Monday, march 16, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

A media partner of Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS /newtelegraph

Vol. 2 No. 390

Monday, March 16, 2015

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

12 pages of international new york times

Kalu: Why I’m back in Senate race lOther candidates quiver as ex-governor arrives Abia

Ayodele Ojo and Norman Obinna

ormer Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, is back in the race to represent Abia North at the Senate.

Kalu, who is contesting the March 28 senatorial election on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA),

told reporters at the weekend in his Igbere country home, Abia State, that he was drafted back into the race by stakeholders in his

constituency, adding that his decision to bow to his constituents’ pressure was borne out of his desire to CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

N150

}23

12 days to go... Nigeria Nigeria votes votes

2015

5 201}14-15

Expatriate oil workers panic over elections

lFix leave for poll period over fears of violence

Quick Read Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza (fifth from right) with award recipients during the UBA CEO Awards Night organised to reward star performers in the organisation, in Lagos...at the weekend.

Obasanjo: Nigerians will vote for change Your guide to local and international flights }4

Dubai

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday told Nige-

rians to expect change in the forthcoming general elections. Obasanjo, while fielding questions from reporters after speaking at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

‘

I believe that our election when it comes less than two weeks from now, it will bring about a change; either change of policy or change of direction or change of regime or change of personality

‘

Travel Advisory

Temitope Ogunbanke

Editorial

Celebrating the Nigerian woman

}19

INEC rules out sabotage as fire guts warehouse}12

News

MONday, March 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Expatriate oil workers panic over elections Adeola Yusuf

n anticipation of likely breakout of electoral violence during the forthcoming elections, expatriate oil workers have begun jetting out of Nigeria, a move, which is expected to climax this week, New Telegraph has learnt. A recent survey by the Hays, a global recruitment firm, showed that Nigeria has an average of 2, 100 expatriate workers in its oil, gas and extractive industry. It was learnt at the weekend that many of the expatriates had fixed their leave period to accommodate their exit from Nigeria during the forthcoming general elections. The first stanza of the general elections holds on March 28 with the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections while the governorship and state legislative elections will hold on April 11. “It is true that there is a temporary mass exodus of expatriate workers in our industry. The official reason many of them are giving is that they want to proceed on leave, but there is a general notion here that it will not be unconnected to the forthcoming elections. “I want to believe that this is also happening in other sectors, but I can only talk of the oil industry because this is the one I know. But you will not blame them because the tension generated by the approaching election is becoming unbearable for many who have little or no stake in the country. “The expatriate oil workers will definitely be back, they only need to be away during the elections as a major safety precaution,” a member of management staff of one of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria told New Telegraph on condition of anonymity. A recent global oil and gas salary survey by Hay showed that Nigeria’s expatriate oil workers are the highest paid in Africa and 11th highest paid in the world with an average annual salary of $140, 800. The survey, which was based on the responses of 25, 000 people working in the oil and gas industry across 53 countries, also showed that South Africa’s local workers in the country’s oil and gas sector are the highest paid in Africa, with an annual average salary of $75, 300. The United States had earlier issued travel ban to its citizens, cautioning them against travelling to

Nigeria during the elections. The country, in a statement, also identified Rivers, Borno and Yobe states as possible trouble spots for violence during the elections. Besides, it was also gathered that the elections, which are coming up at a time of oil price rout, are impairing investments in

the Nigeria’s oil industry. Chevron Corporation, third biggest oil company in Nigeria, has, on the premise of price rout, officially declared that it has put new investments on hold until 2017. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. John Watson, said the corporation was also planning an in-

crease in asset sales by 50 per cent to $15 billion. The oil firm had, as part of the ongoing divestment in Nigeria, announced plans to sell $800 million assets to a consortium led by Seplat Petroleum Development Company. This measure, according to Watson, was to save the company from crunch after plunging oil prices

squeezed cash flow for the second-biggest U.S. energy producer. "Chevron’s divestment of oil and natural gas fields and other exploration and production assets will continue through 2017," he said. Capital spending will decline through the period as construction of megaprojects such as the $54

billion Gorgon gas-export development in Australia winds down, he said. Oil has lost about half its value since late June amid weakening international demand growth and rising supplies from US shale formations. Tens of thousands of jobs have been cut across the industry as companies curb spending.

The new Oyingbo Market, built by the Lagos State Government. (Inset) Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (right) unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the market. With him are Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat (left); Opeluwa of Lagos, Chief Lateef Ajose; Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson; Iyaloja General, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo and Managing Director, Palmyra Limited Corporation, Mr. Ziad Saimua in Lagos...yesterday.

Again, Dickson on collision course with Presidency, PDP Donald Ojogo Abuja

he suppressed cold war between the Bayelsa State governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, and the Presidency has taken a new twist with strong indications that he has snubbed the directive of the national leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reinstate the sacked state chairman of the party, Colonel Sam Inokuba (rtd). This development is coming less than two weeks to the March 28 presidential election. New Telegraph gathered from a top presidency source that both President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu'azu, are unhappy that the governor had "allowed two major issues to slip off his hands within three weeks." The source mentioned the issues as the sacked chairman's fate that is hanging as well as the controversy surrounding the handling of the Bayelsa segment of the recently approved pipeline surveillance jobs contracted out by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to former creek

warlords in the Niger Delta. While Inokuba was removed as state chairman of the PDP in controversial circumstances arising from alleged mishandling of campaign donations by Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the NNPC surveillance package has torn apart Governor Dickson and the ex-militants who on Friday protested against suspected moves by the Bayelsa State Government to play the role of a principal stakeholder in the deal. The pipeline surveillance package was one of the components of the Federal Government's peace carrot dangled by the administration of the late president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in the build-up to the Amnesty offer in 2009. According to the source, the leadership of the PDP was already considering sanctions against the governor but for the likely implications and setbacks it would attract to the nationwide campaigns of President Jonathan. "What is happening in the president's home state is highly embarrassing and unbecoming; to be candid, the issue of the

sacked chairman was as avoidable as that of the pipeline controversy that the governor has involved himself. "The unfortunate thing is that allowing these two major issues to slip off his hands within three weeks is rather regrettable and I can tell you that Mr. President and even the national chairman did not find it funny when reports filtered in that the Bayelsa State Government's move to play a major role in the pipeline surveillance has resulted in protests by exmilitants.” Emboldened by the imminent faceoff between the presidency and the governor, ex-militants in the state have vowed to stop the move by the governor to split the pipeline package into two segments. Spokesman of the disarmed warlords, Eris Paul, popularly known as "General Ogunboss" told our correspondent in an exclusive interview that the move being planned by Governor Dickson was 'tyrannical and unacceptable'. "We will not allow Governor Dickson and his family to reap where he did not sow; the man has suddenly turned a tyrant

as soon as he became governor. Where was he when we executed the initial contract? He was part of those who benefitted from our magnanimity as a member of the House of Representatives because we ensured an even and equitable distribution of the 2,400 slots that were allocated to BAJERO which is the company that was awarded the surveillance job. "Today, Governor Dickson says we are not capable of handling the job, we are asking him to also show us capacity that he has fairly and transparently handled and managed the 13 per cent meant to develop the oil-bearing communities in the state. He has the capacity to do so much if truly he wants to transform and restore Bayelsa state,” he said. Though the state government was not forthcoming on the fate of the sacked state chairman of the PDP, it explained the rationale behind its interest in the pipeline deal for the ex-militants. The establishment of the state-owned Izon-Ibe Security Company was part of efforts to address the challenge of youth unemployment, it said.

The state government, in a Government House statement, expressed displeasure that such exmilitants were being used by those it described as misguided politicians to embark on senseless public demonstrations within and outside the state capital. “Sadly, these ex-militants, who have mismanaged the Amnesty programme to short change their followers, are again planning to use the innocent youths to play out the script of their sponsors to malign the state government and destabilise the state for their selfish financial interest. “The position of the government is that, pipeline surveillance contracts are not for ex-militant leaders alone, most of whom hail from a particular local government area. The state-owned security company is for all persons in the state and will ensure that they are made to carry out their duties effectively. There are youths from other local government areas that must benefit from these contracts and not just Bajeros whose promoters are only from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.”

NEW TELEGRAPH MONday, March 16, 2015

Travel Advisory

MONday, March 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

International Flight Schedule Air France

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

Flight No. AF 513 AF 3822 AF514 AF513 AF514 AF3849

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

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

Amsterdam-Lagos Lagos-Amsterdam

KL587 KL588

13:15hrs 23:05hrs

20:00hrs 05:50hrs

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

Lagos-London London-Lagos Lagos-New York

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

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

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

BRITISH AIRWAYS

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

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

Lagos-Cairo Cairo-Lagos

MS 876 MS 875

14:25hrs 08:30hrs

22:20hrs 13:30hrs

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS

16:00hrs

Lagos-Kigali

11:15hrs

16:45hrs

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

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

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

14:00hrs

17:30hrs

22:35hrs 15:10hrs

06:00hrs 21:20hrs

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

hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

01:00hrs

hrs

3:00hrs 14:00hrs

8:00hrs 19:00hrs

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

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

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

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

Lagos-Madrid Madrid-Lagos

IB 3337 IB 3336

22:55hrs 16:00hrs

5:25+1hrs 20:20hrs

Lagos-Casablanca Casablanca-Lagos

AT738 AT 737

06:25hrs 02:15hrs

09:55hrs 6:00hrs

air maroc

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

12:30hrs

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

IBERIA

Abu Dhabi-Lagos

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

19:35hrs 23:45hrs

MEA 571 MEA 572

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

Lagos- Abu Dhabi

ETIHAD AIRWAYS

12:30hrs 18:00hrs

to Lagos)

UNITED AIRLINES

17:00hrs 4:40hrs

KQ 533 KQ 534

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

DELTA AIRLINES

11:00hrs 22:40hrs

Lagos-Nairobi Nairobi-Lagos

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

QATAR AIRWAYS

VS 652 VS 651

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

BA075 BA074 BA 082 BA 083

EMIRATES AIRLINES

Lagos-London London-Lagos

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

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

Lebanon-Lagos Lagos-Lebanon

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

Turkish Airlines

Lagos-Istanbul Nairobi-Lagos

332 333

Air Côte d'Ivoire Lagos to Abidjan Abidjan to Lagos

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

ASKY AIRLINES

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

10:10hrs

10:50hrs

19:20hrs

21.50hrs

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

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

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

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

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

Local FLIGHT SCHEDULE ARIK AIR

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:00; 09:00; 11:00 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00; 20:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 09:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 (SAT) 07:00; 11:00; 15:00 (SUN) 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 09:00; 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 (SAT) 07:30; 11:30; 09:00; 13:00; 17:00 (SUN) 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 ABUJA-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30; 16:50 (SAT/SUN) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30 PORT-HARCOURT-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10; 18:30 (SAT/SUN) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10

AZMAN FLIGHT SCHEDULE

WEEKLY SCHEDULE Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 12:40pm

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

FIRST NATION AIRWAYS

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06.50; 09:30; 11:45; 16:00 (SAT) 06:50; 11:45 (SUN) 11:45; 16:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 11:30; 13:40;18:30 (SAT) 09:00; 13:40 (SUN) 13:40; 18:30 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 14:45

(SAT) 16:15 (SUN) 14:45 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:50 (SAT) 18:20 (SUN) 16:50

AEROCONTRACTORS

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06:50; 13:30; 16:30; 19:45 (SAT/SUN) 12:30; 16:45 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 13:00; 19:00 (SAT) 12:30 (SUN) 15:30

MEDVIEW AIRLINES

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:50; 12:00; 15:30 (SAT) 10:00; 15:00 (SUN) 17:30; 18:30 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 14:00, 15:00; 18:30

OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00

NEW TELEGRAPH MONday, March 16, 2015

Army set to court-martial two Generals, soldiers over Baga lAir Force pounds Boko Haram hideouts in Borno, Yobe

Emmanuel Onani

he Nigerian Army is set to inaugurate the longawaited General Court-Martial to try over 30 senior officers, including two Brigadier-Generals and soldiers. New Telegraph gathered from highly-placed military sources that the first Brigadier General will face the court-martial, to be inaugurated on March 20, over the circumstances that led to the fall of Baga in Borno State to

Boko Haram fighters who sacked the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which the General commanded. It was further gathered that the other Brigadier General, will stand trial for an offence bordering on the management of Army’s Post Housing Scheme. Those to be arraigned on Friday before the courtmartial include three Lieutenant Colonels, one Major and three Captains, among other soldiers. One of the sources said

the court-martial would be presided over by Major General Edokpayi. "The Convening Order, which I have seen and which has already been signed, said the court martial will be inaugurated tentatively on Friday, March 20. "The court martial will be headed by Major General Edokpayi with other members and a Waiting Member; all are Major Generals, since the senior officers are Brigadier Generals. "Others that I know will

face trial are three Lieutenant Colonels, a Major, and three Captains. "They have all been posted for jurisdiction at the Army Headquarters (AHQ) Garrison in Abuja," a source said. Another senior military source, said: "Two Brigadier Generals are to face trial before a CourtMartial, which will be inaugurated on Friday. "There is most likely to be an amended Convening Order, to reflect new developments like some soldiers that may have been sent

back for summary trials such as AWOL (Absence Without Official Leave) and others that were newly posted for jurisdiction. "Let me also inform you that the Judge Advocate will be Lieutenant Colonel Ukpe Ukpe, while the Leaf Prosecuting Counsel will be Captain Okonkwo." Efforts to get the spokesman for the Army Headquarters (AHQ), Colonel Aliyu Yusuf to corroborate the report failed, as he neither picked calls put to his phone, nor did he reply to a text message sent to him. Baga, which fell to Boko Haram in January, has

since been retaken by the military. Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said the Nigerian Air Force jets are continuing with bombardment of identified Boko Haram hideouts in Borno and Yobe states. The disclosure was made yesterday in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, and sent to PRNigeria. The statement said several sorties were being flown into the area in furtherance of the mission.

Obasanjo: Nigerians will vote for change CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan (left) receiving a souvenir from the wife of the chaplain, Aso Villa Chapel, Mrs. Ntasiobi Onwuzurumba, during a church service to mark this year's Mother's Day in Abuja...yesterday

Alison-Madueke urges Reps to pass PIB Philip Nyam Abuja

he Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has called on the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before the end of the current Assembly in June. The House of Representatives is presently on recess and is due to reconvene after the presidential elections. Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the minister said the Executive had done its bit on the bill and it now behoves on the National Assembly to do the needful. According to her, the bill is very crucial in the transformation of the oil

and gas sector and the earlier they pass it into law the better for the nation. "We have done our part at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and we expect that the lawmakers will equally do their bit by ensuring that the bill becomes law. "We believe it is never too late, the Assembly has about three months till the end of its session." It will be recalled that the House of Representatives had last Thursday received the report of its ad hoc committee on PIB. Speaking on efforts being made by the government to create jobs, the minister said the ministry has begun “training of youths in Ahoada, Ogba-Egbema, Ndoni Federal constituency of Rivers State, capacity de-

velopment of petroleum engineers, chemical engineers and geologists and upscaling managerial competence in oil and gas; training of youth on skill acquisition in areas such as wire line, electrical installations, carpentry including the Federal Government Amnesty Programme.” On gas flaring, she disclosed that the Federal Government has been able to reduce average gas flare from 14 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent in 2014 through the gas monetisation project. The minister added that the National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) has increased its production capacity from 130,000 barrels per day to 205,007 barrels per day.

She said as at the end of 2014, crude oil production stood at over 2.24 million barrels per day in spite of all the attendant challenges of crude theft and pipeline vandalism. According to her, the government enhanced gas infrastructure by adding new Central Processing Facilities along critical gas pipelines thereby “boosting gas supply to power with current ability to support 5,800MW of generating capacity, with all completed power plants connected to permanent gas supply lines.” Speaking on the achievements recorded by the ministry in 2014, the minister disclosed that in 2014, the NNPC Retail Limited increased operational stations from 432 in 2013 to 496 in 2014.

two-day Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) 2015 in Dubai on ‘growing problem of attacks on schools,’ said the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria would bring about a change. He also knocked President Goodluck Jonathan for the poor handling of the Boko Haram insurgency. According to him, the good thing about democracy is that it brings change, such as Nigerians will witness in the forthcoming general elections. He said: “The good thing about democracy which we are trying to practice in Nigeria is that the people have a choice; people have a choice of making the incumbent to bring about a change; a change of policy, change of direction or in the alternative, the people bring about a change; change of regime, change of personality. And I believe that our election, when it comes less than two weeks from now, will bring about a change; either change of policy or change of direction or change of regime or change of personality. “I pray and I hope that that we will have a free, fair, uninterrupted, transparent, credible election. What is important in any election is to ensure that nobody is disenfranchised and those who want to vote are able to vote freely and uninterrupted. And the result is not interfered with in any way. “I will decide who I will vote for when the time comes for me to vote. When the time comes for me to endorse anybody, I will say who I endorse. But people are putting words into my mouth and for now I will split it out.” Obasanjo also denied

tearing his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card. “I didn’t tear my PDP membership card; somebody else tore it because I said to him, ‘here is the card, do whatever you like with it. If you like, keep it; if you like tear it, if you like burn it. Here it is because they say it is giving them concern and they don’t know what is happening.’ I do that to prove to them what is happening. At the moment, I do not possess the card of any political party,” he said. Obasanjo, in his address, gave an insight into why the Boko Haram insurgency worsened under the Jonathan administration. He accused the president of not paying much attention to the insurgency until it was too late. He said the activities of the sect escalated under the Jonathan administration due to politicisation of Boko Haram. “When Boko Haram started about four years ago, the present government saw it as a manifestation of the certain areas of the country that does not support the government, rather than seeing it as menace. So, it took about three years before government really came to the realisation that Boko Haram is more than an antigovernment group. “When the news of the abduction of the (Chibok) girls came to the president the morning after the night that it was done, the president’s reaction was that it cannot be true. And if it cannot be true, then you don’t have to do anything about it. And, for 18 days, the president didn’t even have any meaningful discussion with the governor of Borno State, CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

MONday, March 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC slams Lamido for discrediting Buhari's credentials Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) yesterday slammed the governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, for trying to discredit the leadership credentials of the party’s presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari. APC alleged that Lamido was given special assignment by the presidency to speak against the north and questioning Buhari's leadership quality. Addressing a press conference yesterday, Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO, Mallam Garba Shehu, stated that Lamido has not been able to attract President Goodluck Jonathan's elections windfall to the North. Shehu, briefing journalists yesterday on Lamido's plans to discredit Buhari, said: "We just got information that all FRCN stations have been directed to link up for a live interview to be granted by Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State about now. The contents of the interview as agreed with Vice-

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

31o C 28oC Cloudy

ABUJA

21oC

12oC

Rain Storms

PORT HARCOURT

24oC

19oC

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President Namadi Sambo and President Jonathan are to essentially damage General Muhammadu Buhari along the following lines that GMB will be a figurehead while Osinbajo will be the de facto president. He will give examples of GMB's leadership style mentioning late Maj.-Gen. Tunde

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like to point to Governor Lamido’s audience members include: Lamido had been pressured to do the interview because of the EFCC pressure on his sons' corruption charges; Lamido has never worked near or with GMB to know his leadership style. Those working closely with him in the APC know other-

wise. When did Lamido become a spokesman for the North? "What did he and other Jonathan apologists negotiate for the North as the South-West has been doing with Jonathan in the last two weeks? Of the millions of the US dollars that Mr. Jonathan has allegedly been sharing to traditional

and religious leaders in the South-West, how much of it did Lamido negotiate and obtain on behalf of the Northern traditional and religious leaders? As a self-appointed Northern interest spokesman, what is his response to the pejorative references made by Mrs. Patience Jonathan about Northerners?"

L-R: Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, during Kwankwaso's visit to Tinubu in Lagos...yesterday.

Gunmen kill 80, burn houses in Benue Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

o fewer than 80 people have been reportedly killed and thousands others rendered homeless in fresh attack on Egba village in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State. More than 500 houses have also been set ablaze by the invaders. The attack was carried out by gunmen yesterday. Egba is the village of the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) deputy governorship running mate, Mr. John Ngbede, who lamented over the gruesome killings. New Telegraph gathered that the gunmen invaded the community at about 5a.m., surrounded the entire village and began sporadic shootings during which 80 people were killed in the process. Witnesses also told our correspondent that 80 corpses have so far been recovered with many of them picked from different locations in the bush as

the victims were trying to escape from the invaders. Ngbede told reporters that 60 bodies have been found, while several others are missing. He blamed the attack on the failure of Federal Government in responding to distress calls made by the people. He called for the deployment of troops to the area. "We have made several presentations and appeals to the Federal Government to establish a military post in the towns bordering our area to avert these

incessant attacks but to no avail. My people have been continually attacked and killed like animals and the Federal Government has not shown any concerns. This is really painful," Ngbede lamented. Confirming the incidence, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, however said, 30 persons were killed. The police boss said as soon as he got wind of the invasion, he swiftly deployed dozens of his men to the scene who combed

the entire village to forestall further attacks as well as protect the lives and property of the people. Just recently 36 persons were killed as seven villages were overran by suspected Fulani herdsmen in a clash between gunmen and farmers in the local government. The carnage occurred barely two days after some assailants struck at Ikpele and Okpopolo communities of the state, killing seven farmers and displacing over 6,000 inhabitants.

FG resumes auction process of 2.6GHz spectrum Kunle Azeez

IBADAN

Idiagbon (COS-SHQ) and Salihijo (PTF)." Shehu stated that Lamido would claim that the presidency of Buhari would be unfair to the North as the South-West will be indirectly getting another term of office as president in addition to the Obasanjo years. "A few things we will

elecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), yesterday resumed the process for the auction of the 2.6 gigahertz spectrum in the country. This was announced in a statement signed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah. "The NCC on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, hereby inform parties interested in par-

ticipating in the Auction of Frequency Spectrum Licenses in the 2.6 GHz band that the process has resumed. "The Information Memorandum (IM) giving details of the requirements, revised timetable, and the auction process, has been published on the commission’s website,” Juwah stated. The commission had, on November 12, 2014, suspended indefinitely the sales of 2.6GHz spectrum band earlier scheduled to hold 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 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. CORRINGENDUM The headline of the lead story on page 6 of Friday, March 13, 2015 edition of the newspaper should have read: At last, Reps receive Petroleum Industry Bill report. The error is regretted. –Editor

News

NEW TELEGRAPH MONday, March 16, 2015

Other candidates quiver as Kalu arrives Abia CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

serve the people. He said: "Two weeks ago, traditional rulers, students and other stakeholders came to me in Abuja on a visit. Their mission was to ask me to go for the Senate. They said they wanted me there and that some people who are parading themselves cannot do the job. They said those who have indicated interest in the job are just thinking about their selfish interests and not the interest of the people. I told them I would think about it." He added that his constituents are giving him the needed support for the election. "Interestingly, professors from different universities, top businessmen and prominent people from my senatorial district even added that I don't need to spend one kobo for the campaign that they will foot the campaign bills. "They just want me to agree to represent them at the Senate knowing my ability to give them robust and effective representation. With these developments, I’m running for the Senate on the platform of PPA," Kalu stated. On how he will cope with the senatorial task

giving his flourishing business empire, he said that would not be a problem. “I was governor here for eight years and I sat here to do the job. I am going to do this job for the best interest of the people of our senatorial district and indeed Nigerians. I am going to be among the foremost senators Nigeria will ever produce. The politics of today requires the input of global businessmen,” he added. On what he would do at the Senate, he said: “It is going to be a tug of war because people like me will be in the minority. But I thank God that I have capacity to lobby and move things around. So, I believe that I will be able to do a lot in support of good policies that will be able to enhance the development of Nigeria.” On the choice of platform, he said there was no much difference between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and PPA. “There is no difference between PDP and PPA because PDP is the senior brother of PPA. They have a great alliance and that alliance has always been there,” he said. Kalu said he was confident of winning the sena-

torial election provided it is free and fair. He also said he didn’t lose the last election because he was not permitted to vote. “I did not vote. So, I didn’t lose. They caged me into my house with four Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). You know what happened. “It will not happen again! We are ready for them; we are not going to take it from anybody. The governor cannot try it. If he tries it, it would be the end of his administration because I have left him for too long and this is the last opportunity I am giving him. I kept quiet because of President Goodluck Jonathan because I don’t want a crisis here for him. The governor is very incompetent, he is unreasonable and he is a liar,” he said. He expressed optimism that Jonathan will win the March 28 presidential election. Kalu said: “My view is very straight. It is going to be very tight and that is why we here must work very hard. Remember in September 2014 when Channels Television interviewed me, I said then that it would be balance

are you the one we are looking for? A fast-growing newspaper needs the services of the following: 1. Online Editor 2. Production Editors 3. Head, Supplement 4. Business Development Executives – South East, South South and North West ONliNE EDitOr: Candidate for this post must have at least a first degree in Mass Communication, Social Sciences or Arts and 10 years’ post-qualification experience, four of which must be in the online department of a reputable newspaper. The candidate must have good writing and editing skills, news judgment and be Internet savvy. He must be able to generate content for the web edition of the newspaper. PrODuctiON EDitOrS: Candidates for the post must have at least first degree in Mass Communication, Social Sciences or Arts and 10 years’ post-qualification experience, four of which must be in a similar position. In addition, the candidates should have strong computer skill and an eye for details. They should be able to drive the production process in such an efficient manner to ensure that the production deadline is timely met. HEaD, SuPPlEmENt: Candidate for the post must have at least first degree in Mass Communication, Social Sciences or Arts and seven years’ post-qualification experience. He/she must have strong editorial background with good writing skills. He must have proven track record in supplements and event execution and must be able to conceive and execute revenue-generating ideas. Business Development Executives in: i. South East ii. South South iii. North West Candidates for the post must possess a minimum of HND/BSC in Mass Communication, Marketing or Social Sciences with at least 3 years’ post qualification experience in similar position. He/She must have very strong communication skill and must be able to meet required sales target. Such candidates are also expected to reside in zones applied for. interested candidates should direct their applications to tHE HEaD, aDmiNiStratiON, DailY tElEGraPH PuBliSHiNG cOmPaNY limitED, 1, aJimOBi StrEEt, OFF acmE rOaD, aGiDiNGBi, iKEJa, laGOS or newjobstoday2015@gmail.com. The applications should reach the company within one-week of the publication of these vacancies.

of terror and many people in PDP wanted to kill me. When I came back to Abuja many of them were bashing me and saying that we have already won with 70 per cent, but I told them that you people are not reading the handwriting. It was then I told Nigerians that Jonathan has done a lot for Nigeria but that nobody was publicising it. That statement almost cost me the Senate seat because they believed that I was too vocal in telling them the truth. That was loyalty.” On the chances of Jonathan in the election, he said: “The president has a chance but the winning is not going to be a landslide. It is going to be a very tight victory. But I doubt what will happen in the National Assembly as the PDP may win one chamber and the APC the other and that is the balance of terror which I said. The president will win with two or three per cent. However, the interest of Kalu in the senatorial race has sent jitters to other

candidates. Abia, especially the Abia North Senatorial District, was agog at the weekend following the arrival of Kalu, to formalise his campaign. There have been speculations whether Kalu was still in the senatorial race. Kalu had purchased the Expression of Interest Form last year upon his return to the PDP which granted him waiver and later withdrew from the race citing illegalities from the Abia State chapter of the PDP. But upon his arrival at the weekend in the state, the former governor paid a visit to the Udi of Ossa Ibeku, Eze Onuigbo at his palace in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, before proceeding to Abia North where he visited all Bende Local Government traditional rulers who promised to work exclusively for him to ensure that victory is achieved come March 28. Security personnel had hectic time controlling the large crowd that turned up

to welcome Kalu and to thank him for finally accepting their plea to come represent them. A mild drama took place at Ebem Ohafia as some youths who were wearing the uniform of an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the area abandoned their campaign team and the candidate and ran after Kalu’s entourage as he was heading to Asaga Ohafia for the burial ceremony of the late mother of Abia State former Commissioner for Education and Agriculture and former PPA deputy governorship candidate in 2011 election, Mrs. Ori Obasi. Kalu was eulogised by Ohafia people as Evangelist Umah Ukpai said the people of Abia North Senatorial District have no candidate except Kalu. He said the people were so glad that after uncertainties surrounding his participation at the earlier stage, Kalu had finally bowed to the collective wish of the people of Abia North to represent them.

Obasanjo: Nigerians will vote for change CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

which he ought to have done immediately. If immediate action had been taken, maybe those girls may have been rescued very early. “Now, the Boko Haram has festered like a bad sore and it is no longer in evident in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, it has gone beyond that to other countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic and now it has become a regional issue and we have to deal with it regionally and that is the combined military action that has been taken now. But we must not forget the underline cause, which is development,” he said. He identified corruption, incompetence and lack of development as the root cause of the insurgency and Boko Haram menace in the North-East. He described the various terror attacks on some parts of the world, especially attacks on schools, as a symptom of a disease that needs to be treated urgently. He said an attempt to tackle insurgency without providing solutions to the basic problems that gave birth to terror would amount to “treating a headache that emanates from high blood pressure.” He added that tackling the insurgency should begin with local communities before looking for national or international solutions. According to him, it has

taken Nigeria a few years to really realise the severity of the threat posed by Boko Haram, which has now become a regional issue that must be urgently tackled. He said: “About threeand-a-half years ago, I wanted to know what the Boko Haram is all about; who are they and what are their objectives? The man who conducted the meeting by proxy, because I cannot see them, told me that the leader of Boko Haram, Mohammad Yusuf, who was killed in cold blood by the police, has 27 children and part of the problem is how to give them good western education. So, they are not averse to education. “One of the things that Mohammad Yusuf did when he was alive was that he asked his followers to bring out their certificates. Some have first degree; first class, second class; some have Master's degrees. He asked them: ‘with your certificate, where is your job?’ They told him they had no job. He told them; ‘of what use is your certificate? Tear it.’ Some tore their certificates, some didn’t. That is actually where their name came from; Western education is good for nothing.” On how to solve the Boko Haram menace in Nigeria, the former president said: “In the short term, we have to offer two things; the stick and the carrot. The stick will be the military and the carrot would

be where we have failed in the area of development, particularly education and employment, we have to address them. I believe that in the long run, the gap in the area of development and the real and perceived injustice must be removed. But in the short, we have to deal with it with stick and carrot approach.” Obasanjo blamed poor leadership for insecurity problems and terror attacks in some parts of the world, especially in Nigeria. “Leadership matters in virtually all human institutions and organisations. So, any lapses or laxity in any human community, particularly in our country (Nigeria) is leadership problem. I will say to a large extent, it is leadership problem. “I have always maintained that political leaders must, first of all, give good governance in all its ramifications and that is very important. You cannot have corruption and expect people to feel happy. You cannot have corruption and good governance as strange fellows; they don’t live together. “You have to be honest with the people. Tell them the truth. You cannot be lying to the people and expect that will give people satisfaction. For me, I believe it is good governance in all its ramifications. Good governance which comes from good leadership,” he added.

News

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATIONAL

Senate summons CBN, AMCON over Ibru’s N150bn assets Chukwu David Abuja

he Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption has summoned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) amongst others to appear before it today in respect of the N150 billion in assets and cash forfeited by the former Managing Director of the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc., Mrs Cecelia Ibru. The former MD was convicted of bank and securities fraud by a Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Dan Abutuin. She forfeited two aircraft worth $100 million, property in Dubai, South Africa, London and Abridged Shares in quoted companies. Our correspondent reliably gathered that the Senate Committee invited the CBN and AMCON to appear before it to respond to a petition which alleged that some irregularities were perpetrated in the execution of the failed bank consolidation. The committee is also interested in the recovery of assets from loan defaulters and convicted Managing Directors of

the then Oceanic Bank Plc., Intercontinental Bank Plc., Union Bank Plc., Afri Bank Plc. and Bank PHB. According to the correspondence from the committee, the petition alleged that the funds and properties recovered by the Economic and Finan-

cial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were not remitted to the banks and the properties and shares were neither advertised for sales nor the proceeds remitted to either the banks or AMCON. The letter of invitation by the committee, which was signed by

Senator Victor Lar, said of particular interest are the assets of Ibru under the plea bargain with the EFCC, which was alleged to have never been accounted for. The committee’s investigative hearing which is billed to take place today at the hearing Room

438 also summoned the Managing Director of Ecobank Plc., formerly Oceanic Bank, to come along with statements of account from AMCON, NDIC or CBN under the bank consolidation from 2009 till date. The MD of Ecobank is also expected to show

proof of transfer of assets/shares/cash from AMCON to Ecobank plc. Equally invited to the hearing is the Acting Director-General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Munir Gwarzo, and the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde.

L-R: President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame; Chief Executive, Varkey Foudation, Vikas Pota and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Tony Blair, during a Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in Dubai…yesterday. PHOTO: TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

‘Buhari not educated enough to rule Nigeria’ Rep tells parties to call Uchenna Inya and Sola Adeyemo

he National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, yesterday said the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate for the March 28 presidential poll, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not educated to govern Nigeria. He spoke at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during the formal adoption of President Goodluck Jonathan by the Ebonyi State Labour Party for the Presidential race. According to him, the

principle of Labour Party is based on social democracy, truth, sincerity, honesty and commitment to the cause of Nigeria. He said: ‘’We have analyzed the two major candidates for the presidential election and discovered that Ebele Jonathan did not tell us that he has no qualification; he did not tell us that he did not go to school. When we get to the University of Port –Hacourt, we will see his certificate there. Earlier at the Government House, Abakaliki, the governorship candidate of the party, Chief Edward Nkwegu, said they came to inform the governor of the party’s decision of adopting the President as their

candidate. He told Elechi that the Labour Party adopted the President because of his track records and called on the party supporters to vote for the President. “We are here to inform you Your Excellency that Labour Party is adopting Mr. President for his re-election because of the wonderful works he has done since he assumed office,” he said. Responding, Elechi commended the party for the decision. Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, has said that Nigerians needed a vibrant and agile person to rule it beyond

2015, but not a septuagenarian pensioner in person Buhari. Putting Buhari on the hot seat of governance as president of Nigeria, according to the legal practitioner, was like encouraging him to commit suicide considering the arduous task that the office demands. Speaking with New Telegraph in Ibadan yesterday, the party’s Secretary even said, “Nigerians are not ready to vote for someone whose age is questionable. If we are not sure of your academic certificate, how can we be sure of your real age? That is the case with the presidential candidate of the APC.”

Mark betrayed us on Obanikoro, Saraki alleges Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

hairman Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said that Senate President David Mark reneged on an earlier agreement he allegedly had with other lawmakers on the ministerial confirmation of Senator Musliu Obanikoro

Saraki, who spoke with newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State, said senators had, during an executive session, agreed to defer the issue of Obanikoro to allow concerned senators, particularly in the APC, to reach an amicable solution on the controversies that surrounded the then nominee. The senator said members of the APC had arrived the chamber last

week with that agreement in mind and therefore felt let down that the Senate president went straight to the confirmation stage for Obanikoro instead of making room for reviewing the oppositions against the nomination. Saraki, who noted that the Senate would still recognise Obanikoro as Minister, however, defended the decision by APC sena-

tors to walk out on the confirmation, saying it was an attempt to protest what was considered as wrong for the sake of posterity. His words: “Well, I think what happened was unfortunate. I believe that, in the Senate, the National Assembly, there are many courts- the court of the law and the court of public opinion and we all represent constituencies.

members to order Chukwu David Abuja

orried by on-going reckless utterances and hate advertorials from chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, a House of Representatives member, Eddie Mbadiwe, has cautioned the leadership of the two political parties to call their followers to order. He said that was important to preserve the democratic process in the country. He also tasked the Eighth National Assembly that would emerge after the general elections to look into the issue of the office of First Lady at both the state and federal levels, with a view to determining whether it should be left in existence or outlawed through an Act of Parliament since it is not a constitutional creation. Mbadiwe, who represents Ideato North/ Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, gave the caution at the weekend in Abuja while fielding questions from

the New Telegraph on the implication of the current campaigns of calumny between the two major political groups and their members. He expressed disgust about the indecorous and vulgar speeches coming out of the mouths of politicians and their cohorts, rather than persuading the electorate with valid points on what they intend to achieve or do different from their opponents if voted to political office. Mbadiwe opined that the leadership of every political party has a responsibility to call any member, who wants to derail the system to order, including the President, stressing that the leader of every political party must have the courage to do this, so that the country could have peaceful, free and fair general elections in the next few weeks. He said: “Well, democracy is about putting your points of view to the electorate. But I think people are going too far; the kind of gutter language we hear these days is very unpalatable to people like me and to most civilized people.”

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

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NATIONAL

APC accuses Jonathan of sponsoring militia groups

Election: Concerned professionals insist on March 28

Johnchuks Onuanyim and Onyekachi Eze

Uwakwe Abugu

he All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday accused President Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party of sponsoring ethnic militia against a free, fair and credible elections. According to the party the N9billion recently paid out to some ex-militants and ethnic militia is aimed at mobilizing them to scuttle the polls The statement issued in Lagos yesterday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated that the protests by the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, last week seeking the sack of INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega was orchestrated by the administration as part of its continuing efforts to sabotage the elections. It said the next group that has been mobilized to protest against Jega and the use of card reader is the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which is also a beneficiary of the N9billion pay out ostensibly for pipeline protection, but in reality to prepare the ethnic militia for their reprehensible role in scuttling the elections. APC said: “More ethnic militia are to be enlisted by the Jonathan administration to continue the protest against Jega and the card

lPDP: You’re afraid of your shadow

reader, in order to give the impression that Nigerians want Jega sacked and are also against the use of card reader”. The party expressed sadness that a President, who inherited a united nation has done everything he can to divide the country along ethnic and religious lines, including patronizing ethnic militia who serve no other purpose than to champion sectional interests at the expense of national unity. The party wondered

why President Jonathan would pay N9billion to a handful of people at a time of great economic downturn and falling Naira, as well as in a situation in which many states cannot even afford to pay their workers because of dwindling allocation from the Federation Account. But the PDP said yesterday that the allegation was borne out of fear of defeat. Director, Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi

Fani-Kayode, in a press statement yesterday, said APC leaders have become prisoners of their delusions. “They have become victims of their own hallucinations and fantasies. They have become paranoid such that they are sleeping and hiding under their beds. They are running from their own shadows and what we are witnessing is simply the judgement of God on them. They have lost their peace. They are running when no-

body is chasing them and that is why they are saying these things”. He denied that PDP was sponsoring ethnic militia to disrupt the forthcoming general elections, adding that “It is rather the APC that has consistently supported and sponsored the Boko Haram both in substance and in their utterances over the last few years. This recourse to telling a lie every day by the opposition party will not in any way assist them in achieving their objectives”.

Former Group Managing Director, Leadership Newspapers/celebrant, Mr. Azu Ishiekwene and former Vice-President, World Bank, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, at the Azu’s 50th birthday in Lagos…at the weekend. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Enugu

pressure group, the Concerned Nigerian Professionals and Entrepreneurs’ Forum, has warned that Nigeria would suffer immense negative image should the nation fail to get the coming presidential election right. The group, made up of professionals and entrepreneurs from across the six geopolitical zones of the country, at the weekend that said it has decided to intervene at this point in time because already, “Nigeria is at crossroads with regards to the presidential election and we are concerned about what would be the negative effect if we don’t hold this election successfully”. Convener of the group, Dr. Emeka Ugwuoju, who was in Enugu and delivered a paper at a town hall meeting as part of the process of its interventionist actions, told newsmen that they have raised 10 issues for the presidential candidates to chew upon and that the electorate would have to decide on the best of them. He stated that on no account should the polls dates be shifted again, saying his group would suggest that even if the card readers cannot work, “we should revert to the ‘Option A4’ which has been used before in this country”.

Babangida took Nigeria to OIC against my advice –Akinyemi Lagos rebuilds Oyingbo Market, Mojeed Alabi

former External Affairs Minister under the Gen Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) administration and the Vice-Chairman of the recently constituted National Conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has revealed that he disagreed with his erstwhile boss back then in 1986 over Babangida’s decision to take Nigeria to the Organisation of Islamic Countries, OIC- an association of 56 Islamic states promoting Muslim solidarity in economic, social, and political affairs. Akinyemi, who was speaking at the weekend at the 40th public lecture of the Covenant University, CU, Ota, Ogun State, was responding to the guest lecturer and one of the daughters of the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Peyibomi Soyinka-Airewele, who accused Babangida of taking Nigeria to OIC

through the backdoor. Akinyemi said he wrote a five-page letter of warning and advice to Babangida over the matter but that he declined and acted without carrying along the then Ministry of External Affairs under his watch. While promising that what transpired during the period will be chronicled in his yet-to-be written memoir, Akinyemi also explained that part of his

measures to cushion the effect of Babangida’s decision was the strengthening of the country’s relationship with Israel. In her lecture, which was entitled; The End of Politics? Reclaiming Humanity in an Age of Biopower and Necropolitics, the Professor of International Relations and Comparative Studies, and Fellow of the Carnegie Foundation, said the foundation for the ongoing insurgency

in the country could be traced to both the joining of OIC and the Sharia debate in the Constituent Assembly between 1977 and 1978. Also speaking, the Chancellor of the university and Founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, said debate over critical issues, including ethnicity and religion must be debated and not be swept under the carpet as if they do not exist.

