaya, Eze arrive Kaduna Ifeanyi Ibeh

lying Eagles captain, Musa Muhammed, will join up with the rest of the Nigerian U-20 team on Tuesday ahead of March’s African Youth Championship in Senegal. Defender Wilfred Ndidi, who last week signed a professional deal with Belgian club Genk, as well as Ifeanyi Matthew, who, like Muhammed, is also away in Europe, have also informed the

Emmanuel Tobi

he country’s tennis team, at the weekend, came top of the medals table at the end of the Togo leg of the 2015 International Tennis Federation West and Central Africa Junior Circuit. Nigeria ended the eightday double-phase tournament with seven gold, four silver and three bronze medals for an accumulated 1,355 points. Tournament hosts Togo placed second with 850 points having won four gold, three silver and three bronze medals, while Benin came third with 500 points by winning two gold, two silver and one bronze. In some of the finals decided on Saturday at Lome’s Stade Omnisports, 12-year-old Barakat Quadri won gold in the girls’ U-14 category just as Timipre Maxwell also bagged gold in the girls’ U-12 category. Nigeria Tennis Federation President, Sani Ndanusa, lauded the players for their outstanding performance, promising that the federation will monitor the progress of the junior players in order to replicate their recent successes at the senior level.

Egwuekwe

igeria Professional Football League record top scorer, Mfon Udoh, is glad to have finally scored his first goal for the national team after three games. The Enyimba International of Aba star netted the first goal in the 2-0 friendly win over Yemeni national team in Abu-Dhabi on Saturday. Speaking with our corre-

Cup in Equatorial Guinea. He said he was speaking the minds of his teammates, who made the same remarks after the friendly against Yemen on Saturday in Dubai. “All the players were unanimous in saying that playing friendly games was a way of making the players jell and also build unity in the team, the coaching staff, and ensuring that the players are active throughout the year.” Yemen Coach, Miroslav Skopp, who is a Czech, had kind words for the Nigerian side, even as he conceded defeat to the reigning African champions. “Your team played tactically and technically well, as expected they were hard on the ball and they deserved to win,” he said in Dubai on Saturday night.

spondent from the Super Eagles base in Dubai, the player said it was a great relief for him to finally score his first goal for the national team. “People tend to underrate playing against Yemen, but finally scoring my first goal for the national team is a big relief for me as a player. “I have been putting in my best while playing for the national team, I hit the crossbar in the friendly game against

Ghana in Uyo, played very well against the Elephant of Cote d’Ivoire and now I have scored my first goal, I am happy,” the striker said. He however promised to continue to give his best whenever he has the opportunity to represent the country in future matches. On where he will be playing his club football in the new season, the player said he was currently concentrating on national team assignment.

Niger 2015: Manu backs Eaglets for glory all our national teams especially U-17 and U-20 because they are the future of the senior team.”

Ifeanyi Ibeh

anu Garba, who led Nigeria to victory at the 2013 Under-17 World Cup, believes the current Golden Eaglets side managed by his erstwhile assistant, Emmanuel Amuneke, can go all the way at the 11th African cadet championship in Niger. The Flying Eagles coach, who voiced his opinion after watching the Eaglets 2-0 win over Nigeria National League side, Sokoto United, at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Saturday, said: “It would be wrong to start comparing this current team with the one that

pleted his move from Nigeria Professional Football League side Warri Wolves uper Eagles star, Gbo- to the former European lahan Salami, has champions over the weeksaid his target will end. be to lead his new club, Speaking to New TeleCrvena Zvezda, popu- graph on the telephone, larly known as Red Star Gbolahan expressed hapBelgrade or simply Red piness on fulfilling his Star, to success after com- dream of playing in Eupleting his transfer to the rope as he looked forward Serbian outfit. to hitting the ground runThe former Sunshine ning. Stars of Akure man com“I am so happy moving to Red Star. It’s a club full of tradition and I will do my best to help them achieve success,” he said. The 23-year-old was allowed to skip the Super Eagles international friendly match against Yemen in order to finalise the deal and he has been handed the number 11 jersey of the Red-Whites. Salami has been earmarked as a replacement for compatriot Adeola Dauda who moved to ViSalami tesse last summer.