‘Probe PDP for failed bomb attempt on IDPs camps’ Wale Elegbede

he Borno State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on security agencies to investigate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state over the foiled attempt to bomb an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Maiduguri, the state capital. The party stated that there might be a connection between those who have

openly worked against the March 28 and April 11 rescheduled elections from taking place at the IDP camps as decided by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and the foiled attack. In a statement issued in Abuja by the party’s state chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori, the APC said it salutes the efforts of the competent proactive military officials that foiled attempt to bomb the camps, stating that it has, over time, been

alerting Nigerians and the international community that some politicians are planning to stop elections from taking place in the state. The statement read: “About three explosives buried underground, were reportedly discovered by the Military on Saturday at Yerwa Government Girls College in Maiduguri, which is one of the numerous camps set up for persons displaced by insurgency.”

warns against street trading Muritala Ayinla

overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday called on Nigerians to vote only candidates and political parties with proven records of performance and fulfilled promises. He said it was especially for those seeking re-election into the offices. The governor gave the charge when he inaugurated the new Oyingbo Market in Lagos Mainland Local Government, saying the only way out to rescuing Nigeria from being a failed state, was to vote for credible leaders, whose promises are their bonds and who will not take the welfare of the citizens for granted until few weeks to elections. Speaking before handing over the multi-million naira market to the residents, Fashola said the amount spent by the Peoples Democratic Party

few weeks to the election was enough to build a state, calling on Nigerians to shun politicians, who only come around them when elections are approaching. He said: “There are two types of politicians, so long as they deceive you to vote. But we aren’t that type of politicians. A promise is a debt for us. On election day, you voted for us. And as you do that, it is our responsibility to fulfill our promises. “The PDP led-FG doesn’t understand how to solve Nigeria’s challenges. But if you vote for Buhari, he will fight corruption. The cost of Kerosene should be N50 but residents aren’t buying it at that price. And the addition is being embezzled by some of their loyalists. And that was why the product is sold at N180 per litre. That is the money they spend on election campaign and other illicit activities.

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro

We lost N700m to Mile 12 fire, say traders

EFCC arrests LP candidate for issuing dud cheques Kunle Olayeni

Abeokuta

Some traders examining what is left of their goods

CRY FOR HELP Days after fire razed Mile 12 Market, traders recount losses and seek financial assistance from government Camillus Nnaji and Muritala Ayinla

raders at Mile 12 Market under the aegis of Shukura Yam Sellers’ Association said they lost about N700 million to Friday fire disaster which burnt

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

their own wing of the market. The Chairman of the association, Alhaji Mohammadu Dandamma Umar, told our correspondent at the weekend that his members had been holding meetings and had taken inventory of their losses. According to him, after evaluations, the amount is put at N700 million. Umar said the estimation was from the physical cash, the 80 shops razed down, the vehicles and trucks burnt as well as the goods stocked in the shops. This is as Lagos State Government blamed the fire incident on the inability of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government to provide stable and safety power‎ supply in the country. The chairman of the association said 65 traders were affected, adding that the Isheri-Ikosi Local Council Development Area (LCDA) had requested that they take inventory of losses and come for a meeting today. He said: “We have put together total value of what we lost to the fire and we calculated N700 million. We also have a list of our 65 traders who were affected. We have taken inventory of

their losses.” Umar blamed the fire on an electric surge owing to high voltage current supplied to the market by the electricity distribution. The General Secretary of the Mile 12 Market Association, Mr Collins Obichukwu, appealed to the government to come to their aid. He said: “Already, we have scheduled a meeting with the Executive Secretary of IkosiIsheri LCDA, Mr A. B. K. Afolabi. We are only tenants in this market; government owns the shops and controls them. We request also the state government to intervene and help us rebuild the shops and assist those affected to get up in business again.” About 4:40am on Friday, the shukura yam sellers’ wing of the market went up in flames, resulting in the loss of three lives. In the inferno, 80 shops were burnt while vehicles and trucks were burnt. It took the combined efforts of Lagos State Fire Service from Ikeja, Alausa and Ilupeju divisions as well as Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to put out the fire about 8:30am.

Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday promised that he would do everything within his power to renovate the market and resettle the traders soon. Speaking during a visit to assess the extent of damage at the market, the senator representing the Lagos East Senatorial District, Gbenga Ashafa, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, said that the unfortunate incident was caused by power surge, occasioned by high voltage. Ashafa said: “If we talk, they say we blame Jonathan for everything. It is not a matter of campaign; the Federal Government should be blamed for the inferno because our investigation so far revealed that the fire was caused by electricity. “Voltage was too high where it was coming from. That was the report we got and we do not know when this will stop. It can only stop when we have good government in place; the government that will fix our electricity problem. We are not politicising; it can only come when there is change.”

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a House of Representatives candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Ogun State, Abayomi Olufemi, for allegedly issuing a dud cheque. The anti-graft agency arrested Olufemi, popularly known as Arabambi, on Friday in Abeokuta following a petition by one Oriyomi Abiodun. The petitioner had alleged that the candidate issued him dud cheques three times to offset accumulated house rent for a duplex located at Adigbe area of Abeokuta. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident yesterday. “It is true we arrested him and handed him over to EFCC,” Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, told reporters. It was gathered that the House of Representatives candidate was picked up from police custody in Ibara, Abeokuta by operatives of the EFCC. The commission had acted on a petition dated December 17, 2014 wherein the petitioner claimed that Olufemi violated the EFCC Act by issuing dud cheques. Though the case was also reportedly handled by the Zone 2 of the state police command in Abeokuta, the suspect was let off the hook until a few weeks ago when he was re-invited by the police. The three dud cheques had the combined value of N3.3 million. In a copy of the petition, the petitioner told the EFCC that, “Mr Abayomi Olufemi issued a UBA cheque number 00000157 with a value of N1,400,000 dated 20th December 2011. The cheque whose copy is attached to this letter was lodged for payment. The cheque was returned without any money credited into my account. “Another UBA cheque with number 00000224 with a value of N1,400,000 dated 30th April 2014 to make repayment for the earlier bounced cheque of N1,400,000 with cheques number 00000157 was given to me by Mr Abayomi Olufemi. The cheque bounced and was also returned after lodgement in the bank.”

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Auto crash claims three as fire burns vehicles, restaurant Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

t least three persons died while four others were critically injured in a motor accident on the EnuguAbakaliki Road at the weekend. In another sad incident, five vehicles, a restaurant and other valuables worth millions of naira were destroyed when fire gutted a Mechanic Village in Nsukka, Enugu State, on Saturday. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amarizu, confirmed the incidents yesterday. “Three persons lost their lives while four others were critically injured in a road mishap that took place on Saturday, along the Abakiliki Road axis, by Idodo Bridge Amechi Idodo, Enugu State,” the PPRO said. Amarizu said the accident occurred when a trailer coming from Abakiliki, Ebonyi State end of the road and heading to Enugu hit a car with registration number EKY 38 CE which was also coming from the same direction. He said those injured had been admitted in Annunciation Hospital, Emene, Enugu, while the bodies of those who lost their lives had also been deposited in the mortuary of the same hospital. Amarizu said reports showed that the fire started from a panel beater’s workshop at the Mechanic village. The PPRO said the fire later spread to the restaurant and other areas. According to him, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained as at yesterday. He said: “The fire started in the night when no one else was around. No life was lost and the vehicles burnt were believed to be for various kinds of repairs. The fire was on until the arrival of the Fire Service personnel who quickly moved to the scene and put it off.”

Suspect arrested at robbery scene Juliana Francis

22-year-old suspect walked into trouble because he visited the scene where he and his gang members allegedly robbed a truck driver and his conductor. The suspect, Aliu Abubakar, and his accomplices had attacked the truck and stole goods and valuables at Okokomaiko area of Lagos State. However, the suspect returned to the scene a few hours later. But the victims, who were also at the scene, recognised Abubakar. Aside from Abubakar, other members of the gang later arrested are Anas Mohammed, 20, and Ali Adamu, 30. A team of detectives from the Special Anti-Rob-

bery Squad (SARS), led by the Officer in Charge, Abba Kyari, arrested Mohammed and Adamu after the police apprehended Abubakar. Other members of the gang are believed to have gone into hiding. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ken Nwosu, said that one locally-made pistol, two live cartridges and three machetes were recovered from the suspects. A police source said: “The suspects robbed at the Cassidy Bus Stop, Okokomaiko area. They were armed with dangerous weapons. They attacked the driver of a truck while he was discharging goods in the early hours of the day. “They accosted him with arms while he was

offloading oranges, robbed him and his conductor of phones and N27,000. They were about five in number.” Abubakar, an aluminium scrap scavenger, said: “Police arrested me because five of us robbed a driver and conductor at Cassidy Bus Stop. We went with only one gun and two cutlasses. We have carried out this type of operation over 10 times. “Other members of our gang are Sobusere Boutique, Mohammed and Tunde. Sobusere is the one who used to carry our gun. But I used to carry cutlass. We also used to rob people of phones. I usually sell my stolen phones to Ali Adamu. I have sold phones to him up to five times. At times, I sell phone for N2,000.”

agos State Government has handed over four newly constructed Solar Powered Modified Type ‘A’ Water Schemes to Ariya, Sapele Onovbo, Efunlaroja (Ajose Close) and Musade Idi-Orogbo (Ori field) in Oriokuta community in Ikorodu West Local Government Area.

Musa Pam Jos

uthorities of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State have told Nigerians to hold the Special Task Force (STF) for the current attacks and killings in the area. The Deputy Chairman, Mr Zakka Gyang, who said this, claimed that security agencies had failed in their responsibility of protecting lives and property of the people. Gyang made the allegation while receiving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial flag bearer in the state, Senator Gyang Nyam Pwajok, when the latter visited the local government to sympathise with the families of those killed by gunmen last week. The deputy chairman, who bemoaned the activities of men of the STF, said there were allegations that some members of the task force were involved in the organised attacks.

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

The suspects

Ojelabi (right) inaugurating one of the projects

‘Blame STF for Plateau killings’

Two cousins die clearing well

Ikorodu communities happy over water projects

Muritala Ayinla

Metro Briefs

Speaking after handing over the water schemes to the community leaders, traditional rulers and Community Development Associations (CDAs) and chiefs, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, described the execution of the water projects as a promise fulfilled. He said the projects were handed over to the

communities in fulfilment of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s pledge to make life comfortable for the citizens irrespective of the where they live, religion or tribe. Ojelabi urged the communities to take ownership of the projects, noting that since they were the ones that asked for the water projects, they should raise

a Management Committee and ensured that the projects were well managed for sustainability. Also speaking on the projects, the Head of Water and Sanitation Department in the ministry, Mr Adisa Yinusa (an engineer), said the government decided to give Oriokuta four water schemes because the place was highly populated. According to him, the ministry decided on Solar Powered Water Scheme because of erratic power supply in the country. This, he said, would allow the people to have water at all times. Yinusa, who disclosed that the water is well treated to World Health Organisation (WHO) standard with treatment plants attached to each scheme, said it was safe for consumption. Commending the government for the provision of the projects, the Chairman of all the CDAs in Oriokuta, Mr Tunde Gbewesa, said the four water schemes would help in alleviating the suffering of the people.

he Ai’Oga community in Oglewu district of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State are still in shock following the killing of two cousins in mysterious circumstances penultimate Monday. The cousins, Odeh Ogbo (20) and Edoh Christopher (25), lost their lives while attempting to clear refuse from a well in Ojali community where they resided. Witnesses said Ogbo was trying to clear refuse from the well that serves the community with water when he got stuck and died in the process. Christopher was said to have entered the well with the aim of rescuing the first victim when he also got stuck and died. A member of the family, Matthew Christopher, said the incident, which occurred about 8am on that fateful day, came as a shock to the people.

Court remands archbishop for alleged fraud Caleb Onwe Abuja

Senior Magistrates Court sitting at Karu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has remanded an archbishop, Nkanican Ekolf, for allegedly defrauding members of a church of N191,700. Ekolf, founder and presiding bishop of End of Prophetic House Ministry, Bwari, Abuja, was accused of using false prophecy to induce and dupe his victims - Kate Dominic, Ifeoma Chukwu, Ngozi Okafor, Blessing Emmanuel and Patience Abba - of the said amount of money. The prosecutor, Gloria Iheanacho, told the court that the complaint which led to the arrest of the accused was lodged at Jukwoyi Police Station on March 7, by the victims who are members of another Pentecostal church in Kurudu, Abuja, where Ekolf was invited as a guest minister.

News

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATIONAL

INEC rules out sabotage as fire guts warehouse Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday ruled out sabotage in the fire that gutted a section of its warehouse located along the Airport Road in Abuja. The fire, which was reported to have started at about 11.00pm, was

immediately put off by a combined effort of the Federal Fire Service and INEC’s fire-fighting personnel. The inferno was brought under control by 2.00pm yesterday. Director, Security Services of INEC, Shettima Ngilladar, who conducted newsmen round the affected area, blamed the fire on power surge at the electrical panel. He, however, explained that no electoral materi-

als for the 2015 elections in the warehouse were affected. Ngillada said: “They are old materials that had not been evacuated. These are old stock of non-sensitive materials, like bags, envelopes, election forms, which were used in the 2011 elections. They won’t be used for the 2015 elections. Everything here is non-sensitive. Police are on ground and investiga-

tion is on.” He could not, however, estimate what the commission may have lost in the inferno. Deputy Director, Electoral Logistics, Ken Ukeagu, said all sensitive materials required for 2015 elections have been moved to the states. “Whatever we have here are old stock of materials. You know the normal process of disposing materials takes a

little while. But these materials here are not useful for 2015 elections. All the useful sensitive materials have been moved to the states. Even if these were materials that would have been used, there is no way it would affect the elections. “All materials required for the election has been moved to the state, there is no way anything happening here will affect the elections,”

he added. Mohammed Hammanga, INEC National Commissioner in charge of electoral logistics, who was at the institute to inspect the damage, expressed happiness that materials affected were old stock. “We thank God it has not gone beyond this. We are happy that it has not destroyed the materials that will be used in the elections,” He said.

Lagos doctors commence strike over withheld salaries Appolonia Adeyemi

L-R: Programme Officer, Junior Achievement of Nigeria, Mr. John Ede; Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Yinka Sanni and Principal ,Government Secondary School, Apo Resettlement, Abuja, Mrs. Fatima Muhammad, at the commemoration of the World Financial Literacy Day in Abuja

Jonathan assures women Synagogue: Coalition demands halt of coroner’s inquest on affirmative action Anule Emmanuel

resident Goodluck Jonathan has promised more inclusion of women in governance in recognition of their roles in society and also towards the actualisation of the 35 percent affirmative action in the country. The President stated this as he wished all mothers in the country a very happy Mothers’ Day celebration yesterday. “As they mark the day set aside worldwide to commemorate mothers and their great, unique and indispensable services to humanity, President Jonathan salutes all Nigerian women and mothers.” He assured Nigerian women that the Federal Government will continue to do all within its powers to further empower them to play their immense, God-given role for the greater glory of our dear nation. The President reaffirmed that his administration will continue to

progressively strengthen its affirmative actions in favour of girls, women and mothers while intensifying its actions aimed at promoting gender equality in the nation. President Jonathan, who attended a special service at the Presidential Villa to commemorate the day with his mother, Madam Eunice Jonathan and the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, prayed that God Almighty will bless all Nigerian mothers mightily and reward them for the immense love and care with which they continue to nurture and raise worthy children on whom the future prospects of our great nation will depend.

Muritala Ayinla

coalition of youth groups in the country have demanded the immediate halt of coroner’s inquiry into the collapse of a six-storey building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) owned by Prophet Temitope Joshua. The groups, which accused the Lagos State government of attempting to smear the image of Prophet T. B. Joshua with the coroner’s inquest, are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Youth Frontier; Igbo Youth Group and the Northern Nigeria Youth Alliance. The groups, in a state-

ment signed by Comrade Oladipo Seyi (PDP National Youth Frontier); Comrade Nelson Ifediora, Igbo Youth Group and Comrade Sani Muhammad of the Northern Nigeria Youth Alliance, said they were shocked that the government of South Africa remains in solidarity with the SCOAN despite the tragedy and the clamour for coroner’s inquest by the Lagos Sate government. The statement said irrespective of the several insinuations making the rounds against Joshua and the SCOAN, “we as prominent youth bodies in Nigeria remain in strong solidarity with him and the church.

agos State doctors will today commence an indefinite strike action to press home their demand for the payment of their withheld salaries over the state government’s ‘No work, No pay’ policy. Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Biyi Kufo, told New Telegraph that since all efforts to make the government pay the money failed, the doctors, under the umbrella of the Medical Guild, have to embark on strike. “The strike is not directed at the people,” he added. The Medical Guild, which is an affiliate of

Aregbesola commiserates with deceased journalist’s family Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

sun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend, described the death of a prominent journalist in the state, Mr. Olumide Ajayi, as a great blow to the journalism profession. In a condolence message signed by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said: “Ajayi’s life was cut short in his prime, when his stars were shining and was emerging as an icon in the information and entertainment indus-

Fayose: North should beware of Tinubu Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has warned leaders of northern Nigeria to beware of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, saying the former

Lagos State governor’s political antecedents show that he is inconsistent and is particular about what will personally benefit him in any endeavour. Fayose, who alleged that Tinubu is not honest in his support for the APC presidential candidate, General Muham-

madu Buhari, added that; “Knowing Buhari’s age, state of health and mental capability, Tinubu is only using him to achieve his target of high-jacking power from the north.” Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Fayose said: “A

the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), is an association of doctors employed by the Lagos State government. Other demands of the doctors include ending the appointment of doctors in Lagos State under locum arrangement and the appointment of resident doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, which had been stalled for some years. Kufo said during the strike, doctors will render emergency services, as well as care for critically ill patients. Regarding those that are already admitted, he assured the people that they will not be neglected.

man who could sell out his party’s candidates can sell out anyone given the right price and political gains. “Tinubu said at Onikan Stadium, Lagos on Saturday that he was instrumental to the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 general elections. “He said in 2011, I

try.” The development, he said “became more unsettling given the account that he was in apparent perfect condition of health and could travel to anchor an event only to succumb to death so suddenly. “This death is unsettling. It leaves us utterly speechless,” the statement said. “Ajayi is a professional, who carried out his assignment with doggedness, and his works as a journalist stood him out while he also etched himself in the consciousness of the people as an event anchorman of note. helped Jonathan become President because he made us believe he was a breath of fresh air.” “The implication of this is that Tinubu sold out the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential candidate, Malam Nuhu Ribadu in 2011, just the way he sold out the Action Congress (AC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in 2007.”

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Hate campaign

Dirty advertorial won’t distract me, says Fani-Kayode

General elections

Amosun: Politicians plotting to buy PVCs from INEC

Interim govt

REC Forum

APC has evidence on Tinubu’s allegation – Fayemi

INEC’s plan for credible polls, by Agbaje

Politics Aliyu: One controversy too many North after former President Olusegun Obasanjo toed the line off PDP’s power sharing arrangement, but the region’s reign was cut short in 2010 following the death of Yar’Adua. Jonathan who was vice president then had to complete the tenure, and despite resistance from the North, went ahead to contest the 2011 presidential election, which he won.

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu is not new to controversy, but his recent claim that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari signed a pact with his party to serve one term if elected in the March 28 election has put him on the spot again. FELIX NWANERI reports

here is no doubt that Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, is cerebral and eloquent given the way he expresses his views on national issues. But the governor, who sees himself as the Chief Servant of his people unlike his peers in other states, who pride themselves as “executive governors,” has continued to stoke controversies with his pronouncements on some critical issues. The latest of his many controversies is the claim that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), signed a pact with his party to only serve one term in office if elected in the March 28 election. Speaking in Lagos last week at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum interactive session with the media and civil societies, Governor Aliyu, who is also the chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, said the agreement will short-change the North, as Buhari will only occupy office for four years. He insisted that Buhari’s candidature is a disservice to the North, adding that the APC never wanted the former military ruler as its presidential candidate but decided to field him when he agreed to serve a term and return power to the South-West. This, he said, negates the

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Aliyu

I recall that at the time... all the PDP governors were brought together... it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement

Bullion vans came that night to distribute money to produce Buhari because he promised them that he was going to do one term and hand over power to the South-West

2011

2015

spirit of zoning that currently operates in Nigerian politics. To buttress his claim, he alleged that bullion vans were brought in a night to the conduct of the APC presidential primaries in Lagos to distribute money for Buhari to emerge because he promised that he was going to do one term. His words: “I was speaking to one of the presidential candidates and he told me that bullion vans came that night to distribute money to produce Buhari because he promised them that he was going to do one term and hand over power to the South-West. Definitely, he wants to short-change the North.

“The party or people who adopted Buhari in that primaries did that to extend their looting, stealing of public property into the nation. They have done it in a state and they want to transfer it to the whole country.” Most political leaders in the North have never hidden their frustration over the Goodluck Jonathan presidency given their believe that he breached the power sharing arrangement of the PDP which would have ensured that power remained in their region even after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010. Power had in 2007 returned to the

APC reacts In a swift reaction, the APC debunked Aliyu’s claim that Buhari would spend only one term in office if elected president, saying the allegation was the creation of those seeking to play one section of the country against another. APC’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that faced with certain defeat, the PDP is engaged in a campaign of calumny to discredit Buhari. “The APC will not abridge the right of General Muhammadu Buhari to spend the constitutionally-guaranteed two terms as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria if elected in the March 28 poll. No conditionality whatsoever was attached to General Buhari’s candidacy. “He won the party primaries fair and square in a globally-acclaimed transparent manner and he was neither a compromise nor a consensus candidate, hence there is no need for him to make a deal with anyone. This myth that Buhari will spend one term, after which power will return to the South-West, is along the same lines as the outlandish claim that our vice presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, has sworn to an oath to resign in favour of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu once elected,” Mohammed said. The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO), in a similar reaction blasted the governor, describing him as “a serial liar, perpetual rabble-rouser, amateurish ethno-religious propagandist and unrepentant mischief-maker bent on stocking division and disaffection in the APC.” APCPCO, through its spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu, said Aliyu’s allegation was a figment of his imagination, jaundiced, ill-motivated and irresponsible. He added that the governor has made a bad career of misguided claims of this nature in which he presents himself as a clairvoyant fly, perching on the walls of political meetings across the country. He, however, noted that APCPCO was not surprised at the governor’s blatant lies, considering that he has also been at the centre of controversy of being in possession of a letter in which his party’s presidential candidate (President Jonathan) signed a one-term pact with governors of the ruling party. His words: “When has this governor of a grossly underdeveloped state suddenly become a clairvoyant, who knows what obtains in places where he has nevCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that the emergence of the mega opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is as a result of his administration’s deliberate step to establish and entrench strong democratic tenets in the country. The president stated this when he appeared

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

We created APC, says Jonathan on a live programme, a round table conference tagged “The other side of Goodluck Jonathan’s administration” put together by a group of young private individuals. The event was put together to expose the achievements of the president to Nigerians as the March 28 presidential

Amosun: Politicians plotting to buy PVCs from INEC

gun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has raised alarm over an alleged attempt by some politicians to lure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state to sell Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to them. The governor, who revealed this while speaking during an interactive session with the League of Imams and Alfas in Abeokuta yesterday, said he has officially reported the matter to security agencies in the state. “It has come to our notice and people have been calling to say that some politicians are trying to talk to INEC so as to buy PVCs from them in an attempt to disenfranchise the electorate and I think it is not proper for anyone who sincerely wants to serve the people to do such a thing. “Before now, we heard reports that they had approached some electorate in the state to offer them money, about N10,000 in exchange for their PVCs, but to approach INEC is the height of it,” the governor state.

He condemned the dastard act and urged the electorate not to yield to such subtle attempt by politicians, adding that no well-meaning politician or leader would stoop to such desperate and ignoble means to get power. Amosun, who also disclosed that over 240,000 PVCs are still being expected to be delivered in the state by the INEC, called on the electoral body to come to the aid of the electorate in the state by ensuring that they are not systematically disenfranchised from performing their civil duty during the forthcoming general elections. The Chairman of the League, Alhaji Liad Orunsolu said the Islamic community and the people of the state appreciated the lofty programmes of the Amosun-led government in the three and a half years of its tenure. Acknowledging that the achievement of the administration surpass those of previous governments in the state, he said the community has no doubt that the governor would do more when re-elected.

Police ready for polls, says DIG Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Adeola Adeniji, has given assurance that the force was prepared to ensure a violence-free general elections on March 28 and April 11. The police boss, who spoke with newsmen yesterday in Ilorin shortly after a special prayer organised for him by the Ilorin branch of Ansaru-Deen Society of Nigeria, noted that the mounting tension over the election is synonymous with what happened during the nation’s previous elections, and urged Nigerians not to entertain any fear whatsoever. Adeniji promised that the elections would be conducted under a free and fair atmosphere while those with genuine cases

after the polls could approach tribunal to seek redress. His words: “It is the collective responsibility of everybody. We all have roles to play. And the Federal Government has put in efforts and has given the police every needed support, and I assure you that we shall not fail you. It [election] shall come to pass by the grace of God. “Everybody is afraid, and this is not the first election. This has always been the fear. I have witnessed over five elections in this country. When I was having my first born in 1983, I had to take my wife down home, and we survived the election. If there is any crisis, the tribunal will come in and justice will prevail. “We are very prepared, we have no other job. We are facing this and we are facing it squarely.”

election draws closer. Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim at the event which was held in Abuja and named ‘GEJWinsIt’, President Jonathan said that his administration allowed the opposition parties to merge to give room for an open space to deepen the democratic system. According to him, his deliberate policy of promoting freedom of association made it possible for those in opposition to merge in order to contest against his party, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in July 2013 approved the application by three political parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) – to merge into one, to be known as the APC. The president said the ruling PDP was never afraid of the APC but was enjoying its activities because the opposition party remains its creation. “President Jonathan believes strong opposition is good for our democracy. Opposition should be very grateful to Mr. President.

Say whatever you want to say, it doesn’t matter, we enjoy it.” He added that his administration has promoted the right to vote and be voted for and strengthened the sanctity and integrity of democracy by ensuring that votes count. He said his administration, in its bid to entrench democratic values, has ensured the freedom of speech. The president prides his administration as one which accommodates insults and abuses from the people without having to reprimand anyone. Jonathan pointed out that despite all negative

comments against him and his government, there is no political prisoner in the country. He added that his administration has been able to stabilise the National Assembly by not interfering in their operations in spite of the turbulence in the legislature. Present at the event were the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed; Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; Supervising Minister of Information, Edem Duke and the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar among other government functionary.

L-R: Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga; Governor Mukhtar Yero; Vice-President Namadi Sambo and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, at a special fund raising dinner in support of the state’s PDP gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna …at the weekend.

Dirty advertorial won’t distract me, says Fani-Kayode Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

irector of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has restated his commitment to the President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election. Fani-Kayode said despite Newspaper advertorials with his renounced and outdated views about President Jonathan by the All Progressives Congress (APC), he won’t be distracted from his present assignment of selling the candidature of President Jonathan to the electorate. In a statement yesterday, Fani-Kayode described the action as a measure of desperation by the opposition party. According to him, the Nigerian people now know that the APC presidential candidate, Major

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

General Muhammadu Buhari is incapable and unfit to rule Nigeria. “The APC has resorted to buying full page adverts of outdated quotes about President Goodluck Jonathan from old essays written by me when I was in their ranks. “This proves the measure of their desperation. Needless to say I renounced those views about President Jonathan long ago and since then I have returned to the PDP and have given my unflinching support both to him and the

party. “I shall continue to do so because I regard the APC as an evil party and their presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, as incapable of and unfit to rule our country. “All the old and outdated quotes in the world cannot change that and I shall not be deterred or distracted from my present assignment by such childish and dirty tactics,” he stated. Fani-Kayode wonders whether the APC has forgotten what Nasir El Rufai said about Buhari that he was “outdated and unelectable’’ and Bola Tinubu statement that Buhari was “obsessed with power, wicked, sadistic and unreliable.” He also noted that Buhari himself once said that Tinubu and defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors were “corrupt, treacherous, unstable and unreliable.”

“Clearly, the APC has an obsession with me and my words (past, present or future) and let me assure them that I shall continue to focus my guns on them over the next two weeks regardless of their paid television and newspaper adverts about me. “At the same time, I shall continue to intimate our people about the excellent work that Mr. President and the PDP have been doing over the last few months and years and why I believe that he deserves a second term. “All the sponsored adverts in the world cannot stop or change that. The APC should spend the next two weeks before the March 28 presidential election in sober reflection and prepare for the crushing defeat that they will face at the polls rather than bother about what I said or didn’t say about Mr. President in the distant past,” he further added.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

ormer Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said that the allegation levelled against President Goodluck Jonathan by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, that that he is contemplating foisting an interim government on the country is true. He also said Tinubu’s allegation that some people are after his life is true as well. He stated this in a chat with journalists in Aramoko-Ekiti at the weekend. He added that APC leaders had incontrovertible evidence to prove the two allegations. Fayemi said there was no way Jonathan could deny the fact that he invited Tinubu to be part of the planned Interim Government, saying the APC leader made the allegation in good faith and was not directed at maligning the personality of the President. The ex-governor noted that the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government would be held responsible if anything happens to Tinubu, adding that the desperation being displayed by

Interim govt: APC has evidence on Tinubu’s allegation – Fayemi the ruling party was suffice to conclude that they could do anything to undermine Tinubu. “President Jonathan is becoming desperate by the day and he would stop at nothing to return to government. You know what they did in Ekiti. So, there was nothing Tinubu said that was not verifiable. “I have evidence that he was invited to be part of Interim Government as a way of dividing us as a prominent member of our party. There is absolutely nothing they cannot do to distract us because they could see that Presidency is gradually slipping off their hands. “What Nigerians are looking for now is for the elections to hold on March 28 as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and for the victor, who is overwhelmingly elected by popular votes to be announced. “We, as party leaders and members of opposition, are ready to congratulate the winner, but if they go ahead and subvert the will of the people, they will surely go to jail,”

Arochukwu youths demands violence-free polls Wale Elegbede

ouths from Arochukwu, Abam, Isu, Ututu and Ihechiowa communities in Abia State gathered over the weekend to advocate for violence-free elections. They also threw their waight behind the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti. The youth, who were led by Akachi Ochonma, described Otti as the people’s choice which should not be manipulated or intimidated, adding that any attempt against Otti will be resisted. Submitting their letter of protest to the police, the youth said: “We don’t want violence of any kind here in the coming elections; we know our communities well enough, we are nonviolent, anyone importing troublemakers into this place is making a mistake because, we will fish them out from the hills and valleys and do to them what they won’t like. “It is up to the police to watch out for ‘imported intruders’, it’s

up to the intruders to choose another location because, they we won’t let them go free. We have heard what happened at Ikwuano, how people turned a peaceful event into brigandage, that will not happen here.” On its part, the police officer thanked them for comporting themselves responsibly, promising that they would do all in their best to ensure a violence-free elections and cautioned the youth not to perpetrate violence themselves. The same letter of non-violence was taken to the palace of His Royal Highness represented by Mazi F.O. Ajunwa, Ezeogo Ntughuwu. The youth said they want peace and won’t condone rigging of any kind. Mazi Ajunwa appreciated the maturity displayed by the youth. He said: “We were afraid. We thought you were going the other way, but you have come this way, the way of peace; this coming from the youth is highly commendable.” He promised to convey their message to His Royal Highness.

Fayemi stated. Fayemi gave the assurance that Buhari would keep to his promise not to dig into the misdeeds of past, including the ones perpetrated by the Jonathan administration. “Major General Muhammadu Buhari said he won’t look into the past. He said he will draw the line on the very day he takes over and I don’t know why President Jonathan, who has the paraphernalia of office, is afraid of elections. “There is nothing the PDP, even as a ruling par-

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

ty, has not done to ensure that these elections are not held. We have heard about the sewing of fake Army uniform, we have heard about how they want to use the Army to

rig the election, we have seen attempt to sack Prof. Attahiru Jega, we have heard about how they have been preaching about religion, talking about the health of Gen. Buhari and the way they have been canvassing for postponement of the elections and the non-usage of card readers. The big question still remains: why are they afraid of elections?. “If Jonathan loses this election, he can still get whatever he wants. It is a matter of negotiation with Buhari, who has

promised not to probe past governments. “But I want to say that we will hold Jonathan’s government responsible, if even the minutest thing happens to Tinubu,” Fayemi stated. Tinubu had last week alleged the President Jonathan invited him to be part of a planned Interim Government in case elections are not held as rescheduled, just as he raised the alarm that his life was being threatened by the agents of the Federal Government over his support for Buhari.

L-R: Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Mr. Akodu Fariudeen Abioye and Permanent Secretary, Home Affairs and Culture, Mrs. Oladimeji Grace, at the state’s civil servants interactive session with Ambode in Lagos …at the weekend.

Ambode promises new deal for civil servants Wale Elegbede

he governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured civil servants in the state of a fresh deal if elected as governor in the April 11 poll. Speaking at an interactive session with permanent secretaries, directors and hundreds of civil servants over the weekend, the APC flag bearer said the new deal will involve an agreement between the government and the workforce’s union on a suitable salary structure and leave bonus arrangement for the workers. Ambode, who voluntarily retired in 2012 as the Accountant General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, noted that a quarterly meeting between the governor and the civil servants will be entrenched in the new deal. He also averred that his candidacy has put an end to the jinx that civil

servant do not aspire beyond being a Director or permanent secretary. He said: “My emergence has broken the jinx and barrier that all we can become is a Permanent Secretary or Director. My message to you is that we can become all we choose to be with hard work and living above board. I will be a failure if I do not strive hard to produce several other Akinwunmi Ambode from the civil service. This is your project. There is no other person who can protect your interest better in the next four years than me. “Better days are coming. My word is my bond. We will put a lot of attention on processes and procedures in order to strengthen the public service structure in Lagos State. I will engage with union leaders and civil servants on a quarterly basis, because I believe strongly that stakeholders’ needs should guide our policies. Public sector reforms are dynamic. What is good today may require a review tomor-

row. “I will pay greater attention to training and capacity building. Every civil servant in our state must have the opportunity to develop themselves further. There is nothing that says we can’t send civil servants to Harvard University. This is the only way civil servants can be good to the system and be useful to themselves after retirement.” The Epe-born accountant also used the occasion to make clear the air on the issue of consolidated salary structure which has reportedly created some misgivings among civil servants in the state. According to Ambode, no single individual, let alone the Accountant General, could have unilaterally changed or adjusted the salary structure of civil servants in the state from the harmonised to consolidated salary structure. While the former allowed for different promotional scales and a leave bonus that is paid at once in the month that an individual

chooses to observe his or vacation, the latter has only two grading steps and has the leave bonus spread on the worker’s consolidated salary every month. He said: “What happened was that the unions in 2010 chose to migrate from the harmonised salary structure to the consolidated because they believed it would give them a 25 per cent raise like federal workers. It took four and half months for the government to ratify it. All the files are there to verify the details. The circular explained the agreement and process. As the Accountant General, my only duty was to execute the decision.” In his response, the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Comrade A. Obafemi, said the civil servants were already discussing with the incumbent, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and that they hold strong belief that Ambode would not disappoint the workers when elected.

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

er been present or represented? Is he an APC member? If not, how and where did he get his information from? And what Northern Nigeria is he representing? “Nigerians are wiser now and they know what to do come March 28 and April 11. For the time being, our suggestion to Governor Aliyu is that he should use the balance of his time in office to right a few wrongs in his state, currently adjudged as the most lacking in the North when it comes to development.” Threading a familiar path This is not the first time the governor would make such claim, as it would be recalled that he made a similar allegation in 2013, when he said that President Jonathan reached an agreement in 2011 with PDP leaders and governors to serve only one term as president. The claim had then ignited the 2015 presidential race. Though Jonathan was yet to make an official pronouncement on his ambition at that time, the Niger State governor said his rumoured interest in seeking a second term in 2015 should be taken as a mere speculation. “I recall that at the time he was going to declare for the 2011 election, all the PDP governors were brought together to ensure that we were all in the same frame of mind. Some of us said given the circumstances of the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua and given the PDP zoning arrangement, it was expected that the North was to produce the president for a given number of years. “I recall that at that discussion, it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement. Even when Jonathan went to Kampala, in Uganda, he also said he was going to serve a single term. “For now, President Jonathan has not declared a second term ambition and we must not be speculating based on those who are benefiting from the campaign. I think we are all gentlemen enough so when the time comes, we will all come together and see what is the right thing to do,” he then said. The claim irked the Presidency, which challenged Aliyu to make the pact public. But in a twist, the governor alleged of plot to silence and pitch him against the PDP. He also alleged a plot by some political gladiators in Abuja to print posters with his portrait and a message, “Vote Babangida Aliyu for president,” and thereby pitch him against his party which was yet to lift embargo on campaigns for the 2015 presidency at that time. Doubts despite explanations Despite the governor’s allegations of plots to discredit him and the assurance that he was not interested in the 2015 presidency, many did not believe him. Events, later in the polity, particularly the role he played in the crisis that rocked the PDP and later culminated to the defection of five out of the seven governors of the G-7, which he led, to an extent proved his critics right. The aggrieved governors – Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Abdulfatah

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Aliyu’s one-term pact theory

Jonathan

Ahmed (Kwara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) were then locked in a supremacy battle with the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency over alleged high-handedness of the then Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party. When efforts by the party’s hierarchy to reconcile the aggrieved parties failed, the seven governors opted out to form what was known then as the new PDP in 2013. Five of them – Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Amaechi, Nyako and Ahmed later teamed up with the APC, while Lamido and Aliyu returned to the PDP. The Niger State governor insisted that talks were then still ongoing with the president and that he would await the outcome of the negotiation before taking a final decision to justify his stand. Only recently, Aliyu, who picked his party’s ticket to contest for the Niger East senatorial seat, further explained why he remained in the PDP, while reacting to Kwankwaso’s accusation that he and Lamido betrayed the five other governors. According to the Niger State governor, there was never a time the G-7 group planned to dump the PDP for another party, so there was no basis for any of the members to label him as a betrayer. He maintained that at the time he led the G-7, the objective was to resolve the leadership problem in the PDP and not to dump it as some of them did. “Let me state in categorical terms that I never discussed with the G-7 governors over issue of decamping to the APC. I led the group primarily to stabilise the PDP. At that time, the PDP was having challenges hinging on impunity which had to be addressed. “Let me, therefore, intimate that based on principle, I never planned to abandon the PDP for another party. It is also important to note that the G-7 achieved its objective of repositioning the PDP which was at the time passing through leadership challenge. Therefore, I had no reason to leave, besides our effort brought the ruling party back on its feet,” he said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Israel Ebije.

Buhari

INDEP ELECT ENDENT NAT ORAL C IO OMMIS NAL SION

When has this governor of a grossly underdeveloped state suddenly become a clairvoyant, who knows what obtains in places where he has never been present or represented?

Home front not left out Apparently out to prove that his controversies are not only about national politics, Aliyu recently stirred a constitutional debate when he sidelined his deputy, Ahmed Ibeto, who defected to the APC, and asked the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adamu Usman, to act in his capacity while he was away to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj between February 19 and 26. He had earlier ordered Ibeto to stop attending the state executive council meetings. While the governor premised his action on the allegation that the deputy governor called him a thief during one of his campaigns, he said he would not chair a meeting where the deputy was seated, as he (Ibeto) could use information gathered at such meetings against the PDP. The state government later disclaimed that the deputy governor was chased out of the meeting, saying that Ibeto had sought permission to stay away from the state executive council meetings and which was granted. “The Deputy Governor, Ahmed Ibeto, asked the council to excuse him from the Wednesday meeting when issues concerning the general elections were being presented. He is now in the opposition and the right thing to do, on moral grounds, was to leave the meeting. The governor’s spokesman said. However, the deputy governor described the statement as total falsehood. “It is not true that I excused myself,” he said. “I will challenge the governor’s undemocratic action in court appropriately. If I am stopped from attending council meetings, whatever decisions taken at such meetings are null and void.” Eyes set on 2019 While many see Aliyu as a controversial figure given the several storms he has stirred since he assumed office as governor in 2007, some are however of the view that politics cannot be ruled out of his many outbursts. The governor, the latter group argued, has never hidden his presidential ambition. He recently told

journalists in an interview that he will succeed Jonathan in 2019. But the question some observers have asked is: What could have motivated Aliyu’s sudden support for the president? The Niger State governor has before now been critical of the present administration and has seized the opportunity of every forum to criticise it. For instance, at the 2013 lecture of the Lagos Country Club, Aliyu, in his usual boisterous manner told his audience that Northern governors were under pressure in 2010 to insist that power must remain in the North following the death of Yar’Adua, because of the zoning arrangement of the PDP but chose to respect the country’s constitution. It is against the backdrop of Aliyu’s presidential ambition that some political analysts said they were not surprised when the governor opted to remain in PDP when his colleagues in the G-7 left, as well as his new found love and support for President Jonathan. It was also argued that his outburst against Buhari may have stemmed from the belief that a win for the former Head of State in the March 28 presidential poll is likely to put paid to his presidential ambition. This fear was however allayed by a chieftain of the APC, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who rather counselled the Niger State governor not to concentrate his efforts at discrediting General Buhari, but to remain in the PDP and work towards realising his ambition. His words: “Governor Aliyu has been talking from both sides of his mouth, but we can understand his desperation because he has suddenly seen that he is going to lose the governorship election in Niger State and will not deliver on the presidential election, so he has to resort to gutter language. “We know who General Buhari is; he is not one who will sign any such deal because he is not a desperate person. Indeed, there is no such agreement; it is in the imagination of Governor Aliyu. This is someone, who in a bid to satisfy his master, General Gado Nasko, picked his son in the PDP governorship primaries and thereby denying his party members the opportunity to be part of the democratic process. “There is no point for Aliyu to be afraid of his ambition in 2019 even if General Buhari wins the presidential election, which is certain. What he should do is to remain in the PDP and prepare himself for the 2019 contest. “But like I said, the only reason why Aliyu is afraid is that he knows that he will not deliver his party in the forthcoming elections. If you can recall, General Buhari has been winning the presidential elections in Niger State since 2003 till date even when his former party had not even a councillor in the state.” Will Aliyu heed to the counsel and perhaps use the opportunity of the four year window between now and 2019 to prepare for his presidential bid and stop stoking fire in the polity? Only time would tell.

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, in this interview, speaks on the preparations of the commission for the forthcoming general elections. He also speaks on the challenges being faced by the commission and the issue of card reader. BABATOPE OKEOWO reports

What are the preparations INEC is making towards the March 28 and April 11 general elections in Ondo State? We have gone very much ahead in the area of getting ready for the commencement of the election which is March 28 and April 11. I will say that all the materials that we would need for the elections, safe for the sensitive ones that are in the vault of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been received in the state and we have sent them to the local government areas; the envelops, papers, biro, ballot boxes and cubicles for the elections. Preparations have been made for Registration Area Centres (RACs); RAC is a place where people are going to be sent to, our electoral officials, electoral materials and security agents are going to keep the night on Friday for the election. It is not that on Friday people will be leaving Ilaje or Eseodo for the other side of the water; they must have crossed to the other side on Friday to keep the night at the ward collation centres. We want to ensure that very early on the morning of election, we are going to get to the polling units latest by 7:20a.m. or 7:30a.m. so that by 8a.m. we would be ready for those who are coming for accreditation. We tested this in Ekiti last year; we were able to achieve 93 per cent commencement time of 8a.m. In Osun, we got 96 per cent commencement time. We are hoping that this time around, we should be able to do much better in Ondo State. What about the training of electoral officers to be used for the elections? In the area of training, we have trained our ad hoc staff in various categories and we are going to have another training for them because it is a long time now and some of them must have

INEC’s plan for credible polls, by Agbaje

Agbaje

REC’s

probably forgotten. We are going to do another round of training for them before we send them to the field for the elections. What are you doing about the security of staff and materials during the elections? In the area of security, we have the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICES) headed by the Commissioner of Police, and the REC is the co-Chairman of the committee. All heads of security agencies in the state and the coordinator of NTSC are members of the committee. We are meeting and we are going to have another meeting before the general elections. These are the various measures; our staff are ready, our vehicles have been properly serviced, same for those attached to the RACs have been serviced in preparations for the elections. There is usually problem with the ad hoc staff who are not members of staff. What have you done to prevent them from embarrassing the commission? They have been trained before February 14, but because the election has to be rescheduled for March 28; we are going to have another round of training with them. Instead of the three days we had before, we will have one or two. It is a form of refresher

F RUM INEC

We are going to remain an unbiased umpire and anybody who does anything contrary is on his own

training to remind them particularly those who are going to handle the card readers. As we talk, we have the card readers in the state; we have 3,009 polling units, we also have 542 polling points. All these are going to have card readers, we have in all of them, and we also have several others as back-up. We are going to keep the excess in the 203 wards so that if there is malfunctioning or any problem among the card readers, we can quickly mobilise to the various wards and get other ones for them. What are the challenges you are having towards ensuring free and fair elections? I will not say we are encountering challenges now. The areas we see that we had challenges in the past which is the reason the commission has created RACs so that people can sleep there overnight and very early on Saturday morning, they move to their various polling units. I have told you that Ekiti and Osun showed that we can get it better. In the area of security, we have mapped out risk areas in the state

based on the experiences we had in the past. The security agencies have also mobilised their personnel and they have been having their own trainings and meetings to ensure they cover all the areas. INEC has also improved in the area of long queue that made people to be agitated, which is why we created voting points and not polling units as I read in the papers last week that INEC has created more polling units in the North. They were there in 2007, it is polling point, we wanted to create polling units last year but because of the hue and cry from the members of the public, we have to shelve that so that it does not disturb this election. In some areas in Nasarawa, we have areas that have between 3,000 and 4,000. That is quite large. So, we have to break them into four or five voting points. The mother polling unit is there but each of the polling units is attached to it. In some areas, we have 1,500, what we do is to divide them into two; not more than 750 per polling units. What about the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs)? The area we are having problem, is the area of PVC because as we speak, we have given out 1,108, 503 or 74.19 per cent out of a total 1,494,169 cards given to us CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion A recipe for anarchy Dominik Umosen

t must be said, from the outset, that neither savage reactions to this candid assessment of the Nigerian conundrum nor the intimidating thought of confronting a huge mass of fiercely partisan angst, provides sufficient discouragement for genuine and legitimate criticisms with which every society is constantly reminded how close to the political brink it has been positioned by enduring fault lines. Which is why any one who claims to be a patriot can not help but chuckle over the amount of precious energy wasted on needless arguments about how prepared or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to conduct the presidential and governorship elections on March 28 and April 11 respectively, instead of whether the country, as presently configured, can survive the political tremors that are bound to be unleashed in the aftermath. For a country that was dangerously close to the brink as Nigeria was before the National Conference provided a leeway for President Goodluck Jonathan to buy political time, ratifying the report of the conference as agreed to by the citizens ought to have been the logical order of political progression, not elections which will unleash both fresh and unresolved issues of nationhood. Only dishonest persons, like most of our politicians, would deny that this country was closest to disintegration before the convocation of the conference than at any other point in its history. The disenchantment, which is yet to abate, was so widespread that the Senate President, David Mark, endorsed the national conference as a pragmatic step by the FG to reinvent popular faith in the beleaguered Nigerian project.

Rather than follow through this bit of fresh air and hope in the country, those who have always constituted an impediment to the re-structuring of the country for fear of permanent loss of unmerited political favour, regrouped with a new agenda to use their manipulated numerical superiority to ambush the report of the conference in the national assembly. So, instead of implementing the expressed wishes of Nigerians as contained in the conference report, beneficiaries and agents of feudalism resorted to their well-documented history of scuttling moves to renegotiate the basis for unity and further relationship between nationalities in the Nigerian project. That is why the noise about the alleged preparedness of the INEC or otherwise is not only laughable but also confirms the enduring capacity of reactionary elements in the country to frustrate or delay implementation of the true wishes of the Nigerian peoples as contemplated in the national assembly. And instead of responding from the perspective of ordinary Nigerians which is unmistakably for restructuring, President Jonathan, most regrettably, failed to summon a referendum to ratify the conference report, instead of playing into the hands of agents of feudalism who swore to ambush the report in the national assembly. The most pressing challenge facing the country today is not about the capacity of the INEC to conduct credible elections. But the sheer unacceptability of the existing framework guiding further relationship between the over 250 nationalities that constitute the geographical entity called Nigeria. Until this cardinal objective of exorcising the demon of feudalism and freeing the country of its enduring contradictions, every other manipulation is either diversionary or deliberately orchestrated to mislead as has been the

enduring mischief in the last 40 years, denying Nigeria the stability of momentum for sustainable development. I shudder to think of the consequences of venturing into elections or attempting to graft pre-election irregularities on enduring and ancient contradictions as we seem to be doing. Elections are necessary, no doubt but elections should not be manipulated to gratify the exaggerated sense of self-importance of political entrepreneurs. As unpopular as this issue may seem, the plain truth is that instead of dousing the raging wrangle for political supremacy among some self-serving political entrepreneurs, the impending elections might most likely provoke the nastiest beast that ever stalked this country. It was not for nothing that David Mark described the conference whose report we are now treating with disdain, as the last and best chance to avert political catastrophe. Conducting elections before resolving fundamental contradictions of nationhood and relationship between nationalities amounts to dwelling on trivia like the complexion of a baby that is doomed anyway, instead of the more fundamental issue of paternity which will determine its life and destiny. The maddening frenzy that has since gripped the country, even before the elections were rescheduled, provokes a sly chuckle, on one hand, and silent tears, on the other, because it is absolutely unnecessary. I pray fervently that after the acrimonious foreplay between politicians and the elections proper, unresolved issues of nationhood do not uncork suicidal political pressures that will forcibly remind us of the dangers inherent in conducting elections without first addressing fundamental issues of nationhood- a folly reminiscent of how defunct Yugoslavia attempted to put the cart before the horse and paid dearly for it.

The return of Senator Uzodinma Okey Ikeogu

t may not be an arrogant postulation. It may not also be a sweeping generalization anchored on nothing but haughty presumption. But if there are only 10 senators returning to the Red Chamber of the National Assembly after the March 28 National Assembly elections, Chief Hope Uzodinma, the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, otherwise known as Orlu zone, will surely be one of them. The man who dusted an incumbent in 2011 and trounced a two term governor of the state to ride triumphantly to the Senate, is already on a victory mode owing to his superlative performance in the last four years. Why are Orlu people upbeat about returning Uzodinma to the Senate? The answer is simple. He made them proud. He performed beyond expectations. He connects with them. He shares in their hope and aspirations. Most importantly, he never disappointed them. Before Uzodinma, there had been other Senators. But none infused in them that sense of belonging with tangible positive impacts that have re-defined governance and legislative representation since 2011. Ever before Senator Hope Uzodinma became a public office holder, philanthropy and service was a way of life for him. As far back as 1995, he had used his wide national and international connections to influence the creation of Oru East Local Government Area for his people. He went a step forward to ensure that Orlu zone with its numerical strength got commensurate local governments. That is why today, Orlu zone, by population, mineral resources, manpower and infrastructure is ahead of at least five

states in the federation. However, before his election into the Senate, Uzodinmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opponents had gone to town to accuse him of being illiterate. They in fact inferred that Orlu will be shortchanged because of what they termed to be the academic limitation and deficiency of the Senator. But behold, he not only put them to shame, but through his measured and quality contributions on the floor of the Senate and other committee activities, proved to Nigerians that he is the real new face of politics in Imo State. For instance, contrary to the insinuation of his critics, Uzodinma as a first time Senator headed a grade A Committee as the Chairman of Aviation Committee. His competence as a leader and his compassion as a father were soon tested with two major air crashes where he played a prominent role in uniting the nation and enforcing standards in the industry. Hope also restored hope in the system. He supported President Goodluck Jonathan and the then Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, to push through the most far reaching reforms in the sector since 1960. The remodeling of the airports and upgrading of facilities have restored confidence on Nigerian Airspace. In terms of formulation of bills and motions and indeed general contributions on the floor of the Senate, Uzodinma has not been found wanting. In fact, Orlu people residing across the globe have grown fond of him for the simple reason of his active participation in debates, where he makes intelligent and quality inputs. Indeed, it could be said rightly that Hope Uzodinma has placed Orlu on the consciousness of Nigerians. His first motion which received unani-

mous passage dealt on the declaration of South East a disaster zone on account of erosion and other ecological degradation. To his credit, the federal government is seriously addressing the issue. Even as he is always present at the National Assembly, Hope Uzodinma has never forgotten where he comes from. A believer in responsive and responsible representation, he treats his constituents as the kings and queens they are through regular interaction. Unlike in the past, when occupiers of that office gathered the constituents only once in a year to cook rice for them and send them away with cheap telecom handsets, Uzodinma meets with them monthly where he listens to their problems and ensures that their welfare is taken care of. Indeed, it was through such interactions that he identified their most crucial need which are motorable and access roads. Today, 12 of such roads have been constructed through the NDDC. Water and electrification projects have been executed. Town halls have been built for needy communities. Above all, jobs have been secured for hundreds of graduates from Orlu zone. It is instructive that these goodies have been evenly spread among the 12 local governments of the zone. As a disciplined, loyal and committed party man who emerged a member of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ruling PDP before he became a Senator, Uzodinma had been carrying the burden of PDP on his broad shoulders, since PDP lost the Imo governorship in 2011. In sustaining PDP both morally and financially, he has been mindful of the verdict of history as the party provided the platform for many of Imo people to attain their present political status. Sadly some of the beneficiaries of PDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large heart have forgotten this. As

part of his empowerment process, he donated 24 buses to the 12 local government chapters of the party. He gave every of the 170 wards one tricycle and gave 200 motorcycles to PDP youths across the zone. He also bought and donated choice cars to some elders from the zone. Not done at the party level, he trained about 1,000 women in skills acquisition. He empowered same number of youths and established a revolving fund for widows and the indigent to engage in petty trading for their welfare. This is apart from cash gifts, wrappers and rice that he doles out to the constituents regularly and during festive periods. It is instructive that unlike his predecessors who have estates in Abuja and other major cities in Nigeria, Uzodinma has made the welfare of Orlu people his priority and not the primitive accumulation of wealth and acquisition of property. Through this selfless attitudinal disposition and the fact he has brought great changes in the infrastructural fortunes of Orlu zone, Uzodinma has endeared himself to the people who are rooting for continuity and consolidation. But the elites who are used to profiting from the suffering of the masses are not happy with Uzodinma, hence the pockets of opposition to his reelection. When they are not returning to the hog wash of his 'limited education', as if service is synonymous with prodigious learning, they are descending to the gutter to talk about his private life. Unfortunately for them, the masses are deaf to such elite conspiracy. Service is not hidden. They have seen it first hand in Uzodinma. They are satisfied with his representation. â&#x20AC;˘ Ikeogu wrote in from Dikenafai in Ideato South LGA, Imo State.

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Celebrating the Nigerian woman

ith the women, Nigerians can go to bed, fearing nothing about what tomorrow will bring. We are no more sure it is a man’s world because the ladies are coming on strong and picking not just the plum positions, they are also winning more accolades and laurels. From history, we could turn to the exploits of Madam Tinubu, the leadership of Queen Amina and the resistance of Aba women over tax matters. Today, Nigerian women are more than ever , competing with the men and may even challenge the men successfully in some vocations previously seen as male dominated. In government, there is an emerging trend. The women are getting their due. Immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mariam Alooma Mukhtar occupied a position which had been controlled by men since the colonial times. No woman ever sat with the President, Vice President, Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives on the podium of hierarchy. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is like a de facto Prime Minister. As minister of Finance, she is also Supervising the Economy. That is akin to the position late

Chief Obafemi Awolowo held in the early years of the General Yakubu Gowon regime. Awo was Vice Chairman, Federal Executive Council, as well as Federal Commissioner for Finance. Okonjo- Iweala also pulled her weight internationally. She was a Managing Director of the World Bank, where she would later make history as the very first to contest for the World Bank Presidency. Until 2010, there was a Gentleman’s Agreement that allowed the United States produce the President while the Managing Director emerged from Europe. In the Judiciary, the women are breaking barriers. President of the Court of Appeal is Zainab Bulkachuwa. Not many remember the last time a man headed the judiciary in Lagos state. It is at a stage when one sister left the position of Chief Judge, only to be replaced by her younger sister. When Professor Grace AleleWilliams was appointed ViceChancellor of the University of Benin in 1985, it was celebrated as a milestone. It is no more a story now. From Jadesola Akande, many more women are heading institutions of higher learning. Akande moved ahead to become the first female Univeristy Chancellor. That is why Prof. Comfort Ekpo does not see anything

special about heading the University of Uyo. She only flaunts the fact that she is that university’s first female professor. The woman is UNIUYO’s fourth Vice Chancellor. The good news is that the women are doing so well in all these fields. From managing universities and the economy, they are also heading banks, controlling ministries, fighting wars and flying high. Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke is OPEC’s first female oil minister. She is also the organisation’s first female president. Since oil is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, it is note worthy that a woman is overseeing the ministry that determines what the future holds. There is Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, who is one of the wealthiest Africans. With huge interest in oil and gas, she is also the Black World’s richest woman. Two years ago, she hit the over Seven Billion dollars mark. The story of two Blessings is also important. Blessing Okagbare is the leading sportsperson in the country if we should go by present form. Holder of Commonwealth gold medals in 100,200 metres, she is a proud winner of an Olympic bronze medal. Blessing Liman is the country’s first female fighter pilot, she is an officer of the

Air Force. President Goodluck Jonathan has given women the freedom to choose the military as profession. There are female cadets undergoing rigorous training at the Nigeria Defence Academy [NDA] Kaduna. Of course, they are encouraged by the height Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu has climbed in the Navy. As a trained architect, she is not a combatant. Yet she has risen to a Two-Star general. Those of them who will spend five years at the NDA could someday, become service chiefs. Women got up to that point in the Immigration Service as Comptroller –General. Recently, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. Nigerians joined in extolling the virtues of women. Although, they are regarded as the weaker sex, they go through a lot to raise children. In Nigeria ,like in other parts of Africa, women do so many things at the same time. A baby at the back, there is laundry to do, food to prepare and the kids to drive or walk down to school. Inspite of all these challenges, we find Nigerian women rising above their environment and giving the country something to cheer. We celebrate these amazons, they deserve every garland around their neck. Who knows, the day we have a female President, Nigeria will be singing a new song.

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Politics

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

We’ll ensure credible polls, says Ondo REC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

in Ondo State. We still have 385,666 PVCs with us yet to be collected, representing about 25.81 per cent. We still believe that with the extension granted by the commission, which will last till March 22, we do believe that we should be able to distribute between 77 and 80 per cent, which I believe is very reasonable for us here in the state. What is the prospect of peaceful elections in the

state and the country as a whole? As I told you, we have ICES on security; similarly, the Commissioner of Police organised a peace forum for all political parties, leaders, candidates, artisans, youths, market women and students. The essence of that is to imbibe in them the need for peace in the state. In Ondo State, we had a horrible experience in 1983; we do not pray for that kind of experience again and that is why we have been talking to our people and

REC’s

F RUM INEC

luckily for us, the politicians and the contestants at the campaign grounds have been moderate in the way they have been carrying out their campaigns. They have not been violent, they have not been using abusive languages and we sincerely believe that they will sustain this until the period of election and even after.

The problem is usually after the elections as losers do not usually accept the outcome. What is INEC doing about this? In the past, they did not believe in the umpires but we in INEC have signed our oath of neutrality. I have signed my own, other members of INEC and ad hoc staff are going to sign the same form. This is to show members of the public that we are going to remain an unbiased umpire and anybody who does anything contrary

is on his own and will be dealt with severely.

There have been arguments for and against the use of card reader for the elections, what is your take on this controversy? We can never have a perfect situation. Once we have a good system, we are okay. And this is the first time card reader is being used in Nigeria. Many people are not used to it, some people’s thumb and index fingers are already contaminated. In the areas I covered more than 50 per cent of

the polling units during the mock election, and I think only two complaints emanated. People should not have a preconceived idea that the thing will not work. We are just testing it. They tried it in Ghana, they had some little measures of difficulty initially, the challenges we had are what we are addressing. The initial hiccup is the reason people are saying the card reader should have been deployed for byelection before the general elections, what is your take on this? I agree with you that it could be a way out. It was not as if it was not tried at all. Last year, we took it to some local government areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and people came out en mass. It is not as if we have not tested it. The commission is of the opinion that having tested it and it was successful; there will be no problem with its usage for the general elections. Although we brainstormed at the commission and we thought we could have used it for Ekiti and Osun elections, but we discovered that there is no time that people will still not complain. Other countries are going for full electronic voting, if we start with this and it improves, then it is our projection that if the National Assembly will allow, we will go for electronic voting in subsequent elections. What of Diaspora voting? We are thinking about that, but the law does not allow it until the National Assembly passes the bill. Even INEC and security officials and should be able to vote. They can vote three days or one week before the normal election. Look at the number of security agents that will be disenfranchised. In Ondo State alone, we are using about 10,000 plus, about 14,000 plus ad hoc staff. All these 25,000 people are not going to vote not to talk about the INEC staff. That is why the commission is thinking ahead that this is one of the things we should give to the legislators to legislate. Are you sure the elections would hold? Honestly, I do not see any reason the election should not hold because INEC has done enough to get ready. We have even used this extension period to make sure we do a lot of things. We have crossed out the T’s and dotted our I’s.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

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Business Olokola, Brass LNG projects: What's news

Currency rout hits PC shipments to Nigeria, others

The fall in currencies of oil producing countries that was triggered by the crash in the prices of oil at the international markets would lead to a 40 per cent decline in the shipment and sales of Personal Computer (PC) to Nigeria and Ghana in 2015, New Telegraph has learnt.

FG re-invites Shell, Chevron ASSURANCE Jonathan promises to proritise completion of $28.5billion projects

Loss to delay exceeds

Adeola Yusuf

p.22

Paypal: Nigeria’s our second largest market in Africa Global electronic payment platform, PayPal, has revealed that Nigeria has become its second biggest market in Africa, less than one year after formally launching its services in the West African country.

p.22

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

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Abdulwahab Isa

he Federal Government has begun moves to re-invite Shell and Chevron to the Olokola and Brass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects, New Telegraph has gathered. This came on a day when the loss to delay in Final Investments Decision (FID) on the two projects exceeded $1.6 billion. Shell and Chevron had, last year, withdrawn from the Olokola project located in Olokola, Ogun State, when it became apparent that government, which is the major stakeholder, had abandoned investments on the plants for over five years. The same fate befell the Brass LNG. Both companies have a combined shareholding of 39 per

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

cent in the project, translating to 19.5 per cent stake each in the company. “At the moment the loss

to these projects has gone far beyond the estimates of last year, which showed that the country was losing about $1.5

uation, which began in Lagos last week, would take the team to all the states that benefitted from the grant for the purpose of reviewing the projects specifically meant for most vulnerable households and communities. Last year, World Bank ap-

billion revenue,” a source at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) told New Telegraph. He said that the loss has now exceeded $1.6 billion. “Presently, all the expatriates have left; the only people remaining are NNPC’s staff on secondment to the company and a few contract staff,” he said. President Goodluck Jonathan has, however, pledged at the weekend, that the multibillion dollars projects would get through before the end of 2019. Jonathan, who made the promise on the sideline of his visit to the Awujale of Ijebu-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

World Bank appraises governors’ grant-funded ventures ollowing the $140 million grant made available to some state governors by the World Bank last year, a team from the global lending institution is currently in Nigeria to assess how far the chief executive of the states have gone in executing the

projects the money is meant for. A member of the team, who disclosed this to New Telegraph on the condition of anonymity, said that it would take the team a minimum of five working days in each of the states to carry out the assessment programme. The source said that the eval-

INFLATION RATE January 2015...........................8.2% December 2014.........................8% November 2014........................7.9%

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

Sunday Ojeme

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Shina Atilola; Principal, Methodist Girls’ High School, Mrs. Elizabeth Nkanta and Head, Retail & Consumer Banking, South South, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs. Nneka Enang, at the presentation of books on Financial Literacy published by the bank, to the School over the weekend

Rates Dashboard EXCHANGE RATE (BDC as at Mar.13)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N225.50 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N334 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N240

l Foreign Reserves – $30.414bn as at 12/03/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at Mar.13)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N198.10 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N303 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N225

Business | News

ELECTION Outcome of general in both Nigeria and Turkey may affect PC’s Market performance

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Currency rout hits PC shipment to Nigeria, others

Bayo Akomolafe

Product to shrink 40%

he fall in currencies of oil producing countries that was triggered by the crash in the prices of oil at the international markets would lead to a 40 per cent decline in the shipment and sales of Personal Computer (PC) to Nigeria and Ghana in 2015, New Telegraph has learnt. Also, shipment and sales of Personal Computer (PC) are expected to fall by 3.9 per cent in 2015 due to currency fluctuations in Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, the International Data Corporation (IDC) has said. The prices of oil that had fallen by 50 per cent since last June at the international market, has weakened the naira, which has also more than 22 per cent of it value against the dollar yearon-year. This has reduced the purchasing power of Nigerians. In the longer term, IDC noted that the PC market would remain almost flat from 2015 through to 2019. It, however, noted that

PC shipment grew 4.3 per cent to reach 2.83 million units in 2014, while desktop shipment rose by 0.4 per cent over the same period to a total of 1.8 million units. It feared that the market’s performance would be hindered by uncertainty over the outcome of general elections in both Nigeria and Turkey. The report noted that overall Middle East and Africa (MEA) PC market grew 2.8 per cent year on year in the fourth quarter of 2014. It said: “This notable growth was aided by a recovery from the instability that plagued parts of the region in the corresponding quarter of 2013, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the ‘Rest of Middle East’ sub-region, where the bulk of PC shipments can be attributed to Iraq and Iran.” IDC’s Research Manager for Personal Computing, Systems and Infrastructure Solutions for Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Mr. Fouad Rafiq Charakla, said : “One of

World Bank appraises ventures CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

proved an additional support fund for community development in which 26 out of 36 states of the federation were expected to benefit. The source said: “We are starting the assessment here in Lagos. We are spending seven days here before moving to Cross River State where we will spend five days. We are going to visit all the states, spend five days in some and seven days in others as the case may be.” While giving out the grant, the bank said that the additional financing was expected to fund micro-project such as rehabilitation and construction of school class rooms, skills acquisition, environment, health, rural electrification, transport, water and rural market infrastructure, among others. Vulnerable groups that will benefit from the grants are internally displaced poor persons, marginalised or chronically poor households, widows and the physically challenged. “This project will not only help vulnerable

people, including those in conflict-affected areas in the short term, but will also help build long-lasting partnership between local governments and communities. “In addition, it will help integrate communities as well as make smart investments in people for the future,” the World Bank Task Team Leader for the project, Foluso Okunmadewa, said. The first phase of the Community Social Development Project (CSDP), which benefited over 5,600 communities and about two million people in 26 states of the federation closed in December 2014. The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise MarieNelly, said that a recent assessment of the Project showed that school enrolment, immunisation, and access to electricity and safe water had all increased in communities that benefited from CSDP. “In this new phase, the project will focus mainly on the most vulnerable people, in line with the World Bank’s mission to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity,” Marie-Nelly said.

the biggest surprises of the quarter came from Turkey, where PC vendors shipped significantly higher quantities than a year earlier in fear of anticipated changes to import duties from the start of 2015. “However, the con-

sequence of this was that channels exited the quarter with high levels of inventory, which will inevitably have a negative impact on shipment volumes in Q1 2015.” He noted that HP retained top spot with 17.3 per cent growth, Lenovo

38.2 per cent growth in shipment, while Dell suffered a decline of 0.8 per cent. Charakla added: “Looking ahead, IDC expected that the MEA PC market to suffer an overall decline of 3.9 per cent year on year in 2015, with a total of 17.48 million units to be shipped over the 12-month pe-

riod. Some country markets are expected to suffer in early 2015 due to currency fluctuations, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Nigeria.” IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy.

L-R: Counsellor, Isolo Junior Secondary School, Mrs. Ezonwa; JS 3 tutor, Mr. Oke Olarewaju; Senior Technical Assistant to Managing Director, Keystone Bank Plc, Temitayo Olutoye; Executive Director, Corporate Bank & Treasury, Mr. Hafiz Bakare; Principal, Isolo Junior Secondary School, Mrs. Adekusibe Anthonia Adekemi; Divisional Head, Festac Region, Mr. Emmanuel Ntomchukwu and a teacher in the school, Mr. Nasirudeen Mogaji, during the Financial Literacy day at the school. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

LOPSIDED Nigerians are able to send money out but not able to receive funds from abroad though Paypal Kunle Azeez

lobal electronic payment platform, PayPal, has revealed that Nigeria has become its second biggest market in Africa, less than one year after formally launching its services in the West African country. PayPal’s Head of Business Development, sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Malvina Goldfeld, made the revelation to tech news site, IT Web Africa, while expressing satisfaction with PayPal’s overwhelming success in Nigeria since it officially launched in July last year. “We are very happy to see that PayPal has been widely welcomed by Nigerians since the launch of the service in the country last year,” Goldfeld said. South Africa is PayPal’s largest market in the continent, with over one million active accounts; Nigeria and Kenya follow closely. Goldfeld said that PayPal is meeting the needs of Nigerians that purchase goods and services on foreign platforms.

Paypal: Nigeria’s our second largest market in Africa “There are millions of people in Nigeria who are eager to engage in online commerce and our goal is to help them make payments more easily and securely. Currently, we offer Nigerians the opportunity to register for free for a PayPal account to make payments on overseas websites,” she said. But PayPal’s relationship with Nigerian users is onesided, as Nigerians are only allowed to send payments abroad through the platform. Users are currently unable to receive money and even though Nigerian Internet users have continuously demanded for this service, PayPal and Goldfeld have been elusive as to if and when the service will be accessible to Nigerians. Founded in 1998, PayPal continues to be at the forefront of the digital payments revolution, processing almost 11.5 million payments for its customers per day. PayPal gives people better ways to connect to their money and to each other, helping them send money without sharing financial information with the seller and with the flexibility

to pay using their PayPal account balances debit and credit cards. With its 162 million active digital wallets, PayPal has created an open and more secure payments ecosystem people and businesses choose to securely transact with each other online, in stores and on mobile devices. According to Goldfeld, “PayPal is a truly global payments platform that is available to people in 203 countries and markets, allowing customers to get paid in over 100 currencies, withdraw funds to their bank accounts in 57 currencies and hold balances in their PayPal accounts in 26 currencies.” It would be recalled that at the point of expanding its operation in July last year to Nigeria, Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Monaco, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Paypal had stated that, “of the ten countries, Nigeria holds the biggest potential market for PayPal considering that the West African country has an estimated 60 million Internet users according to statistics from Euromonitor.”

INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

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Sanctity of Truth

Different Ideologies, But Shared Radicalism By KATRIN BENNHOLD

LONDON — Born and raised in West London, Ibrahim Ahmed supported the local soccer club and listened to what he called “white music.” But in school he was a “Muslim,” and he became increasingly disaffected with British society. When recruiters approached him in a mosque 18 years ago and told him that he could fight a holy war at home, he readily agreed. In Sweden, Robert Orell was reading “Mein Kampf” and preparing for his own war. The immigrants who had bullied him at his school were, in his view, bullying his culture as liberal politicians stood by. He fantasized about bursting into Parliament with a gun obtained from a neo-Nazi friend. The ideologies that once motivated Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Orell could hardly be more different. Yet strip away ideology and what emerges are two strikingly similar tales of radicalization, militancy and, in their cases, deradicalization. Both had grievances that eroded their self-esteem and made them angry. Both were seduced by a narrative that put them at the center of a greater cause and offered them what they craved most: a sense of belonging and a plan to act on their resentment. Both eventually walked away from violence, dissuaded not by law enforcement officials or relatives, but by former extremists like themselves. The parallels are instructive as Europe tries to recover from two deadly attacks in two months, both committed in the name of Islam. Religious ideology plays a central role in the radicalization of young Muslim

Continued on Page 27

PIETER TEN HOOPEN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Robert Orell, a former neo-Nazi, now runs Exit, a group that works to deradicalize other men who are extremists.

INTELLIGENCE

Defending Europe’s free society. PAGE 24

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LYNSEY ADDARIO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Escaping ‘Honor Killings’ About 20 shelters like this one in Kabul have protected thousands of Afghan women. Above, Rika’s stepmother poured acid on her when she was a girl.

By ALISSA J. RUBIN

K abul, Afghanistan

FAHEEMA STOOD TREMBLING in the courtyard of the large house, steeling herself for the meeting with her family. She took a deep breath and ran inside, her black abaya swirling around her, and fell to the floor at her uncle’s feet. The reproaches were immediate: “How could you do this?” her uncle said. “You were always so sweet to everyone. How could you have done this?” What Faheema, 21, had done was to run away from her home in eastern Afghanistan with the man she loved. She left behind her large family and the man that her family had promised her to. Although her uncle’s words at first seemed kind, his tone had a dangerous edge: Faheema had to come home. For a young woman from an Afghan village to go home after running away with a man is tantamount to crossing a busy street blindfolded: There is a strong likelihood that she will be killed for bringing shame on her family. Faheema, who like many Afghans uses a single name, was one of the lucky ones:

WORLD TRENDS

Racial issues plague U.S. cities. PAGE 28

She had made it to an emergency women’s shelter, one of about 20 that over the last 10 years have protected several thousand women from abuse or death at the hands of their relatives. These shelters, funded mostly by Western donors, are one of the most successful — and provocative — legacies of the Western presence in Afghanistan, demonstrating that women need protection from their families and can make their own choices. And allowing women to decide for themselves raises the prospect that men might not control the order of things, as they have for centuries. This is a revolutionary idea here — as alien as Western democracy and far more transgressive. As the shelters have grown, so has the opposition of men who see them as Western assaults on Afghan culture. “Here, if someone tries to leave the family, she is breaking the order of the family and it’s against the Islamic laws and it’s considered a disgrace,” said Habibullah

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

How termites protect ecosystems. PAGE 31

Hasham, the imam of the Nabi mosque in western Kabul. “What she has done is rebelling.” Opposition also comes from within the government. Lawmakers came close to barring the shelters in 2011, and in 2013 nearly reversed a law barring violence against women. They yielded only under pressure from the European Union and the United States. Now, as the Western presence in Afghanistan dwindles, this clash of ideas of the place of women means many of the gains women made after the 2001 invasion are at risk. Although the Taliban’s harsh restrictions on women alienated many Afghans and helped rally foreign support for the war, the idea that women must submit to men remains widely held. “Most people still have conservative, traditional views of women,” said Manizha Naderi, who runs Women for Afghan

Continued on Page 26

ARTS & DESIGN

Sherlock Holmes’s London. PAGE 34

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

O P I N I O N & C O M M E N TA RY

ED I T O R I A L S O F T H E T I M ES There is reason to celebrate with Beatrice Yardolo, the last known Ebola patient in Liberia. She survived the terrible disease and was released from a hospital on March 5. Only five months ago, the virus was raging through Monrovia, the Liberian capital, killing thousands, overwhelming the national health system and sparking riots as authorities tried to quarantine entire neighborhoods. Now, if no new case appears for 42 days, the epidemic will be considered finished in Liberia. This is a testament to international efforts to contain the virus and the work of the Liberian government. But it’s not over yet.

Getting Ebola to Zero In Sierra Leone and Guinea, a spike in new cases was reported in late February, though it involved far fewer cases than last summer and fall. The latest outbreaks are in areas where residents have been hostile to health workers, often in the confused belief that the workers were spreading the disease. These are also areas where people have often failed to heed warnings against washing the bodies of Ebola victims, a traditional ritual that exposes all participants to infection.

Health authorities warned about difficulties in the struggle to reach zero cases. The leader of the United Nations Missions for Ebola Emergency Response, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, told a conference on Ebola in Brussels this month that the greatest dangers at this stage are complacency and “a certain degree of fatigue.” And even once zero is achieved, which could happen by summer, major tasks remain. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will need considerable help in

recovering from the economic and psychological damage of the outbreak. The virus infected about 24,000 people and killed at least 9,600. That may not match the apocalyptic predictions that circulated several months ago, but the damage to these poor countries was devastating. Governments and international organizations must also acknowledge that the world was far too slow in acting, and that it is imperative to create a system of rapid response. Finally, there’s the troubling

fact that a vaccine that proved effective in protecting monkeys from Ebola had been developed a decade ago, but further work was dropped, in part because earlier outbreaks of Ebola were small, and in part because drug companies are reluctant to invest the huge sums required to produce medicines and vaccines for diseases that largely afflict poor countries. Ebola demonstrated that oceans are no longer an obstacle to a raging virus. As this outbreak winds down, all involved must ensure that the next germ never gets as far as this one did and that, once zero is reached, Ebola stays at zero.

INTELLIGENCE/SYLVIE KAUFFMANN

Europe Won’t Give In to Doubt For some time now, thanks to my name, which sounds Jewish, although I was raised in a Catholic family, I have been blessed with all sorts of emails from Israel — Tel Aviv real-estate agents, good travel deals, support-thetroops messages — which I usually delete without a second thought. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I found a new invitation in my inbox: “Prepare your Aliyah.” Aliyah (ascent) is the Hebrew word used for Jews scattered around the world who decide to move to Israel. This email — sent, I suppose, to tens of thousands of other French Jewish names — was an ad for Hebrew classes specially designed for French Jews who, scared by the recent terrorist attacks, might be tempted to leave. Following the Copenhagen shootings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel again called for “mass immigration” of Jews from Europe to Israel. But how can one make the argument for Jews to flee their country, be it Denmark or France? Europe without Jews: This is what the Nazis tried to achieve. It would also be granting a victory to the terrorists who have been targeting them. As the reaction in France and Denmark shows, standing up to the threat means Sylvie Kauffmann is the editorial director and a former editor in chief of Le Monde. Send comments to intelligence@nytimes.com.

staying, not fleeing. Europe faces two fundamental challenges. One is posed by radical Islamists who kill cartoonists, Jews and members of the security forces. Their attacks target two hallmarks of Western societies: freedom of speech and diversity. The assaults have been carried out in countries where pluralism — of ideas, religion, politics, ethnicity and language — is a part of national identity. This challenge arises from the South and its extremist terror groups. The other challenge comes from the East: President Vladimir V. Putin’s determination to change the rules of the international order established in Europe after the Cold War. Once again, through the Russian assault on Ukraine, a fundamental part of European identity is being attacked. So how does Europe react? My colleague Jochen Bittner, from the German newspaper Die Zeit, wrote in The New York Times last month, that we have been struck by an “autoimmune disease,” arguing that “two fundamental virtues of the West, doubt and conscience, are turning against their inventors.” Just compare John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address in 1961, he says, with today’s statements by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to see how the West has sunk into hollowness. (Mr. Bittner believes Ms. Mogherini’s appeal to Moscow to use its “considerable

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After recent terrorist attacks, some Jews might be tempted to leave France. The Jewish quarter of Pa ris’s Marais district. influence” over separatists in Ukraine was “shot through with self-doubt.”) I disagree. Today’s world is much more complex than the bipolar world of the Cold War. Comparing the European Union’s foreign policy chief, with all her structural constraints, to the then-leader of the free world is rather unfair. There was no Federica Mogherini in 1961, because the European Community was in its infancy, with only six member states. Today, with 28 member states, the European Union is much more complicated to run, but also more powerful. Granted, the West has faltered over the past 15 years, from the disastrous global “war on terror” to the financial crisis. It has backtracked on Syria and grossly misread Mr. Putin. But it is not a question of the West being strong then and weak now. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 and a confident Kennedy did not go to war over it, just as the West did not go to war over Budapest in

1956 or Prague in 1968. The new challenges Europe faces — and the fundamental threats they pose — have brought us to a turning point. Witness the act of defiance of the French who rallied on January 11 as never before to stand up for freedom of speech and plural-

United in the escalating challenges of a complex world. ism, just as the Danes rallied recently, and the remarkable show of international solidarity that accompanied both. Witness the participation of several European countries in the fight against the Islamic State and against Al Qaeda in Mali. Witness the new level of cooperation between the leaders of Germany and France.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and President François Hollande’s joint effort to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine was not a neutral initiative; the West clearly showed that it was on President Petro Poroshenko’s side, not on Mr. Putin’s. Western leaders have been slow to come to terms with the seriousness of the threat to Ukraine, but they are finally facing it. This is only the beginning, however. From the East, there will be more challenges. From the South, more attacks. In France, the rise of the National Front, the growing number of anti-Semitic acts and tensions surrounding the Muslim population are just a few signs of the turmoil affecting many European countries. But faced with multiple crises, Europe can and will draw on its strengths. Doubt and conscience remain powerful virtues, if used in the defense of a pluralistic and free society.

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Recent exercises in Chad with 1,200 African troops and American and European forces focused on fighting the Islamist terror group Boko Haram.

New Urgency as Boko Haram Commits to Islamic State By ERIC SCHMITT

MAO, Chad — An oath of allegiance from Boko Haram, the Nigeria-based militant group, to the Islamic State on March 7 has reinforced fears that the terrorist group is growing beyond Iraq and Syria. These worries have prompted American and allied commandos to rush to train African counterterrorism troops. Boko Haram has kidnapped schoolgirls, slaughtered thousands of people, and now has expanded its attacks from Nigeria into Cameroon, Niger and Chad. “When your neighbor’s house is burning, you have to put it out, because if not, yours is next,” said Lieutenant Colonel Brahim Mahanat, a Chadian Army officer who spoke during the United States’ military exercise held recently with 1,200 African troops and Western special forces and commandos. This year’s training — three weeks of marksmanship, mock ambushes and patrols in harsh desert terrain — coincided with

real-world operations. The Chadian capital, Ndjamena, is just 50 kilometers from militant-held territory in Nigeria, and Boko Haram has vowed revenge since Chad began cross-border attacks against the militants. Police officers and army troops have stepped up patrols in the capital in response to new risks, including suicide bombings. Boko Haram has pushed 200,000 Nigerian refugees across the border into neighboring countries. On March 7, three explosions rocked Maiduguri, killing dozens. “Boko Haram is not just a threat to our country or to Africa,” said Brigadier General Zakaria Ngobongue, a Chadian officer who trained in France and in the United States, and who oversaw this year’s exercise. “They are an international threat.” Officials suggested that Boko Haram, by aligning itself more closely with the Islamic State, was seeking to elevate its standing in the jihadi world, attract

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fighters and win financing. Boko Haram seized the world’s attention last April when it kidnapped nearly 300 teenage girls in Nigeria. While some girls escaped the initial abduction, none have been found since, and many are believed to have been married off to Boko Haram fighters. Last summer, the United States committed $40 million over three years to help Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon develop border security, and to pay for weapons and equipment. Army Special Forces from Fort Carson, Colorado, as well as other American Special Operations and military instructors from several Western countries are training African troops in Chad to conduct combat patrols and to foil terrorist ambushes.

With Western backing, African leaders have formed an 8,700-member regional force to combat Boko Haram. But Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin — the troop-contributing countries — must overcome distrust, rivalries and disparate abilities to forge an effective fighting unit, officials said. France has reorganized its 3,000 troops in the Sahel — a vast area stretching from Senegal east to Chad — to carry out counterterrorism operations more effectively, officials said. Chad, Niger and Cameroon have mobilized thousands of troops to push back Boko Haram, whose army of 4,000 to 6,000 fighters has overwhelmed Nigeria’s underequipped and poorly led troops. So far those troops from the three African nations have been able to reclaim some of the 30 towns in northeastern Nigeria that the militants have seized over the past year. Chad’s American-trained Special Antiterrorism Group forc-

es, which have fought alongside French troops in Mali against Al Qaeda’s affiliate there, are among 5,000 Chadian troops deployed to fight Boko Haram in the region. Cameroon’s Israeli-trained rapid intervention brigade has also fought well against the militants, Western specialists said. The response seems to have improved Nigeria’s resolve as its troops have begun to fight more effectively, Western officials said. African officials say a model for their operation is the African force created several years ago to combat the Islamic militant Shabab group in Somalia. Here in Mao, the main site for the recent military exercise, African soldiers teamed with American, Danish, Italian, Belgian and other Western advisers to learn new skills, including how to counter an enemy ambush. “Before, people felt it was all Nigeria’s fight,” said one Nigerian commando. “Now other countries are getting involved.”