Charles Ogundiya

lYemen Coach concedes defeat

fter two exciting friendly games against Cote D’Ivoire in Abu Dhabi and Yemen in Dubai both in the United Arab Emirates, losing the former 1-0 and winning the latter by 2-0, Super Eagles players made up entirely of professional players from the Nigeria Premier League, have commended the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation under Amaju Pinnick, for the friendlies even as they have asked for the sustenance of friendly games culture. Speaking on behalf of his teammates, Skipper of the side, Chigozie Agbim, said all the players were very happy that they were not redundant in January, following the mishap of not qualifying for the ongoing African Nations

Aliyu Auwal. “Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Muazam’ has already rejoined the team, so too Sulaiman Abdullahi. Both players have been away in Europe on trials. “And Kingsley Sokari has also promised to join up this week after he featured for the Super Eagles in friendly matches in the United Arab Emirates.”

Salami targets success with Red Star

Eagles want more friendly matches

First Eagles goal delights Udoh Charles Ogundiya

team they arrive up not later than Tuesday. On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur’s Musa Yahaya and FC Porto’s Chidera Eze joined up with the rest of the Flying Eagles squad in their training camp in Kaduna. “We will soon have a full house in camp,” said the team’s secretary,

Ogunjimi leads 60 officials to Mobil sports in Uyo R

enowned Athletics Scholar and coach, Prof. Lucas Ogunjimi, is at the head of 60 officials who have been invited to take part in the 14th AKS/NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships billed for Uyo on Saturday, February 7. In a release made public by the National Athletics Technical Officials Akwa Ibom State branch, Ogunjimi is listed as the Competitions Director. Ogunjimi is no stranger to the competition as he has been physically present in the last eight editions. Also listed is Utitofon Nkantah as the Technical Director, and two other professors: Track Referee Professor Ignatius Uduk and field referee Professor Ini Jonah.

Nkantah who is the NAATO president in the state said she was happy with the quality of the officiating crew that would be reinforced by the national body. “If you go down the list you will notice that ex-national track stars, Eno Ekpo, Dorathy Asangusung and Menyene Nkwo, heads of the track, field and time keeping crew respectively. “There is nothing like school sports when it comes to officiating. You don’t lower standards. In fact you are more careful and thorough because you want to make sure that times and distances recorded are exact in order to guide the sate and national body in tracking the potential available for future observation and use.” Nkantah said.

NFF close to Zenith Bank sponsorship –Amadu Manu

won the World Cup. “I was particularly impressed by the two well planned goals. The team will surely qualify for the World Cup and with the inclusion of other good players and good preparations we can conquer the world again. He added: “Good luck to the team in Niger as we shall keep on praying for

Seun Oladunjoye

he General Secretary, Nigerian Football Federation Musa Amadu, has confirmed the body’s drive to get sponsorship from one of the financial institutions in the country, Zenith Bank. Amadu mentioned that the sponsorship bid was very important and timely given the funding challenges the Federation faced in carrying out its various programmes.

“It is a challenge we have to face. So, let’s not lose focus, as funding has always been a perennial problem in the Federation. We have more programmes than the funds available to execute them,” he said. According to him, the bid to secure the sponsorship from Zenith Bank is at an advance stage. Amadu also said that the NFF was making plans to partner with airlines as a way of assisting in carrying out its activities.

“Also the NFF will be talking to and engaging with airline operators that share the same objectives to further aid our job,” Amadu added. The NFF scribe was very optimistic of getting the required funding, as there are strategies being put in place to attract more corporate partners to work with NFF in the year. This partnership, Amadu said, would deliver both short and long term programmes for the Federation.

International Sport 53

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015

Arsenal stun Man City at Etihad G oals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud stunned Manchester City as Arsenal became the first away side since August to snatch three points at the Etihad Stadium. The Gunners put in one of their most organised, disciplined performances of the season, snuffing out the Manchester side’s goal threat to overcome them on their home turh for the first time.