Police in Hungary kept watch over a bus carrying illegal Kosovar immigrants caught crossing the border from Serbia.

ing power hungry and corrupt, forced its way into a governing coalition. Kosovo is Europe’s youngest territory, with 27 the average age of its two million citizens. It would need a 7 percent annual economic growth to offer work to the 25,000 to 30,000 youths who finish school each year. Lumir Abdixhiku of Riinvest, a research group, said providing 100,000 Kosovars opportunities in Europe could compensate for neglect. “It was not fair,” he said, “to leave Kosovo as a black hole for all these years,” limiting even business travel. Critics in Kosovo said corruption is rampant. Another member of the Cakaj clan, Sherif, said, “If you don’t have connections and know people, there is no way for you to get a job.” Officials, he added angrily, “don’t care if you have a job or not; they just want you to pay the utility bills.” In his 75 years, he insisted, things had never been so bad. “If I was not so old, I would leave myself.”

Kosovars Are Leaving Land They Fought For By ALISON SMALE

STANOVC, Kosovo — The extended Cakaj family has built tens of homes here, along Tony Blair Street, between the Dubai supermarket and the French peacekeepers base, in a clannish faith that closeness would bring security. But recently the family of Kosovo Albanians has begun to splinter, as a disastrous economy, static politics and a newly created opening in the border with Serbia have enticed tens of thousands of Kosovars to leave their troubled land in search of opportunity and work. “My son had no choice,” said Xhevat Cakaj, but to leave their enclave for Germany with his wife and their five girls. They had only one cow, he said, whose milk they sold in a market in

nearby Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, and their only other source of income was running a minibus service until the local authorities clamped down. Afrim Syla, 48, of Pristina, who makes pancakes for a living and whose son recently joined the exodus, said Kosovars once laid down their lives to stay here. “Now,” he said, “we have come to a situation where we leave of our own free will.” Sixteen years after NATO drove out Serbian forces so 850,000 Kosovo Albanians expelled by the Serbs could return home, the flow of Kosovo Albanians has reversed. For months now, buses have been bringing Kosovo Albanians through Serbia to the land border with Hungary, in the European Union. But Kosovo’s Albanians, most

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of whom are Muslims, are being forced back, deemed too physically — if not financially — secure to warrant asylum status. Officials in Austria and Germany sounded alarms in January, after registering huge increases in Kosovo Albanians seeking asylum. The immediate trigger was a fresh opportunity at the border. Kosovars — unlike neighbors in Albania, Macedonia and Bosnia — do not have access to European visa programs, contributing

to their sense of abandonment and isolation. European-brokered agreements last fall created more points where Kosovars could enter Serbia and freer passage across Serbia. While Kosovars felt hope after their declaration of independence in 2008, many say they now see few prospects. Elections last June went unresolved for months, until the party of the former prime minister, Hashim Thaci, accused by critics of be-

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A Haven for Women Escaping ‘Honor Killings’ Continued from Page 23 Women, which operates shelters or other programs in 13 provinces. While the shelters have brought freedom to many women, others are stranded, safe for a time from their families but unable to leave because neither their families nor society accepts them. Ms. Naderi estimates that about 15 percent of the women in her shelters cannot leave — ever. For these abused women, the longer they live suspended between two worlds, the less the shelter comes to feel like a haven and the more like a jail.

Frightening Example Above all, Faheema wanted to avoid the fate of Amina, an 18-year-old who ran away from her family in rural Baghlan Province in 2013 after her family said she would marry an older man. Amina made it to the provincial capital and was picked up by the Afghan Intelligence Service. Unlike many runaways, who are seen as fallen women and are prey to being molested by the police, she was not abused. She was brought to the women’s ministry office, which exists in every provincial capital. The women’s ministry sent her to the only shelter in the province. But after a night or two, her family arrived. They promised not to harm Amina if she returned home with them, repeating that pledge on a videotape after meeting with the head of the provincial women’s ministry office, Khadija Yaqeen. But Amina never made it home. Nine men accosted the vehicle not far from her home, pulled her out and shot her, according to her family. Women’s advocates and the police doubted the story. Why would armed men take just one young girl out of a car and shoot her? Why wouldn’t the family call for revenge? The answer pointed to something far more sinister than a random holdup. “This is the perception: Once she leaves the family, she’s in the hands of others, and they can do whatever they want with her — sexually abuse her — because she has left Rod Nordland and Jawad Sukhanyar contributed reporting.

CORRECTION

An article in November about automated weapons paraphrased incorrectly comments by Paul Scharre, a weapons specialist. His position is that more accurate smart weapons should be embraced because they may result in fewer mass killings and civilian casualties. He does not think that autonomous weapons, which make targeting and killing decisions without human guidance, should be embraced for that reason. This correction was delayed because editors did not follow through on the complaint.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LYNSEY ADDARIO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

the family circle,” said Mr. Hasham, the imam in Kabul. By tribal custom, a so-called honor killing is the only way to eradicate the shame. The Baghlan provincial police chief thinks that Amina’s brother was involved in her killing, but he said there were conflicting reports. The women’s ministry did not press for arrests. Ms. Yaqeen said Amina asked to leave with her family. “Nobody had beaten her,” she said, “so I had no excuse to keep her.” Ms. Yaqeen admits she was called by a member of the provincial council, who urged her to talk to the family. Provincial council members tend to be deferential to the desires of powerful local families. But Ms. Yaqeen said Amina made the choice herself. “We did everything according to the rules and regulations,” Ms. Yaqeen insisted. “This is a problem of the society.”

Family Confrontation Faheema was sure that her family would not spare her if she left the shelter and went home. “I had a problem with my father,” she said. “He engaged me to my uncle’s son, and I wasn’t happy to marry him, so I married another man.” Her father told her he had bought a gun. “‘Wherever I see you both, I will kill you,’” he said before she ran away. Faheema understands, as many women do, that she is in danger from her own family. This is often the first step toward being able to save themselves. Unlike the Baghlan women’s ministry, where Amina had just one meeting with her family before she was given back to them, Women for Afghan Women requires repeated sessions with a young woman, her family and a

Faheema, 21, in a confrontational meeting at a shelter in Kabul, crying at her uncle’s feet. Above, she fled to the safety of a locked room in the basement.

mediator before she can go home. If the staff members are not satisfied that the young woman will be safe, they will keep her as long as necessary. Faheema’s third session with her family involved her mother, a younger sister, a younger brother and the brother of her spurned fiancé, who had been at the previous meeting. It was filled with screaming and bordered on physical violence. “My daughter wants to go with us,” her mother said. “Her father is now in the hospital.” She turned to Faheema and said, “We will get you divorced from that guy,” referring to the man Faheema ran away with. Her fiancé’s brother and her mother said they would support her marrying someone else. Nuria Kohistan, the mediator, said in an aside, “They’re saying these things, but as soon as they get custody of her, they will kill her.” As it became clear that the shelter was not going to let Fa-

heema go, her mother tearfully tried offering a bribe. Then she turned, almost spitting, to Faheema. “You know your father, you know the character of your father,” she said. Gripping Faheema, she dragged her up from the chair. “He will kill me. You can come to my grave tomorrow.” Faheema pried her arm from her mother’s grip and ran into the basement. Her mother was kept out, and Faheema was locked in. Her shoulders heaving, she wept hopelessly.

Never Going Home The women in the long-term shelter huddle together in the dark, their voices a way to ward off nightmares. The torments they endured at the hands of their families are written on their bodies. Knife scars traverse their faces and necks. Beatings with chains mark their backs. Some limp from broken bones that were never properly set. Several have faces eroded by acid, a fa-

vorite weapon here. There are 26 women in the long-term shelter run by Women for Afghan Women in Kabul. If Faheema’s family continued its threats, this shelter would become her home. Here, most women feel a deep relief. No one is beaten. There is enough food. Chores are shared and, above all, there are choices: Some girls decide to go to school. One has a job as a house cleaner, and another makes clothes while caring for her 6-year-old daughter. It is exceedingly rare for a woman to live alone here, and so the staff tries to help women recreate families when their own have shunned them. “Sometimes we can find husbands,” Ms. Naderi said. “We’ve married maybe 10 or 11, but it’s difficult.” Women’s advocates do see changes. “Now women are finding a voice,” said Soraya Sobrang, a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. “And also they

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WORLD TRENDS want to have some rights and have some decision-making.” The battle between tradition and a fragile new sense of women’s rights continues. A government committee investigated the shelters after a television program accused them of forcing battered women into prostitution. The committee found that most of the shelters were well run. The outcome meant the government would not close the safe houses, but there was little public support for spending money on them. Ms. Naderi relies on funding from the United States government for about 90 percent of her budget. The rest comes from private, mostly foreign donors. The women inside the halfway house understand the risks they would face if they had to leave. “I cannot go anywhere alone,” said Mariam, 22, who escaped an abusive Taliban husband. “Everybody likes to have their freedom, but I cannot have mine.”

Inescapable Fear In the end, Faheema was able to leave the shelter, with the help of a lawyer provided by Women for Afghan Women. A court recognized her marriage to her husband, Ajmal, and the attorney general ordered her to live with him in Kabul. But it is not exactly a happy ending. Although they are in love, they live in terror of being cornered by a member of Faheema’s family and being beaten or killed. They live in poverty because Ajmal had to close his shop in their hometown, Ghazni, and cannot go there for fear of being killed. “We live in fear and in hiding,” he said. Three times a day, when he goes out to buy a long loaf of Afghan bread, he finds himself looking around nervously to see if any of Faheema’s family is lying in wait for him. He worries all the time about his widowed mother and two sisters, who still live in Ghazni. When he had his small cosmetics shop there, he contributed to supporting the family. But now, only his widowed mother’s meager income as a tailor helps feed the family. None of this has weakened the couple’s resolve to be together, but it weighs on them because in Afghanistan, to not be able to go home is to be an outcast, almost an orphan. Faheema tried to make peace between their two families and braved a phone call with her angry father to beg him to meet with elders from Ajmal’s clan. But her father refused to see them and said the only thing that would satisfy him was if they gave him a daughter to marry off to his son or nephew in exchange for Ajmal’s taking Faheema. Despite the hardship, Faheema hopes her sisters and cousins will have the courage to demand that their families ask permission before making plans to marry them off. “My message to my father is that he should ask his children first before making any decision for their lives,” she said. In the cold Kabul winter, as they prepared to return to their small, damp apartment, Faheema said she had one more wish. “Take us out of Afghanistan,” she said, “because we won’t be able to have a quiet life here.”

Growing Up to Be More Than One Thing As the pursuit of multiple professions and passions has become the norm, people juggle multiple identities. Kevin Gleeson, for instance, is a graphic LENS artist for the New York Police Department, where he designs banners and materials for news conferences. He usually wears a jacket, tie and his long hair pulled into a ponytail. But one day, when he was called to the commissioner’s office unexpectedly, he wore pink pants and his hair undone. Mr. Gleeson was dressed as his alter-ego, a Keith Richards impersonator. “They call me the Keith-iest Keith,” Mr. Gleeson told The New York Times while preparing to play with the Stony Rollers, a Rolling Stones tribute band. Mr. Gleeson has been performing Keith Richards’s music for more than 40 years. Now in his mid-50s, his life is not much like that of the more famous Rolling Stone — he has been sober for 28 years, and he seems to know everyone in the police deFor comments, write to nytweekly@nytimes.com.

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Kevin Gleeson is a New York Police Department graphic artist by day and impersonates Keith Richards at night. partment — but he is not ready to give up his night job. For Thomas Tessier, an admissions officer at Stanford University’s online high school, his other job, as a workout instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in San Francisco, is attuned to another side of his personality. “Stanford is interactive and I meet people, but I can’t get on a microphone and make snarky comments about Britney Spears and stomp around,” he told The Times. “It’s different.” In boarding school, he coached lacrosse and cross-country, and he worked at a wine bar. “The standard question,

‘What do you want to do when you grow up?,’ it doesn’t exist anymore,” Mr. Tessier said. “As somebody whose job it is to ask people this it’s like ...” He shrugged. “There’s a million answers.” Brittany Bronson teaches English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but earns part of her living as a waitress. She sometimes feels the stigma of being a blue-collar worker, she wrote in The Times. But her identity goes beyond her restaurant job, and the same is true for her colleagues, who have real estate licenses, artistic abilities, freelance projects and families. “If my students can imagine the possibility that choosing to

Turning Radical Views Into Common Outlooks Continued from Page 23 Europeans being lured to join the Islamic State or kill in the group’s name at home. But the psychological process underlying radicalization is universal, terrorism experts say. “We are so beguiled with ideology, we miss the fact that jihadis and neo-Nazis have a lot in common,” said John Horgan, the author of “The Psychology of Terrorism” and director of the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies at the University of

Former extremists are best at deterring budding radicals. Massachusetts at Lowell. “The similarities of how they get engaged, involved and disengaged in terrorism by far exceed the differences.” Europe’s history of far-right extremism and other varieties of militancy makes the continent a rich laboratory for counterextremism and deradicalization. Today, the recruitment success of groups like the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is considered the greatest threat. But decades of research-

ing, infiltrating and countering other movements offer lessons at a time when governments are scrambling to head off the threat, analysts said. They said that former extremists have a role to play in the argument against radical temptations. “We need to replace fantasy with reality,” said Amy Thornton of the Department of Crime and Security Science at University College London. “Formers play a very important role. Only they can credibly say: Syria is not a video game, you may end up cleaning toilets, babysitting on the front line; it’s not what you’re being promised.” Experts say outreach efforts are most effective when they offer a counternarrative and tangible alternatives to violence. “We won’t make any progress at all if we continue to obsess over the question ‘why’ someone becomes an extremist,” Mr. Horgan said. “A better starting point is asking ‘how.’ ” Mr. Orell, now 34, drifted into a group of soccer hooligans with links to neo-Nazis and eventually into the neo-Nazi scene itself. “Race was my religion,” Mr. Orell said. “I was fighting a holy war.” Holy war was what was proposed to Mr. Ahmed in a South London mosque in 1997. When he joined a Muslim gang, it was to defend himself from boys who terrorized him, but also to take

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A British Muslim and former radical now counsels teenagers in London to avoid violent extremism. revenge. Eventually, both men began having doubts. When a group of neo-Nazis was arrested in connection with the murders of two Swedish police officers, Mr. Orell was appalled. Around that time, he started talking to a former militant. “It was good talking to someone without being judged,” Mr. Orell said. “I was still every bit as radical, but I was getting disillusioned with the group.” The friend introduced him to Exit, a charity offering far-right extremists support as they left the movement. Many social workers at Exit were former extremists, too. They listened, played soccer with him and gradually “chipped away at the black and white.” In Britain, Mr. Ahmed had never paid attention when his family said that Islam and violence were incompatible. But when a Salafi preacher who had once been involved in gang vio-

work with their hands does not automatically exclude them from being people who critically examine the world around them, I will feel I’ve done something worthwhile,” she wrote in The Times. Identity for Mariam Ghani, a visual artist in New York, bridges multiple cultures. Her mother is Lebanese, and her father is President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan. In February, she opened a show, “Like Water From a Stone,” which explores her diverse world. She collaborated on a piece with her father to examine Afghanistan’s history as a cycle: reform, revolt, collapse, recovery. “Mariam, like most of us, is many different things at once,” said Ramzi Kassem, a professor at the City University of New York who has worked with Ms. Ghani. “This project, by design, is many different things over time: a video installation, archiving dimension, radio component, art installation.” Ms. Ghani taught classes in Kabul and shot a short film in Norway. She also speaks seven languages. “I grew up very much in between cultures, and that’s the position I work from as an artist,” she told The Times. “I think the place I identify most with is the border.” DEBORAH STRANGE

lence told him as much in 1999, he listened. “He said he shared my grievances, but that violence was not the way to address them,” said Mr. Ahmed, who asked to use the name Ibrahim to avoid compromising his access to the radical youths he counsels. “He said, ‘I get it, I’ve been there.’ ” That is the message he tries to get across to the teenagers he counsels, like a 16-year-old boy who is tempted to go to Syria. “I don’t judge him,” Mr. Ahmed said, adding that if he were 16 today, he might be tempted to go to Syria himself. Both Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Orell, who now runs Exit, say counterextremism work has become trickier. The Internet has given militants direct access to teenagers. The video-game culture glorifies extreme violence. And radical movements have become smarter at marketing. Mr. Ahmed tries to channel Muslim discontents away from violence. “I ask them: When was the last time you wrote to your M.P.?” he said, referring to a member of Parliament. “Have you ever run a fund-raising campaign? Written a letter to your local newspaper?” Indeed, the post-extremist lives of Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Orell seem to indicate that radicalism need not be destiny. They know one another through a network of former extremists brought together by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which combats extremism. “If we had met 15 years ago, we probably would have killed each other,” Mr. Ahmed said. “Now Robert is a friend.”

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WORLD TRENDS

Move Over Mao: ‘Papa Xi’ Captivates Many Chinese By ANDREW JACOBS and CHRIS BUCKLEY

BEIJING — The must-see sights here form a grandiose circuit: the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and, for those willing to wait in long lines, the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. But there is a new stop on the Chinese capital’s sightseeing loop: a fast-food restaurant that has become a destination for fans of the president, Xi Jinping. It was here last year that Mr. Xi riveted the nation after he visited the Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop, paid his own way and then carried his food tray to a table. “We’re following in the footsteps of our great leader,” Bai Henglin, a 29-year-old chauffeur, said as he took a selfie with his $3.50 Presidential Combo meal (steamed buns and a bowl of pig liver stew). “Out-of-town visitors who come to Beijing and don’t stop here will regret it.” There are other barometers of the adulation directed at Mr. Xi since he assumed power in 2012. His serene smile graces

ornamental plates and good luck trinkets, and songs and poems celebrate “Papa Xi” as a virtuous husband, a friend to the peasant and an enemy of the corrupt. Not since Mao dominated the nation with his masterly blend of populism, fervor and fear has a Chinese leader commanded so much public awe. Deng Xiaoping disavowed the mania of the Mao era, and since then, public fawning over political leaders has been taboo. Some of Mr. Xi’s appeal stems from his war on corruption and from feel-good sloganeering. But the adoration has also been primed by portrayals of Mr. Xi as someone who holds up his own umbrella, kicks soccer balls and knows how to fire a rifle. One popular tribute to Mr. Xi is a somewhat worshipful song: He dares to beat any tiger, no matter how big the tiger is. He is not afraid of heaven or earth. We dream of meeting him. In interviews, many ordinary citizens said they welcomed the charismatic leadership, espe-

ADAM DEAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Party propaganda has been effective. Likenesses of Xi Jinping and Mao Zedong. cially after the dreary manner of Mr. Xi’s immediate predecessor, Hu Jintao, whose keynote slogan, “Scientific Outlook on Development,” lacked the emotional punch of Mr. Xi’s “Chinese Dream.” The Chinese public has largely welcomed Mr. Xi’s clampdown on graft. And his warnings that China would assert its territorial claims through muscular diplomacy and a stronger military

Racism Concerns Span U.S.

made Xi Jinping look like an idiot,” he said. Some analysts say Mr. Xi’s family history should have given him a lesson in the risks of cultish obedience. His father, Xi Zhongxun, a revolutionary hero, was driven from power in 1962 after Mao accused him of seeking to subvert the party, and was seized and persecuted by Maoist radicals after the Cultural Revolution erupted in 1966. But analysts say Mr. Xi and other political figures of his generation still idealize certain elements of Mao’s rule, especially his appeal to national pride and the image he cultivated as a strongman, incorruptible and self-sacrificial. On a recent afternoon, Wang Feng, 45, a midlevel functionary, said he had been to the Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop three times over the past year. “Our president has a stiff spine and will lead China to a brighter place.” Mr. Wang said, as news accounts about Mr. Xi’s visit to the restaurant played on a television screen behind him.

Study Links Syrian War To a Changing Climate By HENRY FOUNTAIN

This article is by Campbell Robertson, Shaila Dewan and Matt Apuzzo. If the shooting of the unarmed black teenager in August that led to weeks of unrest had taken place about 400 meters to the southeast, he would have died not in Ferguson, Missouri, but in the neighboring city of Jennings. The court system there, which is overseen by a white judge but has mostly black defendants, routinely sends people to jail for failure to pay minor traffic fines, a new lawsuit alleges. Had the shooting of Michael Brown, 18, occurred five kilometers to the north, attention might have turned to the city of Florissant, where in 2013, the police stopped black motorists at a rate nearly three times their share of the population. Less than seven kilometers to the northwest, in Calverton Park, court fines and fees accounted for over 40 percent of the city’s general operating revenue last year. A Justice Department report has described racism among Ferguson officials, abusive policing and a system that seemed to view people “less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue.” Ferguson, a city of 21,000, is unusual in some respects — it has issued the most warrants of any city in the state relative to its size, for example — but the unfairness in its court system is not limited to it, to St. Louis County or even to Missouri. Vanita Gupta, the Justice Department’s top civil rights prosecutor, urged police and city

have also proved popular. “You get the feeling that President Xi cares about the little guy,” said Yang Tianrong, 75, a retired soldier from Hebei Province. “He gives you hope that the government can solve your problems.” Despite their misgivings, many liberals said they doubted Mr. Xi would revive the excesses of the Mao era. But Bao Tong, a party official who was purged and imprisoned after the pro-democracy protests of 1989, said Mr. Xi risked alienating supporters inside the party by casting himself as the only one who could save China. Building Mr. Xi into a political demigod to drown out debate and dissent “won’t unify people’s thinking,” he said. Xiao Qiang at the University of California, Berkeley, who monitors Chinese media, agreed. Recent propaganda flourishes have generated ridicule online, he said, especially Mr. Xi’s remarks in which he denounced “strange” contemporary architecture and exhorted artists and writers to serve the masses rather than their own creative impulses. “It

WHITNEY CURTIS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Poor cities in the U.S. often rely for revenue on traffic fines, often imposed on minorities. A protest in Missouri. officials nationwide to read the report and take stock of whether their police and court systems were equally in need of an overhaul. “The Ferguson report really does highlight some issues that jurisdictions around the country are plagued with,” she said. Across the United States, investigations and lawsuits have focused attention on the justice system’s burdens on the poor. In Alabama, which has tried to make up for deep cuts to court funding by imposing fees like $35 for posting bail, a handful of lawsuits contend that local courts perpetuate a cycle of steep fines for minor offenses and jail for those who cannot pay. And as early as 2009, Florida became a model for aggressive collection of court fees and fines. Antonio Morgan, the owner of a car repair business, has spent months in various St. Louis County jails, paid thousands of dollars and been shocked by a Taser, mostly because of traffic violations. “People are actually getting mad that everybody thinks it’s Ferguson, Ferguson, Ferguson,” Mr. Morgan, 29, said. “They pull over a lot of black people, yeah, but they’re not the worst, I’ll tell you that. It’s worse ones than that.”

Officials in nearby cities rejected any comparison to Ferguson. “You don’t dismantle the whole house in order to kill one bug,” said Mayor Patrick Green of Normandy, who is black. He said his police force had issued more citations since state agencies asked it to help patrol Interstate 70, and that the money had been used for public safety. “Everyone’s saying, ‘Oh, no, that’s cities just taking advantage of the poor,’ ” he said. “When did the poor get the right to commit crimes?” Missouri governor Jay Nixon has expressed support for a cap on the percentage of revenue a city can collect from traffic tickets and court fees. Mayor Green said the cap would hit predominantly black cities hardest. Qiana Williams, a black 36-year-old mother of a 9-yearold girl, said she had been jailed multiple times for traffic violations. She was once arrested when she called the police for help after a former boyfriend hurt her. None of this took place in Ferguson, she said: Some of her worst experiences were in another county altogether. “St. Louis knows that it’s not just a Ferguson problem,” she said. “I don’t know if the country knows.”

Drawing one of the strongest links yet between global warming and human conflict, researchers have said that an extreme drought in Syria between 2006 and 2009 was most likely due to climate change, and that the drought was a factor in the violent uprising that began there in 2011. The drought was the worst in the country in modern times, and in a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists laid the blame for it on a century-long trend toward warmer and drier conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The researchers said this trend

An uprising after a drought displaces 1.5 million people. appeared to be due to two factors: a weakening of winds that bring moisture from the Mediterranean and hotter temperatures that cause more evaporation. Colin P. Kelley, the lead author, said he and his colleagues found that while Syria and the rest of the region known as the Fertile Crescent were normally subject to periodic dry periods, “a drought this severe was two to three times more likely” because of increasing aridity. Martin P. Hoerling, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the study was “compelling.” “The paper makes a

strong case for the first link in their causal chain,” he said in an email, “namely the human interference with the climate so as to increase drought likelihood in Syria.” Some social scientists, policy makers and others have previously suggested that the drought played a role in the Syrian unrest, and the researchers addressed this, saying the drought “had a catalytic effect.” They cited studies that showed that the extreme dryness, combined with other factors, including misguided agricultural and water-use policies, caused crop failures that led to the migration of as many as 1.5 million people from rural to urban areas. This in turn added to social stresses that eventually resulted in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011. What began as civil war has since escalated into a multifaceted conflict, with at least 200,000 deaths. Earlier studies trying to show a link between climate change and conflict have been rebutted by some. Thomas Bernauer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich said in an email he was skeptical about this one as well. “The evidence for the claim that this drought contributed to the outbreak of civil war in Syria is very speculative,” he wrote. Mark A. Cane, an author of the study and a scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of Columbia University in New York, defended the work and added: “I think we’ve tried to explain that the connection from an extraordinary climate event to conflict is complex and certainly involves other factors.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Sanctity of Truth

MONEY & BUSINESS

A model of the Abu Dhabi airport; far right, flight attendant training at Etihad, which now has more than 100 planes.

Gulf Airline’s Backing Frustrates Its Rivals PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTOPHE VISEUX FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

By JAD MOUAWAD

ABU DHABI — Emerging from the desert like some giant steel squid, Abu Dhabi’s new airport terminal is starting to take shape. The existing airport has become too small for the ambitions of its main tenant, Etihad Airways, the smallest and fastest growing of the three giant Middle Eastern airlines, whose expansion has sown resentment among the legacy carriers of North America and Europe. For more than a decade, the Persian Gulf airlines have transformed international travel, focusing on an obsession with service and single-hub connections. They now fly to more foreign destinations and have more international seats than United States carriers. Now, how Etihad operates — especially how it is financed —has become critical in a contentious battle with airlines and unions in the United States, which accuse Gulf carriers of stealing passengers with government support. Etihad is particularly exposed to criticism given how fast it has grown since it was founded in 2004. It now has more than 100 planes and flies to 110 destina-

tions, including São Paulo, Brazil; Johannesburg; and New Delhi. By 2017, the sprawling $3 billion new airport here will have an annual capacity of 30 million passengers, mostly driven by Etihad. And increasingly, it is targeting the United States. It has six daily flights to the United States, up from one six years ago, while Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways each fly to nine American cities daily. James Hogan, Etihad’s chief

Mideast carriers are transforming global air travel. executive, said his mandate is to make money for his shareholder, the government of Abu Dhabi, and be a showcase for its hometown, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. “Wherever you are in the world, you play to your advantage,” said Mr. Hogan, who is Australian. Etihad and the other Gulf airlines operate the latest-gen-

eration airplanes, hire younger flight attendants and offer onboard perks, like bars and showers, that other carriers find frivolous. Some of the service stretches the definition of first class. Etihad sells a $20,000 one-way ticket that comes with a personal flight attendant it calls a butler, a bedroom and a private bathroom. The airline contends such extravagance — available on one Airbus A380 now — signals that anyone capable of such over-thetop luxury for a select few can improve the comfort in the back of the cabin. American carriers, Mr. Hogan said, had not adapted to a globalized economy and were trying to block competitors. The Persian Gulf airlines have received more than $38 billion in government subsidies. Etihad alone received $17 billion in government subsidies in the last 10 years, the airline carriers say. This includes $6 billion in interest-free loans from the government of Abu Dhabi to buy new planes from Boeing and Airbus, and $6.5 billion to cover operating losses. Etihad’s $640 million sponsorship of Manchester City, an English Premier League soccer

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Images of the flight experience offered by Etihad Airways: nytimes.com Search Etihad

club, was also paid by the government on behalf of the airline. It is not the first time that rivals or governments have sought to slow the growth of the Persian Gulf airlines. Restrictions against unlimited service from such carriers exist in Canada, Germany, China and South Korea, said Will Horton, an analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation. James Mueller, a former United Airline executive, who runs Etihad’s sales operations, said: “We manage Etihad with as much discipline as any U.S. carrier.” Etihad has invested in a string of smaller airlines — including Airberlin and Air Seychelles — to build its own network of airlines to compete with the world’s three big airline alliances — Star Alliance, SkyTeam and OneWorld. It paid 560 million euros, or $625 million, for 49 percent of Alitalia and other assets. Mr. Hogan said these partnerships would save money in the long run by making common purchases, and

provide bigger network opportunities for all. Etihad had chosen that course, he said, because the major alliances would not enter partnerships with him. The modern world of aviation can also make for strange bedfellows. While Delta is leading the charge against the Persian Gulf carriers, its partner Air France has a commercial deal with Etihad to share passengers on some routes. Alitalia is also a member of SkyTeam, which is also Delta’s alliance. Meanwhile, Etihad’s growth shows no sign of slowing. The airline received 250,000 applications for flight attendant jobs last year. Each week, as many as 100 new trainees graduate from the airline’s six-and-a-half-week course. Ultimately, Mr. Horton said, Etihad is simply capitalizing on an opportunity. Delta and United do not fly to Abu Dhabi, and each only offers one flight daily to the vibrant hub of Dubai. American Airlines has none. “If we look past all the rhetoric,” Mr. Horton said, “at the end of the day what the Gulf carriers do is transport passengers to markets U.S. airlines and their existing partners cannot adequately serve.”

Making Globalization Work for Workers As President Barack Obama and his chief trade negotiator, Michael B. Froman, try to push through a trade agreement with Pacific Rim countries, and another with the European Union, they must convince several skeptical domesESSAY tic constituencies — especially labor unions — that the deals are worth having. “Globalization would happen with or without trade agreements,” Mr. Froman said. “Trade agreements are tools to shape globalization. This includes raising labor standards.” The United States is not the only country trying to write rules to govern the process. Chi-

EDUARDO PORTER

na, in particular, is negotiating trade agreements with many of its neighbors that contain little in the way of environmental and labor standards or other safeguards. “There is a real competition over what rules of the road will shape the global trading system,” Mr. Froman argued. In a couple of cases in the 1990s, the North American Free Trade Agreement pressed companies to recognize unions. Some manufacturing plants on the United States-Mexico border dropped pre-employment pregnancy tests. But Nafta did not make conditions equal for workers in the two countries. While labor rules have been improved in later trade agreements, it is unclear how much

difference they have made in the lives of workers, said Marva Corley-Coulibaly, an economist at the International Labor Organization. “We still find them frustrating,” said Thea Lee, deputy chief of staff of the American labor union A.F.L.-C.I.O. One thing is certain. If the goal was to protect American workers from globalization’s “unwanted side effects,” the rules have clearly not been up to the task. Studies in the United States and Europe find that rising competition from Chinese imports accounted for about a quarter of the decline in manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 2007. No tweaking of the trade rules will reverse this tide. The United States, in any

How a deal with Europe could better U.S. workers’ lives. case, has some of the weakest labor protections in the advanced world. Hostility toward organized labor in parts of the country is so intense that even companies that want their workers to unionize can’t do it. On the other hand, European workers displaced by China can rely on a deeply rooted network of public support. Considered this way, the trade agreements that the United States is seeking offer a different

sort of opportunity to ensure that American workers are not being hurt. Rather than try to force Pacific Rim countries to bring labor standards up to American norms, why not use the trade agreement with the European Union to import the region’s more expansive labor standards and its more generous social policies? This is an idea that organized labor could rally around. “We would like to build on the strengths that Europe has achieved, not weaken them,” Ms. Lee said. “We want very strong and ambitious labor standards in a European deal.” And it will do much more for American workers than imposing a “level playing field” on Mexico, China, Peru or Vietnam.

Sanctity of Truth

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

MONEY & BUSINESS

Photoshop at 25: Adapting For a Broader Audience By FARHAD MANJOO

GILLES SABRIE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; BELOW, BILLY H.C. KWOK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Tech Tracks China’s Food Chain By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON and PAUL MOZUR

It has not decided when to release the product or how much it will cost. HONG KONG — The smart“With Baidu smart chopphone tells the story of a kiwi fruit in China. sticks, I don’t have to worry With a quick scan of a code, about gutter oil any more,” one shoppers can look up the fruit’s person wrote on Weibo, a Chi1,600-kilometer journey from nese microblog. “I will definitethe upper Yangtze River to a bin ly buy one once it is on shelves.” in a Beijing supermarket. The City dwellers can buy directsmartphone feature, which also ly from farmers through Jutudetails soil and water tests from di, a pilot program created by the farm, is intended to ensure Alibaba that has about 10,000 that the kiwi has not been conusers. The program lets users buy vegetables and fruits from taminated along the way. farms across China. Consumers “I have scanned some eleccan even pick their own plots tronic products before, but in a sort of virtual farming, alnever any food,” said Xu Guilin, who recently tested the trackthough deliveries may come from multiple places. ing function at a supermarket Jiang Hui, a 27-year-old web while shopping with her 3-yeareditor, goes online to buy old grandson. “We pay just about everything, so lots of attention to food produce was an easy next safety. Most families step. with young kids would.” “The increasing numControlling China’s sprawling food supply ber of food scandals is chain has proved frusturning everyone into a food safety expert,” said trating. Government regMs. Jiang, who lives in ulators and state-owned Beijing. “The more we agriculture companies read, the more scared we have tried increasing are and the more careful factory inspections, conwe are.” ducting mass laboratory Joyvio is taking on a tests, enhancing enforceA prototype of ‘‘smart chopsticks,’’ bigger challenge: the enment procedures — but which will test cooking oil. Top, an app food safety scandals still tire food chain. details a fruit’s trip from farm to store. emerge too often. Started in 2009, it is the Chinese technology largest provider of kiwis companies believe they and blueberries in China. can do it better. From the farm It controls everything: It picks meat into products. And some to the table, the country’s bigwhat seeds are planted, then chefs often cook with waste oil tracks and collects data each from fryers and sewers, a toxic gest players are looking to upstep of the way. ingredient known as gutter oil grade archaic systems with daJoyvio’s nurseries are the that generally goes unnoticed ta collection, smartphone apps, stuff of science fiction. The until diners get sick. online marketplaces and fancy room temperature and irrigaSuch food scandals have gadgetry. shaken consumer trust and The founder of computer maktion schedules can be controlled spurred protests. The cynicism remotely via a mobile phone or a er Lenovo started Joyvio, which is so visceral that jokes about computer. tracks fruit from planting to defood contamination are stanTaking an approach similar livery. Internet giant Alibaba to Lenovo’s, Joyvio focused connects consumers with farmdard fare on social media and on acquiring technology and online video shows. ers via an online produce-deknow-how to build its business. Baidu’s smart chopsticks livery service. And Baidu, the Executives studied foreign agwere supposed to be a joke for country’s leading search enApril Fools’ Day. It published gine, is developing a “smart” riculture businesses. The coma fake advertisement for a set chopstick that tests whether pany also bought farms in Chile of chopsticks that would deterfood is contaminated. and Australia and partnered “In the food production and with two large Chilean fruit mine whether food had been agriculture industry, transparcompanies. cooked with gutter oil. The ad “We’ve leveraged our global went viral on Chinese social ency is fundamental,” said Chen capacity to bring a lot of new media. With such a strong reShaopeng of Joyvio. “But in Chitechnology to China,” Mr. Chen na this is not the case.” sponse, Baidu decided to create said. “We continue to eye buyTechnology companies will a real product. Embedded with still have to earn customers’ sensors, the chopsticks test for ing companies or farms in other trust. A shopper at one Beijing gutter oil, but they also indicate countries, and also in China to pH levels and temperature. give more scale to our ability to Baidu is manufacturing a provide high-quality products Cao Li contributed research batch of prototypes for testing. and goods.” from Beijing. supermarket tested the trackable kiwi and was intrigued, although not enough to buy it. “This looks impressive,” said Ms. Jiang, who declined to give her full name. “But the thing is, I don’t really trust any certificate.” With more than a billion mouths to feed, China has one of the world’s most complex food chains. At almost every link, there have been problems. In one of the biggest food scares, in 2008 dairy producers sold milk formula laced with melamine, which put 300,000 babies in the hospital and killed six. Last year, a supplier to McDonald’s and KFC was caught putting rotten and expired

Adobe Photoshop recently celebrated its 25th birthday. The image-editing program was created when we snapped pictures on film and displayed them on paper, and it has not just survived but thrived through every major technological transition since then: the rise of the web, the decline of print publishing, the rise and fall of home printing and the supernova of digital photography. Along the way, Photoshop attained the rare status of a product that became a verb — like Google and Xerox. It became a lightning rod for controversy because of, among other things, the way it can be used to turn women’s bodies into unnatural magazine-cover icons, or its use by propagandists and your casually mendacious social-networking buddies who doctor their vacation snaps. But now, for all its cultural cachet, Photoshop risks missing out on a far larger market of casual photo bugs and their smartphones. Once, for better or worse, we Photoshopped photos. Now, more often than not, we Instagram or Snapchat them, and everyone, it seems, is a photo editor. But not everyone needs or even wants a fancy program like Photoshop. So Adobe is taking a big risk and reinventing Photoshop and, the company hopes, making it less acutely dependent on sales to a small group of professional customers. The aggressive reinvention of Photoshop, if successful, could serve as a model for other companies, particularly Microsoft, that risk losing business to more nimble app makers. It also suggests a path to mobile devices for software that over the years grew fatter as PCs grew more powerful: Slice it up, cut the price, and you could end up attracting a far wider audience. Or at least you could make sure your current audience doesn’t abandon you. Adobe’s new plan for Photoshop actually started in 2011. Rather than selling licensed copies of Photoshop and its other high-end creative applications for hundreds of dollars each (Photoshop used to sell for $700 a copy), Adobe began offering access for as little as $10 a month. The price change was initially met with fury from loyalists,

Toolbars from Photoshop 1 to Photoshop CC and, far right, the newest Photoshop app.

who didn’t like the idea of renting rather than buying. Because subscription revenue comes in over time, the change also took a toll on Adobe’s bottom line. Its annual net income declined 65 percent in 2013, and it fell 13 percent last year. But the company sees the decline as the short-term cost of a long-term plan. By lowering the price of Photoshop, Adobe hopes to democratize access, gaining new users who, in the past, wouldn’t have been able to afford $700 software. The trend looks promising. Adobe now has 3.5 million subscribers to its Creative Cloud suite of apps (which includes Photoshop), and it expects to have nearly six million by the end of this year. Annual revenue generated by those subscriptions will approach $3 billion. It’s on track to beat the record $3.4 billion that Adobe made from selling boxed software in 2011. There are risks, of course.

Tweaking a classic program for the age of the app. Low-end photo editing apps are becoming popular — fast. Adobe may not be reacting quickly enough to them. And when you reach out to new types of customers, you could offend the old ones who supported the business for decades. Will they find a highend alternative if Photoshop starts looking a little too downscale? Still, the company is forging ahead. Adobe also has grander plans to break up Photoshop into a number of apps, some of which it will make itself. Others will be made by third-party developers who will have access to Adobe’s image-processing systems online. In some cases, those apps will even be free. David Wadhwani, the executive in charge of Adobe’s creative software, said, “The goal is to go from tens of millions of people benefiting from the technology within Photoshop to hundreds of millions of people over the years.”

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Termite Societies Are Crucial to the Health of Our Soil By NATALIE ANGIER

The giant termite mounds that rise up from the sands of the African savanna are so distinctive it is tempting to give them names, like “Art Deco Skyline,” “Trumpeting Elephant” or “Flagrantly Obvious Fertility Totem.” Whatever the metaphor, the megaforms dominate their landscape, and not just visually. As scientists are just beginning to appreciate, termites and their habitats are crucial to the health and robustness of an array of ecosystems: from deserts to rain forests to your local park. Researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey and their colleagues recently reported in the journal Science that termite mounds may serve as oases in the desert, allowing the plants that surround them to persist on a fraction of the annual rainfall otherwise required and to bounce back after a withering drought. The mounds could prove potential bulwarks against climate change, preventing fragile dryland from slipping into lifeless wasteland. “Even when you see desertification start to happen between the mounds, the vegetation on or around the mounds is doing so well it will keep reseeding the environment,” said Corina Tarnita, a professor at Princeton and an author of the report. While the public may view termites as pale, blind, centimeter-long vermin that can damage homes, only a handful of the 3,000 or so known termite species are pests to people. Many of the rest, you can thank for the ground beneath your feet, which is where the majority live and work. The closer scientists look, the longer grows the list of subterranean tasks that termites take on. “They’re the ultimate soil engineers,” said David Bignell, an emeritus professor at Queen Mary University of London. By poking holes as they dig, termites allow rain to soak deep into the soil rather than run off or evaporate. Termites mix sand, stone and clay with organic bits of leaf litter, discarded exoskele-

REUTERS/WILL BURGESS

Termites build mounds that can protect against drought by allowing plants nearby to persist on little rain. A sculpture of one in Sydney, Australia. tons and the occasional squirrel tail, a blending that helps the soil retain nutrients and resist erosion. The stickiness of a termite’s feces and other bodily excretions lends structure and coherence to the soil, which also prevents erosion. Bacteria in the termite’s gut can fix nitrogen, extracting it from the air and converting it into a fertilizer. “Over all, termites are extremely good for the health

of the soil” on which everything else depends, Dr. Bignell said. Termites also provide a model for understanding the origins of social life, the division of labor, and a sort of altruistic, self-abnegating behavior that we humans applaud in others but generally avoid engaging in ourselves. In a new study of “panic escape” behavior among termites as they seek to flee from danger, researchers at Louisiana State

University Agricultural Center determined that the one thing the termites do not do when disturbed is panic. They don’t start running, pushing and shoving, or clambering over the fallen. They don’t behave like people in a crowded theater when somebody yells fire, or like stampeding walruses, or, for that matter, like ants whose nest has been harrowed. Instead, the researchers found that when they placed 110 termites on round plastic dishes and gave the plates a shake, the termites started running in an extremely orderly, rules-based fashion, depending on whether they were ordinary workers or soldiers dedicated to nest defense. The workers fell into single-file formation. The ones in front decided whether to turn left or right, and the rest followed at a uniform speed and spacing. The soldiers migrated to either side of the flow, snapping their mandibles as though preparing to do battle. Round and round the dishbound termites trotted, fruitlessly but never frantically seeking an exit. If one termite stumbled or slowed, those behind would stop and wait for it to right itself: No trampling allowed. That organization distinguishes termites from their more famous counterparts among social insects, the ants. “Ants will crowd over each other and get trapped at exits or intersections,” said Gregg Henderson, an entomologist at the agricultural center and an author of the report, which appeared in the journal Insect Science. “But I’ve seen no evidence of selfishness in termites.” That may be because they have had a lot of practice. Termites, Dr. Henderson said, “were the first animals to form societies,” starting down the communal path about 200 million years ago, some 50 million years earlier than the ants and their hymenopteran cousins, the bees. All eusocial insects share the same policy: a strict division of labor, and the assigning of colony breeding privileges to a single large, long-lived, perpetually

egg-laying queen. Yet while the overwhelming majority of individuals in an ant nest or beehive are sterile, closely related females, a termite colony is pretty much 50-50 males and females, brothers and sisters. With the help of symbiotic bacteria and protozoa packed into their stomachs at what might be the highest microbial densities in nature, termites thrive by eating what others can’t or won’t: wood, dung, lichen, even dirt. The great termite artists of Africa, the mound builders, cultivate a fungus in tunnels and galleries deep inside vast palaces built of sand, clay and termite excretions. The termites eat a small portion of the fungal spores and use the fungal enzymes to help break down their more fibrous food sources. The termites, in turn, offer their

Insect engineers play role in success of ecosystems. fungal partners plenty of water, nourishment and a clean, safe, temperate and well-ventilated haven free of competing fungal strains. The mounds also protect their builders against the sun that would desiccate them, the seasonal rain that would drown them, and the many predators that would happily devour them. The largest African mounds can measure nine meters high and 24 meters across, and house millions to tens of millions of termites. In Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, antelope like bushbuck and kudu often congregate around termite mounds, and not just for the grazing opportunities. “The mounds are cooler in the heat of day and warmer at night,” said Robert Pringle, an ecologist at Princeton and an author of the report in Science. “They’re a very pleasant place to hang out.”

Chickens Agree: Counting From Left Works Best By ERICA GOODE

Asked to picture the numbers from one to 10, most people will imagine a straight line with one at the left end and 10 at the right. This “mental number line,” as researchers have termed it, is so pervasive that some scientists have argued that the spatial representation of numbers is hard-wired into the brain, part of a primitive number system that underlies humans’ capacity for higher mathematics. Now Italian researchers have found that newborn chicks, like humans, appear to map numbers spatially, in the same way. The chicks, trained to seek out mealworms behind white plastic panels printed with varying numbers of identical red squares, repeatedly demonstrated a preference for the left when the num-

ber of squares was small and for the right when the number was larger. The research, led by Rosa Rugani, a psychologist who at the time was at the University of Padova, appeared in the journal Science. The researchers said the findings supported the idea that the left-right orientation for numbers is innate rather than determined by culture or education — a possibility that was raised by some studies that found that in Arabic-speaking countries where letters and numbers are read right to left, the mental number scale was reversed. But the new research, Dr. Rugani and her colleagues wrote, indicates that orienting numbers in space may represent “a universal cognitive strategy available soon after birth.”

Chicks, like humans, visualize a ‘mental number line.’ Tyler Marghetis of the University of California, San Diego, said: “We have brains that evolved for fighting and finding food, not for doing calculus. So one of the hopes of this kind of research is that it will tell us something about the basic building blocks we have access to in building up these more human concepts.” But Mr. Marghetis said that the studies demonstrated only that the chicks associated rough quantities that were smaller

or larger with left or right, not that they represented precise numbers in a mental line. And he cautioned against leaping to the idea that chicks are capable of the same complex abilities as humans. Judging amounts, either of how much food is available or how many predators are nearby, is an important tool for survival. And many nonhuman species — including chickens, monkeys and even some fish — have some ability to count, though this may be a capacity to distinguish rough numerical magnitude rather than precise numbers. Human studies indicate that when presented with a task involving numbers people automatically create a mental scale, using one number as an anchor and locating smaller numbers

ROSA RUGANI/UNIVERSITY OF PADOVA

Orienting numbers spatially may be an innate and universal cognitive strategy. to the left and larger ones to the right. The new research suggests that some version of this may be true for chickens. “We cannot think of any other, and simpler, explanation for the behavior of the chicks than assuming the training number is 1) remembered and 2) compared with the number seen at test,” Dr. Rugani said in an email.

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Finding a New Way To Attack Cancer Cells By CLAUDIA DREIFUS

James P. Allison is the chairman of the immunology department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. His seminal research opened up a new field in cancer treatment: immunotherapy. Dr. Allison, 66, has pioneered ways to unleash the immune system to destroy a cancer. He has won the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, often a precursor to a Nobel. This interview with him has been edited. Q. The class of drugs you’ve

helped invent has been hailed as one of the first truly new cancer treatments in decades. What makes it so different? A. In the 1980s, my laboratory did work on how the T-cells of the immune system, which are the attack cells, latch onto the cells infected with viruses and bacteria and ultimately kill them. That research led me to think that the immune system could be unleashed to kill cancers. Basically, I proposed that we should stop worrying about directly killing cancer cells and develop drugs to release those T-cells. Q. Looking to the immune sys-

tem for a cancer therapy isn’t a new idea, is it? A. There was a surgeon named William Coley in the 19th century who’d noticed that cancer patients who’d gotten infections after surgeries tended to have fewer reoccurrences

I wondered whether we could block this off switch to keep the T-cells turned on. And that’s what we did. We developed an antibody to plug this off-switch. It worked great in mouse models of many types of cancer. More importantly, it worked for some people with skin cancer. The first drug developed out of this was Yervoy, which was approved by the American Food and Drug Administration in 2011 against metastatic and inoperable advanced melanomas. Long-term follow-up of 5,000 melanoma patients who received it found that 22 percent survived for at least 10 years. Q. Is that a good number? A. These were patients with

usually seven months, maybe a year, to live. A woman in Santa Monica was one of the first people to get the drug. She had two kids in high school. She’d failed at everything. And so Dr. Antoni Ribas at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: “Well, we’ve got this experimental thing. We don’t know if it will work. It may be toxic.” She said, “I’ll do anything if I can just live a few more months to see my son graduate high school.” And so they treated her. And her tumors went away within about four months. I met her 10 years later. She said, “You know, my kids are through school, married, starting families.”

SCOTT DALTON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

James P. Allison, in his laboratory in Houston, discovered an alternative to using radiation in the battle against cancer. than those who hadn’t. He thought that there was something in bacteria that provoked the body to do something therapeutic, and he tried to develop treatments based on that. Coley had some success. His ideas disappeared with the advent of radiotherapy, which became the acceptable treatment. Q. What did you discover? A. In the 1990s, my team and

another group showed that there was a molecule on T-cells that actually acts like an off switch or a brake pedal when T-cells encounter an infected cell. Instead of attacking the cell, this molecule puts a kind of brake on the immune response. We call it a checkpoint.

Q. There’s a lot of cancer in your own family, isn’t there? A. My mother died of lymphoma when I was 12. An uncle died of melanoma, another of lung cancer. Both my brothers had prostate cancer — one died from it. I was diagnosed with it, too. It was caught early. I had a prostatectomy. After seeing how fast it progressed on my brother and how gruesome it was, I said: “I’m not taking any chances. I’ll risk the side effects. Just get it out now.”

Q. Does it give you satisfaction that you’ve dealt a blow to something that’s caused your family such devastation? A. I’ve thought about it, and I think my mother and brother would be proud. Since Yervoy, there’ve been two other drugs of this type to win F.D.A. approval. And there have been trials with other cancers using Yervoy. It hasn’t been approved yet, but there have been responses with clinical benefits for prostate, kidney and bladder cancers. At this moment, just about every pharmaceutical company working the cancer space is working on immunotherapy drugs.

John Hofford of Atlanta had a set of aligners made for his teeth from impressions he made after watching a video.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RAYMOND McCREA JONES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Getting Straighter Teeth, by Mail By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

When John Hofford, a 27-yearold digital media specialist, wanted to straighten his teeth, he wanted invisible plastic aligners that would correct his crowding, instead of conspicuous metal braces. But he couldn’t afford the clear aligners sold at his local orthodontist in Atlanta. So in September, he paid $124.95 for a kit to take his dental impressions at home. After watching a how-to video, he mixed putty, put it in mouthguard-type trays and took impressions of his teeth, which he mailed back to be turned into a three-dimensional model. A dentist he had never met or spoken to suggested a series of clear aligners to correct his crowded bottom row and one slightly forward tooth on top. “You’re saving money by not talking to someone face to face,” said Mr. Hofford, who is on his third set of aligners, which are progressively shaped to shift teeth. He has paid about $600, roughly half of the total cost. Invisible aligners are usually prescribed by an orthodontist or dentist after an in-person examination and discussion of treatment options. Invisalign and ClearCorrect are two of several companies that make aligners that entail hands-on supervision at repeat office visits, at a typical cost of $4,000 to $6,000. Two companies, SmileCareClub and CrystalBraces, the company that Mr. Hofford is working with, now offer aligners remotely so adults and older teenagers can straighten their teeth at home for $900 to $2,100, depending on the complexity of their teeth-straightening needs. “It shouldn’t have to cost a small fortune to straighten your teeth,” said Doug Hudson, one of four entrepreneurs who founded SmileCareClub. He disputes that their aligners are “do-it-yourself” braces and said patients “are guided all along the way” — in this case by customer representatives. Critics argue that prescribing aligners to patients sight unseen risks overlooking oral health issues that can impair orthodontic treatment. And, experts say, aligners are not appropriate for everyone, even if companies suggest they can correct advanced

crowding, in which teeth overlap or are twisted. “You can waste your time and money trying to do something that’s physically impossible,” said Dr. DeWayne McCamish, an orthodontist in Chattanooga, Tennesse. He said he would never rely on a patient’s “selfie picture” to determine whether the teeth within the bone would align properly when in-office X-rays could be taken. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration considers aligners prescription devices and has cleared more than 10 kinds, the agency said. But it does not regulate the practice of dentistry or orthodontics, leaving it to states to decide what is appro-

Braces without an office visit are cheaper, but risky. priate care. The American Association of Orthodontists, a trade group, has warned consumers against moving teeth without supervision by an orthodontist. “Our concern is that patients who don’t see an orthodontist for regular checkups and/or for a complete diagnosis are more likely to be harmed,” said Dr. Rolf Behrents, a spokesman for the association. Dr. Behrents says he is also concerned about people using elastic hair bands to close a gap between their front teeth, a practice inspired by do-it-yourself

YouTube videos made by people with no dental training. In September, he wrote an editorial warning that these so-called “gap bands” can get under the gum and lead to tooth loss. “Minors are teaching minors how to do this,” he said. “The outcome could be devastating.” Many orthodontists argue that an in-person exam is critical to looking for untreated cavities and underlying gum infections before any teeth-straightening is done. “Orthodontic treatment exacerbates gum disease,” said Dr. Scott Hamilton, an orthodontist in Topeka, Kansas. “You really can’t look at impressions to determine if there’s any periodontal disease.” But Dr. Son Tran, the creator of CrystalBraces and a Dallas dentist who is the sole reviewer of that company’s mailed-in impressions, disagrees. He said he could tell from a snapshot or a dental impression if a patient had swollen gums that would require the patient to visit a dentist before getting CrystalBraces. Prescribing an aligner to a remote patient is not delivering less care, he insists. “I’m looking at all the models and trays coming in,” he said, though he has spoken to just a handful of the 3,600 patients he has treated since 2013. “Quality of care is upheld through the whole proceedings.” Dr. Damon Barbieri, an orthodontist in Nashville, Tennesse, says he uses SmileCareClub aligners for “minor” issues and applauds that an “affordable option” exists. However, he said, “The ideal is still to be seen by the orthodontist for treatment, no matter how small your case.”

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

T R AV E L

Pick a Berlin: Serious or Fun Berlin is city divided between serious and fun. And I didn’t want to have fun. I went to Berlin last summer to immerse myself in the most infamous milestones of 20th-century history. But I was visiting ESSAY my 21-yearold daughter, Emma, who was working there because it is, as she put it, “the coolest place on earth.” Emma came along to many Holocaust memorials, World War II exhibits, former Stasi prisons, Checkpoint Charlie, Soviet monuments, synagogues, learning centers, cemeteries and remnants of the Berlin Wall, all part of what she calls the Stations of the Iron Cross. And I found it impossible to ignore the vibrancy and bohemian chic in fair-trade coffee shops, vegan restaurants, art galleries, vintage shops and street fairs, at concerts, on bike paths and inside throbbing nightclubs that were emptying as I was going out for morning coffee. I wanted to visit the two places at once. So I dipped in, starting at a relatively new but stately hotel, Das Stue, in a curved 1930s Fascist-style stone building designed in concert with Albert Speer’s grandiose plans for the capital. Emma wouldn’t let me consult a map in public, and I wouldn’t let her pile up data-roaming charges looking for directions on my iPhone. So it took us four hours and a bus, a train, three subways and a taxi to make it to the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, an infamous Stasi prison. Our young guide began our tour of padded cells, tiger cages and interrogation rooms in the notorious Special Camp Number 3, where the Soviets, he explained, starved, tortured and murdered many hundreds of prisoners from 1945 until the

ALESSANDRA STANLEY

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL ETTER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Berlin offers visitors somber history at sites like the BerlinHohenschönhausen Memorial, above, and vibrant diversions like Kimchi Princess restaurant. East German police, known as the Stasi, took over in 1951. We spent hours at the Jewish Museum, in a building conceived as a deconstructed Star of David, but learned more about the Holocaust at the Topography of Terror, a museum and documentation center built over what were once offices for the Gesta-

In a vibrant and bohemian chic city, reminders of horror. po. Admission is free. Visitors can examine a remnant of the Berlin Wall, as well as the ruins of prison cells. By the end, Emma wondered if she had missed her calling. “Do you think it’s too late to become a Nazi hunter?” she asked. There was more, of course. The old Stasi headquarters in central Berlin, now the Sta-

si-Museum Berlin, was creepily fascinating, down to the stark, midcentury office décor of offices, smoking lounges and interrogation rooms. The vast Soviet War Memorial in Berlin’s Treptower Park, one of three memorials to the 80,000 Red Army soldiers who died in the conquest of Berlin, also serves as a cemetery for 5,000 Soviet soldiers. Emma took charge of dinner and chose a popular Korean restaurant called Kimchi Princess, a cavernous room warmed by graffiti art, blaring music and lighting that turned everything a racy bordello red. I tried a more contemporary hotel, the 25hours Hotel in western Berlin’s Bikini-Haus complex. The rooms look like SoHo lofts, with concretelike floors, futon-style beds, a bike attached to the wall and a glass shower stall in the middle of the room. Emma took me to cafes, vintage shops where clothes are sold by the kilo and Sing Blackbird, a high-end boutique/vegan cafe that sells ’70s

A Shopper’s Guide to Treasures in Asia By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

What is the one must-have souvenir for travelers in Asia? I asked experts from Tokyo to Bangkok. Below is a guide composed of their picks: Where: Vietnam What: The Non La, the palmleaf conical hat, is perhaps the most common tourist must-have, said Sandy Ferguson, the owner of Asia Desk, a travel consultancy and tour company. The Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City is the best place to buy one. But Mr. Ferguson said his favorite souvenir is handmade Vietnamese silk embroidery. “These are people who sit on one piece for a month and a half,” he said of the artisans who produce the silk embroidery. If you’re intrigued, he suggests checking out the textiles from XQ, which has multiple locations in Vietnam. Cost: Mr. Ferguson said $200

to $400 will get you a beautiful piece. Where: Tokyo What: Nancy Craft, a travel planner with Esprit Travel & Tours, suggests picking up tenugui, which she describes as “smooth and soft woven cotton hand towels that are printed with beautiful and interesting designs.” Long, narrow and unhemmed, “they are an essential in Japanese life,” she said. Ms. Craft said you can find simple tenugui in Japanese mom-andpop shops, department stores, temples and shrines. In Tokyo, she recommends browsing a store called Blue and White in Azabu Juban. Cost: About $5 to $20, Ms. Craft said. Where: Jaipur, India What: This city is “widely regarded as the gem stone capital

of the world,” Victoria Dyer, a founder of India Beat, a travel company specializing in customized itineraries, said in an email from Jaipur. More than 50,000 stonecutters work in the city, Ms. Dyer said. Whether you’re drawn to emeralds or Polki diamonds, she recommends visiting the Gem Palace. “Shopping here is really fun,” Ms. Dyer wrote, “and if you go upstairs to the cutting and polishing rooms you can see the jewelry being painstakingly handcrafted.” Cost: According to Ms. Dyer, a nice emerald piece might start about $1,000. Where: Hong Kong What: Executives at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong had several recommendations beyond the hotel’s own rose petal jam, which was created a quarter of a century ago and can’t be bought anywhere else. The

suede maxi skirts and detox smoothies. We had bagels and shakshuka at Mogg & Melzer, a high-concept deli in a gallery and restaurant complex in what was once a Jewish girls’ school, built in 1930. The only place we encountered a chilly welcome was at an art gallery in Sammlung Berlin, a building that serves as a concrete timeline of the city’s fate: It was built in 1942 at Hitler’s command as a bunker; served as a Red Army prison in 1945; was used as a fruit cellar for Cuban imports in the Stasi era; and after the wall fell, became a notoriously wild techno-pop music space and S & M sex club. Now it is owned by Christian and Karen Boros, whose contemporary art collection is

open, by appointment, and for 12 euros, but with evident ambivalence. The first installation is a room filled by giant black curved screens positioned around speakers that amplify the buzzing of fluorescent lights. I asked our guide why the artist’s name was not on display. She stared at me, then replied, pityingly, “It’s an aesthetic choice.” “Just by asking,” Emma whispered, “you’ve already failed.” Elsewhere, people were eagerly nice. Berlin, a city that was never quite like any other, is intent on being normal. The more tourists and expats flock to Berlin, the more it becomes just another lively European city, and not merely a reconstituted crucible of tragedy.

A 150-year-old jeweled peacock in Jaipur, India. insignia or other design hand-carved on it. Cost: Chops a re around $20, depending on the design and material, according to Edwina Kluender, director of communications at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong SAMI SILVA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Kong. Custom-made suits vary greatly in price, but chief concierge, Indira Pun, recMs. Kluender said a three-piece ommends taking home cakes of suit starts at about $1,000. tea, lightly scented, from local purveyors, available at shops Where: Bangkok in the Sheung Wan district of What: You’ll find nice leather Hong Kong island. The Mandaas well as silk textiles in Bangrin’s executive guest relations manager, Danny Lai, suggests kok, but Mr. Ferguson of Asia shopping for a three-piece suit, Desk said his favorite things to which can be made to fit in less buy are mo hom — vibrant, indithan two days (try Lord’s Tailor go hand-dyed cotton shirts tradion Connaught Road), while the tionally worn by farmers. They executive chef Uwe Opocensky resemble denim but are much recommends visiting Man Wa lighter in weight. Lane for a personalized marble Cost: Good-quality mo hom chop, or seal, with your name, cost about $20.

THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

Sanctity of Truth

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

ARTS & DESIGN

French Director Nurses Chinese Film By AMY QIN

BEIJING — Ten years ago, when producers at the state-run Beijing Forbidden City Film Corporation began searching for a director for the movie adaptation of the Chinese novel “Wolf Totem” by Jiang Rong, they had no plans to look beyond China. made a film that criticized ChiIt was a Chinese story, after all, written by a Chinese author, and na’s policies is rather astonishhad sold more than a million coping,” Rob Cain wrote in an email. Mr. Cain, who runs Chinafilmbiz. ies in this country in the year com, a blog about the film indussince its publication in 2004. (It has sold four million more there try in China, said Mr. Annaud’s since.) expertise may have superseded But almost every big-name his past actions. Chinese director the producMr. Annaud said representaers approached turned them tives of the Beijing Forbidden down, some of them citing their City production company told reluctance to work with wolves. him: “China has changed and It probably didn’t help that the we are practical people. We don’t novel dealt with topics deemed know how to do what you do, and sensitive by the government, like we need you.” ethnic relations in China and the La Peikang of the state-owned environmental costs of the counChina Film Group, which took over production duties from try’s industrialization. Beijing Forbidden City, said alProducers finally found their man: the French director Jeanthough “Seven Years in Tibet” Jacques Annaud. The choice was had “hurt the feelings of the Chiunexpected since it was reported nese people,” only the film — not that he had been banned from its director — had been banned. China over his 1997 film, “Seven “It was important to us to find Years in Tibet.” someone who could make this “Wolf Totem” is now showing movie well and tame the wolves,” in Chinese and French theaters. he said, citing Mr. Annaud’s exThe book — reported to be the perience working with animals. best-selling contemporary novel Mr. Annaud said he was givof all time in China — is about a en “carte blanche” throughout young Han Chinese student named Chen Zhen (played in the movie by Feng Shaofeng), who goes to live among herdsmen in Inner Mongolia during the Cultural Revolution. He learns about nomadic culture and becomes fascinated with wolves. The film and the book depict the encroachCHINA FILM GROUP ment of the Han pop‘‘Wolf Totem’’ depicts the Chinese ulation on the Monencroaching on the Mongol plains. gol plains, which leads to the killing off of the wolves and the destructhe process. He also insisted on making the movie in Mandarin tion of the grasslands. and Mongol (not English, as the “There has without question film’s producers had suggested), been no one, single novel in Chiand cast both Chinese and Monna with as great of an impact before or since ‘Wolf Totem,’ ” said golian actors. Jo Lusby, managing director of “I enjoyed a level of freedom Penguin China, which published that is almost inexplicable,” Mr. the book in English. Annaud said. The book quickly resonated Mr. Annaud said he sought inacross the demographic specput from Mr. Jiang. (Jiang Rong is the pen name of Lu Jiamin, a trum in China. Political dissent78-year-old retired professor at ers found anti-Communist mesthe China Institute of Industrial sages in the novel, while corpoRelations in Beijing who spent rations gave it to employees to a decade in Mongolia during encourage them to work togeththe Cultural Revolution; he was er like wolves. The book has also jailed for participating in the Tibeen translated into 39 languages for 110 countries. ananmen Square protests.) Despite the book’s political unShot in Inner Mongolia, the 3-D film is packed with stunning visdertones, making the $45 million Chinese-French film went relatas and action scenes featuring wolves — making the film’s mestively smoothly by most accounts — somewhat unexpected, some sage about the ecological perils said, given Mr. Annaud’s unflatof modern China’s development all the more vivid. tering portrayal of the People’s “My fear was it was just goLiberation Army’s 1949 invasion of the region in “Seven Years in ing to end up being a pretty film Tibet.” about animals,” Ms. Lusby said. “The idea that a story many “But it was a lot more blunt than viewed as critical of the Chinese I’d expected it to be on the envigovernment would be directed by ronmental side of it. I was really a foreigner who had previously quite shocked.”

No censorship from Beijing in adapting a popular book.

MUSEUM OF LONDON; BELOW, JOHN CHASE/MUSEUM OF LONDON; BOTTOM, PORTSMOUTH MUSEUM SERVICE

Holmes Would Have Been Here By ROSLYN SULCAS

LONDON — A riveting exhibition at the Museum of London has capitalized on the obsession with Sherlock Holmes that seems to have seized the Western world, judging by a new spate of movies, television shows and books. The show, “Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die,” does not focus on the stories about Holmes or his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, though an opening section shows some early notebooks and illustrations as well as and a rare portrait of the author in his 30s are included. “It’s about the character,” said Alex Werner, the lead curator, “and although I had a bit of trepidation about putting on an exhibition about a fictional being, we tried to set him firmly against the real city of London in which the stories take place.” The exhibition neatly demonstrates the way Holmes has become entwined with an idea of the city itself. From the detective’s rooms at 221B Baker Street to the mental map of the city that Holmes keeps in his head and its foggy, gaslamp-lighted streets, London is a palpable character, evoked through paintings, postcards, maps, photographs and archival films. Monet’s 1902 “Pont de Londres” (Cha ring Cross Bridge, London) is on display, as are Whistler prints and other evocations of the late-19th-century city, along with a collection of smoky photogravures by the American photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn. There are rarely seen original illustrations by Sidney Paget, who gave the character the angular features and deerstalker cap, in the stories published in The Strand Magazine that made Conan Doyle and his characters famous. Paget produced some 350 illustrations of the detective, but only 27 are known to have survived. Eight are on view in the exhibition, which is open until April 12.

An exhibition in London recreates the period inhabited by the Sherlock Holmes character. Paintings, illustrations, photographs and archival films are included. “I doubt very much there will ever be so many original illustrations and documents together again,” said Roger Johnson of the journal for the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, a club founded in 1951 that now has 1,200 members worldwide. Conan Doyle, whose first Sherlock Holmes tale, “A Study in Scarlet,” was published in 1887, was amazed by its success. He might be even more surprised by the renewed attention. “Mr. Holmes” had its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival last month and stars Ia n McKel len; and there were the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and two television series — the BBC’s “Sherlock” and CBS’s “Elementary.” A nthony Horowitz gained official sanction of the Conan Doyle Estate to write a Holmes novel, “The House of Silk” (2011), and his “Moriarty” was published in December. Mr. Horowitz called Sherlock Holmes the father of all modern detective fiction. “Every single detective story you read has the same structure: mystery, investigation, solution. And the tradition of the detective’s sidekick comes from there —

The foggy streets familiar to a certain London detective. Poirot has Hastings, Morse has Lewis,” he said, referring to the well-known characters in novels by Agatha Christie and Colin Dexter. “He also embodies an idea of Englishness,” Mr. Horowitz added. “If you were to ask for 10 things that define this country, I’d say Sherlock Holmes is one of them.” (Some others? “The queen, Yorkshire pudding, marmalade,” he said.) Conan Doyle wrote four Sherlock Holmes novels and 56 short stories about the detective between 1887 and 1927, and they have provided material for radio personalities, directors, writers and obsessed fans ever since. “The fascination with him today is really a bit special,” Mr. Werner said. “There are parallels between our modern lives and late-19th-century London, when I think people were struggling to make sense of a changing world. There was the telegraph, films, life was speeding up, and I think we have a similar thing going on now. We have too much to assimilate, and here you have a character who can see through things more clearly than we can.”

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

FEEBLER CURRENCY The dollar was more than 10 percent weaker than its official level

Stories by Tony Chukwunyem with agency reports

wing to increasingly onerous forex regulations, more wealthy Nigerians are turning to the black market - sometimes changing up to $200,000 at a time - to

he ongoing Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolment will enhance the credit score of bank customers in Nigeria, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, has said. A credit score is primarily based on credit report information typically sourced from credit bureaus. Lenders use credit scores to determine who qualifies for a loan, among others. Okonkwo, while speaking to journalists, also said the BVN would enhance access to credit to Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Naira woes: Business booms for black market operators dodge, according to a Reuters report. The oil price slump and the resultant declining reserves had made the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to devalue the naira, imposing rules restricting access to dollars to all but importing companies to curb what it termed “speculation”. The consequence has been to force more peo-

ple to the black market, where the currency’s rate has fallen as low as N227 to the dollar this week, more than 10 percent weaker than its official level. Since oil prices slumped over 6 months ago, rich Nigerians have started turning to the street market, squeezing out smaller fry with orders sometimes totaling

as much as $1 million. “The rich are buying plenty,” said Abubakar Shamsedin, an Abuja trader. “I can do $20,000$50,000 myself. The smallest amounts lately are $1,000-$3,000.” The demand for forex is also high in the Bureaux de Change (BDC) sub sector where operators are being denied dollars by banks and the cen-

‘BVN enrolment’ll boost bank customers’ credit score’ There are currently about 17 million registered SMEs in Nigeria. In most countries, SMEs account for up to 70 per cent or more of businesses, yet in developing economies such as Nigeria, SMEs suffer from lack of access to finance. Thus, the Fidelity Bank boss explained: “In more developed parts of the world, they have credit rating systems and social identification system. For example, if I am Nnamdi Okonkwo, there might

be other 1,000 Nnamdi Okonkwos. But each Nnamdi Okonkwo has a unique number assigned by his country such that whenever you put that number in, everything about that person comes out. We are gradually getting to that. “Until we get there, credit scoring system is still a challenge. Therefore, it is possible that this same Nnamdi Okonkwo can go to a bank, take a loan and default, move to another bank, still take a

loan and default and nobody sees that his credit history is bad. But with what the CBN has done with the BVN, that will be taken care of. That is why I am advising everybody to go and register and get your BVN. “When each of us has our BVN, which is tied to our thumb, if I need to lend money to you, I can check. If the person is a notorious debtor in other banks, then he doesn’t get a loan from me and that protects all of us because

As at N16,833,244.57 N16,509,472.5m 8.2 0.0000 13 10.899 7.96 17.01 US$61.39 US$30,87bn

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, 2014 Dec, 2013 Feb, 2015 2/5/2014 24/2/2015 11/6/2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 24/2/2015 4/3/2015 Source:CBN

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

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

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

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

the bank does not own all the money. Most of the monies that banks use to do business belong to depositors. So, whatever initiative the CBN is taking, is to protect depositors and the larger economy. “The BVN is a unique number that every account holder in Nigeria should have, going forward. So, with your thumb registered, wherever you go, you can confirm that it is you. It is for security, it is for KYC. Like you know, for you to borrow from any bank now, you must have your BVN. It helps our credit scoring system. “The compliance level has been growing. At Fidelity Bank, we first made

sure every staff member was registered because you can’t sell what you don’t understand. So that when you are explaining to your customer, you can as well show him or her, your BVN.” The BVN project is an initiative aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the Nigerian banking system. It is an inventiveness of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in conjunction with the Bankers’ Committee. The BVN is a number that enables a bank customer to have a single identity in the banking system. It basically ensures that a customer’s identity is not stolen.

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

tral bank, leaving walk-in customers as their only source of hard currency. “We used to buy directly from customers and the central bank in the past but the central bank is not selling to us,” said one agent in Lagos, offering rates of around N223 to the greenback. “It’s not the ‘street rate’ - we are a licensed bureau de change. But its how we

buy that determines how we sell,” he added. In a multi-storied plaza in Abuja that is home to the dozens of shops fronted by signs advertising “Bureau de Change”, the mood is glum as licensed dealers struggle to compete with the informal market outside. “People are holding their money,” said Salisu Garu, one licensed dealer who says his dollar turnover has collapsed, reducing his profits to a quarter of the N200,000 he used to take home every week. “You see, only one person has come in while I’m speaking to you - with $700,” he claimed.

Sterling Bank rewards clients with trip to UK

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

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

he six winners of the Sterling Bank Gunners Promo who emerged at the fourth Gunners Promo held at the weekend will have the opportunity of an all-expense paid trip to watch the home match involving Arsenal Football Club and Chelsea on April 26, 2015. The Bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola disclosed this to newsmen, after the fourth draw of the promo held at the Bank’s corporate head office, Sterling Towers, Lagos. He said the sponsorship of the trip was in line with the promise made by the Bank at the commencement of the promo last September. This according to Atilola, brings to 24, the number of lucky winners that have emerged in the four draws held. The next draw holding in April will produce another set of six winners bringing the total number of winners to 30. He explained that the lender came up with the promo to reward cus-

tomers for their loyalty, and encourage other football lovers to share the one-customer experience. The lender’s spokesperson explained that the promo, which kicked off in September 2014 would run till May 2015, and winners would emerge based on monthly draws to be held during the duration of the promo. The promo, he said, is designed to reward customers for their patronage and loyalty to the brand over the years in keeping with the brand’s promise of putting customers first The six lucky winners are Kehinde Abdullahi Ademola, Sakariyau Adeleke Mustapha, Ignatius Peace Nnah and Adeleke Zainab Idowu. Others are Chinyere Okechukwu and Eludinni Taiwo Kemi. An elated Kehinde who spoke with the “Femi & The Gang” crew that covered the event live for Nigerian Info, commended the bank for keeping to its promise.

Business | News

GROWTH Aviation supports 6.9 million jobs and $80.5 billion in economic activity

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Path to survival of Nigerian airlines, by African aviation chief Fuel’s 21% above global average

Wole Shadare

he only solution to Nigeria’s ailing airlines’ survival, including those in the continent, is consolidation, Secretary General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Dr. Elijah Chingosho, has said.

He stated that without coalescing, the African region would continue to see more airlines going under like the case with Air Gabon, Air Nigeria, Bellview, Cameroon Airlines and Gambia Bird. The expert made the disclosure in a paper he presented and made available to New Telegraph at the weekend, at the Avia-

tion Executive Business Forum, held in Lagos. Chingosho explained that the African airlines body encourages strategic partnerships with other African airlines like Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY, Kenya Airways and Precision Air in Tanzania. He noted that Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with over 180 mil-

lion people In terms of aviation, adding that it does not correspond with the size of the economy or the size of the population The AFRAA boss charged the Nigerian government to take its rightful place as the leading aviation state on the continent, reiterating that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is

only the fifth largest in Africa based on the number of passengers. He said: “We would like to see the country abuzz with strong and vibrant air transport system and related world class industries like MRO, ground handlers, catering and training centres.” To him, air transport is the most efficient and effective means of transport for people with high

value low volume goods for the vast African continent. Connectivity, according to the airline chief, is critical for African growth and development, supporting some 6.9 million jobs and $80.5 billion in economic activity. He disclosed that of the 6.9 million jobs supported across the African continent, 428,000 are within the industry itself and the rest are supported as part of the industry’s supply chain and the significant role air transport plays in the tourism sector. Barriers to the movement of traffic such as visa requirements and onerous customs clearance, he said, needs to be streamlined.

FG re-invites Shell, Chevron CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, said that his government would prioritise the completion of the multi-million dollar Olokola project to attract rapid economic growth and job creation. “There are four deep seaport projects that will dominate our focus in the next dispensation and, God willing, these will go through. The Olokola port project with the related investments, the Badagry deep sea port project, the Ibaka deep sea port project in Akwa Ibom State and Age deep seaport project in Bayelsa. “We need to expand our port facilities because Lagos is congested and we need deep seaports across the country that will be viable, decongest Lagos and increase commercial activities across Nigeria,” he said. The source, however, said that the NNPC is making moves to get across to the stakeholders who withdrew from the projects. “You are aware that the Republic of Cote d’Voire and many other nations have approached the NNPC for LNG supply and part of the mandate of the NNPC Group managing Director is to get the projects on stream. We are to achieve this with the on-going efforts to reach-out to all the shareholders. Yes, we do not rule out those who have left,” he added.

Business |Stock Watch

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

PROSPECTS Reaping the benefits of strategic plans Chris Ugwu

lthough share registration service providers appear to be gradually bouncing back to reckoning after the global financial crisis depleted the value of equities, it is still, however, shrouded in a mixture of both positive and negative challenges. This is because the economy generally has continued to face enormous socio-economic challenges. There is no doubt that the security challenges in the Northern parts of the country, with the attendant consequences of loss of lives and properties and domestic constraints such as depletion of fiscal buffers and dwindling foreign reserves, have remained a thorn in the business operating environment. Other changes are drop in oil prices, erratic supply of public electricity and poor infrastructures, among others. Generally, the share registration business in Nigeria has been viewed as a back-office function for a very long time. Also, there has not been any significant technology differentiation in the market. This is why service differentiation is difficult among operators in Nigeria. That is also why the quest for a permanent cure to the problem and challenges facing registrars such as the traditional way of doing business and the desire for a different approach to respond to challenging external environment, led to the computerisation of share registration business. However, while it was accepted generally that the overall economic and business climate was a mixed fortune due to mounting economic challenges, Africa Prudential Registrars Plc has fairly maintained an upward trend in share price and financials. Notwithstanding the difficult business environment, the company sustained its performance in 2014 through innovative and proactive responses to market dynamics and competitive pressures. Market watchers believe that the relative patronage of the stock could be linked to high liquidity of the shares due to high level of confidence investors have had in the stock for some time now as a result of its consistency in releasing good results. They also aligned the patronage to the growth prospect of APR in the medium-term following the acquisition of UAC Registrars Limited, the oldest nonbank affiliated registrar outfit in Nigeria. Despite the recent lull in the market following massive profit taking that saw the market lose considerable chunk of investors’ wealth, the share price, which closed at N3.04 per share in April 31, 2013, stood at N3.10 when the closing bell rang last Friday. This represented an increase of six kobo or 1.93 per cent year to date. Corporate profile Africa Prudential Registrars Plc (formerly UBA Registrars)

African Prudential: Asset integration raises earnings

Ashade

was a fully owned subsidiary of UBA Plc. However, following the directive of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that banks should divest from all non-banking businesses, a court-ordered meeting of shareholders of UBA Plc was held on December 13, 2012 and a resolution was passed, granting the company autonomy for competitiveness and profitability. The company is one of the leading share registration service providers in Nigeria. It ranks among the best in terms of automation and innovation among all corporate registrars in Nigeria. The company said it is a pacesetter in the infusion of technology to the conventional share registration business model. African Prudential is the first outfit to deploy an e-Stock software application in Nigeria. The company has also succeeded in compressing the time and space of doing its business through an appropriate blend of technological innovations. For instance, since 2007, it became possible for shareholders, stockbrokers and its clients to interact with the systems, while monitoring their portfolios from remote locations. Financials A cursory look at its financials showed that Africa Prudential Registrars began the year on a positive outlook with 34.7 per cent growth in revenue for the first quarter ended March 13, 2014. The company, in a notice to Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), reported revenue of N472.8 million as against N308.6 million during the comparable period of 2013, representing a growth of 34

Share price movement of African Prudential Plc 2014

African Prudential is the first outfit to deploy an e-Stock software application in Nigeria

Apr 30

N3.04

May 31

N3.23

Jun 30

N3.25

Jul 31

N3.30

Aug 31

N3.32

Sept 30

N3.16

Oct 31

N3.02

Nov 30

N3.00

Dec 31

N3.04

2015 Jan 31

N2.76

Feb 28

N2.66

Mar 13

N3.10

per cent. The company’s net earnings grew to N213.2 million up 18.05 per cent from N174.7 million in the same period of 2013, while pre-tax profit rose by 29.6 per cent to N318.3 million in the first quarter of 2014 from N223.9 million in the corresponding period of 2013. Africa Prudential Registrars also posted a 14.2 per cent leap in its post-tax profit for the half-year ended June 30, 2014. According to a notice to the Exchange, the company’s net earnings grew to N551 million, up 14.2 per cent from N483 million in the same period of 2013. Pre-tax profit rose by 24 per cent to N703 million in the halfyear of 2014 from N614 million in the corresponding period of 2013.

Revenue also increased to N1.079 billion in the second quarter (Q2) 2014 compared with N915 million reported in the corresponding period of 2013, representing a growth of 18 per cent. The company’s bottom line continued on a positive trajectory during the nine months (Q3) ended September 30, 2014, with a record of profit after tax of N828 million in contrast with N611 million recorded in 2013. This accounted for a growth of 36 per cent. Revenue equally firmed up by 28 per cent from N1.172 billion during the third quarter in contrast with N1.505 billion. Africa Prudential Registrars continued to follow the trends of the good numbers, ending the year under review with a report of a 25 per cent leap in its post-tax profit for the year ended December 31, 2014. According to a notice to the bource, the company’s net earnings grew to N1.218 billion up 25 per cent from N914.4 million in the same period of 2013. Net investment income increased to N1.349 billion in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2014 compared with N937.7 million reported in the corresponding period of 2013. Looking ahead The company had said that it would embark on integration and expansion to leverage on other opportunities for growth. Managing Director, APR, Mr. Peter Ashade, speaking at the company’s fact behind the figure on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), said that the company had strategic plans to explore other opportunities for both organic and inorganic growth of the business, which will grow the aggregate shareholders base across the APR client companies to over four million by 2015. He explained that the company invested in technology, business continuity plan and branch network in 2014. Ashade attributed the company’s growth in profitability to a three-year strategic plan, which was embarked upon in 2013. “By the end of the three years strategic plan in 2015, APR will not just be benchmarking with Nigeria companies but with international companies, in its sector,” he said. He added that APR was the first outfit in its niche to adopt e-stock software application in Nigeria, which has helped grow clientele base from 20 companies at the end of 2006 to 46 companies in 2014. He pointed out that in 2013, the company acquired UAC Registrars Ltd, saying: “This acquisition lends further credence to our aim to be the lending registrar outfit in Nigeria. The transaction helped grow our business organically by adding on four client companies with aggregate shareholder base of over 250,000.”

Insurance

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Pension assets: Clamour for more investment portfolio rises EXPANSION

of regulatory restrictions you have in Europe, for instance. So if you are making 25 per cent to 30 per cent return on your money in Africa, you can take a five per cent risk premium and pay off an insurance company to cover your risk, if there is a risk,” explains Ladwa. Although there are numerous challenges, Ladwa says Africa has experienced even tougher times in the past decades, and today it presents “more freedom and more economic growth than in any time in our history.”