Cazorla netted the opener from the penalty spot on 24 minutes, following Vincent Kompany’s foul on Nacho Monreal, and then delivered the free-kick for Giroud to head home midway through the second half. The Gunners were content to try and hit City on the break and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain almost created an opening for Giroud when he galloped away from Martin Demichelis, but Kompany did enough to force

the ball behind. However, the City skipper was caught out by Monreal’s quick exchange of passes with Giroud and his trip on the Arsenal left-back immediately prompted referee Mike Dean to point to the spot. Joe Hart went the right way, but he was unable to keep out Cazorla’s perfectly-placed penalty – and Arsenal successfully protected their lead for the remainder of the first half.

Djokovic downplays illness

ovak Djokovic announced himself fit and raring to go in search of his fifth Australian Open title on Sunday after overCazorla (left) and Giroud coming a bout of illness that had prompted social media celebrating a goal users to suggest he was in doubt for the tournament. Djokovic had cancelled a practice session and news conference on Saturday, which prompted social media to go into overdrive, though the 27-year-old dispelled those rumours on Sunday. “I had a tough couple of days. But it’s all behind me now. I’m ready for the Open,” he said after a practice session on Rod Laver Arena. “Little bit with the flu and stomach. But I carried that already from the Middle East,” he added in reference to his withdrawal from an exhibition tournaMourinho ment in Abu Dhabi earlier

Chelsea won’t be remembered without trophies – Mourinho J ose Mourinho has played down his side’s emphatic 5-0 win away at Swansea City, claiming that it will count for nothing if the Blues don’t go on to secure silverware during the season. Oscar and Diego Costa both scored twice at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, with Andre Schurrle completing the rout which saw Chelsea go five points

clear at the top of the Premier League table. However, Mourinho told BBC Sport: “It was a perfect game - everything went in our direction. But there is no history without titles so if we play fantastic and don’t win cups noone will remember this team.” Chelsea last won the Premier League title in 2010.

Lars (left) and Sven Bender

earned a unanimous 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne on Saturday night (Sunday morning Nigerian time). The 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, who had never been past the fourth round in winning all 32 of his previous fights, emphatically answered any questions about his

ing it 120-107, and he won 119-108 and 118-109 on the other two scorecards. “I’m going to bring excitement back to the heavyweight division,” Wilder said. “I’m not going to sit around. Whoever is ready, I’m ready.” He added: “I think I answered a lot of questions tonight. We knew we could go 12 rounds, we knew we could take a punch.”

West Ham 3 – 0 Hull Man City 0 – 2 Arsenal Aston Villa 0 – 2 Liverpool Burnley 2 – 3 Crystal Palace Leicester 0 – 1 Stoke QPR 0 – 2 Man United Swansea 0 – 5 Chelsea Tottenham 2 – 1 Sunderland Newcastle 1 – 2 Southampton

Serie A Lazio 0 – 1 Napoli AC Milan 0 – 1 Atalanta Cesena 2 – 3 Torino Chievo 1 – 2 Fiorentina Genoa 3 – 3 Sassuolo Parma 0 – 2 Sampdoria Udinese 2 – 2 Cagliari Empoli 0 – 0 Inter Palermo 1 – 1 AS Roma

La Liga Getafe 0 – 3 Real Madrid

Djokovic

Wilder

Off-field issues behind me – Adebayor E mmanuel Adebayor has insisted that his recent off-field troubles are behind him and that he has no intention of leaving Tottenham Hotspur this month. The 30-year-old striker made his first appearance in over two months by coming off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Sunderland in the Premier League. Adebayor hadn’t played since November 9 following some minor injuries and family issues that included his mother reportedly practicing black magic on him. Asked if the issues are now resolved, Adebayor told PA: “I don’t know whether

European Premier League

this month, “but now it’s good. It’s passed.” The news that the top seed from Serbia had overcome his illness was a relief for the organisers, with the world number one a crowd favourite at Melbourne Park. He has won three of the past four finals and lost to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka last year in an epic quarter-final that finished 9-7 in the fifth set.

Hamann urges Wenger Wilder wins WBC heavyweight title Wilder stamina as he comfortably to sign Bender brothers Deontay became the first outpointed his Canadian ormer Liverpool midfielder Dietmar American to win a opponent. One ringside judge gave Hamann has urged Arsenal boss Ar- world heavyweight tiF sene Wenger to make a move for Lars and tle since 2006 when he Wilder every round, scorSven Bender. The German brothers are both defensive-minded midfielders, and Hamann believes that the pair will make great additions to the Gunners’ squad. The Mirror quotes Hamann as saying: “There are players out there, who would instantly make Arsenal a better team. They are supposed to be looking at Ilkay Gundogan at Borussia Dortmund. He’s a very good footballer – but he’s a typical Arsenal player. “He won’t want to do the dirty work. His instinct is to join in further up the pitch, get a few forward passes going and try to weigh in with a few goals. For me, Arsenal would be much better served, going for one of the Bender brothers, especially Lars. “Either of those boys would give Wenger something he hasn’t got in midfield. Someone who can read the game, is naturally defensively minded and who will thrive, operating in front of the back four, making sure Arsenal don’t get exposed.”

RESULTS

they are sorted out or not. But, for me, I’ve realised with my age that I just have to leave all these problems behind me and do what I love doing best, which is playing football. “So, sorted out? I don’t know. But behind me? Definitely, yes.”

Atletico 2 – 0 Granada Sociedad 0 – 1 Vallecano Valencia 3 – 2 Almeria Villarreal 2 – 0 Athletic Bilbao

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Team P GD 1 Chelsea 22 32 2 Man City 22 23 3 Southampton 22 21 4 Man Utd 22 15 5 Arsenal 22 14 6 Tottenham 22 2

Pts 52 47 42 40 39 37

7 West Ham 8 Liverpool 9 Swansea 10 Stoke 11 Newcastle 12 C/Palace 13 Everton 14 Aston Villa 15 West Brom 16 Sunderland 17 Burnley 18 Hull 19 QPR 20 Leicester

36 35 30 29 27 23 22 22 21 20 20 19 19 17

Liverpool back to top form – Rodgers

loss of “identity” was to blame for Liverpool’s poor start to the season, but Brendan Rodgers has warned they are returning to their best. Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool’s recent upturn in

fortunes is proof that his team has rediscovered their identity. Goals from Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert earned Liverpool a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa on Saturday, extending their unbeaten Premier

22 22 22 22 22 22 21 22 21 22 22

22 22 22

10 4 -4 -4 -9 -8 -4 -14 -9 -14 -15 -10 -16 -14

League run to six matches. Liverpool’s improved form has left them just five points adrift of the top four and manager Rodgers feels the team have found the sort of style that saw them miss out on the title by just two points last season.

SPORT

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Equatorial Guinea 2015 AFCON

Zambia, Congo share points

ambia and Congo drew 1-1 to open Group B at the African Cup of Nations on Sunday at a tiny new stadium carved out of the dense jungle in far northeastern Equatorial Guinea. Zambia’s Given Singuluma struck first after an early error by Congo goalkeeper Robert Kidiaba in the remote town of Ebebiyin. Results Zambia 1-1 Congo DR E/Guinea 1-1 Congo Burkina Faso 0-2 Gabon

Mashaba ready for tough Algerian test

outh Africa coach Shakes Mashaba is ready for their Africa Cup of Nations Group C opener against Algeria. Mashaba believes his South African players are ready for action as they look forward to Monday’s Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter with Algeria. Since taking over the reins in July last year, Mashaba has enjoyed an unbeaten start to life in charge of the nation. In nine matches, Bafana Bafana have won five and drawn four, and they come into the tournament in Equatorial Guinea high on confidence. “As I have already said, we inherited a very difficult group,” he said. “We will play Algeria, which is currently number one in Africa. They have very good players. “We know that the first game of a competition such as AFCON is never easy. No one can predict what will happen. “In any case, we are ready to give everything on the field to snatch a good result. We know that they are a dangerous team and they have many strengths. “From our side, we are prepared to counter it. Personally, I prefer to speak of my team who also holds strong points.”