Fund managers advocate spread of ‘idle’ funds Sunday Ojeme

wo weeks ago, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) called on investment managers who would like to be part of the accumulated pension assets to get across to the commission with their input. PenCom’s call The call, which was reechoed by the Head, Benefits and Insurance at PenCom, Olulana Loyinmi, is seen as part of the commission’s move to expand the portfolio in which the fast growing pension funds now put at over N4.61 trillion will be channeled into besides the traditional areas where it is currently being invested. According to the Commission, interested fund managers must securitise such investments in such preferred projects in addition to ensuring accountability and transparency in the management of invested pension assets. All along, it is believed that the securitisation of investment to attract pension funds remains a challenge for Market operators, Financial Advisers, Leasing Houses and estate managers. This has made it very crucial for the fund managers to go back to the drawing board and develop instruments to enable PFAs mobilise funds under their custody for this purpose. Loyinmi pointed out that it would be a good idea to use pension fund to grow real estate business and provide home for Nigerians but underlined the major inhibitor in this direction, saying it has to do with the lack of an objective and generally acceptable valuation methods for real estates. Experts’ view Before now, some influential Nigerian fund managers had called on the Federal Government to free the pension assets and use it to fund critical sectors instead of allowing it to remain idle. As far back as 2011, the immediate past Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, had specifically advised the Federal Government to channel part of the funds into the power sector. While some had also called for the funds to be invested in providing more shelter by putting part of the funds into

DG, PenCom, Chinelo Ahonu-Amazu

Managing Director, Premium Pension, Wilson Ideva

housing, some others are of the opinion that it should be directed into Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The rattling debates over proper investment of pension assets is not peculiar to Nigeria as experts from various regions are eager to ensure the funds are used to develop critical sectors instead of leaving it idle. Success story According to the Chief Executive Officer, Mkoba Private Equity Fund, Jitesh Ladwa, pension funds in Africa should direct more money towards local private equity firms that fund local enterprises. He said Africa holds billions of dollars that should be channeled into local economies rather than the continent always waiting for foreign investment. Last year, a survey on pension funds in 10 sub-Saharan countries revealed assets worth a total of $379bn. However, most of these pension funds were investing small amounts in PE due to myriad reasons including regulatory challenges. In Nigeria, for example, a paltry 0.22 per cent of the $26bn of pension assets is invested in private equity. Ladwa explained how he and his co-founders at Mkoba were turned down by foreign investors when they went looking for money to set up the PE fund. Eventually they raised money from local investors. Given the progress Africa has made in the last decade, Ladwa believes it is a “misguided effort” to wait for foreign help for everything.

Local entrepreneurs have a more realistic view of the situation on the ground

“The dialogue has to change. Today we have enough money ourselves,” he says. “Mkoba is symbolic. It is a private equity fund owned by Africans and funding Africans with African money. It shows we can help ourselves.” Ladwa believes Africa should also appreciate the role of domestic investors in building local economies. Although foreign direct investment (FDI) has its place, Ladwa says local entrepreneurs “are key growth drivers in our countries.” “We are investing $100m in Tanzania, $30m in Zimbabwe and $20m in DRC. There are enough of us investing in our own countries and the region. But people always look at FDI, and FDI does not mean a Kenyan coming to Tanzania, it means a European coming to Africa.” Unlike foreign investors who may have negative perceptions about Africa, local entrepreneurs have a more realistic view of the situation on the ground. “A guy in Kinshasa is not going to leave his city because there is war. He still has to eat. He has to live. He has to build a house, improve his environment and ultimately his economy. So I think there is no risk for ourselves. [My family] is investing in DRC, in Zimbabwe, in Tanzania… we don’t consider those places to be risky.” “I think Africa is the safest place to do business. First the economic growth is very high so investors make a good return. Second you don’t have the kind

Expected growth On his part, the Managing Director of Lancelot Ventures Limited, Adebayo Adeleke , while predicting that pension asset is likely hit N140 trillion between 2022 and 2025, about 14 times the current market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), lamented over where the trillions of naira would be invested at a positive rate of return without fuelling asset bubble. Adeleke observed that 85 per cent of accumulated pension assets were invested in fixed income government securities with the remaining 15 per cent in private equity, mutual and infrastructure fund, indicating that Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) were either being too conservative or that there are no real alternative investment outlets for pension funds. “PFAs are constrained by regulation to be extremely conservative,” he stressed. He said that growth in pension assets was as a result of new entrants into the scheme since the yield on the investment has been wiped off by the rising inflation and devaluation of the national currency. While making a case for the use of pension fund to finance infrastructure including electricity and tolled bridges, specialist hospitals (on Kidney & Cancer, etc) and short rail system, among other developmental projects, he emphasised the need to search, structure, develop and invest in alternative asset classes that have the potential to beat inflation sustainably. To him, pension funds should also be channeled into real estate, agriculture and manufacturing as well as Small and Medium Enterprise sectors respectively. The PFAs were also advised to stop playing in the capital market as mere speculators but graduate to assume their rightful position as institutional investors.

Business | Insurance

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

SHARIA National Insurance Commission opening doors for Islamic faithful Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

o deepen the insurance sector of the Nigerian economy, the Federal Government moved a step further last week by inaugurating Takaful Advisory Council of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). To this end, stakeholders in the sector have been charged to come up with policies that are Sharia compliant. Performing the inauguration ceremony in Abuja, Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, said government was interested in a vibrant insurance sector that would strengthen the country’s economy. He said the introduction of Islamic financial instruments “is another window that complements the existing financial systems in the world.”

Takaful: Stakeholders charged to present compliant policies He said government was interested in developing a comprehensive and all inclusive financial system that would be a reference point around all over the globe. Also speaking at the inauguration, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, said that the inauguration of the Takaful Advisory Council (TAC) by NAICOM was “to complement the efforts of the FSS 2020 strategy and the national financial inclusion strategy by working towards developing and strengthening the Nigerian financial markets.” Daniel added that for NAICOM to ensure an allinclusive regulatory role, guidelines were provided for the establishment of the TAC by the commission to serve as a second layer of governance for the Takaful operators Advisory Council of Experts (ACE). As a result, the TAC just inaugurated was es-

India raises insurance firms’ foreign ownership limit

ndia’s parliament last Thursday approved legislative changes to open the insurance business to more foreign investment, a crucial part of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s, plan to further liberalise the Indian economy and improve investor confidence. Wall Street Journal reported that the amendment raises the limit on foreign ownership of local insurance companies to 49 per cent from 26 per cent. This replaces an executive order Modi passed in December that first brought this policy change. That executive order needed to be approved by Parliament to become permanent law. The lower house gave its approval last week, followed by the upper house last Thursday. It marks an important legislative victory for Modi, who has struggled to get opposition parties to back his key proposals. In national elections last year, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won a historic majority in Parliament’s lower house, tapping into widespread public frustration with slow decision-making and sluggish economic growth during the previous Congress party-led government’s final years. But many of his economic policies have been

stalled in the upper house, where his party isn’t in the majority. Changes to India’s insurance laws were on Modi’s agenda since his government’s first budget in July. But parliamentary disruptions stymied his government’s efforts to bring them to a vote, prompting Mr. Modi to push the measures via the December executive order. The opening up of the insurance business has been long delayed. Supporting the law in Parliament last Thursday, the main opposition Congress party pointed out that the changes were also planned by India’s previous, Congress-led government as early as 2008. Both Congress and the BJP have, while in the opposition, delayed and protested insurance sector overhauls in an effort to deny the other the political advantage. Modi’s government is hoping that allowing more foreign investment in the insurance industry will attract more long-term capital into the business. India has one of the world’s lowest rates of insurance use by its citizens. The government estimates the country could attract $6 billion to $8 billion in foreign investment in insurance over the next few years.

tablished to advise and guide NAICOM on all sharia matters regarding the Takaful undertakings. Explaining how Islamic insurance works, the Commissioner for Insurance said, “Takaful is the exact opposite of contemporary insurance because

if there is profit sharing of any surplus arising from that insurance business it is shared by all the contributors and that is the beauty of it. So you don’t lose all, that is why it is eminently attractive to Moslems and Christians alike.”

Espousing on ways Takaful will grow the insurance industry, Daniel said, “it is a bridge that cuts across all the segments of the society. So we expect that more and more people will buy insurance and insurance will become a

household purchase.” Members of the TAC include Professor Dawud Olatokunbo Shittu Noibi, Chairman; Dr Bashir Umaru Aliyu; Dr Abdulrazak Abdulmajeed Alaro and Dr Abubarkar Mohammed Sani.

L – R : Head Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, FirstBank, Ismail Omamegbe; Executive Director, Lagos & West, FirstBank, Gbenga Shobo; Principal, Tinuola International College, Ado Ekiti, Kehinde Alao; and Business Development Manager, FirstBank, Ekiti State, Abiola Lufadeju, at the commemoration of the Global Money Week/Financial Literacy Day in Ado-Ekiti

Sunday Ojeme

he Managing Director of Premium Pension Limited, Mr. Wilson Ideva, has described the new Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as a huge success and the most impactful government initiative in recent times. He said, “The scheme has already begun to improve the lives of retirees in the country. It is also inching towards becoming a critical contributor to national development.” Ideva, in a statement made available to New Telegraph, said that there was need to applaud the initiators of the scheme in the country. “Initially, when the idea was presented, a lot

New pension scheme records unassailable success, says Ideva of people did not believe in it. This is understandable considering where we were coming from,” he aded. Ideva pointed out that such skepticism had been dissipated with the successes recorded by the new pension scheme since its more than 10 years of existence. He recalled the pathetic situation of pensioners before the scheme was introduced and juxtaposed it with the current situation where workers are now partners in the management of their pension funds, adding that people should note the difference between the new Contrib-

utory Pension Scheme and the old defined benefit system under which some pensioners were still being managed. He noted that under the new scheme, entitlements were being paid regularly. He said, “All you need to do is notify your Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) six months before your retirement and submit all the necessary documents. Once this is done, within one or two months upon retirement you will be paid your lump sum which has replaced the gratuity and thereafter you begin to enjoy continuous programmed withdrawal.”

He also pointed out that while the old scheme, which operated before 2004 left a huge pension deficit in the neighborhood of N2 trillion in the economy, the new scheme has accumulated pension asset of over N4.7 trillion and an enrolment of over 6.5 million people. “So when you put this together you will see that it has been a success story and this pool of funds is already playing a critical role in national development. The pension industry has been a huge success and we are playing our role effectively as stipulated in the Pension Reform Act,” he added.

WAICA Re to expand across Africa

AICA Reinsurance Corporation Plc (WAICA Re)has finalised plans to expand its operations across the entire African continent, Asia and the Middle East as soon as possible. The Managing Director, Mr. Abiola Ekundayo, said the move was in line with the company’s determination to emerge an international organisation. Ekundayo said during the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) that plans

were being concluded to establish a contact office in Kenya next year to cater for East Africa as well as set up offices in the other regions. He said, “Our intention is to become fully international and move outside West Africa. Currently, our diaspora funds are growing faster than what we obtain from Nigeria and Ghana and other West African countries. “We are growing tremendously, and growing our capital base with investors

coming not only from our member countries, but also from places such as East Africa. We are also expanding our presence in francophone African countries from the second quarter of this year.” He pointed out that the quick turn-around time for processing businesses had earned the company an enviable credibility that had helped it to attract businesses beyond Africa, from the Middle East and a few from Asia.

Business | Financial Market News

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

13-Mar-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 15.54 13-FEB-2020 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)

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

23-Apr-10 16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 13-Feb-15 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 15.54 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 54.00 600.00 499.68 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 254.50

23-Apr-15 16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 13-Feb-20 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

0.11 1.43 2.12 2.37 2.47 3.21 4.30 4.61 4.92 6.88 9.00 13.71 14.19 14.69 15.36 19.35

14.63 16.09 16.17 16.13 16.13 16.09 16.07 16.03 16.02 16.01 16.50 14.23 13.96 13.69 15.01 16.75

13.29 15.97 16.09 16.04 16.04 15.96 15.97 15.91 15.93 15.94 16.43 14.18 13.91 13.63 14.94 16.68

98.80 96.21 98.08 87.97 86.64 86.81 99.71 71.32 98.38 101.49 89.41 104.52 90.95 67.48 70.22 73.70

98.95 96.36 98.23 88.12 86.79 87.11 100.01 71.62 98.68 101.79 89.71 104.82 91.25 67.78 70.52 74.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

5,023.13

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,511.36

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

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 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.20 1.06 1.74 2.10 2.32

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 2.85

17.80 19.34 18.08 17.12 18.98

96.54 98.15 96.92 97.34 90.66

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

322.68

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

309.00

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.47

4.44

20.41

96.61

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.31

3.23

18.86

98.35

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.82

4.46

21.25

94.79

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.83

3.48

20.28

96.50

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.10

1.00

17.12

87.82

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.37

1.00

17.35

95.82

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.80

1.79

17.90

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

34.14

30-Sep-18

1.97

1.80

17.92

93.99

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.99

1.00

17.12

95.14

91.61

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

2.17

1.00

17.12

95.51

‡ /Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

2.18

4.78

20.90

88.87

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.37

1.00

17.13

97.01

BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

BBB-/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 25.70

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

2.61 4.70 2.77

1.00 1.00 1.00

17.12 17.02 17.11

96.86 91.99 95.10

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

11.10

10-Oct-20

3.22

1.00

17.09

94.58

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.71

1.00

16.99

87.48

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.80

1.00

16.99

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

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

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.46

1.44

17.52

92.73

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.49

1.00

17.08

94.90

97.20

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

92.76

459.68 423.05

Corporate Bonds ‡ /Agusto BBB-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

17-Aug-15

0.43

1.00

16.90

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

18.75

09-Dec-15

0.49

1.00

17.02

97.68

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.57

2.63

18.84

97.49

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.55

1.00

17.05

94.67

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.62

1.34

17.40

95.66

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.55

1.00

17.13

91.73

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.57

1.88

17.94

100.78

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.57

1.00

17.06

98.65

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.99

1.00

17.12

101.38

98.23

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.70

09-Sep-18

1.99

1.00

17.12

A/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018

22-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

22-Sep-18

3.53

1.00

17.08

92.08

Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.40

18-Oct-18

1.85

2.29

18.39

96.19

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.36

17-Feb-19

2.18

6.11

22.24

93.34

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.80

2.16

18.27

95.23

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.67

2.76

18.76

87.99

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.55

1.00

17.59

74.22

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.55

1.00

17.59

80.24

A/GCR

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

132.23

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

122.54

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.92

1.00

17.11

84.61

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.75

1.00

17.02

81.37

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 20.69

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

6.83

6.60

99.60

100.72

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

6.14

5.81

96.99

97.96

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

7.05

6.88

95.81

96.85

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,461.98

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

131.16

44.00

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

7.83

6.03

99.63

101.63

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

13.34

88.00

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

14.24

13.04

81.83

84.50

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

8.89

8.26

91.16

93.01

B/Fitch

AFREN PLC II

10.25 APR 08, 2019

08-Apr-12

10.25

300.00

08-Apr-19

38.99

43.63

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

9.23

90.00

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

15.39

14.81

80.05

81.56

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC

8.25 AUG 07, 2020

07-Aug-13

8.25

300.00

07-Aug-20

14.09

77.95

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

28.42 14.57 13.63

28.42 14.03 13.63

40.00 78.75 76.00

40.00 80.63 76.00

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

11.43

10.89

87.38

89.63

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,760.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,608.50

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

Money Market

FIXINGS Maturity 26-Mar-15 2-Apr-15 9-Apr-15 16-Apr-15 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 7-May-15

Bid Discount (%) 10.87 13.40 13.82 14.50 15.16 15.06 13.76

Offer Discount (%) 10.62 13.15 13.57 14.25 14.91 14.81 13.51

Bid Yield (%) 10.91 13.49 13.97 14.69 15.42 15.36 14.05

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 44.3333 16.0878 17.4321 18.2922

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

22.00

O/N Tenor Call

24.00

REPO

Rate (%) 20.00

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

199.09 201.81 202.13 202.87 204.24

199.19 201.93 202.28 203.37 205.31

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

27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

600.00 499.68 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 254.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

5,023.13

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,511.36

Rating/Agency NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16,Issuer 2015

Description

0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

6.88 9.00 13.71 14.19 14.69 15.36 19.35

16.01 16.50 14.23 13.96 13.69 15.01 16.75

15.94 16.43 14.18 13.91 13.63 14.94 16.68

101.49 89.41 104.52 90.95 67.48 70.22 73.70

101.79 89.71 104.82 91.25 67.78 70.52 74.00

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 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.20 1.06 1.74 2.10 2.32

2.63 2.27 2.00 1.00 2.85

17.80 19.34 18.08 17.12 18.98

96.54 98.15 96.92 97.34 90.66

Agency Bonds FMBN

27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

Business | Financial Market News

Nigerian bonds to rise on election jitters ***LCRM

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

322.68

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

309.00

prepares to hold presidential 31-AUG-2015 elections 12.50 on KADUNA March 28, while a 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 planned Monetary Policy Com14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 mittee (MPC) meeting to set 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 rates on March 2430-JUN-2017 would also 13.75 BAYELSA 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 unnerve investors. 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 According to Reuters News, 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 continent’s EKITI 09-DEC-2018 largest Nigeria, the 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 oil producer, is facing a faltering 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 economy 15.50 after global oil prices GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 plunged, weakening the naira. 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 The Federal Government 14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020 raised N91 billion ($455 million) 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 in bonds last with maturi14.50 week, EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 ties ranging between five-year and 20-year at higher returns across the board.

Sub-National Bonds

MOTLEY TRADING A/Agusto

KADUNA

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

‡ /Agusto

EDO

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

BBB+/Agusto Trading is expected to *BENUE be ‡ /Agusto *IMO A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS mixed next week ‡ /Agusto *BAYELSA ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER Stories by Chris Ugwu *EKITI ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*NIGER he yields on Nigerian *ONDO bonds are seen rising BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS this week on uncertainBBB-/Agusto; A-/GCR *OSUN ty over a delayed presiBBB-/Agusto *OSUN ‡ /GCRwhile Kenyan LAGOS dentialAa-/Agusto; election, A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI Treasury bill yields will*EKITI ease ‡ /Agusto A-/GCR *NASARAWA further on increased liquidity . TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Nigerian bonds yields will MARKET CAPITALISATION rise asTOTAL Africa’s biggest economy ‡ /Agusto

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

“Trading is expected to be 31-Aug-10 12.50 mixed next week, but the mar30-Sep-10 13.00 14.00 ket would30-Jun-11 likely stay above the 30-Jun-09 15.50 16 per cent resistance level,” one 19-Apr-10 10.00 dealer said. 30-Jun-10 13.75 14.00 Yields 30-Dec-10 on the 2016 debt closed 30-Sep-11 14.00 flat at 16.15 per cent compared 04-Oct-11 14.00 14.50 with 16.1609-Dec-11 per cent the previous 12-Dec-13 14.00 week, while the 2022 debt note 14-Feb-12 15.50 dropped to 16.03 per cent 02-Oct-12 15.50 from 22-Nov-12 14.50 16.07 per cent previously . 12-Dec-12 14.75 The benchmark 2024 10-Oct-13 14.75 debt 27-Nov-13 rose sharply 13.50 note, however, to 31-Dec-13 15.00 16.63 per cent from 16.13 per cent 31-Dec-13 14.50 15.00 last week.06-Jan-14 “The yields on Kenyan Treasury bills are expected to con-

Corporate Bonds

Access Bank’s 2014 profit rises by 18% *UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

‡ /Agusto BBB-/Agusto

A-/Agusto

FSDH ccess Bank Plc has rethat its nine-month pre-tax Access Bank had recent13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 30-Sep-10 UBA ported an 18 per cent profit rose to 18.00 42.15 billion, ly secured approval of the C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 *C & I LEASING DANA 9-APR-2018 09-Apr-11 Nil *DANA up 20 per cent MPR+7.00 growth in profit after from N35.087 Securities and Exchange MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 09-Sep-11 A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR *TOWER tax for AAA/DataPro†; the 2014 financial year a year ago. Commission (SEC) to proMPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 09-Sep-11 A/GCR *TOWERbillion recorded 14.00 UBA II 22-SEP-2018 A/GCR 31, 2014. UBA ended A/Agusto; December Also, revenue rose 17.3 ceed with plans 22-Sep-11 to raise 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR 18-Oct-13 *LA CASERA TheBBB-/DataPro†; bank, in aBB/GCR filing with per cent to N181.798 billion N52.6 billion in a share sale MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 17-Feb-12 *CHELLARAMS Nigerian Stock Exchange during the period under reas it pursues expansion 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 01-Apr-14and Nil *DANA 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020stronger cash reserves. 14-Nov-13 NAHCO view from N155.026 (NSE),A+/Agusto; at theA-/GCR weekend, said billion T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR 30-Sep-14 STANBIC IBTC posted in 2013.182D The capital raising falls that the post-tax profit rose 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR 30-Sep-14 STANBIC IBTC The Chief Executive Ofin line with the bank’s fiveto N42.976 billion up 18 per TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE cent from billion ficer of Access Bank, Mr. year corporate strategy TOTALN36.298 MARKET CAPITALISATION duringSupranational the comparable pe- Herbert Wigwe, while ad- plan to be one of the top Bond counriod ofAAA/S&P 2013. dressing business editors in three banks in the 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 IFC 11-Feb-13 Its Aaa/Moody's; pre-tax profit that the lend- try and the “world’s most AFDB 1-FEB-2021 AAA/S&P rose to AfDB a forum, noted11.25 10-Jul-14 TOTAL OUTSTANDING N52.022 billion, up 20 VALUE per er was poised to build and respected African bank.” TOTALN43.531 MARKET CAPITALISATION cent from billion leverage on resources and This will be anchored on recorded a year ago. benefits of being a large four critical pillars – capiDescription Rating/Agency Issuer Issue Date Also, revenue increased diversified financial insti- tal, human capital, goverby 18.5FGN perEurobonds cent to N245.218 tution and also resolute to nance and risk managebillionBB-/Fitch; during the period achieving the objective6.75 ofJAN 28,ment. It will also enable 2021 B+/S&P 07-Oct-11 the under BB-/Fitch; review from N206.891 becoming the world’s most bank to be more competiFGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 12-Jul-13 respected African Bank. billionBB-/S&P posted in 2013. tive and meet the funding BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 12-Jul-13cusAccess Bank had reWigwe said that the needs of its blue chip BB-/S&P tomers that meet its credit portedTOTAL 28 per cent growth OUTSTANDING VALUE bank’s target was to in profit after taxCAPITALISATION for the achieve top three positions risk criteria. TOTAL MARKET Wigwe said that the prothird Corporate quarterEurobonds ended Sep- in Africa by all financial ceeds from the offer would metrics in 2017. He listed tember 30, 2014. 11.50 FEB 01, 2016 B/Fitch; B-/S&P AFREN PLC I 01-Feb-11 others to include becomTheB+/Fitch; bank, in a filing be 7.50 MAY 19, 2016used to upgrade B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I 19-May-11 the 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 ACCESSing BANK a PLCreference point for 25-Jul-12 with B+/S&P the Exchange, said bank’s information tech6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC that the post-tax profit rose technology, sustaining high nology platforms 09-May-13 to enable 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC 08-Nov-13 to N35.346 billion up 28 per independent agency, leadit provide better services, 10.25 APR 08, 2019 B/Fitch AFREN PLC II 08-Apr-12 cent from billion project and structured upgrade the bank’s branch 6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch;N27.597 BB-/S&P ZENITH ing BANK PLC 22-Apr-14 8.75 May 21, 2019 DIAMOND BANK PLC bank and becoming 21-May-14imduringB/Fitch; the B/S&P comparable pefinance networks and further 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC riod ofB-/Fitch; 2013.B/S&P best treasury and financial prove the working07-Aug-13 environ6.63 DEC 09, 2020 AFREN PLC III 09-Dec-13 Access Bank also said market bank in the country . ment. 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II 24-Jun-14 A/GCR

13.00 16.00

18.00

16.00

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

18.00

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

15.25 11.93 13.25

10.20 11.25

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

23-Jul-14

6.63 9.25 8.00

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1.62

1.34

17.40

2.55

1.00

17.13

91.73

0.64

30-Nov-17

1.57

1.88

17.94

100.78

95.66

6.30

09-Apr-18

1.57

1.00

17.06

98.65

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.99

1.00

17.12

101.38

0.70

09-Sep-18

1.99

1.00

17.12

98.23

450.00

23-Jul-21

13.63

76.00

250.00

14-Aug-21

11.43

10.89

87.38

89.63

22-Sep-18 3.53 cene of the leading 18-Oct-18 1.85 ment and building 0.36 17-Feb-19 2.18 solutions providers, 4.50 01-Apr-19 2.80 14-Nov-20 5.67has 2.05 Lafarge Africa Plc, 0.10 9.55 reported an 30-Sep-24 operational profit 15.44 30-Sep-24 9.55 after tax of N37 billion for the 132.23 full 122.54year ended 2014. This is eight per cent higher than prior year after adjusting for one-offs. 12.00 11-Feb-18 2.92 According01-Feb-21 to a statement 12.95 4.75 made 24.95 available by the manage20.69 of the company, operament tionsValue of United Cement ComOutstanding Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) ($mm) Limited (UNICEM) were pany included on an equity basis in Q4. Cash of N49 billion was gen500.00 28-Jan-21 6.83 erated from the operations. 500.00 12-Jul-18 6.14 The Board of Directors of 500.00 12-Jul-23 7.05 Lafarge Africa at its meeting of March 11, 2015, approved a 1,500.00 dividend of N3.60, representing 1,461.98 a nine per cent increase over prior year subject to sharehold450.00 01-Feb-16 131.16 ers approval.19-May-16 500.00 7.83 350.00 25-Jul-17Plc, formerly 13.34 Lafarge Africa 300.00 02-May-18 known as Lafarge Cement14.24 Wap400.00 08-Nov-18 8.89 co300.00 Nigeria Plc, is growing in a 08-Apr-19 38.99 combination of all Lafarge’s 500.00 22-Apr-19 9.23 200.00 21-May-19 15.39 Nigerian operations – (Ashaka300.00 07-Aug-20 14.09 Cem Plc, UNICEM, Atlas Ce360.00 09-Dec-20 28.42 ment Limited) and 400.00 Company 24-Jun-21 14.57 2.40

16.00

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

25-Oct-16

30-Sep-17

35.00

15.75

5.53

20.00

14.00

#{r}

ments and allocations to re4.44 20.41 96.61 gional authorities had led to in3.23 18.86 98.35 4.46 21.25 94.79 creased liquidity in the market,” 3.48 20.28 96.50 traders said. 1.00 17.12 87.82 week’s 95.82 sale, the 1.00At last17.35 1.79 17.90 weighted yield on 91.61 the 91-day 1.80 17.92 93.99 treasury bills edged down to 1.00 17.12 95.14 1.00 17.12from 8.463 95.51 per cent 8.453 per cent 4.78 20.90 88.87 last week, while the yield on 1821.00 17.13 97.01 day T-bills also dropped 1.00 17.12 96.86 to 10.356 1.00 17.02 91.99 per cent from 10.375 per cent. 1.00 17.11 95.10 The yields on the 1.00 17.09 94.58 364-day 1.00 16.99 to 10.636 87.48per cent paper slipped 1.00 16.99 92.76 from 10.768 per cent. 1.44 17.52 92.73 1.00Some traders 17.08 have94.90 previously said that investors could wait for the sale of a 12-year infrastructure bond worth up to 25 billion 1.00 16.90 shillings on March 97.20 25, further 1.00 17.02 97.68 adding downward pressure on 2.63 18.84 97.49 1.00 17.05 yields.94.67 Treasury bill

Lafarge Africa reports 8% profit growth

18.00

#{r}

tinue edging lower this week on 8.50 31-Aug-15 0.47 the back of increased shilling 4.18 30-Sep-15 0.31 4.86 30-Jun-16said. 0.82 liquidity ,” traders 5.73 30-Jun-16 0.83 The Central Bank of Nigeria 57.00 19-Apr-17 2.10 (CBN) will auction 91-day , 18225.73 30-Jun-17 1.37 25.00and 364-day 31-Dec-17 day Treasury2.80bills 34.14 30-Sep-18 1.97 worth a total04-Oct-18 eight billion1.99shil9.00 13.73 ($87 million). 09-Dec-18 2.17 lings 10.20 12-Dec-18 2.18 “The general trend down27.00 14-Feb-19 2.37 wards should persist ... but 16.23 02-Oct-19 2.61 not 80.00 22-Nov-19 4.70 as25.70 aggressively ,” a bond trader 12-Dec-19 2.77 at11.10 Kestrel Capital, 10-Oct-20 Mathangani 3.22 87.50 27-Nov-20 5.71 Kariuki, said. 5.00 31-Dec-20 5.80 Kariuki said that treasury 4.55 31-Dec-20 3.46 4.56 06-Jan-21 3.49 yields had slipped in recent 459.68 amid high liquidity as weeks a423.05 result of increased government spending and debt, which 2.50 0.43 had matured17-Aug-15 in February and 18.75 09-Dec-15 0.49 March. 0.42 06-Jan-16 0.57 15.00 29-Sep-16 salary 1.55 “Government pay-

1.00 17.08 African 92.08 Lafarge South Holdings 2.29 18.39 96.19 Limited assets in order to create 6.11 22.24 93.34 a2.16 stronger18.27 platform 95.23 for growth 2.76 18.76 87.99with valin sub-Saharan Africa, 1.00 17.59 74.22 ue creating opportunities. The 1.00 17.59 80.24 transaction was concluded in September 2014. On November 7, 2014, Nigerian Cement Holdings B.V. 1.00 17.11 84.61 (NCH), a 5017.02 per cent 81.37 affiliate of 1.00 Lafarge Africa Plc, entered into an agreement with Flour Mills of Nigeria, defining a roadmap Offer Yield (%) Bid Price Offer Price to purchase Flour Mills of NiPrices &30 Yields geria’s per cent investment in (the 3rd100.72 largest ce6.60UNICEM 99.60 ment manufacturer in Nigeria). 5.81 96.99 97.96 The first phase of the acquisi6.88 (15 per 95.81 tion cent) was96.85 completed recently. In accordance with Section 131(1)(a) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2007, Lafarge 131.16 44.00 44.00 Africa is 99.63 required 101.63 to make a 6.03 13.34 88.00 to all other 88.00 Tender Offer share13.04 84.50 holders of81.83AshakaCem Plc. 8.26 91.16 93.01 Consequently , the Board of La38.99 43.63 43.63 farge Africa approval 9.23 90.00 granted 90.00 14.81 a Tender 80.05 Offer to 81.56 for be made 14.09 77.95 77.95 to all qualifying shareholders 28.42 40.00 40.00 of AshakaCem Plc. 80.63 14.03 78.75

13-Mar-15

4,760.00 3,608.50

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 Money **Treasury Bills FIXINGS 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” basisMarket and may not be accurate up to date. We& do not guarantee ForeignorExchange (Spot Forwards) DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept NIBOR liability for the results of any Tenor action taken onRate the (%) basis of the Information. 13 26-Mar-15 10.87 10.62 10.91 FGN

20 27 34 Bonds 41 48 55 Rating/Agency 62 69 83 90 104 111 125 132 139 146 153 167 NA 174 181 265 279 300 314 328 342 356

2-Apr-15 9-Apr-15 16-Apr-15 23-Apr-15 30-Apr-15 7-May-15 Issuer 14-May-15 21-May-15 4-Jun-15 11-Jun-15 25-Jun-15 2-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 NA 3-Sep-15 10-Sep-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 7-Jan-16 21-Jan-16 4-Feb-16 18-Feb-16 3-Mar-16

13.40 13.82 14.50 15.16 15.06 13.76 Description 14.46 14.71 14.90 4.00 23-APR-2015 14.65 13.05 16-AUG-2016 14.53 15.10 27-APR-2017 14.55 9.85 27-JUL-2017 14.90 14.65 9.35 31-AUG-2017 14.61 10.70 30-MAY-2018 14.77 16.00 29-JUN-2019 14.65 7.00 23-OCT-2019 11.80 14.74 15.54 13-FEB-2020 14.83 16.39 27-JAN-2022 13.37 14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.37 15.00 28-NOV-2028 14.28 14.19 12.49 22-MAY-2029 14.56 8.50 20-NOV-2029 14.55 10.00 23-JUL-2030 15.30

13.15 13.57 14.25 14.91 14.81 13.51 Issue Date 14.21 14.46 14.65 23-Apr-10 14.40 16-Aug-13 14.28 27-Apr-12 14.30 27-Jul-07 14.65 14.40 31-Aug-07 14.36 30-May-08 14.52 29-Jun-12 14.40 23-Oct-09 11.55 14.49 13-Feb-15 14.58 27-Jan-12 13.12 14-Mar-14 13.12 28-Nov-08 14.03 13.94 22-May-09 14.31 20-Nov-09 14.30 23-Jul-10 15.05

12.1493 18-JUL-2034

18-Jul-14

OBB 22.00 Tenor Bid ($/N) Offer ($/N) 13.49 Tenor Rate (%) 13.97 O/N 44.3333 Spot 199.09 199.19 O/N 24.00 14.69 1M 16.0878 7D 201.81 201.93 Price 15.42 3M 17.4321 14D 202.13 202.28 REPO 15.36 6M 18.2922 Tenor Rate (%) 1M 202.87 203.37 Outstanding Value 14.05 Call 20.00 2MOffer Yield 204.24 205.31 Coupon (%) Maturity Date TTM (Yrs) Bid Yield (%) 3M Bid Price 207.21 Offer Price 14.82 1M 15.50 205.60 (N'bn) (%) 15.13 3M 16.50 6M 206.28 213.47 NITTY 15.424.00 6M 0.11 17.50 14.63 1Y 13.29 220.29 98.80 226.27 98.95 535.00 23-Apr-15 15.20 Tenor Rate16-Aug-16 (%) 13.05 581.39 1.43 16.09 15.97 96.21 96.36 15.16 1M 14.3712 15.10 476.80 27-Apr-17 NOTE: 2.12 16.17 16.09 98.08 98.23 15.23 2M 14.4016 27-Jul-17 2.37 :Benchmarks 16.13 16.04NA :Not Applicable 87.97 88.12 15.719.85 3M 20.00 14.7206 15.479.35 6M100.00 15.5232 Bond 31-Aug-17 * :Amortising Bond 2.47 16.13 16.04# :Floating Rate 86.64 86.79 15.47 9M300.00 16.0537 10.70 30-May-18 µ :Convertible Bond 3.21 16.09 15.96***: Deferred coupon 86.81 bonds 87.11 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 15.69 12M 16.5404 16.00 351.30 29-Jun-19 FGN: Federal Government 4.30 16.07 15.97‡ : Bond rating99.71 100.01 15.61 of Nigeria under review 233.90 23-Oct-19 FMBN: Federal4.61 16.03 15.91†: Bond rating71.32 71.62 expired 12.477.00 Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 15.86 15.54 54.00 NIFEX 13-Feb-20 IFC: International 4.92Finance Corporation 16.02 15.93N/A :Not Available 98.38 98.68 16.01 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management {r} :Issuer in receivership 16.39 600.00 27-Jan-22 6.88 16.01 15.94 101.49 101.79 Current Price ($/N) 14.81 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 14.20 499.68 14-Mar-24 O/N: Overnight9.00 16.50 16.43NGC: Nigeria-German 89.41 Company89.71 14.89 BID($/N) 199.0000 15.00 28-Nov-28 UPDC: UAC Property 13.71 Development14.23 14.18UBA: United Bank 104.52for Africa 104.82 16.17 OFFER ($/N) 75.00 199.1000 Company 16.16 Africa Portland Cement Company 12.49 150.00 22-May-29 WAPCO:West 14.19 13.96 13.91 90.95 91.25 16.758.50 200.00 20-Nov-29 14.69 13.69 13.63 67.48 67.78 16.84 10.00 591.57 23-Jul-30 15.36 15.01 14.94 70.22 70.52 17.98

Bonds

12.1493

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

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

Rating/Agency

Agency Bonds

Issuer

Modified Duration Buckets

FMBN <3

3<5

***LCRM >5

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

Market

254.50

18-Jul-34

19.35

16.75

16.68

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

73.70

74.00

Valuation Yield (%)

Indicative Price

5,023.13

4,511.36 Outstanding Value FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX (N'bn)

Description

Porfolio Market Value(Bn)

Issue Date

Total Outstanding

Volume(Bn) 0.00 FMB 24-MAY-2015 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 1,377.27 1,409.48 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 1,019.94 1,059.68 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 580.11 815.07 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

2,977.32

3,284.23

Weighting by Outstanding Vol 24-May-12

03-Apr-12 42.92 09-Dec-11 32.27 20-Apr-12 24.82 06-Jul-12

100.00

Coupon (%)

Weighting by Mkt Value0.00

17.25 46.26 0.00/16.00 34.26 0.00/16.50 19.48 0.00/16.50 100.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Bucket Weighting

24.56 2.70 0.43 112.22 0.32 116.70 0.25 66.49 1.00

322.68

% Exposure_ Mod_Duration 24-May-15

03-Apr-17 21.39 08-Dec-16 36.85 19-Apr-17 41.77 06-Jul-17 100.00

Implied Yield

Implied

0.20 Portfolio Price 2.63 1.06 2.27 16.11 100.6535 1.74 2.00 16.22 99.6149 2.10 1.00 15.47 72.5221 2.32 2.85 15.88

93.3368

INDEX

17.80 19.34 1,127.72 18.08 993.97 17.12 1,019.30 18.98

1,054.70 -

YTD Return (%) 96.54

98.15 96.92 97.34 1.2203 90.66

1.7933

1.8373 0.0460

309.00

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.47

4.44

20.41

96.61

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

4.18

30-Sep-15

0.31

3.23

18.86

98.35

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.82

4.46

21.25

94.79

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.83

3.48

20.28

96.50

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

2.10

1.00

17.12

87.82

Business | Interview

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

How government can reduce What’s your opinion on the botched NLC election? The TUC’s opinion is that it was an unfortunate incident, it has never happened before. But for a growing organisation in terms of strength, in terms of population, we should expect that to happen. But be that as it may, we expect that they put that incident behind them and forge ahead. Sweet enough, their NEC met almost immediately and agreed on a new date for the election.

President, Trade Union Congress, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, in this interview with Sunday Ojeme, speaks on the prevailing socio-economic realities in the country as they affect the average Nigerian worker; the journey so far to the forthcoming elections and other issues in the polity

What do you think should have been done to prevent such an incident and what are the lessons learnt? You know something, that is a novel development. It is just unfortunate that by the nature of our calling as trade unionists, we don’t take extra security measures; otherwise it is something that would have been avoided. If they had anticipated such a development, they would have protected their ballot papers and ballot boxes. They thought it was one and the same family. If we are criticising the larger society’s political skirmishes, then we shouldn’t be involved in that but, unfortunately, it has occurred. The lesson is straight forward; that you don’t take the security of your vital materials for granted, irrespective of the fact that it is a family election. But I am pretty sure the leadership will bounce back. Experts, including the minister of finance, have predicted hard times ahead because of the prevailing economic realities. What do you think government should do to mitigate the situation for workers? Government is increasing the hardship. You can imagine within a span of one year you are devaluing the naira twice. For the Central Bank of Nigeria to have pegged the exchange rate at N198 per dollar as official rate, the naira has been devalued. It is obvious that there will be inflation, the purchasing power of the Nigerian workers has been weakened. So the cushioning effect or whatever measures government wants to take must be in such a way that will cushion the effect of the devaluation and the rising inflation so that at the end of the day, the Nigerian worker will not end up not going home with his salary. As it is, our purchasing power has been drastically reduced. What we used to buy for N100 invariably has risen to N200 now and salary has not increased concomitantly. So government should look at certain mitigating factors or steps to cushion the effects on the purchasing power of Nigerians. We expect them to look at the issues of health, transportation, social insurance, accommodation for Nigerians and Nigerian workers, because whatever you do now in terms of housing, I am assuring you that landlords, with this development, will jerk up their rents. By the time rents are jerked up, private clinics, private schools and private transporters will also increase the prices of their services. Do you think that NLC is handling

Kaigama

the issue of housing for workers properly? To the extent of the NLC, I might not answer, but to the extent of NLC/TUC, I would say we are handling it properly. The president just flagged off the project last December and if you go to the site, you will discover that construction work has gone very far. I believe that before the end of the year some housing units will be delivered. Still talking about housing, everywhere we see some houses being built by government and referred to as affordable, but these same houses go for as much as between N15 million and N20 million. So how affordable are these houses to the average Nigerian worker? It depends on the housing unit and the factor of government subsidising such houses. What we are saying is that government should ensure that mortgages should be within one digit interest rate. It is also important for government to subsidise issues relating to housing by providing certain services like water, electricity and other ancillary services like school and infrastructure generally. When these services are made available, it will bring down the cost of construction. Government should line up infrastructure for the house own-

ers within the neighbourhood. If these facilities are provided, the cost of construction and the premium will come down. If these things are done, the Nigerian workers and Nigerians will be the beneficiaries. These are some of the ways the cost of housing can be reduced.

Our purchasing power has been drastically reduced

Don’t you think that by now Nigerians should be enjoying some form of social security? We should, we should learn from developing countries. Even in South Africa, houses are built and given to the poor. By now, the Nigerian government should capture the issue of health, government should be able to provide free health for people above 60 years of age. Talking about South Africa, recently, the government of that country said that foreigners would no longer be allowed to own land, but here in Nigeria, anybody, including foreigners, is allowed to own such asset. What’s your opinion on this? One thing you should know is that South Africans value their country, they value their freedom because they got it through struggle, but Nigerians don’t value theirs because they got it on a platter of gold. South Africans, when they say that they mean it because they know the kind of struggle they un-

dertook before getting their freedom, but in Nigeria, anything goes. The issue of insecurity in the North East has been a problem to the country and government, but recently, government said it was winning the war. Do you agree with that? They are beginning to tell us that they are winning the war. We only hope they will sustain the momentum because it is one thing to win today and the next day you see that two or three communities are captured by the insurgents. We want a sustained victory. However, the situation is improving now. Hitherto, the military were not properly equipped to enable them stand up to the insurgents. Secondly, there was nothing to motivate them in terms of paying good allowance. That brings us to the issue of social security. Soldiers were not motivated because they noticed that there was no proper medicare and no reasonable compensation for the family. All these culminated and contributed to the low morale on the part of the military. In your view, is the Federal Government serious with the fight against corruption? It is for everybody to know if they are actually fighting corruption. The indices we have is

Business | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

cost of housing –Kaigama elections culminating in some people, especially non-indigenes in the northern part of the country, moving to their states of origin. It is vice versa. People are moving out from everywhere, but we advise Nigerians to stay put wherever they are. There is no need to be afraid because Nigeria belongs to everybody, so anybody who tries to bring divisive tendencies will have himself to blame.