Congo equalised in the 66th minute when Yannick Bolasie swept a shot into the top left corner after the ball fell to him on the edge of the area. Dieumerci Mbokani wasted a fine chance to level things up shortly after as he fired his volley over the bar from all of six yards out. Both sides had chances to add to the scoring as the first

half wore on; Rainford Kalaba forcing Robert Kidiaba into stopping his well-struck free kick, before Chancel Mbemba Mangulu headed Crystal Palace winger Bolasie’s cross over the bar. Kennedy Mweene produced a fine save to keep his side’s advantage intact on the half-hour mark, denying Bolasie’s drilled attempt on goal with his feet.

Aubameyang‘wantstobeoneofthegreats’

abon skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has declared his desire to become the next superstar of African football. After scoring in the 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, he said: “I try to do the maximum to be one of the greats like Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o. “I don’t feel any pressure to be like them, but there is maybe a level of expectation around me. “When people expect great things from you, you try to do great things.” The 25-year-old,

who plays his club football for German side Borussia Dortmund, has made the perfect start to Africa’s biggest football tournament. He set his side on the path to victory when he scored after 18 minutes and he was also involved in the second goal, which was netted by Malick Evouna in the second half. It is a stark contrast to Aubameyang’s last contribution to the 2012 tournament, which was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, when he missed the decisive penalty in a quarterfinal shoot-out defeat to Mali.

The Borussia Dortmund star stated further: “For this competition, we are starting from scratch. It’s a new tournament and it has begun well for me with a goal. “I hope we reach the quarter-finals again this time, and if we get another penalty then I will score it.” Having beaten the team which coach Jorge Costa described as the strongest in Group A, Gabon could qualify for the last eight with victory over Congo on Wednesday, providing the result in the other game, between Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso, goes their way.

quatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker believes his side did not have the fitness needed to hang on to victory over Congo on Saturday. The Africa Cup of Nations hosts drew 1-1 after conceding in the 87th minute of the opening game of the tournament. Becker, officially appointed only 11 days before the game, said: “We didn’t have time to work on the physical side.

Dortmund target Kevin Mirallas transfer

vertonwingerKevinMirallasisbeingtargetE edbyGermangiantsBorussiaDortmund as the Germans look to get their season

backontrackaccordingtotheDailyMirror. Mirallas told the British press that he wasputtingcontracttalksonholduntilthe end of the season but stories linking the player with the exit door at Goodison Park have surfaced. The Belgian only has 18 months left on his current deal and has put all talk of a new deal on hold until the summer and that has led to stories of Jurgen Klopps team wanting the former Olympiakos winger to help them move up from second bottom in the German league.

Inler going nowhere, says Napoli

sporting director, Riccardo BiNplansapoli gon, has insisted that the club has no to sell Liverpool target, midfielder

Gokhan Inler. The 30-year-old Swiss international has been in and out of Rafael Benitez’s Napoli side this season and has not seen a single minute of league action since the start of last month. It is believed that the player is frustrated at being consistently ignored for selection and is looking for a way out of the club, news which is sure to have placed his suitors on red alert. But Bigon has rubbished such speculation and stressed that Napoli have no intention of selling a player whom they consider an important part of their squad.

van Gaal to beat Chelsea to Pique signature

anchester United coach, Louis van M Gaal, is hoping to bring Barcelona defender Gerard Pique back to Man-

chester United with a £15m bid. Van Gaal is understood to be in the market for defensive reinforcements during the January window after suffering a number of injuries over the first-half of the season. The Dutch tactician has been forced to call on academy players Tyler Blackett, 20, and Paddy McNair, 19.