B I O D ATA Education: Kakara Primary School; Government Secondary School; College of Remedial Studies, Yola; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Federal University of Technology, Owerri Qualifications: Holds B.Sc (Hons), MBA (Project Management Technology) Specialisation: Digital Systems Work experience: Nigerian Beverages Production Company Limited, Kakara (1982), among others Unionism Experience: Two-term Taraba State Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN); Taraba State Council Chairman, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC); Member, TUC’s National Executive Council (NEC) since 2005, and National Vice President of ASCSN; Current National President, ASCSN and President, TUC since June 21, 2013.

that they are not fighting enough. It is for the agencies saddled with the responsibilities to stand up and ensure dealing with this monster called corruption is successful and sustained because there is no better time than now that oil prices have fallen, the naira devaluated and the dollar heating up the naira so much. By the time we look at the economic indices and see that we are not in any way blocking those holes where resources are syphoned, you find out that we are not fighting anything. By the time we are able to block these holes, you find out that we would have enough resources for national development. What would you say to the accusation that the Federal Government had misused the funds that accrued to the Excess Crude Account? In my opinion, you will not blame the Federal Government. You should rather blame the governors. It was the pressure from state governors that compelled the Federal Government to keep sharing the money. Today, they go to Abuja to share the money, and when you come back to the states you won’t see anything that the money has been used for and at the same time there is no savings from what they have collected. So you really have to blame the governors. They collected the money even when they did not need it and shared, but now that the rainy day has come, which the money was saved for, it is no longer there. What is the Congress’ view in respect of the postponed election? TUC does not believe in the blame game currently going on as a result of the postponement.

Kaigama

You and I know that collection of PVC is not an issue INEC will carry to everybody’s doorstep

There is really no need for the blame game because we believe that it will give INEC time to get better prepared, cross the ‘ts’ and dot the ‘is’. Secondly, the security agencies said that the atmosphere was not good enough. May be there is something they are seeing which you and I don’t see. However, the good thing is that all of them are standing by their words that after six weeks, elections would be held. I believe that they will be calling for the wrath if Nigerians of after the six weeks elections are not held.

agencies because there is this fear in some quarters that they are likely to be partisan during the process? My advice or the TUC’s advice is that they should not be bias. They are serving the country and all the political parties belong to Nigerians. The best thing is for them to maintain neutrality because they know the consequences of being used. They are expected to wake up to their responsibilities. I believe that whatever is happening now will not be for long. With time, Nigeria will sort itself out.

What is your advice to the security

There is this fear about the

Some Nigerians have also complained about INEC’s poor distribution of PVCs in some parts of the country. In your opinion, should INEC take the blame or the electorate who failed to collect their cards? You and I know that collection of PVC is not an issue INEC will carry to everybody’s doorstep. You know what is happening with the National ID card. The cards are there waiting to be collected, you don’t have to wait for them to bring it to your house. I believe it is the problem of apathy on the part of some Nigerians and not that INEC is favouring anybody or any part of the country. But I am happy that we now know the importance of voter card, especially because of ‘one man, one vote.’ That is why people are now rushing to go and get their cards. However, I believe that before the rescheduled date, more people would have gotten theirs. Recently, there has been a deluge of industrial disputes in the country, from the health workers strike to the judiciary workers and pockets of strikes too in some states. Looking at the effects of strikes on the economy, shouldn’t there be a more expanded room for dialogue? Labour doesn’t just call for strike in the event of conflict between employers and their workers. Strike is always the last option for labour. There are stages you follow. If from stage one the employer responds very well, there will be no need to go on strike. We always advise employers to respect signed agreements. But assuming it is clear to everybody that the company’s resources have actually been affected to the extent that the employer can no longer meet some of the things promised while the agreement was being signed... It is assumed before the employee came onboard everything would have been budgeted for. If it is promotion, it is budgeted for, if it is employment, it is budgeted for, if it is the issue of increase in salary, it is also budgeted for. There should be no exigency that will surpass the worker’s salary. A worker has worked for some days and you end up not paying him. An employee would not tell you to pay him before working for you.

Kaigama

Advice to workers We should be more steadfast so that we can deliver on the struggles of our members. We crave the indulgence of workers to continue to support the leadership so as to keep pushing forward their welfare and needs.

Business | Capital Market

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015

Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008

Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at March 13, 2015 Daily Summary (Bonds)

Daily Summary (Equities)

No Debt Trading Activity

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Daily Summary (Equities)

FINANCIAL SERVICES Other Financial Institutions STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 13 3 16

Current Price 30.00 29.24

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 2.10

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008 TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals CONGLOMERATES Totals

29 Symbol AGLEVENT TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 7 208 30 245

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 1.24 3.00 36.00

245

Quantity Traded 132,437 6,100 138,537

Value Traded 3,910,260.00 169,458.00 4,079,718.00

Quantity Traded 199,472 199,472

Value Traded 426,402.68 426,402.68

338,009

4,506,120.68

Quantity Traded 28,586 37,137,317 40,040,674 77,206,577

Value Traded 34,591.20 111,632,971.62 1,441,661,884.50 1,553,329,447.32

77,206,577

1,553,329,447.32

Page

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 0.61

Quantity Traded 662,978 662,978

Value Traded 416,233.73 416,233.73

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 26 26

Current Price 44.00

Quantity Traded 269,765 269,765

Value Traded 11,384,010.00 11,384,010.00

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 9.35

Quantity Traded 5,378 5,378

Value Traded 52,166.60 52,166.60

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 10.00

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 1,000.00 1,000.00

938,221

11,853,410.33

Quantity Traded 60,000 60,000

Value Traded 30,000.00 30,000.00

Quantity Traded 3,655,795 693,805 653,504

Value Traded 17,601,009.97 86,819,995.57 11,609,340.40

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 CONSUMER GOODS Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008 Automobiles/Auto Parts

DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC BREWERIES ActivityINTERNATIONAL Summary on Board EQTY PLC.

48 Symbol DUNLOP

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

No. of Deals DailySymbol Summary (Equities)

Current Price 5.00 126.03 17.80

CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW

30 36 18

Page

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

Symbol NB

Pharmaceuticals FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 Pharmaceuticals Totals Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008 HEALTHCARE Totals

No. of Deals Current Price 115 139.00 199

Quantity Traded 5,740,315 10,743,419

Value Traded 801,965,295.70 917,995,641.64

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals Current Price 9 154.00 9

Quantity Traded 41,293 41,293

Value Traded 6,363,863.42 6,363,863.42

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON

No. of Deals Current Price 25 3.53 24 6.30 43 34.01 18 2.78 29 6.50 139

Quantity Traded 251,709 478,861 355,036 275,656 928,854 2,290,116

Value Traded 882,891.65 3,074,612.86 12,096,494.65 759,541.88 6,119,706.60 22,933,247.64

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals Current Price 3 41.28 48 820.00 51

Quantity Traded 7,800 114,542 122,342

Value Traded 305,916.00 91,899,372.19 92,205,288.19

No. of Deals Current Price 23 3.64 1 0.93 24

Quantity Traded 1,467,217 5,600 1,472,817

Value Traded 5,443,167.16 4,984.00 5,448,151.16

Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 Household Durables Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008

VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

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

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 21 34 55

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 UNITY BANK PLC WEMA15:15:08.008 BANK PLC. Printed 13/03/2015 ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC.

Current Price 27.00 35.00

479

Value Traded 1,183,857.34 13,935,749.95 15,119,607.29

15,175,285

1,060,095,799.34

Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

No. of Deals 131 36 6 65 402 44 35 214 66 2 11 508 1,520

Current Price 6.10 4.25 18.99 1.51 25.00 2.30 2.40 4.13 10.00 0.50 0.93 20.60

Quantity Traded 8,687,034 1,857,544 71,926 4,988,425 35,028,227 1,482,928 7,609,466 12,238,966 11,510,469 1,300,011,550 90,869 35,860,230 1,419,437,634

Value Traded 53,671,647.12 7,913,792.39 1,298,264.30 7,536,590.47 874,163,348.95 3,428,381.24 17,945,740.32 51,095,895.24 116,142,605.79 650,005,775.00 84,508.17 750,930,275.04 2,534,216,824.03

Symbol

No. of Deals 29

Current Price 0.87

Quantity Traded 3,797,295

Value Traded 3,368,545.50

Daily Summary (Equities) AIICO

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Quantity Traded 45,681 399,617 445,298

Symbol CONTINSURE GUINEAINS INTENEGINS LASACO MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM PRESTIGE SOVRENINS UNIVINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 9 2 3 1 11 2 12 1 1 1 35 107

Current Price 0.86 0.50 0.54 0.50 3.00 0.50 0.63 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 543,500 6,000 100,000 1,000 647,600 39,000 341,763 11,000 500 5,000 92,617,801 98,110,459

Value Traded 468,335.00 3,000.00 54,000.00 500.00 1,943,721.00 19,500.00 218,125.69 5,500.00 250.00 2,500.00 47,196,106.97 53,280,084.16

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

Symbol FORTISMFB NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 1 7 8

Current Price 5.42 0.98

Quantity Traded 500 197,819 198,319

Value Traded 2,710.00 193,583.21 196,293.21

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & TRUST PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC.

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS DEAPCAP FBNH FCMB ROYALEX

No. of Deals 152 16 1 516 135 1

Current Price 3.10 3.90 0.67 8.50 2.59 0.50

Quantity Traded 12,676,756 2,507,500 5,000 44,548,124 27,156,358 1,531

Value Traded 39,631,133.61 9,830,922.80 3,200.00 384,969,259.86 68,476,703.78 765.50

Page

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Value Traded 7,000,000.00 7,000,000.00

Symbol FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 3 14 6 11 5 39

Current Price 3.00 40.00 1.79 0.70 2.24

Quantity Traded 5,800 65,020 221,410 902,580 2,000 1,196,810

Value Traded 17,418.00 2,730,790.00 395,872.00 591,877.00 4,300.00 3,740,257.00

15,196,810

10,740,257.00

Quantity Traded 100,000 100,000

Value Traded 50,000.00 50,000.00

Page Quantity Traded 250 37,984 38,234

6 of 11 Value Traded 1,000.00 64,192.96 65,192.96

1 1

0.50

No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 4.00 1.77

ICT Totals

Packaging/Containers

Current Price 18.79 8.48 36.29 11.80 153.01 0.50 1.42 3.63 84.55

Quantity Traded 53,210 77,000 107,131 23,770 177,611 10,000 100,000 390,325 1,680,911 2,619,958

Value Traded 985,779.27 620,620.00 3,889,449.97 277,055.70 27,249,358.13 5,000.00 142,000.00 1,356,862.50 142,298,112.50 176,824,238.07

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 1.52

Quantity Traded 12,500 12,500

Value Traded 19,850.00 19,850.00

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

No. of Deals 7 2 9

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 FORTE OIL PLC. Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

2,764,837

179,946,666.90

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 118,350 118,350

Value Traded 59,175.00 59,175.00

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 135 135

Current Price 14.00

Quantity Traded 1,814,501 1,814,501

Value Traded 25,835,361.23 25,835,361.23

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL TOTAL

No. of Deals 4 12 25 12 7 60

Current Price 34.00 2.70 192.86 150.20 144.50

Quantity Traded 3,305 172,426 19,306 27,656 645 223,338

Value Traded 110,901.25 444,801.85 3,604,470.23 4,132,268.10 90,435.10 8,382,876.53

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 6

Current Price 430.00

Quantity Traded 10,136

Value Traded 4,438,765.00

Symbol

No. of Deals 6

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 10,136

8 of 11 Value Traded 4,438,765.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

208

2,166,325

38,716,177.76

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.75

Quantity Traded 9,651 9,651

Value Traded 6,948.72 6,948.72

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

Symbol REDSTAREX

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 3.94

Quantity Traded 12,000 12,000

Value Traded 47,280.00 47,280.00

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 6,000 6,000

Value Traded 3,000.00 3,000.00

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 4.50

Quantity Traded 265,800 265,800

Value Traded 1,141,836.40 1,141,836.40

Symbol

No. of Deals 3 8 11

Current Price 1.15 4.63

Quantity Traded 45,274 91,728 137,002

Value Traded 54,328.80 408,488.80 462,817.60

Hotels/Lodging Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 IKEJA HOTEL PLC Printed 13/03/2015 15:15:08.008 Hotels/Lodging Totals Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

DailyLEARNAFRCA Summary (Equities) UPL

Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

7 of 11 Value Traded 3,054,193.75 48,385.08 3,102,578.83

Symbol JAPAULOIL

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Quantity TradedPage 128,545 3,834 132,379

Current Price 23.75 12.08

196

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

115,192.96

No. of Deals 14 7 11 12 44 1 1 20 74 184

Symbol BETAGLAS VANLEER

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

138,234

Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM FIRSTALUM PAINTCOM PORTPAINT WAPCO

Daily Summary (Equities)

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Packaging/Containers Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © BETA GLASS CO PLC. GREIF NIGERIA PLC Packaging/Containers Totals

3,145,179,405.52

Quantity Traded 14,000,000 14,000,000

Symbol CWG TRIPPLEG

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

1,634,230,822 Current Price 0.50

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Value Traded 3,775,321.55 50,798,897.02 557,486,204.12

No. of Deals 1 1

COURTVILLE

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC Daily Summary as of 13/03/2015 LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Printed 13/03/2015 Building15:15:08.008 Materials Totals

Quantity Traded 143,242 29,445,899 116,484,410

Symbol UNIONDAC

Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities)

ICT Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Current Price 26.00 1.70

2,719

HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

No. of Deals 17 246 1,084

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Symbol STANBIC UBCAP

Page Quantity Traded 80,000 80,000

9 of 11 Value Traded 41,415.00 41,415.00

Current Price 4.96

Quantity Traded 68,722 68,722

Value Traded 337,905.48 337,905.48

Current Price 2.98

Quantity Traded 31,000 31,000

Value Traded 93,000.00 93,000.00

610,175

2,134,203.20

EQTY Board Totals

4,011

1,748,765,295

6,006,616,681.01

Equity Activity Totals

4,011

1,748,765,295

6,006,616,681.01

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.52

Transport-Related Services NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Symbol NAHCO

No. of Deals 14 14

Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 1 1

SERVICES Totals

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) STANBIC IBTC ETF 30

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD STANBICETF30

No. of Deals 1 1 1

Current Price 9.74 2,227.00 90.00

Quantity Traded 1 20 7,300 Page

Value Traded 9.74 44,540.00 657,000.00 10

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 4 7

Current Price 14.06

Quantity Traded 8,752 16,073

Value Traded 123,753.05 825,302.79

ETF Board Totals

16,073

825,302.79

ETP Activity Totals

16,073

825,302.79

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] Chairman, Captain Tunji Shelle (left), with Chief Olabode George and others, shortly after a meeting of the party’s leaders in Lagos.

L-R: Sales Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Hubert Eze; Managing Director, Nicolaas Vervelde; winner, National Champion of the Distributors award 2015, Dem Joy Igwe; Managing Director, Ifeoma Chukwuka Nigeria Limited, Sir Gabriel Igwe and Mrs. Clementine Vervelde, at the NB distributors’ award presentation, entitled ‘Partnering for Greatness’ in Lagos.

Photo | News

L-R: All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate, Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun; Mr. Waisi Lawa; Chairman, Support Group for Ambode (SGFA), Chief Demola Seriki; Co-ordinator, Lagos Island, Mr. Segun Dawodu and the party’s House of Representatives candidate, Hon. Yakubu Balogun, at the Ambode Consolidation roadshow organised by SGFA in Lagos Island.

L-R: Author of the book, ‘Broken Change’, Adaora Onyechere; Director of Defence Information, Maj.Gen. Chris Olukolade; presenter, The Money show on A.I.T, Nancy Illoh; Mrs. Angela Ogada-Uyah and the author’s father, Chief Ike Onyechere, at the book launch in Abuja.

L-R: President, Consumer Advocacy Forum of Nigeria (CAFON), Mrs. Sola Salako; Deputy Director, Advert Control, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Onabajo Simidele; Head, Lagos Office, Consumer Protection Council, Mr. Tam Tamunokonbia; Executive Director, Corporate Services, The Sun newspaper, Mr. Steve Nwosu and Chief Executive Officer, 141 Worldwide, Mrs. Bunmi Oke, at the 3rd World Consumer Day symposium of Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

L-R: Operations Support Manager, EMEA Servair, Mr. Gael Lokossou; Executive Director, Servair Nigeria, Mrs. Leye Akingbe and Vice President, African Operations, Servair, Mr. Laurent Hermet, at the Quality and Safety Alliance Inflight Services Program (QSAI) award of excellence in Santiago, Chile.

L-R: Prof. Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem; Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman; Senator Suleiman Ajadi and Chairman, Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Iyiola Akogun, at the palace of the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mustapha Gbadamosi, during the party’s campaign in Offa.

Chancellor, Covenant University, Dr. David Oyedepo (left), congratulating a lecturer, Prof. Peyi SoyinkaAirewele, at the 40th public lecture of the institution, entitled: The End of Politics? Reclaiming Humanity in an Age of Biopower and Necropolitics’ in Ota, Ogun State.

News

SOUTH-WEST

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Aregbesola, Osun PDP chair trade words over violence Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at the weekend raised the alarm over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attack on members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in the past few weeks calling on the opposition

to desist from the act he described as barbaric. The governor, who raised the alarm in a statement issued through his Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon in Osogbo, specifically cited the alleged case of a female member of the APC whose ear was severed by suspected PDP hoodlums, stating that the victim is being treated in an hos-

pital. But the PDP, through its Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, described the claim by the governor as false, saying his party members are the ones that were being attacked by hoodlums of the ruling party. Olaoluwa frowned at the governor’s claim and charged members of the public to disregard it. “People had to scam-

per for safety as the PDP thugs had a field day, unleashing mayhem on innocent people while the governor, on his return to the campaign ground, said he was shocked with what he saw, describing it “callous and condemnable.” Aregbesola therefore called on security agencies to investigate the unprovoked attack against the APC in the area and

called on the opposition to desist from this ignoble act. The governor said, “We, as a party, are responsible and peace-loving. We are loved by the people. “It is those who do not have electoral value that will attack the same people they ought to patronise for votes. “We are popular and we are on ground. This people resort to violence

because they know that they don’t have the support of the people. “We, however, remain undaunted. We will not the cowed by anybody in the state. In the last four years, my government has restored peace to the state. We call on security agencies to be proactive and deal with anyone, whose sole agenda is to cause violence in the state,” Aregbesola said.

Amosun promises to pay workers’ outstanding entitlements Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

gun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has promised to pay all outstanding deductions of workers before the end of his tenure. Amosun gave the assurance in Abeokuta on Friday during an interactive session with the state workers who embarked on a three-day warning strike last week. Workers, under the aegis of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC), had embarked on a three-day warning strike to press home their demand for the payment of unremitted deductions by

the state government. The deductions include cooperative deductions, contributory pension fund, Ileya/Christmas savings funds, bank loans and union check-off dues made from workers’ salaries in October, November, December 2014 and January 2015. But addressing the workers at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Governor Amosun said he would do all within his power to pay one month deduction alongside March salary. He described civil servants as an integral part of governance and an important part of the “Mission to Rebuild” agenda of his administration.

Police boss commends Osun monarchs for promoting peace Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

he Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone XI headquarters, Osogbo, AIG Ikemefuna Okoye at the weekend commended traditional rulers for their roles in ensuring that peace reigns in every community of the state. The AIG made this known while paying a courtesy call on the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Owa Obokun of IjeshaLand, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun. He, however, assured them that his doors are open

for traditional rulers in the state to foster the relationship between the people of the rural communities and the police. The police boss commended the traditional rulers in Osun State for their fatherly roles which, he said, was responsible for the peaceful atmosphere being enjoyed in the state. AIG Okoye said that there were indications that the monarchs have been the bedrock of the police in the Zone with the level of cordial relationship among the police and the people in their respective communities, stating that such relationship would be built on to foster the economic development and a crime-free Osun State.

L-R: Osile of Oke Ona Egba, Oba Dr. Adedapo Tejuoso; Agura of Gbagura, Oba Halidu Laloko; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Captain, Ake Team, Afolabi Ibrahim and Business Director, Lagos, Globacom, Mr. Ayo Ogunranti, at the presentation of cash prize and trophy to the winner of the Lisabi Football Competition in Abeokuta ...at the weekend

Lagos unveils 67-bed world class cardiac, renal centre Appolonia Adeyemi

s part of efforts to ensure the local management of Cardio-Vascular diseases like coronary heart disease, as well as chronic kidney diseases, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has said that the state government has completed the first ultra-modern cardiac and renal centre at the

Akure

overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has warned Nigerians against negative comments that could portray the country’s image in bad light amongst the comity of nations. Also, the governor admonished Nigerians

not to lose confidence and hope in the nation because of her present challenges, insisting that a brighter future awaits the nation. Mimiko, who gave the advice at the Gover nment House in Akure at the weekend, after the conferment of the award of Ambassador of Peace in Nigeria on him by the Scout As-

ject to satisfactory performance and mutual agreement of the parties. The proponent, it was learnt, would provide all the health care services; clinical and non-clinical and total facilities management required for the value-engineering Renal and Cardiac Centre. Idris, noted that the need to get a suitably qualified competent consortium that has the

Ado Poly workers suspend two months’ strike Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

cademic and other activities are expected to commence today at

Mimiko warns against de-marketing Nigeria Babatope Okeowo

Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos. The Centre, billed to be commissioned on Wednesday, by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, would be managed privately through a five year operation and management concession by a suitably qualified competent consortium of medical professionals and renewable for another five years sub-

sociation of Nigeria and his investiture as the patron of the Association in the state, warned Nigerians against demarketing the nation before the international community due to her present challenges. He noted that the achievements recorded by governments at all levels must be celebrated by Nigerians.

the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, as all the industrial unions in the institution have agreed to suspend their over two months industrial action. Briefing newsmen in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, representatives of the unions said the decision to suspend the strike was arrived at by members after their meeting with the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, in Abuja. ASUP Chair man, Owoeye Tunji, said at the Abuja meeting also attended by the Minister of Labour that the management of the institution was directed to pay

CONTISS 15 to workers of the school. “Apart from that, all other issues were trashed. The management was asked to withdraw all queries and pay backlog of salaries. On the deduction of pensions from casual workers, the issue is being resolved by the management. The issue of cooperative deductions is still lingering, but we are going to resolve it amicably. “We are open minded. We are suing for peace and we will allow for give and take. The management has been directed to implement Ibrahim Shekarau’s order,” he said.

needed requirement to run the facility prompted the state to opt for a public-private partnership agreement through the office of public-private partnership, adding that this aim resulted in the appointment of Renescor Health Limited Liability Partnership, to run and manage the facility. He explained that the Cardiac and Renal centre building project started in 2008 when the award was made to Messr Deaux Project Limited, stressing that the facility was also equipped by the company. Idris, listed training of local medical personnel especially the establishment of a state government sponsored foreign capacity building for medical personnel as part of the concession agreement aside the operation and management concession. The idea of the 67-bed facility is located within the premises of the Gbagada General Hospital, was to stem the spate of medical trips abroad as well as build local capacity especially for ailments that should be treated locally but where expertise and facilities are not available to manage them.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

News 47

SOUTH-EAST

Union leaders tackled over payment of entitlements Uwakwe Abugu Enugu

he board and management of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu and leaders of the three workers’ unions in the hospital, were at loggerheads at the weekend over the payment of entitlements to the workers. Irked by the action of the workers, the board and management of the institution berated the workers for embarking on a protest over issues they never raised with the management, describing their action as uncalled for. The union leaders had, last Thursday, embarked on a protest march within the hospital, claiming that their members were owed arrears of payments due to them and handing down an ultimatum to the management to clear the

alleged arrears or face further actions. However, the Chairman of the board, Chief Acho Nwakanma, a former deputy governor in Abia State, who spoke for the board and management, said the protest was uncalled, adding that the issues raised by the union leaders could easily be resolved, but that they never brought them up before the management. He said issues such as payment of arrears of teaching allowance, payment of the 2014, 2015 yearly increment, payment of some promotion arrears, among others, could be tackled without any protest. Nwakanma, who expressed dismay that the unionists would take such actions without bringing such before management for dialogue, said there was no difficulty in attending to their demands, hence, it has been resolved that

management would be settling the issues raised in tune with availability of funds. He said: “I was surprised to hear about the purported demonstration by the union in the hospital yesterday, but it was gratifying that work here went on smoothly, nobody stayed out of work and the environment was not rowdy. “But there was a group of students and staff that came, they were working towards

the managing director’s office and when I saw them, I came out from the board room to find out what the issues were and they gave me a document that was written by the Joint Health Sector Union,” he said. According to him, a look at their demands showed that there was no need for their action and “I think the only problem was a communication gap between the new constituted executive of the union and

management. “The executive was constituted about a month ago and they have not really made any move to meet with the management to resolve the issues. “I want to tell you that we are very peaceful here and there has been a harmonious relationship between the staff and management. And I have always encouraged them to go through dialogue anytime they have issues. I have directed

that a meeting between the head of the union and management be held and I know that the issues that have been raised can be easily resolved. “So, I want to let everybody know that we have peace in the hospital, there was no kind of uproar or any issue to make anybody feel insecure. I want to reassure everybody that this institution will continue to provide services for which it was established,” said Nwakanma.

Umeh not bothered by campaign of calumny, says aide

nambra Central senatorial candidate and out-going National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, said he is not disturbed by the campaign of calumny by his opponents in the March 28 senatorial election. He said he is focused in ensuring that he wins the election, so as to be in a position to protect the general interest of Ndigbo at the National Assembly, as well as to attract all necessary social amenities for his constituency. The Special Assistant (Media) to the APGA National Chairman, Mr. Stan Okeke, spoke yesterday in reaction to the ongoing campaign against Umeh in the media as well as at campaign

grounds. Okeke said it was unfortunate that rather than focus on issues in the campaign, Umeh’s opponents have resorted to blackmail and unnecessary name calling, all in a bid to stop him. He said they see Umeh a stumbling block to their nefarious plans, hence the campaign of calumny. “They have gone to the extent of writing ‘RIP’ on his billboards, defacing them, harassing and beating members of our campaign team pasting posters.” They also tear and paint our posters,” Okeke said, adding that these were obvious acts of desperation and a sign that defeat is already starring them in the face.

Group canvasses power shift Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

political group, the Concerned Ebonyi Leadership Forum (CELF) yesterday urged Ebonyi people to respect the zoning formula of the founding fathers of the state by voting the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dave Umahi, in next month’s governorship election. The forum, after its meeting in Abakaliki, said it believed in the Charter of

Equity that power should rotate among the two blocs of Afikpo and Abakaliki that make up the state. Speaking to journalists, the leader of the forum, Chief Boniface Nkweagu, blamed Governor Martin Elechi for abandoning the power shift, which, he said the governor has been preaching, wondering why he made a U-turn in the dying minutes. He said although his preferred candidate, the former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who hails from the South, could not make it.

L-R: Managing Director, ANSIPPA, Joe Billy Ekwunife; Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano; Chairman, ANSIPPA, Igwe Cyril Enweze; Chairman, Richbon Group, Chief CJ Mounagolu and his wife, Assumpta, at the flag-off of Richbon Automotive Industries Limited at Ozubulu Industrial Estate, Anambra State …at the wekend

Stakeholders shun LP mega rally for Jonathan in Ebonyi Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

takeholders and prominent personalities in the Ebonyi State chapter of the Labour Party (LP), at the weekend shunned the mega rally organised in support of President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid in the state.

The rally, which took place at the Abakaliki Township Stadium, witnessed a setback as the stadium was empty, contrary to the expectations of the party leaders, who had mandated and mobilised all candidates and members of the party to bring their supporters from across the 13 local government areas of the state. It was gathered that the

Ufomba picks deputy, receives defectors from Otti’s camp Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

he factional governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State, Chief Reagan Ufomba has picked Mrs. Christiana Duruoha, as his running mate in the April 2015 governorship elections even as he received over 200 defectors from the camp of his rival, Dr. Alex Otti. Presenting his deputy governorship candidate to his supporters at the Uturu Secondary School at the weekend where he also received the defectors, Ufomba said in spite of the parallel candidacy of Dr.

Alex Otti in the party, he remained the leader and flag bearer of the party since 2011. “We have only one APGA and I have the flag since 2011; I believe in APGA, I’m in APGA,” he said, adding that “politics is about protocol, respect and due process.” According to him, if the other faction has recognised him as the leader of the party, then they should join him because his membership/leadership of the party is not in doubt. He said it was regrettable that Uturu does not have electricity, water supply, drugs in the clinics and roads, saying that all that would change if he becomes governor.

rally, which was scheduled to kick off by 8.00am, could not take off as planned as the turnout was unimpressive. Meanwhile, some of the supporters at the venue nearly smashed the camera of the NTA reporter, who they accused of recording empty spaces in the stadium. It took the intervention of security operatives and the NTA crew

director, who stormed the area, to calm the supporters. Speaking at the occasion, the Caretaker Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government, Mr. Tony Ekoh, who spoke on behalf of the others said: “We are supporting our governor, Chief Martin Elechi, we know he is in the PDP, but he has done enough for the people of the state.

PDP holds prayer session for Jonathan, Umahi Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

he Ebonyi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday held a prayer and fasting session to seek God’s intervention ahead of the March 28 and April 11 elections. They were asking God to grant President Goodluck Jonathan and David Umahi victory at the polls. The inter-denominational session, which took place in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, attracted major stakeholders and the founding fathers of the state, the gubernato-

rial candidate of the PDP, Umahi, as well as party faithful, numbering over 5,000. They cried unto God for peace and unity to prevail in the country and the state before and after the elections. In his remarks at the occasion, The Acting Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Onwe Joseph Onwe, while addressing the people, said one with God is a majority and called on President Jonathan and Umahi to fear not and never be dismayed, adding that the Lord is with them and the battle is of the Lord just as he said their victory has already been determined by God.

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Dickson denies take-over of NNPC’s pipeline surveillance contract Chris Ejim YENAGOA

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson yesterday denied the claim by some ex-militants in the state that the government has taken over the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipe line surveillance contract in some communities in the state. According to the governor, though the state government had appointed the security company, Izon Ibie, to supervise the implementation of the terms of the surveillance contract among the benefiting communities, the rationale behind the appointment of the stateowned Izon-Ibie Security Company was part of efforts to address the challenge of youth unemployment. A statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr.Daniel Markson-Iworiso, said the security outfit was basically set up to provide special training for youths and engage them for the purposes of the security services.

The statement reads in part, “the Izon-Ibe Security firm is a limited liability company that is a community-based security and empowerment scheme for Bayelsa youths across the communities with the active involvement of the chiefs and leaders to train youths in the surveillance of pipe-

line and guard duties.” The management of the security company, headed by Chief Joshua Fumudoh, as Chairman and Chief James Jephthah as Managing Director, has a representative of the Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC) among others on its board was expected to take steps

to engage youths for the necessary training for job placements in the company. It stated that, the government’s attention has been drawn to some exmilitant leaders, whose activities constitute a breach of the existing peace, noting that, hitherto, they were beneficia-

ries of pipeline contracts which they failed to execute. The statement expressed displeasure that, such ex-militants were being used by those it described as misguided politicians to embark on senseless public demonstrations within and outside the state capital.

Group Managing Director/CEO, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Emeka Emuwa (middle), with some of the students of Uyo High School, Uyo, during the Financial Literacy Day in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

PVC: Bayelsa urges use of town criers for sensitisation Chris ejim Yenagoa

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has tasked traditional rulers in the state to prevail on their subjects to take advantage of the extension of deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collect their permanent voter cards. Governor Dickson, who made the call at the weekend in continuation of the state government’s “ operation show your PVC” exercise in Yenagoa Local Government Area, specifically charged traditional rulers to engage the services of town criers to further sensitise the people on the importance of the cards. He said the call has become imperative, in view of the state government’s desire to achieve almost 100 per cent collection, to enable the people exercise their franchise in the forthcoming general elections, which he noted, would be remarkably different from other elections ever conducted in the country.

Akwa Ibom women, transport Urhobo urged to resist division unions, rally support for PDP T Tony Anichebe Uyo

ith less than two weeks to the general elections, supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under different socio-political groups in Akwa Ibom State have closed ranks, assuring to work for the victory for the party at the polls. Women groups, galvanized by the visit of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan to the state at the weekend, resolved to work in unison

towards the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan; the governorship candidate of the PDP, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and Governor Godswill Akpabio and the senatorial candidate and other PDP candidates in the elections. Under the aegis of Onna Women Stakeholders’ Forum (OWSF), the women said they came under the umbrella with a view to rallying themselves for the task of unifying Nigeria under President Jonathan, at the helm and other PDP candidates seeking election and re-election at

Okowa gives free health care to children, pregnant women Dominic Adewole ASABA

n demonstration of what his administration would do in regard to preventable diseases in children and pregnant women in Delta state, the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, at the weekend, administered 870,000 tablets to people of the state free of charge. Okowa said the gesture was to ensure that

all eligible children under five years of age, as well as pregnant women, received the appropriate vaccines along other routine immunization antigens. The PDP governorship flag bearer, who flaggedoff the first round of the 2015 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) in Asaba yesterday, said it would increase the acceptability of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and enhance the success of the exercise in Delta state.

the polls. According to the President, Mrs. Mercy Cepha Ucho, it has become imperative for the women to come together with a view to complementing their male counterparts in the task of promoting unity, peace and development with Jonathan and PDP, as the drivers. Thanking members for electing her to lead the group, Mrs. Ucho urged the Executive members to ensure the campaigns get to every nooks and crannies of the state, adding that PDP must win massively again at the polls.

he National Coordinator of Urhobo Network, Dr. Dafe Akpocha, has called on traditional rulers, elders and all people of Urhobo extraction to resist any attempt to vote on polarisation in the forthcoming elections. Akpocha made the call during a media briefing held in Ugheli, Delta State, as he urged Urhobo to be vigilant against an alleged plan by one Chief Tuesday Onoge and his loyalists who, he said, were making frantic efforts to factionalise the Urhobo people to actualise a selfish political agenda. He said: “We know

PUBLIC NOTICE BOTWEV AND AYAM ORHII FOUNDATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 THE TRUSTEES ARE: Dr Paul Botwev Orhii Mrs Eugenia Ayam Orhii Mr Matthew Atim Emmanuel Seungwa Ukera Esq Tiza Russel Orhii

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this is a calculated and greedy attempt by some mischievous people to create unnecessary crack in the unity of the Urhobo nation. “Whose agenda is Onoge and his army defending? Let us stop being fooled by these so called masquerades that do not see the need for the emergence of an Urhobo Governor in Delta State.” Akpocha stressed that Urhobo people were no longer ready to lose out in the governorship race of the state. “We must move on with the current and acceptable musical tone which must actualise the emergence of a Labour Party Governor,

Senator in Delta State; and for the re-election of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. “To this effect, the Urhobo must resist attempts to split our vote in the forthcoming elections, because we believe in purposeful and qualitative leadership,” he added. Akpocha also said that the Uvie Uviamughe declaration has been deliberately misinterpreted by the Onog faction to suit their selfish political motives. He stressed that Urhobo network should not allow itself to be used to contribute or justify illegality and immoralility.

PUBLIC NOTICE SAINT RALPH ROSE AKPOTOMA FOUNDATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C.), Abuja for registration under Part “C” of the Company and Allied Matter Act 1 of 2004. THE TRUSTEES ARE:

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1 To cater for the less priviledge in the society Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

VP, friends donate N1.5bn to Yero’s campaign Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

ice-President, Namadi Sambo, the former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi and friends and well-wishers of Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, at the weekend donated N1.5 billion in support of his election at a fund raising dinner. The dinner, which held at Hotel Seventeen, was also attended by the National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe and other political heavy weights from within and outside the state. In his address at the event, Sambo appealed to the people of the state to support Governor Yero and all the candidates of the PDP in the coming elections. He described the PDP as a party that meant well for the people, saying that they should not be deceived with the message of change. Responding, Yero commended the people, assuring them that he will not let them down. He tasked them to convince their friends and family members to vote PDP all through the coming elections for the dividends of democracy to continue.

International community concerned about Nigeria’s elections, says Kwankwaso Muhammad Kabir Kano

ano State governor, Rabi’u Musa Kw a n k w a s o, has said that the interest shown by the international community in Nigeria’s forthcoming elections would make the authorities concerned ensure free, fair and credible polls across the country. The governor, who made this assertion when

Birnin Kebbi

he All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the March 28 general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday condoled with the Emir of Gwandu and the family of late Col. Mohammed Bello Khalil in Bagudo, Bagudo Local Government area of Kebbi State. Our correspondent gathered that it was a mammoth crowd in Bagudo, Dakingari, Bunza, Kalgo and Birnin Kebbi

Local Governments as men and women stand on the road eulogising Buhari ahead of the election. Buhari, who arrived Kebbi by 10.00am went straight to Bagudo, where he first condoled with the deceased’s immediate family before making a stop-over at the Emir of Gwandu’s palace and proceeded to the airport around 2.35pm on his way to Abuja. He prayed to God to grant the deceased eternal rest and the family, the people of the emirate and the entire state, the fortitude to bear the loss.

Gemade: I won’t stay in Senate beyond 2019 Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

he senator representing Benue North East senatorial district, Chief Barnabas Gemade, has reiterated his resolve to relinquish the seat he is currently occupying in

members of the ‘Council of the Wise,’ paid him a courtesy call at the Kano Government House on Friday, said Nigeria’s peace and stability is not only the peace of West Africa or Africa, but has far-reaching international repercussions. According to him, because of the strategic position of Nigeria as an emerging economic power, whatever affects the country will affect the world,

adding that Nigeria’s foreign friends are doing everything possible to see that the March and April 2015 polls are credible, peaceful and acceptable. He observed that the usage of foul language during campaigns, undue postponement of election as well as rigging, are some of the factors that could cause election violence, adding that usage of ethnicity, religion and regionalism to canvass for votes

would also negatively affect the elections. Kwankwaso urged politicians to campaign on issues or their projects and programmes, to persuade the electorate to vote for them, pointing out that his party, the APC, is determined and ready for peaceful and credible elections. “Kano as the most populous state in the federation and with the level of awareness of the people, we are ready for free and

A warehouse at INEC electoral institute office gutted by fire as a result of power surge in Abuja… yesterday

Buhari condoles with Emir of Gwandu over Khalil’s death Abubakari Abdul

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the 2019 general elections. Gemade stated this at the weekend while addressing a crowd of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Adipko, headquarters of Kwande Local Government, in continuation of his senatorial campaign tour of the district.

fair elections,” Kwankwaso said. He assured the people that the Kano State government would support the ‘Council of the Wise’ to achieve its goals, pointing out that in view of their objectives, all right thinking Nigerians must support them. In his speech, spokesperson of the delegation, retired Justice Muhammad Uwais, represented by Archbishop Josaiah, told the governor that the council’s main objective is the promotion of peaceful, credible, free and fair elections, adding that to achieve this, the forum is consulting community leaders to appeal to their people on the importance of credible polls that would be internationally accepted. Uwais said: “Apart from meeting with you as the governor of the state, we are going to have a seminar with 80 religious leaders in order to urge them to call their followers not to engage in violence before, during and after the elections.” He said already, the council has met with INEC, security agencies, civil societies and some presidential candidates, noting that they are waiting to meet President Goodluck Jonathan and discuss on the election and other related issues.

Governorship aspirant dies in auto crash Muhammad Kabir Kano

n All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Kogi State, AbdulAziz Omeiza Aliyu and his brother, Salmanu Adeiza Aliyu, were killed in a ghastly auto crash along Jere town in Kaduna State at the weekend. Abubakar Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of the family, told reporters in Kano that the incident happened on Saturday af-

ternoon while he was returning from Abuja alongside his younger brother on a chattered bus. Abubakar said the 36-year-old APC stalwart was in Lagos for an official engagement last Friday, adding that he stopped in Abuja same day, because of the bad weather in Kano that resulted in the cancellations of his flight. He said his younger brother, Salmanu Aliyu, who was also in Abuja for a private engagement, linked his elder brother for a return journey to

Kano by road. The family spokesman said: “Omeiza spoke with his father around 1.30pm, few minutes into the ill-fated journey and barely half an hour later, we received the shocking news of his demise from a public-spirited Nigerian, who was at the scene of the accident.” Abubakar further said: “From the report we received, none of the passengers on the ill-fated bus survived and they have been given mass burial at

a location in Jere town.” Commenting on the incident, the father of the deceased, Alhaji Momohjimoh Aliyu, said the incident was a ‘fulfilment of destiny,’ adding that “I have accepted it as an act of God.” Alhaji Momoh Jimoh, who was a former staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria explained that “they are from God and they have returned to Him at their appointed time and on our part we have accepted it as an act of God.”

‘APC presidency will further shut out ethnic minorities’ Musa Pam Jos

he presidential and vice-presidential tickets possessed by General Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo respectively of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will further shut out ethnic minorities from electoral politics, a group of minority ethnic leaders has charged.

The group, which is canvassing support for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Mohammed Sambo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said in a statement made available to journalists in Jos that minority groups across the country would feel left out if Buhari of the Hausa-Fulani stock and Osinbajo of the Yoruba ethnic group, make it to the presidency via the coming elections.

“Ethnic minorities have long been shut out of electoral politics and it is becoming evident that the new Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba alliance is to get this trend continued,” said the group’s President, Gizo Kuulyidamsu and Secretary, Onya Samuel. The Nigeria Ethnic Minority Rights Movement for the Actualisation of the Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition in

2015, said in a statement that was signed by the group. They said: “Until there are concessions met by the dominant influence of the three largest cultural groups - HausaFulani, Igbo and Yoruba and an opening up to minority consciousness as a forth force in Nigeria, the country would be unable to move past ethnic formats and difficulties that have stifled Nigeria’s social evolution.”

WORLD | News

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Protesters demand Brazilian president's ouster

ens of thousands of Brazilians are marching in cities demanding President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment and blasting what they say is deep gov-

er nment corruption. In many instances, demonstrators openly called for a military coup to dissolve the government. The yesterday marches were peaceful, with families wearing shirts

with colors of the Brazilian flag and holding placards demanding Rousseff's ouster. The demonstrations come amid an inquiry into a kickback scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras, which

prosecutors call the biggest corruption case yet uncovered in Brazil. Prosecutors are investigating dozens of top congressman and current and former executive branch members for alleged involve-

ment. Rousseff herself hasn't been implicated. But those marching yesterday say corruption is endemic in Brazilian politics and demand that virtually the entire political class be forced out.

Twin bombings at churches in Pakistan kill 14, wound 78

People gather in Copacabana beach during a protest against Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil yesterday.

South African minister who planned Mandela's funeral dies

South African Cabinet minister who led the planning of the 2013 funeral of Nelson Mandela died in a car crash early yesterday, authorities said. The death of Collins Chabane, minister in charge of public service and administration, is a big loss to the government and the country, President Jacob Zuma said in a statement. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, noted in a condolence message that two police officers who were acting as Chabane's bodyguards also

died in the crash. Chabane's car hit a truck that was making a U-turn on a highway near Polokwane, the capital of South Africa's Limpopo province, South African media reported. The truck driver, who was not injured, has been arrested and a case of negligent killing has been opened, the South African Press Association quoted police as saying. Chabane planned the funeral of Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader and former prisoner who became president in South Africa's first all-race elections, with

"great dignity and efficiency," Zuma's office said. The funeral ceremonies for Mandela included a stadium memorial attended by US President Barack Obama and dozens of other leaders from around the world. Chabane was a veteran of the fight against apartheid, the system of white racist rule that ended with Mandela's election in 1994, according to the presidential office. He was also a long-serving member of the national executive committee of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress.

US urges Sierra Leone VP, government to resolve spat

he United States yesterday urged Sierra Leone's government and its vice president to resolve their differences through the rule of law. Vice President Samuel SamSumana on Saturday requested asylum from the United States, claiming that his life was in danger. Sierra Leone's ruling party denied that the vice president was under threat. Sam-Sumana is not at the US embassy in Freetown, an American official confirmed yesterday. "Our embassy has been in contact with all relevant officials, and we urge all concerned to resolve the situation through appropriate procedures that respect due process and the rule of law,"

said the official who insisted on anonymity because of a lack of authorization to speak to the press about the issue. Sam-Sumana was expelled on March 6 from the ruling All People's Congress party which accused him of "orchestrating political violence" and trying to form a new party in his home district. Saturday, Sam-Sumana asked the US ambassador for asylum after soldiers came to his residence and disarmed his security team. He told The Associated Press he no longer felt safe in the country, saying he had been informed by top officials in the presidential guard that the soldiers were acting on orders from President Ernest Bai Ko-

roma. The government has not commented on the incident. Koroma was out of Freetown on Saturday, attending a meeting about Ebola in the northern district of Port Loko. Saturday night, however, the All People's Congress broadcast a statement on state media saying it had been informed of Sam-Sumana's asylum request. "The party has at no point in time threatened the life of the vice president," the statement read. The party also denied reports that Sam-Sumana's residence had been vandalized. Sam-Sumana, who is under voluntary Ebola quarantine after one of his security personnel died of the disease last month, is in hiding, his whereabouts unknown.

ombs outside two churches in the Pakistani city of Lahore killed 14 people and wounded nearly 80 during yesterday services, and witnesses said quick action by a security guard prevented many more deaths. A Pakistani Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility. Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious minorities often over the last decade or more. Many Christians, who make up less than two percent of Pakistan's population of more than 180 million, accuse the government of doing little to protect them, saying politicians are quick to offer condolences after an attack but slow to act to improve security. Yesterday's blasts occurred minutes apart in a majority Christian suburb of the eastern city. Police said it seemed they targeted two churches, one Catholic and one Protestant, that are very close to each other. After the explosions, enraged residents protested and lynched two suspects, police said. "I was sitting at a shop near the church when a blast jolted the area. I rushed toward the spot and saw the security guard scuffle with a man who was trying to enter the church. After failing, he blew himself up," said witness Amir Masih. "I saw his body parts flying through the air." The guard died as well, he said. It was not clear if the first blast was also triggered by a suicide bomber, Masih said. Fourteen people were killed and 78 wounded, said Zahid Pervaiz, provincial director of general health. "The rescue operation is

still underway and the death toll may increase," rescue services spokesman Sajjad Hussain said. The Taliban faction Jamaat-ulAhrar claimed responsibility. Pope Francis told crowds at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican he felt "great pain" over the bomb attacks, departing from scripted remarks in his customary address yesterday. "These are Christian churches. Christians are persecuted, our brothers spill their blood simply because they are Christians," the pontiff said. Following the blast, enraged residents lynched two men they suspected of involvement, a police official said. Journalist Riaz Ahmed said he had seen the two burnt bodies at an intersection. Protesters also smashed shops and attacked vehicles. Police and several politicians were chased from the scene, residents said. Pakistan's police are notoriously poorly trained and under-funded while the court system is overburdened with a backlog of more than a million cases. Lahore is the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's wealthiest and most populous province and the political heartland of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The city is considered peaceful compared with many other areas of Pakistan, but violence has been increasing after the government's failed attempts to hold peace talks with the Taliban last year. After the talks failed, the military launched an offensive in the remote northwestern region of North Waziristan along the Afghan border to push the Taliban from the last major region they controlled.

Ukraine's president: Truce not working

kraine's president accused Russian-backed separatists in the east of failing to respect a ceasefire with Ukrainian troops and called for further sanctions on Russia in comments to a German newspaper expected to be published today. Attacks have become less frequent since the latest ceasefire came into force in mid-February, but both sides accuse each other of violations. Ukraine's military said last week that pro-Russian rebels were using the truce to amass heavy weapons. An agreement signed in Minsk in September called with the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line. "Ukraine has fulfilled every single point of the Minsk agreement. The ceasefire has

been implemented immediately on our part, but the Russian fighters have done the exact opposite," Petro Poroshenko told the Bild newspaper. "Every day, there is shooting from the Russian side, often more than 60 times a day. In total, the ceasefire has been broken 1,100 times," he said. "The truth is that the agreement is not working." Poroshenko also called for additional sanctions against Russia for breaking the ceasefire. At a summit in Brussels next Thursday and Friday, European Union leaders will discuss the sanctions imposed on Russia's financial, energy and defense sectors last July over Russia's annexation of Crimea and supporting the separatists in Ukraine.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Tennis

International Sport Forster shines as Saints draw at Chelsea

Nigeria face Ghana in semifinal

Ideye, Martins, Ajagun on fire

Quadri shifts attention to German Open

AYC

Sport

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Did you know? That only three German clubs have won the UEFA European Cup or Champions League. Bayern Munich (5 times), Borussia Dortmund (once) and SV Hamburg (once).

Oshonaike hails Lagos Table Tennis World Tour N igeria ‘s Funke Oshonaike has hailed the standard of the just concluded Table Tennis World Tour that took place in Lagos. The Germany-based ping ponger told our correspondent on the final day of the event

Oshonaike

on Saturday that she was impressed with the high level of competition. She said: “ The standard was very high because we had players from many parts of Africa and also there was representation from Portugal.

“Top African players were here from Egypt and it was great to compete well with them. The table tennis federation did well but if we have enough sponsors to stage about two or more of this kind of competition, more players will be exposed.

“There are talents and facilities in Nigeria but government should help the federation to stage more competitions.” Oshonaike finished with a bronze medal in the women’s singles event of the competition also tagged Lagos Open.

EJIDE BACKS KESHI FOR NEW DEAL The Sport Team

Ejide

Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Editor, Sport

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles goalkeeper, Austin Ejide, has said that Coach Stephen Keshi should be allowed to continue as the handler of the national team. There has been opposition by football fans to the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation to give the controversial coach another contract after failing to lead the team to qualify for the last Africa Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea. But Ejide said that although

the decision to hire the coach rests squarely with the NFF, his personal opinion was that the coach should be given another chance. Ejide expressed confidence in the ability of the coach to still deliver saying the former Mali boss has done well for the country. He praised the decision of the federation to give the coach another chance. “Keshi is a good coach judging by what he has been able to achieve with the team and my opinion is that he should be allowed to continue from where he stopped. Life is

about ups and downs, and what happened during the AFCON qualifiers can happen to anyone, because things might just happen not the way you envisaged. The national team is passing through a phase and I think we still need Keshi to continue with the team. He really needs our support and encouragement now,” he said. The Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel goalie also spoke about the two international friendly matches to be prosecuted by the Eagles this month and said the matches against Bolivia

and South Africa were good tests for the players as they attempt to bounce back from AFCON disappointment. “These matches are going to be tough. We have to start with the Bolivia tie which is very important because we are playing in front of our home fans, we can’t afford to disappoint them. We also know that any match against South Africa is always tough because they have a good team. These games will help the side and keep us in top shape and I am happy they are coming at this time,” he said.

Sport

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Quadri shifts attention to German Open Ajibade Olusesan

frica’s highest ranked player, Aruna Quadri, has shifted focus to the German Open after losing in the final of the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour that ended in Lagos at the weekend. The ITTF Star Player of the Year suffered a 4-2 loss to rival, Assar Omar of Egypt, on Saturday in front of the

Nigerian crowd who had expected him to fly past the world number 37. But the Nigerian star player told our correspondent that he had to put the disappointment behind him and would now focus on the next Tour in the ITTF series - the German Open. The competition starts tomorrow (Tuesday). “It is so disappointing that I lost here to Assar. I made some mistakes which cost me the game, but now I

have to forget about this loss and focus on my next assignment which is the German Open. I thank my fans and everyone who was behind me,” he said. Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation, Waheed Oshodi, said that Quadri would enjoy the benefit of good coaching at the German Open as the kit manufacturing company, Joola, would assign a coach to him at the tournament.

Ideye scoring a flying header against Stoke City on Saturday

West Brom’s coach furious despite Ideye’s goal

est Brom coach, Tony Pulis, has played down West Brom’s win over his former side Stoke - but insisted the Baggies should have scored more. Brown Ideye’s header - his seventh goal of the season - earned the hosts a deserved 1-0 win over the poor visitors. Ideye was denied a second by an offside call and referee Michael Oliver ignored huge claims for a penalty when Geoff Cameron felled Craig Dawson. It was also West Brom’s first home win over the Potters since 2003 and moved them 11 points clear of the Barclays Premier League drop zone. But Pulis insisted the Baggies should have been home and dry long before the final whistle.

Nigeria’s Kazeem Makanjuola and Aruna Quadri with Portugal’s Diogo Silva and Andre Silva during the presentation for the men’s doubles final won by Nigeria at the just concluded ITTF World Tour at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos... at the weekend.

Sportsmen endorse Jonathan for second term

resident Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office got a big boost on Saturday when sportsmen and women from various disciplines threw their support behind him in Lagos. The event, which took place at the National Stadium, Surulere, had Olympic gold medalists Chioma Ajunwa and Enefiok UdoObong and Commonwealth bronze medalist Otonye Iworima in attendance.

Other top Nigerian stars at the event include ex-boxers Obisia Nwankpa and Jerry Okorodudu; national powerlifting coach, Are Feyisetan and others. Olympian Henry Amike, national coordinator, Sports People for Jonathan, said Jonathan had demonstrated a unique understanding for sports development in Nigeria, thus transforming the sector in his first tenure as President. “We are confident that a

second term for the President will guarantee even greater transformation and progress in Nigerian sports,” the sprinter, who represented Nigeria at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, said. The Director-General, National Institute for Sports, Dr. Isaac Ikhioya, who represented the Sports Minister, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, on the occasion, said Nigeria had witnessed positive fortunes under Jona-

than, citing the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, where Nigeria won 36 medals, as an example. Several athletes spoke of their memorable experiences under the President and endorsed him for a next term in office. Amike also used the occasion to do a media presentation of a compilation of president Jonathan’s achievements in sport entitled ‘Goodluck Jonathan: A New Dawn in Nigerian Sports’.

Lagosians keep fit with Nordica Endometriosis walk

housands of Lagosians took to the streets on Saturday to support the 10th year celebration of endometriosis advocacy in solidarity with the organisers, Nordica Fertility Centre and Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria. The participants wearing yellow T-shirts jogged from City Mall, Onikan to Lagoon Restaurant, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, to create awareness about the scourge called endometriosis. Some celebrities such as Funke Akindele also participated. Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, the Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre and organiser of the EndoMarch

after the sports walk said, “Being physically fit goes a long way to preventing ailments, which is why we are marching, jogging this early to keep the body in good shape because there is a strong relationship between keeping fit and good health. Aside from all that sports is a great way of bringing people together.” Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial tissue is found outside the uterus. It is trapped in the pelvic area and lower tummy (abdomen), not often in other areas of the body, and cause pain and discomfort to sufferers. Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria is a not-forprofit organisation while

Nordica Fertility Centre is the foremost Assisted Re-

productive Technique clinic in Nigeria.

L-R: Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, actress, Funke Akindele and Clinic Manager, Nordica Fertility Centre, Mrs. Tola Ajayi with participants during the 10th year celebration of endometriosis advocacy walk in Lagos at the weekend.

“The disappointing thing is we had to wait until the 95th minute to take a sigh of relief, it should have been over before that,” said Pulis, who also beat Stoke 1-0 as Crystal Palace boss last season. “The penalty in the second half, Michael will look at that and be very disappointed, it was as blatant a penalty as I have seen for a long time. “With the offside goal I thought the keeper had touched it, as soon as he does Brown - from what they tell me - is onside again. He added that, “It’s three points, I had a great 10 years at Stoke, a wonderful journey, I left it in a very sound financial and good position. We did wonderful things there from a club which was 14th or 15th in the Championship.”

Nesiama hails Okpekpe Race organisers

he Technical Director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, has poured encomium on the organisers of the annual Okpekpe 10km Road Race. “We need to encourage our marathoners and that is the reason we have been involving them in our programs,” Nesiama said. “I am using this opportunity to give kudos to the organisers of the Okpekpe Road Race. They have been giving their support to organise a befitting meet for the past three years and I am happy for their efforts.” Speaking further, he commended the organisers for meeting with the requirements of the race. The Naval officer added; “A Lot of organisers want to have competitions, but most of them cannot meet with the needed requirements. “We have had issues in the past where promoters held meets and they were unable to pay the athletes even the foreign athletes and the federation was sanctioned for it. “There was a time IAAF almost sanctioned AFN because of issues like this, but we never experienced that with the Okpekpe meet.” He however declared that the federation will continue to give support to the organisers and any organisations that want to carryout a good meet.

International Sport 53

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Forster shines as Saints draw at Chelsea

helsea crept rather than motored away from Manchester City in the title race after drawing 1-1 with Southampton. Jose Mourinho’s men, who are now six points clear with a game in hand on City, took the lead through Diego Costa on 11 minutes but a Dusan Tadic penalty eight minutes later levelled the game. Plenty of chances were created and wasted by Chelsea with Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster in splendid form in the

Man City will fight till the end – Pellegrini •As Benitez lines up to replace coach

anchester City’s Manager, Manuel Pellegrini, has said he’s not ready to concede the title just yet. A one nil loss to Burnley on Saturday left City’s fans deflated and for many it was the final nail in the coffin of the club’s hopes of retaining the title this season given the gap with Chelsea. However, Pellegrini re-

mained upbeat in his after match interviews with the club’s official site. “We must continue to fight but the chances of winning the title are far as things stand. There is still a chance, but it’s more difficult after this result. “We needed to create more chances than we did and find more space in and around their defence.

“We must keep fighting until it is mathematically impossible to win the title. Every point we drop makes it harder, but it’s important to trust what we are doing and see at the end of the season.” Meanwhile, Napoli manager Rafael Benitez has reportedly been identified as a potential replacement for Pellegrini at the end of the season.

second half, repelling a Loic Remy effort away from goal in the dying minutes from which John Terry wasted the rebound. Costa also hit the post for the hosts, who will have been frustrated not to have been awarded two penalties when Branislav Ivanovic was clipped in the first-half by Tadic and Costa went down under pressure from Jose Fonte. Mourinho however believes his side is in a better position in the Premier League despite only managing a draw with Southampton.

Hamilton hails Grand Prix victory

orld champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted that coming out on top in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix is an “incredible feeling”. The British driver cruised to a seventh victory in his last eight races, with teammate Nico Rosberg securing a Mercedes one-two by finishing shortly behind in Melbourne. Just 11 cars managed to cross the chequered flag at Albert Park due to injuries, car troubles and some faulty driving, although Hamilton faced no such problems to pick up from where he left off at the end of the last campaign. “My team did an amazing job and it’s an incredible feeling to win,” he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “Nico was very quick throughout the race. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel made the podium by finishing in third place, while Jenson Button of McLaren finished last of those who did actually manage to complete the race.

Expect war in Ethiopia, Tessema warns Warri Wolves Stories by Charles Ogundiya

edebit FC of Ethiopia coach, Yohannes Tessema, has said the tie between his side and Warri Wolves is not over, declaring that his ward will turn the tie in two weeks’ time. Warri Wolves defeated Dedebit 2-0 with goals from Oghenekaro Etebo and Gbolahan Salami in the CAF Confederation Cup played on Saturday. A visibly angry Tessema said the officiating in the game played inside the Warri Township stadium was not good enough.

their CAF Confederation Cup encounter. In a release by the Media Officer of Dolphins, China Acheru: “The walk over was not only calculated to undermine the efforts of Dolphins FC and Nigeria by extension but done in bad faith by the match officials in collusion with both the host club and the Tunisian Federation.” The other Champions League match involving Kano Pillars was postponed till this weekend after the Nigeria Professional Football League champion was recently involved in an armed robbery attack.

Howard faces sacking at Shooting Stars here are strong indi- Saturday in the Nigeria handle the intensity of T cations that Shoot- Professional Football the game in the premier ing Stars of Ibadan League, and newsout of league,” the official who chief coach, Franklin Howard, might be sacked after the indifferent start to the new season by the club. The team lost its second consecutive game on

the club indicated that the coach was not good enough for the club. “Even before the beginning of the season, there was this fear that the coach cannot

craved anonymity said. It has been revealed that former Kwara United’s coach Samson Unuanel, has been pencilled down to replace the embattled coach.

C’ Palace 3 – 1 QPR Arsenal 3 – 0 West Ham Leicester 0 – 0 Hull City Sunderland 0 – 4 Aston Villa WBA 1 – 0 Stoke City Burnley 1 – 0 Man City Chelsea 1 – 1 Southampton Everton 2 – 0 Newcastle Man Utd 3 – 0 Tottenham LA LIGA Valencia 2 – 0 Deportivo Espanyol 0 – 0 Atletico Eibar 0 – 2 Barcelona Vallecano 3 – 1 Granada Celta Vigo 1 – 2 Bilbao Almeria 0 – 0 Villarreal Malaga 2 – 0 Cordoba SERIE A Palermo 0 – 1 Juventus Cagliari 1 – 1 Empoli

•Enyimba beat Smouha, Dolphins cry foul The coach nearly got into a fight with the Chief Operating Officer of Warri Wolves, Davidson Owumi, after he was stopped from confronting the match official after the game. On Sunday, Enyimba of Aba defeated Smouha SC of Egypt 1-0 in their CAF Champions League game with substitute Rafael Boumsong’s second half goal securing a slender lead for the Aba Warriors. Meanwhile, Port Harcourt side, Dolphins have cried foul over their purported walk over by Tunisian’ Club Africain in

RESULTS PR EMIER LEAGUE

Atalanta 0 – 0 Udinese Genoa 0 – 2 Chievo Sassuolo 4 – 1 Parma ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

Guardiola relishes coaching Bayern Munich

ayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola said he was “proud” to be in charge of the Bundesliga champions after watching them round off a fine week with a comfortable 4-0 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday. Bayern, who crushed Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 in the second leg of their Champions League clash on Wednesday, returned to domestic competition in confident mood, with strikes from Thomas Muller and David Alaba giving them a two-goal interval cushion. “After the match against Donetsk, it wasn’t easy adapting to new opponents. “It was one of those days when I’m so proud to be coach of this team. “The team maintained total concentration throughout and did very, very well,” he said.

TEAM

Pts

1 Chelsea

2 Man City

3 Arsenal

4 Man Utd

5 Liverpool

6 S’hampton

7 Tottenham

8 Stoke City

-2

9 Swansea

-4

10 West Ham

11 Newcastle

-13

12 C’ Palace

-6

13 West Brom

-9

14 Everton

-6

15 Hull City

-11

16 Aston Villa

-19

17 Sunderland 29

-20 26

18 Burnley

-21

19 QPR

-22 22

20 Leicester

-20 19

Sport

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

senegal 2015 AYC

Ivoirian players begged me to miss penalty –Mohammed

lying Eagles skipper Musa Muhammed said Cote d’Ivoire players begged him to throw away his second-half penalty in Saturday’s final AYC Group A match in Mbour. The penalty goal, the third by the right fullback at Senegal 2015, drew the Flying Eagles level at 2-2 and eventually

eliminated the Ivoirians from the tournament. “The players including the goalkeeper begged me to miss the penalty, saying we are all champions and we should play for each other,” Musa revealed. “But I remained focused and professional to score the penalty and earn us a draw, which was a sweet revenge for

the two losses we suffered at the hands of the Ivoirian U17 team two years ago in Morocco. Most of the players from that tournament were also here in Senegal.” He added: “In morocco, we were against both Cote d’Ivoire and the referee. They kicked us so much that at a time (Isaac) Success wanted to be replaced.”

Nigeria face Ghana in semifinal Ajibade Olusesan

igeria’s Flying Eagles will confront Ghana in the semifinal of the CAF U-20 Championship in Dakar on Wednesday. Nigeria topped Group A with seven points while Ghana finished Group B in the second position after losing 1-0 to Mali in their last group game on Sunday. Hosts Senegal will face Mali in the second semifinal match on Thursday. Meanwhile, Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, has said that they will fight to win their two remaining matches in the competition after the Nigerian side led group A following a 2-2 draw with Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday. The Nigerian side came back twice

against the Ivoirians and he admitted that the competition would get fiercer as they reached the semifinal. “It is very normal that the match (against Cote d’Ivoire) was tough because we played against a team that was looking for qualification,” he said after the game. “My players fought back twice in the game. It was a very tough game given the intensity level of both teams. For this game, I wanted to give a chance to players who had not played yet, and it affected our start. “Our goal is to win every game. We still have two games to play and we hope to win both. It’s a shame that Côte d’Ivoire were eliminated after playing so well. Personally, I’m impressed with the level of the competition and we have seen some good players.”

Mohammed

No regret crashing out, says Cote d’Ivoire Coach

ote d’Ivoire national U-20 coach, Ibrahim Kamara, has said that he has no regret despite the early elimination of his team from the tournament and their failure to qualify for the World Cup. The Juniour Elephants drew 2-2 with Nigeria in their last group game and the result was not enough to take them to the next round of the tournament and a berth at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Kamara said that they could be consoled by the fact that they did not lose

super Eagles round up

Ideye, Martins, Ajagun on fire Ajibade Olusesan

rown Ideye scored his seventh goal of the year when he helped West Brom to a 1-0 win over Stoke City on Saturday. He was not the only Nigerian on the score sheets for their clubs abroad at the weekend; Obafemi Martins, Innocent Emeghara and Abduljeleel Ajagun were the others on target. Martin and Emeghara played against each other as San Jose Earthquakes defeated Seattle Sounders in a 5-3 thriller in the

Ajibade Olusesan

hmed Musa, Anthony Ujah and Moses Simon could not find the back of the net although their respective clubs in Europe secured favourable results. Musa who scored a brace penultimate weekend failed to hit target in CSKA Moscow’s 4-0 win over Mordovya on Saturday. The Nigerian striker who has nine league goals however produced the assist for the fourth goal in the big win. Ujah’s Cologne recorded a vital goalless draw at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The Nigerian striker has scored three goals in their last five games but could not breach Dortmund’s

MLS. Nigeria-born Switzerland international Emeghara put San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 up when he struck in the 70th minute but Martins gave Sounders hope when he scored their second goal in the 84th minute to take the game to 3-2.Martins has now scored two goals in the new season in the United States. Ideye who had gone four games without scoring after finding the back of the net in three consecutive games recorded his fourth Premier League goal in the 19th minute when

he headed home a Craig Gardner cross. Ideye has now scored four league goals, another two in the FA Cup and one Capital One Cup goal. Ajagun scored his sixth goal of the season for Panathinaikos as his Greek side beat Ergotelis 2-0 in a league fixture on Saturday. The former Dolphins captain hit target in the 40th minute to open the score for his side as they maintain their lead on the table. He has four goals in the league and Saturday’s goal was his first in 2015.

Musa, Ujah, Simon stopped defence despite being on the pitch throughout the encounter. Simon started for Gent in their shock 2-1 win at Anderlecht on Sunday in the Belgian league but he was not among the goal scorers. The youngster has scored six goals in 11 matches since he moved to Belgium in January. In England, Victor Moses lasted just 56 minutes when Stoke lost 1-0 at West Brom while Sone Aluko was not used in Hull’s goalless draw at Leicester City. Kenneth Omeruo continues his sufferings on Middlesbrough bench as he was overlooked in

Boro’s 4-1 win over Ipswich. Watford recorded similar result against Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s Reading but their Nigerian star was not in action. Aiyegbeni and his compatriot, Hope Akpan were in action throughout for Reading. In Spain, Ike Uche was on the bench as Villarreal secured a goalless draw at Ramon Azeez’s Almeria. Azeez suffered the same fate as he did not taste action. Godfrey Oboabona was introduced in the 90th minute of his club; Rizespor’s 2-1 win over visiting Sivasspor in Turkey. John Utaka was in action for the visitors.

Martins (right)

any match as they drew all of their matches although that was not enough. He said that the players have big future ahead of them despite the setback and declared that they would bounce back to do better next time. “We have no regrets in the entire competition. On the eve of the match, I pointed out that this was not the match of our lives, or the last for these young players. We have been eliminated, but we hope to come back next time and do better. We are out of the competition without losing a game,” he said.

Special Features 55

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

Gombe: Goje and theatre of the absurd Mohammed Hashiru

his feature, in reference to the recent press conference granted by Senator Danjuma Goje at a budget defence of the National Assembly by the Director-General Security Exchange Commission (SEC) Munir Gwarzo, would have drawn little or no attention but for its national importance and its vitriolic and verbal assault on Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo Talban Gombe and the unusual praise of mediocrity that his eight years misrule in Gombe State represented.Senator Danjuma Goje's macabre dance (his strange and stiff blinded opposition to Governor Dankwabo continued at the senate last week during a chance he had with Alhaji Munir Gwarzo,acting DG SEC;in a fury, Danjuma Goje,as if in a fairy tale went for Gwarzo is jugular, laying all sort of real and imaginary blame on the latter for what he (Goje) labelled as Gwarzo's 'sin' for "effecting official approval"to Gombe State Government's Bond Application before the SEC. Danjuma Goje's unwarranted intimidation and ambushed of Gwarzo summed up my frustrations about the lack of standards, organizational incompetencies of Danjuma Goje’s administration in Gombe, in contrast to the presence of excellence and knowledge economy that has remained the hallmark of the Dankwambo-led administration that has now dotted the Nigerian political landscape. Pray! What on earth is N5 billion meant to an administration which has overtime demonstrated the qualities of a true leader, subsumed and determined to ensure that the state resources are spent cost-effectively to accelerate growth and development; improving the standard of living and quality of life of the vast majority of the masses, and giving priority in the utilisation of the state resources to education, agriculture, roads, health and water supply programmes; the criticallynecessary reorientation of the society to drastically reduce the pursuit of greed and self-enrichment for which the Danjuma Goje era is notoriously noted. Having served as Danjuma Goje’s Commissioner for Finance in the last administration, the return of Inuwa Yahaya to Government House Gombe is a re-enactment of the Danjuma Goje era, an insult and aberration to the people of Gombe State who are warned to beware and utilize their vote wisely at the April 11 polls. At the risk of being caught up on the podium of neutrality and partisanship , the Magnus Abe-led Senate Committee on Capital Market and Institution apparently was swayed in his opinion by the twist provided by Goje’s argument on the floor of the House by accusing Gwarzo, of insufficient investigation before granting official approval, which he (Gwarzo ) denied. In Gwarzo's statement, an Evaluation Committee was set up by Security and Exchange Commission to verify and certify the projects presented by the Dankwambo-led administration which on verification, was reported back satisfactorily before the release of the balance of N10 billion

Goje

Dankwambo

to the State Government. Primarily, the grouse of Goje was that there was a Petition preceding the earlier release of N20 billion to the State Government. Rather, Goje deserves to be cautioned by the Senate Committee in his attempt to mislead the Committee and pervert the cause of truth. Goje’s theatrical display on the floor of the Senate is reminiscent of WoleSoyinka’s play titled; “The King Must Dance Naked” for his (Danjuma Goje’s) exhibition of blatant ignorance of Government activities being promoted in his home state by one of the most progressive administrations that ever dotted the State's political space. Dankwambo’s domination of the political landscape in Gombe is due to so many well-constituted ingredients in an administration deeply rooted in grassroot advocacy, topflight policy planning and focus that rival Goje’s administration lack and in his eight years of misrule. Danjuma Goje’s press conference and vitriolic attack was meant to vitiate the integrity of Governor Dankwambo with a view to scoring a cheap political point and blackmail which is unbecoming of a former state chief executive. If Lagos State with a Bond approach of N185 billion and Kano State with over N140 billion to the Stock Market did not attract any hue and cry from it is indeed worrisome that Gombe State with a population of just over three million people has come under such a vehement attack. It speaks volume of the fragility of our nation’s democratic system, notably the amorphous identity of mediocres like erstwhile Governor Danjuma Goje using his antics to rubbish the best administration that ever orbited Gombe political horizon. In simple micro-economic terms, Dankwambo’s second visit to the Stock Market Exchange and the, SEC's, approval of additional Bond of N 5 billion is vindication of Gover nor Dankwambo’s efficacy in the governance of the State, with verifiable facts of his complete infrastructural renewal. For the first time in the political history of Gombe State, we have an administration as diverse and pluralistic in the implementation of state poli-

cies and programmes within huge financial constraints, reminiscent of his high level performance as the Accountant General of the Federation, AGF., whose watchword and meaning of responsibility is accountability in human fulfillment. With the massive provision of infrastructures in the education sector and the construction of 120 primary and secondary schools covering a phenomenal cost of N13 billion as against the Danjuma Goje’s total expenditure of N1.4 billion in his eight years rule in the state, an ambitious Almajiri education system with commendable focus on girl-child, the Dankwambo-led administration has provided new awareness which reflect commendable and forward thinking decisions on the part of leadership. Dankwambo’s administration constructed a total of 158 roads in three years, compared to Danjuma Goje’s 40 in eight years. Governor Dankwambo recapitalized the State Investment Company with N2 billion, whereas, Goje in contrast resorted to privatization by selling most the State Government properties on the altar of vested interests which accounted for why 50 per cent of the state total statutory allocation was confined and expended within the Government House. With the pillaging of the state’s resources, he eventually established himself as lord of the realm, now blown to shreds by his inglorious act of sabotaging the excellent services of Governor Dankwambo. It was under the Danjuma Goje administration that a chicken supplied to the Government House by his uncle accounted for N15,000 and a kilometer road construction was awarded at a cost of N600 million ripping the State with a debt profile of N27 billion . DanjumaGoje scandalously expended N105,000 each for an English Dictionary that cost the state government almost 2 billion naira,which was enough to build a factory for dictionaries any were in the world,combined with irregular payment of staff salary and pensions, with a stupendous cost of a bag of rice at N55,000 each. In contrast, Governor Dankwambo

developed a new state of entrepreneurs as a strategic plan to control the future, citing the example of many cities rapidly re-urbanizing with the attendant problem of overcrowding and transport congestion; specialization and skill acquisition; innovation and planning as crosscutting skills. Dankwambo’s administration in Gombe is propelled by the need to pay special attention to the processes and strategies through which leadership emerges as well as the quality of the leadership which must be anchored on measurable performance. Gombe State, once described as a big village is now at the threshold of modern day development, evident from the huge transformation that is taking place in virtually all the sectors of the state economy. The massive construction and modernization of hundreds of roads and bridges in virtually all the local government areas has not only impacted on the efficiency of transportation and enhanced property values but has improved safety, security and better economic productivity. It is significant to note that the Billiri township road network awarded to Inuwa Yahaya’s A.Y.U. Civil engineering limited at a cost of over N2.2 billion later turned out to be one of the worst, poorly constructed road network under the Dankwambo-led administration, a warning to the entire people of Gombe State to be wary of the type of leadership they entrust their destiny at the April polls. Dankwambo’s mastery of the intricacies of modern-day governance lends itself more to matters of principles and communications. Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo as former Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, and current Gombe state chief executive has carved a niche for himself as one of Nigeria’s foremost state chief executives, politician and policy thinktank. His ability to flip-flop on any and every issue is almost without equal; and it is quite gratifying to see that on the way he packaged the 2013 2nd North-East Economic Summit which attracted an intervention fund of N2.5 billion to develop the sub-region’s infrastructure in education and agriculture by the Federal Government, graced on the occasion by the presence of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Flip the coin, his administration signed a Financial Services Agreement, FSA, with the NEXIMBank to mobilize investment to Gombe state including project mobilization. An illustrative analogy of his transformation agenda in the area of trade and industry is evident in the administration’s Empowerment and Wealth Creation Programme; Establishment of Industrial Cluster / Enterprise Zones/ Estates in the state capital. A Trade Intervention Fund Scheme floated to strengthen the financial position of traders as participants in the development of market; Women and Youth Empowerment; Establishment of a Modern Commodities Depot to take Gombe state to global attention; a Mega Motor Park are all geared towards the promotion of the state as the commercial hub of the North-East geo-political zone of the country. • Hashiru is a publicity secretary Gombe Vanguard For Peace And Development.

On Marble

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect partner, but they usually do not consider what it is they have to offer one. – Stephen Richards

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

Nicola Adams, MBE is a British boxer and the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title. She was a Gold Medal winner at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London.

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ISIS and the foreign-fighter phenomenon (2) GUEST COLUMNISTS C O N T I N U E D F R O M L A S T T U E S D AY

Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger

or the most part they have no traditional religious education and are ‘born again’ into a radical religious vocation through the appeal of militant jihad.” Social acceptance and reinforcement are important factors. Atran’s research found that three out of four foreign fighters in Syria traveled together with others, a figure consistent with previous studies on the subject. Traditionally, jihadist fighters have found internal motivation in the promise of perceived religious rewards such as entry into heaven. But for many, perhaps most, jihadists, religious motivations are necessary but not sufficient to explain the leap to violent action. During the course of the civil war in Syria, the balance of internal and external factors has shifted over time. At the start of the conflict, a diverse coalition of imported religious fighters and secular Syrian rebels united loosely around the goal of overthrowing the oppressive Assad regime. For the jihadists, a longer-term goal was the establishment of a state governed by Islamic law, but the initial focus for most combatants was on fighting the regime. In the wake of ISIS’s rise, according to research by Peter Neumann, Scott Atran, and others, that goal has shifted noticeably to establishing Shariah law and supporting the institution of the caliphate, regardless of the wishes of the local Syrian population. With the emergence of large numbers of foreign fighters on social media, it became possible to glean more about their internal motivations, which frequently went beyond the promise of heaven and turned instead to the theme of adventure. One British fighter, 23-year-old Ifthekar Jaman, coined the phrase “fivestar jihad” to describe the fun he was having fighting in Syria, which caught on as a rallying cry to his countrymen, who showed up in ever-increasing numbers. (Jaman was killed in December 2013.) A number of “celebrity” fighters upped the ante. One of the most popular was a former Dutch soldier named Yilmaz, who helped train fighters with various factions in Syria. He documented his Syrian experience on Instagram, posting pictures of battles and fighters, as well as images of the people of Syria, including children, and seemingly incongruous snapshots of jihadists cuddling with cats. With the declaration of its “caliphate” in July 2014, ISIS began to enhance and amplify themes relating to the society it wanted to create, providing a new answer to the question: “Why join?” In his first speech as putative caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reflected this new focus, calling on Muslims everywhere to make hijra “to the land of Islam” as a religious obligation. He went on: “We make a special call to the scholars, [Islamic legal experts] and callers, especially the judges, as well as people with military,

ISIS members

administrative, and service expertise, and medical doctors and engineers of all different specializations and fields.” In July 2014, ISIS’s Al Hayat Media Center released an 11-minute video, The Chosen Few of Different Lands, which drove this point home. A masterpiece of extremist propaganda, it showed a Canadian fighter named Andre Poulin, a white convert known to his comrades as Abu Muslim. The video opened with stunning high-definition stock footage of Canada (or a reasonable facsimile) as Poulin described his life back home. "I was a very good person, and you know, mujahideen are regular people too. ... We have lives outside of our job.” “I was like your everyday regular Canadian before Islam,” he said. “I had money, I had family. I had good friends.” The barbaric nature of ISIS can lead observers to conclude its adherents are simplistic, violent, and stupid. The Chosen Few displayed a keen self-awareness of this perception and actively argued against it, with Poulin as its telegenic exemplar. “It wasn’t like I was some social outcast,” Poulin said. “It wasn’t like I was some anarchist, or somebody who just wants to destroy the world and kill everybody. No, I was a very good person, and you know, mujahideen [holy warriors] are regular people too. ... We have lives outside of our job.” Life had been good in Canada, Poulin said, but he realized he could not live in an infidel state, paying taxes that were used “to wage war on Islam.” In reality, Poulin was not quite the model of social integration that he portrayed on film. He developed an interest in explosives early and had dabbled in communism and anarchism before settling on radical Islam as an outlet for his interests. He had been arrested at least twice for threatening violence against the husband of a man whose wife he was sleeping with. These facts were conveniently omitted from his hagiography. “He answered the call of his Lord and surrendered his soul without hesitation, leaving the world behind him,” said a narrator in perfect, unaccented English. “Not out of despair and hopelessness, but rather with certainty of

Allah’s promise.” At the end, Poulin spoke again, his visage filtered in a gauzy light. “Put Allah before everything,” he said. Many of ISIS’s most vocal and visible supporters online are women. Analysis of social networks linked to ISIS on Twitter found hundreds of users identifying themselves as women and actively spreading the organization’s message. The leader of this online recruiting effort was a veteran of online agitation using variations on the online username “al Khansa’a”—the name of a female poet who was among the earliest converts to Islam in the days of the prophet, known for ordering her sons into battle on behalf of Islam. All four died. “I feel proud to be the mother of martyrs,” she is famously reputed to have said. The ISIS crackdown on women, by women Al Khansa’a had been active on alQaeda-linked forums well before ISIS’s rise. Among members of the forum community, she was an early adopter of social media, opening a Twitter account under the handle @al_khansaa2 in September 2012, as well as establishing a presence on Facebook and other channels. Aqsa Mahmood was another of the many women tirelessly working to recruit foreigners to join ISIS. As a teenager growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, she turned away from a typical, seemingly happy life spent consuming young adult novels and rock music and toward an increasingly militant outlook on the world and on her Muslim heritage, a sharp break from her family’s views. Mahmood documented her transformation on Tumblr with all the enthusiasm a teenager can bring to bear, describing a swift transition from a mainly secular lifestyle into radicalism. “My parents genuinely think I’m extremist,” she wrote. Her online friends—steeped in Salafist interpretations of Islam and the horror of the emerging Syrian civil war—became “the new family.” Throughout 2013, her writings turned more and more to openly jihadist ruminations and the growing obligation she felt to be involved in the struggle in Syria. In November, at the age of 19, she abruptly bid her horrified

family farewell. “I will see you on the day of judgment. I will take you to heaven, I will hold your hand,” her father recounted her saying. “I want to become a martyr.” From Syria, she kept up her online activities, using Twitter and Tumblr to encourage others to follow her example. “And to those who are able and can still make your way, please [fear Allah] and don’t delay anymore, hasten hasten hasten to our lands and live in [honour],” she tweeted. Uncounted other young women like Mahmood were lured to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq, including hundreds of Westerners and many more from Arabicspeaking countries. “Most foreign girls will be married off to foreign fighters upon their arrival,” wrote Mia Bloom, a leading expert in the role of women in jihadist movements. “In fact, many are offered up as a form of compensation to the men fighting for al-Baghdadi.” But the bricks-and-mortar al Khansa’a Brigade was a grim counterpoint to the illusion that its namesake sold online, according to one Syrian woman who defected from ISIS. In an interview with CNN, she described joining the brigade in Raqqa, Syria, where many ISIS foreign fighters were concentrated. The defector, referred to as Khadija to protect her identity, told a jarring story of a women’s squad of morality police, who whipped women seen on the streets wearing anything that did not measure up to ISIS’s rigid ideal of female modesty. ISIS has eschewed the al-Qaeda model of attracting fighters first and radicalizing them later. With its heady media mix of graphic violence and utopian idylls, ISIS sought recruits and supporters who were further down the path toward ideological radicalization or more inclined by personal disposition toward violence. Once these pre-radicalized fighters and their families arrived in Iraq and Syria, they were exposed to an environment seething with traumatic stress, sexual violence, slavery, genocide, and death and dismemberment as public spectacles. Among returning foreign fighters of previous generations—those that participated in the wars in Bosnia and Afghanistan, for example—perhaps one in nine would eventually take up terrorism on returning to their homelands. The fighters of ISIS are a new and untested breed. If they and their families someday attempt to return to their home countries, they will be unimaginably different from their predecessors. ISIS didn’t invent ultraviolent jihad. There have been many examples in the past, but they have led to consequences. In the horrific 1997 Luxor massacre in Egypt, 62 tourists (including women and children) were literally cut to pieces by dissident members of the Egyptian Islamic Group. The backlash led the group to moderate its overall approach. The Abu Sayyaf Group has long beheaded hostages, sometimes on video. • This post has been adapted from Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger's forthcoming book, ISIS: The State of Terror.

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