Madrid to offer £78m for Paul Pogba

eal Madrid are considering an audacious Rdespite bid to bring Paul Pogba to the Bernabeu continued interest from Chelsea

and Manchester City. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has an embarrassment of riches in midfield, but with Gareth Bale linked with a Premier League return, the Juventus star would be an attractive option for the Spanish giants. The Star on Sunday says a £78m bid is on the cards to tempt the Serie A side to part with their biggest asset.

Milan giants to battle for Mbia C Milan and Inter Milan are reportA edly interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Stephane Mbia.

Aubameyang (middle)

Equatorial Guinea not well prepared–Becker E

Transfer News

“We did let it slip at the end, we were meant to win. But we left a great impression out there.” Equatorial skipper Emilio Nsue put his side ahead early in the first half but Congo fought back strongly after the interval and their pressure paid off when Thievy Bifouma struck with three minutes remaining. Becker added: “I had 15 days to prepare with

them and there are also a lot of new, young players. It was difficult to plan to try and peak all the preparations.” However, the Argentine believes the team “still has a chance to get some good results.” Congo’s next Group A game is on Wednesday against Burkina Faso, who were surprisingly beaten 2-0 by Gabon in their opener on Saturday.

The Cameroun international joined the La Liga club on a permanent basis last summer, after impressing during his loan from Queens Park Rangers. However, he is out of contract at the end of the season and L’Equipe has reported that the two Milan clubs have made initial contact with Mbia in an attempt to sign him. Mbia is currently on international duty with Cameroun at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mourinho rules out Salah exit

helsea boss Jose Mourinho has ruled out a January exit for outCof-favour winger Mohamed Salah,

Action between host Equatorial Guinea and Congo

insisting that he cannot afford to leave himself short. Speculation is rife that the 22-yearold could leave Stamford Bridge on loan this month, with his agent recently revealing negotiations with Itali a n side Roma. The Egypt international, also a reported Besiktas target, is yet to start a Premier League game this season, but Mourinho admits that a move away is unlikely. “He can’t leave, I have 20 players now with Didier [Drogba] a bit ill and [Cesar] Azpilicueta injured,” he told reporters.

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Of prophecies and realities GUEST COLUMNIST Adewale Kupoluyi

n the wave of serious politicking going on in the country, many things are happening. Politicians are busy campaigning and reaching out to everyone in their bid to win elective posts in the general elections coming up next month. As the political gladiators are canvassing for votes, floods of predictions continue to flow in on what the election climate would look like as well as its outcome, most especially, the presidential race. One thing that is interesting, though troubling, is the seemingly conflicting prophecies on the subject-matter, going by media reports. Then we should ask, is it not possible to have the same prediction since the ‘source’ of the message should be same, though the messenger may differ? Then, what could have gone wrong? Why? And at what point? With due respect to all the contestants, the presidential race is certainly going to be a tough contest mainly between the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Could this envisaged fierce battle at the polls account for why most of the predictions revolve around the duo? Anyway, let’s spend a few minutes to ruminate over some of the prophecies. Barely less than a month after anointing the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, assuring her of the husband’s re-election, a catholic priest and founder of the Adoration Ministry in Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, surprised many on the eve of the New Year, when he declared that President Jonathan will now lose the election claiming that he (Jonathan) “had become a bad luck to Nigerians”. Primate Theophilus Olabayo, the Pastor and founder of the Evangelical Church of Yahweh, Lagos, said “God told me that they are going to rig the election and this will cause an upheaval and the results of the election will not be declared and if the result is declared, the winners of the election will not govern. But my advice to our politicians is that they should let the President (Jonathan) go peacefully and retire to his village”. An Enugubased prophet, Anthony Nwoko, on his part predicted that “neither Jonathan nor his main opponent, Buhari, will be president after the election”. Prophet Joshua Iginla of the Champions Royal Assembly said Jonathan would win and return to the Aso Rock Villa, noting that Nigeria would not split over the elections. “Jonathan is going to win the whole elections and there is no doubt about it. It is not because Jonathan is the perfect man but I think the unity of Nigeria is most important. I thank God for the opposition party because they are going to do well but they are not the dream party that God will raise to take the ‘baton’ from PDP”, he alleged.

Jonathan

Buhari

Mbaka

Ashimolowo

Prophet Williams Onuoha, the General Overseer of Galilee Christian Centre, Lagos had predicted that “the current governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, would become Nigeria’s president”, unless the governor failed to adhere to God’s direction. All that is now history as APC has held its presidential primary and Okorocha is out of the race! Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide had alleged that “the election would be a replica of June 12” (the annulled 1993 presidential election), urging Jonathan to be prayerful. The founder of the Christ Royal Family Church, Lagos, Bishop Tom Samson, had advised Nigerians to brace up for some “hardship and darkness in the first half of this year” (election period). Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), said “when the President’s name is announced (as winner of the election), 20 percent of a certain part of the nation will not agree. Eventually, after negotiation they will. We will agree that we’re one”.

The founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church in Lagos, Primate Elijah Babatunde, had declared that “President Jonathan will do everything to win a second term but he needs 14 days prayer to have a peaceful reign to enable him complete a second term, if elected and that the international community and some heads of states will attempt to work against his re-election. No matter what, Jonathan will be the last PDP President in Nigeria. I don’t see a landslide victory in the presidential election. To be frank, neither the victory of Jonathan nor Buhari can guarantee peace”. Prophet Michael Olubode, aka Micadeolu of the Celestial Church of Christ, Lagos, said “I want to let the people of Nigeria know that the Lord will return His Excellency, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to his presidential seat. Despite many hatred for him, it pleases the Lord God of Celestial to increase his tenure at the Presidential Villa”, while the General Overseer of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, aka Liberation City, Dr. Chris Oka-

for, revealed that “President Jonathan will again win the next election and if he doesn’t, that means he (Okafor), wasn’t called of God”. A few years back, Dr. Olapade Agoro, former National Chairman, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and a former chairman and presidential candidate of the National Action Council (NAC), who once declared that he will “still be president of this country”, warned that “a state of anarchy is looming over Nigeria”. Agoro, who is also a priest and religious leader, combines his ecclesiastic duties with the functions of a traditional ruler, being the Owa of Itapa, a community in Obokun, Osun State. No doubt, prophecy had always stood conspicuously in the religious and socio-political life of the ancient Israelites. The sacerdotal order was originally a platform by which the members of the Jewish theocracy were taught and governed. The prophets were men who spoke up in God’s name at such times, to rebuke the rulers and to point out the right way that God really wanted them to go. For instance, despite the imminent danger, the risk of losing his life, and King David’s intimidating position and status, Prophet Nathan summoned courage and went to the king to deliver God’s verdict that he had terribly sinned. While it is difficult to say which prophecy is real or not, what remains sacrosanct is the unique role that men of God could play in transforming the society positively with their revelations, whether pleasant or not. Regrettably, our society today is enmeshed in so much rot that genuine intervention of leaders like prophets could make a big difference. They should be capable of moulding the conscience of the people to make them good, patriotic citizens. Rather, the reverse is the case, prophecy is thriving, yet evil and vices seem to be booming in the same proportion with which prophethood is growing, so also is the large scale manifestation of corruption, criminality, moral decadence, insecurity, poverty and impunity pervading our country. The society is not better-off today probably because many prophets have failed to deliver their ‘bitter’ prophecies to those in authority. False prophecy is deadlier than an atomic bomb. A few years ago, countries were foretold of an imminent end of the world, on December 12, 2012. The colossal loss of lives and property that trailed the failed prophesy could better be imagined, as we recall the unfulfilled prophecy of the ancient Maya. That is why prophecies and realities should elicit much interest and concern to us all. Certainly, the nation will be better-off when such prophecies are real and fearlessly revealed, irrespective of whose ox is gored but anything short of this would only amount to mere spiritual hallucination! • Kupoluyi writes from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), adewalekupoluyi@yahoo. co.uk, Twitter, @AdewaleKupoluyi

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